Carrying On with the Mission: Stepping Out in Faith

God’s Blessings

I am a first-generation Christian born in Macau. When I was still a primary school student, God led me to believe in Him through a couple living next door, who were missionaries from Hong Kong. Thus, I was converted at a very young age. Growing up in the church, I was seen as a typical “good child,” attending fellowship gatherings, Sunday School, and church services every week; however, I did not reflect upon my faith and so, my Christian faith did not impact my life.

Later, when I was studying at a university in Taiwan, away from my hometown, I gradually began to feel God’s hand in my life in new ways. In addition, under the influence of the senior members and mentors in the fellowship, I began to reflect upon what faith meant to me. I became more and more eager to serve God. Being an introvert, apart from my service in the fellowship, I served mainly as a pianist. One thing “good” about being a pianist was that I did not need to have much interaction with others. Later, members of the university fellowship became full-time seminary students one by one. At that time, I did have some interest in theology but I believed that studying at a seminary represented a life-long commitment to serve Christ and yet I did not feel a calling to full-time ministry. Therefore, I returned to Macau upon graduation to get a stable job and serve at the church.

Treasure the Chance to Serve the Lord

In early 2018, a long acquaintance of mine, who was a missionary, suddenly passed away after returning to her homeland. This made me realize how limited the time we have may be. Apart from working every day and serving in the church on weekends, how could I, in my thirties, take the chance to serve God? Although I was well paid at that time, my job did little good to the building up of the lives of others. Worse still, the job brought about lots of contentions and constraints, which consumed my time and energy. Recalling a pastor mentioning her calling to full-time ministry while she was studying theology part-time, I enrolled in a part-time program at the Macau Bible Institute (MBI), hoping for better preparation and further exploration of my direction in life. During my studies at MBI, a teacher kept encouraging me to study theology on a full-time basis. She also reminded me that sometimes we may not have a second chance to respond to God’s calling. However, I was still unprepared and could not respond.

Meanwhile, I, along with a group of young working Christians, began to assume leadership positions at church, which required continuous learning of how to cooperate with and assist the ministerial staff in their pastoral work. I then began to learn to come out of my comfort zone and had more exchanges with various brothers and sisters. Gradually, I saw the church’s need for pastoring and people’s need for someone to walk with them in their lives. A few brothers in Christ said that I had become more caring to fellow believers over the past few years and I also noticed more concern in my heart for others. On one occasion, I accompanied and comforted a brother who was in difficulty. In response to this, he texted me, saying, “Thank you for your support,” which made me understand that it was worthwhile to spend time on other people’s lives and that God can use me, someone who did not know much about how to communicate with others, to give others support. My lack of a caring heart for others had been the main reason for me to consider myself unprepared for pursuing theological studies. At that time, I was still introverted. Especially when I was trying to care for others, I discovered lots of inadequacies regarding my knowledge and life. However, as God had called me to see people’s needs and I was yearning for more meaning in my life, it might be an opportune moment for me to consider the full-time study of theology.

Carry On with the Gospel Mission

After I completed my studies at MBI, a lecturer from Hong Kong also encouraged me to take up the full-time study of theology. She mentioned the great needs of the churches and the Bible Institute in Macau. In particular, with the gradual retirement of senior pastors and the successive departures of missionaries from Macau, there was a need for someone in the local community to shoulder the duties of pastors. Afterward, during a Christian service, the speaker also mentioned the need for the Macau churches to nurture a new generation of pastors. Since then, the needs of Macau stayed in my mind.

Macau is a tiny place. It might be considered very difficult to carry out evangelical work there (Macau is also known as “hardened soil for the Gospel”). The place is full of constraints. Christians account for only a very small percentage of Macau’s population and the local churches are lacking in resources. However, I believe God still cares for the needs of the numerous lives there. The teacher reminded me that if I saw the needs of Macau and was willing to commit myself to such needs while the thought of studying theology kept lingering, then I should step out in faith regardless of my inadequacies. As a result, I decided to enroll in studies at HKBTS last year, hoping that I can return to Macau upon completion of the theological training so that I may continue to serve the place where I grew up. I may not accomplish much, but I believe God will use me and continue to guide me in meaningful ways.