August 23, 2014

Fall 2014 Prayer Update

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"Consecration of St. Augustine"
Cathedral Basilica, St. Augustine
St Augustine, Florida
It seemed like my summer went by at a blinding pace. And here’s why:

I kicked off my summer two days after my Hebrew final exam by visiting St. Simon Island in Georgia, attending a wedding in Jacksonville, FL, and catching up with a friend in Pensacola Beach, FL. After a week of traveling, I returned to Maryland from Birmingham within a few days and was in Salisbury, MD soon afterwards for ten weeks with Rev. Stephen Hause at In His Hands Deaf Ministry with Cross Pointe Church of Nazarene (explore its awesome Facebook page too!) to complete my final credit for Ministry Leadership Practicum (a.k.a. internship). During the course of my internship, I traveled to Louisville, KY for the 21st Century Deaf Church Colloquium and was also able to spend some quality time with my family and friends (much more compared to the previous two summers).

And now, I just returned to Birmingham this past week and can’t believe this coming Tuesday will mark the beginning of my final year at Beeson Divinity School! I am somewhat sad to see it coming to a close this May, but I am growing more excited to discover what God has in store for me after my graduation! Exciting times lies ahead of me!

For my regular readers: thank you once again for your faithful prayers and support over the past three years! You probably don’t realize how much difference it has made for me knowing there are faithful prayer warriors interceding on my behalf.

Here are few things you could add to your prayer list for me this Fall:
1. For wisdom, strength, and guidance during my studies
I would not have made it this far in my studies without God and your faithful prayers. Period. There were moments I wondered inwardly and out loud whether I would survive seminary (especially my Hebrew exams!) and finish everything in timely manner on the top of everything else in life. Theological education is rigorous by nature, and it can be taxing on seminarians at times. Not everyone are able to handle its academic demands. I feel blessed, grateful, and to certain extent, fortunate to reach my fourth year of seminary at Beeson, but I still have a few more hurdles to jump over before I receive my Master of Divinity degree in May.

Could you please pray that God will continue to faithfully endow me with a steady source of wisdom, strength, and guidance, especially in my own studies?
2. To glorify God through my labors as the president of Beeson’s Student Government Association
Beeson Divinity School’s student body elected me this past April to serve as the president of Beeson’s Student Government Association (SGA). I am profoundly humbled and privileged to serve the students in this capacity, and I will also be the first-ever Deaf president of its SGA. With this role comes many responsibilities and duties; it is my heartfelt prayers that I will not only meet the expectations but also to serve the student body well and give God all the glory through my labors.
Could you please pray that I will glorify God in ever-increasing measures as the president of Beeson’s Student Government Association?
3. For my future beyond seminary
I am nervously anticipating several big decisions to be made in the next few months that will have direct impact not only on my ministry but also my life. I am beginning my job search process for a church to serve in so that I can do an effective ministry to people, especially the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, while also growing as a pastor. My family would love me to work somewhere closer to Maryland, and several people have contacted me about the prospect of working for them, but I have no idea what the Lord wants me to do. Speaking as a human, there will be acute moments of doubt, frustration, and despair in the next few months – Lord, please forgive me for this! I also hope to pursue a Ph.D. degree at some point in the next few years so I can teach and do leadership development. In spite of all this, I am certain of this: God has a perfect plan for my life beyond seminary (it requires me to take a big step of faith), and I will let nothing else detract me from the two-fold calling I have received from Jesus Christ before I began my seminary studies: to preach the message of Good News to the uttermost, and to equip and edify all saints for greater works of ministry.

Could you please pray for me as I prayerfully explore my future beyond seminary? Also, could you please let me know of any job opportunities I could explore? If you do, please press the “Contact Me” link at the top and let me know!
4. For a New Deaf Church plant in Birmingham, AL
Birmingham, although located in the heart of the “Bible Belt,” is a spiritually-arid region for Deaf Christians, and I have been praying ever since I arrived here that God will bring spiritual revitalization and awakening in this region. And my prayer seems to be answered now!

On August 17th, around 25 Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and hearing people of all ages gathered at Green Valley Baptist Church for its first-ever weekly Deaf worship service! It is the culmination of about six months’ worth of small group meetings started back in January 2014, and I was pumped to find out about it! Although I was still in Maryland that day, I will be attending it on an occasional basis to help out a bit with preaching and teaching. I am excited to see how God will use this congregation to make eternal impact not only on a local but also national and international levels!

Could you please pray for a fruitful Gospel ministry in Birmingham and beyond as a result of this new Deaf church plant?
And on a lighter note…
Here’s a humorous picture I came across today making fun of the ALS Water Bucket Challenge that is still going viral on Facebook. Enjoy!
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