Returning for a second Transform, Galy from Bahamas shared what she learned and how God’s provision made it possible for her to attend.
The 9th Transform missions conference was held in Athens, Greece, and gathered close to 150 people from five continents and 30 countries under the theme 'Unleashed'. Most of the participants went on to outreaches in Greece or neighbouring countries. Galy Joseph from Bahamas helped a small church in the Greek town of Drama.
This was Galy’s second time at Transform. A fun-loving 22-year old from Bahamas, Galy loves sharing joy, helping others and she loves Jesus. She also favours fine arts and expressing herself through dancing and singing, and at home in Bahamas Galy is part of the worship and dance team in her church. To earn her living, she works as a sales associate at a natural hair boutique, but she also studies biology.
At the tender age of 16, Galy found herself convicted by the Holy Spirit to give up some bad habits. God sent people her way to help her grow and continue reading God’s word, and yet it felt like an uphill battle. Over time, a transformation took place and today she feels like a different person because of Christ.
Galy was introduced to missions and specifically Transform through her boss, which led her into contact with the OM Bahamas country leader. By July 2018, she was on her way to Transform for the very first time. Returning for a second Transform in 2019, she recalls: “I came back because my experience at Transform was so amazing that I needed a second look. I enjoyed interacting with Christians from all over the world and making new friendships in Christ.”
“Yet I can hardly believe I am here!” For Galy, returning to Transform was not an easy process, involving ‘travelling through a valley of issues.’ Indeed, it appeared she was not going to be able to do so. She felt called to missions, but knew that it would require a financial miracle. After she had applied by faith and been able to purchase a one-way ticket to Greece, there were no funds left to pay her way home. In desperation, she prayed and fasted, asking the Lord to intervene and provide. In the very last week before departure, not one, but five people came to show their support. Their generosity provided enough money to cover all remaining expenses, including the return ticket.
“This year I felt more confident, and I also loved meeting the Transform staff again. I felt there was an atmosphere of expectancy, of listening to God, of trusting him for the journey.” She went on to explain how the different speakers had impacted her: to see work as worship and something to do joyfully, to show integrity, and to love people even if they were difficult. Galy was challenged by God’s sense of justice and mercy, and His view of suffering, and decided to let God ‘disturb’ her out of her comfort zone.
When the conference ended, Galy went on an outreach to Drama, a town in the Macedonian province of Greece. While the outreach was not quite what she had expected, she felt that God had it planned out to the very last detail, for His glory. The team served the Evangelical church in a variety of activities, like repairs around the church and running a one-day VBS (Vacation Bible School) for children.
“Some things happened that I did not expect,” shared Galy, “such as team members being questioned at the local police station, the window glass of the pastor's van mysteriously and spontaneously shattering, and even the openness of the town to our community service. Although some of the things that happened were strange, our faith stood strong as we united in prayer. It was amazing to see how well we all got along.”
Galy felt that she learned more about herself and what she was able to do to help spread the gospel worldwide. “I became more secure and comfortable in just being myself and sharing my love and joy with others. I learned so much from my team and from our new evangelical church family, and they told us that they were uplifted and encouraged in their faith with our team being there.
In closing, Galy pointed out: “Shining our light does not always have to be some grand attractive gesture. Fixing things around the church, cleaning up a community, and just fellowship and encouraging other believers were our small victories and how we shone our lights.”
The Transform conference and outreach is over, but the Evangelical church in Drama is still reaching out to the community. Please pray for Greece and the ministry of OM and the local, often small, Evangelical churches as they endeavour to share the love of Christ.