When I was fourteen, my family immigrated to Hong Kong with me choosing to stay behind to complete my schooling in South Africa. Slowly however, I began to feel “left behind”. South Africa’s unsafe conditions would also instil a lot of fear in me. This would later manifest itself in a mild form of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), with my constant checking and re-checking, repeatedly, that I had locked the doors, shut the windows, turned off the air-conditioning etc.
It was also that year that I accepted Christ into my life. In my view, God was a wrathful God who was to be feared. He would punish disobedience. I remember getting baptized but the significance of that event did not hold weight. Life was no different – there was no change in my attitude, outlook or values. Life became a series of partying and just living for the next thrill. I did not see a need for God nor did I have the time for Him.
And then my world fell apart when a relationship ended and I found myself angry at God. It was at this point that I began going to church again, begrudgingly at first, but slowly and surely, God melted my hardened heart and revealed His loving and caring side.
When I left South Africa after university and joined my family in Hong Kong, I began serving at church and attending a small prayer meeting with other ladies.
