My Chinese name is Liu Jun. I was born and raised in Quangdong province. Growing up in China, I had never heard of the gospel of Jesus Christ. My family immigrated to the United States when I was ten. We lived in California, but I never had any contact with Christian churches. In my teen years, I got very much interested in Buddhism. (Probably because as a Chinese lad, I admired the older generation’s passion for this religion.)

I thank God for providing me the resolve and courage to take the step of faith in baptism this Easter Sunday. About five years ago, I pledged myself to be a believer and accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I was living in the Bay Area at the time. Since my childhood, I always felt that I was a good person. In spite of an occasional bad temper, I was a law-abiding citizen. I was unlike people my age who indulged in school fights, troublemaking, even thefts and drugs. From man’s perspective, I considered myself a pretty decent person. College years brought a lot of changes in my life. I had a close-knit relationship with friends in different age groups and with varied social backgrounds. There was also an increased pressure to excel in my school work. To begin with, I was not the scholarly type. After one year in the university, I had to transfer to a city college. I also decided to take a semester off. As all these events converged, I spent the next few years in an emotional rollercoaster. In school, my unstable emotions led to weakness in “matters of the heart”. Struggling with personal intimacy issues also became a problem. I strived to focus on my studies but frequently failed.

After my parents’ divorce in 2005, I felt even more helpless than before. The following year, my Mom met her present husband. They got married in 2009 and moved to Alameda County. Meanwhile, I continued to live with my Grandpa in San Francisco. Driven by a desire to remain close to my Mom, I started joining them in attending church services. In response to persistent invitations, I also joined a Christian fellowship group. I attended church services intermittently for a few months. As I was not fully engaged in the church, I did not take God’s Word to heart.

In the summer of 2010, I attended a Christian retreat with my fellowship group. Pastor Liu was our main speaker. During the few days at camp, I clearly experienced God’s presence. At dawn the second morning, I arose before sunrise and took a spin in my car. I drove to the mountainside nearby. I enjoyed the cool morning breeze and the thrill of weaving through the winding mountain roads. With so much confidence in my driving skills, I began to increase my speed. Suddenly, I lost control of my steering wheel as the car sped towards a cliff. Extreme fear and thoughts of impending death engulfed me. I instantly thought of my loving Mom who loves me in spite of my many shortcomings. By God’s providence, there was a piece of wood (about one meter in length) lying by the edge of the cliff. The car’s left rear end bumped into it causing it to spin towards the side of the hill. The car finally came to a complete stop. I was in extreme shock and shedding tears of thankfulness. I gave thanks to God for saving my life as I survived unscathed. My car was a total wreck, but I managed to return to the campgrounds safely. God protects his children and grants us peace — everyone of us! I quickly sought out our fellowship leader. That day, I accepted Christ by praying the prayer of faith with him.

After this encounter with death, I resolved to spend more time in fellowship groups and Sunday worship services. I also began to devote more time to study the Word of God. I often reflect upon the piece of wood that saved my life. Isn’t it the same sign that symbolizes Jesus’ saving grace on the cross? He was nailed to a wooden cross to cleanse us of our sin and to consummate God’s salvation plan.

After I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, I did not witness any drastic changes in my life. I still go through periods of sadness when things go wrong. But now I can seek comfort and encouragement in the Scriptures. My mood swings are not quite the same as before. ( Matthew 6:34 tells us, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”). In dealing with my fellow man, I have become more understanding and accommodating. I am also less prone to be “quick to anger.” (Ephesians 4:26 states, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.”) I praise God, for through His Providence, I met my wife Grace in the church where we both worshipped. God also paved the way for me to move from San Francisco to the East Bay where I can be closer to my church.

The thought of baptism entered my mind a few times. This would be followed by some hesitation since I was not a perfect being yet. I still had my sinful nature. Two years ago, I moved to Sacramento and began attending Chinese Grace Bible Church. Here, I experienced an outpouring of Jesus’ saving grace. In response to His grace, I must take the step of faith and be baptized as a Christian. So, here I am standing before you this Easter Sunday.

I am thankful to God for choosing me. And for allowing me to know Him and to follow Him in my fleeting earthly life. I also look forward to be with Him in His heavenly kingdom.