By Leslie Tam
Today was the second day of CMC at San Diego. The day did not start off so well as I was having chest pains due to the lack of rest in the past few days. But, regardless of the pain that I could not ignore as I breathed and moved around, God really reminded me of something important.
Today was the first night we had small group discussions. Everyone attending the English portion of the conference was divided into small groups. In my group, I was able to meet some really awesome college students and youth pastors. As the small group discussion began, we started sharing about ourselves and what church we attend on regular basis. Of course, after everyone had shared, I began to share about RE:NEW and what I was doing at the conference. After sharing, we broke into discussions about our SHAPE. We went around the table and shared about one of the elements of SHAPE and how we could use it in a missional context (how can God use you). I started to share about my spiritual gifts of teaching, encouragement, and mercy. I am not sure how strongly I have been gifted with each of those gifts, but I do have a passion and heart for children. I’ve worked with children not only in the education field but also in various ministry settings. I am always filled with joy when I am with children, and I delight in finding ways to support them and show God’s love to them. Although my past experiences dealing with hurt, family struggles, and loneliness were painful, I thank God for allowing me to have gone through those struggles because now I can better understand and reach out to children. As an older sister, I feel a great passion to assist and support children by drawing on my past experiences and just reaching out to those children that are in need of people to understand them, to care about their daily lives, and just to listen to their problems.
For me, sharing all of the above with my small group led me to realize why I was volunteering at CMC in the first place. Not only did the small group discussion remind me of what I felt God had called me to do, but it also clearly demonstrated that all the brothers and sisters at CMC are ALL serving together and bringing glory to Him. We are ALL serving in the unique ways that God has called us to. And, afterwards, I felt like I was no longer passing out magazines and brochures simply to promote RE:NEW, but rather I was sharing the real need and purpose for our ministry work in the first place: to bring Him glory through changed lives. So in the end, that is why I am here, because I was purposed to glorify Him.
The action continues in Day 3!
- Interview with Calvin Chu - November 27, 2013
- In God’s Eyes – The Story Behind the Song - April 12, 2012
- Living with Purpose! (Part 3) - March 2, 2012
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