中文翻译:
多伦多大学很早就有了中文祷告小组,但2005年初,主召集了一群兄弟姐妹,他们对校园里国语学生的灵魂充满了热情。我们一起祷告、团契,寻求主的心意,经过八个月的时间,最终于2005年9月成立了多伦多大学国语基督团契——UTMCCF。
Carol Yang(UTMCCF 2005-2006 Chair)的个人见证:
当神呼召我建立一个专门为慕道友服务的国语团契时,我只是个大一的新生。我是少数几位能流利说国语并了解中国文化的基督徒之一。因为我在中国出生,12岁时移民到加拿大。我非常适合接触那些刚从国内来到多伦多大学的新生,因为我理解适应异文化的困难与孤独,而且正是这种感受让我在12岁时接受了耶稣基督为我的救主。
大一的第一个学期,我记得CCF(英语基督徒团契)的主席Jonathan Hui鼓励我和其他弟兄姐妹可能开始一个国语事工。虽然我在高中时是团契的领袖,但当我进入大学时,我对神的供应和信实产生了怀疑。我觉得专注于学业比在校园传福音更重要。那时我没有把神的国放在生命中的首位,而是专注于自己的问题和生活中遇到困难,试图靠自己解决它们。我很感谢神没有放弃我,祂让我进入了生命中的旷野,一个非常干涸的季节,让我真正地尝到并看到只有祂是美善的。尽管我努力想挽救我的学业和人际关系,我却仍然在此上挣扎。我不得不面对自己控制生活而不将生命交托给神的现实,并意识到自己的不足。
直到我的生活完全崩溃——至少在我19岁时觉得是如此——在UTCCF 2005年的reading week退修会中,我才把神作为最后的依靠。神并没有解决我的个人问题,反而让我看到了祂国度的永恒价值。当我与神更亲近,并浸泡在祂的爱中时,我学会了在校园中聆听祂的心跳。我突然意识到,校园中有许多国语学生感到孤独,需要耶稣的爱。一群弟兄姐妹拒绝向我们的国语朋友隐藏福音,而是被神的怜悯和爱所推动,去服侍这些国语学生。
在2005年reading week后不久,一个国语祷告小组成为了下一年团契的委员会。我们祷告,寻求神对这个校园的心意和异象。我们学会了在十字架下放下自己的不安、需要和骄傲,转而专注于天国。
那是充满祝福的一年,因为神战略性地将Francis、Michelle、Johnny、Grace、Lina、Ellen Rae和我聚集在一起,共同服侍MCCF团契。到2005年10月,有一位同学在赞美之泉音乐会上归向了基督。到2005年12月,又有两位同学在冬季青年退修会中接受了耶稣为她们的救主。尽管我们在合一、信心和组织上都有挣扎,但神仍使用这些破碎的器皿来彰显祂的荣耀。这些姐妹后来也加入了MCCF的委员会,为主发光。
MCCF的另一个重要使命是将福音带回国,因为我们接触的许多学生在毕业后打算回国。2008年夏天,包括我在内的两名MCCF成员踏上了两次不同的回国宣教之旅。每年都有许多MCCF成员在暑假回到家乡,把福音带给他们的家人,并开始参加当地的教会。
神仍在国语事工中做奇妙的事情,请继续为我们祷告。
—— Carol Yang,2008届
2005年:UTMCCF成立。
2007年:正式被多伦多大学认可为校园注册社团。
英文原文:
Mandarin prayer group has been part of U of T campus for years, but only until early 2005, had the Lord brought together a handful of brothers and sisters, who had a burning passion for the unbelieving souls of the mandarin students on campus. We prayed fellowshipped and sought after the Lord’s heart for eight months and finally started the campus Christian group, UTMCCF in September, 2005.
Carol Yang’s personal testimony, Chair of UTMCCF 2005-2006:
I was only a first-year university student when God called me to start a mandarin fellowship specifically to reach seekers. I was one of the few Christians on campus who spoke fluent mandarin and understood the mandarin culture, because I was born in China and moved to Canada when I was 12. I was in a great position to reach the new immigrants who just moved to U of T campus from China or Taiwan, because I understood the bitterness and loneliness of cultural transition that eventually led to my personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour at the age of 12.
In the first semester of first year, I remember that the chair of CCF, Jonathan Hui encouraged me to possibly start a mandarin ministry with other brothers and sisters. Although I was a leader of my high school fellowship, when I entered university, I doubted God’s provision and faithfulness. I felt that it was more important to focus on school rather than reaching the lost on the Campus. Instead of putting the Kingdom of God as my first priority in life, I focused on my own problems and trials in life and tried to handle them on my own. I was glad that God did not give up on me. He led me to a wilderness, a very dry season of my life to allow me to truly taste and see that HE alone is good. I was struggling academically and relationally in spite of my best personal efforts to save both. I was forced to face the reality of my inadequacies as I tried to control my life instead of surrendering my life into God’s hands.
Only until my life fell apart – at least it felt like it when I was only nineteen – did I turned to God as my last resort during UTCCF 2005 reading week retreat. God did not solve my personal problems, instead He allowed me to see the eternal reality of His kingdom. By drawing closer to God and bathing in His love, I learned to listen to His heartbeat as I walked around the campus. It dawned on me that so many mandarin students are lonely and in need of Jesus’ love on the U of T campus. A group of brothers and sisters refused to hide the gospel from our mandarin friends and we were compelled by God’s mercy and love to serve the mandarin students.
Shortly after the reading week of 2005, a mandarin prayer group became a committee for the following year’s fellowship. We prayed and sought after God’s heart and vision for this campus. We learned to lay down our own insecurities, needs and pride at the foot of the Cross and focused instead on the Kingdom of Heaven.
It was a blessed year as God strategically brought together: Francis, Michelle, Johnny, Grace, Lina, Ellen Rae and I to serve in the MCCF fellowship. By October of 2005, one girl came to Christ during Stream of Praise concert. By December of 2005, another two girls accepted Christ as their personal savior during a winter youth retreat. Although we struggled in unity, in our own faith, in our organization, God still used these broken vessels of His to display His glory. Later on, these sisters became part of the MCCF committee and started to shine for the Lord.
Another huge purpose of MCCF was to bring the gospel back to China as we are reaching many students who intend to return to China once they finish school. In the summer of 2008, two people from MCCF including myself embarked on two different mission trips back to China. On an annual basis, many MCCF members return to their families in China with the gospel and start to attend local churches during their summer break.
God is still doing amazing things with the mandarin ministry; please keep us in your prayer.
~ Carol Yang, Class of 0T8
2005: UTMCCF was created.
2007: Officially recognized as a U of T club