Sean’s Testimony

My name is Sean Yen. I was born in Taiwan and had gone to church every week with my parents since early childhood. I was familiar with all the bible stories, but did not take a further step to follow God. When I was in 4th grade, my dad had an opportunity to study at the graduate school of the University of South Carolina, so our whole family moved there. Upon graduation, the Lord closed the doors that would have allowed us to remain in the US, so our family packed our bags and moved back to Taiwan. I thought our lives have finally settled down and we won’t have to change schools, go to new churches, and adjust to an unfamiliar culture. I was wrong. Just when I was getting ready to enter into high school, with a broad stroke, God took us back to the US. I was stunned by the change of events and wanted to resist this change in destiny.

In December 2011, friends at the youth ministry encouraged my brother and me to join the Mexico Outreach Team. After I signed up, I was confused as to why the preparation for the trip required so much effort and time. I was shocked to see the other team members’ hard working attitude as they sacrificed their time to serve God. Not a single word of complaint was heard from them. When we arrived in Mexico, God taught me that in order to understand His purpose for me and to follow Him, I must first deny myself. That was when I realize that everything God did had a purpose. If I do not receive His calling with a humble attitude, then I will not be able to interpret them correctly.

Looking back, I saw the reasons why God brought me to America. He wanted to open my perspective and be able to understand a different culture; to come to Chinese Grace Bible Church;to meet fellow Christians who obeyed His will without complaint; and to learn from their examples. In mid-August of last year, my dad, my brother, and I were involved in a major car accident. God’s wings shielded us from danger. The car was demolished, but no physical harm afflicted us. Through this incident, I witnessed life’s fragility. My faith was further fortified after seeing my father receive his baptism after this incident.

In the past, I often considered my needs before God. Throughout these past few years, however, God has corrected me on numerous occasions. God is always watching and teaching me life lessons. He taught me to listen to His voice obediently and understand His purpose for me. I must learn to abandon my fishing net to follow God like what the disciples did. Whether I am in Taiwan, America, or Mexico, I will obey God and serve Him without complete obedience.

I want to thank God for opening my heart to announce that Jesus is my savior. I will follow, praise and worship God all of my life.

我叫閻以群。出生在台灣，從小就陪著爸媽一同去教會，對於聖經故事都很熟悉，但並沒有更進一步地去追隨主耶穌。當我要上小學四年級時，爸爸因為有機會在南卡(South Carolina)進修他的博士學位，我們全家人便搬到美國。兩年後，神並沒有要我們繼續留在美國，於是我們便又搬回台灣。我以為我們的生活終於可以穩定下來，不用再轉學、換教會、適應新環境，結果正當我準備升高中時，神卻又將我們全家帶來加州。當時的我有一種錯愕感，想要反抗，不想跟隨神的腳步。

去年年底，經由教會朋友們的鼓勵與支持下，我和弟弟以安一同報名墨西哥短宣，起初我並不瞭解為何需要花那麼多的時間和精神在準備事工上，更令我驚訝的是其他青少年積極付出的態度，他們並沒有發出任何怨言，而是以謙卑的心去服侍上帝。當我們到達墨西哥時，神又透過營地的講員教導我們要先否認自己(deny yourself)才能明白神的旨意並且去追隨祂，這時我才恍然大悟，原來每一件事情的背後都有神的美意，我若不用謙卑服從的心去面對，就無法瞭解神在我身上的作為。

現在我回頭看過去我的經歷，才能明白神將我帶來美國念高中，讓我在不同的文化和語言中學習，並將我帶到華人恩典聖經教會，認識了一群愛主的青少年，透過參加墨西哥短宣來重新認識神並且學習事奉祂。八月中我和弟弟及爸爸出了一場車禍，但神的翅膀阻擋了一切危險，車子全毀、我們卻沒受傷，這件事故使我體會到人生命的脆弱，爸爸因為此事故而受洗更堅定我的信仰，願意為神擺上。

從前凡事我都只考慮自己，很少將神擺在第一。如今，我生命中陸續經歷了神給我的功課，我深深感受到神時時刻刻都在看顧我、教導我，讓我學習了謙卑的態度去聆聽祂的聲音，明白祂的旨意。我更要學習耶穌門徒的精神，捨下魚網跟從耶穌。無論在台灣、美國或墨西哥，我願意順服神，為祂所用。