Hi, my name is Christine and I'm currently in the Bruin Adult Ministry and this is my testimony. I was blessed to have grown up in the church my whole life and my father was called into ministry when I was in elementary school and he served as the English ministry pastor under the umbrella of a Korean church.

Although filled with many graces, growing up in the church was difficult and many times when leadership changed or there were any kind of clashes, we would have to move to another church. This resulted in us moving churches about every two years until I entered high school. As a result, church was just a mandatory Sunday activity because I was a pastor's kid but nothing more.

If anything, I was very hardened towards the church and had an incorrect view of Christians because I could see what was going on in the background. Despite my hardened heart, I thought I was a Christian because I knew all the Sunday school answers and didn't do anything bad but I didn't truly know God or have Christ in my heart.

My greatest priority in life was to achieve the American Dream. My parents struggled so much my whole life and I didn't want to struggle like them or have them continue to struggle as well. From kindergarten, I was set on becoming a doctor and I wanted to heal people like Jesus healed but in reality, I wanted to be respected and make money.

I studied hard in school and achieved all that I wanted and what my parents wanted but all the while, I was so empty inside. I had no love in me nor the ability to recognize love around me thus I had no love to give. I was selfish in my words and actions and hurt my family and friends and many other people in my life thinking I could just cut them out whenever they didn't meet my needs.

I was self-righteous and placed unjust expectations on them and I placed them at fault for my own faults. I only loved those who loved me how I wanted to be loved. I had no grace and I was clearly my own God. Senior year was a roller coaster of emotions and growth.

I was at a more stable church at that point and was blessed to be under good teaching and God was beginning to soften my heart. Through this church, I learned about the gospel and recognized my shallow faith and truly desired to know God. I was sprinkled and confirmed at my church and made the decision to live for God.

However, college was when my faith was really put to the test and I fully recognized my sins and need for a savior. After getting rejected from almost every school, I got into my top choice and I always like to say I went to Cornell to become a Christian. Again, I was blessed to have found a Bible-loving and preaching church right away and grew my love for God's word and through that my love and understanding of God.

However, I was still striving after the American dream, pretending it was in the name of Jesus. School was very hard to say the least and as I grew my love for God and his word, I was constantly conflicted with whether or not I should be spending more time in his word or in my textbooks.

And at one point, God opened my eyes to my idolization of myself and how my identity was rooted in my achievements and desires for worldly respect. I was struck with the realization that if I was already struggling this much between God and my career, there's no guarantee that I would continue to pursue and love God if I continued down this route.

I had to decide was it worth taking, was it worth risking my eternal salvation for my career and desires for self-glory. It was difficult but by his grace I was finally able to lay down my future plans and my desires down at his feet. As I surrendered this idol, God further opened my eyes to my depravity and helped me to repent of my sins of selfishness and self-righteous expectations towards my family and friends.

My decision to trust God with my career led to many arguments and conflicts regarding God's plan for my life with my parents as well, another idol I needed to surrender. But I truly believe God honored my decision and I knew that I had to have faith that God would also love and guide my parents as well.

It's been a rough road of repentance and reconciliation, a road that I'm still on, but I'm so thankful for how God has changed my heart and has taught me how to love and trust him in all things in life. As I look back, I know my natural heart is so sinful and could have taken so many wrong turns but God has held me so tightly and has so fiercely protected my heart for him and I am floored and grateful that the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in me.

I stand here today not necessarily as the first time that I am proclaiming my faith before the church but in recognition of the significance of immersion baptism in its representation of my union with Christ in his death and resurrection and my reverence and obedience to God's ordinances. Thank you church family and I hope you can all continue to run with me and keep me accountable in this race.

Amen. >> Okay. >> Chrissy do you understand when you go into the water you're, you're uniting with Christ in his death and when you come out you're uniting with his resurrected life. >> Thank you. >> And I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

(applause)