On Sunday, October 20th, we celebrated the miraculous work of the Lord at a Baptism Service at Redeemer. These services are a sweet reminder of what the Lord has done in the life of each follower of Jesus. The testimony below is from Esther Dao.
Well, first I want to say thank you God for changing my whole life. Hi my name is Esther Dao the daughter to David Dao and Laura Dao. I am a sister to Lily, Shawn, Sammy, and Jonah. I was adopted when I was about five and a half years old. I really didn’t know what a family was supposed to look like. I just didn’t get it. When I was little and still now I have the hardest time knowing what is real love and what does it look like. Because in today’s society we use the word love so many times, and you don’t know what it really means. Like someone can say I would love you if you died for me, or if you give me something I want. Am I right or wrong? It doesn’t have any value anymore. So I have a hard time knowing what the word love really means. I didn’t get people saying “I love you so much my sweetheart” until I was adopted.
When my family adopted me I didn’t give them a chance to love me. I was scared because I was in this new place and I didn’t know what they were going to do. Me and my mom would always fight about some little things but they were big things too, some of the fights got really bad. I didn’t trust anyone in my life, I was scared that I would hurt them or I would get hurt for putting my trust in them. To be honest I didn’t trust my parents at all I was scared of their reactions. And I didn’t build that relationship up yet. I didn’t know how to make a relationship, or how I can start trusting them.
Over the years, little by little I am able to trust them. Even my mom I thought I would never find this relationship that I have now with my mom. God has changed my life in the beginning of my story, he gave me a family and his love. I have finally found someone how will love me just the way I am, and that is God, he created me for a purpose. I really didn’t know what this strange comfort was until I got to know about this God who created everything, and he made me. I didn’t believe it at all. I asked myself how, why did he do it. I got to know why God created me and why I am here today. God gave me this comfort and safety in him, I am loved and he calls me a child of God. I think that is a beautiful thing.
Even through my hard times God showed the real him and he has provided for me and my family. He also showed me the right path to take, even if I don’t listen he still showed me mercy, and grace. I am so glad that I have a God who can control my life and this world. I can’t even believe that he sent his only son to live a perfect live and die on the cross for us and then three days later he rose from the grave. But I do believe that Jesus did die on the cross to take up all of our sins and then he rose from the grave three days later. I think that is so amazing.
When I was little I would always want to go back to this verse Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” I just love that verse because it reminds me that we deserve death, but by God’s Mercy we can have eternal life through Jesus Christ. And there is nothing we can do to repay it. I give God my life he can do whatever he wants with it. God had showed me I cannot make by myself. I need God’s Holy Spirit to show me the right path. I will put my trust in God. I want to be more like God and less like my old self. I can’t wait to see what God has plans for me in my life.