Mandy Hong is Transformed

I wouldn't say my life was perfect before I came to know God, but I can say that it was pretty good. My parents, my sister, my cousins, my aunts and uncles were wonderful, loving people who were willing to support me and they still are. I had good friends and I even excelled in school. My parents took me on vacation every year and I got to see the world, from Hawaii to Europe to China. So what's to complain? How did I come to know God? What I learned is that you don't need to be miserable and desperate in order to reach out and find God. He works in amazing and surprising ways; He inspires.

I was going to Church for maybe half a year before I accepted Jesus into my life. My boyfriend, Steven, is the reason why I came to Church to begin with. And from the start, I was I amazed by how passionate everybody was. How could they wake up so early every Sunday morning just to listen to someone talk for an hour? How could they sing so passionately about someone who they never even saw before? How did they get all this passion? Whatever it was, I was sure that I wanted to have that much passion in my life as well.

My passion bloomed that summer when I decided to volunteer for VBS (Vacation Bible Study). I wanted to become more involved with the Church and I also enjoy working with children (they make me feel tall). Surprisingly, in Nathania and Bianca's Bible Study class, I found myself understanding who God was, in Auntie Bernadette and Auntie Hetta's class, I learned what it meant to be a Christian, and finally, in Dorothy's music class, I found my passion. Besides learning with the children, I became inspired by them. I was amazed by Austen's helpful manner in the kitchen and Sean's willingness to sacrifice his field trip to help watch younger children. Mrs. Ng and Winnie inspired me too; they showed me so much love and support. I also remember Stella and Tammy cheering me up with a necklace they made in Johanna's art class. All these people had such had such an amazing, undeniable spirit dwelling within them. This is when I realized that the Holy Spirit is real, and He exists in everyone who accepts Him, making them into amazing and inspiring people. The next day, I prayed with Mrs. Ng, confessing my sins and accepting Jesus as my Lord and my Saviour. I did this so I could be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Living with the Holy Spirit has definitely changed my life. I found a passion to reach out to my family, my cousins, my Aunts and my uncles. I try to speak with them more, encourage them, and comfort them when they might need it. Hopefully, someday they will be inspired by the Holy Spirit living in me.