If I were asked to use one single word to describe all of my complex emotions regarding this mission trip, the word would be “Magnificent”. Everything was so magnificent! I am almost certain that there wasn’t a split second that God’s blessings were not presented within us, and from that – I literally drew myself closer to God.
Taking a part of this mission trip was not originally planned in one of my summer listings, and I guess at the moment where my mother signed me into the mission, God’s desire for me to learn begins. I struggled big time sacrificing my so-call “precious” time for God off my short stay in Hong Kong due to all the work I have to get done. Anxiety busted my head open at the night before the trip and my heart is simply not prepared (After all, 7 days of scarification is quite a lot!).
Jesus is the merciful God. Not only he revealed compassion for me, he offered me an opportunity to receive the greatest lessons of life. What I gained is far greater and far worthier than 7 days of normal work. To be concise, God taught me in these 3 major aspects.
1) Needs for Humility
We are the teachers. There is a natural tendency in me, and perhaps everyone else to place oneself at a higher spot simply because we think we are the contributing incomers who came from a relative prosperous city. Perhaps the variations between cultures naturally formed a sensational barrier between them and us. I saw people smoke at church; I saw people spit at church; I saw people use their used spoon and chopsticks digging into a big pot of soup prepared for everyone; I saw old people that stink so bad that I would never get close with. God reminds me to be humble all the time. God reminds me to leave all the pride and ignorance behind. Humility allows myself to truthfully experience what it means to be a servant of God. Having an attitude of humility has not only elicited an efficient time use in our programs, but it allows us to form a strong bond between teachers and students. The strong bond essentially allows ourselves to sense the students’ true needs, in which we offer our guidance for their own spiritual growth. Practicing humility is not easy; nevertheless, Jesus’ sacrifice provided me with all the motivations and all the reasons to be humble. Humility is a basic property of a God’s servant, without it – our trip means nothing but only to show the world how great and capable we are.
2) Power for Faithful Prayers
Back in a class I told my students that a faithful prayer is what God fond of. Prayers without faith are nothing more than talking to the empty air. God of course knows about me; he understands my needs, my desire, and everything in my mind. Nonetheless the father wants me to say it out. Prayers allow the development of my personal faith to God. Our mission trip is filled with prayers, we prayed for the weather, for the students, for the speakers, for everyone involved in the trip. I can hardly imagine what it is going to be like without prayers. Men are simply too fragile and vulnerable, praying to God offers a solution to fulfill our frustration with the warmest sense of comfort and security. I went to the trip with quite a lot of uncertainties and they indeed frustrated me. All the concerns are lucidly too great for us to handle. Gratefully, the Holy Father doesn’t just leave us in dark; he taught us that praying to him faithfully is equivalent to passing all our worrying to him, letting him to handle what is unhandled and unprepared.
3) Importance for Obedience
As fore mentioned, at the last moment I started to regret signing up for the mission trip simply because I think I am unprepared. God knows, and he opens up this opportunity for me to learn again. A father-son relationship is based on love, while it is the son’s responsibility to obey because the son knows the Holy Father has prepared the best for him. I was afraid of the environmental challenges I have to combat; I was startled from the pathetic quantity of sleep I am going to get; I was frightened by the horrifying public security of China; I was worried. And clearly now I understand that all the worries are unnecessary. We ate well; we sleep well; everything went well. Learning to obey is difficult, waiting patiently for signs is even more challenging. But I learned and I know – When God says: Go. I shall obey faithfully.
This 7 days mission trip is by far one of the most precious periods in my life. I worried, then I laughed, and finally I learned. There is nothing more valuable than to spread the words of Jesus. Despite me being a mentor and a teacher in the trip, God himself taught me the greatest life lessons. God enlightened me; I learned again to be humble, to pray faithfully and to obey loyally. I had once again stepped forward towards Christ.
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