|
|
|
|
|
Hi, I am Johnny, I am an international student from Hong Kong studying Chemical Engineering. Last year was my first year studying aboard. At first, I felt very lonely and found it hard to adapt to the environment in the UK. As my English was very poor, I found it difficult to talk to others and meet new friends.
During Freshers' week, I met some people from the Christian union and joined the cell group that met in my hall. A cell group is basically a weekly meeting in a hall of residence where many Christians can gather for dinner, Bible study, worship and prayer.
I found the environment in the cell group very friendly; everyone was very kind and was always willing to share about their lives and listen to my concerns. I really enjoyed the time during Bible study. We studied the Gospel of John and the letter to the Thessalonians for the year. The Bible study sessions led me to ask a lot of questions about Jesus and challenged me to follow Him daily.
In addition, I also learnt how to cook in the cell group. In Hong Kong, I never used to cook at all, so my first attempt at cooking in cell was rather disastrous. Luckily, cell was full of love and gave me lot of chances to try again. To everyone in the cell: thank you so much.
Christmas dinner was the most memorable event in our cell group. We prepared a dinner for the whole hall, that's about 100 people!! We prayed to God to provide for the cost of food and for the people's hearts to be open to the Gospel. We spent a whole day cooking the food, serving and cleaning up. Although it was very tiring, we were all excited and cheered to see so many hall mates come and enjoy the night.
In the cell group, I give thanks to God for granting me so many brothers and sisters to help me to settle in London. We had a 3-day retreat in early March where we spent a weekend in Bedford to study God's word. We studied the Bible every day, and did some sports and cooked a great meal together. We were very happy to have a quiet time to focus on God and be recharged to face the challenges in school again.
In the last term of the academic year, all of us faced a lot of pressure due to the exams. Personally, I was very worried and depressed and felt very helpless when I heard from my church in Hong Kong that my pastor was diagnosed with a brain cancer and many members in my fellowship didn't go to church for a long time. The cell group met every night to share our burdens with one another and to pray to God. I felt peace and lot of support when we prayed together.
I really enjoyed the time spent with the cell group. In Christ, we are bonded together as one body, and fellowship is important for mutual support. Cell group is definitely a place for us to grow. I recommend every fresher to join a cell group and explore life together with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
Johnny Yam
|
|
|
|
|
|
