Keithleen L. Aton, a.k.a. Keith is a 29 year-old PSALMist based in Exeter, United Kingdom. Exeter is a city in Devon, South West England, which is about 3-5 hours by train from London. She is currently a Discipleship group leader and a worship team volunteer in Christ Commission Fellowship (CCF), London, where she mentors and journeys with a growing group of ladies.

She was first engaged in PSALM ministry through a fellow youth leader who hosted the True Love Waits (TLW) Seminar at their church in Bohol. Then she went to college to study BS Nursing and was used by the Lord as an instrument to pioneer PSALM movement in Silliman University. She helped establish PSALM Bacolod together with previous Cebu PSALM Staff Jet Cimafranca and with previous Dumaguete PSALM staff Isagane Castro in 2013. When she graduated from college in 2012, she volunteered at the International Care Ministries for two years. Then in 2015, she worked as a nurse at St. Luke’s Medical Center, BGC Taguig, while she volunteered in PSALM Manila at the same time. She was also involved in different missionary exposures in Ifugao (2012) and in Batanes (2019).

Before working in England, Keith allowed herself to be used in various activities of PSALM. She was supposed to travel to UK with her cousin in 2018, but it was halted due to personal reasons. In spite of the brewing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, Keith decided to give her application again in 2020. She recalled that she was in Taguig, Metro Manila when the country was declared under a state of calamity due to COVID-19:

I was in Taguig when the lockdown happened. I remembered during that time that I was in full surrender to the Lord.

After many unexpected challenges, she finally arrived in Exeter, England in December of 2020, where she started working in one of the hospitals there. She said that she appreciates the work-life-balance that her current employment affords her. She also enjoys engaging in discipleship during her day offs. Sometimes, she has to travel for 3-5 hours by train to attend services in CCF, their local church in London, where she has become a part of the Praise and Worship Team. She said that in spite of the challenges and some inconveniences, she still loves to be involved in the church ministry.

Looking back at all the challenges she experienced in the past, she encourages those who think that their dreams were put on hold, especially in this time of pandemic, to trust God’s plan and timing with all your heart which is taken from her life verse found in Proverbs 3:5-6.

Whatever the world wants you to think, recalibrate your mind as to what the Word says about the God you worship. That helped me trust in Him and not complain with every cancellation that happened. God has your best interest at heart. It may be that the Lord still wants you to stay for your own protection and your family as well. Trust His ways. Trust His timing.

She added that God can use even this pandemic to propel your dream forward.

God used this pandemic to not just bring me here but prepare me for my coming here. God used this pandemic to strengthen my faith in Him. Had it not been the case, I would have been discouraged and depressed living in an unknown terrain with no support group and I would have possibly wished to go back home.