All Is Grace from God

Yee-wah and her husband Ka-on, their son Chee-hong and daughter Hong-ying

Take a Moment’s Pause to Number My Days

　　“The length of our days is seventy years or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away . . . Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Ps 90:10-12)

　　Looking back over the time when I had just completed the diploma program in theology (that was more than four years ago), I paused to number my days. God led me to re-consider an idea that had appeared to me more than ten years ago. Could I really be chosen by God to be His servant like those faithfully ministering pastors and ministers? After a period of prayer and questioning, and after receiving affirmation from family members, the church pastor and many brothers and sisters, I decided to respond to God’s call to be fully theologically trained and I eventually applied to study in HKBTS.

A Class of Very Different Students Wonderfully Coming Together

　　God’s leadership is so wonderful and it always exceeds our expectation. That year there were only seven students in the B.A.P.S. class in which I studied. Each had a unique personality and we came with varying background of growth and academic qualifications and from seven different churches. With the age difference between the oldest and the youngest being more than ten years, we got together and generated chemical reactions. There were moments when we burst out laughing and there were times when tears streaming down our faces. However, in these four years of study, we continued to support and pray for one another. The strength that God gave us allowed us to walk together through this stage of seminary training.

　　As for my studies at the Seminary, I truly thank God for His abundant grace. From the moment I applied to HKBTS, He has continued to give me strength and courage. To me, a housewife, to pass the entrance examination seemed an impossible mission. But God led me step by step to go through this examination and then the interview until I was finally admitted into the Seminary. However, my first semester’s study was a period of great difficulty as I constantly groped my way. I often found the contents of the courses incomprehensible and was overwhelmed by the teachers’ requirements. In addition, we as fellow students had found it hard to relate to one another. At that point, I queried whether I could stay on until I had finished the whole study program. Yet, relying on God who strengthened me, I was able to complete my four years of seminary study systematically and with a sense of peace.

I Was Honored To Be the Oldest in Class

　　God endowed me with the grace of being the oldest in class! In the presence of six classmates who were younger than I, I was a little nervous at first. I was afraid of how they would look at me and I wondered if they would keep me at a distance because of our age difference. I found that they respected me as an elderly person and never rejected me as a fellow student. As a mother of two young children, I could not help but show my motherly nature, so my classmates accepted me as a “mom,” regarding me as “the mom of the class.” It was true that I came with a bit more life experience than they and yet the need to get along with members of a new generation incited me to think in new ways and I found myself being challenged to integrate some of the ideas of my young classmates with mine. However, I believe the reason why God put us together before going into the ministry field is for us whom He called to be chiseled and molded to become God’s useful vessels.

“Great Talents Take Time to Mature” Can Also Be Joyful

　　God has not only molded me through my classmates who have always walked beside me but He has also showered me with blessings through the Seminary’s teachers, His agents. First, President Cho constantly spoke to the entire Seminary family, encouraging us all to grow with one-heartedness toward an important goal: An excellent seminary. I was inspired by the President’s determination and witnessed that we have a team of excellent teachers. The opportunity to be their students is truly evidence of God’s grace in my life.

　　Our teachers not only dedicate themselves to teaching but they also “blend” with students as they play basketball and football together and take an active part in students’ activities. To me, their words of reminder and encouragement will continue to be useful to me throughout my life. I remember that on the first day of a philosophy class, the teacher reminded us that some of us who received God’s call at a mature age should joyfully demonstrate that “great talents take time to mature.” This statement meant a great deal to me. It has been engraved deeply in my heart. Of course, I am no great talent but just an earthenware vessel. Even so, I can achieve and am now able to graduate from the Seminary. Our teachers also shoulder the duty of spiritual mentors, walking beside us through difficult days and develop beautiful spirituality in us. I am grateful to each of our teachers for their sacrifice. Thank you for your love and teaching.

　　Every moment in the past four years has been deeply engraved on my mind. I will cherish these moments as the most beautiful memories of my life. It was never easy for me to complete my four years of seminary study, but to us as BAPS graduates, what we have learned is just the basic material and is a starting-point. We long to have the opportunity to do further study in the future. Last but not least, let me take this opportunity to give thanks to my family for giving me their quiet but faithful support all along. At this moment as I look back and also look ahead to the future, I truly thank God for His abundant grace and pray that He will bestow upon me a heart of wisdom, equipping me to be a faithful, unashamed servant for the rest of my life.