Folashade

Growing up in a Christian home, I was always familiar with Jesus. My family, like most Nigerian households, were regular church attendees. On Sundays, I always found myself in church being preached to about Jesus. To me, these weekly Sunday services were more or less chores, something I had to do because my parents expected it of me, but I didn't personally have a relationship with the Lord. I found myself throughout my younger years just going through the motions of attending church. It was only in my late teenage years when I attended boarding school that I became curious about the Lord. I started to go to the Word with a curious heart. This was probably the first time that I read my Bible on my own initiative, and it really began to change my heart and draw me nearer to the Lord.

Then when I left home again, this time moving miles away to attend university, I knew that the Lord was really working in my life. Arriving at USF and starting university during the COVID period, I had trouble finding a community in school. However, through a chance meeting with one of the staff at Cornerstone Christian Church, I began to connect and meet with people in the church who helped me on my walk with Christ. I started attending Bible studies, and my desire to walk with the Lord really manifested through these lessons where I was able to evaluate my relationship with God. I hadn't fully given my life and heart to the Lord. When I realized that, I knew that I had to repent from my old life of doing things in my strength and by my own way. The first step for me was asking God to take control. I decided to get baptized, and I was filled with so much peace from that decision, starting a new life as a daughter of Christ.

Ever since I received Christ, that seed of faith has grown and brought fruitfulness in my life. God has proven time after time that He is my Provider, my Friend, and through times of trouble the Steadfast Rock that I can lean on and trust in. As a young Christian, my hunger and thirst for him continues to grow. I am thankful to have Cornerstone as a community to help me establish a good foundation in Christ.

- Folashade