Baby Shower, Bible Study, and Baptisms!

Written by Annika Bajema

It has been a busy spring for Kentwood Young Life!

At the end of March, we had the opportunity to host a baby shower to celebrate one of our Junior girls who was pregnant. It was such a blessing to bring our leaders, high school girls, and committee together to shower her with practical gifts, laugh and play games, and support and encourage her as she takes this brave, big step into becoming a mother! At the end of the shower, we took time to lay hands on and pray over her and her sweet baby boy. We prayed for strength and endurance for her and that this baby's life will be a testimony to many. It was so powerful and we were reminded that God goes before us and is with us and that this baby boy is fearfully and wonderfully made. A few weeks later she welcomed a healthy baby boy and they both are doing great!

Jake has faithfully been leading a boy's Bible study at our house after school every Wednesday. After many years of doing Young Life together at three different schools, we often have seen attendance to club and Bible studies drop or become inconsistent in the spring due to the many spring sports and it being the end of the school year. That has not been the case for EK Young Life - we have maintained consistent numbers at club and had our biggest group at boy's Bible study to date! It was a beautiful day, so they decided to meet outside. It is cool that everyone who drove by could see this group of young people seeking to grow in their faith... we even had a neighbor pull over and ask if this meeting was Young Life!

Another exciting part of our spring was witnessing the public professions of faith of two of our high school boys who made the courageous decision to get baptized! The baptisms took place at Kentwood Community Church on Easter Sunday, and their testimonies were shared with the whole congregation. We are so proud of these boys and the growth we have seen in them! We can't wait to see how the Lord continues to use them for His glory. Check out their testimonies below:

Aden:

"I always believed in God when I was younger, but I never really knew Him. One day, my friend and I were playing Fortnite, and we started talking about the rapture. He was saying that if you don’t know Jesus, you’ll be left behind. That conversation stuck with me. From that day on, we would pray together before logging off the game each night. But eventually, we stopped playing as much, and over time, we stopped praying together too. I started to wonder if, since we had stopped praying, God had forgotten about me.

A few years later, during my freshman year, I met Jake. He told me about Young Life and

encouraged me to come, but I never fully committed. It wasn’t until my junior year, when my

friends Malachi and Caylon urged me to go, that I decided to take it seriously. I haven’t missed a single club this year!

Jake later invited me to his Bible study so I could learn more about Jesus. At the beginning of this year, I asked him, "How do you know when you’re saved?" He told me it comes down to a simple prayer, repenting and inviting Jesus into your heart. I was surprised and asked, "That’s all it takes?" Jake said, "We can do it right now." So, sitting in the car, we prayed together, and he told me that I was saved.

Ever since that day, my life has been lighter, full of joy and peace. God's word have

empowered me to push through every day, both the good and the bad. Even though I’ve faced hardships in life, I know that God will fight for me to turn those hard days into good ones."

King:

"Ever since I was born, I was introduced to God—but I never really had a personal connection with Him. From the time I could walk until my freshman year of high school, I didn’t truly believe the Holy Spirit was real. Going to church and reading the Bible with my family felt meaningless to me because I didn’t have my own relationship with God.

As I got older, I started to question whether God was real and began searching for answers on my own. Then, in the middle of my freshman year, my best friend Malachi invited me to Young Life. From the very first time I went, I began to experience something different. For the first time, I could feel the Holy Spirit moving in my heart.

The leaders at Young Life not only helped me find Jesus Christ—they also taught me how to

walk with Him and guide others who are looking for the same answers I once searched for.

Now, as I approach the end of my junior year, I’ve made the decision to get baptized—to show that I am fully committed and ready to live as God’s servant!"