If you’re reading this, then you’re probably aware that I’m currently studying at Sydney Missionary & Bible College (SMBC), with a view to serving in long-term mission overseas. But you may not know about the journey I’ve taken to bring me to this point. There have been a few key events...
I’ve been a believer from a young age, having grown up in a Christian home, and the first time I contemplated applying to go to Bible college was around twelve years ago. Even back then, the thought that was in my mind was long-term overseas mission - possibly inspired by the experiences I’d had living in Fiji for two years as a child. But somehow, life got in the way and the idea of Bible college was shelved for several years. The thought resurfaced again a few years ago, but at that stage I put it aside because I had not long settled at Randwick Presbyterian Church (RPC), and I didn’t want to leave that support network. At the time, I didn’t feel I had the emotional fortitude to contemplate overseas mission as a single woman.
In mid-2003, along with a group of friends from RPC, we held a 24-hour prayer vigil. For me, this was a fantastic experience of spiritual focusing and rejuvenation. It was also the occasion when I started reading a book called “Jesus Freaks”, which tells the stories of dozens of Christian martyrs from Stephen in the book of Acts, right up to the 1990’s. Reading this book is what sparked my passion for bringing the word to restricted countries, and supporting our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world.
I subscribed to newsletters from Open Doors and Voice of the Martyrs, and in early 2006, after much prayer and contemplation, I decided to apply to go on a short-term “courier# trip” to Hong Kong and China with Open Doors. My application was approved but I didn't want to commit to dates until I found out how much I would be getting for my bonus that year. I had calculated the costs for airfares and accommodation. When my boss told me how much my bonus would be, it turned out to be about $500 more than the costs I had calculated - which I figured would be about right to cover food and incidentals for my 2 week trip! The same day I was told about my bonus, I got a voicemail message from Open Doors asking if I was ready to arrange dates! Needless to say, I was on the phone pretty quickly and my flights were booked within two days.
The 2 weeks I spent in Hong Kong and China was another great time of spiritual renewal and invigoration for me, and it made me more convinced of an idea that had been formulating in my mind for months - that I needed to take a step back from my full-time job in the city and concentrate more on God’s work. I’ve never been career-oriented, and it just no longer made sense for me to be investing so much time and energy in a job that mainly served the purpose of financing my eastern suburbs lifestyle!
On my return from Hong Kong, I attended the ReachOut missions conference in Katoomba, which I found inspiring and challenging. At the end of the weekend, when they called for people who were willing to go wherever God sent them to stand up and commit themselves to that, I saw no good reason not to stand up, so I did.
Around the same time, I was chatting to a friend of a friend who grew up on the mission field, telling him about my recent trip and the thoughts I was having. He asked if I had considered going to Bible college, which hit me like a bolt out of the blue. Yes, I had considered it… and it seemed it was time to consider it again! That evening, I spoke to John & Karine Woldhuis (missionaries from our church who were preparing to depart for Ecuador) about their time at SMBC, and the courses offered there. It turned out that an open evening was coming up, so I planned to go... By the end of that open evening, I had decided which course I was going to apply for!
And that should bring everybody up to date!
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