Baptism Stories - Charles & Sheena
The BridgePointe family witnessed and celebrated the baptisms of Charles and Sheena W. on February 23 at the end of services. Charles shared his desire for being baptized as “Having been fatherless for most of my life, I am ready to have a Father again. There is a kind of love that God only knows.” Sheena testified that “I want to show my commitment to Jesus and the new life He’s given me.” Enjoy the pictures and read their stories below.
If you would like to know more about baptism, or would like to reach out to have a conversation regarding baptism, please head over to our Baptism page for more information.
Charles’ Story
I come from humble beginnings and perseverance is a characteristic that epitomizes my journey through life. My mother was a hard-working woman who was a severe alcoholic and suffered from mental and emotional disabilities. She passed away when I was only nine years old. My father was a loving and caring man, whose obesity led to major health complications, culminating in his death when I was 13 years old.
After my parents died I was blessed with a loving foster family. But the irony is, because I was not properly loved and cared for, when others tried to show me what love and care was, I resisted it. After the loss of both my parents, I entered into foster care and my siblings and I were split apart. From that point on, I wanted nothing more, then to end the perpetual cycle of addiction, abuse, and poverty that my siblings and I had endured.
I thought that education was my only way out. Academic achievements, along with the help of others in my later years of middle school landed me the opportunity to study at a Catholic boarding school. The education that I received there equipped me with the tools to go on to university.
I would not be where I am today without the generosity, support, and kindness from countless others. After my freshman year at school I left college to figure out who I really was on the inside. Up until this point in my life I have always felt I had to fit in, I was checking all the boxes, or so I thought, and that left little room for God.
While on my journey, I grappled with questions about what is the meaning of life, or why does suffering exist? Questions I must honestly say I am still working to answer. However, I have learned that self-pity and excessive rumination about one’s circumstances can be debilitating. I found serenity through helping other people. I learned that pain and suffering are universal.
Most importantly, I am now inviting God into my life. With His love, strength, and good orderly direction, as well as my church family's patience, love, and tolerance, I am hoping that His will, not mine, be done in my life.
Sheena’s Story
I grew up in a conservative Catholic country, surrounded by tradition but without a real connection to God. Church felt like a routine, and when I struggled with depression as a teenager, I had no one to turn to. I felt lost and alone.
In college, a friend invited me to a Christian church. The first time I attended, I broke down in tears. I felt Jesus comforting me, telling me to release the pain I had carried for so long. From that day on, I found peace in His presence, even when my parents disapproved of my faith and decisions in life. Seeking freedom, I moved abroad and started a new chapter.
I met my husband, and for a while, life seemed good, until I faced a new challenge. My husband struggled with alcohol addiction, and for three years, I felt trapped in a painful cycle, alone in a foreign country with no support system. But through every difficult moment, God gave me strength and wisdom. I thought about divorce many times, but deep down, I trusted that God could still restore what was broken. I held on to the hope of the beautiful family I always dreamed of. Three years into our marriage, we had our first daughter, and my husband chose sobriety. By God’s grace, he has been sober for three years, and now we have a beautiful family with three children.
Looking back, I see how Jesus was with me through it all—through childhood loneliness, through the darkest moments of my marriage, and through the miracles He worked in my life.
Through everything, Jesus has been my strength, and He’s the reason I’m standing strong today.