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Local partners have been hosting this annual youth camp for young believers across Brunei and each year, they see how God works in and through these youths. Reya*, a local partner in Brunei has been serving the youths in this country for many years now and she shared how God did something transformational in the life of a young believer, Melody* in the last youth camp. Praise God for what He is doing in this nation.
“Before coming to this camp, I only expected the worst of people,” said Melody*, a young believer from Brunei who attended a youth camp organised by local partners.
Making up only 8.7% of the population in Brunei, Christians in this country often feel like they’re alone in their faith journey, navigating life without a strong community of faithful Christians can seem an impossible challenge, especially for a young person.
Knowing the landscape of this nation, local partners sought to help strengthen the faith of the believers. There are many initiatives that have been made with the churches in Brunei, including the annual youth camp where local partner, Reya* met Melody.
“The first time I met Melody, I thought she was so beautiful, but she seemed like she had many walls up,” said Reya, “She didn’t talk much but I noticed her among her peers, and I could see that she was a natural leader.”
Throughout the camp as Reya continued to facilitate the programs and speak life and encouragement over the young believers of Brunei, and she constantly had Melody in her mind. It was during the last worship session, that she had it in her heart to pray for Melody.
“I didn’t know if she was going through something, but I knew that I needed to speak life and the word of God upon her,” said Reya.
While Reya was praying, she felt Melody’s body stiffen. There wasn’t a single response from her, but a moment later, tears began flowing down Melody’s face.
“I continued to pray for her and encouraged her. While I was praying, I saw an image of a heart that was full of wounds. I’m not sure what happened in her life, but this is the image I saw,” said Reya, “As I prayed for her, I began to challenge her to forgive someone – someone who had hurt her the most, and she began to cry even more.”
All Reya could do in that moment was be something Melody could lean on, and not long later, Melody began to calm down.
“I remember having a conversation with her after the camp and she shared how her family has a lot of anger issues, and without realising, she had taken on the same behaviours too,” said Reya, “Melody is also adopted, and she’s always known this but she’s being praying to meet her biological father. She knows he’s somewhere here in Brunei, but she has no idea where.”
“I still keep in touch with her. She’s an incredible young woman and I believe she can be a great leader one day. Whenever there’s a church program or event, I contact her and sometimes I depend on her to get her friends there and handle the logistics of that. She loves it.”
A few months after this camp, Reya met Melody again at a church event and Melody ran and gave her the tightest hug.
“She pulled me to the side and said she had something to tell me,” Reya described, “I didn’t know what she was going to say. Melody had the biggest smile plastered on her face and she exclaimed, in a nearly-out-of-breath-way, ‘I don’t speak negatively anymore!’
“We both screamed and laughed together before she explained further that since the youth camp she had experienced a change in her life. After I prayed for her at the youth camp, she stopped speaking negatively over herself and others and she’s so much more positive now.
“I remember her telling me that she’s more like herself and she smiles so much more now, and I couldn’t help but smile back. She said the moment she noticed this change she wanted to tell me, but she also wanted to wait to see me in person because she couldn’t express this feeling on WhatsApp,” said Reya.
Though this is a small transformation of one young believer in Brunei, the impact is evident. God is doing something significant in this country and amongst its believers. Please continue to pray for Brunei.
Pray for local partners like Reya who choose to be present and obedient to the instructions of the Holy Spirit. Pray for strength and wisdom as they continue to lead young people in Brunei.
Pray for the believers in Brunei that they will be salt and light in their nation.
Pray for more young believers in Brunei to be transformed by the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ
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