“Despite my weaknesses and forgetfulness, God guided me back to the path He has long prepared for me.”
At Brisbane School of Theology, we are privileged to walk alongside students like Tim, whose journey has been one of faith, growth, and answering God’s call. Read his story below…
“I was born and raised in Hong Kong. Since I was young, I have had a heart to do missions in Africa.
The first African mission trip I participated in was in the summer of 2012, right after I graduated from high school. I spent two weeks in Uganda and, ever since that trip, I was very keen to go back to Africa yet didn’t have an opportunity to do so. After that trip, I continued to pursue tertiary education, working as a teaching assistant before becoming a registered Geography teacher.
In the summer of 2017, I was encouraged to attend a youth mission. On the last day of the conference, the pastor asked all participants the question ‘who would like to serve God full-time.’ At that moment, I felt the Holy Spirit urging me to respond to God’s invitation, and eventually I raised my hand and promised God that I would do so.
After that, I participated in two mission trips to Malawi in 2017 and 2019 respectively. Nevertheless, since I loved my teaching job so much, I soon put aside my promise to God and continued to work as a teacher in Hong Kong.
This had been the case until I decided to move to Australia along with my family. I applied for Griffith University’s Master of Social Work. Yet, right before I quit my job, I unexpectedly received an email from the university saying that the commencement date of the programme would be postponed until further notice [due to COVID].
However, it was precisely after this that God reminded me that I once promised Him to serve Him full-time. I immediately applied for a Master’s degree programme [at BST] and within days, I received all the documents for my visa application and was able to start the new semester in time.
Studying in Bible college was not something that had ever popped up in my mind, even when I raised my hand in the conference a few years back. I was naive enough to think that I did not need any theological training before getting into the mission field.
But I was so thankful that this was not the case. It was only after I started my studies that I realised the importance of theological training. It was clearly God’s plan to bring me to BST and subsequently to full-time ministry. Despite my weaknesses and forgetfulness, God guided me back to the path He has long prepared for me. He closed one door but opened another, one that I have never ever imagined.
I am now a pastor in the Cantonese congregation of Brisbane Chinese Alliance Church in Rochedale. Of course, I am still keen to do missions in the long run; but I guess for now, as encouraged by BST lecturers, it would be beneficial for me to gain some pastoral experience before heading onto the mission field.
Spending three years full-time studying God’s Word is really helpful in preparing me to engage in full-time pastoral ministry. Not only was I able to fully concentrate on my studies, but I had sufficient time to process what I have learned in class as well, which greatly helped my learning and my understanding of the Bible.
I would say I now have the appropriate tools and knowledge to do the ministry God has given me.
Are you ready to take the next step in your faith journey?
Tim’s story is a reminder of how God leads us, even when we don’t expect it. If you feel called to serve in ministry or deepen your faith, discover more about studying at Brisbane School of Theology at our upcoming open events.
Open Day – 12 May – https://bst.qld.edu.au/event/open-day-1-25/
Open Night – 15 May – https://bst.qld.edu.au/event/open-night-1-25/
Virtual Open Night – 12 June – https://bst.qld.edu.au/event/virtual-open-night/
