GLDI Class of 2010
The University of Auckland Graduate

GLDI has been a truly amazing experience. I’m a PK and have been to church all my life. I’ve also been to many retreats and have heard so many lectures from my dad on various topics. But GLDI has been something totally different. It has caused a paradigm shift in my life and has allowed me to view the world with a completely new perspective.

I’ve always been taught that we need to become the best in whatever field we are in to glorify God. Looking back it was all about me succeeding first and then “helping” God carry out His work in whatever way I can. It shouldn’t be about me. It should be about me excelling in whatever I do to glorify God. That is something that I’ve rediscovered during GLDI and which has truly inspired me.

In one of the lectures given by Dr. Kim he shared with us the vision that was given to him from God. In short, we are to turn the world upside down for Christ and cause a reversal in the current trend in mainstream society. One thing that I have learnt at GLDI is that we are at a point in time where we are part of writing history.

We look at the Bible and learn about all these great stories and experiences that the Israelites had with God. But we need to realise that we also are actually in the exact same position as the Israelites. We can either submit to God in obedience and be part of His great plan or disobey and forgo the blessings that He has for us. To me, realising the fact that we can actually be part of fulfilling God’s plan and making history gives me a great sense of purpose in life and has motivated me as to why I should become the best of the best in my field. It is not to become rich, achieve status, and live comfortably while merely “helping God” but to rock the status quo upside down and reclaim God’s kingdom so that all nations will glorify his name. It’s more than just being a “good” Christian or being a good churchgoer and trying to share the word whenever convenient. We need to impact the world by way of demonstrating God’s love not just proclaiming it.

GLDI is not a church retreat where you just spend time with God and listen to sermons. It’s an intensive program that guides you on how to be a good Christian in this society. It not only prepares you spiritually, but GLDI stimulates you mentally and physically. At GLDI I experienced God’s real love and saw God transforming others in so many different ways. I grew in my knowledge of the word of God and I also learned how prideful I was. Through the 40 days, God healed me and taught me to be humble. I learned being a full-time ambassador of Christ is not about being a pastor or a missionary, but it is about doing all things for God’s glory in your given position, environment and place.

I loved the fact that people came from different part of the world with different backgrounds. I established new friendships and a strong Christian network, which now I believe is really important. Experiencing the same training program with others teaches you that you are not the only one who is struggling in life, but there are many like you that suffer. Most of all, I saw how all the students were willing to help each other to run the race for Christ. GLDI transforms you and gives you enthusiasm about your Christian life. GLDI was probably the best investment in my life.

GLDI was a catalyst for transformation in my life. I first heard about it from my older sister, who like me attended GLDI after her freshman year of college. When she returned, she was different. Many hurts that she had were healed, and she was willing to talk openly about them with me. Most importantly, it was a permanent change—she wasn’t on a spiritual high that faded after a few weeks. Her transformation convinced me that GLDI was worth the forty days of summer and the hefty amount of money needed to attend.

The first few weeks, I didn’t feel myself changing, and that frustrated me. No matter how well I listened to the sermons and lectures, and how passionately I praised, there didn’t seem to be any significant moment where God met me. I cried with frustration. Little did I know that God was awakening within me a hunger to know Him, and to love Him, and it took time for that to happen amidst the many sermons and praise nights. Finally one day, we were listening to a lecture about the difference between a Christian who is still a slave to sin, and a Christian who has experienced true love as a child of God. The speaker’s well-organized chart comparing the two types of Christians made it suddenly so clear to me that even after growing up in the church, I was still a slave to sin and to myself. I didn’t know God; I did not understand the Gospel and so I was living a legalistic life. That epiphany was the catalyst of much change. Slowly, I felt freer, I felt empowered, and it was the beginning of understanding God’s love little by little.

I would be telling a lie if I said that I remember everything I learned at GLDI, because I don’t—but the reason why I call it a ‘catalyst’ is because it has been the beginning of many processes of healing, restoration and transformation for me, and I know that God wants to use all of that to reach those around me as well.

GLDI was forty days of spiritual, mental and physical grounding of my identity in Christ. As a first year in college I had many questions about the Bible and my faith. Our speakers and lecturers provided much knowledge and insight into the issues that were bothering me. Though not all of my questions may have been answered, I was met with more valuable answers to life—such as God’s calling for me as well as the vision he has given to me.  I am truly thankful for this experience because it was a time for me to really question, and reestablish, my identity and beliefs as a disciple of Christ.

Perhaps the thing that I cherish the most from this experience is the people that I’ve met through our experience together. It would be quite impossible to meet the same group of hard-working, committed staff, intelligent and passionate speakers and mentors, and growing men and women of Christ in any setting other than GLDI. Most of all, knowing that there are sixty other people struggling through the same, or even more difficult hardships and weaknesses as I am gives me strength, hope and courage even more than a year after our graduation.

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• 일시: 2012년 6월 23일~8월 3일
• 장소: Vanguard University of Southern California, Costa Mesa, CA
• 참가자격:

-대학 2학년(2012년 가을학기)부터 25세까지
-미국 시민권자, 영주권자, 유학생, 해외교포
-탁월한 성적(평점 3.0이상)과 리더 소양을 가진 중생한 세례교인
*영어로 수강하고 토론하는데 문제가 없어야 함
*모든 지원자는 엄격한 심사를 통해 등록여부가 결정됩니다.

• 학비/장학금: $5,000* (숙식포함)
  *$3,000의 장학금을 필요한 참가 학생에게 지원합니다.

• 연락처: (323) 933-4055 • E-mail: info@jamagldi.org

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