Some Experiences From the Difficult Teenage Years

In my early youth, I was a quiet and shy boy in many ways, but I spent a lot of time thinking. The life I experienced from these good people was very appealing to me.

In those days, for some strange reason, we weren’t allowed to attend youth meetings until we were 16. There were some who thought that children shouldn’t be influenced. Of course, this made it difficult for all the 13- to 15-year-olds who didn’t have a good and natural place to go after they stopped attending children’s meetings. There was a strange understanding that we would have to go out into the world, learn humility and be chastened until we got converted. That’s why many young people my age disappeared early.

As time passed, a question arose more and more frequently in my mind: “Is this really the church of the living God?” Deep down inside I knew that there was definitely something special about the church. I had seen the Word of life manifested in so many dear friends.