As disciples, we all pray for God to use us to impact the lives of others. God used Joann Acosta to do just that in her own neighborhood. When Joann and her husband, Ben, moved into their house in Severna Park, they prayed for God to put them in a neighborhood with people who were seeking God! Soon after they moved into their new neighborhood, they met Kristin who lived two houses away from theirs. Kristin and her husband have two boys around the same age as Ben and Joann’s boys. They had an instant connection.

Sometime that Fall, Kristin and her family decided to attend a church service. At the service, Kristin met At Ford. They both remarked that they must have seen each other before. After several minutes, they realized that they both lived in Seattle around the same time, went to the same doctor’s office during their pregnancies and had their babies in the same hospital within a week of each other!

“God determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” -Acts 17:26

God had certainly done this for Kristin in many ways throughout her life. Kristin’s heart was so moved after the service that when Joann asked her to study the bible, she happily said yes!

After several months of studying the bible, Kristin decided to make Jesus, The Lord of her life. On Saturday, February 2nd 2013, the church gathered to see Kristin be baptized in the Chesapeake Bay! We are all very excited that Kristin is a part of our family!

It was a happy day when Derek Geiszler made the decision to make Jesus, Lord of his life. The church gathered at Jonas Park to see Derek get baptized and to celebrate with him!

Derek and his parents moved to be a part of the Annapolis Mission team in 2012. His parents prayed about the decision for several months – one of their concerns was that Derek was turning 13 and they were concerned that without peers his own age in the church, it would be more challenging for him to have deep relationships and want to pursue studying the bible. After months of prayer, they made their decision to trust God and be a part of the mission team. God had amazing plans for Derek and He put in place a very loving singles ministry and families ministry who pulled Derek in and built great relationships with him. Only God could have orchestrated this!

Derek studied the bible with disciples in the marrieds and singles ministry and was baptized in December of 2012. God had more in store for Derek. We had been praying to start a ministry at St. John’s College and during that same time, Brian Liu – from the Hong Kong Church – had toured many colleges in the US and decided to attend St. John’s. He moved to Annapolis in August. At Derek’s baptism, Brian shared that when he was baptized almost three years earlier, he was the same age as Derek. God gave Derek an instant friend in Brian.

God works in amazing ways and we are all excited to see what God will do through Derek!

(Photo Credit: Brian Liu)

Steve and Vicky are faithful soldiers in God’s army in the Greater Annapolis Church of Christ! Saturday, May 26th 2012 marked a day they will never forget – it was the day they renewed their vows after 15 years of marriage.

Steve and Vicky met in 1995 in her native country of Panama! After about a year of dating, Steve proposed to Vicky on Christmas morning. Steve had received military orders to move to Miami, Florida so they were quickly married at the court house before their move to Miami. After the birth of their first child, Derek, they both felt like they had all they wanted – a great home, a fun marriage, a new baby – but it still felt like something was missing. Though Vicky was not raised going to church, she remembers getting on her knees and praying to God – asking Him to help her fill the void she felt. They both wondered if what they were missing was God in their lives so they decided to look for a church. A few days later, while Steve was studying for school at a local coffee shop, he struck up a conversation with a gentleman who was sitting near him and Steve told the man that he was looking for a church. The man handed Steve a card and invited him to visit his church – the South Florida Church of Christ. Steve and Vicky attended a few church services and started to study the bible with the Christians there. In 2000, Steve and Vicky were baptized and added to God’s kingdom during a special joint service in Florida – encouraging more than a thousand people! Their lives have never been the same! Shortly after their baptism, their second child, Stefanie was born.

God has completely transformed the lives of the Geiszler family – He filled their void and made them new – He made their dreams come true! After 15 years of marriage, with lots of love and support, Steve and Vicky renewed their vows before friends and their church family, they had the wedding of their dreams and their lives continue to shine for God here in Annapolis!

The theme scripture that Steve and Vicky have for their marriage is 1 Corinthians 13:8 – “love never fails.” Steve and Vicky have seen their amazing love for God result in an outpouring of His love in their lives and in the lives of those around them. They are constantly reminded that God’s love never fails!

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