"Renewing my Vows"

Some of the most special events i've been a part of since working for Chi Alpha are baptisms. Baptisms are an outward sign of an inward conversion. A wedding and a funeral. Students have made the decision to die to their own will and take up the will of God. I've had the honor of witnessing God change the lives of many students, some who have become my dearest friends! This past October I had the opportunity to baptize my friend Laesha, who is in her second year at UTSA and also a member of my small group. Recently I asked Laesha to share her decision to be baptized for my newsletter. I decided to share more of it here with you, whomever you may be!  So,enough from me...here's Laesha's story:

Laesha and I at her baptism!

"The first time I got baptized was on an Easter Sunday when I was 16 years old. I grew up around church and knew who Jesus was but I never really followed him. It wasn’t until I came to college when I learned what it meant to live in His will. In that first year, the more I learned the more my hunger grew. Eventually, however, the trials became too much for me and I fell back to my sinful ways that I was ignorant of before my walk with the Lord started. I felt as though I wasn’t important enough to be a part of God’s plan, despite all that I learned throughout the year; also, I thought it would be easier to not follow Him and to just follow me/what I wanted. I knew that my path was the wrong path; I was aware of the guilt on my heart all the time. I could feel that something was missing inside of me, something that only the Lord could fill. 
Recently I felt him calling to me (even though he was calling all along) and I wanted to become right with him again. But, I didn’t feel clean and I couldn’t feel His spirit because I couldn’t see past the sin. So, I gave it away; I asked Jesus Christ to wash it all away and that’s when I decided that I wanted my faith to be renewed. I got baptized on October 24th. And in that moment I felt important, I felt loved, and I felt whole. I know the walk from here on isn’t going to be easy, but I know that He will always be there to guide me."

-Laesha

Here is a video summing up baptisms made by my roommate Mackenzie:

Baptisms Fall 2013 from Chi Alpha UTSA on Vimeo.