When Hope Came to Life

“Baptism is an outward testimony of an inward transformation. It’s the first step of obedience as a follower of Christ.
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On New Year’s Eve, God gave us one of the best gifts.

Over the Christmas break, one of our youth, Deborah* messaged me to invite me to her and her sister, Anna’s* baptism on New Year’s Eve. I was surprised, as it reminded me of a time when these sisters had mentioned wanting to be baptized, even though they hadn't been connected to a local church. Growing up as youths in our programs, Deborah and Anna have always been engaged in Bible lessons and demonstrated a desire to grow in their faith and knowledge of God. They had expressed a desire to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but were not yet ready to be baptized, as they felt nervous about sharing their testimony. I prayed that one day they would overcome their anxiety and fear to boldly follow Jesus.

In 2023, Deborah and Anna began attending church with their family and chose to attend baptismal classes with their pastor. They learned that baptism was an outward testimony of an inward transformation and the first step of obedience as a follower of Christ.

On New Year’s Eve, Anna, Deborah and her mom made the decision to follow Jesus into the waters of baptism, becoming the first members of their family to be baptized. Despite their nervousness, they were excited about the opportunity to publicly declare their decision to follow Jesus in front of their friends and family. God gave us the incredible gift of celebrating their first step in Christ and witnessing not only kids and youth but entire families come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

This was the moment our mission’s vision came to life!

At Toronto City Mission, we have the blessing of walking alongside families from age 6 to grade 12, yet our time with them will eventually come to an end. Praise God for the peace of knowing that God is their constant, their rock and firm foundation who will never leave nor forsake them. What peace it brings me to know that I will see them again someday. We pray that we may be able to continue to walk alongside them as they step into a new chapter and that their lives transformed by Christ will be a testimony to their loved ones.