Lillian and Mike are two of the record number of first year students at Moore College this year and they plan to take the gospel to one of the most difficult fields in the world.
The couple spent 2005 teaching English at a school in East Asia. They came back to Sydney at the beginning of this year to study the Bible before returning to Asia as Christian professionals.
"We know what to focus our studies on now, being over there for a year," says Mike.
"I want to see if the government will let me teach at a Bible college over there, something like Greek or Hebrew, because at the moment they wants the best lecturers and teachers in every field because they really want to grow and be the best country, so that covers all areas " science, english and even theology."
Lil and Mike chose to study at Moore College because of its strengths in Hebrew and Greek. They also hope to encourage other students to go overseas.
"We thought that some of the people here could be fired up…to head overseas. We just thought we could try and stir things up a little bit," says Mike.
The Christians we met ‘put us to shame’
The Christians in the Asian country they lived in inspired Lil and Mike with their devotion to the scriptures, and as a result they are looking forward to getting "stuck into the Bible' over the next four years.
"A lot of the…people in the villages put us to shame in that they only have one Bible between so many people but they just memorise it and remember it."
Lil and Mike love college life, but as soon as they got off the plane in Australia they wanted to be back in Asia.
"I've always loved [it there] and I think that's because of my family background. Mum and Dad took my sister and me [there] when we were eight years old and that trip left a really strong impression on me. I've always had it on my heart," said Lil.
"I prefer people being around and on every street corner. Here in Sydney it feels a bit like a zombie movie," says Mike.
There are many opportunities for evangelism in Asia because, unlike Sydney, people gather on the streets to be together and to talk, and lots of the apartments are built as communities.
There are difficulties too. Lil and Mike found it hard to find reliable sources of information due to widespread media censorship.
"The big prayer… is [for] Christians and teachers who really know their Bible and are really passionate about living their lives for Jesus and talking about it and telling other people," says Lil.
Armed with a passion for the gospel and a heart for the lost, Lil and Mike plan to return to Asia when they complete their studies at Moore College in 2009.
