World Mission Sunday, 24 October, marked the beginning of a year of Community Experience for Christine, Albert and Valerie who are exploring the missionary calling with the Mission.
We look forward to having Susan, Susilo, Helena and Maizy join us as well. All of them are fellow participants of this year’s School of Mission which ended in July.
We look forward to having Susan, Susilo, Helena and Maizy join us as well. All of them are fellow participants of this year’s School of Mission which ended in July.
Here are their personal testimonies....read on and be encouraged and inspired in your own walk with the Lord!
I am joining Community Experience because I believed it is God’s will. As I prayed, God showed me an image of Him trimming a tree. The tree is me. He wants to trim me to use me. And I got a scripture from Genesis 12:1: “ Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s home, and go to a land that I am going to show you.” This took away my fear about living overseas. Through this time of discernment, I experienced God’s love and grace and understood His strong will. I’m truly sure that there are many blessings and teachings and love and joy in store for me. Please pray for me. I really want to be God’s humble servant.- Helena, Korea
Val, Albert, Christine
Throughout my discernment, I have been very fixed on choosing to be where I can bring greater glory to God with my gifts and talents. One day, as I reflected on the parable of stewardship, Luke 16:2 "Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward" struck a chord. As Job (1:21) lamented, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away", I started to ponder - what is my role in the Kingdom of God if He decides to take back everything I have, my possessions, family, my community, my gifts and talents, and I am no longer His steward? I received the revelation that on top of glorifying God, any decision I make has to lead me to be more in union with Him.
In this new light, I chose to return to the ICPE community for another year to grow deeper in love with Jesus of whom I am a disciple, so “that (I) might be with him” (Mark 3:14). I want to be able to say, like Job, "Blessed be His Name!" when He chooses to take my stewardship away. - Valerie, Singapore
During my college years, the Lord placed on my heart this great desire to serve Him. I knew that whatever I did with my life, I wanted to devote it all to building His kingdom. In the School of Mission, I experienced the blessing of living in community, the grace to overcome hardships, and the great joy of reaching out to others. As a result of the school, I can truly say that God has placed in me a great passion to spread the Good News. In discerning about Community Experience, I had never heard God's voice speaking stronger into my life. He especially spoke to me through a quote by St John Vianney, “vocation is: when a need in the world meets a deep joy in me.” Serving in the Mission and with a mission, I had never felt so fulfilled in my life, I knew this joy was from the Lord, and the joy that I had experienced in the 5 months of the school was proof, to me, that with the ICPE Mission was where God intended me to be during this next year. I see the year ahead as a great opportunity to discern what area of mission the Lord calls me to, while at the same time, exploring and growing in this passion that He has given me. - Christine, New Zealand
I was searching for direction and purpose in life when I attended the School of Mission. After the School, I had to decide between the working world and coming back for Community Experience. I wasn't sure and couldn't make up my mind. I still remember very clearly going to the chapel and debating with God, wishing that things were more straight forward. I was prompted to pray the divine office and the scripture reading for that day was Jeremiah 6:16 – “stand at the crossroads and look and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies and walk in it and find rest for your souls.” God spoke to me very clearly through this scripture. I realized the one thing that always made me joyful and gave me meaning and purpose was serving Him. I knew instantly that this was the answer to my prayer and my response was “YES, I am coming back for CE.” God doesn't hold back. How can I refuse such boundless love? How can I hold back from such divine eagerness? - Albert, Malaysia
When I decided to join CE, God promised to me that He will open all the doors and He will provide all my needs. I am seeing how faithful He is even when I am not faithful. I really thank God I can experienced this kind of life style. It is really making me grow in faith and surrender to God. - Susan, Indonesia
Susilo, Indonesia
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