Jazlyn and Jaylyn

Jazlyn (left) and Jaylyn (right)

I  grew up going to church almost every Sunday. I heard the Bible and believed in God, therefore I thought I was saved. When I moved to Tampa for college I did not have a church I was connected to. So every Sunday I would read my Bible in my dorm and that turned into me reading it almost every day. I can’t pinpoint what changed but one day when I went to read my Bible I felt convicted by the list of people who wouldn’t make it into heaven because I saw myself in that list. I remember being so disappointed that I had convinced myself that I was following Jesus, when I was so far from Him. So I prayed the prayer that I’d heard in church growing up and gave my life to the Lord.

My next step was to ask God to help me find a church. Three months later I was on campus walking to meet my sister who had just transferred to USF, and I encountered a Bible study leader from Cornerstone. She invited me to come to church one Sunday, and both my sister and I went. My sister and I were encouraged to participate in the Bible studies, and through those Bible studies I learned how to be discipled and walk out my relationship with Jesus.   

-Jazlyn

I grew up going to church with my mom and always believed God existed but did not have a relationship with Him. I saw God more as someone who could do things for me if I asked, instead of someone I needed to truly know and revere. During that time, I struggled a lot with anger, selfishness and apathy. I gave my life to Christ during my freshman year of college when I took a class called Faith and Philosophical Inquiry. The Bible was our textbook, so I found myself reading more and more about Jesus. When our class discussed the problem of evil and Pascal’s Wager, it made me start questioning and thinking about what I believed about myself and God. While reading the Bible for homework one night, I came to a true realization that God wants a relationship and He really loves us. I decided that night in my dorm room that I would give God my life because being lukewarm wasn’t pleasing to Him.

After getting saved I transferred to USF and my sister invited me to go with her to Cornerstone. Through church and Bible studies I was encouraged to be open and honest and they helped me grow closer to God. As we have each begun following Christ He has healed our relationship as sisters and redeemed that brokenness. Now we get to be a part of each other's walk with God and look forward to becoming more like Him everyday.   

-Jaylyn