Saint John says that “this is the work of God that you believe in Him whom he has sent” (John 6:29). I truly believe that faith is a gift I received, and it is because of Him I am who I am today.

My Life Purpose

As a child, whilst a lot of my friends at school had real ambitions like to be a pilot, a doctor or a teacher, I had no ambitions in life. However, I always knew that I wanted to be a missionary travelling around the world. Jesus had put a desire in my heart to reach out to other young people. I started to get heavily involved with church and youth ministry in my early teens and took every opportunity that my Father called me to be a vessel of His love for other young people. I was part of the core leadership team and I’d help at teen and kids retreats to lead activities or play the keyboard. I also played for the church choir and at times did reflections of readings at the local parish for communion services. Although I was happily doing all this, I wasn’t able to simultaneously nourish my spirituality during my time in the youth movement. I was deeply troubled and dissatisfied with my personal relationship with Christ, and I experienced a phase of uncertainty of where God was calling me.

Taking A Break

Prompted by the Holy Spirit, I stepped out of the youth ministry and entered a time of discernment and prayer. It was during this time that I heard about Mission Fire 2018 which was a residential conference organised by Shalom. I attended the conference but was very sceptical at the time as I feared that I would be brainwashed to join Shalom ministry. And I was not ready to make a commitment again. However, Mission Fire was unlike any other retreat or camps I had ever attended. Every talk, mass, adoration emphasized on the importance of having a love for Christ as the foundation of anything we do. I came out of the conference with a huge desire to fall in love and be in love with Jesus forever. However, I was still slightly sceptical about being involved with the media ministry. My curiosity led me to learn more about Shalom Media Ministry and its mission and vision. I slowly got involved with outreach in Melbourne where I got to speak to people from all ages and cultures about Jesus at different parishes and small youth groups.

Jesus gives a Mission

Few months later, I was blessed to participate in the Shalom Media Summit in 2018 along with eleven other youth from Australia. Being convicted about Christ and already having an idea of my purpose, I was not hoping to have an encounter moment at the event. I also knew that I’d be useless to them, based on my impression that they wanted to find talented young photographers, editors, writers from around the world to work for the channel. However, the 4-day event was unlike the other retreats or youth camps I had ever been to. SMS 2018 was truly an eye opener to how powerful the media is and how young people have an important responsibility to use it to bring Christ to others. God opened my eyes to witness and hear the testimonies of talented young people who denied opportunities to work for movies and big companies, because they wanted to use their skills and talents for God. At that moment, the Lord inspired me and assured me that it wasn’t talent or skill that He was seeking, rather a few pairs of willing hands and feet to build His Kingdom. As I was praying to know God’s call for me, He spoke to me through the Bible. “‘I write to you young people, because you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you and you have overcome the evil one” (1 John 2:14).

Ambassador for Christ

It was truly after returning from SMS 2018, that I began to be more involved with Shalom Media Ministry in Australia. I finally found the right place through which I can share Christ and yet never fall out of love with Him. I continue helping with outreach and organise sessions for children and teens for Shalom events in Australia. I decided that I would be a face and a voice in social media for Christ and prove to the world that the Catholic Church is still alive. He has created a craving for Him in my life and this guides me each and every day. As a university student, it is quite challenging to find a balance between studies, work, church and ministry. But as Saint Paul says, “for Christ’s love compels us…” (2 Corinthians 5:14). Even if my body is weak and tired, after tasting the goodness of our Lord it is hard to resist when He calls. For our God does not call the qualified but qualifies those whom He calls!