Hey everyone! I just graduated from UofT with a Bachelor of Commerce specializing in Management with focuses in Finance and Strategy/Innovation. These four years of undergrad were so impactful and I will miss my community and experiences in Toronto dearly!
What is a favourite memory from your summer?
A favourite memory from summer has GOT to be participating in a mission trip to Vietnam with Power to Change. I've felt a desire to go on a mission trip since attending P2C's fall retreat in my third year, and felt so grateful that God opened the door for me to go this summer after a waiting season. My team and I had the privilege of being the 'pioneering' team in the coastal city we went to, so it was a very unique experience breaking the 'grounds' and setting down roots for future short-and-long-term ministry workers. It required us to take each day as it came, not holding onto our own plans too tightly, and relying wholeheartedly on the Lord to direct our steps. I felt so refreshed and inspired by my team members' hearts for the Lord and genuine desire to live their lives for Him! And I was extremely moved by the local Christians and their lives that exemplified counting the cost to follow Christ and serve their neighbours. I came back from this trip with a greater desire to go all in for the Lord, deeper awareness of the depth of God's love, and a newfound joy in all that Jesus is for me!
How have you been encouraged or challenged in your journey to participate in God’s mission?
In my third year, through the people I met and various events I attended, I was exposed to the concept of redemptive entrepreneurship and business as mission. I was SO encouraged by stories of people actively seeking to make much of Christ in their entrepreneurial and financial endeavours. My view of living missionally was greatly expanded. While I always knew that, as Christians, we were called to glorify God in our work, these interactions helped me see the practical, day-to-day ways that it was being done. It was now clear, more than ever, how one can both excel in their business while doing it in a way that puts Christ at the centre of it all and invites others to encounter Him. I spent the rest of undergrad continuing to explore what these concepts looked like in different contexts, meeting some incredibly inspiring folks along the way! Shoutout to the 'Lived Called' event organized by Missions Hub, which you should totally check out whenever it happens again ;)
How would you encourage someone looking to get involved or engaged missionally? Any specific resources, tools, or communities to connect with?
Participating in a missions discipleship group, as well as being involved in a missionally-minded student group (P2C) and church for the past few years, were all extremely meaningful in shaping my understanding of what it practically looks like to live missionally. As I step into a new season of grad school, I feel equipped to live my life in a way that invites others' to want to know Christ. I am absolutely going to continue exploring business as mission, and am praying for opportunities to continue meeting people in this space. I came back from Vietnam with a newfound interest in aquatic systems and their relationship with coastal populations. I feel so excited to take advantage of the resources and opportunities available to me in grad school to explore topics I am deeply curious about, and how the Lord may want to use me in the future. I also want to more intentionally engage with my classmates and peers, making space to get to know them deeply. At the end of the day, I hope to continue living with a heart posture of childlike faith and curiosity, being open to whatever the Lord allows to come my way :)
