It has been 2 years since we left Malaysia for Southern Seminary. So much has happened since then. Books, godly company, and life experiences were the means by which God has taught us how to trust in His sovereignty and divine plan for our lives. In this post, I would like to share with you 4 truths that we’ve grown to appreciate more and fill you in on some of the exciting plans we have for the next semester.
Here are the 4 truths:
The Lord demonstrated His sovereignty and mercy towards us in the way He provided for our needs. It is one thing to learn about the providence of God and another to experience it. I admit that there were times when I was anxious about providing for my family and raising funds for my studies. Training for ministry in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed a journey of faith. We are ever so grateful for the way He has provided all that we need.
Theology leads to doxology. That’s just a fancy way of saying that truths from the Scriptures should lead us to worship God more wholly and sincerely. We realized how dangerous it can be to simply grow in our knowledge without being sensitive to our spiritual growth. Yes, we are training our minds to think theologically, but we must also be mindful of the condition of our hearts. There is no dichotomy between these two. Believers can only live in genuine obedience to God when His truth has captured their entire person.
The goal of our training is for the equipping and edification of Jesus’ church. One of the joys of being here in Louisville is Clifton Baptist Church. We are so grateful for the fellowship that we share with the members of Clifton. Many of them are examples to us of Christ-like love and zealous fervour in the proclamation of the gospel. They remind us of our home church, CERC. How we miss serving side by side with the body of Christ in Malaysia! During tough seasons, we sometimes feel like giving up and wonder why we are putting ourselves through this hard work. God then reminds that it is a privilege to serve His people. We study out of love for the people of God and the desire to be faithful stewards of His word. Our prayer is to see Jesus glorified as He uses us in His service.
Jesus’ command to “love one another” includes loving our spouse! It’s crazy, but we sinners tend to take advantage or ignore the people closest to us. Out of all our human relationships, the most important one is undoubtedly the relationship between a husband and wife. Paul made it absolutely clear in the Pastoral Epistles that a man is disqualified from ministry if he is not an able head of his household. We are thankful that God has been strengthening our marriage. He has taught me (Jerome) how I can be a better husband to my darling wife, Robyn. I cannot thank God enough for the joy that she has brought to our lives and what a blessing she has been to our little family.
Of course, more can be said about each point, and more points can be made. But I wanted to point these ones out because of how significant and impactful they have been in our time here.
Exciting Plans Ahead!
We’re at the 2-year mark. If there is ever a good time to make significant changes, this is it! So, what will the next two years look like?
We anticipate lots of fun, trying but nonetheless joy-filled, and sanctifying times with Baby Leng. We praise God for the gift of his life! Our little boy is 5-months old in utero. We are super excited to meet him! Robyn is feeling great and is doing a fantastic job getting things ready for his arrival.
Jerome has a new job as the Resident Life Coordinator. I’ll be working with the Associate Dean of Students in leading on-campus accommodation Residential Assistants (RA) and assist the Student Life Department in organizing events on campus. We are very happy for this opportunity because Jerome gets to work with an incredible team of biblical counselors and administrators in developing the community life of the seminary. The part-time job demands 20-27 hours a week, and it also comes with very good rent compensation. Moreover, in view of Robyn working less in the near future, we see the value of Jerome picking up more work hours. This job is a wonderful opportunity that has come at just the right time! God’s timing is perfect.
Jerome is going to be an intern at Clifton Baptist Church. For the next 9-months or so, I am going to serve Clifton as one of their interns (there will be 7 interns this year; I’d say they are a solid crew of guys). The internship is an excellent opportunity to understand ecclesiology (in particular Clifton’s) and how the elders lead the church. I am really looking forward to spending time with these godly men and learning from them. I’ll get course credit for doing the internship, so that works out well with my course Lord willing, I hope to graduate in May 2019.
The new job, an internship, and a baby are going to keep us busy in the months to come. But we are looking forward to it. We believe the Lord is going to use all of these things for our sanctification and ultimately His glory. He has given us good work to do, and we rejoice in that fact.
For the fall semester, both of us have 3 classes each. Jerome will be taking Elementary Hebrew, Systematic Theology 2, and Greek Exegesis on Revelation. Robyn will be taking Old Testament 1, Systematic Theology 2, and Counseling Practicum 1.
Prayer Points
Dear brothers and sisters, we covet your prayers. When you do remember us, please pray for the following things:
Robyn and the baby’s health. Please ask the Lord to keep them healthy and strengthen Robyn as she continues to study, work, and care for our family. Pray that Robyn will set her hope in God and delight in Christ.
Please pray that the Lord will bless Jerome with wisdom and strength as he leads his family, studies, works in his new job and serves as an intern at Clifton. Pray that Jerome will always depend on God and do all things with joy in Christ.
Thank you for your prayers and your support. We are so glad for your partnership in the gospel, and we hope that we have been an encouragement and blessing to you. The Lord is indeed excellent in all His works! We pray that you would continue to find your greatest satisfaction in life in Him and that you would abound in good works as a result of the overflow of His wondrous grace in your hearts.
