This is part 3 of a 4 part series. You can also read Part 2.

Spring 2008

Spring 2008 proved to be a time of training, trusting, and realignment (sorry, I couldn't think of another word beginning with "t"). At the end of the Winter 2008 term, I was approached by the current committee to be an appointed committee member for the Spring 2008 term. I went back and forth on that decision a few times, but in the end, accepted after much debate. Perhaps out of what had transpired from the meet and greet night.

Nevertheless, I was set for my first taste of UWCCF committee. And a nice introduction to it. Being the spring term, we as a committee, made use of flexiblity and smaller numbers to our advantage in planning and running nights. It was overall a good introduction to UWCCF committee, as the chair that term was very open and encouraging in everything he did. There was no pretense about anything and everyone else on committee that term besides the chair was appointed.

Things were overall alright, but I still don't think that I had fully recovered from the pressures that I felt heaped upon me during the previous term. As such, it became my mission at large that term to find a job in Waterloo.

And to my horror, things weren't going well. First round passed and I was still jobless. In fact, I had received no interviews. So things started getting a bit scary and I wasn't quite sure what to do.

Through this though, people had encouraged me by reminding me that my responsibility is to God, and not to UWCCF. Even the elected chair for the coming year spoke to me personally giving me his blessing to go to Singapore even if I didn't find a job in Waterloo. Perhaps my role, which God brought me here for, was to help with the planning and preparations. There was no stipulation that I had to be present for the actual term.

During that term, my fellowship back in Toronto had their annual summer retreat, and I attended that. A large portion of my time there, I was mulling around my predicament of job situation with respect to Singapore and UWCCF. However, in sharing with people and praying about it, it began to dawn upon me that I was going about things in all the wrong ways. It had become clear to me that my zeal for finding a job in Waterloo was not so much out of a zeal for doing God's work as it was a desire to satisfice those UWCCF members who had questioned me so vehemently about my motives for running for committee versus going to Singapore. I wanted to prove to them that I had the faith to get a job in Waterloo. And at the same time, personally, I didn't want to have to be faced with the decision of choosing between UWCCF and Singapore.

But out of that, came two realzations. First, as noted, is that my focus should be seeing what God has for me that temr, rather than focusing on appeasing the perceived needs of UWCCF. Second, what was truly important to me. If God truly wanted me in Waterloo during the time of my exchange, would I truly be able to give it up? I this question was posed to myself without the bias of pleasing man, but more so out of a motivation of was I really laying down my life and taking up my cross daily.

During the retreat, a message was given about the story of Abraham and Isaac. The relation between Abraham, Isaac and God spoke to me deeply about my situation and shifted my mind into an attitude of wanting to begin to desire the things of God rather than pursuing my own goals.

In particular, consider Abraham and Isaac. God promised Abraham that He would turn Abraham into a great nation. That Abraham would have numerous decendants. Yet, all this was promised to Abraham while he remained childless. Finally though, God appears to make good on his promise by blessing Abraham and Sarah with a son, Isaac, despite their old age. Can you imagine Abraham's delight? Finally God had come through for them, and all was well in the world. That is until God gives Abraham perhaps the most nonsensical command in all of the Bible: sacrifice your son to me as a burnt offering.

I can't even begin to imagine the thoughts that ran through Abraham's mind. God gives him a promised son, and now tells Abraham to kill him? How, God, are you expecting to make true your promise of turning me into a great nation if I kill the only son you've given me?

But yet, Abraham's faith in God is enough that Abraham proceeds to carry out God's instruction.

Amazingly as Abraham nears the point of no return, about to slay his son with a knife, an angel of the Lord appears:

But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"

"Here I am," he replied.

"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

This challenged me greatly. In essence I felt that I was being tested in the same manner as Abraham. God had given me an amazing opportunity to study abroad and reconnect with my culture. But now, would I be willing to lay it on the altar and return it to God if he so demanded it from me? I wasn't sure at the time if I would be able to, but I prayed that God would give me the faith to do so.

Abraham's faith in this situation still amazes me to this day. I can almost imagine him saying, "Ok God, you promised to turn me into a great nation. You are now demanding that I sacrifice my one and only son to you. But because you are a faithful God and you know what you are doing, I will not hold this back from you. I will do as you say and trust that you will make your promise true to me regardless of what I realistically know."

I returned to Waterloo after the retreat with this revelation and tried to refocus my motives for applying to jobs in Waterloo.

Shortly after praying about this, tweaking my resume, and applying to a host of additional Waterloo jobs, I quickly picked up more interviews than I had ever had combined in all my past terms in Waterloo. From this, one immediate offer, and I was soon employed.

God was faithful. God is faithful.

Continue to Part 4