Can One Trip Change the Course of your Life?

I was once a tired and lost stranger, seeking happiness through people and vices to fill the void in my heart, but I always ended up feeling alone and empty. Work hard, party harder- that was what I used to do before I came to Christ. Things started to change when God drew me to Himself at the darkest time of my life in 2015 when I was full of guilt and worries. I suffered sleepless nights and was unable to focus on work, and it was then that I started crying out to God for help and relief.  

In my desperation, I agreed to meet a former co-worker to attend the service at CCF when I messaged her to unload my anxieties. I found myself crying nonstop while singing worship songs with the crowd. I felt God’s loving arms embracing me and heard a vivid voice telling me, “You will be okay, you can rest now.” What the Lord says in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” was very real to me. A woman in the Welcome Center shared the gospel to me and has since served as my small group leader. I sincerely received Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I came back home with a peaceful heart. I felt that something different happened to me on that day. As I surrendered my life to God and asked Him to reveal more of Himself to me, He supernaturally removed my appetite for all my vices and has given me a hunger to read and study His Word. I started sharing my newfound true love in Christ and His gift of salvation to my family, relatives, friends, and others. He has truly given me meaning and purpose in life that gives me real joy and fulfillment. Our Lord has given me opportunities to serve in different ministries, in Kids’ Church, True Life retreats, and discipleship groups.   

Over time, I felt like God had something more for me. Every time missions was flashed during Sunday services, there was something in my heart I could not explain. During the CCF Missions Month in 2018, I signed up for a short-term mission trip and was privileged to be part of Team Taiwan for a Vision trip in November of the same year in partnership with an international missions organization.  It was indeed a life-changing experience that opened my eyes and moved my heart to the needs of the world for Jesus. That gave me the burden to reach and pray for those not reached by the gospel within and outside the country. God shared with me His heart for the nations. The Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, together with Acts 1:8, and Mark 16:15, gave me a sense that the Spirit was directing me to go beyond and serve Him cross-culturally.  

Since then, praying for the nations, missionaries, and the persecuted church around the globe has become part of my time with the Lord. Isaiah 6:8, which says, “Here am I. Send me!” led me to deep reflection, asking myself if I could really say it to God with sincerity. I continued praying earnestly, asked my spiritual family, and thought deeply about His call for the long term. I remember I specifically asked God to give me another short-term mission trip to be more exposed to cross-cultural missions and to know if it was really what He wanted me to do.  

In May 2019, just months after the vision trip, God answered my prayer through an invitation from the same partner missions organization that brought me to Taiwan. And this time, in a refugee area in Southeast Asia. Fear and questions arose. Why this country? Why with this non-Christian religion? But after God’s confirmation, I said yes. I gained new perspectives on diaspora missions and gratitude, seeing the love and passion of local and cross-cultural missionaries in serving refugees from the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The people and needs of workers that God allowed me to witness at that time gave me a heart for diasporas.  God also made me recall the cultural differences I experienced in South Korea when I lived there for a year. I also knew without a doubt that meeting my Syrian and Kuwaiti students at my previous work was not an accident. Both the good and challenging experiences I had with them were part of His preparation for me in reaching this dominant non-Christian religion. As an English teacher, the interactions with my co-workers, my foreign students, children and adults from other religious blocs; all these things combined showed me that I had the blessed opportunity to share the Good News at my then workplace. 

Then the pandemic hit, and it was a very unique time of God’s training and blessing for me in missions. In 2021, I applied to that same missions organization for a long-term position, became a missionary appointee, and took missions trainings online. In the same year, God made it possible for me to begin engaging with refugees situated in Southeast Asia through our collaboration with an NGO there, teaching English to moms from a closed country in the Middle East and developing relationships with them. Through this online diaspora ministry, my compassion for them has grown as I got to know them better and heard about their pains and trauma. Part of what we do in our class is to read short Bible stories about Jesus and discuss them. Praying for them before our session ends is what I also do, which they appreciate. By God’s grace, it was also the period when our Lord opened the doors for me to share the gospel to my online students from countries where Buddhism is one of the major religions.  

It was in 2024 when I heard from a friend that CCF would conduct an MC² (Multiplying Churches and Communities) training. The prayers, encouragement, and learnings from our coaches and co-participants from different places with the same heart for non-Christians were such a blessing. I gained valuable insights in ministering to them, based on their experiences, particularly in dealing with common challenges we face in reaching them. The indispensable role of prayer and dependency on the Spirit were also stressed in every opportunity that God has for me in this ministry. Hearing the stories of believers who lived in that religious background and other workers from Southern Philippines who have also taken this training was very inspiring and challenging at the same time. The Pray-Care-Share strategy has been an effective approach in connecting with those whom God has graciously brought into my life in this season.  I praise Him with thanksgiving for the growing relationships I have with them and for giving me this platform to show Christ’s love and care for them.  

My former students and I stay in touch even though they stopped studying and moved to their respective countries. It had always been my prayer that God would surround them with His faithful children to help them know Jesus. Last Christmas Eve, this prayer was answered. I got a call from one of them, a mom from a restricted country in the Middle East. She and her 2 young children had been abandoned by her husband in their home country, and it got so bad they became refugees in Southeast Asia where I first met her years ago. In our call she said she was now living in the U.S. and working for a Christian organization that served refugees! I could not help but cry when I heard the positive feedback about working with our brethren. Indeed, He has been at work in their hearts.  

I know that it was also God’s timing to have one-on-one classes with my current two students from different countries. I was able to share my story of how I came to know our Lord. I was able to share the gospel as well. I praise our gracious God for those moments He gave me, touching these two women to patiently listen to me. In His time, I believe that our Lord God is the One who will make the seeds in their hearts grow. That’s why I keep praying to God to open their eyes and hearts to the truth of the gospel.  

I am incredibly grateful for how our God has richly blessed me with my relationships with my students. Each class is an opportunity to witness for Him as I serve my Middle Eastern students online and other international students in person. 

 While waiting for His perfect time to be sent to the mission field in Southeast Asia for a long-term assignment, God has been using this diaspora ministry to help me strengthen my faith, refine my character, and equip me for greater challenges that lie ahead. His presence and promises have always been my encouragement and comfort.  My missions journey is not easy and will never be easy, but I know that our Lord Jesus who called me, is faithful and gracious to supply all my needs to carry out the ministry He has entrusted to me, both here and beyond.   

All glory, praises, and honor to our God of all nations!