by Calvin Tang, 21 years old Before attending the School of Witness (SOW), I was living what I perceived as the high life. I’d just finished a successful 2 years of NS and my years of schooling had also been similarly successful, full of scholarships and accolades. I had secured a place in university and
by Jonathan Mui, 21 years old I’m from a family of 4 with a younger brother and I’d just completed my national service. I grew up in a typical Asian family with meritocratic parents who wanted my brother and I to do well in school. My parents would often compare me with other kids in
by Trina Tan, 19 years old I am a cradle catholic and I used to love prayer, catechism and going for mass. But over time, I began to distance myself from God. Growing up, the amalgamation of subtle comparisons made by my mother that my brother was better than me, made me believe that I
by Isabel Tan, 19 years old From the age of six, I was made to play tennis and hated it for the most part —especially my parent’s disappointment when I lost a match, and feeling like I wasn’t living up to my father’s name and expectations. As the second oldest amongst my cousins and with
Now when I think of our faith, the words that come to mind are: liberation, fullness and love. My brothers and sisters, our faith is a decision we must make each day. Will you take God’s hand to step out of your tomb and live in His light?
by Stefanie Bates (above image, second-from-right) If I were to describe my past, the words I would use includes condemned, shunned, alone, afraid, humiliated, hurt and shamed. In primary school, a group of girls in my class used to pull my hair and laugh at me. They told me I was really ugly, and that
by Elizabeth Fam (above photo, second-left), 19 years old Before coming to the School of Witness (SOW), I was a typical Sunday Catholic. I was distant from God and I didn’t understand the value of prayer as I didn’t think that it would help me in any way. I treated God like a vending machine
by Joanna Tan (above photo, left), 19 years old Life before SOW was repetitive, boring and mundane. I felt no purpose in my life and it seemed that everyone around me had plans for the future and were sure of what they want to do in the next phase of life. Everything felt like a
by Aaron Ching, 27 years old Before coming to the School of Witness, I always sought validation from others. This is especially so at work where I sought to gain the validation of my bosses and seniors by portraying myself as a “hard worker”. I also chose to bottle up all my frustrations and anxieties,
by Celeste Seah, 27 years old I am a cradle Catholic, am an only child and came back to the faith in 2016. Helpless. Fearful. Tired. Abandoned. Lost. Wounded. Unloved. Unworthy. These words describe my weary heart as I entered the School of Witness (SOW). A heart that became shy and timid because of an
by Sarah Teo (above photo, middle), 24 years old Before coming to the School of Witness, my faith was stagnant. I come from a family of four and we are all very involved in church work. I have been serving in church for almost 10 years, after my first conversion experience, it led me to
Crystal Peh, 19 years old Growing up in a family of six, I constantly feared that I was unwanted and unloved. I often chose to lock myself away, and be a lone ranger. I also hid behind a smile, telling others I was okay when I actually wasn’t. I thought that this would prevent me
by Carolyn Lau, 33 years old On the first day of the School of Witness (SOW), we were asked “what are you thirsting for?” The first thing that came to my mind was confidence. Not having confidence was something I’ve struggled with all my life. My brother did very well in his studies and when
by Clarice Lee Before coming into the school, I did not have a good image of God. I saw God as one who abandoned as I could not feel his presence in times of deep pain. I felt that Jesus ignored my cries for help, and allowed me go through pain and suffering alone. I
by Peter Wong (right) In my family, I am the youngest of three children, and both my parents and sisters are active in church, so I followed suit. I thought that being active in church would lead me to encounter God but I was wrong. I treated God as a vending machine, going to him
by Benedict Chan I grew up with four siblings, my parents, my grandma and a helper. So being the fourth out of five children, seeking attention and finding affection was thoughtlessly a big part of my life since I was young. I wanted to be close to my parents who were actively serving in church