Kingsway College

When I was a child my dad used to wake us up every morning to kneel beside him to pray before he goes to work. He would often teach us to memorize verses from the Bible. While half asleep, I and my older sisters would gently slide down from the bed onto our knees, while my younger sisters remained in bed. My mother, who grew up as a Catholic, never attended church. My father grew up as an Anglican, but later became a Seventh Day Adventist after he marry my mother. A few years after my father died my mother finally decided to get baptized in the Seventh Day Adventist church. A decision, she said, she never regretted. After my father's death, my sisters and I stopped going to church. I guess we were trying to prove that we can make our own decisions - typical teenagers. It could be also that we missed our father going to church with us.

I came to Canada in 1970 on a student visa through the help of my lovely aunt (my father’s sister). I attended Kingsway College in Oshawa www.kingswaycollege.on.ca/admin/ with my cousin (her daughter). While living on campus we had to attend morning service before classes. After service my cousin and I, along with some friends, would walk over to the antique-looking cafeteria for breakfast. One of the items on the breakfast menu was toast with peanut butter and apple sauce on top - which was called Vandamin. I have no idea where that name came from. We also had to attend 'vespers' on Friday evenings and devine service on Sabbath mornings. Sometimes in the fall, on Saturday nights we would gather in the valley under the tall maple trees and sing songs of praise. Even though it was a bit cold outside, our bodies were kept warm by the fire and our hearts were kept warm by our singing. I have nothing but good memories of Kingsway College. It has brought me back to the Lord. My best girlfriend and I got baptized together. Unfortunately, after a few years I again stopped attending church. I began to experience that void and empty feeling again. It was then I realized the only way I can feel at peace is to have a relationship with the Lord. Therefore I started praying and reading the Bible more often and attending church. Going to church alone cannot save anyone. It's our relationship with Him and our obedience to His word. I still have problems like everyone else, but now I know I have a Father who is always there to help me through my struggles.