The students who don't "make it" - vocational school ministry
21/04/2010 9:00 am <>
I first met Kerry, a student at Taipei Business School, in Spring 2009. She came to the weekly lunchtime student fellowship with two of her Christian classmates as she had nothing in particular to do. She enjoyed the time there and the singing so continued to come for the rest of the semester.
The school summer holidays began and it was time for our annual summer camp. Around 150 students attended from various vocational schools across the north of Taiwan, including Kerry. Over a few days, through games, activities, music, and looking at the Bible, students grew in their understanding of God and how His love is unchanging and very different from what the world offers. During these few days Kerry responded to the invitation to trust in God.
The following month, I met her at a wedding and she excitedly told me how she had started going regularly to church and wanted to join baptism classes. Since then she continues to come to the fellowship and is growing in her new faith in Christ.
It is because of students like Kerry that the vocational school department of CEF (Campus Evangelical Fellowship) focuses on reaching out to students in these of schools. Many students in Taiwan don’t succeed in entering the top high schools or universities. They attend a technical high school or university or a 5 year vocational college. There are usually only a handful of Christian students in these schools. The students are often struggling in relationships, financially, with their school work and difficult family situations. Many work long hours in a part-time job to support themselves through school. Others spend extra hours in cram schools in the evenings or weekends to improve their academic results. They want to know is God real and does he answer prayers?
In October, Kerry was invited to give her testimony in the student fellowship. She shared her story but it wasn’t easy for her. That day her mum was in hospital having an operation. She then found out that her boyfriend had also been admitted with food poisoning. She had to go straight to her part-time job. A friend kindly offered to go to the hospital on her behalf and take a meal to her boyfriend. Later that evening, she was unable to get hold of her friend. Where was she? She discovered that she had been involved in a scooter accident on route and was in ICU suffering from head injuries. She was very upset and with Christian friends prayed for her friend. God acted and her friend came out quickly from ICU and recovered from her injuries. Despite wondering why God had allowed this to happen, she saw His intervention, faithfulness and care.
Many Taiwanese go from temple to temple seeking the god that is the most effective in answering their needs. When new Christians or seekers pray to God and don’t see their prayers answered, it can be easy to turn away or think our God is not worth following. Join us in praying for students in vocational schools, that they would know the true God and see that He is worth trusting with their whole life.
Melanie Bister – Taipei
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