Ashley Cuevas - Baptism Testimony

My name is Ashley Cuevas. I was born in California, but when I was two years old, my family moved to Mexico. My family is Roman Catholic, and from a young age, they took me to church. I completed all the sacraments and believed I was a good person simply because I had done those things.

As I grew older, however, I began to feel uncomfortable and no longer wanted to attend church. I grew up in a very toxic environment where there were arguments and shouting every day. I began to think that everything was my fault, so I tried to change myself in order to please others. Over time, this deeply affected me to the point that I began to feel hatred toward my own family.

I started making bad decisions and surrounding myself with friends who were not good for me. Little by little, I distanced myself even more from my family, and that feeling of hatred never went away. I began working at a very young age because I did not like being at home; work became my safe place. Even so, as the years went by, I continued to grow farther apart from my family. There was a woman in my life who caused further problems between us, and eventually I decided to move to Canada to live with my sister.

After moving in with her, I began attending church again—this time a Baptist church, since my sister had also started attending not long before. This raised many questions in my mind. Juan began sharing the gospel with me, and little by little, I became interested. The hatred I had carried inside for so long began to fade. I realized that I had been living the wrong way.

By God’s grace, my eyes were opened. Through Juan Penner, whom God used as an instrument to share the gospel with me, I came to understand that I had been deceived and that I was not on my way to heaven. In light of the truth of the gospel, I realized that I needed a Saviour. I now desire to follow Christ, and that is why I want to be baptized.

As I listened to the Word of the Lord, my heart began to heal, and the hatred I once carried started to leave. I recognize that I was living wrongly, and now I want to begin a new life, walking hand in hand with God. Now I understand that Jesus is my Saviour, and that through Him and His sacrifice, I can be part of His kingdom.

I am grateful to God for placing this church in my path.