On February 25, 1976 I was born in Westminster, CA to dear Christian parents who had been meeting in the local churches for a few years. From second grade until graduation from high school, our family dwelt in Fountain Valley but attended Christian meetings with the local church in Huntington Beach.

Of course, as a "good" boy, I went with my parents every Sunday, but it wasn't until my freshman year of high school that the Lord Jesus Himself became real to me. I had a tough time making the transition from junior high to high school. During this time, I realized that the Lord Jesus was not only in the meetings of the church, He was with me wherever I went! Thus I began to talk and fellowship with Him as a genuine friend.

In grades 10-12, I spent time with the other boys my age in the local church in Huntington Beach, playing basketball, tennis, and having times to sing, pray and enjoy the Lord together.

In 1994, I entered UCLA to pursue a bachelor's degree. I roomed with some brothers in Christ who met with the local church in Los Angeles, and it was there that I began to experience the joy of loving the Lord. In high school I would go to the Lord regularly, but this was not as much of a joy as it became in college. I found out that He is so enjoyable!

Upon my graduation in 1998 from UCLA with a B.S. in computer science, the Lord was constraining me to give two years of my life to attend a Bible truth and training program in Anaheim. My prayer is that this training program will produce me as a healthy member of Christ's body, no matter what direction I take for the rest of my life. My aspiration is also to bring many others into the same joy that I have experienced in knowing Christ in the local churches. Hallelujah!

Brought to Christ as Enjoyment

I feel privileged not only to have gotten into the written ministries of Witness Lee and Watchman Nee, but to have been directly under the speaking of Witness Lee since my sophomore year in high school (1992). The primary item which I am so grateful to these brothers for is leading me to the enjoyment of Christ.

According to my personality, I am not very expressive. My teachers in high school practically had to threaten me to get me to speak in class. I always attempted to convey a calm, serious appearance, even though I might be hurt or full of turmoil within. As I began college at UCLA, however, I slowly came into the realization that I had something to be happy about! Christ is within me for my experience and enjoyment.

I would not have come into this experience if it were not for the ministries of Witness Lee and Watchman Nee. Almost every day in college I made it a point to spend time reading their books. How was I helped? Not mainly in knowing more, but in enjoying Christ more! It was in college that I started to smile in a genuine way because I was led to loving and enjoying the most precious person--the Lord Jesus Christ.

These brothers have written many, many books and spoken countless messages. The result of my delving into their ministries has just been an increasing enjoyment of Christ and His church. Praise the Lord for such ministries bringing us to focus on Christ.

Stephen Yowell

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