Many religious features submitted are events, celebrations, and community member achievements, which are all impactful and worth sharing. As I think about what has impacted my journey the most, I think of the unexpected conversations I have had with people of different ages, ethnicities, genders and experiences.

I hope to bring that aspect to the Saturday feature rotation in a series I call “People of Faith in Bermuda”. As we get to know the members of our community and their varied faiths and experiences, it softens and opens the hearts of all and contributes to the healing and togetherness our island home is known for.

Destiny-Amor Matthie, 19, is studying Marine Biology and Coastal Ecology at the University of Plymouth in the UK, which has been “a real adventure”.

Ms Matthie said: “Often, I’m between working and studying and having free time, whether at university or home. No matter where I am or what I am doing, I like to be creative and always in the space of growing and improving.

“I enjoy activities like journalling and being out in nature; I love to sit and be quiet. I like writing, painting, singing, and being in the ocean; I’m happy to sit inside, read, and watch Netflix. Besides that, I spend time with God in the morning and evening.”

Approaching her final year, she shared how she plans to use her degree when she is finished.

“From the beginning, my degree has been a pursuit of passion,” Ms Matthie said. “I have many interests, but this was the one you would need a degree for; in the end, I hope to learn as much as possible in the field, the lab, and generally.

“I will use this opportunity to refine skills that I can use in future jobs, but I will apply them in versatile ways as much as possible.

“I can do that, whether for my businesses or to become a dive master and travel doing different dive work, doing research around the world, and just being able to participate in many different conversations, expanding my knowledge in various ways. That’s my idea for this degree.”

On the subject of painting, another passion, Ms Matthie said: “I have always loved it, but I learnt that I could use my skill – and I give God credit for every ability I have and that I grow with and continue to improve.

“I’ve been painting since maybe middle school. It was when I started to move towards a professional direction, and I have been selling my art pieces since 2020/21; it was sometime around then that I did my first gallery and sold my first art piece.

“Since then, I have been moving towards doing more commissioned pieces and creating pieces for a gallery opening. It is a passion of mine that I plan to continue to get my name out there and hopefully succeed.”

Discussing her faith and its impact on her past, present and future, Ms Matthie said: “First, I would say that I am not Seventh-day Adventist in the sense of following all the rules of the conference. But I would say it is the closest faith I would identify with.

“However, I prefer to say I am just a follower of Jesus Christ. I’m a Christian, and I believe in everything the Bible says.

“So it doesn’t matter what different faiths might say, or what this person or pastor might say, I would describe my faith as a direct relationship with God and communicating with Him through prayer every day and His Word – past, present, and future. It has always been an element in my life.

“God has directly supported me, helped me, opened my eyes in areas I didn’t see clearly, and even in my relationships, friendships, and family, I see Him, hear Him, and interact with Him.

“And so I can say that the way my faith has impacted me past, present, and future is that I wouldn’t be where I am, I wouldn’t have been where I was or will be without God and my faith.”

Ms Matthie also commented on how she hopes to contribute to the island with her degree, faith, or combination of both.

“My No 1 priority is adapting the character of Christ because that is what the Bible tells us and God teaches us,” she said.

“So, the way I want to impact the island comes from that, and secondly, it comes through my actions and how I live. That’s with the businesses I plan to run, selling my photography and my art, whether that’s a youth group I would like to start based on supporting the youth in Bermuda in creating a safe space for people of faith or not, where questions can be asked.

“Ideas can be challenged but in a positive way. In a more casual sense, my character is that I hope to be someone that people can feel comfortable around and look to for support. In a larger sense, that I can inspire while giving God all that glory.”

Reflecting on the most significant lesson learnt, Ms Matthie said: “To trust in God. Summing everything up in something small might sound a little cliché, but how much trusting in God can change a situation is significant – trusting in God to guide you and your character, even if it doesn’t always feel like it benefits you at the moment.

“In your studies, relationships, and even the grocery store, when you are trying to decide what you will eat tonight, which thing do you choose? Trusting in God always has more benefits than the initial decision to do it, and it always leads to looking back and saying because I trusted in God, so much more happened that I never knew I needed or wanted.

“After all, God cares about the wants as well. So the biggest I’ve learnt to date is to trust His word, learn who He is and what He says for Himself about who He is, not what other people say about Him.”

Asked what words of encouragement she would give to Bermudians, she said: “I know the community has been going through some tough times and is different from what it was 15, ten, five years ago. Even though we see it from different perspectives, we all see it.

“So, I would like to encourage them that God has a plan. The things we see here, both in Bermuda and worldwide, are part of His plan of salvation, and things will be OK in the end.

“And that no matter what is going on personally or on a larger scale that brings so much hurt, pain, stress, and anxiety, there is an end where everything has settled, and peace and joy are brought back.

“The other thing to say is to go to God's words yourself, even if you don’t feel like you're getting something from it; go to God’s word and read one verse even in your week.

“Take that time to learn who God is, and my encouragement is that He will show up; He is real, He is alive, which means He can see and hear you, and He will show up for you."