"Do You Love Me?": The Question That Led Lal to Bible College

When Lal Kilung first imagined Bible college, she pictured older pastors and missionaries, not someone her age and background. As a young woman from a migrant, refugee community, the expectations were clear: choose a stable career, support your family, make the most of every opportunity. Bible college felt like a beautiful idea for "one day" — but not for now.

Yet over the years, God kept quietly, persistently calling her back to that "one day."

Carrying a Calling In Her Heart

Lal grew up hearing her mum tell stories of missionaries visiting remote villages, travelling with little more than a small bag and a big trust in God. Those childhood stories planted a longing in her: to serve God with her whole life, wherever He might lead.

"Growing up, I always had this sense that I wanted to do something for God with my whole life," she reflects. "I just wasn't sure when or how that would happen." 

After high school, she wanted to step straight into Bible college. At the same time, she felt the weight of practical realities. Coming from a refugee background, education was a hard-won gift. Nursing seemed like a wise path — a way to care for people, secure work, and help support her family. So she chose to study a Bachelor of Nursing and put Bible college on hold.

Through those years she stayed deeply involved in church and community. Nursing, ministry, and everyday acts of kindness all felt like ways of loving God. The sense of calling to deeper theological study, though, never fully went away.

"Do You Love Me?" — A Moment of Clarity

During her final year of nursing, Lal found herself in a church service listening to a sermon from the Gospel of John. The preacher was speaking about Jesus asking Peter three times, "Do you love me?"

As she listened, Lal sensed that question being asked of her. She could honestly say, "Yes, I love you, Lord," but she realised that her "yes" had often stayed in the realm of words and intentions.

"I kept hearing those words directed at me," she says. "And I realised that saying yes to God meant actually taking the step I'd been putting off."

Memories resurfaced — her teenage desire for Bible college, her decision to choose the safer option, and the many comments from people who said, "I thought you'd be in Bible college," when she told them she was studying nursing.

In that moment, she felt God inviting her to let her "yes" become action. She prayed simply: if He would help her finish her nursing degree well, she would finally step into Bible college.

With God's help, she completed her studies. On graduation day, she gathered her family and shared the news: she planned to enrol at Morling College. It was a vulnerable conversation. Her family had sacrificed so much to provide stability and opportunity, and choosing more study instead of full-time work felt costly. Yet her parents and siblings responded with support, encouraging her to follow God's leading.

"I was nervous to tell them," she admits. "But they were so supportive. That meant everything."

Finding a Home At Morling

Today, Lal is studying an undergraduate Ministry course at Morling's Brisbane campus. She brings with her a Bachelor of Nursing, experience in healthcare, interpreting and community work, and a long-standing heart for mission.

She describes Morling as a place where it is easy to belong. From lecturers to fellow students, she has found people who are warm, welcoming and eager to share what they have learned.

"I didn't know what to expect, but from the very beginning I felt at home," Lal says. "Everyone is so generous with what they know, and there's a real sense that we're all here for the same reason." 

Being surrounded by others who love Jesus and want to grow has been both encouraging and stretching. In class, she is discovering more than just "what the Bible says." She's learning about the history and context behind the text, how theology has developed, and how all of this speaks into the questions people are asking today. That deeper understanding is reshaping how she reads Scripture, how she sees God, and how she thinks about her part in His mission.

Becoming More Intentional

When Lal reflects on how she is changing, one word comes to mind: intentional.

Morling has helped her see that wherever a believer is placed — in hospital wards, classrooms, churches, homes, community organisations — that space is part of God's mission field.

"I want to be deliberate about the way I show up in every space," she says. "Even the small things — the way I speak to someone, whether I stop to pray with a colleague — it all matters." 

Alongside her studies, she continues to serve as a Sunday school teacher and in youth ministry, sharing what she is learning with children and young people in her church. In interpreting and community work, she looks for appropriate ways to express care and, when possible, offer prayer, trusting that God can work through quiet, unseen faithfulness.

For Lal, theological study isn't about stepping away from "normal life." It is about being formed — in mind, heart and habits — so that her whole life can be shaped around God's kingdom.