A Dangerous Prayer!

'L', ASM 2008-09. Posted on 18 September 2009.

Back at Uni, if you had asked me where I thought I would be in five years' time, there is no way on earth I would ever have expected to be in China!

God has a funny way of letting us know when He has a call on our lives and for me it all started with a simple prayer.

About four years ago a guy came to our church who was a missionary in central Africa. The main theme of the message he brought was that God can take us to incredible places and do things we never even imagined if we will just make ourselves available to Him. I had just finished university and had no idea what lay ahead, so I said to God, "I'll do anything and go anywhere; You just have to let me know!" I had no idea how dangerous that prayer was!

From that time on, I seemed to keep hearing about China in every way possible. On TV, through friends, a medical company even got hold of my details and invited me to go on a study tour to China! At this point, I spoke to Ross and Christine Paterson who head up Antioch Missions-Chinese Church Support Ministries. They suggested that I attend the Antioch School of Missions (ASM) to test this call to China and see if God was really sending me there.

God made me wait a while and taught me some valuable lessons, but a few years later I found myself flying to China to do this course. In the run-up to going out there, I had to raise a lot of cash and also raise a lot of confidence in the fact that God could actually use little old ME!

The Antioch School of Missions is a one-year program designed to introduce people to work in China, to test the call and see if it is really where God wants them to be. In the first three months, the mornings begin with praise and worship and then continue in a class setting with learning about the Chinese culture and what it means to minister to people with a totally different world view. We also learned a lot about sharpening our own relationship with God and the essential aspects that must be in place to really hear from Him and serve Him in the way that we should.

One of the areas of teaching that really helped me was taking a detailed look at the Bible to really see what God's heart is for the nations and the monumental importance of overseas missions. I had no idea how central this theme is to the whole Bible and the overall redemptive plan of God. I began to see the desperate need and urgency for people to get out there and spread the Name of Jesus amongst people who have never heard it before and have no hope of being saved. If the Bible says that Jesus is not coming back until all the nations of the world have heard His Name, is it possible that we have a huge role to play in speeding up His return? Learning all of this has really inspired me and helped me to focus my prayers for this amazing nation and the role that I may have here.

In the afternoons we all headed to the local university for language study. This certainly is a challenge, but the more I rub shoulders with the local Chinese people, the more I realise that, if we are truly going to be effective in serving them, we must communicate with them on their terms in their own language.

After the first three months are over, the language study continues, but the mornings are then free to give us the opportunity to serve in the various projects that are going on around the city. These projects vary according to what the individual student is passionate about. For some it may be working with the homeless, at orphanages, supporting a local school or maybe using a profession that they have training in. This is a chance to be really creative and see how good God is at opening doors.

For me, there have been some massive challenges along the way, but also some excellent points of growth and high points in my walk with God.

The language study has been tough. Not only do we have to learn vocabulary and grammar, but Chinese also has tones and characters as well. It's sort of like learning three languages all at once! On the other hand, as I start to really get a hold of it, I get a real thrill out of being able to get through everyday situations with relative ease now and begin to understand more and more of what's going on around me. It's also been great for making friends and contacts over here.

Another challenge for me has been leaving behind friends and family to begin again in a whole new place with a whole new group of people. At first it felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under me, as lots of the mechanisms and habits that I had at home to deal with life's daily stresses were no longer there. This took some getting used to, but what I'm really beginning to grasp is that actually home is where Jesus is and He knows us inside out and knows how to meet all of our needs, big and small. In fact, He really is all we need and I'm starting to learn in small ways how to let Him be all that He wants to be in my life, instead of allowing people and things to take His place.

Despite the challenges, the benefits of really having to rely on God in new ways and therefore learn more about Him and His character have been an awesome experience. ASM has really been a great way for me to get to China in a safe and supported structure to seek God further and find out His calling for me long-term. I can't imagine landing on the mission field without this kind of program in place. I would say it has been essential to really help me to get over culture shock, to settle in, stay afloat and follow hard after God. I highly recommend it.

So, is ASM for you? I always assumed that to be called to a foreign country would require flashing neon signs from God so that I would know for sure that this is His plan. However, that's really not how it happens for most people, if any! If you think God may be calling you to China, why not come along and do this course where you can really test that call and find out if this is the right path for you long term?

Applications for ASM 2010-11 are now being accepted. Students have the option of a six-month or one-year course. Come and find out what God is doing in China today and how you can be involved in fulfilling His Kingdom purposes. Contact your local AM-CCSM office for further information.