My One Life Story

Lily Teklu started attending First Baptist Dallas when her daughter was just a baby. “I fell in love with the Children’s Ministry. I felt like it was a safe place for her.” As Lily’s daughter Heaven grew up, her faith was strengthened through ministries like Bible Drill, choir, and attending First Baptist Academy. Watching her, Lily said, “It motivated me to know God’s Word for myself.”

When Heaven entered the Student Ministry, Lily began leading an 8th-grade Sunday School class. It became a source of great joy for her. Lily says, “I love my girls. We connect and communicate and grow together.”

As Lily served, the Lord gave her an increasing desire to share her faith with others in everyday life. When Lily and her daughter moved into a new apartment building, she frequently saw Maddie, a concierge who worked in the lobby. “As a Christian, you want to share God’s Word with everyone,” Lily says. “I always wanted to let her know about God and was looking for an opportunity.”

One day, Lily found Maddie crying in the parking garage. Maddie was going through a difficult time in a relationship, and Lily knew this was an opening to share with her. “I told her she shouldn’t rely on people but on a relationship with God,” she remembers. That conversation led Lily to start giving Maddie her sermon notes after church each Sunday, along with a link to watch the message. 

Maddie listened casually at first. But over time, something changed. “After a few months, I saw her with a Bible, watching the video, and working on the notes,” Lily shares. “She told me, ‘It’s helping me so much.’” And yet, Lily says, “It has changed my life.’”

Maddie has now shared her excitement with her mother, who has also started watching our iCampus. Maddie started requesting Sundays off, so she could come to church. Now she asks Lily for sermon notes every week. “If you could see how much she has changed, you could see the peace,” Lily says.

Lily has seen the Lord transform her life over time. “I wasn’t always like this,” she admits. “I grew up in an orthodox family and knew about God, but when I came here as a teenager, I wasn’t close to God. When you’re not close to God, the devil is tricky. I wasn’t at peace at all. Having my daughter Heaven, I didn’t want her to live like that.”

Lily wanted her daughter to know Christ and as she pursued this, she drew closer to the Lord herself. “The more I got close to Him, the more I started feeling peace—a peace I had never experienced before,” she says. “I want others to experience what I am experiencing.”

Lily’s ability to share her faith has been strengthened through Discipleship University at First Dallas, where she has taken classes on how to effectively share the gospel. “When you study the Bible and learn about God, our job is to help others come to Christ,” she says.

With Palm Sunday and Easter approaching, Lily wants to encourage others at First Dallas to invite someone to church. “Sharing God’s Word seems hard, but with His help, it’s not,” she says. “Take the notes, or whatever God is providing, and share it. We have an invitation card for Palm Sunday—I would take it and say, ‘Here, we have a special program, and I would love to take you and share that with you.’” She continues, “I love that we walk to Klyde Warren Park on Sunday nights with the cross and worship there. It breaks the ice. That’s how I invite.”

Lily is such a great example of what our One Life initiative is intended to be. Our mission is to transform the world with God’s Word one life at a time. What is your one life story? Begin praying now and looking for your opportunity to invite someone to hear the gospel this Palm Sunday or Easter.