Turn Dependency into Discipleship
December 5, 2022
Jim Young – Shepherding people to steward their gifts and passions
December 21, 2022
From Searching for Help to Serving as a Helper: Hong Kong, Vancouver, and GTP
God created me as a curious and creative person. I like to explore different places, meet interesting people, and learn new things. With such curiosity and creativity, I see life as a great adventure! These traits shape my faith and life. They make me open to follow God wherever He leads and eager to obey whatever I sense He wants me to do with my life.
I was born in Hong Kong and grew up with my parents and three older sisters. Life was difficult and hard back then. My dad fled from mainland China to Hong Kong in the 1950s. He stayed in an illegal hut on the edge of the mountains but later moved to public housing due to the “Shek Kip Mei Fire” in 1953. My mom joined a local church to get supplies like rice, noodles, and milk. Later on, she developed a deep appreciation for God’s providence.
Trevor and his dog, Jojo, with the Hong Kong skyline in the background
Like most other kids, I studied in a rooftop kindergarten and primary school. When I was in primary 3, my sisters put me in a Christian school where I first heard about Jesus and Christianity. As the youngest and only boy in the family, my parents and sisters treated me special. I had a very happy childhood filled with love.
My character developed in my teenage years, when I started working. My first summer job was in a padlock factory. I was paid USD $2.50 per day. The factory working conditions were harsh with long hours, typically 10 to 12 hours a day. Also, peers sometimes bullied me. These conditions formed resilience in me. I also began playing sports, which strengthened my mental health and emotional well-being and also cultivated my leadership and communication skills.
My faith journey began in Hong Kong and grew in Canada where went for university studies. After my graduation and just before I planned return to Hong Kong, I got the news that my eldest sister passed away from lupus. My family kept it from me because they wanted me to complete my studies. I felt both angry and sad. Within the next few years, my second sister died of the same disease and my dad also passed away.
Trevor, Frances, and their three sons – Mitchell, Brandon, and Darius – at the University of Toronto, Canada
Despite times of separation and loss in my young adult years, God was gracious to me. I met Frances and got married. God blessed us with three children and a dog. We lived in Vancouver for 12 years, where I focused on working and caring for the needs of my family. Then God opened a door for me. He provided a management consultant job in Hong Kong. We prayed and decided to move back there.
Several years later, some unfortunate incidents happened in my church in Hong Kong. God moved me to search for best practices for church administration and ministry governance. Through that search in 2018, I met Dr. Gary Hoag. It was right about the time when ECFA was activating GTP as an international entity to assist people like me. Gary and I felt an immediate connection. I did not know it at the time but he had been praying for God to raise up someone in Hong Kong to serve East Asia.
Shortly thereafter, God invited me to serve as the Regional Facilitator for East Asia. I said yes and a year later, participated in GTP’s first Global Gathering in Dubai, UAE. There, I met workers from around the world. This refined my vision for helping people in my region. Since then, GTP has been part of my service along with my church ministry.
GTP Regional Facilitators at the first Global Gathering in Dubai, UAE in 2019
The recent social-political movement in Hong Kong has awakened many churches and people, including myself, to reflect on life and ministry in a setting where the government has shifted from a democracy to a more dictatorial model. Additionally, most churches in Hong Kong lack contextual biblical teaching and the sociological and political language and experiences to interpret their faith in changing times.
A closer look at churches and ministries in Hong Kong reveals aging leadership and unsuccessful transitions. These dynamics surface repeatedly as we have inadequate pastoral and theological guidance related to the practical aspects of church administration and ministry governance. Again, this is what led me to connect with GTP for service in Hong Kong. It has also given me a burden to help Chinese churches and ministries worldwide.
As GTP Regional Facilitator for East Asia, I have felt the need to grow a community of stewards who share my passion for helping churches and ministries follow standards for flourishing in a God-honoring way. So, I have replicated a GTP training called Journey of Empowerment (JOE) with English-speaking Chinese brothers and sisters. I believe, in time, this community will form a peer accountability group for Hong Kong like ECFA in the USA.
Trevor (pictured in the middle) with the rest of the GTP staff
From time to time, I ask God, “I am here. What do you want me to do?” A few months ago when this was the posture of my heart, Gary asked me to consider working full-time with GTP as COO. I would need to relocate to Vancouver with two primary responsibilities: managing the growing global operations and contextualizing resources for Chinese Christian workers in Canada, USA, and around the world.
I told him that I have never worked in Christian ministry. But he asked me to pray about it, so I did. I also asked him to be my spiritual mentor, which has been a blessing so far. In my prayers, the Lord pointed me to Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
On 1 October 2022, I joined the staff. I’ve come full circle—from searching for help for my church to serving as a helper for church and ministry workers. While I know that there will be many challenges ahead, I love GTP and I want offer my competence to God and remain teachable. Together with the rest of the team, I am ready to serve GTP and the global network with a heart of surrender and sacrifice to God's ways. I ask God to give me wisdom, self-control, patience, understanding, and a devout, faithful, and courageous heart.
