GEORGE HENRY, STAR Writer

It is now 30 years since Angella White-Nelson has surrendered her life to God. She got saved at the age of 12 and she has not looked back since she made the important decision to follow her Maker.

"There was this special fear about the Lord. Everybody in my household was saved except me; and my mother always told me about the rapture, Jesus is coming back again and if am not saved I am going to die and go to hell; and you know that sort of fear; and I was so scared. And every night I got up and realise that I am alive I would say thank you Jesus I got one more chance," said White-Nelson.

It was during that time that the veteran Christian teacher, evangelist, Sunday school teacher, co-ordinator for children's service, hospitals children's ministry, Kids power hour and outreach ministry representative, decided that she was not going to allow the devil to get a hold of her; because according to her, when she dies she wants to see her mother who predeceased her and she wants to reign with Jesus.

She said prior to her being saved, she got several dreams seeing the Lord's hands in the sky, seeing lots of words sending messages of repentance and other things which got her scared.

'I do not know if it was because of the fear that was in me - not wanting my mother to die and not wanting to go to hell - but I really wanted to serve the Lord. I love the Lord, really love the Lord; and I really wanted to serve the Lord," said White-Nelson.

young persons

She said that she grew up in the church and had fun with several other young people, some of whom were saved and others who were not. She stressed that church happenings were what she knew, as she knew nothing else.

"It was good. Church was fun; and I laughed a lot. We used to attend church trips and there were a lot of activities," said White-Nelson.

She also noted that church-life will appear to some young persons as being boring because the church will not allow them to be engaged in some activities, wear some types of clothing and do other things which the church and christian principles do not support. They will feel as if they are being robbed of their pleasure.

"Going to church as a young person today is the best thing to do. You are safe, you live in peace and harmony. But with what is happening now in society, violence and so many things; at the end of the day you have no peace of mind and sometimes you live in fear, because you do not know what next," noted the church leader.

different strategies

According to her, the church is using different strategies to hold young people and at the same time watch over their souls, while catering for the total man, and giving persons a chance not to miss the things they put away in the secular life before they got saved.

The churchwoman said she loves whatever she does for the Lord with all her heart, because nothing else can hold her but the work of the Lord. She stressed that if she does not attend church or is not involved in the activities of the church she feels sick.

"I feel like I have some form of disease or I feel like I am dying. I cannot do without it (church) because it is better than food. Every time I go to church there is always something new coming up, something for me to enjoy, something to bless my soul, something to make me a better person, something to strengthen me; and I am able to deal with my job," said the evangelist.

She is encouraging everyone who is not yet following the leading of the Lord or who is not yet saved to get a hold of God.

"And when you get a hold of God you will love church, because once Jesus is bubbling in your heart you will love the house of the Lord. You will love to get involved, you will love to help people, you will love to be a part of people. Church is my whole life, my complete life," said the churchwoman.

She stressed that those who surrender their life to God have nothing to regret, because all that matters in the long run, is that Jesus will be standing up for every man, but according to her, those who are without Jesus on the last day will be nothing.

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