Hi, I’m Claire and I’m 13 years old. As I’m sure some of you can relate, I was born as the youngest in a Christian family. For as long as I could remember, I’ve always attended church; even when I was too young to go to class. I remember sitting with my friend Chloë sharing a chair at my old church, MGC. But soon, in 2015 my family decided to move here. I attended StarKids, learning with friends about the good deeds of Jesus and The Lord. I learned about Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and I didn’t understand its significance for a long time. In 2020, the pandemic made its way to Canada. This is the time when I felt the furthest away from God. The online church didn’t feel the same as it used to, and soon I stopped paying attention. But then the next year rolled around and I was in grade 6. I started thinking about baptism and yet every time, something occupied my mind and I forgot. I realized it was my own ignorance that led me away from baptism and God’s love. I allowed myself to use my extracurriculars to avoid connecting with church. I let my selfish desires dictate my choices instead of listening to The Lord. At the time, I used to think that something major in my life had to happen where God was crystal clear there to be baptized. But around when I entered grade 8, I realized this was not the truth. During this year it felt like God was speaking to me in many ways. This was by my teachers, my family, the bible, youth classes, and friends. And for once, my thoughts about baptism lingered in my head and I eventually decided to speak to my parents. I realized that I didn’t need a huge event in my life to get baptized, all I truly needed was my faith in The Lord. Now I understand Jesus’ sacrifice more than I did before, he died for us and resurrected for us. He models God’s eternal love and a verse that stuck with me during this time was, “We love because He first loved us” 1 John 4:19. I am not perfect by any means, I know my flaws, but I was also made in God’s image. I chose to dedicate my strengths and passions while I promise to work on my shortcomings as a believer. I am grateful for everything God has and will do in my life, even during the times when I can’t hear Him. I am here today to show my dedication and faith in The Lord. Thank you.