Time truly flies. I graduated in June of 2017 and now it is almost the end of 2019! Having completed my Master of Theology degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS) Hong Kong, I returned to Sabah, Malaysia to serve in the Sabah Theological Seminary (STS) as a lecturer. In my first semester at STS […]

Time truly flies. I graduated in June of 2017 and now it is almost the end of 2019! Having completed my Master of Theology degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS) Hong Kong, I returned to Sabah, Malaysia to serve in the Sabah Theological Seminary (STS) as a lecturer.

In my first semester at STS I was assigned to teach a Church History course and an intensive course on the Basics of the Christian Faith, both in Malay or Bahasa Malaysia (BM). I struggled with my BM as I had not used this language for many years on such a high academic level.

The following semester I was appointed Dean of Students and was also the advisor for the Student Association. Besides my duties at STS, I was elected as the Assistant Dean for the English section of Basel Christian Church of Malaysia (BCCM). I was invited to preach at the 10 BCCM English congregations over time. This was a joy as I had never served in the Kota Kinabalu district of Sabah and I began to get to know the various congregations.

I will always be grateful to LCA International Mission which, with your support, sponsored my studies at LTS. I was able to fulfil a desire to study at a Lutheran seminary and I learnt so much from my two years in Hong Kong, including how to preach in Cantonese!

Beside this, I discovered something about myself while I was in Hong Kong away from my denomination and church. I am very, very attached to liturgy. I visited one of the fastest-growing independent English speaking churches on Hong Kong Island. However, I could not continue worshipping there because they never celebrated holy communion when I worshipped there, nor did they have a benediction at the end of services. Going through confession and the pastor speaking absolution is necessary for me, as it is a renewal of my faith and relationship with God. Also, holding the bread and the wine in my hands reminds me of the price Christ paid for my sins. Even though I know that I am loved by God, the benediction at the end of a worship service is the blessing and assurance of God’s presence, along with the understanding that I am sent forth to be light and salt in this world.

It is true that a person never stops learning. Therefore I am very thankful to God and to LCA International Mission for sponsoring my study.

This story was also published in the December 2019 edition of Border Crossings, the magazine of LCA International Mission.

If you would like to know more about opportunities to personally support a scholarship recipient in your congregation during their stay in Australia, or ways in which you can financially and prayerfully support LCA International Mission’s scholarship program, you are invited to phone Nevin on (08) 8267 7300 or email nevin.nitschke@lca.org.au

Read more stories about LCA International Mission scholarships at https://www.lcamission.org.au/category/stories/scholarships/