Claudia finally got to the point where she realised that God had much more for her than a life of guilt and shame, and she finally surrendered to Him. She repented and decided that she wanted to be a follower of Jesus and serve God’s mission in the world. She was baptized and it was a joy for Youth for Christ staff to be there and officially pray for her.
Although Claudia was born and raised in an Italian Christian family, had a father that was a pastor, prayed to receive Jesus at the age of four and has always considered herself a believer, things changed when she was eight and the family moved homes. She felt like all that had been dear to her had been taken away. She felt like she did not belong, had a hard time making friends and feeling at home, and so started to doubt that God loved her.
Her teenage years were difficult because of peer pressure. She wanted to please her friends and started to lie and hide things from her parents. She found herself living a double life: she knew how to be the well behaved pastor’s daughter on Sundays, with all the right Sunday school answers, and the girl who ended up being like everyone else during the week.
Claudia continued attending church and then YFC events. She received mentoring through YFC and was part of a girls’ small group. YFC and the church kept reminding her that God was seeking her and wanted to love her and give her a firm identity, despite all her struggles. YFC staff continued speaking the message of God’s infinite grace until she surrendered to that grace.