• Posted:
  • January 19, 2024
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Faith Taking Flight: Daniel’s Story

I was raised in a Christian family. Since roughly three years old, I attended Sunday school in Hong Kong. My mom was the first Christian in the family. So growing up, we had to go to Sunday school, whether we liked it or not!

I came to Ontario, Canada, to study (I was actually baptized in The Hamilton Chinese Alliance Church in Hamilton, Ontario!). After finishing school, I travelled back to Hong Kong to continue my studies – but I loved Canada a lot. I worked as an engineer and enjoyed the work. After spending a few years back home in Hong Kong, I applied to return to Ontario.

I had one year to return to Canada, so within that year, I quit my job and spent the last 2-3 months preparing for the move. I was preparing to get married as well. My wife and I got married in Hong Kong and then began our married life in Canada.

It was during this season of transition that I first heard God speak to me. In Sunday school, I learned that God spoke through many people throughout the Bible. I knew a lot of things about God speaking to people, but I never knew that He could speak to us today. It was the first time I could hear Him and I heard Him so clearly and so loudly. God said,

“Daniel, you go to Calgary.”

I had never been to Alberta. I had nobody in my family who lived anywhere in Alberta, not to mention Calgary. But God said, “You go to Calgary.”

I went to my room and knelt, then I prayed and asked God to confirm it. I said, “I think it’s you, but I’m so scared. I need a confirmation from You.” So I asked for confirmation, telling God, “It’s not possible. But only You, God, can do it. From a human perspective, it’s not possible. This is how I can know that this is really you, God.”  

So, I decided to book a flight to Canada, for just two weeks. But I told God, “If this is You, then prove to me it is You. If You have called me to Calgary, I’m not going to stay in any hotel or motel. You will find someone that would be willing to host me.”

When I landed at the Calgary airport, passed through customs, and walked down the stairs to the baggage reclaim area, I was greeted by an elderly couple whom I had never met, holding a cardboard sign with my name written on it.

It turned out that my dad had called one of our family friends who we call “Uncle Fung”. The day they had spoken over the phone had been very close to the date of my flight to Canada. Uncle Fung said, “I have a cousin, and he lives in Calgary.” So that’s how the arrangement came to be. Although we had never met in person before, the couple welcomed me into their home. God is amazing!

During the trip, it was proving a challenge to find job opportunities due to the economic circumstances. And just 4 days before my flight home, the couple suddenly informed me, “You have to leave tomorrow morning.” I asked, “Oh, why? I only have three more days until my flight home.” And they said, “Well, we have to go to Vancouver tomorrow to meet our newborn grandchild, so you can no longer stay.”

While I understood, this wasn’t part of my plan.

So I complained to God, saying “Well, this was not our deal. Our deal is you arrange people to take care of me in their house for two weeks so that you prove to me that you are calling me to come to Calgary.” 

But miraculously, through a connection from a church friend in Hong Kong, another person offered to host me in their home. And miraculously, I was eventually offered a job with approximately 43% higher salary than I was expecting.

When I look back, my story closely resembles Abraham’s. God sent and called me to a place I knew nothing about. From first receiving Jesus at 13 years old to hearing God speak for the first time, my life journey has been like a wonderful rollercoaster. Throughout my life, I have discovered that’s how God works. When we follow His direction, God can do more than we can ask. I experienced the faithfulness and the almighty power of our God throughout the ups and downs, but the direction is always up.

When my wife was pregnant with my eldest son, I read a daily devotional Bible. I didn’t flip around randomly, I just continued chronologically, chapter after chapter. I came across the story of Joseph when he was in Egypt and had two sons. When I continued to read, it mentioned the name of Ephraim. I heard God say to me,

“Your son’s name is called Ephraim. You will call him Ephraim.”

We searched for its meaning and found the meaning in the Bible. The meaning of Ephraim is “God bless and prosper me and my family in a foreign land.”

The meaning of my son’s name represents our journey with Jesus in faithfully following Him wherever He leads – even in a foreign land!

Daniel Hui currently serves on the Board of Elders, prayerfully helping to forward the vision and direction of FAC with our pastoral leadership. 

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