It’s been quite a journey since this photo was taken sometime during the 1990/1991 basketball season at MEI.
I was the school president, played basketball & volleyball, sang in the choir, played lead trumpet in the jazz & concert bands and finished with honours. High school was filled with opportunities and I am thankful for the many that I was able learn from and grow to be who I am!
The twelve months following graduation had some new challenges
School didn’t come quite as easy, relationships were challenging and it became very clear that I wasn’t all that and was in need of someone to help me. I had asked Jesus into my heart when I was 5 or so. My dad was (and is) a pastor and my parents prayed with me on a very special night in Three Hills, Alberta. Along the journey, there were more commitments to live for Christ including one in grade 9 during Spiritual Emphasis Week and another in grade 11 when I was given a prophetic word. This night is locked in my memory because we had a speaker who reached directly into my heart, saying that God was calling me to full-time ministry. Unreal!
The immediate challenge out of high school would test my faith in a new way
My dad gave me a verse that would stay with me for the next 25 years or so (so far). Matthew 6:33: But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well. Seek first Christ. I promised to do my very best to live for The Lord Jesus, and in turn, I would trust that He would take care of the rest. After all, if He takes care of the birds of the field, surely He will take care of me. The idea of being righteous before God was scary and comforting, at the same time. During this season of my life, it became extremely clear to me that my sins could be washed away because it was precisely for this reason that Jesus came to be with us. As it turned out, Christmas was a lot more than Santa & the Grinch and Easter had very little to do with bunnies (don’t eat what bunnies lay; it’s not actually chocolate). Christ had given His life so that the penalty of my sins would be paid. My acceptance of Jesus as my Saviour and His sacrifice for me resulted in total freedom. Praise God!
Well, I can tell you that God is faithful
A passion began to grow in me to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. I was working as a youth leader and was coaching basketball and volleyball camps in the summers with Athletes in Action. This all led to me playing the guitar and leading worship through a ministry called Doxa. Many songs were written to the glory of God. Some of you will have attended these services back in the day, as it were. It was truly all for Jesus.
At the same time that Doxa was running, I was a music teacher and saw a choral program grow from 15 students to over 150 at Rick Hansen Secondary. Amazing! I went on to serve as the worship pastor at my Dad’s church, South Abbotsord M.B., and then returned to begin the next step as an administrator in the Abbotsford School District serving as the vice principal at Robert Bateman Secondary, W.J. Mouat Secondary and the Integrated Arts School on Sumas Mountain. Between the Bateman and Mouat years, I accepted a position as the Executive Pastor at Christian Life Assembly in Langley, BC. Eventually, I settled into the role of principal at Abbotsford Traditional Middle School, or so I thought.
I met my wife Sarah in 1999 and proposed to her 7 weeks later in front of approximately 1500 screaming (with excitement) young people at Doxa. Yes, it’s true that it only took 7 weeks, and with her parent’s blessing! It was clear that this relationship was a gift from the Lord. Now, 16 years later, we have 4 children and are truly partners and teammates in everything we do. This new adventure will be no different.
The past five years have also been focussed on character development in schools and communities through the establishment of a non-profit society, Character Abbotsford. This passion has been growing and spreading steadily and culminated in the launch of the BC Schools of Character Network and a national conference, Character Canada. The best is yet to come for this movement!
Here’s where it all leads for me
• God loves each one of us
• He sent His son, Jesus, to show us how to live
• Jesus paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross
• Jesus rose from the dead and is alive today!!
• The Holy Spirit is our helper… seek Him out
• Giving my life completely to God was and is the best business strategy
• People matter… to God, and to me…
• It doesn’t matter who they are or where they come from… they matter!
• God is faithful… absolutely faithful and trustworthy!
• I am who I am, in part, because of the many people who have believed in me
• Encouragement is needed for everyone
• Teams are better
• Doing our best in every situation honours God
• Each of us can grow where we’re planted… it’ll make the world better
I• ntegrity and respect are foundational elements to any good organization
• We all need a plan… find it together, develop it and fly!
Back to the nest?
Yes and no…
Although there is feeling of returning, I’m actually coming to a new MEI that has the hope and promise that our world needs… His name is Jesus. MEI is getting a new version of Vijay (just look at the pictures). Our jobs will be to work together to develop the young people in our care into a) women and men of integrity, b) with an authentic passion for Jesus, c) a commitment to excellence and d) the skills needed to impact their world.
My next post will be shorter, I promise, but my writing will give you an insight into my Organizational Philosophy.
Please remember to pray for us, the staff at MEI.
God bless you.
Vijay (@headofschools)
