Kurt Soosay - Baptism Testimony

Hey everyone, I'm Kurt Soosay, and I want to share my journey with Jesus. Growing up on a reservation and then moving to Edmonton with my mom and six siblings after my parents split, life was turbulent. Things were okay at first, but when we moved again, it got rough. The new neighbourhood was filled with drinking and fighting, and I spiralled into rebellion and despair, dropping out of school by grade 10.

At 14, I heard about Jesus at a skatepark, but it didn't stick until later. Before I knew Christ truly, I believed He was real, but I lived for myself, trying to solve all my problems on my own. Anxiety and fears consumed me; I was far from the Lord, living for the world, chasing after anything it had to offer to fill the void in my heart. I found short-term happiness in the world, but it never lasted and always left me feeling empty or confused. My thinking was: "If I do this or that, I'll feel better again," but it was short-lived.

Though I "believed" in Jesus, my heart was far from Him. I was lukewarm, chasing girls and being a slave to my sin. It got to a point where I was so anxious that I'd do anything to feel better. The anxiety got so bad I couldn't eat or focus on anything other than my stress. When I'd go to bed, I didn't want to wake up, and when I did wake up, I was sad to face the anxiety again. All I wanted was to sleep and wake up to it being a bad dream.

Through this suffering, I called upon the Lord, surrendering my mind, soul, and body to Him. My faith at the time wasn't the strongest, but I kept seeking Him, and my faith started to get stronger. I have a good Christian friend, Dawson, who was very important in this process. God blessed me with his friendship; he prayed for me, ministered to me, and comforted me. Every time I saw him praising the Lord at church, he seemed so joyful, and I thought to myself, "I want that kind of faith because mine is a rollercoaster."

Most days, I was anxious, and some days, I didn't even go to Him in prayer. But God is gracious, and even through all this pain and suffering, He gave me the strength to keep seeking Him. I remember one night praying, feeling the Lord speak in my heart that He forgives me and loves me. I felt a love that I can't explain. I realized that I was hurting myself, chasing other things to feel better, and Jesus was there all along, waiting for me to open my heart to Him.

At this point, I started to really think about how He died for me and the pain He went through for us so that we could be saved. I started to understand the reality that His love is more real than anything else in life. I acknowledged that I won't be here forever - I'm going to die one day. I realized that everything I was pursuing was pointless and was passing away. And from that moment, all I wanted was to be with Jesus forever. I turned away from my sins, and my heart was restored.

He gave me hope, comfort, and love that I never felt. He's still blessing me; He led me to Nino and this church. And now, I feel so much hope for my life and future; it's all in God's hands. For the first time, I feel I have a relationship with Jesus.

I want to be baptized to publicly announce what Jesus has done in my life, the way He saved me, and my desire to walk in newness of life.

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We'd love you to join us this Sunday, 6 pm, to witness Kurt's Baptism.

Address: 823 64 Ave NW-Calgary, AB.