In the fall of 2021…

I started intentionally sharing my story with my next door neighbor, Sandy. She was hungry to learn about Jesus and agreed to start attending church with us. As she grew more in her knowledge of the Bible and of God’s love for her, a deep passion was ignited in her soul.

While sitting in a women’s Bible study group in September of 2022, she boldly proclaimed that she was ready to give her life to Christ, so the room full of weeping women surrounded her, prayed with her, and rejoiced with her. From that day forward, something changed. Sandy was noticeably different. She pursued Jesus with a newfound excitement and couldn’t keep from sharing about her Savior with everyone around her. She became a true disciple of Christ – constantly pursuing further knowledge and a deeper understanding of God’s love through intentional community and studying God’s Word.

Two women in baptismal font for baptism at Calvary Baptist Church Smithville — **Baptism**

In December of 2022, I was honored to baptize her where she made a public proclamation of her internal transformation. It’s been such a blessing to be a part of her faith journey!

Little Did I Know…

The day Sandy accepted Christ as her Savior, another woman was sitting in that Bible study who was also hungry for the love of God. Little did I know that meeting this woman, Angela, would be such a significant moment. To be honest, I didn’t finish the Bible study at our church with that women’s group, because I was leading a Bible study with some friends from our local MOPS group and felt like I couldn’t commit to two studies. But over the next few months, as I repeatedly ran into Angela at church, I felt like I needed to get to know her. One day, Angela reached out to me to grab coffee. We had a lovely time together and I was able to connect her with our local MOPS group since she was a brand new mom seeking community and connection. Sure enough, she showed up the next week and joined MOPS immediately! I was so proud of her for courageously diving right in.

Although my table at MOPS that week was full, sweet Sandy took Angela under her wing to make sure she felt connected and seen at her table. From then on, Sandy and Angela started talking regularly. They got to know each other’s stories, shared insights from Bible study, and asked each other deep questions. Sandy had signed up for our Spring WILD Retreat in March, and the week of the retreat, she called me and said,

“I don’t know why, but I feel really strongly that I need to invite Angela to the retreat.”

So of course I said, “YES! Please invite her!” Little did I know how badly she needed it.

JOY

When Angela arrived at the retreat, she was heavy laden, downcast, and reflective. She was engaging in the activities but I could tell something was weighing on her. In one of our small group discussion times, after a brief pause and reflective stare, Angela stated, “I don’t know that I’ve ever truly accepted Christ as my Savior.” So after a lengthy conversation and answering all of her questions, she asked me to pray with her to accept Christ.

After her prayer, she radiated with JOY. The weight was lifted; the burden was gone. She was transformed as a new creation in Christ!

Her joy was contagious and she could hardly contain her excitement during our reflection time later that evening with the whole group of retreat attendees. Of course, we rejoiced and celebrated with her and gave her words of encouragement as she stepped forward in faith as a new Christian. But as we were wrapping up our session, sitting with our feet in the hot tub, Angela turned to Sandy and said, “Do you think I could be baptized?” So Sandy emphatically said “YES!” and grabbed my arm to ask me to baptize Angela right then and there. So we did it! We prayed over her, I baptized her, and we all celebrated together.

The Wildest Part…

The wildest part of it all was that about a week before the retreat, I felt a strong message from the Holy Spirit telling me to be prepared to baptize. I wasn’t sure I was “allowed” or qualified, so I didn’t advertise it as an option or encourage anyone to get baptized since it could’ve felt insincere. However, the purity of Angela’s request made it perfectly clear to me that the Lord had divinely prepared me to baptize her that day. He had been stirring the idea in my heart, and all I had to do was be faithful to that which He called me.

Discipling

Over the last few months, Sandy and I have both had the honor of discipling Angela as she continues to pursue Jesus more every day. She asks tough questions and dives into the nitty gritty parts of Scripture that sometimes scare people away. But her heart is so pure and she is so enthusiastic that her faith inspires my own! I’m incredibly proud of Angela, but I’m also incredibly proud of Sandy for replicating biblical discipleship within our circle of friends. If it weren’t for Sandy’s courage in sharing her story and inviting Angela to the retreat, Angela may have missed the opportunity to experience Jesus in such a real way and put her faith in Him. And now, not only are Angela and Sandy each growing individually in their faith journeys, but they’re also starting to disciple others!

This is exactly what we’re all about at SUMMIT – equipping leaders of influence in order to change lives and expand the Kingdom of God.

So I want to challenge you to consider a few things…

***Who is discipling you? (Pointing you to Jesus & encouraging you to become more like Him)***
***Who are YOU discipling?***
***If no one, why not?***

If you’re looking to be equipped in biblical leadership skills, I encourage you to check out our upcoming discipleship cohorts, outdoor experiences, or professional development programs to see how you can grow as a leader and expand your influence for the sake of Christ in the world around you.