Thanksgiving

With a grateful heart, I proclaim God’s love,

Offering praise and exalting His grace.

Thankful to the Lord for His goodness to me,

A lifetime overflowing with His blessings.

~ "Song of Thanksgiving" by One Circle Limited

In the year 2024 that has just passed, God allowed me to experience much of His grace and mercy. Let me briefly count His blessings in this pastoral letter.

I am grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to return to Hong Kong, both at the beginning and at the end of the year. During these visits, I was able to spend quality time with my family and in-laws, celebrating the Winter Solstice and the New Year together. I also had the chance to meet with brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as friends in Hong Kong. I am also thankful to God for allowing me to enjoy Hong Kong’s amazing cuisine again.

I thank God for enabling me to continue my studies. I completed two units, one on Zechariah and another on the Synoptic Gospels, which allowed me to grow both in biblical knowledge and in spiritual life.

I thank God for helping my wife and me successfully apply for a mortgage and become homeowners. Throughout the process of applying for the loan, finding a house, and bidding at the auction, we experienced God’s care and provision. I thank God for this new home, which we can use to host brothers and sisters, especially the young people we serve.

I thank God for calling me to be a pastor, a full-time servant of the Lord. Serving God full-time has been my dream since shortly after I became a Christian. I thank God for fulfilling my dream in my “mature age”. Before and after graduation, I heard many stories about the difficulties of finding a pastoral position, so being able to become a pastor so smoothly is truly by God’s grace.

I thank God for calling me to be a Cantonese youth pastor, serving university students who are from Hong Kong. It has been over ten years since I had specifically ministered to young people, so it’s amazing that my first pastoral role involves serving youth.

I thank God for allowing me to minister on university campuses. Since graduating from the Hong Kong Polytechnic, I had not been involved in campus evangelism. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to once again share the gospel on campus and help young people grow in the Lord. Serving in both church and campus has brought some struggles, but it has also brought great joy to me.

I thank God for introducing me to various experienced pastors in both the church and on campus. They have become my role models to learn from.

I thank God for the many adult believers and youth, whose lives and examples have positively impacted my spiritual life.

I thank God for still allowing me to travel, to relax, and to rest.

I thank God for my wife, who supports and encourages me in all things. She supports and participates in my ministry and provides encouragement and prayers when I am worried or lacking in faith.

I recognise that none of the above blessings can be taken for granted. I thank God for His grace in giving me all these blessings.

I lift my hands to You, offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving,

Praising my eternal Saviour, giving You my all.

~ "Song of Thanksgiving" by One Circle Limited

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