“When I accepted Christ, I never thought I’d be in full-time ministry.”
Yet today, Sharon Naomi, 44, is a full-time student at Bible College Malaysia, pursuing a Master’s in Divinity.
So how did she end up here?
“Well,” Sharon says, “it all happened along the journey.”
And it’s fair to say her journey has been anything but ordinary. From encountering Christ when her life was on the line, to finding healing and purpose, to now preaching at her church and preparing for a life of service, Sharon’s story is filled with twists and turns. But at its core, it is a story of how God saves—and how His love truly conquers all.
“He saved me from the darkest place”
“Before I knew of Christ’s love, I knew Christians’ love.”
Although Sharon did not grow up in a Christian household, she was exposed to Christianity through the people around her. She knew about Christ, but knowing was not the same as believing.
That belief came through pain.
Sharon was once in a relationship that turned deeply abusive. “He nearly killed me.”
“It was actually something he said that made me turn to Christ. He said, ‘If you love Jesus so much, why don’t you call on Him to save you?’ That really triggered me. It made me think – why hadn’t I turned to Christ yet?”
That moment became a turning point. Sharon cried out to God and found the strength to leave the relationship that had nearly cost her her life.
“Since I’ve turned to Christ, I’ve been set free,” Sharon says. “Turning to God was like breathing in fresh air for the first time.”
“He really saved me from that darkest place. He even used someone who tried to harm me to turn me to Him.”
Though years have passed, healing has been a continual journey.
“It took me a while to heal. But anytime I feel down, I remember that God is there with me.”
She recalls one moment vividly, kneeling in prayer, tears streaming down her face.
“As I was standing up, I felt a verse press upon my heart: ‘I’ll never leave you or forsake you.’ To this day, I’m still holding on to that.”
Finding home
Having decided to put her faith in Christ, Sharon began searching for a church. She remembered seeing one on her daily drive to work when she first moved to Puchong.
“When I was 24, I would always pass this church on the way to work,” she says. “I’d tell myself I should stop and check it out, but I never did.”
Six years later, free from her abusive relationship, Sharon found herself back in Puchong. This time, she was determined to go. But the church she remembered seemed to have disappeared.
“I wanted to go to that church when I got back,” she says. “But when I stopped to look for it, it was gone!”
Before moving back, Sharon had a dream about attending a church, what it looked like, how the service felt, and how the music sounded. That dream stayed with her as she searched.
“There was no Facebook then, only Google. I found that the church that used to be there, Puchong Tabernacle, had moved.”
Unsure but trusting, Sharon decided to visit. It was the only church she felt connected to.
“The first time I came in and worship was going on, it was like déjà vu,” she recalls. “The song they were singing, what I was wearing, where people were sitting, it was exactly like my dream.”
For Sharon, it was God’s confirmation: this was where she was meant to be.
Choosing service over security
As Sharon became more involved in church life, she realised her customer service job was draining her. Working six days a week left little room for rest or worship.
“I prayed and said, ‘God, I want to serve You in church. I want to come to the Sunday service every week. Please give me a job that allows me to do that.’”
Not long after, an opportunity arose. Her pastor also ran a homeschool and was looking for teachers. With her past experience as a government school teacher, Sharon was a strong candidate, but the decision wasn’t easy.
“The fear was big,” she admits. “I kept asking myself, where would the money come from? How would I pay the bills? Would I survive?”
The answer, she says, came down to one word: obedience.
“Obedience was, and still is, the key,” Sharon says. “Obeying the Lord and His commandments. A lot of the best things that have happened to me are because I listened.”
After more than three years in her customer service role, Sharon resigned. And despite her fears, God provided.
“It was really God’s doing,” she says. “He took care of me and made sure I didn’t lack. Anytime I felt like I’d be short, He made sure I had enough.”
Teaching also opened new doors. Sharon had a growing passion for missions.
“Many countries don’t easily accept missionaries,” she explains. “So I wanted to use my educational background as an entry pass.”
That led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in education, returning to studies after nearly 20 years.
“It was challenging at first,” she says, “but my experience really helped me.”
Answering the call
In 2021, while completing her degree, Sharon confronted something she had long avoided—the call to full-time ministry.
“One day during a prayer meeting, my pastor called me to the front,” she recalls. “He didn’t pray for me. Instead, he told me there was a calling on my life, and I needed to go and fulfil it.”
Soon after, they sat down for a serious conversation.
“He encouraged me to go as a full-time student,” Sharon says. “He said I would learn a lot.”
Still, the decision was daunting. She was 42, and the idea of returning to school, financially and mentally, was overwhelming.
“Financially, it wasn’t easy. Two years without a salary. And I was worried about adapting to studying at my age.”
But with her church’s support, Sharon stepped forward in faith.
“I chose to depend on God. I trusted Him and the people around me, and with that, I went.”
From the back row to the pulpit
Sharon has now been at Bible College Malaysia for two years, pursuing her Master’s in Divinity.
“Seminary isn’t just about studying,” she explains. “They’re preparing lives for ministry. We have a chapel, prayer times, worship, it trains you to be a complete servant of God.”
The adjustment wasn’t easy at first.
“When I entered BCM, I felt really lost. I didn’t know how to do the readings or find resources. I even cried once.”
Her greatest support came from her classmates.
“It was the youngsters who taught me,” she says. “They’ve helped and shaped me so much, even in ministry.”
Those experiences reinforced the importance of a multigenerational church.
“Church isn’t just for the young or the old. It’s for everyone. We can learn just as much from younger people as they can from us.”
As Sharon enters her final year, she isn’t anxious about what comes next.
“I need to equip myself first, then take it step by step,” she says. “This season is about studying and helping out at church. We’ll see where God leads after that.”
At Puchong Tabernacle, her role has grown, eventually leading her to the pulpit.
“The first time I preached, I prayed a lot and prepared well, but I wasn’t really scared,” she says. “I just looked back and said, ‘Thank You, God.’ From not knowing Him, to being a regular member, to serving—and now preaching.”
A teachable heart for the long journey
Sharon’s early fears about being “too old” for Bible college have faded. Today, she offers simple but powerful advice.
“You need to have a teachable heart,” she says. “Don’t carry inferiority or superiority. Be open. At the end of the day, we are all God’s children.”
Whether or not we are called into full-time ministry, Sharon believes we are all on a lifelong journey toward Christlikeness, one that is never meant to be walked alone.
“I even tried leading worship,” she laughs. “I have a terrible voice! But my peers said, ‘Kakak, just go up and try.’”
“You can learn so much from the people around you,” she adds. “God will sustain you, but He will also place people in your life to shape and teach you, in all kinds of ways.”
Sharon’s story from darkness into light is a testament to God’s immeasurable grace, reflected in the people He placed along her path. She makes a point to thank them by name.
“I really want to thank BCM for this opportunity, my pastor (Pastor Alex) and my cell leader (Brother Vincent),” she says. “They’re all so important to me, and I’m deeply grateful for their support on this journey.”
