How this journey started

Dawson? Missions?

To be honest, I too never saw myself as the “missions kind of guy”. I didn’t feel a lot for the nations or the needs around the world, though I would pray when disasters, wars or riots happen.

While I wasn’t closed off to the idea of missions, I didn’t see the urgent need to go for one. I always felt like there were other things in life to deal with, I was serving God in other ways, maybe my calling was something else so missions weren’t my priority etc.

But the turning point? Going into the Antioch Summit this year, I was quite excited because I remember feeling very ministered at the Summit last year. That was when I decided to reflect a bit more about the past 1 year, and it made me realise how much God has actually sown into this area of my life:

- I interviewed Jemima at Summit last year. That showed me that missions really flow from an intimacy with God

- Jo Chean’s passing. I was struggling to find the meaning of life, but a missionary literally gave his life for the Gospel

- Meeting Jethro. He affirmed my heart for youths and missions. Made me realise that it’s ok even if I didn’t know where or when to go for missions yet

- End of a friendship. When a close friend left during a valley-low season in my life, it felt like my whole life crumbled. It made me rethink what was worth living for

- Someone from BBTC asked me for insights to produce Japan Mental Health Conference materials. I was surprised by how my experience could minister to people

- Joses randomly replied to my IGS and asked me to go for a Japan mission trip in Nov (which was cancelled in the end LOL)

Reflection from this one-year

While we always say that missions is for anyone, I only saw the reality of this after this one year. Even though I wasn’t particularly passionate or closed off to missions, I realised how God really patiently worked in my heart, even through the tough seasons and incidents in my life.

I also realise that as youths, we often feel like missions is very jarring because we don’t know much, and we don’t have much. But talking to Jet and hearing about Antioch Campus helped me to see that it can be a journey of discovery and growth, and there are in fact people who can journey alongside me in this area.

What is your next step?

Ever since the Antioch Summit, I have been asking God what I should do next. I looked for the available STM trips by Cru, and there was only one trip available – Japan. But I was told that there weren’t enough sign-ups and the trip might not happen. So I prayed that if it was not time for me to go this year, God would close the door.

But one Friday, on the last day of registration, the team leader called me and said that they were able to form the team! I was honestly quite shocked cause I already assumed that it wouldn’t happen LOL