Hello, my name is Georges Messan. I’m here to tell you about the amazing things God has led Tony to do in my life. It all started when I was in Togo (Africa). I was seven years old on the day my dad went to America. He left and it was only me and my mom who stayed in Togo. I didn’t see him again for six years. When I was thirteen he brought me here to America, and that was when I saw him again. When I first came here I did not speak any English, and I was very shy.

 

When I came here was the first time I saw my little brother and sister (Grace and Glory). Quickly I started going to the church Youth Group. Then in about a year, Tony came to the church as the Youth leader. When I first met him we just saluted each other. Then he started teaching in Youth

Group about the Words of God. Since I met him, my life has changed. He inspires me and makes me become a better Christian, helping me in every way to grow more in my faith. I noticed there was something different about Tony, something that later on would bring me closer and stronger in my faith, which was the way he taught God’s words. The passion he has for teaching God’s words is absolutely wonderful. I started to have a relationship with Tony (he is a very funny guy) and he began to inspire me to be stronger in my faith. Tony also brought me out of my shell to start opening myself to my Youth Group.

 

During two Youth Group mission trips, I saw God in Tony. Then I knew God had placed him into my life, because he encouraged us to teach the words of God to everyone. For example, when we were in Chicago, Tony inspired us to stop people in the city and ask if we could pray for them.

A homeless man asked me if I would pray for him to get a job.

 

I’m really thankful to God for putting Tony in my life. When I’m with him and my Youth Group friends, I feel happy, loved, and I feel like I can do anything. It’s like the best feeling in the world. I always imagine that heaven will be like that; just hanging out with my friends and having the best moment every day of my life, forever, and having that best feeling, forever.

 

As it says in the Bible “we will be God’s people and God and Jesus Christ will be our God” (Jeremiah 31:33). When I think about heaven like that, I can’t wait to go there. Then as I started to grow and grow in my faith, I realized that if I’m doing anything, no matter what it is, if I’m not doing it for God it’s useless and absolutely pointless. I will lose everything but I will never lose God. As it says in the first chapter of Job, “naked you come from your mother’s womb, and naked you will go” (Job 1:21). I surrender all the worldly things I believe in and put my hope, my belief, my life, and my everything in God because I know he is the only thing and the only one that matters. “Without God nothing is made and with him everything is made” (John 1:3). There is nowhere I would rather be than in my Youth Group with Tony in God’s love. I’m very grateful to God for putting Tony in my life. Today, not only is Tony my best friend, but he is a very good mentor and a wonderful disciple of God. I thank God with all my heart, all my mind, and all my strength for putting his messenger Tony in my life. Nothing I can ever say or do would describe the amazing things God has led Tony to do in my life.