Alayna Sofia Woodhams

Growing up, God was all around me through the Bible stories my dad read to my little brother and me, praying together as we prepared for bed, or jamming to Flyleaf and Skillet in the car. When I was five, my friend from the bus stop invited me to go to Sparks with her; this is where my personal relationship with God started. By third grade, I found a home at GBC and accepted Jesus into my life as my Savior at TnT. I continued with AWANA, then moved to Engage and Breakaway, and while they were always the highlight of my week, my faith had its ups and downs; sometimes I felt closer to God than ever, and praying felt rejuvenating, and other times I felt distant and like church was just part of my weekly routine. When I was in college, I joined InterVarsity, and those college Bible studies had me delving into the Word with academic vigor and a passion for understanding and connection that I hadn't felt before. When I came back home, I wanted to become more proactive with my faith. I started becoming more intentional with my prayer, talked more openly about my faith journey, joined a women’s bible study with one of my dearest friends, and became a Cubbies leader. Baptism is something I have been seriously contemplating for about 5 years. Everyone I hold close knows how important my relationship with God is to me, but the thought of sitting down to write about it was a little daunting; I joked that anything resembling paperwork is enough to send me running. Even then, even now, I think of Philippians 4:13: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength,” and it makes a blank Google Doc and the thought of standing in front of everyone and professing my faith a little less scary.