August 2008

On my short-term mission trip last summer, God blessed me with many godly brothers and sisters to partner with and to learn from. One of them was Wendy, a fifty-eight year old medical assistant from Toronto. Unmarried, Wendy devoted the past thirty years of her life spreading the Good News in over twenty-five countries.

Wendy’s personal history traces an unusual path. Born to Chinese parents in Vietnam, Wendy enrolled in the Communist Youth Army in high school. She was not only well-trained in shooting with a rifle, but was also a provocative writer for the Communist Advocate Newsletter. Despite the fact that many of her comrades, including her best friend, were captured and tortured to death by the opposition, Wendy was not deterred in upholding her beliefs. Coming close to being caught several times, Wendy was prepared to sacrifice her life for the communist movement.

Wendy’s unrelenting and fearless determination became the tool God used to do HIS work. After a precarious boat ride which ended in the waters near the coast of Malaysia, Wendy was detained in the Malaysia Refuge Camp for a year before receiving asylum from Canada. She landed in Toronto and heard God’s word for the first time at a local church. She told me, “My heart was convicted after listening to the preaching. I realized how I was chasing after the wrong ideology. I was following men when the Truth could actually be found in Jesus. I then understood why my life was spared so many times. Jesus was waiting for me to know HIM. I am alive today because of God’s mercy on me. My life is HIS.”

Fueled by God’s words and love, Wendy grew passionate about sharing the Good News with others after she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. Since Wendy was a refugee, God especially planted in her heart a desire to reach out to other refuges. Wendy began to travel overseas during her time off from work to share the gospel with other refugees around the world. Instead of sightseeing, Wendy visited the tourist places in search of Chinese or Vietnamese refuges who were working in the markets and the restaurants. For each country she explored, she also made a point to roam through the back allies, slums, construction sites, and the red light district because those were the forgotten places that were the most hungry for God’s love. Without any formal biblical training, Wendy could only rely on her testimonies of God’s grace in her life. Each morning before she journeyed out, Wendy would spend much time praying to God for the lost souls she would encounter on that day; and throughout the years, God had graciously saved many through Wendy’s testimonies.

When Wendy and I traveled together in a Middle Eastern country last year, I had the opportunity to accompany her as she witnessed to several illegal Chinese migrants and tourists. I remembered on the last morning of our trip, we prayed and then went to the famous tourist-shopping arcade in the city. Wendy was not looking for last minute souvenirs; she was seeking out last-minute prospects for sharing God’s salvation plan. With gospel tracts in hand, Wendy led me to approach a group of teenage boys from China who just finished their international studies in that country. After exchanging greetings, Wendy waited for the perfect moment before sharing the gospel; she gave them her contact information before bidding farewell. Although we do not know whether these teenagers will accept Christ in the future, we continue to pray that God will send other workers to nurture and harvest the seeds that were sown.

Wendy’s dedication in carrying God’s message to the ends of the earth gave me an entirely new perspective on missions. Sometimes I get discouraged when I think of the many souls that are still lost in the world, but Wendy showed me that missions is about reaching one life at a time. No matter how insignificant and inadequate I am in advancing God’s kingdom, God can still use me when I keep my eyes on HIM. I will never forget what Wendy said, “You will be surprised at how God will use you. If God can use an extreme communist, HE can use anyone.” I am truly grateful for this tireless and fearless sister in Christ and the inspirational example she sets. Wendy truly is… on a mission.