Reaching Students for Christ he akonga ki nga akonga hei ara whakawhiti mo te Karaiti

Ben's Story

I came to NZ in 2004, the first of my family in our planned migration. My first few years were quite a trying time, both for me personally, and for my faith. Faced with sudden independence, I ended up taking a year off from grades, relationships, responsibilities, and God. I spent most of the entire first year complaining and comparing everything from food to church; how the food didn’t measure up, what was lacking in the education system, how sermons were different and so on, not knowing that I too had changed.

After a year or so of warming the pews, I found my way to being a committed member of Auckland OCF through a persistent friend, and by God’s grace.  Or perhaps it was God who found me, after having lost my way. I still remember trying to find my way around my first TSCF conference, themed Back to the Cross. How apt. The rest is, as they say, history.

Five years later, I find myself in an office in Kuala Lumpur, working late into the night, managing multiple deadlines. Coming home has not been easy. Different culture, different church, different coffee… Sound familiar? Sure, I was told to expect all this, but nothing prepares you for the actual transition and how long it takes to settle in. I had to rebuild old relationships again. When I got past the small talk, I realised that friends I had known for more than ten years had gone down such different pathways in life.

While I was returning home from NZ, I was also transitioning from student life to working life. As a result I attributed much of the discomforts of my new working life to life in Malaysia. The long hours, office politics, tight deadlines, last minute changes, and up-or-out mentality were all a bit overwhelming for me.

Perhaps most surprising of all was getting to know my church again. When I work alongside my church in ministry, I have to manoeuver my way around the maze that is the Asian church culture. It’s almost a different field of work compared to what I’ve been doing with TSCF. I thought I could stay close to God by drowning myself in multiple ministries. For the record, that doesn’t work.

Yet, when I take a quiet moment to count my blessings, I find that God has been very gracious to me these few months. I am learning (after 16 years of being a Christian) to serve in church. I am getting to know my childhood friends better. Conversations on faith and Jesus have been few and far between, but by God’s grace it comes up from time to time. If nothing else, I would be happy to be home just for these conversations. I was challenged by a TSCF staff member to put a Bible on my table on the first day of work. It’s difficult putting my faith on the line like that, but every now and then I am reminded to work with all my heart, as working for the Lord. I have even been caught flipping through it once in awhile. Stay tuned for further developments.

While I praise God for his faithfulness over the past few years, I owe much gratitude to TSCF for its never-ending patience, love, and guidance. Thank you for being God’s instruments in shaping my life. May these few words serve to encourage TSCF that its contribution to the Kingdom is not insignificant, and that its labour, which may seem unproductive at times, does yield fruit.

Ben Chin, Auckland OCF Graduate