Two Youths Connected By His Light

Scene: A Sunday afternoon. Sandra and Timmy are sitting at a hawker centre near church, having lunch, when Aunty Rose comes by.

Aunty Rose: Hello, how are you all? How was that global meeting?

Sandra: Good aunty. How are you?

Timmy: We're good aunty, thanks for asking.

Sandra: You know… I’d almost forgotten about that meeting until just now.

Timmy: Same. Maybe it’s because it was in the middle of the night. I remember feeling so groggy and being like: Why are we even doing this at 2 am?

Aunty Rose: I hope you two still learned something from it though. Global meeting — can't help it but meet at inconvenient timings sometimes.

Sandra: (laughs) Right? At first, I felt like it was just one of those things you go for because you have no choice. But looking back, I think it was actually… good for me. Like a spiritual wake-up.

Timmy: Yeah. Actually, I went in feeling like an outsider. The group was for eighteen to twenty-fives, right? I’m twenty-five now, and in a couple of months, I won't be part of this group already. So I went in feeling like... maybe this isn't for me.

Aunty Rose: But now you feel different?

Timmy: Mm. Remember the elder’s sharing about living as Christians in a Babylonian world? It reminded me of when I was that age, like I went through all the same struggles in school, at work. All these people who keep joking in a bad way or swearing left and right. I could relate.

Sandra: Wow, but that's so not your crowd anymore! Actually, how did you change?

Timmy: I think it's because I have been saturating myself with the Word and Spirit, being surrounded by brothers and sisters in Christ. Then one day, sitting at the lunch table, something just clicked in my head. Like, this isn’t me anymore. I don’t have to stay here. So I isolated myself, found other colleagues to hang out with. Since then, I never went back.

Aunty Rose: Proud of you Timmy. What about you, Sandra? Do you have a similar struggle?

Sandra: Hmm. For me, I don't think I have the same struggle. But what really stood out were the testimonies. Remember the girl who moved from a science career to becoming a fashion designer?

Timmy: Oh yeah, her story was powerful.

Sandra: Exactly. She went through family pressure, doubts, and so much prayer. But God led her into fashion, which she already had an interest in. She was so worried her parents would push back and nag at her. They did at first, but after a lot of prayer and surrendering to God, it stopped. And also it's cool how now she’s designing clothes that bring modesty into the fashion industry. I was really struck by that.

Aunty Rose: Oh, why that one in particular?

Sandra: Because I’m still figuring out my own career path. But I don’t know if that’s what God intends for me long-term. Hearing her made me think… maybe it’s okay not to have it all figured out yet. What matters is staying close to God, trusting that He’ll lead me.

Timmy: That’s a good posture to have.

Aunty Rose: Exactly. So now that you guys attended the meeting, how do you feel? Did it help grow your relationship with God?

Sandra: Actually, yeah. It made me more resolved to seek Him. You know, attending that meeting felt like plunging my face into cool water — refreshing, cleansing, shaking me awake. By the end, I felt renewed.

Timmy: I felt the same. Especially seeing youths from all over the world. Remember the WhatsApp and Discord groups? I joined the Discord — there were people from New York, Trinidad and Tobago… it made me realise this isn’t just a local thing. We’re part of something global.

Sandra: That’s what excites me for the next one. The community, you know? We don’t know the format yet... maybe more interactive, maybe new testimonies. But just knowing we have this community makes me look forward to it.

Aunty Rose: How nice. You two must be excited to make new friends.

Timmy: Okay la.

Sandra: I think what Timmy means is that friends are one thing, but it's good to connect with others who really love God. They push you on, you know?

Aunty Rose: Yup, that's the power of community. And you may already have us and the church, but having some friends in your interest group or your age really helps also, like how I have my single ladies group.

Sandra: Yes. Now I'm looking forward to the next meeting even more.

(Timmy starts chuckling softly to himself.)

Sandra: What?

Timmy: No, it’s funny. We both went in reluctant, almost half-asleep. And at the start I even thought this meeting wasn't going to be useful for me. But now that we sat down and talked about it… I realise it was super useful, very edifying.

Aunty Rose: Isn't that powerful? Sometimes you need to reflect on the meetings you attended, do your reports and all, because it's only then, you squeeze out your learning. Like a wet towel that you need to wring out.

Timmy: True. I wonder what else I'll learn next time. I must make sure I reflect.

Sandra: Yeah. I will too. And let's pray about it before we attend the next meeting, maybe. Just a small prayer — that God's light will shine on the meeting and edify all of us.

Aunty Rose: Amen, you know that He will. God has a way of shining the light brightly when it's dark.

Timmy: Yup, even if it's 2.00 am. (Laughs)