Thanksgiving Testimony by Sara Lee of Toronto UBF
Galatians 5:25
"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."
As I look back on this year, I can clearly see the hand of God leading my life, step by step. I know that this year, I have really grown. But this is not because of anything I did, but because of God's perfect leading. God lead me specifically through 7 big steps this year, for which I really must give him thanks.
First, YDC. I attended YDC this year as a kind of last minute decision. My experience at the previous year's YDC hadn’t been too positive, so I didn’t really want to go this year. However, a couple days before the conference, long after the registration deadline, God suddenly moved my heart and gave me desire to go. I thank God for somehow providing the way for me to register last minute, and also transportation with Hannah Yoon. Through this conference, God helped me to firstly realize and deeply repent of my biggest sin problem: selfishness; and secondly, gave me clear direction for the new year. The theme of YDC this year was “LOVELIVE”. The main passage was Luke 9:25-37, the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In this passage, an expert in the law tried to test Jesus. He had a lot of head knowledge: he knew all about the Law, and he knew the most important law was, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbour as yourself.” He had a bloated head, but lacked spiritual love muscles. Jesus said to him, “Do this and you will live.” At the conference, we were given a lot of personal time to pray and receive God’s direction for 2009. As I prayed, God helped me to realize that I am just like this expert in the law. I have so much Bible knowledge, but the problem is, in my selfishness, I have no real life. I thank Jesus who died on the cross for this selfish sinner even before I acknowledged him. God filled me with the desire to learn love this year. I humbly acknowledge that I cannot love others by my own selfish self. But God gave me the key verse Galatians 5:25, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit”, keeping in mind that “the fruit of the Spirit is love…” This conference really set the tone for this year: that this year, I would struggle to grow spiritually not by my own strength, but by obedience to the Spirit; and this is exactly how God led me this year.
Second, God used me as a life testimony sharer at the 2009 EBC. Practically speaking, this step came at a very inconvenient time: exams were starting the very next week. But through struggling to prepare my life testimony, I was forced to clearly find my identity before God. God gave me the life key verse Psalm 1:2, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” I thank God for helping me to deeply realize his Sovereign grace upon my life: that he changed me from a self-meditator to a meditator of God’s word! I really pray that God may use me to testify his grace, particularly being an example to second gens. Through sharing my life testimony, God helped me to grow in shepherd heart for Canadian second gens and be filled with the vision that we can form a vessel for God’s work in Canada, as each one meets God personally.
Third, the Discipleship Workshop. God blessed my experience in Chicago far beyond my expectations. The theme for the workshop was “After God’s own heart”, based on the book of 1 Samuel. The heart, prayers and hard work of all the top servants in UBF went into this workshop. This was really their prayer that national-level leaders with God’s big vision and heart be raised in this generation. Through this conference, I could learn the key principles that made Hannah, Samuel, David and Jonathan such great people. Hannah recognized the Sovereign God in her painful barrenness and could rejoice that she was being used in his world history. David recognized the Sovereign God who even purposed him to play the harp and care for sheep with the hope of raising him as the greatest King of Israel. Through wilderness training, David deeply learned God’s shepherd heart, and was pushed to find strength in God. Hannah and David cried out to God in prayer and found strength in him. Samuel was an exemplary spiritual leader: he heard the word of the LORD, and delivered it faithfully to the Israelites. He was a leader who didn’t do what was easy: he helped his people repent and turn to God. I really thank God that through the wonderful intensive Bible Studies with Pastor Ron, Liz Hembekedis, and Missionary Luke Hong, and all of the amazing messages and spirit-filled fellowship, I could personally receive God’s calling for me to be a leader for my generation in Canada. God opened my eyes to see how he is the Sovereign God who made me born into a missionary family, had me suffer in sin so that I might turn to him, and is now raising me step by step to be a leader after his own heart. I thank God for this pivotal point in my life! Now my prayer is, “LORD, your kingdom come!” I really pray that God may raise up national-level leaders who have this prayer topic and who seek the lost people of this generation with God’s desperate shepherd heart.
Fourth, this summer, God granted me with the best summer lab position/job. It was completely God’s grace that I even got this job, because I know that summer research positions are hard to come by and very competitive. But I had a great experience this summer, working for the very famous Dr. David Jenkins and through this, God taught me independence, responsibility, and helped me to grow as a person and shepherd for people of this world.
Fifth, God used me as a symposium speaker at the CSBC. I thought that I already knew Jesus, the Bread of life. But through tough message training—writing it over 12 times—and through delivering my presentation with faith, God helped me to newly accept Jesus as my bread of life. Also through serving many programs, especially HBF programs, God taught me how to be a servant for his work. I thank God for this meaningful new life in him. Before I worked hard for physical bread, trying to outcompete all the other students at UofT. But now, Jesus is my Bread of Life and from him I have real and meaningful life of following in Jesus’ footsteps as a shepherd for UofT students! Praise Jesus, my Bread of Life! I really pray that God can continually use me as a messenger of his word and encouragement, especially for second gens.
Sixth, Club Orientation. This event really shows how much God has lead me and grown me over the past year. At last year’s club orientation, to be honest, I was embarrassed even to stand in front of the UBF table. I didn’t want to be associated with a club that was half made up of middle-aged Korean missionaries. I didn’t invite anyone to Bible Study and didn’t even talk to anyone I didn’t know. But how greatly God is working in me! It is not me, but the Holy Spirit who is leading me, step by step! This year, God filled me with energy and I could invite students to Bible Study from my heart. I thank God for helping me to meet and get contact information from over 20 students, mostly Canadian freshmen! I tried so hard in the past to change myself; to overcome my own selfishness; and to make myself have a shepherd heart. But now I know the secret to love is to live by the Spirit. Thank God for his work in me! Furthermore, I thank God for working in one student, Lynette, to have a real desire for Bible Study. May God use me to plant his word among Canadians at UofT.
Seventh, Genesis workshop. I really thank God that this year, we ambitiously prayed for and prepared the Genesis workshop. Although not many freshmen came, God answered many of our prayer topics regarding this workshop: he raised up the student leaders as messengers of his word; and he renewed the fundamental truths of Genesis in each of our hearts. Through this workshop, I newly realized the living power of God’s word. Humanly speaking, there isn’t really anything impressive about the people who served as messengers: myself, Becky, Moses, and Dr. David (well, except for Dr. David). But wow! I experienced how God uses the humble and obedient as vessels and instruments to speak his word! I thank God for his wisdom in using me to be a messenger on Genesis 1, because I could very personally accept “In the Beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” In fact, I think God had perfect wisdom for each messenger: Becky “It is Very Good”, Moses “In the Garden of Eden”, and Dr. David, “Where are you”. Although being messenger is not easy at all, there is such a deep blessing that makes all the struggle well worth it. I pray to be used as a messenger of God’s word to the dry bones of students at UofT, so that especially through the words of Genesis, they may come to acknowledge the God who created them and surrender their lives to him.
Looking back at this year, my impression is, “Wow! 2009 was a GREAT year!” But to be perfectly honest, I didn’t really do much this year. It was God who did so much. God changed me step by step by replanting his precious words I proudly thought I already knew. The Parable of the Good Samaritan; Psalm 1:2; the book of 1 Samuel, John 6:35; and Genesis 1:1. Thank God for teaching me the beautiful secret of living by the Spirit. He led me step by step and grew me this past year from a selfish self-meditator to a Spirit-filled messenger of his word after his own heart! LORD, thank you so much! I want to live by the Spirit every step of the way.
One Word: Keep in step with the Spirit!
