“I
will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name
great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and
curse those who curse you. All the communities of the earth shall find blessing
in you.” Genesis 12:2-3 (NAB)
“For
I know well the plans in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare
not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NAB)
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| one logo that will go down in history |
I
have been pondering and reflecting upon writing this post for awhile now, and
as I was finding a suitable verse to accompany this post, praise the Lord that
I chanced upon these verses.
I
have spent a good number of years serving God in ministry. From the day I was
confirmed a Catholic, I made a decision in my life that I want to serve Him, be
it in music or reaching out to people. Per chance God’s plan, I met wonderful
people in my church that brought me into ministry. From there, God worked in my
life as my faith grew tremendously. I enjoyed serving Him through music, as I
believed that it is a gift from Him that I enjoy and understand music so much.
In 2008, the time came for me to leave home to further my studies in a “distant
land” (though I was still in M’sia, but it was still across 2 straights and a
sea). God led me to the wonderful “Land Below the Wind”, where He would still
work in my life as well in the lives of others who have devoted their lives in
serving Him.
I
met a small group of Catholic students who were serving in, at that time, a
newly organized campus ministry. Almost instantaneously, I knew that I wanted
to serve there. So as time passed, I accepted the role of being one of the
leaders in the ministry and worked together with the others in spreading the
word and also in ministering through worship. As semesters went by, so did the
old leaders while new ones came in by the grace of God. Many lessons were
learnt along the way, both fun and painful ones. But one thing was certain
though; god was working in the ministry.
I
choose to view university life as the time to discover many things about
ourselves, be it your future careers or even learning more about yourselves
(strengths, weaknesses, gifts, leadership, and the list goes on). While some
may seek to learn these through the various cocurriculum activities in campus itself,
I found myself learning these things through the campus ministry in which I
loved serving in so much. From growing with the leaders through various
formations, to leading the community in worship and giving sharings on various
topics regarding faith, these experiences and moments seem to stay close to my
heart all the time.
Which
leads me to how the 2 verses above connect with this post. One of the main
challenges the leaders of the ministry always faced was finding new ones to
replace the seniors once they’ve graduated and moved on to newer pastures. I’ve
been keeping tabs with the progress of this blessed ministry with some of the
leaders and also through the ever popular Facebook. To my amazement, God still
calls people to his service. God still shows His plans for individuals as well
as for the ministry. And I praise Him even more that these chosen Catholics
have the courage to accept that call and have started to serve Him with open
hearts and minds for the good of the ministry.
All
I can say is that this ministry will continue to grow, to serve as a symbol for
those who want to come to know God and serve Him. From having gatherings behind
church halls and on a small obscure level in the university stadium complex to
meeting in a wonderful youth center; from conducting worship sessions using
laptops and mp3s to having faithful and talented musicians play on instruments,
God never ceases to bless and work wonders in this ministry.
I
pray that in the years to come, many more Catholics will come to serve in this
great ministry, that many more will come to know God and how wonderful He is as
He works in our lives, and how wonderful it is to serve Him in this ministry.
To the current leaders who are helping to minister to the people in this
ministry, have a blast ‘cause it’ll be one fantastic ride! To the past leaders
who have served effortlessly, let’s be proud of how far the ministry has come
for the past six years. After all, this is LIFEFIRE
CAMPUS MINISTRY!!!
Down memory lane with past leaders...
Ps:
Please refer to my previous post “A Beautiful Contract” on being a member of
Lifefire. Big thank you shoutout to Dass & Carmelita Xavier, Derek and
Beatrice Chong, Mirina Lim, Denis Tsen and others who have helped guide current
and past leaders in this wonderful ministry.
