4 minute read
JOURNEY OF LEARNING TO FOLLOW AND OBEY
by Qinying Lin, member of Fairfield Methodist Church.
I first got to know Pastor Leslie, pastor of the International Christian Fellowship (ICF), and his wife, Aunty (a term of endearment) Linda, when he was a pastor at Fairfield Methodist Church. Before I asked Aunty Linda to disciple me in 2015, I had a vision of me visiting them in Vietnam for a period of time to see what the mission field is like.
However, it was only in 2017 that I first visited ICF. Little did I know that it would be the start of many more short trips there, each ranging from a few days to a month. While it would have been nice to write of how I had been a blessing to the people and ministries there, the truth was that I kept going back only because I was so blessed each time I went.
I kept going back only because I have been so blessed each time I go.
During these trips, I would largely shadow Pastor Leslie or Aunty Linda going for life group meetings, meeting people, visiting orphanages, planning for Christmas events, and basically being involved in various aspects of church life.
On the first few trips, I remember being anxious before the trips because I did not know the day-today details of what I was going to do until I arrived there. It was unlike most other short-term mission trips where we would generally plan out all the programmes for each day, and might even prepare a few backup plans. Through this, I learnt to be more flexible with how God would lead and also to be willing to get out of my comfort zone to try things I have never tried before.
Beyond the things I have done, my deepest lessons have often been impressed upon my heart while doing life and ministry with Pastor Leslie, Aunty Linda, and the other leaders of ICF. Their passion and love for our Lord and His people there, and the intensity and single-mindedness with which they give of themselves to serve Him and others, showed me many glimpses of the Word become flesh, and of the kind of person I want to become in the Lord. In the seven years I have been visiting ICF, God has given me so much joy witnessing lives transformed by the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit - mine included.
As I wait upon the Lord to (finally!) lead me to serve full-time there, I am thankful that the season of visiting and exploring the field has been also my journey of learning to follow and obey my Lord Jesus Christ. No doubt it has been a journey filled with much fears, doubts, and uncertainties (and I have gotten many rebukes for them ), yet through it all, I have come to know Him more deeply. And in knowing Him, I am convicted that He is worthy of my giving all to Him. I definitely have gained and learned much from being on internship, and would encourage anyone who has felt God’s calling and heart for the nations to go on one too!
