Irene (one of our cellgroup members - see picture) was kind enough to share her heart with us. It is still a privilege to be amongst them! Over the next couple of months we will regularly post a piece written by the Youth themselves. And keep your eyes open for the wedding pics of Tammy & Konrad!
What connect group means to me
Im Irene, Im turning 21 this year, and I want to tell you what connect group has done for me.
Wow, if I have to say what connect group and youth means to me,I wouldn’t know where to begin.
The first night I met Jurie and Lilli they asked me so who am I and where do I come from, what is my story basically. They were so eager to get to know each one of us. So they started to lead the connect group.
They encouraged me to go to prayer hours, and not to feel ashamed of the way I pray, because God knows my heart. Im the kind that can talk on and on for hours, but when it gets to praying before people, hehe I climb into my shell. They did’nt give me even chance to think about it. I went and I felt amazing, it felt as if I took a huge step into my future.
That same week, I led 3 girls to our amazing Jesus Christ, I asked Jurie to pray for them at connect group to give their hearts. And they did without hesitation. The girls went through so much, but I couldn’t stop telling them how their lives would change for the better, they started to join me at nights to worship in my room and to do Bible study. I could see how much God worked in their hearts,aswell as in mine, I never thought that God could trust me so much.
That Sunday I gave a testimony in church, which I could never do !!! But Lilli asked me if I would feel comfortable, and I just asked God to speak through me, my nerves were up !!
I also learned what it meant to be silent so you can hear when God speaks to you, Lilli talked to me what it means to anoint your room,as I had to,and didn’t know the first thing about it. Talking to Lilli is like therapy for my soul.
Jurie once talked to me and gave me like a whole paper full of verses out of the Bible for how u can pray for someone, it wasn’t a week later and my sister started to go to connect group with me, after praying for a year. But she still didn’t want to go to church with me. Jurie said I should just be patient God will work with her. In this month she came twice to church, and there is a major change in her.
Connect group is one of my highlights in my week. I can be Irene there, I can cry, laugh or whatever , it’s my home. I can ask a question and get answers, straight answers. Connect group is my family, and I can truly say that everyone there has climbed so deep into my life and heart, I never want to be the old Irene. Each week, I can feel how much I grow in Faith, I just want to say thank you for Jurie and Lilli for allowing God to work through them with me.
Wow, Irene - your testimony is so inspiring! Thanks for taking the time to type it up so that we can be encouraged and challenged to be Jesus to the people that walk next to us on this journey through life. I am a youth pastor and count it pure joy when I hear of young people like yourself living sold out for Jesus! Ps Mark Tittley, His People Joburg
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