well my name is melissa trenwith and i was bought up in a middle class family that never had any financial problems we were fairly well off. it was the avergae family 2 parents 2 kids. my family was great until i moved from canberra back to south australia. thats when the problems began. My dad had lost his job and my parents started to fight alot becuase my dad felt like a failure. He got another job of the same pay but the family unit was not the same. dad was distant and nasty and this was not like my dad. he started to drink more and more until he was drunk every night of the week. He totally ridiculed my mother and told her she would never amount to anything she was scum until it completely crushed her self esteem. dad had turned into a monster and i was the only one he didnt verbally abuse but to stand by and watch him do this to my mother and my sister was awfull. I was 12 when my mother had finally had enough of the insults and condemtion they split up. although this was a turmoil of 5 years before htey finally divorced and mum had to go and find work and start again and so we became poor.
meanwhile when my parents divorced my mother was involved with this cosmetic company and they were a christian company. her representative atttended a mall aog church at the time called southside christian church. the lady invited us to attend that church. so we did we went along one sunday. now i cam from a family that only went to church at christmas, easter and for weddings and funerals and we only went at easter and christmas to please my nanna. however there was a longing in my soul ever since i was a little girl to know god and have him in my life. but i never knew how i just thought you just observed him and sang to him but never could actually have a relationship with him.
the day i entered the churhc i was filled with an annointed power one that i just cant describe how amazing it was it was like god filled me from head to toe with his love and grace and washed me clean. that night there was an altercall and i went down twelve years of age and hungry for god with all my heart i wanted him in my heart. although i didnt really fully understand what it meant to be a christian i knew that i needed god in my heart and iwould learn the rest in the years to follow. so i accepted god in my heart and had people pray for me. from that moment onwards i was a changed person and even though things were tough at home i could get through it cause i had god on my side and him to talk to.
well year 7 came and it came like a lead balloon. in fact i was the most unliked person in the school and even though i was made fun of and ridiculed on a daily basis i felt the love of god in my heart. i felt a peace that couldnt come from anywhere else and even though i was teased regularly i still felt loved and accepted cause god loved me and thats all that mattered. i then went to high school where the bullying continued and i was teased all throughout but it never seemed to bother me cause of the love of jesus i had in my heart. the high school years for me is where i grew stronger in my faith it was when i was baptised, when i fully became commited to god, when i discovered my gift and when i just made a decision every day to emerse my self in his love and live for him always and not listen to what people say but to what god says cause that is truth. it wasnt till year 12 that i discovered the influence i had made on god and the true witness of god i had been. one guy wrote in my year book "i truly admire you strength and your ability to still be happy even though everyone gives you rubbish all the time(censored)". it was then i realised that god had worked wonders in my life and put a cheerful song in my heart and i was free to sing for his glory"
by the end of year 12 i knew god wanted me to work with children i knew thats where he had gifted me. at the end of year 11 i had started working in sunday school. i had a passion for reaching kids and still do i was saved as a kid and you are never too young to be saved it is the kids that need to be saved as it is the foundations that will stay through the storm and those foundations need to be laid down as children cause thats when a childs personality and beliefs are formed. so i went to college and did a two year diploma in childrens services.
it was in college i learned a very important lesson. do not judge thy neighbour. because i attended a christian school in high school i was not aware that i was a very judgmental person but in fact i was. one day i was having a discussion with a girl about night clubs and she just right out said "how can you say your a christian if you judge us that way". It really made me take a think and so after much praying and other people praying for me i have improved and now love cause jesus died with hes arms outstretched not pointing and accusing.
i then graduated and got a job in child care and worked there for a year. i finally had a life of my own and people were knowing me for me. that was a true year of growth. everyone knew me as nicoles sister but now i was melissa and just melissa and this made me have more confidence. I started dancing and this gave me an outlet to express gods love for me it was hip hop dancing and really allowed me to shine i loved it. and through dancing i taught the kids i cared for to be free and shine too. i love kids and made a decion that year to do teaching so applied and got in.
i then went over seas to america where i am currently being a nanny and loving it so. i was with another family and now moved but god taught me a very imprtant lesson. that i need to listen to him cause i didnt and i was miserable and now im happy and i listened to him thats why it is so vital to listen to what he wants you to do.
so i end with this "our kids are our future and the work that is done in them now to know christ will give them the foundations for a relationship with god that will be forever withstanding".
meanwhile when my parents divorced my mother was involved with this cosmetic company and they were a christian company. her representative atttended a mall aog church at the time called southside christian church. the lady invited us to attend that church. so we did we went along one sunday. now i cam from a family that only went to church at christmas, easter and for weddings and funerals and we only went at easter and christmas to please my nanna. however there was a longing in my soul ever since i was a little girl to know god and have him in my life. but i never knew how i just thought you just observed him and sang to him but never could actually have a relationship with him.
the day i entered the churhc i was filled with an annointed power one that i just cant describe how amazing it was it was like god filled me from head to toe with his love and grace and washed me clean. that night there was an altercall and i went down twelve years of age and hungry for god with all my heart i wanted him in my heart. although i didnt really fully understand what it meant to be a christian i knew that i needed god in my heart and iwould learn the rest in the years to follow. so i accepted god in my heart and had people pray for me. from that moment onwards i was a changed person and even though things were tough at home i could get through it cause i had god on my side and him to talk to.
well year 7 came and it came like a lead balloon. in fact i was the most unliked person in the school and even though i was made fun of and ridiculed on a daily basis i felt the love of god in my heart. i felt a peace that couldnt come from anywhere else and even though i was teased regularly i still felt loved and accepted cause god loved me and thats all that mattered. i then went to high school where the bullying continued and i was teased all throughout but it never seemed to bother me cause of the love of jesus i had in my heart. the high school years for me is where i grew stronger in my faith it was when i was baptised, when i fully became commited to god, when i discovered my gift and when i just made a decision every day to emerse my self in his love and live for him always and not listen to what people say but to what god says cause that is truth. it wasnt till year 12 that i discovered the influence i had made on god and the true witness of god i had been. one guy wrote in my year book "i truly admire you strength and your ability to still be happy even though everyone gives you rubbish all the time(censored)". it was then i realised that god had worked wonders in my life and put a cheerful song in my heart and i was free to sing for his glory"
by the end of year 12 i knew god wanted me to work with children i knew thats where he had gifted me. at the end of year 11 i had started working in sunday school. i had a passion for reaching kids and still do i was saved as a kid and you are never too young to be saved it is the kids that need to be saved as it is the foundations that will stay through the storm and those foundations need to be laid down as children cause thats when a childs personality and beliefs are formed. so i went to college and did a two year diploma in childrens services.
it was in college i learned a very important lesson. do not judge thy neighbour. because i attended a christian school in high school i was not aware that i was a very judgmental person but in fact i was. one day i was having a discussion with a girl about night clubs and she just right out said "how can you say your a christian if you judge us that way". It really made me take a think and so after much praying and other people praying for me i have improved and now love cause jesus died with hes arms outstretched not pointing and accusing.
i then graduated and got a job in child care and worked there for a year. i finally had a life of my own and people were knowing me for me. that was a true year of growth. everyone knew me as nicoles sister but now i was melissa and just melissa and this made me have more confidence. I started dancing and this gave me an outlet to express gods love for me it was hip hop dancing and really allowed me to shine i loved it. and through dancing i taught the kids i cared for to be free and shine too. i love kids and made a decion that year to do teaching so applied and got in.
i then went over seas to america where i am currently being a nanny and loving it so. i was with another family and now moved but god taught me a very imprtant lesson. that i need to listen to him cause i didnt and i was miserable and now im happy and i listened to him thats why it is so vital to listen to what he wants you to do.
so i end with this "our kids are our future and the work that is done in them now to know christ will give them the foundations for a relationship with god that will be forever withstanding".
