Hi, I'm Noel. I've been a part of this church my whole life, but at times, I found Christianity to be unrelatable, something for someone else. I became non-attuned to what was happening in the Sunday schools. I didn’t have a good reason to go other than that my parents and brother were going. Now because I was a good kid I would just listen to my parents, and I wouldn’t complain about going to church. However, I would be quite upset on Sunday nights because I “could’ve spent my time on something better...like playing video games”.
I accepted Christ in grade 1 or 2, but looking back, my understanding was limited at that time. For this reason, I went on to accept Christ as my God again in April of 2020, yet I still hadn’t felt any noticeable change or much of any change whatsoever. I kept living a sinful life of lying, greed, and jealousy.
In 2020 COVID struck. My world was shattered and the habits I had built up instantly crumbled. I spent a lot of my time playing video games and by doing so I lost motivation to do anything else other than a bit of homework. When it finally ended in 2021, I felt that everyone asked the question, “What now?” Meanwhile, I simply wanted to go back to school and continue with my sinful life. God granted this wish and I lived a carefree year for the rest of 2021.
In 2022 SCCEFC hosted its first youth camp in over two years. I was reluctant to go because I felt that I didn’t have many friends and the friends I had before the pandemic were not as close to me as before. The reason behind this is that we only met on Zoom calls for Glory. However, my parents got me to go in the end and I ended up learning a lot about Jesus and our faith. I felt my faith strengthen and as I returned home I pondered on the teachings and the fun I had.
Yet, I lost my connection with God. Although I kept doing everything possible to reconnect with God, my efforts seemed futile. One day before I prayed, I remembered how back in my children’s Sunday school class teacher Daniel had taught me the proper prayer format of placing thanksgiving as one of my priorities. So, I began to rethink my prayers and gratefully thanked God for everything he had given me in my life, and I began to feel traces of his presence. Soon after, my brother also introduced me to Christian music, a pivotal role in feeling God's presence. As I started to listen to Christian music, I felt that God had finally reappeared in my life. I started serving in Agapeland because I felt I wanted to spread the good news to more people. Ever since then, I’ve felt a stronger and lingering connection with God, and I’ve been asking God for wisdom on how to improve my teaching and he’s shown me in multiple ways. By teaching in Agapeland I’ve learnt more about Jesus and myself than I had previously.
Finally, I’d like to state my favourite verse from the bible. Jeremiah 29:11 says “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
This verse resonated with me because at times when I felt at my lowest and that no one cared for me it would remind me that God had a masterplan for us working out behind the scenes. I simply had to wait for him to put those plans into play.
In closing, I want to thank my old Sunday School teacher, Daniel, for helping me memorize Bible verses with sweet rewards. I’d also like to thank all my current and previous Sunday School teachers, as well as Glory, Shine, and Agapeland teachers who spent portions of their week prepping for their lessons and being there for if I needed help. I want to thank Pastor Adriel for being there for me if I needed help and Pastor Calvin for teaching my baptism classes and helping me explore deeper into my faith. I want to also thank my parents, and friends at church for giving me motivation to go to church.