When it comes to finding your mission field, sometimes God calls you to serve at the local level. Other times, God calls you to take on a major mission halfway around the world.
This was Emma Wong’s experience after she graduated from high school.
Like many people, Emma had dreams for what she wanted to do with her life. But through a few challenges that came up in her life, Emma found herself pursuing a call from God that very quickly took her halfway around the world.
Emma spent one year with NET Ministries Australia. With her team, she served the youth of the Archdiocese of Sydney through retreats and talks. This experience helped her to grow her missionary identity which helps her in her current position as the current youth ministry coordinator at St. Patrick’s Parish in Maple Ridge.
Take a listen to our conversation with Emma Wong here:
"Even in our hardest days, it's definitely worth it — saying yes and putting everything you have into a day with one person, maybe just one conversation that could last five minutes — it's worth it." —Emma Wong
Meet Emma Wong
Emma Wong was raised in Maple Ridge, BC in a family with 3 sisters and 2 brothers – her family was your typical front pew family who definitely said their evening prayers and the Rosary in the car. At a young age Emma’s family stopped practicing the faith and she went a journey or exploration that ended with her choosing Jesus in the Catholic Church and serving in her youth ministry for her teen years. She has been filled with a passion for people and the encounter of the individual, to making them feel known and loved by God and his children. Emma lives out her missionary identity today by engaging in community that feeds her spiritual growth giving her the strength of the Holy Trinity to go forth and make disciples of all nations.
Emma has been in full-time youth ministry for 1 year in the Diocese of Vancouver at St. Patrick’s Parish, Maple Ridge. Before taking up the role of youth minister at her parish Emma learned about her missionary identity and how to engage youth in an encounter with Christ through her time as a missionary with NET (National Evangelization Teams) Ministries Australia. She loves exploring the great outdoors, having deep and meaningful conversations with people and spending anytime she can spend singing or learning a new instrument. She likes listening to music, especially if its worship, and having late night jam sessions with her friends.
Want to learn more about NET Ministries? Check out the links below for the various regions that NET serves in:
Curious about what Holy Grounds Coffee House looks like? Check out this photo on St. Patrick's Maple Ridge Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/stpatricksmapleridge/photos/a.1113393518832770/1172998112872310/?type=3&theater