SOS
A testimony by Karl M
Looking back at my childhood, I can easily say that I would have made a very good definition of the word ‘naughty’. I always tried to make fun of everything, including my grandmother who used to pray the rosary – I used to consider this prayer as one of the greatest lullabies. Attending catechism classes was just a way to meet my friends and play football. I used to attend mass on Sunday just to be like everybody else and it used to be a great opportunity for me to meet some girls and maybe flirt with them after (or during) mass.
Although I used to attend a Church school, I had learnt all prayers by heart without ever really understanding what I was saying. My adolescence was based on two main pillars: girls and Paceville. I used to skive mass so as to stay with my friends and my pity for my grandmother who was so religious was growing constantly. My questions about faith religion were simply meant to get people in trouble and I feel I was brilliant at it. I still recall the religion lessons at secondary school, where my teacher always thought that I was interested in the subject – it was just a way to make my friends laugh. I always loved laughing and everyone considered me to be a jolly person. Nonetheless, despite all the attention I would get, I always felt something was missing in my life. Although I had tried lots of things but this feeling of emptiness still reigned in me.
It was the summer of 2005 when a friend of mine invited me to attend Mission Camp zero5. I accepted without even checking what it was all about – maybe because I was so bored. In retrospect, I feel it was probably yet another invitation on God’s part. My first day at Gattard was a real shock – I could not believe that I had paid money for a camp which centred on God, albeit organized in a way so as to appeal to teenagers! I had continued attending to keep my mother quiet, since it was her money that had paid for the camp. I had made lots of new friends from among the 100 odd participants.
Something strange was happening during that camp. For the first time, I was genuinely becoming more curious about God. Some of the questions I had posed to my leader were meant to put him in difficulty. However, I can honestly say that the vast majority of them were stemming out of this honest interest. I had obtained some answers which really gave me thirst for God. I had prayed whole-heartedly for the first time during Mission Camp zero5 but everything stopped there.
After zero5 I had continued attending teen meetings but the main reason was just to meet new people and make new friends, especially female ones. During this period I still continued to go out with my old friends and so I could never really grow with God since their behavior would not help much to continue being a true teenage disciple. Besides, five of my dearest friends passed away in a traffic accident on 1st October 2005 and this accident had filled me with many doubts. My first reaction had been to decide that God does not really exist. Many of those questions remain unanswered but when I had seen the faith of my demised friends’ parents, I realized that God really exists and this gave me a renewed thirst which led me to Come & See weekend retreat in March 2006. This was the first real personal experience of Christ in my life and I remember taking some radical decisions during that weekend.
Come & See really helped me to make new friends with whom I could improve my spiritual life through forming part of a bible study group. I was also helping in the teen section and being in the leadership training team “Timothy” really continued to help me grow. My first real experience of service was during Mission Camp Zerosix. All these experiences helped me become the person I am today.
Summing it all up, despite the daily struggles which I face, I can genuinely say that daily prayer is the most effective tool which helps me follow Jesus constantly.
