Hi my name is Hazel, and I’m currently in grade 11. I have been part of SCCEFC all my life, and have accepted Jesus Christ as my lord and savior since Dec 2016. I remember that day pretty vividly, I was in Faith Knights on a regular Saturday, and that day's topic was specifically about the ABC’s and what it meant to be a Christian. And in our small groups, each one of us was asked if we believed, one by one. Some already believed & for some of us that journey started that day. That was me, and my journey hasn’t always been a stairway up, there’s been ups and downs, and there will continue to be, because the job God has for me on earth is not finished.
Growing up in the church, Sunday mornings were always spent at church, along with fellowships whether that be Agapeland on Saturdays or Glory/Shine on Fridays. For a long time church was seen as a chore, a place I was forced to go to because my parents went. For the majority of my life as a Christian, my relationship with God has always been distant, he wasn’t someone that I would look to when I needed guidance, or someone I would thank when good things would come my way. I would only live out being a Christian in the church, around my church community, but would never carry that behavior into my monday to thursday routine.
In the beginning of grade 10, I started to see a shift in my perspective of my faith. I started building meaningful relationships with people at church, such as the student group on the cantonese side. And through them, through the many nights we spent sharing our own stories, and praying over each other, I was able to see how God worked in them, and how much they valued and prioritized God in their lives, and it made me want to see how present God can be in my life. I started attending Emmaus every other Saturday. At the beginning, it was because that would be the only time for me to see those friends. But overtime I found myself wanting to worship God, to be serious about my faith and to grow my relationship with him. And it changed my church life overall. Since then, I have invested more of my life to God. I started prioritizing God, whether that be doing regular devotionals, praying prayers that I actually put aside time for, serving within the church, and longing for worship and fellowship.
There are a few people I want to thank, firstly my parents, the people who introduced me to God, made sure I knew how important Christianity was to them since I could remember. I also want to thank them for taking on the role of being student group councillors, which made it easy to have those moments to connect and build relationships with them. If it wasn’t for them, I have no idea where I would be in my faith. Secondly, I wanna thank Pastor Adriel, for guiding and walking with me through the past 5 years in my relationship with God and for always being there and open to having a conversation even in the busiest of times. Thirdly, I wanna thank Pastor Calvin for the support he’s given me, and the time he spent leading and teaching baptism class. And last but not least the people who have walked through my journey with me, even those who I just met this past year.
To end it off I want to share my favorite scripture and that is found in Isaiah 43:18-19 I chose this verse when I heard it preached at Tehillah two months ago as it really spoke to me and what I was dealing with at that time. When I didn’t know what God had in store for me going forward, and when I couldn’t see how what I was going through could possibly get better. The verse goes like this: “But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”