[ ‘SHARE’ Jan-Feb 2015 ] TAKING ACTION
Author> Law Chung-man (Youth Pastor of Tsung Tsin Mission of Hong Kong Whampoa Church)
As a pastor for teenagers, my biggest desire is to nurture them with the truth, see their hearts captivated by God and their lives being totally transformed, ultimately firmly following Him. I have always wished to see a closer relationship between the church and the world, so that the world can see the mighty power of life transformation and see God’s glory and reality through our unusual lives. Hence we encourage youngsters to take root in the truth and renew their minds, also to bring love and hope to their communities.
In August 2013, God led us to CEDAR Fund and we were introduced to ‘Global Discipleship’, a totally new experiential discipleship training. I believe that cross-cultural exposure can impact our life values and worldviews – through opening wide our eyes and going into the world we step out of our self-centeredness. In Hong Kong we largely obtain knowledge from books. The Global Discipleship is a challenge because we need to think differently by reflecting from experience; we also need to feel the world and then express that feeling – each step is a lesson of putting our trust in God despite the unknowns. Cross-cultural exposure also means leaving our comfort zone, allowing the local culture to touch our lives. This is a challenge to pastoral workers’ faith, a lesson on letting go and looking unto Him.
It took almost one year from knowing about Global Discipleship to finally completing the 24-day exposure trip to Africa. The process was not easy and launching an all-new discipleship training was complex so 2014 has been a challenge and breakthrough for me. There is no formula to adolescent growth as the Father encounters each of us in different ways. But in that cross-cultural context we were placed in unfamiliar circumstances, met various witnesses and experienced poverty and oppression. That was the time when we allowed God to speak to our lives and challenged us in different ways.
I truly appreciate the young people who went to Africa with me: they allow their experiences there to transform their lives. May young people become the Lord’s disciples, determined to follow Him.