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Teen
Revival...
Can you hear Him
calling?
By Kalista King and Kelsi Mancillas
My hope for these articles is that all of you who read them will be
filled with encouragement as you read about what God is doing here in
Darke County. I have been able to get together with some incredible
teenagers the past few weeks and share the privilege of writing about
what God had been doing in their lives. I am here today with another
girl who is very passionate about her relationship with Christ. She has
been a huge inspiration to me as I have watched her grow in her faith
and continue to seek the Lord's plan for her life. This
Christ-follower's name is Kelsi Mancillas. She is a junior in high
school and has been my friend for a while. It wasn't until recently
that Kelsi and I began getting very close and sharing our testimonies
with each other about what God has been doing in our lives. I asked her
to share some of these things so you can hear from another teen who
plays a part in this revival!
Kelsi: I'm going to start with my baptism that was on September 27th of
this year. Getting baptized was a very big decision for me because my
mom would always ask me why I wouldn't get baptized, I would always
tell her that I wasn't ready, but there came a day that I was at church
and felt the need to go up and get baptized in Jesus' name, (Based on
Acts2:38). And that is exactly what I did, I had never felt so amazing
in my life; just to feel all of my sins cleansed from me was
incredible. It is a feeling only yourself can truly understand. After I
had gotten baptized, a month later on October 28th, I was blessed with
the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of speaking tongues. I cannot even
tell anyone how much it changes you. The Lord just touches your heart
and lifts you up. I have never been so strong in my faith before, it's
amazing. God has called me and all of you who read this to come closer
to Him, so lets start taking our steps forward. He's waiting and it is
never too late! Now let me be honest with you, I have learned that when
you are coming closer to Jesus the devil will only attack you more. He
will send more battles your way, but my faith is in the Lord, and has
made me stronger through the battles.
Just around a week ago was the first time I prayed, read my bible, or
praised Jesus in my home. I can just feel His presence everywhere and
it's such a blessing. The Lord has so much planned for His people, we
just have to walk with Him. I realize that many people are scared to
come to church or youth group, or anything Christ-related because of
getting rejected, but I have learned that He loves you for YOU! He will
never forsake you, He is waiting for you at that alter. We cannot keep
waiting. The Lord is our Shepherd, and He is calling OUR name, but are
we hearing Him? Have we gone far away to where we no longer hear His
voice?
For me, life is now amazing with Him. Yes, there will be trials and
there will be battles that will be hard to face. But I realize that I
just have to pray, put my faith in Him, keep fighting, and never give
up. We must have our swords ready, have our prayer going like crazy,
have our faith in hand and never let go of it. I understand that people
go through many things in life, stuff happens. However, we all have a
past and none of that matters to Jesus. He cares about our future and
where we are going to be.
Let me give you something to think about: if you were to die today...
Do you know where you would go? I am not trying to convert anyone to
Christianity, but these are the questions I had to ask myself. These
questions opened my eyes so much, they opened my heart to the Lord.
There is so much strength that Jesus has given me, He has given me
boldness and courage. I had never been able to talk to other people
about who God is before, but once I got baptized and received my
blessing, all I wanted to do was spread the word! I have been blessed
with so many things that I take for granted; being able to have a
family, a home, car, clothes, etc. But now my eyes are open to these
amazing blessings that other people around the world aren't able to
have. I thank God for everything He has given me, but especially for
Him forgiving me, even when I have done wrong. The Lord has been so
good to me, I am thankful to even be on this earth. As I feel I am
coming to an end, I just want to say I love Jesus. Right now I am in a
relationship with Him and I will be married to Him until I am married
to the man He has made for me. And when that day comes, Christ will be
the foundation to our marriage. Thank you, Lord. And thank you all for
listening!
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