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This past Sunday, we were honoured to be able to join in celebrating Tryphaena entering the waters of baptism. Be encouraged and celebrate along with us as you read her testimony.
I was born in a Christian family. My dad was a pastor at our church. I remember accepting Christ at a young age of 4 during a church camp. I remember my mom, who was the teacher, asked if anyone wanted to become a Christian. I immediately felt called to raise my hand and it surprised my mom greatly. Then, I prayed for Jesus to be my Saviour, knowing that I was a sinner and needed him to save me. Even though I made a declaration of faith I wasn’t sure how secure I was in my faith. When my dad had to resign from his position at the church due to his deteriorating health condition, I remember I was very scared. And it challenged my faith as I asked: if God is such a good God then why does He let bad things happen?
This unanswered question affected me greatly. As I grew older, I struggled with reading my Bible and devotions. I was never motivated to do it daily. I would pray to God for the sake of praying, go to church for the sake of going, memorize Scripture for the sake of earning prizes, and join family devotions for the sake of my parents. My parents saw how my faith wasn’t that healthy, so they gave me a devotional book. But when I saw how much my brother changed through reading his devotions and bible daily, I thought, “Maybe I should try it too! If it can change my brother then maybe it could change me too!” A few weeks ago, I started doing it daily without feeling like I was forced to do it and felt my faith begin to grow stronger. It was a wonderful feeling! Going to church felt more fun and I wanted to go instead of it being like a weekly chore. Then I started praying more deeply, and not just praying because I had to. It made me feel closer to God than I ever felt in my life. It was amazing! I could even feel when I prayed that God was talking to me.
Ever since then, I no longer feel forced to do my devotions daily and now, it gives me energy for the day. I feel more alive in the Spirit, and in my faith. And as my faith continues to grow, I now know the answer to my question. God has a plan to work for the good of those who love Him, some seasons it’s joy and some seasons it’s a struggle. But God uses those difficult times to help me to rely on him more. That is what God has shown me through these challenges in my family. I want to be baptized to say that I am a child of God and to demonstrate God’s unfailing love and faithfulness to a sinner like me even in my bad times.