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MARCH 2013
Ambassadors For ChristIn Canada Newsletter
(Eastern Canada Edition)
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND MISSIONS by Rev. Nelson Leung
7TDCPC ,QP (WPI
This issue of our newsletter features international student
ministry and student
missions. They are important to AFC because we are a missions
organization and reaching international students is one of our key
missional mandate.
three of our students shared their encounters with God there.
Then our newest - know God more as they responded to Gods calling
to reach international students.
As I pen this article, I am in South Korea. I am in a foreign
land where the culture -tion is Christian. South Korean Christians
are upfront and pious in their faith, and
-people, mostly Christians, who accepted and befriended me. They
reached out culture humbled me to question who I am and the meaning
of life. These a Christian. With their prayer and acts of kindness,
I found God and grew into a foreigner like me.
As more and more Christians are responding to Gods calling for
missions, let us remember that God has placed many international
students (immigrants, language and culture. They doubt their own
identity and ability. Some are disori-ented and hammered by
loneliness. God is calling Christians in general and out our faith
by meeting their academic, physical, social and emotional needs. We
need to engage them in spiritual dialogues so that they will be
found. We -lize to their families, friends and kinsmen in their
homelands, and accomplish the missions mandate.
WHATS BEEN GOING ON
AT AFC EASTERNCANADA ?
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In working with AFCs international student ministry, I am often
asked: Who are you referring to when you speak of international
students? Furthermore, why put such a strong emphasis on reaching
them that AFC even started up a new ministry just for that? My good
friend from Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship who has been working
with interna-tional students for quite some years now once told me:
International students are those in your class who always look a
bit lost.
Often international students give us the sense of being lost
because they are in a foreign country, studying under a
system/language that is also foreign to them. Perhaps this feeling
of being home away from home is all too familiar with many of us.
The essence of international student ministry here at AFC is to
serve international student because we believe that God has a great
and mighty plan for them while they are here in Canada, a foreign
land!
think about international student ministry. I was especially
intrigued by reunited with his brothers who sold him into slavery
in Egypt. At that his dreams but also realized that it was actually
God who sent him ahead to Egypt for the purpose of one day
delivering his own household from deliver and prepare him, putting
him in charge of the whole land so that Israel eventually may be
delivered through him.
Many of the international students/scholars I interact with seem
to have Gods hand actively pursuing them. I have had the privilege
to journey about a strong sense of Gods presence in their lives
through the love and kindness they received from Christians. Yet I
believe that just like the I believe that is God revealing Himself
as Lord and Savior to these interna-tional students/scholars
personally, He had also brought them here such that one day they
may bring deliverance to their own people through the
God has graciously extended an invitation to AFC that we may
join in His work to reach the nations starting with reaching and
serving the interna-tional students who come to Canada. While being
faithful with the foregoing vision, AFC has chosen to heed the new
call in international student ministry to serve those who are home
away from home, know-ing that God has great plans for each of them.
God is inviting us to be part Christ to those who are home away
from home. Perhaps one day they back to their homes!
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring
good news Isaiah 52:7a
HOME AWAY FROM HOMEby Jon Fung
+8%(
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INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MINISTRY SHARING
International Student Ministrys (ISM) Tuesday night bible study.
Since then, Ive really come to enjoy learning together with the
International student/scholars. I learned to be in the role of a
listener, and I saw God work unimaginably as He spoke through the
students in their questions and insights. Through ISMs bible
studies and social events, I came to know some of these students
more and He put me in some very special friendships. One of these
friendships was with a visiting doctor from China, whom I had the
privilege to see come to know how personal God was in her life and
how much He desired to pursue a loving relationship with her.
Through this friendship He showed me the importance of listening
and being sensitive to His voice. The past year of serving on ISM
has pushed me to be a better listener, discover what it means to
build authentic relationships through Christ, and share His Love.
It is exciting to accept Gods invitation to journey together with
the beautiful works in progress He has placed with me to love,
learn with and listen to.
by Kelly
+5/ +5/+5/
PRAISE GOD
PRAYERS
Praise God for new ministries targeting Mandarin high school
students.Praise God for new friends and connections after 40th
anniversary.Praise God for all TC volunteers, who are working hard
to serve our youth.Praise God for a time of rest during Family Day
& Chinese New Year.
Please pray for CCF students for their growth in knowledge of
Christ.Please prayPlease continue to prayPlease prayPlease pray for
all TC participants for their experiences and journey with
Christ.Please pray for Campus Challenge planning, fundraising &
recruiting.
UPCOMING EVENTS
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO www.afccanada.org
- English TC- Cantonese TC- Mandarin TC Conference
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During Urbana 12, God helped me to see that I am like the
prodigal son who asks for my inheritance from my father and
declares independence and freedom. I try to control everything that
I have and laughter.
Do I really know God?No, I may even have believed in the wrong
god. What I believe in
My own desire I thirst that my life would be stable, peaceful,
smooth and happy; that I would have a wonderful family, good
friends, material abundance, great achievements in my study and
career.
Proudness I want others to see that I have the ability to serve,
that I have the godliness towards faith and good relationship with
God. I even try to take over Gods place to save lost souls.
not that I hope to enjoy Gods presence in his eternal
kingdom.
Unreal perfection With such a mighty God on my back, I know
afraid; God will help me! When I dont know which way to go, its
alright; God will lead me! When I dont know what to do, I will not
fear; God has His plan! I just need to believe!
Is this right?No! Its all wrong!These standards are just scales
I use to measure Gods greatness. I use His gifts of material
things, relatives, friends, talents, IQ, looks, to apportion my
thanksgiving and praise for Him. He becomes something that I
manufacture, not the God who created me.
God reveals to me again the true meaning of the Gospel by
incidents He allows to happen to me, by my experience at Urbana and
every little thing that occurs after the conference. God says,
salvation is not because Jesus died and rose again; salvation is
because Jesus bore my sins and the punishments resulting from my
sins. Jesus was willing to accept the Father turning away from Him
-cial love is something I cant describe by words, and irresistible
by my own desire and proudness.
Even though I was only a common sinner among the 16,000
attend-ees at Urbana12, God still showered on me His fullness,
abundance and His perfect love according to His will.
by Qoqo Ong
Unit 12. 70 Gibson Drive. Markham. Ontario. Canada. L3R 4C2
CONTACT US
www.afccanada.org 905.513.0713
[email protected]
facebook.com/afccanada
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by Nicole Chow
by Qoqo Ong
It was an indescribable invitation.
This past December, I had the privilege to attend a feast with
another 16,000 people. This was no ordinary feast, but it was Gods
feast where invitations were sent from Him personally. The theme
for this Urbana was The Great Invita-tion. To be honest, I did not
understand the meaning of the theme until I experi-enced Gods
constant pursing of me during my time there.
Urbana12 gave many attendees unforgettable moments. To simply
list out a few activities, there were manuscript Bible studies,
multi-lingo worship, and speakers dropped my luggage and headed
over to the American Center. The twenty plus hour ride obviously
did not impede my excitement. By seeing people endlessly entering
the stadium, my excitement was mounting. Now that I think back,
Gods personal invitations were overwhelmingly pouring on me since
the moment where Urbanas director Tom Lin asked, Where is your
Mongolia?
The very next day early in the morning, we all woke up for
manuscript Bible study familiar to many, including myself.
Unexpectedly, while studying the passage with a group of passionate
brothers and sisters in the Canadian Student Leader-ship Track, I
once again heard Gods invitation clearly and loudly. Within the
span of eleven verses, we studied how Jesus presented Simon Peter
with two invitations, from the shallow waters to the deep, and also
with His non-forceful approach towards intimacy. After that one and
a half hour of Bible Study, I sat there speechless. Maybe it really
was very bombarding of a message for me to digest. For the
following few days, I totally could not be oblivious and ignore God
personally conversing with me.
During the next few days, as I was more attentive to Gods
presence in my life, I started to experience what it means for God
to be with us. This time was no the last day, God led my steps to
the prayer rooms. I felt a little uneasy as I entered the prayer
room. While planning to leave within ten minutes, I never expected
that a small prayer would give me such great peacethe next time I
looked at the time, three full hours passed by. Simply put, the
three hours spent in the worship prayer room was like a
conversation I had with God. Every time I moment I quieted down to
listen, the background worship music or verses that experienced
this before, not ever. In the end, I didnt accomplish anything of
my was worth more than attending any events!
As Urbana had a theme that threaded through all the activities
of the whole conference, God did the same in my life (especially
during the few times I went to invitation and nailed this right in
my heart, After experiencing My love, are you willing to follow
me?
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NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF PRAYER
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by Vivian Lee - President of the University of Toronto at
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