Sowing Seeds

By Esther Jung

Lead: The burning question of who God truly is was this year's theme of Spiritual Emphasis Week, where speakers from Texas came to teach the word of God, impacting student’s lives.

As I opened my eyes, I saw the beautiful image of the Harbor Hall room filled with people ranging from 3-year-old kids to grandparents, praising the Lord with all their hearts.    

This is what Spiritual Emphasis Week, or SEW, strives to achieve each year. Dalat sets aside three days dedicated to encouraging students and adults to grow spiritually and learn about the word of God. Each year, Pastor Bob and the Leadership Development team work hard to make SEW a memorable event by picking a theme and inviting speakers from different parts of the world to share during Chapel and evening services.  

This year, from October 23rd to 25th, a team from Frisco, Texas, came all the way down to Penang, Malaysia, to talk about this year’s theme, “God is.” We learned about the different names of God, what they meant, and how we can apply these teachings in our lives.  

“I really enjoyed looking around and seeing so many people of all ages praying together and worshiping the Lord,” said Sophia Coker (12). 

During the evening services from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, a designated person from the Frisco Team would come up and speak. After the speaker finished the message, the rest of the time would be filled with worship and prayer. The LD team would come up to the front to have the opportunity to pray for the students and teachers who needed prayer.  

On the very last day of SEW, instead of the team from Frisco, Texas, coming up to speak, we had the opportunity to hear some of the Leadership Development team’s testimonies.  

When asking Stephen Branum (12) what he thought about the testimonies, he commented, “I think that the seniors all have really good testimonies of all the ways God has worked in their lives and how He has shown himself to them. I would say Andy’s testimony was my favorite because it just showed how much God loves us, how He gets us through hard times, and how He is always there for us. It really resonated with me because I was in a similar situation in my 8th and 9th grade years, and it reminds me of the lengths God goes to reach us and for us just to run to Him and not be confined and trapped in those dark places and times.” 

All in all, Spiritual Emphasis Week is a yearly tradition that the Leadership Development Team and Pastor Bob organize. It has significantly impacted many students and adults, bringing spiritual growth and a love for God. It truly sows and plants seeds in people’s hearts.