ANSWERING GOD’S CALL

By Cynthia Chu
October 2000

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God didn’t call me in the middle of the night as experienced by Samuel. God called me through the various people who accompanied me at different times of my life. However, I didn’t really answer God’s call until last year.

It happened in February, 1999, when I was cruising in the Sea of Galilee with other Holy Land pilgrims. In the stillness and serenity of the lake, the Gospel stories that took place around Galilee unfolded before my eyes, especially the one about Jesus walking on water towards his disciples. For a moment I could almost see Jesus walking on the water towards me, too. This tender moment made me shudder with awe and amazement. Memories of all the goodness that God has bestowed upon me rushed back at me. An immense feeling of gratitude befell me and I heard myself promising Jesus to do his will in thanksgiving for his grace and love. Jesus didn’t forget my promise.

The day I returned home from this pilgrimage, the Scarboro Missions magazine was on top of my pile of mail. Interestingly, I read it first and even called them immediately for further information on their lay mission programme.

Scarboro’s lay mission programme interested me some years ago, but I balked at the three-year commitment and discarded the idea. Like a typical up-and-comer, I was more interested in climbing the corporate ladder and a comfortable lifestyle than in giving up three years of my career for missionary work.

It therefore surprised me how I could pick up the phone with no hesitation. Even more amazing was that not only did the Lay Mission Office send me some information, they invited me to attend their upcoming Information Day. How much more convenient could things be?

The Information Day was extremely helpful and answered many of my questions. Two months later, I went back to meet with the Lay Mission Office coordinator to discuss more specific questions. At the end of our meeting, I asked for an application.

The Application

Making the decision to apply to be a missioner was a relatively easy first step. Carrying it out was less than easy. In addition to the preliminary application form and the autobiography, there were numerous medical and psychological forms and tests to complete. While none of these were difficult to do, the length of some of these tests and the long drawn out process did wear my patience thin at times. There were moments when I thought of giving it all up.

At the same time, other temptations lurked in the background: expansion of my department, increased influence within the corporation, opportunities for promotion, head hunters phoning with lucrative job offers, and so on.

Additionally, living in community with people whom I had never met, after many years of living on my own, was a scary thought. Fortunately, my family and friends remained supportive throughout the process and helped to keep me in perspective. I persevered and was ecstatic when I got accepted into the January 2000 lay programme.

The Programme

Scarboro’s overseas mission preparation programme for laity is very comprehensive, with excellent speakers conducting the workshops. The programme covered a broad scope of topics. The history of Scarboro Missions and what they are about confirmed my conviction to become a Scarboro missioner. The various workshops helped me further understand myself and my calling, equipped me with the tools needed for mission life overseas, and gave me a new perspective of what mission means in today’s world. The community outreach gave me a foretaste of the goodness in serving others. The community-building gave me the precious gift of a basic Christian community from which I can draw strength in the years to come.

Throughout the programme, we were pampered with support from the Lay Mission Office staff, the Scarboro priests, other members of the Scarboro community and personal spiritual directors. While the programme schedule was quite packed at times, we had fun during our free time.

The programme closed with a beautiful missioning ceremony. Through the liturgical dancer moving to the words of “Here I am Lord,” God revealed three things to me. Firstly, God has been waiting patiently for me to listen and to respond to this call. Secondly, I am being called to assist God in reaching out to those living in darkness, and in turning hearts of stone into hearts of love. Thirdly, my three-year commitment is not just to Scarboro Missions but also to God. I treasure this precious awakening as it

Do you hear God calling you, too? Are you home?

The following letter was received by Magda Van Zyl. She and her husband Peter are lay mission candidates for Scarboro Missions’ January 2001 programme. Magda is a team member with the L’Arche Community in Greater Vancouver.

“We received the Preparation Programme package today! How exciting! The four-month orientation programme looks very good to me and I am looking forward to this time so very much. I feel privileged to be able to take part in this time of training and formation and at the same time I continue to feel humble and in awe that God called me to become part of Scarboro Missions. What a gift! My heart and my head are so full these days. I am living so much. There are feelings of excitement and gratitude, of happy anticipation; feelings of sadness in ‘letting go’; feeling overwhelmed by so much that has to be done before we leave; feeling frustrated that there are not enough hours in a day to deal with things and work on things. Every time when I turn to God I am amazed by God’s love for me, reassuring me and speaking to me not to be afraid... God is with me and everything is going to work out well.”

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