Yasmin
My youth at Lake Constance was characterised by unrest. When I was 11, my parents divorced. My four siblings lived their own lives. I was often alone. I found support from friends - at parties, smoking, drinking and dancing. When I was in year 11 - my first boyfriend had just left me - I didn't care about many things. I no longer honoured my commitments and stopped going to school. When I realised at the end of the school year that I would be left behind, I still decided to repeat the class.
In the new Year 11 class, I sat at the back of the table. I didn't know anyone. But then something happened that would completely change my life: I met Sarah. She sat with me and we soon became good friends. She told me a lot about her Adventist faith and about a youth convention. Benny, a good friend of hers and also an Adventist, also wanted to go. It sounded interesting. She showed me the website and told me that there would be lots of young people there who would have a lot of fun. I thought, „Cool‚ that sounds like a huge party. I have to go!“ Benny also had a friend with him who, like me, was attending the congress for the first time. For me, however, my world collapsed when I didn't find a huge party at the congress. On the other hand, I had never met such nice, friendly, peaceful, profound, talented, intelligent and God-seeking young people. That fascinated me and made me curious. Why were these young people so different?
Sarah and I attended a few workshops, where she gradually explained her faith to me using the Bible. As soon as I had any questions, I could turn to her or Benny. I heard about the Sabbath for the first time and was shocked that I didn't know anything about it, even though I was also brought up as a Christian. I also got to know the preacher Vito through Sarah. I asked him what the Sabbath was all about. He offered to give me Bible lessons and I immediately agreed. I felt very comfortable at the congress - until it was Friday evening. The only thing I noticed was that many young people were dressed up. I saw men in suits and women in skirts everywhere. I didn't understand what that meant. Sarah explained to me that they always dress nicely on Sabbaths to honour God. Like me, Benjamin's friend felt uncomfortable and out of place. He wanted to leave. Since he had relatives nearby, he left the convention. He tried to take me with him so that I wouldn't have to stay with these „freaks“, as we called the young people. I didn't know what to do. Although I felt the same way as him, I had promised Sarah that I would come with her and now I felt it would be unfair to just leave. So I decided to stick it out until Monday. Thank goodness I stayed! On one of the last evenings there was a call to give your life to Jesus. I was so moved by the speech and I felt such an inner urge to give my life to God that I went forward with Sarah. I cried the whole evening afterwards. God had managed to break through a heart full of frustration, suffering and loneliness with his love and make a new person out of me.
Today I get to do what I like best: serving God fully and completely! I am a trainee in the youth department of the Baden-Württemberg Association. God knows why he has brought me here. He is an incredibly loving God!
