Elders who go before us

There were a lot of times I just wanted to quit being a Christian—to fall into the shape of the world and say, ‘He’s not my God.’ How many times I thought that would be easier! But while I didn’t have many peers at my church, the elders there were really supportive. They had been Christians since WWII, and they knew how hard it was to follow Christ. But they also told me how blessed they were and what God did for them. They loved to tell the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel, standing for God among the Baal worshipers. Without that story and without those elders, I might have lost faith during my younger years.

—Reflections from a College graduate in Japan