When I gave my life to Christ in this church (then Royal Evangel Church) little did I know that I was doing something good for myself. That day, I found myself crying while talking with my follow-up mentor and I could not explain to her why I was crying. I just realized that I had wasted my time all the while. I came from a denominational church background and sang in the choir only because my parents expected us (I and my siblings) to do so. Besides, if you did not sing in the choir, you would be denied Sunday lunch! Every Sunday my mum would kill chicken and not wanting to miss our lunch, we would go to church — not that we really had Christ in us or were listening to what was being preached. When I came here, I saw a difference.

Sometime ago things became so rough for me that I had to move in with a friend while my son lived in church. One day Pastor Charles sent for me and when I saw him, I told him how I lost my job in June 1996. By August that same year, my husband died. Since then I was not able to get a good job, so I picked up one of my sewing machines and I started sewing in my friend’s place. I would meet friends and ask them if they had anything to sew just so I could get some money. Three years later, when Pastor asked us to write out three prayer requests, my first request was that God should help me to serve Him better. I also asked Him to favour me. Today, I can tell you, God has favoured me. From my room where I sew, I am not able to meet up with the number of customers that come to me. Some tailors say they have seasons, but I am busy in and out of season. It is the favour of God!

I want to encourage others to be committed to their service to God in their departments in church. Earlier on, I joined a department but I was not committed to it. My attitude to it was wrong because I was doing it to fulfil “all righteousness”. Then one day in the same year that I asked God to help me serve Him better, an announcement was made in church for people who wanted to join The Carpenter’s Cubs (the children’s church department). I asked and made sure their meetings did not clash with my other department and I joined it. I started attending meetings, and now I have discovered that there is this joy in me anytime I’m there. If I’m not there I feel emptiness; it’s as though something is missing! I now know that there is joy in serving in the place of your call. This God, we call Him in my department, “Jehovah-over-do.”