Take My Life

Tak-sum with his wife Emily and his children Pearl and Cher

“Rubbish Youth” Experiencing God

　　I was very much into sports back in junior high, playing football and running every day. I represented my school in competitions and won numerous medals. However, my grades at school were so far from satisfactory that I got kicked out of school in Form 3 for my poor academic performance. Such an experience made me feel worthless and hopeless and I lived each day unhappily. When I started going to a new school, I gradually turned into a bad student who caused troubles in class, smoked, and got into fights. In short, I was a worthless and hopeless “rubbish youth” before I became a Christian. Failing to see value in my own life, I attempted to seek and affirm myself through deviant behaviors.

　　After I failed my HKCEE exams, I started working as a transport worker, yet found no meaning in the daily hard work. It was not until two years later, for some unknown reason, I started going to church and discovered how special Christians were. They were cheerful and had peace in their lives. I decided to give it a try to believe in God in 2002. I quit many of my bad habits such as smoking and fighting after I converted. I was also actively involved in church and my life was completely renewed.

A Greater Life Miracle

　　In 2006, I had a calling from God to equip myself for serving young people, especially those at my alma mater, to help them and change their lives with my own personal testimony. But I had no idea how I could do that, as I could never become a school teacher with my education qualifications. Therefore, in 2007, I enrolled in the Youth Ministry Certificate Program of the Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary (HKBTS) in hopes of learning more about what youth ministry was and how I could get involved. Moreover, since I was gifted in playing sports, I also took a number of different courses in sports coaching so as to create more opportunities to reach out to young people.

　　Just as I finished both the Youth Ministry Certificate Program at HKBTS and the sports coaching courses in November 2008, something special happened. A teacher from my alma mater invited me to work at the school as an integrated education officer, the main duties of which were serving young people through different activities and preaching the gospel to the students. How miraculous and surreal it was as I recalled then how God had called me to serve these students at school just two years before! That was how I went from a transport worker to someone who could work at school and share my faith with students every day. It has already been twelve years and I see this transformation as the greatest miracle in my life given my qualifications and ability. Being able to reach out to young people at school every day, preaching the gospel to them, sharing with them my personal testimony, and walking with them through different means like sports, activities and camps, I found the mission that God had given me and came to see how valuable my life was. So “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Mt 19:26). Believing in Jesus does allow our lives to become more remarkable, and even more valuable, and more hopeful.

Calling and Waiting

　　In 2008, I was deeply drawn to the theme “Take My Life” of the HKBTS Annual Concert of Praise, because I wanted to be greatly used by God. I was deeply touched by the concert, seeing these seminary students who were used by God singing their hearts out and hearing testimonies of how they were called by God to serve. I saw how real God was. At the concert, I was moved by the verses: “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field’” (Mt 9:37-38). God’s call upon me for full-time ministry began with these verses. From that moment on, I have a passion for people’s souls, bearing in mind that there are still many out there who need the gospel, who need to know and believe in God. Once people convert, their lives would no longer be the same, just as how my life was completely transformed: from a man with no hope and direction in life, to someone who discovered the gifts and mission given by God — my mission was to share the stories of my life with others so that they may also know and believe in God.

　　Later on, I attended “A Talk on Full-time Ministry” organized by HKBTS which further reassured me of God’s calling. I was eager to start my full-time study in the seminary right away to get equipped and then serve God for the rest of my life. However, during my meeting with professors from HKBTS, they thought I was too young back then and that I may also have difficulty studying in the seminary with my below par academic background. They recommended that I take lay theological training to begin with and to keep growing spiritually at church, so as to be prepared for the day when God does guide me through to the seminary. That was how I first experienced God’s calling back in 2008.

　　Up until 2018, it had been twelve whole years since I was first called to serve young people in 2006, then diverting my career path to work at school in 2008 and calling me for full-time ministry at the “Take My Life” concert in the same year. For twelve years there were not only changes in different aspects of my life, such as my family, ministry, career but even ups and downs in my spiritual growth; yet one thing that has never changed was my desire to get equipped in the seminary. For twelve years, I kept preparing myself and waiting for God’s calling again.

The Time Has Come

　　During a Bible study session that I was leading at a camp for an adult fellowship in 2018, that urge to see people’s lives change grew strongly in me again. The passion for people’s souls was just like what I had felt ten years ago when God first called me. I knew the time has come. Then, I attended the HKBTS Full-time Ministry Exploration Camp again to confirm if that was God’s will. After hearing what the seminary students shared, meeting again with professors, and sharing my thoughts with my pastors as well as brothers and sisters at church, I decided to leave my job and enroll in the full-time theology program at HKBTS to get equipped. I truly believe that the past twelve years had not been a waste of time and I thank God for using those twelve years to get me ready before receiving formal theological training. Studying in the seminary is only the beginning. I shall learn, with a humble heart, how to let God use me and take my life to serve Him and others.