Lydia’s Story
I started Secondary 3 in year 2010 and was very apprehensive about the new class. Many of my new classmates seemed rowdy and I had to adjust and hope that I would not encounter any conflicts. I prayed and He helped me to get along well with everyone. I started to wonder why Jesus placed me there and He reminded me that He knows what He’s doing and will provide the best for me. Most of my classmates are not Christians and they do things that do not please Jesus. Hence, being close to them yet consciously keeping myself away from the things that do not please Jesus was definitely challenging. Jesus is faithful- He provided me with the strength and ability to resist temptations and do what’s right. Many a times, I felt alone as there was no one to stand on my side or share the same faith as me. However, Jesus was always there; and that was more than enough.
I am thankful that when my friends came to know that I am a Christian, they respected me. Whenever they do things that are not acceptable, such as gambling and smoking, they would not include me and never once mocked me. In fact they admired me for being able to resist and stand strong despite all these temptations; it is only by the grace of God. It was then that Jesus revealed His purpose in placing me in this class- to reach out to my non-believing classmates. I cried out for help as I felt that fulfilling this purpose on my own was really tough. Jesus is definitely a God who answers prayers. Subsequently, I found a fellow Christian in class and things got easier. We stood by each other and prayed and fasted for our classmates. We even organized outings for our clique to go for church events. It was not easy as many did not understand why we gave up our recess and lunch breaks to fast and pray. There was also our hectic timetable, along with the frequent class tests, to cope with. We thought we would have less energy as a result of fasting but by God’s grace, He provided us with the energy that we need.
There were two major events that we prayed for: Easter and Festival of Praise. We invited our classmates to an Easter production. After much prayer and persuasion, most of them turned up and we were really happy. They were greatly touched by the successful show and realized how much Jesus loves them. I thank Him for giving me this precious opportunity! For the Festival of Praise, we decided to make it a level-wide event and organized a group prayer meeting that meets daily. It was a difficult and time consuming task. To our disappointment, no one could make it! We were puzzled and sad and were tempted to blame God but He reminded me of the miraculous things that have already happened. Initially, my friend and I did not know each other but now we get to pray together and even witnessed another friend receive God’s gift of tongues. Jesus placed in us visions for our classmates and also spoke to us individually. We have planted the seeds of hope in our friends. It was indeed amazing and God is faithful!
Another difficult decision I had to make was to transfer to a combined-sciences class after the preliminary exam. It was just a few weeks before my O-levels exam and I was very troubled about it. It was a painful switch as much time and effort were spent on both my pure sciences, which are now combined into one subject with lesser content and a new format. I questioned God’s purpose in this experience. He reassured and reminded me of the same purpose- to reach out to my classmates. Thus, I never regretted entering the pure Science class. I have a very close friend, Sherry, in the pure Science class whom I had really wanted to see saved. Although Sherry was very open, she did not accept Jesus because of her family’s religious background. She had responded to the altar call during the Easter event but did not truly believe in Christ. I did not give up reaching out to her and praying for her salvation. I was eager to invite Sherry and a few others to a year-end Royal Rangers camp. However, as it was nearing my O levels examination, I did not have the opportunity to ask them. Still, I did not give up and prayed for open doors so that at least Sherry can attend the camp.
After my O levels exam in December, I got to work at Bethel Student Care Center. Sherry wanted to join me and surprisingly her mother allowed her. I enjoyed working with her and touching the children’s life. Sherry went to the Royal Rangers camp to accompany the Student Care participants. In the camp, different commanders and peers shared the gospel with her. She was very open and learned more about Jesus. On the second night, Sherry responded and accepted Christ! I thank God for the opportunity to share the Gospel message to at least ten classmates and one came into His kingdom. All glory goes to our Father in heaven!
