As we celebrate OYP’s 7th Anniversary, we look back on the wonderful things that the Lord has done in the lives of our beloved young people and express gratitude for how the Lord is indeed raising up a generation for Christ. We share one of their stories here with you.
by Joshua Lowe (SOW 2019)
Hi! I’m Joshua. I’m a 25-year-old child of God! I am from the church of St. Vincent de Paul. I am studying in NUS and belong to the Catholic Students Society there, and also the SOW19 community.
OYP for me has been a place of healing, restoration and growth! When I attended SOW19, I was set free from the chains of hopelessness and despair because my life had not gone according to plan. I had just lost my dream job that I had worked all my life for. However, Jesus allowed me to see myself through his eyes. I was not free-falling and about to crash, but I was going to land safely in the hands of Jesus. I also thought that if I gave more of my life to Jesus, I would be losing out. But Jesus reminded me that he had given me the greatest treasure of all – His Heart! I would never lose out as long as I had it!
Since then, the dreams for my life have changed. Knowing Jesus and letting him love me made me fully alive, and I wanted that for everyone! Coming to know the OYP community gave me a chance to journey with people, and also inspired me to start dreaming for the Church. I wanted to be part of raising up a generation for Christ too!
I am grateful that Jesus has transformed my life from that of self-interest and dreams, to dreaming for His church and His people. I am grateful that I don’t need to keep looking for my purpose and identity because I have found it in him. I am grateful that Jesus is my living hope. I thank God that people intervened in my life, picked me up and brought me to Jesus. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to do this for others too! Seeing people come to know Jesus and being loved by him is something I am grateful for! You’ll know it when you experience it for yourself!
My dream for the young people of Singapore and OYP is for people to come to know Jesus personally, and to know that we each have a unique identity that only God the Father can bestow on us. I hope that we become prayerful, loving and merciful people, after the heart of the Good Shepherd. And I hope we recognise that we have a calling and a place in the Church – in the words of JP2, that the Church needs us and believes in us – to bring people to Christ, just as others have done for us! Together, we can raise up generation after generation for Christ!
Happy and blessed birthday OYP! Thank you for giving me Jesus!
