Juliet Cater. Juliet
Christianity has always been a part of my life. My parents are Christians and they have always taken me to church- Dunstable Baptist Chapel. Although I now realise this was a tremendous privilege, I didn't see it like that at the time. All my friends didn't go to church and I didn't want to be seen as different. However, my attitude gradually changed and I began to start really listening at church and questioning my relationship with God. It is hard for me to give a date of when I became a Christian, as I don't think I have ever not believed in God.

There have been some significant events in my life where I think God was speaking to me. The first was on January 29th 1991, I have it written in my diary that I, "became a Christian." I don't remember a lot about it, but I remember reading a book called, "Leading little ones to God." It was about Nebuchadnezzar, he had become a very great king and he was a mighty man, but he became too proud and God took away all his power and made him live out-of-doors, like an animal. One day Nebuchadnezzar looked up to heaven and thought of God and began to praise Him. Nebuchadnezzar knew at last, that he was very small and God is very great. This is exactly how I felt and I knew this to be true.

Another significant time was when I went to Swanage camp in 1994. We went to a church in Wareham and the visiting preacher gave my cousin and I several booklets. One was called, "Journey into Life." It explains the facts and at the end is a prayer. I said that prayer, asking Jesus Christ to come into my life and live in me through his Holy Spirit.

On April 13th, 1997, I got baptised along with Gwen Todd. It took me a long time to publicly declare my faith, even though I knew baptism is a commandment in the bible. Getting baptised was very significant for me. After it, I felt I could be open with people about my faith and vice versa, as they knew where I stood. It was (and still is) excellent to have fellowship with God's people and be able to share problems and difficulties.

I feel that going to university really helped me to grow in my faith. I joined the Christian Union and there found many Christians with totally different backgrounds to me. This helped me to question exactly what I believe and why I believe it. We had many discussions, talks and missions, where I was able to share my faith with fellow students.

Now, having finished university and working full-time, it is a constant battle to keep striving and going for God. It's a challenge to witness to my friends, showing them that I am different and not being ashamed of it. I have so much to be thankful for, but most of all I am thankful that Jesus Christ died for me, saving me from my sins and eternal punishment and has allowed me to be with Him in paradise. May everyone who reads this be able to have the same security and peace knowing that, "He is with you always."