Transformed Life

Working as Director of Training based at Regents Theological College I have had the privilege of meeting some interesting people. Here is the story of Christian Saguyan.

Christian was aged 15 when his mum, who had moved to England 3 years earlier to work as a nurse in London, requested that him and his sister join her. She had recently bought them both a one way ticket without their knowledge and had them put on the plane by their extended family.

The thought of leaving the Philippines terrified Christian, the rural relaxed setting, surrounded by friends in a safe a familiar environment, was to be replaced by the urban jungle that was London. As he arrived in Britain, Christian recalls feeling unsafe and extremely lonely. He hadn’t excelled academically and now had to deal with learning in a strange language as well as making new friends.

Christian recalls finding refuge in a Philippino congregation that was part of Kensington Temple made a real difference helping him settle in. Whilst attending the church he began to feel more and more at home and after some time attending he took the decision to become a follower of Jesus. He thought his life had been an adventure so far but had no idea where this new life in Jesus was about to take him.

From that point onwards Christian had a desire to grow and serve, assisting the Pastor of the church whenever he could. He eventually got involved in helping to lead a church plant on the south coast of England in Hastings.

“It was while I was in Hastings having my first real taste of ministry that I realised I had a lot to learn.” He continued, “if I was to serve God the best I could, I needed to prepare in the best way I could”.

Christian shared with his church a desire to study at Regents Theological College, despite a fear that studying at degree level might be beyond him. His attempts at church planting had identified gaps in his knowledge but also knocked his confidence and he arrived at Regents, now aged 26, keen to learn.

During his first two years Christian developed a discipline to study hard, his enquiring mind has helped him to apply himself and achieve more than he might have naturally expected. About to embark on the 3rd year on the Theology track, Christian has grown in confidence, he expressed, “being at Regents has helped me to recover confidence in my leadership.

When I first arrived I thought I would never be a good leader, but being here I’ve learnt that failing is part of learning and I’ve been inspired that there is so much more to learn.”

Christian has been on a journey to overcome a struggle with low self-esteem after relocating from half way across the world and adapting to a totally different culture. He admitted that one of the hardest journeys has been overcoming jealousy, comparison and fear of failure.

This Summer Christian is working in Selly Oak CLC where he hopes to get involved in the life of the church and develop practical ministry skills for the next God has for him. He plans in the years to come to serve as an pastor and intends to apply to become a Minister in Training. He also has a desire to study more as he isn’t content to limit himself. Christian plans to go as far as he can in his learning and studies as he is conscious it will not only benefit him but as many other people aswell.

How can Elim best equip you for the journey God has ordained for your life?

Question: How have you overcome a major hurdle in your life, such as low self-esteem, lack of identity, fear of failure, etc? Leave a comment below.