“Praise the Lord!! The Southampton SOE was a turning point in my life. It was a great opportunity to get to know God closer. It was such a good experience. I was brought up as a Catholic but I didn’t have a great relationship with God. I had been on different retreats but they didn’t make any difference.
When I first went to the Second Saturday Convention I heard a lot of teenagers talking about their experience at the SOE and how God had changed their lives. It was a great inspiration for me and my friends. By the time I went to the SOE in the summer holiday I had a real thirst for God, I wanted to experience him and to get closer to him. In the spiritual sharing session, I was touched to the heart when I realised for the first time how much God loves me. He had been carrying me on his shoulders all these years but I didn’t realise it.
During Adoration I felt really disturbed and couldn’t pray so I went and sat next to one of the ministry members. She placed her hands on my shoulder and suddenly I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. I started crying, I didn’t even know why. It was at that time that Jesus took away my hardness of heart and gave me a new heart to love him more. “The old has gone and the new has come”.
Now my joy in the Lord is the greatest joy I have ever experienced in my life. These few words are not enough to explain the love of our God. Thank you Jesus. Praise you Jesus.”
Written by Aneeshya Johny