Tell us a little bit about yourself
My name is Alana and I’ve recently graduated from my undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto in music education. I’ll be starting my Masters of Teaching at OISE in the fall, and I want to teach in elementary school one day. I am a panda lover, music fanatic and an avid Yelper! I love discovering new food places and it’s always a great way to spend time with friends as well. As an ambivert, I’m pretty flexible with going out and being social, and also staying home by myself (which I did a lot during the pandemic).
How long have you been a Christian and how has this impacted the way you view and interact with the world?
I committed to following Christ at the age of 12 and although there have been many ups and downs in my walk with Him, making that decision has definitely changed the way that I view my life greatly. It has given me a great sense of purpose and direction in what I do. It has taught me what is truly important in the world, not chasing after money, relationships, success, etc. but walking in relationship with the one true God.
Do you recall the first time you were interested in Missions? What led you to eventually acting on this interest?
I grew up in a pretty sheltered Christian environment, which meant that I was not aware of a lot of the need for the Gospel in the world. I would occasionally meet or hear about missionaries, but I would think, “That’s not for me.” However, my mom worked for a Christian organization called Child Evangelism Fellowship of Ontario, and they had an annual summer missionary program for youth, so she encouraged me to go, and eventually one year, I decided to listen to her.
That summer, I spent time in training, learning how to share the Gospel with children, and then I went around Ontario to different churches and groups to lead Bible clubs at summer camps. It was a truly eye-opening summer. Not only did I learn to clearly articulate the Gospel for the first time, but I started to understand the great need for the Gospel in the world. That summer was also my first time leading a child to Christ, which was the biggest blessing - to experience God’s love touching someone in a way that they chose to follow Him! Although I wasn’t actually so interested in missions before this summer, I am thankful to have been encouraged to do so by my mom and it was what kickstarted my desire for evangelism and missions in university!
How have you been spending your time during the pandemic? Have you been doing anything Missional?
Over the pandemic, I have been able to take part in two online mission trips to East Asia with Power to Change. As I have mostly been doing local missions before, this was my first experience doing missions overseas, albeit from home. Our team would meet together on Zoom each day to pray, receive training and plan. We connected with students in EA through the short term missionaries there, or through language learning apps. Then, we would develop friendships with them, and invite them to our English Corner events, where we were eventually able to talk about God with them. It has been so eye-opening to me to see the possibilities of online missions, as we have had students who are seriously engaging with the Gospel, doing Bible studies online with EA students, having spiritual conversations, etc. even though they have only met online. I have a few friends that I am still in touch with regularly who are receptive to what I share with them about the Gospel. I am really thankful to have continued to have opportunities to stay missional even when we have been at home because of the pandemic.
Why are Missions important to you?
Missions are important to me because it was important to Jesus. As I learn more about imitating Christ, I am continually encouraged by the ways Jesus went out of his way to reach the sick and the lost. One of the prime examples of this is when Jesus chose to meet the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. He took the path that was less common, more frowned upon, to be able to reach her! I think there’s a lot of talk nowadays about how missions can seem like imposing one’s beliefs on another. However, when looking at the life of Jesus, he never did this. He simply loved them, shared with them the Good News that he had, and lived alongside them. God has shown his love through his son Jesus on the cross, and the least that we can do for him is to share that with those around us.
What would you say to someone who has not yet engaged with or does not know how to engage with Missions?
I would say, I was definitely there before. I think the most important thing to do is to just try. There’s a lot of fear in not knowing how to do missions or feeling “ready” for it. However, we forget that we are already equipped with the most important thing- the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is what gives us boldness, the words to speak, and the love that we pour out on others.
For more practical things to do to engage with missions, I found it really helpful to be praying for unreached people groups using the websites Joshua Project and/or Prayercast! It helped me expand my understanding of the world and the need/urgency for the Gospel. It is also important to start being “missional” wherever you are. With your school/work community, your neighbours, etc. These are people God has placed in your life already, and so if you are able to reach out to them, that is a wonderful way to start sharing the Gospel. If you have a heart to be engaged with missions, God will make a way for you to do so.