About Me
Missions in America?
To this I say, yes! "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few" (Matt. 9:37). The university campus is a field white for harvest. Not only is college a crucial window of time when many are asking the big questions of life, international students adjusting to a new culture may suddenly be sensitized to their need for something greater beyond themselves. Some come with a spiritual curiosity already in place, ready to explore other faiths. The Lord of the harvest has brought the world to us. As a missionary once penned, we "[face] a task unfinished...to go and make [Christ] known." |
My Story |
Born Malaysian into a fifth-generation Chinese Christian home, with four generations of Gospel-laborers in my lineage, I was privileged to be raised in such a rich heritage of faith. But it was not until the sudden death of a top student at another school when I was struck with the urgency to be right with God. My thirteen-year-old self was living for good grades at the time. The unexpected car accident which took the life of that student made me realize how fleeting grades were, how little control I had over my life, and how unprepared I was to meet God if I had died then. Without delay, I paused where I was and received Jesus Christ as my Savior. Peace and joy washed over me, giving me the assurance that my sins were forgiven, my destiny of heaven secured, and that I belonged to the Creator and King of the universe whom I now called my Father. Fruits of transformation followed: a sweet intimacy with God, a hunger for His Word, a discovery of God’s glory as my purpose of existence, and a strange, new burden for unbelievers. Soon after my conversion, I began dreaming for missions and hoped that God would send me as a missionary someday.
At age sixteen, God brought me away from Malaysia to a country that would one day become the mission field He had chosen for me. But here in America, I went astray from Him one year when I compromised and questioned the authority of His Word, the Bible. It led to the loss of my trust and delight in God’s Word. There in the thick of a battle unseen, I disarmed myself of the one weapon meant to keep me safe from harm. But God, in His unrelenting grace, sought me when I stopped seeking Him and drew this strayed sheep back to Himself. Convicted of sin and moved by His great kindness, I was brought to sorrowful repentance. To my surprise, in repenting I found a God much bigger than I last remembered Him to be, a love for His Word much deeper than before I compromised, a wonder in the Gospel–far better news than ever to me, and a joy all the richer as I regained my lost sight of His beauty and glory. I longed to be at the disposal of this worthy God, of whom I am so unworthy, to inspire hope and worship in fellow sinners and sufferers by pointing to His triumphant glory. God generously equipped me with seminary education, though it was not immediately clear what the training was for. It is only as I take one step at a time and enter one open door after another that I have found myself as a Baptist Mid-Missions (BMM) missionary appointee today. |
My Ministry: CBFI |
Campus Bible Fellowship International (CBFI) came to the fore as BMM assessed me in the application process. CBFI, BMM's campus ministry branch, partners with Baptist churches to reach university students by meeting their various needs–spiritual, practical, relational, and recreational–with a primary emphasis on Bible Study. In Boston where I would be stationed, my ministry will primarily be to international students.
My heart for international students began when I was attending college in America. Being international myself, it was generally easy for me to relate and form friendships with other internationals. Because I had assimilated into the American culture, I often played the role of a host to my international friends—helping them ease into this culture, assisting them in their English skills, and supporting them in the challenges of education in a second language. I was able to do this through the lens of an international, being sensitive to cultural aspects that may be beyond their initial awareness or comprehension. While this is not necessary to serve internationals, I have come to see what a special advantage it is that God has equipped me with.
My experiences with internationals and as one myself have prepared me for a ministry like CBFI. "Playing host" is what distinguishes CBFI from overseas missions—instead of starting out as a guest in a new culture, the CBFI missionary is privileged to be a host in a familiar setting and helper to internationals. Thus, through CBFI, I anticipate getting to engage in ministries of friendship and hospitality (e.g., hosting meals, fun outings), language-assisting (e.g., English conversation partner), and Bible studies (one-on-one or group, evangelistic or discipleship), all to point them to their greatest need: Jesus Christ. For more information on CBFI, please follow this link to watch a video. |
My Placement: Boston |
A world-class city and top-three among US metro areas for its number of international students (2015 statistics), Boston is a wonderful place to serve where the fields are white and more laborers are needed. However, what has drawn me most to this location is the team I would be joining and what makes their heart beat.
International Baptist Church (IBC), planted by BMM missionaries Bill and Deb Edmondson, has a big vision extending beyond international students to reaching all who are represented in Boston. It is IBC's goal to be a church that is truly global—diverse not just in race and nationality but also in economic, social and educational statuses. IBC believes that in order to effectively reach the other parts of the world, they must first be a church that reaches the whole world in Boston. The Edmondsons have a real heart for people, seeking to minister to the whole person and the whole community. Their ministry is fundamentally based on relationships. Many things they do are natural outcomes of organic opportunities that relationships bring. From rock-climbing to grocery-shopping, cooking classes to weekly church meals, their DNA of relationship-building drives, shapes, and permeates all that they do. Clothed with an inviting spirit of charity and transparency, they draw many to themselves for the ultimate sake of winning these friends to Christ. My heart thus resonates with the team in Boston. Knowing well that IBC's vision of a truly global church is something that only the Lord can bring to fruition, it is my desire to partner with the Edmondsons in the strive towards this heaven-inspired dream. |
My Sending Church |