According to an earlier announcement by the UK Home Office, since the launch of the BNO visa scheme up to the first quarter of this year, the UK Home Office has approved a total of 201,877 applications, with 144,400 people having already arrived. Our family is among those who have arrived, and we have started a new life in the UK as Hong Kong migrants. We, a family of three, arrived in the UK in April 2021 and have been living here for over three years. According to the BNO visa scheme, after living in the UK for at least six years, we can apply for British citizenship. Thus, we are halfway through the journey to citizenship. If the Lord permits, in three more years, we will be eligible to apply for British citizenship. We are grateful to the Lord for His protection and guidance, allowing us to safely navigate these three years. Looking back, there have been many wonderful events, and we offer a thanksgiving sacrifice to the Lord.
When planning to immigrate to the UK and choosing a city to settle in, each family has its own considerations. We had multiple factors to consider. One of them was church life after arriving. Warrington is located between Manchester and Liverpool, giving us the option to participate in the Chinese churches in either Manchester or Liverpool. Additionally, we had friends in Warrington, and the housing prices were affordable for us, so we chose to settle in Warrington. Under God’s guidance, we chose to attend the Manchester Alliance Church (referred to as “MAC”). I still remember our first worship service at MAC on May 16, 2021, at 1:00 pm. Due to the ongoing pandemic, social distancing measures were still in place, and the number of attendees was small. One of the worship songs that day was “My God, I Want to Worship You.” I am grateful to the Lord that this is a song I can sing even with my eyes closed. One line in the song, “Before Your throne, I reflect on Your grace, my heart praises and worships You…” summed up my feelings at that moment. We are grateful to the Lord for leading our family safely to the UK and allowing us to participate in a pure Cantonese church. I understood the gratitude of Abram when built an altar to worship in Shechem and understand the emotions of the prophet Ezekiel worshiping by the Kebar River in captivity. Subsequently, in response to the needs of Hong Kong immigrants in the UK, the church established an evening worship service on Saturday despite a shortage of staff and volunteers. The first Saturday worship service in the history of MAC was held on July 24, 2021, at 5:30 pm. To this day, my family and I still participate in the Saturday worship service at MAC. Thank God for giving us a home in a foreign land, a home with the presence of the Holy Spirit, with Christ as the head.
Living in the UK, driving may be a daily routine for some people. Thank the Lord that the driving license I obtained in my hometown finally became useful today. Like many Hong Kong people, my driver’s license had been “frozen” for many years. Since I had no driving experience, I was very nervous every time I drove, fearing a traffic accident. However, one must bravely survive, so I made a new vow to pray well before every trip, entrusting the journey to the Lord. After three years of “baptism” on the road, I have gained basic confidence and control in driving, and now I rarely pray before setting off. However, I often pray during driving, reminding myself to rely on God. Therefore, I firmly believe that every safe arrival at the destination is entirely due to God’s protection. As the psalmist says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)
The most thankful thing over the past three years is being used by God to shepherd His flock in my town. Warrington is a popular place for Hong Kong immigrants. As early as June 2021, MAC established an online fellowship to unite Hong Kong Christian immigrants living in the Warrington area. By God’s grace, I was hired as a staff member of MAC in July of the same year, primarily participating in the church planting in Warrington. Three years have passed, and I deeply feel God’s compassion for Hong Kong immigrants in the UK. God’s mercy is in establishing a church in Warrington, allowing Hong Kong immigrants to worship together in the same language and fellowship under a common background. Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in a summit held by the International Fellowship of Christian Short Term Mission (IFSTM) in the UK. Through exchanges with pastors and missionaries from different regions, I was reminded once again to strive to expand the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. Since God led our family to the UK by grace and gave me the opportunity to serve in the church, I must do my best to be a good and faithful servant, striving to expand God’s kingdom. As the hymn “Offering” mentions: “Though the road ahead is full of challenges, I am not afraid, remembering the Lord’s call. From now on, I will cherish and not waste any opportunity. I wish to dedicate my life without regret, to repay the Lord’s grace at this moment, to follow the Lord’s instructions and live out His word, offering myself as a living sacrifice to Him! Through trials and refinement, mold me into a vessel for Your use, faithfully spreading God’s word, resolutely loyal to God.”
Pastor Winson Chan