NESAN KISTAN

Life is a great teacher.
For Nesan Kistan, this statement couldn’t be more accurate.

Nesan and his family arrived in Australia from South Africa in 1981 in the middle of a recession. It was a terrible time to arrive in a new country. In fact, when Nesan first encountered the Salvation Army at the age of eight, it was as part of a new migrant family badly in need of assistance.

Today, he has warm recollections of that early Salvation Army experience. “I believe God was calling me a long time ago to full-time ministry. Even from the age of about eight,” he now says. However, it would take other tough life lessons before he started listening to that call. In 1996, Nesan’s father was one of those killed in the Port Arthur massacre. It was an event that changed his life, and the lives of everyone around him. For Nesan, it was a call to action.
“Like most people, I was interested in chasing after the dollars. But after that I just sensed God saying there’s more to life,” he says.

He joined the Salvation Army as a Youth Pastor and then, a year ago, made the decision to become an Officer. “I’ve got far more out of this than I’ve put into it,” he insists of his experience. “When you help someone, it gives you such great satisfaction. You can’t put a price tag on that”. Every day is a new exciting opportunity – this is what makes Nesan want to get up in the morning. Each day brings its own challenges, which allow him to meet different and interesting people. “People all face the same issues and challenges, but from different walks of life”, he says. The exciting thing about his role is to see lives change and to be part of the process that led people to who they are now.

A lifestyle choice

Nesan believes that if he wasn’t a Salvation Army officer, he couldn’t do things that he does now. A full-time employment wouldn’t leave much time to his calling – only the “left-overs”. But now he is an officer, God is able to use him 24/7 in his community. He has the flexibility to do the things that really give him joy. When people ask him if he is doing a job, he answers: “No, this is my lifestyle choice”. He may not be as wealthy now, but he feels happier.

The prayer that Nesan can’t wait to see God answer, is to see the Salvation Army become an Acts 2 church. “A healthy, multi-cultural living organ, which is a mission station for the Nation”. He is looking forward to seeing all the people converging on his community and getting saved, taking Jesus to the ends of the earth. Nesan hopes his children will grow up to continue in his mission. And he wants to see them, and every young person, unleash their God-given potential. It excites him to see his community transformed. Maybe Auburn will yet become a great Christian community in Australia.