Archie

I grew up in a Hindu family and was introduced to the gospel in my first year at university in India.

I was attracted to a God who loved me unconditionally and promised eternal life through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. During my years at university, while I was away from home, I held on to my faith. Looking back now, I can see that Jesus carried me through the ups and downs of student life.

During this time, I met my husband, who, like me, had chosen to follow Christ despite growing up in a Hindu family. It was a great challenge to share my faith with my family and for them to understand my commitment to Jesus.

It took a few years and many trials before I was able to pray alongside my parents. Losing my mum to cancer last year was incredibly hard. But the days we spent praying together, sometimes in tears, brought us closer to Jesus in a special way, and I know she is in a better place now.

I still have fears and struggles as I navigate life, trying to be a good mum, a good wife, and performing well at work. However, I am slowly but steadily learning to trust Jesus and lean on Him rather than my own understanding.

Reading the Bible with my church family and faithful friends plays an important role in my journey. Some days, I feel as though I am walking alone, but I recently received great encouragement. One day at work, my colleagues asked me, “How do you stay composed and calm through chaos?” At that moment, I realised that Jesus is still carrying me and constantly working in my heart. His love and peace can calm every storm in this life—until the day I see Him face to face.

Diana

We were living in Asia and, to escape the hot season, went up to the hills during the school break. Having heard it was possible to get a pass at the frontier and go into China, we thought we would take the opportunity.

Bundling into the old Land Rover, we set off. The road changed to track as we got higher. Then it was a rough, single track with a mountain on the right and a deep ravine on the left. Gratefully, we had not seen any other traffic, although there were passing places.

As we slowly made our way, there was an ominous clunk. "What was that?" we asked. Getting out, we looked under the Land Rover, and Roger thought it could be the shaft. As we were debating the possibilities, six-year-old Conrad said, "Daddy, why don't we pray?" (from the mouths of babes!) "Heavenly Father, You see our problem and we need help in Jesus' Name."

There was the sound of a motor. A Ford Transit, equivalent to a local bus, full of passengers, stopped in front of us. Out gets the driver and several passengers to see what was the problem. The driver said we must head back down the mountain. He would guide us back to a passing place where they could pass us, then he came back to help us to turn.

So we were able to limp down to civilization (but we missed getting into China).

"Call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honour Me." Psalm 50:15

Hannah

I became a Christian at the age of 19. I was struggling in my university studies and feeling isolated from my wider family as they went through ill health, and whilst I had believed in God for a while, I hadn't really understood what it meant to rely wholeheartedly on Him. At a time when I was battling with poor mental health and unable to cling to earthly things, God showed me that I could turn to Him and rely on His constant and unchanging love.

Now I'm in my thirties and still rely on God to get me through the daily battles - my mental health has been my biggest challenge, but time and time again God's goodness has been evident. Being part of a church community has transformed my understanding of friendship and has shown me a little taste of God's incredibly powerful love for us, even in our darkest moments. If God can love a messy human like me, there really is hope!

Katie

My name - Katie - means "Pure" and my middle name is Joy, which requires somewhat less explaining! Pure Joy, when you put them together... I've had some pretty joyful moments in my story so far, and some people have given me immense joy. But the very best of them can't give me the pure and perfect joy that Jesus offers.

He made a very real way for me to be forgiven for my own messy impurity. He offered to cover me with his pure life and took the punishment for mine. This means I can be reconciled with God and I will live forever with Him!

It's like He's taken the back cover off my story. I have a set of eternal chapters so vast they could now stretch the universe and beyond... Jesus made that happen, through His death and resurrection. Even on the most difficult days, that makes me feel Pure Joy.

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

Katie

In the past, I found it very difficult to go through hard times, such as my Grandad passing away and my parents' divorce, and still see Jesus as walking alongside me or looking out for me. However, as I've grown in my faith throughout university and focused more on prayer, I've discovered the power of a relationship with Jesus in both the good and the bad times.

Life recently hasn't been very easy for me. Between the struggles of stress and exams in medical school, as well as a recent diagnosis of endometriosis and suffering chronic pain and the fear that comes with a new diagnosis, I've found myself often asking Jesus why. However, the difference is that now I don't get angry or frustrated in hard times but I lean on Jesus and ask him to come a bit closer to me in these times.

When I struggled to comprehend pain and suffering in the past, someone once told me the analogy of the footprints in the sand.

“A man was walking along the beach and moments from his life flashed across his mind. In the hard moments, he saw only one set of footprints. He said to the Lord, 'You promised you would always be with me, why in the hard times were you not there?' The Lord replied, 'My child, it was in those hard times that I carried you.'”

Equally, I now recognise that Jesus is with me constantly in all walks of life, including those that are good! He celebrates with me and deserves my praise in the good times, such as my engagement to Daf this year and getting through medical school so far, and I'm very excited to see what he has in store for my life to come! Trust that Jesus will be a part of your journey no matter the situation.

Lena

My journey into adulthood involved moving away from my family in Singapore and studying in the UK from 17 years. This was an exciting time of independence and exploration with challenges and distractions. I thank God that through my mum's faithful prayers, I continued to follow Jesus through years of ups and downs of higher education and medical career.

I have been a consultant paediatrician for the last 12 years. My daily work involves managing children who are severely disabled with breathing difficulties and/or those with severe lung problems who require help with breathing. Frequently it involves breaking difficult news, counselling and supporting families to manage their child with life-limiting conditions. Trying to juggle work with limited resources and leading and encouraging team members can be overwhelming. But knowing Jesus is holding me and helping me care for and love my patients, their families and colleagues always takes the pressure off me. The peace that Jesus gives truly passes all understanding, which fills my whole being with calm and hope as I find myself during these challenging times.

Going to work with Jesus helps me to be joyful and to spread joy and hope to patients and my team. Sometimes I get tired and grumpy or make less good decisions, but I know Jesus knows how I feel and my intentions, and I am able to say sorry and lay my burden on the cross. What a relief to know His Mercy and Grace!

I can truly say that even though I did not have a dramatic conversion, my relationship with Jesus over the years at different life stages of depending on Him has made me love and trust Him more deeply and more fully. I am so thankful that living a life with Jesus gives hope and purpose, and I can trust God because God is good all the time and all the time He is good!

This is what Jesus means to me in a nutshell:

J: Joy Unlimited
E: Eternal Hope of Salvation
S: Sacrificial Love for me
U: Undeserved Grace
S: Supernatural Peace

Nerys

Suffering in silence. This is how I would describe my journey with infertility over the course of eight years. I have never felt more alone, carrying this hidden grief, unsure about who I could talk to or share my story with. Despite the silence, I felt like people knew, that I had this big mark on my forehead saying "barren" and that was why people avoided me.

But, looking back, I realise that it was me who had distanced myself from others as I couldn't deal with my pain and I often couldn't deal with the joy that others experienced as they started families.

I can honestly say if I hadn't had Jesus holding me and helping me through the worst years of my life, I don't know where I would be today. I think my marriage would have broken down, I think I would have alienated all my friends and family and I think I could have given in to some of my darkest thoughts. But Jesus held me. He listened to angry cries, my questions, my despair. He was my anchor and hope, that pulled me through those dark waters of grief and hopelessness. He grieved with me and helped me trust to share my story. He helped me reconnect with Him and those around me.

Shiromini

Losing my dad when I was just 15 years old left a profound void in my life. When the future appeared uncertain and overwhelming, I found immense comfort and peace in knowing that God has a plan for me. Trusting in His divine plan, rather than insisting on my own, allowed me to discover hope even in the darkest of times.

As Jeremiah 29:11 beautifully states:

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

This verse serves as a powerful reminder that God's intentions for my life are filled with hope and promise. It guides me through life's challenges with unwavering faith and trust in His purpose for me.

When the future looks bleak, knowing that God has a plan brings immense comfort and peace. Trusting in His divine guidance allows me to find hope even in the darkest times.

Sophie

My strongest story of faith is God's unfailing love and saving grace in the past few years is coping with a sudden diagnosis of brain tumours (meningiomas), due to radiotherapy as a child for Leukaemia, and undergoing two subsequent neurosurgeries. As a family, it was a difficult time of uncertainty and overwhelming fear with Alfie only being 2 years old, but belief in a God who can perform miracles gave me peace and refuge during the stormy days. Trusting in God, who is our Creator and far greater than anything on this Earth, carries me through the good and the difficult days as I continue with annual surveillance and brain MRIs.

As a mum and a nurse by profession, I often find myself trying to find problem-solving solutions to changing situations in life, and it is so easy to lean on earthly pleasures when things become difficult. With faith in Jesus, He guides my thoughts and shows me how to walk through life, with the amazing reassurance that He has a plan marked out for us. His love is ever present even when we turn away from the Light of the World. Keep looking up.

Yang

I was born and raised in a family where my parents and relatives were all Christians. Growing up, I learned from my parents' faith and the way they lived their lives, always holding them in deep respect and aspiring to become a mature believer like them. However, to be honest, the God I believed in as a child always seemed fearsome to me. The fact that He knew my actions, my heart, and even my thoughts made it impossible to hide my wrongdoings from Him, and I constantly feared that He would punish me for them.

When I entered university, I moved into a dormitory. There was a small church on my university campus. One day, I was drawn to the chapel and stepped inside. From that day on, I started meeting God there every evening on my own. Some days, I would simply sit in silence, while on others, I would sing hymns or cry out in prayer.

Then, one day, I found myself calling God "Abba Father." At that moment, the fear and heavy burdens in my heart were lifted, and a warm glow and bright light began to fill me. I am still flawed and prone to mistakes, but I live each day feeling the love and faithfulness of Jesus, who always protects and cares for me. More than anything, I earnestly desire for more people to come to know Him too.