Surrendered
As I quietly listened to Erin’s testimony as she prepared for her water baptism, so many things jumped out to me. Below are the testimonies. I hope you get inspired by it.
Hi! My name is Erin Lessmeister and here is a little bit about how the Lord has worked through my life.
Christianity is more than just going to church every Sunday… I needed to make my faith my own
I grew up in a Christian home which was a huge blessing and I have gone to Ellerslie for pretty much my entire life. Growing up, I would say my faith was very surface level. I went to church just because my family took me, but I didn’t really understand the meaning of Christianity, and that it meant having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. When I was in grade four, I went to Lone Prairie Camp for the first time, and the Lord used my experience there to help me begin to understand that Christianity is more than just going to church every Sunday with my family. I began to learn that I needed to make my faith my own. I remember praying that week as a camper that I wanted to start a personal relationship with Christ. Since then, I have had many ups and downs in my relationship with Christ.
{Are you ashamed of being associated with Christ?}
All throughout Junior High and grade 10, I was very focused on myself and my main concern was what other people thought of me. I would mostly try to hide the fact that I was a Christian and that I went to church because I was afraid of judgment and disclusion. I really disliked the fact that as Christians we are meant to set ourselves apart from other people because I desired acceptance from others a lot more than I desired Christ at that point in my life.
… I had only been living life for myself, separate from Christ
During the summer after grade 10, the Lord used my second year of Christian leadership training at Lone Prairie Camp and the Mexico missions’ trip through Ellerslie youth, to change my heart and make me realize that I had only been living life for myself, separate from Christ. Through those experiences, the Lord led me to make the decision to change schools after grade 10 to go to the same school as some of my Christian friends and this change helped me to take steps towards living out my faith in my daily life but old habits of wanting to be accepted by others and not wanting to set myself apart still crept in.
Christ is not just meant to be another part of your life but He is meant to be your whole life
This past year, I did a year of Bible school at His Hill in Comfort Texas. The Lord used this year to grow me in my faith immensely. One of the main things that I learned through my time in Texas was that Christ is not just meant to be another part of your life but He is meant to be your whole life. The Lord made me realize the importance of dying to myself and living in complete dependence upon Him. There are still many areas of my life that I have not yet completely surrendered to the Lord and this is something that He is still working in my heart but I am so thankful for the ways that He is continually growing me and helping me give up control and trust Him.
…I have been challenged to trust the Lord and know that His plans for me are much better than the plans I have for myself.
I had to go home 2 months early from Bible school due to the current state our world is in, which was really difficult for me. Through the way my plans got changed, I have been challenged to trust the Lord and know that His plans for me are much better than the plans I have for myself. Since being home, this has only continued. I am so thankful for the ways that the Lord has faithfully worked in my life and for the ways that He has brought me to Himself. One of the verses that I have clung to lately is Philipians 1:6 which says:
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philipians 1:6
I chose to get baptized today as a public declaration of my faith and acknowledgment that I will continue to follow Jesus all the days of my life. I am so excited for where He will lead me and how He will work through me in the years to come.
LIVING WORDS OF LIFE 