Laura

“I was a blank-slate Jewish girl who walked into a Baptist church at 12 years old not knowing Jesus was even a real person — and he grabbed my heart and never let go.”

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What they struggled with

Family rejection

What this story reveals about God

Relentless pursuit Patience Faithful to his word Father's heart Shepherd's heart Teacher's heart

Religious background

Judaism Protestant Christian

Main testimony theme

Secondary theme

Deepening Faith

How they came to faith

Relational influence Gradual journey

Content advisory

Before you watch

This is a gentle, intellectually rich testimony from a Jewish woman who came to faith at 12 with no prior knowledge of Jesus and never looked back. There is no graphic content — this story is for anyone wrestling with whether faith and identity can coexist, and for those who wonder if God can hold on to someone through every question they throw at him.

What this story teaches

People don't need to be broken to be reached — sometimes a blank slate and an honest question is all God needs to plant something that lasts a lifetime and multiplies across generations.

How God moved

Go Deeper

Surround yourself with others who will encourage you in that walk. Read, ask questions, talk to other people about it, and don't be pulled by those who would pull you away from your faith and your truth. If you have come to a decision to follow Jesus, make decisions that support that. Seek God first. Prayer is not something you do when you close your eyes and go on your knees and fold your hands always — it's a constant conversation with God in your head. Talk to him on the way. And there is absolutely nothing you can do that's going to make God love you more and there's nothing you can do that's going to make God love you less. It's not a merit faith. He accepts you exactly the way you are. He knows your struggles. He meets you in that journey. There's nothing that can separate you from God's love. While you have breath, while he gives you breath in your lungs, you have the opportunity to come to him.

People don't need to be broken to be reached — sometimes a blank slate and an honest question is all God needs to plant something that lasts a lifetime and multiplies across generations.

What you can take from this

This week, if you have a question about God you've been afraid to ask, ask it — out loud, to him directly. Laura's whole story began with a 12-year-old who simply said yes to an invitation she didn't fully understand.

1

I went up to the pastor. I was about 12 years old and I said, 'I believe in God and I'm here to pray with you.' And that was the first time that I ever heard the good news. I thought, why not? It sounded like an amazing deal.

2

I went back and got baptized with my mother and lived with her for the next couple years from the age of 16 to 18. We went to church together. We learned the scriptures together.

3

Following Jesus as your Messiah, no matter what background you come from — religious or cultural, ethnic, political, whatever it is — it's a choice that you make.

Isaiah 66:2

Laura cites this verse as the root of the Hebrew word 'haredim' — the pious ones who tremble before God — describing the ultra-Orthodox community she now ministers to.

Isaiah 1:1

Laura's mother came to faith through a serious verse-by-verse Bible study of Isaiah, leading her to believe Jesus was the promised Messiah of Israel.

Romans 8:38–39

Laura echoes 'nothing can separate you from God's love' — a direct allusion to Romans 8 — in her encouragement to young believers.

Proverbs 18:24

Laura describes Jesus as 'a friend that sticks closer than a brother' — direct language from Proverbs 18:24.

Genesis 15:13–14

Laura references God's promise to Abraham that his people would be in Egypt 400 years but would be redeemed — connecting Jewish redemptive history to Messiah.

Like Paul, Laura was Jewish with no framework for Jesus and encountered him through a sudden, life-redirecting moment that set her on a lifelong mission to her own people.

Laura's mother's return to God through Isaiah study and vision of Jesus echoes the prodigal's return — a Jewish person coming home to the God of Israel through Messiah.

Laura describes the gospel cracking open among Jewish people in South Africa and ultra-Orthodox communities as a beginning of spiritual awakening among her people.

Laura's Christian Walk

Prayer

The power of Prayer — childhood friend who invited her to church stood in the gap for Laura.

A non-Jewish school friend invited Laura to a small country Baptist church a few weeks into their friendship. She then challenged Laura — 'if you believe in God, why don't you go up to the pastor and pray with him?' — which led directly to Laura hearing the gospel for the first time. The friend's mother consistently drove Laura to church every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday Bible study, and Friday youth group for years, without ever being asked.

Is today your day?

Yes — I'm Ready

Absolutely, He will.

You don't have to figure everything out right now.

You don't need to have all the answers.

If something stirred in your heart while you were watching or reading — that's not nothing.

That is the Holy Spirit gently knocking on the door of your heart.

Stay right here. There's no rush. The Spirit doesn't pressure or hurry.

Watch another video. Read a little more. Take your time.

When you're ready — even if “ready” just means a little curious — Jesus is ready to meet you.

You don't have to clean up your life first.

You don't have to pass any test.

You only need to say a simple “yes” to Him.

He will take care of the rest.

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Luke 11:9

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