What’s Your Story?
In Acts, Jesus sends his followers out into the world to bear witness to the ways in which they’ve seen God at work both in their lives and in the world around them. They aren’t asked to be persuasive or compelling. Instead, God simply asks them to go tell the stories of what they’ve seen and experienced. And as they do, incredible things begin to happen. One story leads to another and another—opening up a world of endless possibility.
So what’s your story? How have you seen God at work in your life?
Hi, I’m Sara. Writing from Sweden and i’m 16 years old. When I was young when my grandmother tried to get me to be a Christian, but in 2006 my brother died, which made me began to hate God just because he took my brother away from me. Actually, I’m from Hungary and I have lived there 12 years. But moving to Sweden for 4 years ago. You have no idea how hard it was to leave my country, my life .. family, friends. But it was my parents who wanted it so .. I had to start a whole new life here in Sweden. Got to see everything so differently, learn the language and get to find friends. I was very much on the internet then in 2011, when I met a guy named Benjamin, he is actually 19 years old and lives 3 hours away from me in Sweden. The first thing he asked when he met me if I was a Christian?! I was honest and told my life story to him before he could really understand how bad I was feeling. It was he who prayed for me all the time for me to go to God and to love him again from the heart .. and so it happened. I LOVE GOD NOW, HE IS A LOVE. And in time me and Benjamin we talked.. I realized that I can see my life with Benjamin, I love him REALLY and he feels the same for me. We’ve known each other for 2 years now, we love each other still. We have no relationship yet, but it’s just because he wants me to be real Christians. I need help with it.
You’ll Never Know if You Don’t Try
We don’t always fill a need when we see one. We don’t always respond when challenged. But sometimes we do and sometimes it changes us. One Sunday last spring cards were placed on the gray chairs at Mars Hill. From stage, a voice asked for volunteers for the baby and kids ministries. A high school student, Zach Suttner, was there. He filled out a card and his journey started.
On Zach’s first Sunday volunteering he was nervous. He wasn’t sure how the kids would respond to him or if they would like him. But it didn’t take long before both were comfortable with each other. Now, a year later, being with the kids is the highlight of his week. “I can’t wait to see my kindergarteners. Even if I go in with a headache, I always leave with it gone.” Zach realizes the irony of his statement and smiles, “That may seem backwards to some people, but it’s true.”
Of course, allowing oneself to become more involved rarely leaves them unchanged. Before volunteering with kids at Mars Hill, Zach was considering going to school for instrumental performance. Zach plays the double bass. He loves the range and sound of the instrument. However, volunteering has helped him realize he’d love to find a way to combine music and the joy of teaching kids. He now hopes to study instrumental education for students K-5 at college next year.
So what is it that makes Zach want to keep teaching kids? He loves how they get excited over the little things. “We tend to lose that when we get older,” He says. Zach also loves to help them understand the lesson for the week. Even when he is unable to attend the service in the Shed, mornings spent with his students still feels like church. When asked for advice to others who might want to volunteer, he put it simply, “Just try it. You’ll never know if you don’t try.” For Zach, volunteering with kids helped him find his place and future career. And it just started with him seeing a need, responding to a challenge and filling out a card.
Want to learn how you can make a difference in the life of our kids? View all of our Kids Volunteer Opportunities now.