It might have been the First of April, but Alex and Jessica weren’t joking around when they decided to become Christians and get baptised last Sunday. Just like Jesus on the third day, they were raised to a new life on Easter Sunday morning.
“Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”
1 Corinthians 1:22-25
Jessica Totenhofer, born and raised in Queensland, is as Aussie as they get. A young adventurer with a deep love for nature, her hobbies include camping, sleeping in her hammock in trees, hiking, and bushwalking; she truly is someone who appreciates God’s creation like no other – knowing all the flora and fauna, which ones are edible, which ones are poisonous, and which ones are there for plain admiration. Having grown up loving God, Jessica’s passion to help others is evident in her involvement with refugees and her choice of studying Social Work and Arts. What a God-orchestrated plan it was that Jessica has been reached out to twice two years ago, and having dodged those bullets, she was met again a month ago by a different sister and she decided to study the bible with all of her heart.
Compelled by the studies and moved by what Jesus went through for her, Jessica is a young woman who has shown immense humility towards the scriptures and exemplifies the noble character of a Berean Jew (Acts 17:10-12) in examining the scriptures and seeking out the truth. Her deep convictions and willingness to change is what makes her the futures of Australia as she continues to bring her love for God and for people to the rest of the nation. A woman who truly lives life to the full, she is a wonderful addition to the Sydney family as we all get refreshed by her presence and her love!
Four years ago, Alex moved from Vietnam to Sydney, Australia to finish high school and is now studying medical science at Macquarie University. Alex grew up as an atheist and enver really thought about believing or following God. Out of curiosity he started to attend the bile discussions and also started studying the bible with the brothers in the North Region. After three weeks wrestling with the scriptures he was deeply moved and saw his need to make Jesus Lord of his life!
