Eight Mile Plains Youth
We’re a bunch of brothers and sisters whom gather together on a Saturday night at 7pm. Our Youth Fellowship includes university students and young workers, whilst our Junior Youth whom we worship with are the energetic high schoolers.
Recently, we’ve had a charity photo-shoot event to raise money in sponsoring kids who lack education in India through Gospel for Asia. In our youth programs, we’ve learnt about prayer and had a look at different ways in which we can expand our ministry to continually serve God. Bible study is held on Monday nights with an in depth look into 1 Corinthians at the moment.
About a dozen of us are currently in the progress of studying through the Discipleship 1 course – the big red book – and looking to equip ourselves with scriptural knowledge and devotion in order to edify God and other members.
Our biggest event of the year is coming up in 3-6th of July, which is the Annual Winter Youth Camp, and we have been preparing and praying for God’s work to be done. Our goal is to bring glory and praise to God through this camp, as well as to see youths come to Christ. The theme is “Superabundant”.
Finally, we ask for your prayers for our brother Alex Bui who is heading off to Tanzania at the end of June for 3 months to serve God.
Testimony by Frances
Dong (2011 MYF Committee Chairperson)
There was no defining moment. I didn’t hear a loud booming voice and I didn’t see a bright light beam down from the sky. But I felt warmth in my heart when God was with me through struggles. I’ve had times of realising that God is bigger than anything else in my life. I’ve learned that nothing and no-one can separate me from God. Over the years I’ve seen God’s love for me and I’ve grown to know Him as my Father, my Master and my Friend.
I was practically born in church. Not literally, but I’ve been going to church since I can remember. I’ve been attending my home church for the past fifteen years and the church members have become like a second family. Going to church just seemed to make sense when you’ve been going all your life. I went through Sunday School and I went to Youth fellowship. I sang the songs and I read the scriptures that showed up on the overhead projector. But it was later in my teens that I actually started to understand the meaning of what I what I was doing and why.
It’s amazing how life experiences can set us on the path to learning about God; whether those experiences are good or bad, enjoyable or undesirable. Some of these experiences make us realize that life is very temporary and the things that used to seem all important become less significant. When I learned that the all powerful, all-knowing and Almighty King sacrificed His life to give me a second chance, how could I let things of this fleeting life overshadow that? When everything was measured up against Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, it was lot easier to put things into perspective and be content with what I had.
Some people would think that I am foolish for wanting to believe in God or they might say turning to an imaginary source of comfort is a sign of weakness or a cop-out answer to problems. But I’ve seen the result of people trying to take things into their own hands and substitute God for things that only lead to more heartache and emptiness. I’ve seen people run in circles, continually chasing the next buzz but never actually being satisfied. I’ve seen people get stuck in darkness and dwell on the past while life slips through their fingers. I’ve learned that sometimes it was actually harder to humble myself and admit that there is something bigger than me or my problems.
Maybe there’s more to life than getting 100% on an exam, getting a high paying job, getting married, having kids and retiring early. Maybe life won’t go our way and our plans may never become a reality. But when we have experienced the love of God and His unfailing forgiveness, there really isn’t anything else that we need in life. No matter how badly we’ve stuffed up in the past or how deep we’ve gotten into that dark place, God still loves us and wants to be with us. Nothing and no-one can ever take that away.
Labels: Testimonies and Sharings
Posted by AMYF Witnessing Officer Phoebe