So began my very first preaching experience. That morning we hit the college, I thought that I would watch someone do it first. Who was to know, Ate Ingrid came up and told me, "Ruth, you'll be the first to speak." I was stunned for a moment but I did not have time to react, I was ushered into a classroom soon after. I was nervous, partly because Hwee Min was at the back watching me. But of course, the moment I was in the classroom, I had to start speaking. I asked the class if they knew Whitney Houston, and there was an initial silence. I thought to myself, "Oh no, this is a bad start." I prayed and asked God to help me, after which there was some response, enough for me to move on. And the Holy Spirit took over. To be honest, I wasn't that prepared. I didn't write an elaborate script like some of them did, I didn't rehearse like some of them did. But God just gave me words to speak, and the whole preaching went smoothly. Prior to that, I wondered if there would even be 5 people who would raise their hands.But thank God for the 29 out of 33 decisions made (I just had to take note of the numbers of my very first class). It was really not me who convinced anyone, but the Holy Spirit who worked and convicted.
Thank God for the rest of the day, where I began to loosen up. I would preach to 7 classes that day and earn the nickname "Robot", but I definitely hope that my preaching wasn't robotic. Only God knows. It was an exciting evening. It was raining, I was upping the volume of my voice, and by the time I did my third classroom, I thought that my voice was gonna go. After I left the room, I was so tired. I saw Hwee Min sitting down resting, so I joined her, thinking that we were gonna call it a day and just wait for the rest to be done. But shortly after, Ate Ingrid told us that there was one more classroom, so one of us had to take it. Hwee Min said that she was tired, so I, uh, got the hint. Lol. But you know, I've never regretted going into that classroom. It was one of the more memorable classes I took all week.
I'll admit, that I went into the classroom because I didn't really have a choice. After having done three classes, the last one was just another classroom for me. I was so tired, I kinda wanted to get it over and done with. Which was probably the cause for the slight struggle I faced with later on. Halfway through, I felt extremely tired, my voice was running, I was stressed as Kim Cheong and Hwee Min were at the back watching, and I was flustered as I was talking about us not having to pay for our sins anymore since Jesus has already paid for them, but the students didn't seem to get it. That was when I knew I really needed to pray and depend on the Holy Spirit. Thank God, for it got better after that. I was calmer, my voice held, and my tiredness seemed to go away.
Thank God for the class as well, they were a really friendly bunch of people. I probably stayed close to an hour in the classroom, they were asking me sooooo many questions. I was really blessed by them, their warmth and interest in a foreigner. They were really nice. And I guess I won't forget them asking me to sing a Singaporean song for them. Which I did, I sang the pledge, and believe it or not, I forgot the words to it halfway. Lol. But they were such wonderful people, I didn't feel embarrassed at all. I really enjoyed my time in the classroom. More importantly, thank God for the privilege to bring the Gospel to them. I don't know how many really accepted Christ, but God knows, and I believe He will continue to work in their hearts.
That was first day of preaching, and I remain amazed at how God enabled and empowered me. I was a totally different person in the classroom, I spoke in ways I never saw myself speaking before, and it is only by His doing. Of course, that was just the beginning, there would be more to come. Thank God for everything going smoothly, for the schools that allowed us to bring the Gospel in, for the friendliness of the students, for the preaching opportunities. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment