3 subjects - the last 3 subjects required for me to finish first year at College - were the focus of my attention in Semester II, 2017.
I have loved every subject I've been graciously allowed to study at Moore since starting in February 2014 {although having been forced to stick to part-time, this has been accompanied by significant frustration on two fronts -
[1] feeling constantly on the social fringes owing to not being on-campus all day or all week (among other things); and,
[2] that financial circumstances have meant I couldn't complete all my first-year subjects any quicker than part-time from 2014 to 2017}.
[1] feeling constantly on the social fringes owing to not being on-campus all day or all week (among other things); and,
[2] that financial circumstances have meant I couldn't complete all my first-year subjects any quicker than part-time from 2014 to 2017}.
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That said, there were professional and Christian relationships I was in during 2017 (as noted, my fourth year doing first-year studies) for which, it seems, the timing of my final 3 subjects (History of Christian Missions, Doctrine 1 and Understanding Buddhism & Islam) has been providentially perfect.
I. History of Christian Missions (HCM)
As part of income generation, I've been doing private tuition/coaching and homework support for Year 6 boys - I'll call them "6T" and "6S" - both living with their families in the inner west.
Student "6T" (Indonesian mum, Australian-Scottish dad) attends his local Catholic primary school and has been increasingly annoyed at his religious ed. homework, involving such non-Protestant concepts as the seven sacraments and the Rosary. However, thanks to HCM's crash-course style overview of the era from Middle Ages Catholicism to the 1517 Reformation and beyond (learned during 2nd semester 2017), I've been subsequently able to address questions 6T has about differences between Catholic and Protestant beliefs/teaching, and could help him to check things against what the Bible actually says. {To clarify: As a former Sunday School student of mine and now a regular visitor to Village Church (Annandale) youth group, 6T is fine with opening and reading Scripture when encouraged to do so.} He has also been pondering key issues related to gospel truths, such as the purpose and existence of hell - on occasion, interrupting the academic tuition hour with burning questions about Christian teaching.
In short, there are discussions 6T has initiated during coaching, leading to opening doors for me to share information from HCM, and the good news of Jesus - which 6T himself sees is completely different to the Catholic doctrines he's meant to research for homework. To top it all off, 6T has told me he sees how simple Protestant teachings are to understand, and this feeds into his frustration about and growing dislike of the Catholic faith he is expected to tolerate at school.
When I began coaching 6T in 2014 (the same year I began at Moore), at that time - like your average Year 3 child - he wasn't old enough or curious enough to be reflecting on Protestant VS Catholic teachings.
But now, as he's at a point of noticing and exploring such doctrinal differences himself - in God's good plan, me voilà, la bergère petite, helping with his homework just as it has been for 4 years - yet this year presented more opportunity than the last few, since studying HCM uniquely equipped me to be able to point 6T back to what the Bible actually teaches.
But now, as he's at a point of noticing and exploring such doctrinal differences himself - in God's good plan, me voilà, la bergère petite, helping with his homework just as it has been for 4 years - yet this year presented more opportunity than the last few, since studying HCM uniquely equipped me to be able to point 6T back to what the Bible actually teaches.
II. Doctrine 1
In 2016 and 2017 I was in a Wednesday night Bible study (English-language, but we all look Asian) with a large bunch of university students and early-career workers. Through giving lifts home to other young sisters in Christ I've gotten to know some of these girls quite well over the last 11 months.
The blessing of studying Doctrine 1 this year has shown itself in the fact that we have had deep conversations about doctrinal issues such as the Lord's Supper and baptism, the practical application of which they have been thinking about for themselves as younger Christians. Funnily enough, our most recent chats about this happened within the same week as the Doctrine 1 exam, where I'd had a go at an essay question about Scripture and infant baptism!
The blessing of studying Doctrine 1 this year has shown itself in the fact that we have had deep conversations about doctrinal issues such as the Lord's Supper and baptism, the practical application of which they have been thinking about for themselves as younger Christians. Funnily enough, our most recent chats about this happened within the same week as the Doctrine 1 exam, where I'd had a go at an essay question about Scripture and infant baptism!
So once again my studies were directly relevant to these recent carpool discussions;
and I must admit that - had I completed Doctrine 1 during 2014, 2015 or 2016 - these conversations would not have happened because (until 2017) we girls didn't quite know each other well enough to share openly about these things in the car on our way home.
and I must admit that - had I completed Doctrine 1 during 2014, 2015 or 2016 - these conversations would not have happened because (until 2017) we girls didn't quite know each other well enough to share openly about these things in the car on our way home.
III. Understanding Buddhism & Islam (UBI)
Part of the UBI course requirements involved 2 conversations with either a practising Buddhist or Muslim person, with the aim of researching aspects of personal faith (and then submitting our reflections for academic assessment).
My 2nd Year 6 coaching child, Student "6S" is best friends with 6T (whom I've already mentioned above). In the course of my academic duties during 2016 and 2017, a friendship has developed with 6S's mother; she and her husband are both Burmese Buddhist emigrants.
My 2nd Year 6 coaching child, Student "6S" is best friends with 6T (whom I've already mentioned above). In the course of my academic duties during 2016 and 2017, a friendship has developed with 6S's mother; she and her husband are both Burmese Buddhist emigrants.
When my College classes for UBI began last July - starting with studies of animism and Buddhism - I would often ask 6S's mother brief questions about Buddhism after her boy's tuition hour was up, as it seemed to be a complicated religion with a diverse historical background and I figured she might re-explain some of the basics from a personal perspective.
Once the time came for me to do my required assessment conversations, 6S's mother was more than willing to meet outside of her son's tuition time and answer all the questions I had about the Burmese approach to Buddhism (Theravada). Throughout all our chats about her Buddhist faith - on her porch, in her kitchen, in front of her family worship shrine, in a restaurant nearby where she bought me lunch - I was enabled to find out what she believed about Buddhism and how it affected her life; and, in time, I also got to ask her about her perceptions of Jesus and Christianity.
Then, in the run-up to the end of Term 4 2017, I knew that 6S's mother was interested in sending 6S along to the Annandale youth group (Village Church, where his friend 6T already goes). So one evening after coaching, I suggested to 6S's mother the idea of visiting one of the Christmas services at Village Church.
This led directly to her asking questions about hell, and the forgiveness of sins, and what if more sins were committed by someone after they had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour from sin? (She had heard of these things from 6S since when he was younger she had enrolled him briefly in his public school's Protestant Scripture classes.) By God's grace and mercy, the nature of her questions and the discussion that we had opened the door for me to read John 3:16 and 3:36 with her, and also to share the good news of Jesus more fully with her via the Two Ways To Live evangelistic method (picture boxes).
Once the time came for me to do my required assessment conversations, 6S's mother was more than willing to meet outside of her son's tuition time and answer all the questions I had about the Burmese approach to Buddhism (Theravada). Throughout all our chats about her Buddhist faith - on her porch, in her kitchen, in front of her family worship shrine, in a restaurant nearby where she bought me lunch - I was enabled to find out what she believed about Buddhism and how it affected her life; and, in time, I also got to ask her about her perceptions of Jesus and Christianity.
Then, in the run-up to the end of Term 4 2017, I knew that 6S's mother was interested in sending 6S along to the Annandale youth group (Village Church, where his friend 6T already goes). So one evening after coaching, I suggested to 6S's mother the idea of visiting one of the Christmas services at Village Church.
This led directly to her asking questions about hell, and the forgiveness of sins, and what if more sins were committed by someone after they had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour from sin? (She had heard of these things from 6S since when he was younger she had enrolled him briefly in his public school's Protestant Scripture classes.) By God's grace and mercy, the nature of her questions and the discussion that we had opened the door for me to read John 3:16 and 3:36 with her, and also to share the good news of Jesus more fully with her via the Two Ways To Live evangelistic method (picture boxes).
________________
None of the conversations or opportunities I had this year could have really taken place in the 3 years prior to 2017 as I juggled work hours with my part-time Moore subjects.
In that regard it seems clear to me that God has, again and again, set me in His place, and at His time to witness to others.
Whilst in some ways I have hated the fact that it has taken me 4 years [financially] to get through just one year of theological study at Moore, I cannot deny, nor fail to give thanks for, the way that God has used the experience of last semester's subjects to declare His glory among people from the nations.
He graciously opened new doors in 2017.
Doors which were not ready to open during my first, second or third years of studying.
Doors that opened at the exact time that I was placed and equipped:
(1) to encourage Indo-Scottish Australian 6T in his growing understanding of the greatness and yet the simplicity of the good news of Jesus;
(2) to support my Asian-background sisters in Christ as they clarified doctrinal truths for themselves; and,
(3) to share directly about the saving work of Jesus, once for all sin, with 6S's Burmese mother
- both by opening up the Bible with her and evangelising via Two Ways To Live.
________________
The sense of being located within God's perfect timing has been very strong as I've reflected on the past few months.
If nothing else, it puts in mind the following..
"And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
~ ESTHER 4,14
L/T.
Doors which were not ready to open during my first, second or third years of studying.
Doors that opened at the exact time that I was placed and equipped:
(1) to encourage Indo-Scottish Australian 6T in his growing understanding of the greatness and yet the simplicity of the good news of Jesus;
(2) to support my Asian-background sisters in Christ as they clarified doctrinal truths for themselves; and,
(3) to share directly about the saving work of Jesus, once for all sin, with 6S's Burmese mother
- both by opening up the Bible with her and evangelising via Two Ways To Live.
________________
The sense of being located within God's perfect timing has been very strong as I've reflected on the past few months.
If nothing else, it puts in mind the following..
"And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
~ ESTHER 4,14
L/T.
