When Kenneth first came on Alpha, he was every bit the shy and quiet observer. Only speaking when spoken to. But when he experienced God’s love for the first time on the Alpha Weekend Away, he could no longer turn away and now sets his gaze upon God.
Kenneth is a full-time accountant during the day. On the side, he is highly passionate about limited edition sneakers. He has set up his own reselling business and also organised events for like-minded enthusiasts. He is a thinker and gets down to the math on all his decisions.
Growing up, I’ve always had a deluded mindset about purpose of life and where we will go to after death. My mom, being an influential figure to me, had shared fearful mythology of afterlife with me. I’ve grown up to believe that only people who did good deeds are the only one that will go to heaven, while those who did bad deeds, as I was made to believe, will reincarnate into an animal. I also had, painted in my head, other Asian folklores about the peculiar world of life and death. Although these stories have intrigued my imagination and given me a colourful childhood, they have also composed a depressing impression of afterlife that affected the outlook of my existence.
God has a strange way of connecting with you. I first heard about Alpha from my sister. She runs Alpha herself and had invited me to come. But I never took interest or felt it was right for me. The next time, I was invited by a fellow sneaker enthusiast, Eric. This could possibly be a divine connection. Eric attends Holy Trinity Bukit Bintang church Kuala Lumpur. He unexpectedly discovered this church the morning he came for a sneaker event at the mall where the church was also located. That same day, we were introduced to each other through a shoe that we both had our eyes on. But only he managed to have his hands on them. Nevertheless, we stayed in touch after the event. It was one day, I saw a post on his social media about Alpha. It intrigued me to know that he is also interested in the same Alpha my sister told me about. He later convinced me to come check it out, and I obliged.
After my first Alpha term, I am sceptical and have many doubts on the things I learnt. It all seemed a little too good to be true about Christianity. To quell that, I decided to go for another round. This time, I attended the Mandarin Alpha, hoping I would get a better understanding.
One of the Alpha week is a weekend away, where guests will travel to a different location usually a hotel, or retreat accommodation. But on the same week, I was also invited to hang out with my friends at a club. During this dilemma, I had an unexpected lunch date with my sister. It was something that we rarely do due to our busy schedules. She encouraged me to take a leap of faith in believing in God before attempting to understand God. She unpacked the idea, and that change in mindset blew my mind. It was a difficult decision to make for me. But the next day, my sister’s devotion was the exact words she spoke to me. It was as if God was giving me a confirmation of that revelation. And so, I decided to have the weekend away to spend time with other Alpha guests and with God. It was during this weekend away, God moved my heart and really showed me His love for me.
It soon dawned on me from this experience that God works in mysterious ways to lead you to Him. He comes in unexpected ways to show you how much He loves you and gives you free will to choose. From rejecting my sister’s invitation, to meeting a new friend at a sneaker event, and was invited to come on Alpha again; and later believing in God and becoming a Christian. It took a few turns, but it has been such an unreal journey.
I have since many experiences that changed my perception of life. I experienced freedom, healing over anxiety and chest pain, and being released from personal struggles and overwhelming feeling of guilt. Every day has been a new experience with God. I now attend Holy Trinity Bukit Bintang church, and is in the midst of looking for a connect group while diligently reading the bible.
It was through Alpha that the idea of eternal life doesn’t scare me anymore. What I have learnt from Alpha has stumped all the myth and superstitions that have misled me all my life. Now, the idea that you are able to experience eternal life with Jesus excites me. There is now a new sense of direction and purpose in life.
Is God real? Is there more to life? If you have these questions like me, come on Alpha. I’d recommend you to come for more than one term of Alpha to get the full experience. I know I did, and it was the best decision I have ever made.
“It soon dawned on me from this experience that God works in mysterious ways to lead you to Him. He comes in unexpected ways to show you how much He loves you and gives you free will.”
