To Baptism… AND BEYOND!

Hello! It has been just over 2 months since my last blog post! 2 MONTHS!!!???!! That is a bit ridiculous… I have not even spoken about my baptism! I have lots to tell you all :)…

Firstly, I celebrated my 21st Birthday with my Joel, Mum, Nan and Tafadzwa which was amazing as they came to Plymouth, which was such a blessing and I could not have asked for anything greater. It was lovely to see my Mum and Nan have quality time together and to get a mini holiday in my part of the country. Zoe and her carer Keri visited me a couple of weeks before which was so lovely 🙂 It means so much to be able to include my family in my new ‘adult’ life, especially when we live so far apart from each other.

The day after my birthday I was baptised and it was amazing :). The water was warm and I was baptised after Julia which was lovely. When I went under the water, my eyes were opened which was strange as I went under with them closed I thought… and I don’t really like being underwater… but I remember being under the water looking up which was really cool. I was prayed over by the pastor Andy Caldwell and a woman who led the ladies bible study I attended, Emily Davies. It was such a special moment.

Sharing my testimony was great – I managed to read it without fainting in front of such a large crowd! It was so nice to be able to share with my friends, family and the church my life and my journey with God.

I was able to get lovely photos done by a great friend of mine (Jess) and I love them all! Including this gem!

It was such a special weekend of celebration and the blessings poured down on me and my family so much. It is not every day something like that happens and I am so grateful I could share it with the ones that I love (not everyone I love could be there obviously… that would be a miracle!).

A few days after my baptism, I really felt the desire to pray for people, to give them encouragement and to really get stuck into my bible. I now keep a prayer list of those that I am praying for and I love adding to it! I am hoping to be more involved with the prayer team at the Christian Union this year and I have already been blessed to lead a morning prayer session. It was so lovely to be able to share with others God’s Word and to just be able to thank him and praise him together. I really pray that I can stay focused on God as I share and pray alongside others. I love speaking with others and really getting to know them, help them and be a friend – – – I guess loving them as Christ loves me!

University work has kicked off and I am now studying Geography with International Relations so I have set myself a lot more work! It’s very interesting and God will open the doors for me to use this degree I am sure of it. Not entirely sure where I am being called to be working, but I know that it will have to involve other people. I thrive on it! It is a big career area because most things involve people to some degree, but that gives me more scope and I will just be led where God calls me to be at any given time.

Over the summer I was considering moving myself to St Andrews church in Plymouth. It was a very prayerful decision because I adore Mutley Baptist and the people there, but it was just the right time to  move. I adore both congregations but for now, I am placing myself at St Andrews. It has been wonderful to be a part of Mutley Baptist and I have grown so much over the year or so that I have been there. Now, I am hoping to be able to share this knowledge and love within St Andrews for the next chapter of my life. Love to both!

Finally, I just want to conclude with how much I love God. There are days when I feel so far from him; where my understanding of the contemporary debates about God get in the way and challenge my faith so much for example. However, no one can take away that knowing I have in my heart as I look at nature, or I read the bible, or I see the good in the darkest times… there is this knowing that keeps me  grounded and trusting, even if I am opposed from all sides. I know that it is not easy to believe in God in a 21st Century world that opposes the idea of a Creator and a Saviour. But is this generation really against a God? Not the way I see it. I see so many people becoming Christians, a generation that wants to serve something much greater than the gods of this earth. I see people asking questions about God despite not wanting to believe, or admitting that they will never become Christians. I think we all have a niggling tug within us that is pulling us toward a greater purpose. So there may seem to be a great deal of opposition from the world around us in believing in a God… but it must be examined equally so that wanting to know God is still on the rise and will continue to be!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJi_7f1cpbk

The link above is a bit of encouragement for the days that we struggle and the reminder that there is a God that is never too far away…

It is nice to be able to write again! I shall finish on a verse: “But I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.” (Psalm 55:16-17).

God bless 🙂

Ruthie -xxx-