TINA HSU
sent by church of southland to east asia.
Tina lives in Orange County and serves as the office manager at Church of Southland and is the AMI Cohort Program Manager. She enjoys serving in the college ministry, as well as connecting with people of all ages at Southland. She hopes to become a long-term missionary one day.
1. When did you go on your 1-yr internship?
2016-2017
2. Where do you currently attend church?
Church of Southland
3. How did you decide to devote one year to serving as an intern?
While I was studying in my last year of seminary, I sensed the Lord calling me to be a “free agent” for Him after I graduate. At the same time, I asked the Lord to give me an opportunity to serve in a cross-cultural ministry so that I could understand what it means to be a missionary and to further discern my calling. When a member of Southland’s intercessory team prayed for me, he sensed that the Lord was going to take me out of Southland and place me in a land, in which God’s work will “blow my mind away.” Three months after this prayer, I was asked by my pastor to consider serving in East Asia upon graduation. Desiring to be available to God, I committed to go on the AMI internship.
4. During your time as an intern, what roles did you play?
I was on a rotation to preach Sunday messages and I led a small group for married and single women. I also assisted in outreach events, children’s Sunday school, and hosted short-term missions team from the US. Because most of the local believers were working adults, I would visit them during their lunch hours or meet them on weekends for one-on-one meetings. I felt like I was there to serve as an encouragement to the believers’ faith.
5. What is one realization or revelation that God showed you about Himself, people, or His kingdom as a result of your internship?
I learned that God is most definitely more interested in the state of my heart than in my abilities and performance. In having to speak and lead meetings when my language was not that good, I often sounded very clumsy in speech, and felt self-conscious in front of people. My relationships with the local people deepened in trust overtime. I would ask God why these people trust and respect me when I don’t sound like an ideal leader. He showed me that trust is built because of love and care that come from the heart, and not because of my ability or lack of ability as a servant leader.
6. How has your experience while interning influenced what you are doing now and what you hope to do in the future?
My experience while interning has influenced me to enjoy God in the work that I do now and to trust the Holy Spirit to bear fruit through me. As a task-oriented person, I often overlook the importance of joy. I found that my disappointments often robbed me of the joy of the Lord and I would miss out on the great things God was doing before my eyes. Wherever I am now, I am reminded to look for God in every moment and to rejoice and give thanks to God.
7. How would you advise interns to maximize their experience while they are on the field?
I would advise future interns to enjoy getting to know people who are culturally different from you as a part of seeing the world from God’s point of view. I would also advise future interns to be aware of reading their own “ministry model” into the ministry at their internship site, which leads to judging and comparison. It is better to have a learner and observer point of view!