The Lesson I Learned
The Important Lesson I Have Learned After Becoming CIM Staff.
It is not the “Cross-cultural mission” but . . .
Before I joined CIM ministries in January 2010, I was already hundred percent sure of the divine calling upon my life—called to preach and take the gospel to the lost. However, I became acquainted to the term ‘cross-cultural missions’ only during my theological studies at Tyndale Seminary. However, the Lord gave me the opportunity to participate a long time ago. About just one year after I put my trust in Him, the Lord led me to China to share my faith with Chinese people. That was in 1983. Like what the Apostle Paul said of himself in his letters to the Corinthian church (ref., 2 Cor 5:14), I too had discovered the unconditional love of God for the lost through my daily reading of the Bible while in China and had felt compelled to share my faith with people around me. The Lord loves sinners and wants to save them, but how will He do that if no one shares His love with them? So, I spent seven years in China while completing my university studies and preached the love of God with everyone I met at school, in classrooms, and on public transportation. The Lord had also used that time to help me ascertain His calling upon my life. Thus, after seven years, I left China and returned to my country. As well, with the Lord’s guidance, I also left my job, after just a few months, to dedicate my entire time to working for the establishment of a church that preaches the true gospel. Because after my return to Togo, I tried, but in vain, to find a church that preached the pure gospel of Jesus. All the churches I attended were preaching a salvation based on human efforts. They said: Jesus gave His life to make our salvation possible only. Believers in Him should complete their salvation through their own effort to live a blameless life and to do good works; or they simply preached a prosperity gospel. It was through my ministry that EGCT church, which CIM now partners with, was born. However, none of these past ministries had helped me learn what I have learned with CIM Canada.
It is also not about how I joined CIM but . . .
In July 1999, I left my country and moved to Canada. After four years of looking for ways—through academic studies and works—to make a living and to get better theological training, my faithful Lord Jesus opened Tyndale Seminary doors for me in 2004. Not as I wanted but as He wanted in His grace. After 4.5 years, I graduated with two majors: Pastoral ministry and Missions. That was also how the Lord was preparing me to serve Him with my actual home church Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church (Toronto) and with CIM Canada today. The way I have come to serve with CIM was a miracle to me. Some of you have already heard me share it. However, that was not the important lesson I have learned with CIM. What is that lesson then?
A turning point from being scared of death
Though I got my degree in missions, I did not have any previous experience which is required for my ministry with CIM. Part of my job is to recruit candidates among Chinese churches for STM and effectively taking STM trips with them to our partner churches in Togo, as well as in Ghana (whenever my help was needed). As soon as I started learning to do that, testing from the Lord also showed up, which had revealed one major weakness I was carrying with me since I entered the service of the Lord.
In the early years of my ministry with CIM, from 2010 to 2012, just in a short period of time, several commercial planes had crashed leaving no survivors. As well, during road trips, I had experienced some cars’ breakdowns and unpleasant incidents with my teams, mostly in Ghana. It was around the same period that EGCT, our partner church in Togo, also lost 5 brothers and sisters to cancer or to other diseases. All this bad news had worked together to put me in a worrying state every time I had to take a STM trip. I had been worrying for my life, my family, and the lives of the short-term teams I led during the trips. I like to be the leader of my own life. But this time everything seemed to escape my control. I was worrying about how I could keep the teams from any harm while we were there. Thus, during one of those trips, I was so depressed to the point that I couldn’t find any rest or peace. So, I seriously turned to the Lord to ask for His peace. And then, through a simple question He asked me, He gave me that peace, which transcends all comprehension. He asked me: “do you think you are preserved from harm or death if you stay home and don’t take these trips?” I was someone who was terribly scared of death, but I have found peace after I put my trust in Christ. And here I was again, fearing not for myself this time, but for others, not wanting them to get harmed or die.
When I let go, let God be my true comfort zone
As soon as the Lord put that question to me, I was reminded of something that happened to me not long ago. One day, while I was in my apartment doing some computer work. My apartment was on the 15th floor of a condo suite in Scarborough Toronto. It was around noon that day and I started feeling the chair I was sitting on bending from left to right and then back and forth. It was slow in the beginning, then after about two minutes, the motion increased its speed. So, the whole building began swinging like a tree blown by a strong wind. And then I started to hear noises like those of a clock’s pendulum. It was an earthquake. That was the first time I experienced an earthquake shaking a building of several floors. So, I was afraid that the roof, which I kept looking at, would fall on me. I was there sitting, not knowing what to do to save my life. Finally, a thought came to my mind that I should say: Jesus, save me! Which I said. And then, about three minutes later, the swinging, as well as the noises, were decreasing till everything came to a halt again. Before that, how I hoped I could be one of those who were outside of the building at that moment, for outside there under the sun, I would have felt safer and found comfort that my apartment couldn’t offer me. That taught me that my safety is nowhere but in God alone. My comfort zone, my safety, is in obeying His calling. But some have led us to think, it is our home, or our place of residence, or jobs, or etc., when they say you must leave your comfort zone to go on missions.
My life is not my own but the Lord’s
After that, the Lord continued revealing to me my nonsense. He said: “These people whose lives you are worrying about, are mine, not yours, including your family and yourself. I, the Lord am the only one responsible for your lives. You are not able to do anything that can protect them or yourself from harm or death. From that time on, I have humbly learned to commit my life and my everything to Him and cast out every fear and worry from me through trusting in Him. My life is not my own but Him who bought it by His own blood on the cross. Therefore, I should let Him do whatever He wants with it. Thus, I regained my peace, and from there on, have been able to engage in all my STM trips with peace of mind. I learned and continue to learn, to let God be the true Master of my ministry, for missions are His alone.
At this time when everyone is talking about the COVID Delta variant, which even the fully vaccinated are not safe (according to my wife, whose job is to investigate and follow up with people infected with the virus to make sure they self-isolate themselves), I will be going again, with the peace of the Lord, for the Lord told me this is the time to do His work. The night, when we can’t do any work, is coming soon. And whoever is trying to save his life, will lose it but he who loses it for God’s sake, to him, life will be given abundantly. As one wrote, it is not the soldier who stayed at home but died that gets more honor but the one who died in the field.
Our Mandate
It’s only through our obedience to cross-cultural missions that we will fulfill our mandate, which is to work with the Holy Spirit to build His kingdom. So, at this COVID-19 period, let’s all cast our fears away! The Lord Jesus alone is responsible for our lives. He is powerful and faithful to keep what He bought with His own blood. May He help us refocus our goals in life to doing His missions, that we may live and glorify Him, and Him only.
Pastor Matthieu Ayena
Togo Ministry Director
Chinese International Missions (Canada) / CIM Ministries
September Financials
1. General Fund - for general and administrative purposes, such as staff salaries
2. Designated Fund - for specific ministries in different field locations as designated (cannot be transferred between funds)
*All financial figures are in Canadian dollars and rounded to the nearest dollar
Pray With Us:
Praise God that our international worker, Janice Wong, is safely back in Ghana after her 3 month home assignment in Canada. Pray that she will re-adjust to life in Ghana as she continues her ministry there.
Pray for safety and protection as Pastor Matthieu Ayena ministers in Togo this month visiting with church leadership and doing visitations.
Pray for the planning of our AGM to be held on Nov. 6.
Pray for the planning of the Roma Info Session scheduled for Nov. 27.
Pray for CIM USA and Christine Pi as she has retired as Executive Director. CIM USA is currently recruiting for an Executive Director successor, as well as a Director of Ministry.
Pray for Rev. Douglas Wu, CIM’s missionary to South Africa, who contracted Covid 19 on July 26. He is doing better though he is suffering from heart arrhythmia. Pray that the medications that he is taking will be effective. Unfortunately one of his cousins passed away from Covid complications on August 12.
ROMA MINISTRY INFO. SESSION
As all our STM trips are still on hold, we would like to virtually introduce you to our mission fields. The next info session will be held on
November 27
12 pm PST/1 pm MST/3 pm EST.
Save the date! We will be sharing updates from the House of Mercy, prayer requests and future opportunities to serve the Roma community in Ukraine.
It is a free event and if you are interested in attending please register here and we will send you a Zoom link.