Confirmation Testimony — Lisa Ahn
Hello everyone, my name is Lisa, and I’d like to share my spiritual journey and the path that led me to confirmation. Like many of us here, I was born into a Christian family and have been attending church from a young age.
For much of my life, attending Sunday services was simply another task to check off my to-do list. In the early years, I didn’t question much about God, as I would often forget the pastor's sermons and continue with my day. The only message that stuck with me was, “Keep praying God hears and watches over everything.” As I grew older, God became less central in my life, and attending church became challenging because we moved a lot.
Eventually, my family settled at a church, where we stayed for about four to five years. During this time, I felt that my relationship with God was growing, and so I became involved in the leadership and praise teams, wanting to contribute to the ministry. But as time passed, I no longer felt God’s presence. I felt disconnected from my friends, and God seemed distant. It was then that I realized the problem wasn’t that God had left me; rather, I had become prideful in my roles and relationships. I believe that this was why God led me to The Seed, a community where I could depend on the right people and grow in the way God wanted.
In Genesis, God tells Adam, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” This is the first time God explicitly says something is “not good.” We were created to depend on God—for the Gospel, for wisdom, and for companionship. I had always depended on others, but not the right people at the right time. However, this time God sent me to The Seed and my house church members, allowing me to engage in a deeper relationship with him.
The Seed accepted me for who I was, even though I wasn’t anyone’s VIP and had come from another church. Despite the warm welcome, I initially doubted whether I could restore my relationship with God and find my place at The Seed. I was scared and hesitant to reveal my shallow commitment and relationship with God. In these times, my youth house church helped me a lot. For those of you who don’t know, I was in Seoyeon unnie HC for a little bit more than a year, and it was my first experience of a house church. Seoyeon unnie, Erin, Sarin, Isabella, and Jeansolle were my members. Being in her house church truly made my time at the Seed a lot better, as settling into a new church can be difficult. They would always reach out to me and I’ve always waited for our home gathering so that I could chat and connect with my members.
One moment that brought me closer to my house church members and Seoyeon unnie was during the youth retreat. I spoke with Seoyeon Unnie on the second night about my life and how difficult it was for me to be myself. She listened, prayed for me, and encouraged me to engage more in church activities. I couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful and supportive youth shepherd and members. Now, I’m in the Chiang Rai HC with several members, and I’ve never felt so supported, welcomed, and babied by everyone. Nowadays, I look forward to our house church every Friday, including Jenn’s delicious dinners!
Despite all of the wonderful events that happened to me, It wasn’t until this year that I fully surrendered myself to God, and this happened when I took Starting Point. At that time, I was struggling with relationship issues with my friends. It was a challenging period because I had trusted them deeply and was hurt more than I expected. Entering Starting Point with these emotions led me to question God, asking, “Why me?” However, I do not regret taking Starting Point, as I am certain that God was providing me with the answers I needed—to forgive, to move on because God has something greater planned for me. After completing Starting Point and speaking with my former youth shepherd, Seoyeon Unnie, who had been encouraging me to take GPS for months, I finally signed up.
During GPS, a verse that resonated with me was Revelation 3:20, which states: “See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” This verse made a deep impression on me because it reminded me that Jesus is always there, waiting for me. He knows all my scars and faults, yet He never leaves me alone. Now, I understand that I don’t have to face challenges on my own—all I need to do is open my heart to Jesus.
After GPS and receiving Christ, I haven’t experienced any dramatic changes in my life. However, I now live with the mindset that God is with me and with those I care about, so there is nothing to fear. I may never feel like I’m enough for The Seed or anyone in my life, but I will try my best to serve, not out of obligation or to return the favor, but because it was what I was told to do as a follower of Christ.
Thank you to everyone at the Seed, including Pastor Caleb, Pastor Anthony, my house church, and most of all, my own family, for your unwavering support in getting me to reach this point in my journey.
