Ruth Hwmay: First Semester Testimony

 

Ruth Hwmay is a new student from Myanmar and studying Graduate Diploma in Theological Studies. She worships and serves with Agape Baptist Church in Singapore. Below is her reflection of her first semester at East Asia School of Theology.

First and foremost, I have never considered attending a seminary.  This semester marked the beginning of my first year of seminary studies.  My current study is a Graduate Diploma in Theological Studies.  This semester, I took four subjects: Christian Marriage, Exposition of Matthew, World Mission, and Spiritual Life and Transformation.  Each of them provided me with a unique viewpoint on God that I had not previously encountered or witnessed.

I have come across a new viewpoint on Christian marriage courses that is service-minded, as Christ comes first in Christian marriage.  In the past, I simply comprehended that marriage is a quality measurement between two people, such as career and property.  Furthermore, I recognised that being a Christian family, in addition to Christian marriage, is the most fundamental ministry that any believer can engage in.   I can state that the Exposition of Matthew and World Mission subjects were unfamiliar to me, but they helped to open my eyes to a broader and more expansive picture of the Christian world. Learning about the history of missions and the lives of missionaries helped me to understand where Christianity came from, and the hardships and faith of the missionaries inspired me to go deeper and bolder in my personal faith journey.

I was unfamiliar with the terms of missions, mission, and missionaries before taking this class, but I learned that I am already a missionary as I am a foreigner in Singapore reaching out to Singaporeans and other races as a Burmese.  I learned about mission organisations from around the world, as well as the type of ministry which I could serve and participate based on my knowledge and gifts from God. Through the course of Exposition of Matthew, I got to comprehend Matthew’s writing style and really felt how Jesus died for us, prayed, discipled His followers, and shared the gospel through the lectures, assignments, and papers based on the book of Matthew.

Finally, I would conclude that the Spiritual Life and Transformation course had a significant impact on my heart, life, and identity, both before and after I received Christ. I would say that this course offered the light assignments for the students, but I took a long time to complete some of the assignments since it truly took me back to my previous life before I came to Christ, and I have been transformed by it.

Through this course, I learned about redemption in Christ, spiritual battle, and Christian growth by completing not only the assignments but also practical applications in my personal life. I would like to thank all of my lecturers, mentors, fellow students and staff from EAST, my church in Myanmar and Singapore, my cell group members from Agape Baptist Church, and my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ from all over the world for their guidance, prayers, and support during this semester.  Without these, I will be unable to complete it successfully.  Furthermore, I would like to thank my beloved mother for her unwavering support and encouragement, particularly for my emotional and mental support, even though she is not yet a believer.

Starting from the beginning, I would like to say “Thank You, Jesus” for saving me and choosing me as the first generation of your Kingdom from among my family members.  You have been blessed throughout my life; through all of my ups and downs, you have always been by my side.  When I called, you were there.  Your love is everlasting and eternal.  I hope to learn from this first semester and grow in the future semester.  Again, I would like to thank our Holy God and complete my reflection with this verse: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Ps 23:5-6 NIV).