When I grew up, I always believed in God and went to church with my family. But God wasn’t the most important aspect of my life. I had my own interests. For example, I liked football and Sunday’s at church, I was often thinking about what football match was on the television later.
When I was 17 years old, I realised that most people around me didn’t bother thinking about God, reading the Bible or going to church, but nevertheless seemed happy. So, I thought I would try to give these up as well. After a while though I realised that I couldn’t live this way. I felt empty and surrounded by darkness if I didn’t think about God. Thus, I soon returned to my religious way of life but it still seemed like something was missing.
Not long after this I went to university. I studied chemistry and had big plans to become a professor and maybe even discover something new! I knew that there was a Christian student group at my university, but I was unsure if I wanted to go.
At the beginning of the academic year, there was a Fresher’s fair. This is an event where different student groups and organisation have a table and present their activities. Students who want can sign up. I made an understanding with God that I would go and pass through the fair once. If I saw the Christian union table I would stop and talk to them. If not, I would understand that it wasn’t God’s will for me to get involved with them.
I went to the fair and quickly passed through the long hall that it was situated in. I didn’t see any Christians, so I hastily exited via a side door and hurried away, glad that I had fulfilled my side of the bargain and was now free to continue with what I wanted to do.
However, this wasn’t the end of the story. As I began my studies, I realised that I didn’t really like what I was studying (it was Chemistry after all!). Not only that, I am a closed person and don’t make friends easily. As a result, I began to feel down. This caused me to start putting deeper questions about life. What is the point? Where am I headed? What is there after death?
Especially, the question about my final destination bothered me. I saw that after death, we just become nothing. But if we become nothing, then what we do in this life doesn’t really matter, as we all end up not existing and one day forgotten, no matter what we do or achieve in this life. This thought was hard to swallow and caused me much soul searching.
One day though, the thought occurred to me Why don’t you pray to the God that you have heard so much about at church and in the Bible? If He really exists, then maybe He will answer, if not, then you haven’t lost anything!
So, this is what I did! After praying to God and asking Him, if He’s there, to help me and reveal Himself to me, He Did!
There were a number of things through which He spoke to me. The main one was that Bible verses started to come alive, as if they had been written especially for me. For example, Matthew 6:33 –
‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’
From here it was as if God was saying to me that up until that point, I had really been seeking my way; although I acknowledged God, He wasn’t the centre in my life. I realised that this needed to change, and I realised how!
At the beginning of the next academic year, I prepared myself to head for the Fresher’s Fair again, this time with a different frame of mine; to find the Christian Union stand at all costs!
So, the day came and after morning classes at the university, I summoned up the courage and started making may in the direction of the said Fresher’s Fair. On the way I bumped into one of the students I knew who studied together with me. He asked me where I was going. I said to the Fresher’s Fair to which he replied that he also wanted to go there. This produced a dilemma.
Initially, I strolled along with him towards our common destination. I made no mention of my intention to look for the Christian group. Maybe he would change his mind, or something come up on the way to separate us. Alas, to no avail. Thus, as we approached the Fair, I realised that I was going to have to make my first public confession of Christian interest. ‘I’m going to look for the Christian Union!’, I managed to blurt out.
He hesitated and my embarrassment began to grow, when all of a sudden, things took an unexpected turn. ‘Me too!’ was his refrain!
I was surprised, but then felt a surge of encouragement. This was meant to be!
Eventually, we found the Christian group at their table. A second surprise (There was also to be a third surprise) was that the student manning it was also a Chemistry student like myself, but in the third year. He gladly signed us up and told us about their activities.
After this I was still hesitant to attend the Christian Union meetings, particularly as I was living far away from the university and their main meeting was in the evening. However, one day someone gave me a flyer for a lunchtime Bible study. I decided to go.
When I arrived at the meeting, there was a group of students already waiting outside. I was struck by their desire to study the Bible. Over the course of a number of meetings, the way these students took the Bible seriously, really spoke to me.
Gradually, I started going to other meetings. It took some courage, but slowly, I started going to more and more. Eventually, in my final year at university, I attended a Christianity explored course. Here there were six meetings. Each one involved a short talk based on a passage from Mark’s gospel and then a discussion time in a small group.
At the final meeting, there was a difficult moment as the usual room was booked. We had to go searching through the university to find an alternative. Once settled into the tight wooden benched lecture theatre the speaker began. This lesson was a little different as it mainly centred around a presentation of the Christian Good News. Although I had heard aspects of this message before, this was the first time I had heard it so well and thoroughly presented. Suddenly, everything was clear.
As I listened to the words that were being spoken, I began to understand many things about myself and the way the world was. I also realised that God’s solution was to trust in Jesus Christ. I accepted this message and it began to guide me through my life.
I had wanted to remain at the university and study further. However, I felt like this wasn’t God’s plan for me. Thus, via the church I had started going to, I found out about an opportunity to get involved in student ministry with IFES, something which I did and eventually led me to Moldova!
During this final year at university, I got to know a little bit some of the others from the Christian Union. One day I entered into conversation with one of the guys and told me that he had been helping on the Christian Union table in my first fateful year, when I inadvertently missed them. I learned from him the reason why.
That year, there had been so many student societies and clubs, that some of them had to set up their tables outside. However, it had begun to rain and so they moved under the famous UCL archway. When I had exited the Fresher’s Fair, I was aware that something was going on outside, but also felt the rain and was already decided that I had done my bit, so headed off without exploring further. Thus, I missed the Christians!
However, God didn’t abandon me and found a way to eventually bring me back to where He wanted me to be!