Personal Story: Hanna
My testimony begins at the age of 5 when l was adopted into a church-going family. Along with them, l attended church every Sunday. This was my routine – school during the week and church on Sundays.
It was not until I was a teenager that l started to question this routine. Up until that point, Church was something that my family did and a place where l had friends. I’ve learnt as I’ve grown older, our friends and peers are our biggest influences. Seeing them receive the Holy Spirit and have their lives change made me want that change for myself.
It happened on a weeknight. Having spent some time seeking with my older brother, l began to speak in another tongue. I remember thinking about God, the bible stories l had learnt in Sunday school and how much l wanted to be a part of God’s family and the eternity that is to come. Having received the Holy Spirit, l was baptised in full immersion at an Easter Camp later that month. That experience was like nothing before. I had never before experienced the immense happiness and joy that came over me when l received at the age of 12.
The understanding of what l had received came at a Youth group camp in Torquay some months later. I was in a cabin with a group of girlfriends. Through that night, the conversation moved from boys to God – this was unprecedented. Having gone to church since the age of 5, I had never truly and genuinely spoken about God with my friends. To begin with, it was awkward and weird but very quickly the mood changed and we ended by praying together. It was right there, praying with my friends, thinking about the connection we shared through God, l realised that this right here was the place l wanted to be forever. That night and the realisation that my relationship with God was the most important thing my life has stayed with me all these years.
Today, as an 18-year-old completing my last year of school that has never changed. That routine has never changed. While some faces around me look different, my conviction and faith in God has been unwavering.
Hanna – Melbourne Revival Church
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