Stories through the Wilderness

The Power of Baptism
Faith Story Series Jessica Pavelko Faith Story Series Jessica Pavelko

The Power of Baptism

Baptism has always been more than a ritual to me—it’s a promise of freedom. When I was thirteen, standing in the small sanctuary of our family church, I didn’t yet understand what it meant to die to self. I thought faith was about being good, following rules, and staying strong. Years later, I’ve learned it’s about surrender—letting go of control, fear, and pride so that God can make something new from what’s been broken.

Dying to self isn’t losing who we are; it’s finding freedom in who we were always meant to be.

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Meeting Jesus in a Teenage Girl’s Diary
Faith Story Series Jessica Pavelko Faith Story Series Jessica Pavelko

Meeting Jesus in a Teenage Girl’s Diary

Sometimes God meets us in the simplest moments — a quiet summer afternoon, a well-worn book, a whisper beneath the trees. For me, it was through the pages of Diary of a Teenage Girl that faith became personal. That story led me to pray my first honest prayer and begin a lifelong relationship with Jesus. What started as a child’s search for peace became the seed of salvation that still shapes my life today — proof that God can use even the smallest stories to call us home.

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