Since moving to the Pnong Project, we have been very blessed to work with the local school staff. We have realized that the staff are key to reaching the community here. As the school principal, Jonathan is well positioned to train and equip these staff members to be missionaries to their own people, much as Jesus did with His disciples.
With this in mind, we will let them share their testimonies with you so that when we write future articles that include them, you will have a frame of reference. This time we are sharing the testimony of a young man on our staff named Jym:
My Dad didn’t want my mother and us kids to go to church, but my grandmother used to encourage us to go. We kept praying that my dad would let us go and worship, and finally he started letting us attend church. He said that he would let us believe first, and then maybe he would follow later. My dad still doesn’t go to church with us, but we are praying that someday he will believe in Jesus, too.
I started to learn about God when I was 25 years old. When I started going to church, I didn’t understand what everything meant, but I was curious. My mom and grandmother encouraged me to be baptized, but I wasn’t ready. I would go sometimes, but then I would go out with my friends and have fun drinking and smoking. Before I believed in God, I had those bad habits and argued and fought with others. I used to steal as well.
I observed the behavior of my aunt, now a cook at Christensen Adventist Primary School (CAPS). Before, she would drink and fight and didn’t want her children to worship God. Then she started to be more open to God, and her character changed. Finally, she got baptized. This change in her character impressed me.
After that, I got more interested in God, and I was baptized two years ago. I prayed that God would change my old lifestyle and habits. He answered that prayer when I started reading the Bible on my own. I never really had that desire before. I used to be quick to anger and think of bad things, but now whenever I think of anything bad, I also think of God, and that helps me.
I also prayed that I would be able to work at CAPS because I knew I would be closer to God in the Christian atmosphere. I wanted to learn more about the Bible and learn from others while serving God. He answered that prayer, too, and now I’m employed at the school as a van driver and maintenance worker. I’m glad that I get to serve God here. Working for God is what I really want. Maybe someday I will even be a church planter. But whatever I do, I want to be serving God.
I really enjoy singing and playing my guitar for worship. I also love to read the Bible and listen to sermons. Not everything in my life is easy now. My family is still very poor. Because my father borrowed money from the bank, we have to give all our extra money to pay the loan. I am studying at school again, too, but it is difficult for me in some subjects to understand and remember everything. I would appreciate your prayers for me in my studies and for my family, especially that my father will believe in Jesus.
