2015 Key Verse Testimony

Proverbs 16:9 “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

I chose this verse as my key verse last year because I wanted to remind myself that God is in control of my life. However, I had to learn the hard way how true this verse was through some sobering experiences.

I could not remember much of what happened the first half of the year except that I went to school, taught CBF, and sang in the praise team. The spring semester had been a successful one and I was able to take a summer class in June. At the same time, we had the summer camp for the 2- to 6-year-olds, which was a great learning experience. The children enjoyed learning and playing with their friends. Julia, Rebekah, and Grace were also great co-teachers. Even though we were not able to do much outside the CBF house, we always found other ways to let the children get their energy out. I may have been exhausted at the end of the four hours with the children, but I thank God for this opportunity.

In early July, I flew to Germany to help with the preparations for the ESBC. At first, I did not know what I would be doing, but by the end of the first week there, I had more than enough to do. Together with another second gen, I had to make the program booklet, which seemed like an easy task but ended up being more work and time consuming than anticipated. By God’s grace, we were able to finish it and picked it up on the day we left for the conference. I also became part of the “Ask me team” that mainly consisted of new gens ages 15 and up. We took care of registration, answering questions, and giving directions. It was encouraging to see so many young people from different chapters and countries work together. Although I was busy during the conference, I was able to enjoy it as well. It was blessed and filled with God’s word. The message that stood out to me was from Mark 11:1-25. The messenger posed the question, “Why is your happiness dependent on how you do in your ministry, how your ministry does, and whether people leave?” The point of the passage was having faith in God. If we have faith in God there should not be anything that shakes our faith or happiness especially when it comes to the ministry. I should be happy even when things seem rough or there are less people there because if I have faith in God, He will take care of these things. I am thankful that I was able to help with the conference and also attend it. My stay in Germany and the conference were very blessed. Even though I had been busy with the preparations, I had some time to visit my family and spend time with friends.

Right after the conference, I had to come back to the U.S. for my internship. I had not really been looking forward to the semester because I had to take six classes and go to my internship twice a week. This semester was the most stressful, exhausting, overwhelming, and tiring. I went through some difficult times and had many changes to make. I had to end a relationship that had started in the wrong way and had hurt people unintentionally along the way. It was all a learning process for me. I had hurt God and several people, which was painful to realize. In the end, I had to realize that I had been too naïve and made many mistakes. All I could do was simply lay everything out before God and ask Him to forgive and heal those I had hurt. Besides personal struggles, I also struggled to focus on God’s word and His work. There were so many things I had to do for my classes and internship that I barely had time for anything else and was always tired. Many times, I thought about giving up one thing I did in the ministry, but I never did because I knew that I should not. I enjoy teaching and learning about children and development, but all the work that I had to put into this semester made it less enjoyable. I had planned to graduate this spring, get a job, and start working in the fall. However, three weeks ago, I had to learn that I would not be able to move on to the next phase of my internship. I did not pass my internship, not because I was not a good teacher but rather because I did not fulfill the expectations of the program, though I had tried hard to improve in the way that my professors and supervisors asked me to do. This means that I have to change my major. It took a little bit of time to accept this change because it was my dream to become a teacher and I thought it was God’s plan. I accepted this as God’s direction for my life and hope that with the new major I chose I can still become a teacher. It was at that point that I was reminded of my key verse, where it says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” (Proverbs 16:9). I had planned my way and future the way I thought it would or should go, but God is establishing my steps and His own plan for my life. Now, I decided to change my major to Family Science but will have to add two or three semesters to my studies. I am not sure how God will lead me this coming year, so I chose Proverbs 16:1 as my new key verse. It says, “To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.” For this year, I am praying to trust in God’s leading and listen to His direction, to spent time in His word, and to be successful in my classes.