To God be the Glory

Easter 2007

2007-04-09T01:14:00.000+08:00

praise God for a blessed Easter weekend!

the Tesalonika Batam team came over and led the Good Friday service. thank God for the wonderful team, who're so ready to minister, share & encourage. the kids had their own CE, where we revised the crucifixion and its importance to each individual.

in the evening, we went over to Melisa's house, where we had a memorial service for Ah Pun, who passed away 2 years ago. i still remember that night when the Lord took him back. we had a time of sharing, from Ps 90 - on acknowledging God in our lives, as well as testimonies and prayer by candlelight, under the beautiful stars. we continued the fellowship over dinner, courtesy of Ah Pun's eldest daughter and her son, who're great chefs.

we spent that night at their place evening, and even had a restful 1 1/2h long time of worship & waiting upon Him :) this was followed by supper of 3kg of fresh prawns!

the next day, after breakfast, we prayed God's blessings for the household before leaving for our visitation rounds, beginning with Ah Khim's mum at his house. we also visited another family and prayed for their 12-year old deaf-mute daughter. we believe that God is working in these families and preparing His blessings for them!

by noon, the batam team headed back and we continued with lunch and lesson preparations. we had our usual saturday language classes and the adult cell group, by which time we were all really tired.

we thank God for the powerful Resurrection Sunday service - where 3 adults gave their lives to Christ. at the children's service, we taught the meaning and significance of Christ's resurrection, before making flags proclaiming that He is risen!

December 2-3 Update

2006-12-04T00:04:00.000+08:00

The 1st thing that struck us when we arrived was a long procession along the main road. There was a dragon dance troupe, and as we walked nearer, we saw a number of temple mediums. They were pierced, and as they walked down the road, some of them stopped by the shophouses to "accept" the offerings of joss sticks. They didn't appear to be an any trance.

In the evening, we cut short the English & Kindies class cos we wanted some time to practice for the Christmas item. Some of them had been practising a dance for the song "万王之王”. The adults watched a video with some testimonies of some missionaries who experienced an explosion in Myammar.

It was a long, long time since we last ate at the kelong...

In preparations for Christmas, we begun the short Nativity series with the Annunciation. Hence, the paper angels.

23rd & 24th, Sep Update

2006-09-26T13:48:00.000+08:00

This is what we taught the kid and youths for week 4

God Bless!

--= KINDIES =--

Sat
Language class
Attendance: 04
Who: Lina, Iwan, Noviyanti, Yong Di, Ah Hao
Lesson: revised with them og, dog, jog
then taught them
this is my pet dog.
it has ____ (color) fur
I jog with dog

Sun
CE
Attendance: 10
Who: Ann Ann, David, Solomon, Cai Yun, Lina, Iwan, Wei Wei, Yong Di, Ah Hao, Novianti

Lesson: Taught them Bible story (Elisha's friend), based on 2Kings 4:8-38
How to express God's love to the people around us.

--= YOUTHS =--

Sat
Language class
Attendance: 06
Who: Yongkwang, Shuhui, Huina, Caiyin, Ah Hoon, Wei Wei
Lesson:
1. English
- Revised Daytime and Nighttime
- Taught how to greets people at difference timing (Morning/Afternoon/Evening/Night)
- Differentiate Meals (Breakfast/ Lunch/ Tea Break/ Dinner/ Supper)
- Taught about conversation when meeting a stranger (How to start a conversation and introduce themselve). Get them to practise in pair.
- Revised Genesis 1:6-8. Pointing them to God our Creator.

2. Chinese
- Nil.

Sun
Worship + CE Class + Music
Attendance: 05
Who: Shuhui, Huina, Yongkwang, Zhilong, Melissa
Lesson:
1. Topic discussion (From Our Daily Bread) : Power that disrupt (24-Sep). Shared with them the important of unity and uphold one another in serving God's Kingdom ministry.
2. Also discussed with them about problems (BGR & pre-marital sex) faced by youth today and ways to avoid.
3. Practise "More Than Enough" in Mandarin, Indonesia & English

Notes : Get Su hui to play keyboard during morning worship service

Shining Bright in Darkness

2006-09-17T23:08:00.000+08:00

1John1:5 says... God is light, in him there is no darkness at all.
See, we still managed to hold our class on Saturday despite blackout in the area.
Praise god! And how easy for us to teach the topic for that night.. daytime vs. nighttime, as well as types of nocturnal animals. Plus the best topic of the night - Genesis 1:1-5 God created the heavens and the earth.. day and night.. amen!

Took them a level higher - taught these bible verses in english.
And I must say.. Very impressed with the way they pronounced the words carefully and with heart. Their heart to grow in the language is testimony that God is working in their lives.

I believe that as their language ability improves, their knowledge of the Bible will grow, and it will bring them closer to God. Hallelujah, and that's the spiritual growth that we really desire for them.

Matthew5:14-16 says.. you are the light of the world.. let your light shine before men.. I pray that they will be empowered to bring the light into their schools.

CE education is on chapter 8 - prosperity.
John10:10.. I come that they may have life, and life to the full.
God desires a life of abundance for them, that they work hard and embrace the heart of giving before receiving.

We had a prayer session for them to receive the gift of Holy Spirit.. and Holy Spirit will be their guide and counsellor in the days of the week that we are not around. I believe Shuhui and Huina can speak in tongues, just need more time to keep empowering them with courage to speak boldly. For the rest, we gonna have faith that they can continue asking our Heavenly Father for this precious gift.

Psalm 96:1.. Sing to the Lord a new song..
Praise God! Our new song for them - More than Enough in Chinese. Let's continue to bring this song into our praise and worship session every sunday, until they memorize it, and next month we teach them a new song. Every month, they learn one song, in 1 year they learn 12 songs..woowww! So many songs to sing to our Lord, hope you are pleased, O Lord!

That's all for now... heee
Have an anointed week till the next update here. Be blessed in Jesus' name. Amen!

Victor

Indonesia Independence Day Parade in Sawang

2006-08-21T12:54:00.000+08:00

We went in Tg. Batu early in the morning (Sis Naomi, Maria, Esther, Victor).

On the road to Sawang, we found it was especially crowded today.Lots of people dressed up for some big occasion.

On arrival, we found out that there would be a national day parade.

Thank God we went in early, becos first there will be traffic jam (only 2 lanes and both are occupied) so we will get trapped behind in queue.. and Thank God, we got to watch the whole procession as they walked past. Woo Wee~

The whole event was simply amazing, bright colors wonderful atmosphere.. and lots of people! And we initially thought this was a quiet town.. which only means potential for more souls to be saved! Amen!

Look at our lovely kids walking past us. And the 2 boys Yongqing and Sukardi in their Tae-Kwondo uniform with their green hair~ (I pray they can come back to church one day) Huina in her graduation gown, etc.. Yongkwang skipped becos he was told to dress up as a bridgegroom but he was shy and stayed home instead.. haha

Language class was good.. now teaching the youths to read the bible in english using Genesis 1:1-5, pointing them to God our Creator, since it's just nice we were at the topic about stars. Kindies as usual continued with learning colours, they still need help with spelling of colors, but learning step by step.

By the way, they now know how to chant the chorus "God is Good, All the Time, All the Time, God is Good!" so we can use that to help them boost their morale each time we teach.

Teachers, let us continue to pray for the education level and literacy rate to rise up, the better their education, the easier they can absorb the knowledge of Word of God and retain His teachings in their hearts.

Preparations have started for the 1st Anniversary of Tg. Batu Thessalonica Church on 3rd Sep'06.Yes 1 year already.. time flies.. God is good Amen! We practiced sing xiao wei tune with Jesus lyrics. And just as we abt to end, they all started singing Jesus loves the little children w/o us asking them... wow~ they are really growing.. praise god!

Sunday's lesson Kindies: God's greatness and providence from 1 Kings 17:7-24, mem verse from Ps 77:14Youths: The Holy Spirit, a gift from God, Counsellor, and He can intercede on their behalf to God. John 14:16. Prayer session for them to receive the Holy Spirit.

Last but not least, Swimming Time! Oh the kids love swimming.. See how they enjoy themselves at the pool.. we had a good lunch afterwards at the Bakutboy kopitiam before we parted ways and go back home.

Thank you Lord once again for the chance to serve. Amen!

Testimony by Sister Julie Chia

2006-08-12T23:33:00.000+08:00

This testimony is by Sister Julie Chia, who shared on her experience of preparing to go on her 1st trip to Sawang -
===== ===== ===== ===== =====

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9

Gee.., what a great way to start my journey, to an island “somewhere out there”…

******

After hearing one Sunday morning message by pastor, on 4 groups of people:-
1. People that make things happen
2. People that wait for things to happen
3. People that see things happen
4. People that do not know what happen

I was very motivated of being the 1st group. Ok, let’s face it, who wants to be in the last group, after such spiritually up-lifting message. I vowed to approach my spiritual mentor the following week, offering my “on fire” willingness to serve in Church.

Couple weeks later, my mentor called and told me that there’s an opportunity for me on a weekend mission trip to Kundo Island. WAIT a minute…!! My idea of “serving” in Church were simply - arranging chairs & tables, sweeping the floor, or maybe standing at the entrance putting on my best smile to greet fellow Christians during Sunday service, NOT a mission trip! More over, one kind sister in Christ been there, came back and told me that I will never get use to a place like that – very hot weather…, no facilities…, electrical supply would go off every time…, no clean drinking water…, rocky roads…, smelly drains…, lots of roaches everywhere…. Yurks!!

Hoping to decline her, I gently pull up my “shield”, using Hebrew 5:12 –

“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!”

And more.., where on earth is this kundo island? Which part of Indonesia, anyone..? help…? huh…? And…, my bosses are in town, I can only go if they leave Singapore before Friday…!

“No wishy washy, get yourself ready by this Friday, pray about it.” Said my mentor. Aiya… God knows me all too well, a tough nut (myself) meet a tough cookies (mentor).

Alright, I prayed that very night, and the rest of those few nights.

“Dear Daddy in Heaven, you know jolly well that I’m not ready on such a trip.., I have not enough $ to spend..., no one is gonna take care of my “precious” if I’m away…, my bosses are still in town..., and IF I go, what if I’m challenged with a “demon” possessed person, huh…? Ok.., ONLY if You really REALLY want me to go, let me know it, loud…, Amen!”

Let’s be honest here, many of us prayed for answers but when we finally received it and find it’s against our will, we’d usually give excuses on either it was too soft to be heard, or our ears were covered with think waxes.

Have you ever come across God making His answer known LOUD, as you’ve requested? Ok, I’ve asked for it! Mine was VERY loud in deed! Story on Jonah the prophet, how he tried running away from God’s instruction, danced its way into my ears as I was doing my quiet time; then followed with the following day quiet time scripture reading: - Hebrew 6; THEN the next day, bosses left Singapore; THEN Friday night cell group message sharing: -Matthew 14, Isaiah 55:9

Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.
– Hebrew 6:1~3

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
- Isaiah 55:9

Alright…, lifted both hands up and I surrendered to Him, telling myself I’m going with or without any pocket money for spending.

On the actual day of departure, I received incentive from my company, 20x more than what I’ve changed as my expenses for my trip, AND, a “letter of guaranty” from “Dad” in Heaven: -

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9

Gee.., what a great way to start my journey, to an island somewhere out there…

Oh, in case you might want to ask, what about my “precious”, who’s taking care of him? Well, that was one of my many lousy excuses. My precious is actually a charming young man (16) now, besides, God has already prepared for him a “big brother” (a Bible collage student from China), that’s currently staying with us. It’s ironic, isn’t it, how we give all sorts of excuses to avoid commitment, huh…?

******************

Another fruitful trip

2006-08-08T13:54:00.000+08:00

praise God for another fruitful trip.

we started by visiting Ah Ni, who was not well. she was lying on the mattress at her in-law's house, and was feeling cold & clammy, and had some breathing difficulties. we prayed for her for some time, and had a short time of worship. we're about to leave after that, before Ah Ni's husband insisted that we had some rambutans & durian. it was also good to see the kids, who hadn't been around for some time.

had our usual evening lessons. english lessons touched on stars, while we went through the "Jesus" version of "Xiaowei" for chinese class. recorded this, especially for sis Jojo:

耶稣 (XiaoWei tune), .mp3, 1.5mb (right-click to download)

sunday was quite the usual - after breakfast we had our prayer time, set up & worship practice. after the service & CE, most of the folks busied themselves with the petai whilst some of the kids had their music practice.

it's amazing how fast they learn. zhilong & shuhui can now play a block-chord 4-chord progression. we practiced in C & D keys and they were pretty fast. taught them a little on trying arpeggios, so that in time, they can begin to vary. their sense of rhythm & hearing are pretty sharp :) even ah guang can churn out a decent tune on the guitar.

thank God for the hospitality - at the end of the trip, we brought back bagfuls of rambutan :)

Z2 EAST COAST HOME CELL 1&3 VISIT/MISSION TRIP TO SAWANG -15/16 JUL 06

2006-08-01T11:06:00.000+08:00

(Cell members participated in the trip: Kelvin & Winnie, Han Seng & Mary, Dawn, Jacqueline, Peggy, Anne, Anson & Winnie Kok)

15 JULY, 2006 - SATURDAY
Praise God for an opportunity for us to visit Sawang for the very first time!

Sister Naomi and Maria, Esther and Victor were our guide for this trip. It was great to have them lead us in this mission trip which included not only mission but home visitations, shopping and food! Thank you!

After our arrival in Tanjung Batu, we had a short prayer in our Church before we were whisked off in a mini bus. It was amazing how 14 of us managed to squeeze into the tiny bus. But of course with God, all things are possible!

First stop: A visit to brother Ah Kim's dad’s pig sty, fruit & vegetable farm. We helped ourselves with the rambutans hanging from the branches and saw the numerous durian trees. Next, we went to sister Sock Keow’s home where we had a durian and coconut feast for lunch. And even left her house with a carton of durians and a bag of 'buah long long'!

After which, we proceeded to our first home visit. This family, all of whom, are women from young to old. They are left to fend for themselves after the men in the family passed away. Our group was touched and we promptly bought food and basic necessities for them. We prayed for them and also blessed them with the carton of durians brought back from brother Ah Kim's dad's plantation.

Finally, after some shopping and a long seaside stroll, it was time for dinner when we had a sumptuous dinner at the kelong overlooking the sea. After all the feasting, it's time for cell group and fellowship with the Sawangers at sister Ah Hua's house. We were split into 3 groups, one group was in the cell meeting with the adults. One group conducted English lesson for the youths and the third group had lesson on colours with the kids. It was indeed a night to be remembered, as there was a blackout for about 30 mins, which the kids are so accustomed to while the Singaporean adults were slightly petrified. We gathered all the youths and kids to the living hall and had games in the dark with just a candle but all was well when the lights came back. What an experience!

It was about 10.30pm when we finally reached Hotel Gembira after a day of activities. All of us were in need of a bath and a good night rest! We had a short prayer to cleanse the hotel before going to our respective rooms. All of us slept well that night.

16 JULY, 2006 - SUNDAY
Rise and shine to a sunny morning! We had an assortment of food for breakfast like Bak Kut Teh, Fried noodles and Wanton Mee. All agreed that the Fried noodles is the best! After a satisfied meal, we were all prepared and headed to Church to prepare for service.

We had a wonderful time sharing, praying and interacting with the Sawangers. We shared with the kids on the life of Job and for some of us had fun playing the role of God, Satan and Job to make our sharing interesting for the kids. The kids all enjoyed themselves and each went home with a present after a game session. The kids are polite, very smart and are well behaved. As for the youths, Victor shared about how we should not be afraid to ask God for anything, no matter how trivial the request may seem to be as nothing is too trivial for God. Sis Naomi shared the word of God to the adults. She shared from the book of Exodus, using the life of Moses as an example to challenge the congregation to avail themselves to serve God and not to hold back despite of their inadequacies. After the preaching, altar call was given and few of us help to pray for the adults.

After service, almost everyone stayed back to help us to peel the 'chio dou', we talked and learnt much interesting things about vegetables from the locals. Then, all helped to clean up the Church premises before leaving.

After our lunch at a coffee shop which was nearby our Church, it was finally time to leave Sawang. But not before each of us lugged back bags of vegetables, rambutans, foodstuff and durians; all were gifts from the Sawangers!

Our feelings and experience about the trip:
The hospitality of the Sawangers overwhelmed us and we all had a very blessed time together. It was a very fruitful and enriching trip for all of us. Besides the shopping and sumptuous food, we were even more blessed spiritually! Indeed God is a good God and He will do good to all those who love Him. Amen!

We were all very heartened and greatly encouraged to see the simple faith that the Sawangers embraced; “If God is with us, who can be against us”. The testimonies shared by them were so amazing and we could see God’s work and miracles displayed in the lives of the Sawangers through the Emmanuelites. We are indeed very blessed being here in Singapore and we will pray that God will send more people to help out in the ministry in Sawang. We will continue to pray, uplift and bless our fellow brothers and sisters in Sawang that through them, more people will be drawn to God and there will be a breakthrough in that community! Amen!

To God be the Glory!

Harvest Time

2006-07-18T08:29:00.000+08:00

Yes! Harvest time for the durians & rambutans! As we embarked on a journey to the farms, enjoying the swell smell & taste of durians and rambutans, we all continued to have the same heart & prayer that the real harvest is in the saving of souls for the kingdom of God. Amen!

This week, we were excited to have Sis Winnie's cell group to join us. There were total 14 FOURTEEN of us! Praise God! Here's an account of Sis Winnie's encouraging testimony at the end of this trip. (Applause... Clap clap clap heeeeeeee!)

Sis Winnie:
"Yes, I believe our group besides having being blessed by the the shopping, sumptuous hawkwer food, durain feasting etc..ha..ha.. I am sure we are EVEN MORE BLESSED SPIRITUALLY! seeing for ourselves the miracles that God has done in the Sawangers thru Emmauelites..

Tks again for you, Esther and Sis Naomi for taking care of the planning and organising of this trip for us. You all have been great and we have enjoyed the trip temendously! As all of us got back home tired but I believe our lives have been touched by the ministry in Sawang. Kelvin and myself are going to encourage the group to go back to Sawang again but this time to serve together with the rest of you guys! Pls pray along with us that our members will be ready and willing to do that, ya? "

Praise God! The young kindies and youths have been blessed with many wonderful prayers, and showers of gifts from Sis Winnie's group. It was a great fantastic fellowship from the time we met to the time of our departure.

Our team is also blessed to have Sis Sujiao and her husband open durians for us! woo shiok! and Uncle Kim to drive us around. They have been very hospitable in every special way, thank god for their time and patience to help us with our requests over there.

We had hiccups along the way, when during the lesson class on Saturday, there was a total blackout. Yet the most surprising thing was that in total pitch black darkness, the children of Sawang never screamed at all, but instead calmly switched on their handphones and sang songs of worship in darkness! Wah sei.. talk about power of spirit and boldness! Never fear, for the Lord is near!

So, as always, we thank God for every small opportunity to serve.. May He bless each and everyone of you in your daily walk with Him.

Till we have a chance to serve there again, do enjoy some memories of our trip..
Victor Fong

Welcome to Sawang!

Briefing time!

Pigs!

Durian Buffet!

House visit

Q & A Game!

Children with their gifts from Sis Winnie's cell

Growing...

2006-07-06T23:20:00.000+08:00

We visited Ah Khim's dad's farm, which had lotsa veggies, besides the rambutans and durian trees. It's always a great reminder of the many biblical references on farming - sowing, growing, reaping etc...
So, after that, we brought Bro Ng to Sis Sok Keow's place for his 1st time, and yups, had durian there. Wonderful wonderful :) Here's a pix of a durian tree - can you spot the fruit?

In the evening, language class was as usual - teaching the Space lesson and 小薇, and "he / she" & colours for the kindies.
The next day, at the service, Sis Ann gave out the baptism certs to 4 of the very proud children, Ah Qing, Ah Bang, Ah Da, Cai Yun.
We got the whole church to pray for them, that they will grow to become men & women who will faithfully follow Christ.

de kids ve grown! Praise de Lord!

2006-05-25T22:03:00.000+08:00

praise God for another opportunity to serve Him and go sawang again! felt like a long time since we last saw de kids, miss them v much :o)

dis time we had another bro lupin who joined us =] praise God for moving people to see de need n serve ^.^

dis week, we revised w de kindies colors n taught them to say their name "I am xxx, i am a boy/girl".
ewan looked abit dazed in class as he wasnt feeling well so we gathered d young ones to pray for him

there used to be slight discrimation among de locals 2wards de tribal gp but as de kids learn n experience God's love for them, the locals kids are now able to extend that love now to each other ^.^

it was a very heartwarming sight to see ah di n de rest gather around ewan n prayed w such childlike faith for God to heal their dear fren!

indeeed! ewan looked much brighter after that! praise de Lord!
many a times i got this feeling he doesnt really understand what we are teaching because of language difficulty...but he is always such a well behaved, quiet, shy shy boy who has such a heart melting smile...heee...he is such a dearier!

we also taught de youths more abt space n de 1st 2 lines of "xiao wei" they learnt v well!!we found it very useful to use secular chinese songs to teach the youths chinese as they are already familiar with the pronunication of the words. it motivates them n makes it easier for them to learn the writting...n we get to practise our chinese as well...haaa

as we ended quite early, we bought them to de beach after de sat classes, felt like a mother hen driving broods of little chickens..need to protect them kinda of feeling haa...the place was very dark, thank God we had the lights fr yong guang's bike along de way..had a greater appreciation of Jesus being our light!! de light is so precious in a world that is so dark...so grateful for Jesus, our great light! thank u Jesus for being de way, for leadin de way and for walkin de way w us!!! Hallelujah!

i could remember the kids used to be quite restless n self centered during de v early days..some wouldnt even play with each other....

however this time they showed love for each other...
It was dark so we asked de kids to stay close to de teachers n each another, not to wander around n de kids listened!! de older ones would hold de little ones...n de little ones would stay close by, even when one or 2 wander away, de older kids would also go after them, and the other young ones would call out to them asking them to stay close....n they came back quickly!

it is a beautiful herd of little sheeps who watches out for each other n listens to their shepherd (in this case, we teachers) voice! haaa

ANOTHER AREA IN WHICH THEY VE GROWN ...
they used to be under peer pressure n was scared to b seen as christians, scared to share Jesus..scared to be different...but now...they know they r different and starting to bond and could sense that they all yearn to share w their frens Jesus! they are showing fruits n begining to realise their unique identity as a children of God! yeah! so exciting!

PLS PRAY FOR THEM ...
some of de kids were still afraid of de beheading stories that came from batam..we assured n encouraged them that they ve a loving n Almighty God who is watching over n protecting them, they shall ve no fear cos Jesus is w them! Amen!

MORE FRUITS ...
on sun, huinan n shuhui help to backup sing! they ve such nice voices! thank God for their willingness to serve too! they can play quite well too, so much potential in each of them! for sun ce, we taught them from 1 Kings 21:1-19, not to be covetous, steal, lie and how to make a frame of the mem verse Lev 19:11

LOVE LANGUAGE ...
after the lesson, we played w them, realised many of their love lang are word n physical touch! they are motivated by praises n encouragment n they loved to b cuddled n hugged!! muaccch!
they r juz like kualas n manja bears, they gripped yr legs n hands n hug n try to climb onto n all over u! haaa so cute n funny...heee

TO TEACH N TO BE TAUGHT .....
one of our "brighter star" caiyun even gave us these bahasa words for spelling...all teachers muz learn!! haaa
1) celana = pants
2) cicak = lizard
3) rumah = house
4) air = water
5) bebek = duck
6) ayam = chicken
7) lampu = light
8) bunga = flower
9) rumput = grass
10 tas = bag
11) nanas = pineapple
12) apel = apple
13) jeruk = orange
14) pisang = banana
15) gajah = elephant
16) singa = lion
17) harimau = tiger
18) anjing = dog
19) kucing = cat
20) baju = clothes

Happy Mothers' Day

2006-05-17T23:09:00.000+08:00

Thank God for this trip with Sis Chew Siang and Sis San Feng, we had a great time working together.. :) We had 8 adults and 14 kids on Sat nite. The adults had a good time of sharing at cell.. but some of the kids were a bit naughty, refused to listen to us.. :( Ah Hoon’s 2 older brothers and Ah-di refused to sit in for the language lessons.. insisted on hanging around with the kindies saying that their lesson wasn’t ‘fun’. After some coaxing, they still refused, so we just left them and they ended up playing with some toys at the corner.. coming over to do colouring with the kindies towards the end.. :S Felt abit out of control but didn’t want to come too hard as well.. It got abit worse after lesson when the 3 of them started fighting and boasting who could hit till the other cried. Soks managed to get hold of Ah-di and spoke to him about setting a good example.. He understood and become very good immediately after that.. Praise God ! He even helped to pack up, offered drinks and food and was nice and friendly to everyone.. :D

On Sunday, taught the kids about being fair and just.. Story on David, Abigail and Nabal.. Instead of the usual craft relating to the lesson, we told the kids to make cards / flowers for their mums since it was Mothers’ Day.. Must thank Sis San Feng for the idea on the flowers.. it was something easy for the kids to follow.. :) The mums were very touched to see their kids presenting the card and flowers to them after lesson.. :)

Gracious God

2006-05-10T22:46:00.000+08:00

Really want to thank God for Bro Chris, Sis Yuxia, Bro Wing Fei and Bro Sam. The weekend was a time of working together into the wee hours of Sunday morning sewing hearts for the children’s memory verse. Could tell that all were tired but everyone just put aside their personal needs and carried on sewing (even with the dim lighting!!).

Worship and children’s church was also a time where everyone worked seamlessly together, helping each other even when not asked! Really blessed to have an opportunity to work alongside this team… =)

As with the previous week, God opened many opportunities for us to invite people to church. Somehow through casual conversation, we invited 2 men [Mr. Huang and Mr. Xu] during supper in the Hotel’s premises (in fact one of them was the one who started talking about church 1^st)!

On Sunday, we passed by a couple on the street. As the lady had difficulty walking, we casually asked about her condition. The conversation led to discovery that her husband is Zhilong’s uncle and that her mother is a believer. Sis Yuxia quickly invited her to join our service. =) Although all whom we invited did not join us, we are praying and believing that God opened these doors for a purpose and they will be saved!

Spiritual Atmosphere

1. Season of Waiting before Reaping the Harvest

This week none of the newcomers [5 adults, 6 kids] that came last week joined us. Even though we visited Ah Long’s family the night before, they also didn’t come. But all of us are convinced that the work God begun will be completed. The enemy has no hold over these people! We’re praying that all these sown seeds, including those we invited to church, will bear fruit.

2. Fear

We visited Mei Qing, Wei Wei and Helen’s house on Saturday as they did not come the week before. Their mom, though friendly mentioned that they girls were not allowed to join the language lessons as there was beheading of kids for the bridge. [Same reason Pipi’s mom gave!] All the kids are told of the beheading and have been told not to loiter around. In general, stories of missing/ murdered children are rampant.

3. Confusion

On Sunday, we visited Zhilong who was running a high fever for a few days. We heard from his mom that despite the fever, he won an oration competition that morning. We asked him to recite his piece and he paused and said that it was Buddhist scripture. His mom explained that this was part of his curriculum and will only be able to switch to Bible studies in Aug. We asked him if he believed what the school teachers/books taught him and he said yes. We also asked him who was in his heart and he replied “Jesus”. We chatted with him and Bak Jerry prayed for protection, health and led him into re-dedicating his life to God.

Other discoveries

1. Kids come when visited

When we visited Zhen Zhen and Mei Zhen last week, both gals came for class. This week, we did not visit them and they did not come. However, Mei Qing, Wei Wei and Helen came after we visited them in the afternoon!

2. Animals know who God is!

The last time we visited Zhilong two months ago, his dog barked non-stop. It only stopped when we prayed. The minute we prayer ended, it resumed barking. This time, the exact same thing happened!! The dog would stop barking only when we are talking to God! =)

3. Re-defining “suitable footwear”

Sis Yu Xia had major difficulties walking to Ah Hoon’s house. She had covered shoes and could not use the footpaths as they were muddy - practically swampy! As for me, I was happily walking with my flip flop sandals till I reached Tg Batu. Somehow I had stepped onto some metal shavings and a splinter went into my foot. Ouch.. Conclusion? Wear covered shoes for walking and bring along flip flops to waddle into muddy footpaths!

4. Sawang needs LIGHT!

Halfway through language class the entire village’s electricity went out. We stayed in the dark for an hour and left for Gembira. Even then the lights were not back! The black-out was fine.. just that there are no candles!!! And only one torch!!! *hint hint* to next team =)

Bloggin for 老师sss =)

Short summary of lessons taught for老师sss to know and help recap? =)

Saturday

1) Adults – Seems like some of the adults are really struggling with the bible study as their grasp of the Chinese language is not strong.

2) Youth – WingFei started the Space series. Was not easy to translate to Bahasa but youths caught the drift and could pronounce new words.

3) Kids – Still trying to get them to identify and pronounce letters of the alphabet. So have not really gotten to revising whole words yet. L Did manage to capture attention for “GO”, “AS”, “He is” and “She is” via games. Real struggle compared to list of words supposed to go through with them!

Sunday

1) Adults – Most of the 弟兄 did not come [e.g. Ah Kao, Ah Kim]. Bak Jerry shared for communion and encouraged kids who understand to take communion [Children like Ah Hao were discouraged to partake as they are deemed too young to understand].

2) Youths – Generally smooth =)

3) Kids – Story was on Sarah's lie about not laughing when God said she would bear a son. Craft was to make beaded bands with letters 'AYAYL?', which means 'What Would Jesus Do?' in Bahasa.

Recap
1) What does AYAYL mean?

2) And what would Jesus do?
<说真实话>

Pics - Making bands with 'AYAYL':

Just for fun - Ah Hoon's dad with their six month old daughter!

In all, praise God for seeing to everything and for things to come!

--------------------------

A small step to greater things (Apr 29-30)

2006-05-01T10:09:00.000+08:00

All glory to God for this very eventful and fruitful trip! This time, we'd a larger group, with first-timers Kenny, A-Bee, David, Deborah & Serene. We also had David's friends, a local couple - Sis Henny & her husband - who work in Batam & also own a shop in Tj Batu.

We unpacked at Tj Batu & proceeded to Sawang, as usual. As time was short, we went straight to visit the beachside families. We talked to Pipi & Nana's mum for a short while, but did not get to chat with the girls. From her, we gathered that there's some fear amongst the parents. Apparently, news has been going around that there'd been some children-beheading incidents at Batam. Ah-di also told us that there's a case when money was left on a headless torso of a child. The news is that this is because of a new bridge that is planned to be built between Batam & Bintan. Superstition (& practice) is that children's heads must be gathered for the bridge-building to ensure that the bridge is strong.

We went on to visit Melisa's family, with a little mini-adventure crossing the stream, which looks like it's getting wider. We prayed for Nenek & Ewan, who'd a minor injury on his left upper-arm. Sis Henny translated the prayer for us in BI, which was a first time for her!

We got back & started with the night programme. Yuxia & Serene were with the adults, Min & Deborah led the kindies, while Kenny, David & myself helped the kids practise reading, before playing some games with them.

After we'd ended, we got the kids together, with the adults forming a circle around them, and prayed for protection on them and their families, in light of the beheading rumours. At Tj Batu, after their cell, Ah Mo brought Chris & A-bee to visit another brother who'd hurt his shoulder after falling off following a high-blood pressure attack. Hungry & tired, we all returned to the hotel & had a sumptous dinner, courtesy of Sis Henny & her husband. But it wasn't the end of the day, yet.

After dinner, Sis Henny brought us to visit Ah Long, her younger brother, who owns a handphone shop just opposite the hotel. He was open about knowing more about Jesus, but being a son who was also looking after his dad, he had some reservations. Deborah prayed in Teochew for the family (her first time!) and we invited his family over to the sunday service.

Back at the hotel, we spent some time preparing for the next day's craft, cutting the red flannel cloth into hearts.

The next day, Chris led worship and we'd the rare sound of the bongos from A-bee (his first time playing for worship!). Ah Long came with his wife, daughter Kelly & his mum. Sis Henny brought her children, Stephen, David and daughter, as well as nieces. Yuxia shared on offering while Pak Jerry preached.

This time, the kids learned "我们爱，因为耶稣先爱我们", and made stuffed hearts. This was to remind them to have a loving heart - to love others by telling them about Jesus, to pray for the sick and to help those in need. The youths revised the names of God, and learned a new song "More than enough", which reinforced the meanings of Jehovah Jireh, Rapha & Shamma. After the lessons, and a game of Monkey, Kenny ended all of us with prayer (his first time!).

After lunch, Sis Henny brought us to her cousin's house, which surprise-surprise, happens to be the fish porridge chef's wife! There, we talked briefly to the fish porridge chef's mum, who was quite open to the Lord. But he rejected us praying for the family, as he expressed that it would be "colliding" and "confusing". He also explained that he was the eldest son, and hence it would be "inappropriate" to have anything to do with Christianity. We knew it wasn't the right time & we left shortly.

We went on a short tour thereafter to Sis Henny & her husband's swallow house, which was about 15min's drive away, somewhere we'd never gone before. They shared that God'd instructed them to build it & provided it for them. We prayed for blessings over their lives, for God to prosper the work of their hands, seeing how passionate they are for the Lord.

By the time we got back, it was already time to leave. Through this trip, we really saw God opening many new doors. It's a small step for many of us - for the newcomers to church like Ah Long, who said that he'll come again; and the first-time workers who stretched themselves & did things for the first time & who'll also come again! By God's grace, we believe that it'll lead on to much greater things!

Serve one another in Love..(14th - 16th Apr)

2006-04-19T23:52:00.000+08:00

Thank God for another fruitful trip and that Rachale joined us this time.. :) The team left on Fri morning this week as it was Good Friday and service was held at the Tg Batu church at 1pm. The ferry was packed but we made it to church at 1pm exactly.. However, there wasn’t time to practise for worship so we just proceeded.. Thank God for His grace, we gave whatever we could and together with the members’ ready hearts to honour Him, it went well. :)

We had a mini fellowship after the service, spending some time with the adults and children. Shu-hui used this time to practise on the keyboard too.. :) (Had explained to Shu-hui alittle about chord improvisation cos’ she was asking how to play 爱我愿意…think she gets the idea… ) The rest of the evening was relaxing… :P We spent some time preparing for Sunday’s worship and lesson.

On Saturday, we went over to Sawang in the early afternoon and learnt that Yongqing’s great grandma passed away early that morning. She was just living beside Ah gou/ Ah hua’s place. Over the past months, she had opened her heart to the gospel – allowing the adults to visit her, pray for her and tell her more about Jesus. Recently, she also accepted Christ. We paid a short visit to the family. Though most of her family were still unsaved, Sis Naomi reassured the family that this aunty is now in Heaven with Jesus and that before her death, she was also sure that’s where she will be going. :) Amen :) We pray that more of her family will come to know God one day…

We visited Melissa’s family later in the afternoon. Oh, Melissa’s grandma attended the Good Friday service at Tg Batu !! :D She looked very happy and smiley throughout the service.. :) Anyway, Melissa hasn’t been attending class and church so we decided to visit her… but she wasn’t around. Her auntie said that she was working (we think..), and also said that she will ask her to be at class/church. However, she didn’t turn up… :( Hmm.. not sure where she’s working, whether she comes home etc.. but continue to pray for her ya…

On Sat night after class, we told the kids that they will be performing a song (He’s able) at sunday’s worship… :P We sang and practise with them.. :) They were very enthusiastic.. Hee.. Here's a pic of them on Sunday...

This week’s Sunday school lesson was on serving one another in love (Gal 5:13). Shared a short story on Barnabas, followed by some examples whereby the kids can serve one another in love because they love Jesus.. :) Did a paper craft with them and pasted all their works on the wall below the white board…

Rachale helping the kids with craft...

Yongdi suggested drawing a big picture together with soks... Later he gathered the kids to colour the pic together... So sweet... :)

Had keyboard lessons with Shu-hui and Zhilong after service. They are very good !! Within 30 mins, they could play 爱我愿意，耶稣爱你 and Kumau Cinta Yesus on their own.. it is really amazing !! They have a very good memory, excellent sense of rhythm and are very keen to learn more things. I think they got really excited.. they didn’t really want to go home… :P I can imagine they must be looking forward to practising after church every week…. :D

Praise de Lord :o)

2006-04-06T09:35:00.000+08:00

26.03.2006 的浸水礼

Ever Faithful God

2006-04-03T21:06:00.000+08:00

God is good. Was encouraged to see the adults surrounding sister Ann, laying hands on her to pray for healing =) Was amazed that Yongdi and David could share what they learnt in previous weeks.. well done to all teachers!! =) Was touched to see simple gestures of love for God - Anni coming early to clean the glass door, staying late to mop the sanctuary, the kids packing up without being told, Ah Qim driving us around, even making detours coz we left our bags behind! =P

Very heartwarming to see that the sanctuary was nearly full! Only about 4 seats were empty. Thank you God for stirring and moving in their hearts! Thank you God also for sister Ann for the reminder that I’ve gotta practice my keyboard. Praise God people still sung, though everything was out of key! [p/s: please bring along batteries for guitar tuner!]

Quick updates:

Language classes & Kindies – Revision of past lessons. Hui Na brought 2 of her friends. Trendy dressers and all went to ride up and down in bikes after class. Quite cool! =) Saw many other girls also in ‘party’ gear.. guess the young are getting restless on weekends. Really pray that God will open ways for us to minister to them..

Sunday lessons – Wing5 took the youths and shared on the devotionals. I was not confident taking the kids myself but thank God all 12 were attentive… for 10 min! =) Really hope they know the 3 pointers of the lesson – We meet together to pray for one another, worship God together and learn more about Him. Didn’t have time to explain the ‘coals’ idea =( And didn’t have time to do Wing5’s idea of lighting a bulb =( Next time I guess..

Music lessons – Heard Hui Na, Ah Qiang and 2 adults playing guitar chords. Didn’t go over coz I’m not very sure myself! *heee* ‘Tested’ Shu Hui on her scales, with both hands so she can familiarize herself with playing both together. She’s good! The last time taught her to play I, III, VI of each scale and showed her when to press chords [on a song sheet]. So yesterday, since she has learnt most MAJ scales, got her to play “Jesus we enthrone You” and 1^st try she can already!!! =) Very teachable and good ear for hearing and rhythm.. oh also added that minors are a 3^rd down.. but she is really fast lor =) Last night tuan yee taught me and haha I think I’m like so much slower than her!!!!! =P

Prayer Requests –

Hui Na has been having bad dreams, please pray for clarity of mind and protection from plans of the enemy.
Ah Hua has swollen glands on her left cheek/neck. Not sure whether it is mumps. Please pray she’ll rise in faith and depend on God alone. Sister Ann believes it is a testing period for her.

In all, thank God for working in the children and adults’ lives.. claiming more in the surrounding shops and neighbours will come to Him =)

All glory to Him... 18-19th Mar 06

2006-03-21T21:13:00.000+08:00

Praise God for another good trip !! :) This week, the team had Sis Carol and her son, Luke joining us for the first time..

On Saturday evening, we started the language class half an hour earlier instead.. Seems like lots of kids can't make it if it's an hour earlier.. Had 7 kids in my kindies class this week.. Hee.. they look like they have grown taller hor..

Kids after kindies class... they loved posing for the camera... :P

Learnt that Caiying and Zhilong are getting baptised next week (with Zhilong's mum I think).. !! Yeah ! Praise God... It's really encouraging to see the kids growing closer to God and understanding more of His word.. :)

Thank God that most of the kids were attentive during Sunday's children's CE. :P They were captivated by the pictures in the illustrated children's bible.. :) Was very impressed when Yongdi was able to give me examples of some of the parables taught in the previous weeks.. :D Sunday's lesson was about Jesus telling his disciples to go forth and spread the good news - about Him and the works He has done. Did a recap on some parables taught previously and showed them a world map - pointing out where they are, we are and where Jesus and His disciples were.. Taught them that likewise they should tell their frens about Jesus too...

After class, saw Yongguang, Yongqing, Hui-na and Shu-hui gathering downstairs to practise guitar.. Passed Shu-hui some keyboard chords, she got very excited and went over to play on the keyboard.. Didn't teach them much, only told Shu-hui how to form root chords in D scale then went back upstairs.. Think next time really gotta set aside some time to teach them properly..

Before Sunday service started, Anni came in with her 3 kids. No. 2, Ah-da had not been well for the past 4 days, unable to eat well and throwing up whatever she tried to consume. It seems that she has been like that since she ate some fruits that were offered to chinese idols a few days ago. She looked very pale and weak.. couldn't walk. After Sis Ann/Jojo prayed for her, she managed to walk abit after service. However, she had to be admitted to hospital on sunday nite and put on glucose drip. Praise God that now (Tuesday), she is out of hospital. According to Sis Ann's sms, Ah-da's stomach is still weak and docs couldn't really tell what was/is wrong. Please continue to pray for her speedy recovery, that no harm/evil can come upon her and the family, that through this, the family will grow closer to God.... etc..

It's a good reminder that we must pray for the kids regularly, that the blood of Jesus will cover them from head to toe... :)

吃喝玩乐传福音 [11-12Mar'06]

2006-03-15T23:33:00.000+08:00

The Lesson...

The Taxi...

The Exodus...

(aircon broke down just when we were about to zzz... then change room in middle of night... hehe:P)

Breakfast table...

Yeah yeah... Jesus is our Victory...

Our next generation of musicians in the making...

Lord, may you raise them up as leaders in their communities, that they will stand up for you Jesus, and their friends will be drawn by your presence with them. We pray your Holy Spirit lead them to do your good work... Thank you Lord for the opportunity to serve you in Jesus' wonderful name.. Amen!

And now... time to rest.. (thank you Lord for the precious meal)

(erm... main course not here so eat chilli first... :P)

Egg-ed On!! [4th-5th Mar]

2006-03-07T23:29:00.000+08:00

Hee.. 1sts of sorts.. 1^st time blogging, 1^st time in Tj Batu, 1^st time on keyboard and all I can say is, “I’m egged on to do more!!” =)

It has been nearly a year since I last went to Kundur Island. Honestly, as much as I missed the kids over the year, I was not prepared for the deep burden that so much more is needed to extend and build God’s kingdom. It was kinda strange… we were on the upper deck of the ferry with all the smoking ah peks…

And this song just came into mind…

You Said,

“Ask and I’ll give the Nations to you”,

O Lord, that’s the cry of my heart.

Distant shores and the Islands will see Your light

As it rises on us, You Said.

It hit me hard that I had been so cushy in Singapore that I forgot the many many blinded people in the surrounding islands.

Arriving at Sawang, I was taken by the sharp decrease in the number of children joining the language class. =( Taught Wei Wei, Viviyanti, Helen, Ah Hoon and Lyn (?) [oh no can’t remember] “in/ out”, “up/ down” and “circle/square/triangle”. Really praying for wisdom and ideas as their attention span is sooo short!!! Lost on how to engage them and impart knowledge… Tuan Yee taught the older kids Chinese with the 米 character. Hee..

That night, Ah Hua’s daughter [the one from Batam] and 2 of her friends joined the adults cell group. During supper, I was very encouraged by the Sawang cell adults’ boldness and sincerity in sharing the gospel to the 3 girls. The adults shared testimony after testimony and repeatedly assured the girls that Jesus is able to do all things. Whoa, in that small kitchen, could sense the presence of God and one of the girls was even tearing! They are very open. There was no skepticism or cynicism but genuine interest. They looked like it was their first time hearing about Jesus =) Please continue to pray for them.. they held back when they heard that they have to turn away from their gods.

The next morning, we went to Tj Batu to prepare for celebration service! Pre-service prayer was great! Holy Spirit was in our midst preparing His sanctuary =) Then the people started streaming in, quite packed! Praise God! =)

With the kids, Tuan Yee went through scenes of The Passion, to show the kids the sequence to the resurrection. I realized that the kids are very visual. All eyes were on the pictures!! =) To explain that new life given is vibrant and needed to be carefully taken care of, we went into eggy business with the kids!! The outcome?

I particularly like Yongdi’s one. He came up with the idea of using yarn for hair and did the “hairy eggs” by himself.. hee

Just when we were letting the kids pack up and play, sister Ann rushes up and asks Tuan Yee and I to join her in ministry at the altar. God is just amazing lor. I was still preoccupied with packing when sis Ann said, “pray for this man”. In a spilt second, God just took over and ministered. Amazing, coz I was really so unprepared and mind was just a second ago still on kids stuff! It was a real challenge praying in Mandarin.. argh!!!!! Also 1^st time praying for a middle aged male.. still not used to it! But really it was all God. There were 4 men at the altar and could see God at work in them. May the work He has began in them be complete!

After service, we went to visit Zhi Guang who was not feeling well. When we entered the house, the dog kept barking and barking. Somehow when we prayed for him and when we sang praises to God, the dog was silent!! Indeed even animals know the He is God! =)

Yups, was a great experience, really looking forward to doing more… thank God for everything! =)

p/s: please note no more whiteboard markers and sis Ann is changing the saturday lessons an hour earlier...

The Feb19-20 Trip

2006-02-23T15:38:00.000+08:00

Wee u wee... God is good! Steady boat ride.. Praise God!
First thing that caught my eye when we reached the church was the beautiful piece of artwork by our dear kids in Sawang.. See see! Nice hor?? So talented they all... steady pom bibi... maybe can auction this help raise funds for them.. haha!

Anyway, our first mission (macham like CIA) - try to settle some misunderstandings between the kids. Yongdi brought us to see Yongqing... now a small boss, help parents look after shop.. after play play with him, we went to see nana and pipi, so had fun talking to them and their mama.. and look! nana and pipi got new sister to play with!

.. and while we were there, yongqing came over to nana/pipi's place with shuncai on motorbike.. wah sei shuai dai le..! Then the three of them attended class together.. hope their dispute was over? Pray pray.. hehe.. but now have to pray for both yongqing and shuncai cos they are working on sundays and can't attend church on sundays.. sayang...

... after visit at nana/pipi.. went to melissa house by the beach.. melissa steady one.. prayed for her grandma in bahasa.. was told she prayed first for healing, then for anointing upon us the visiting team, then also for God to forgive their sins... wah sei.. very impressed!

Sunday Worship was smmoooth and steady.. with Qiu mama leading the worship, little esther on keyboard.. the xiao dou dou got to do bookmarks... woo wwee.. the da dou dou do bible study on respect and discipline by bro daniel.. then after that our first music lesson!

Taught sulin the basics of keyboard, C and D chord.. then also Yongkwang the guitar zhou jie lun's song chords.. then wat's most impressive was the adults actually took out the guitars and started practicing themselves.. wah sei.. steady.. so i just guided them how to use the tuner to tune guitar.. praise GOD! 1st lesson getting on.. let's have more!

God bless everyone!

2006-02-14T10:26:00.000+08:00

Videos of the kids singing 1

Video of the kids singing 2

Chinese New Year Blessings 04-05 Feb 06

2006-02-07T08:53:00.000+08:00

praise God for another great trip! and getting us through customs without too much of a hitch, with all these stuff:

we headed to sister SK's place, a fair distance through plantations & dirt tracks. it was a lovely compound, with fruit trees all around. in the cool breeze, we helped ourselves to the coconut

before we had a time of praise & worship, following which sis Ann shared a little from Deut 28 on God's blessings on those who trust in Him and follow Him.

and we all sat down for our sumptous New Year steamboat dinner (the traditional type with charcoal fire), enjoying the wonderful fellowship.

in the evening, a few of us went back to sawang to pay visits to some of the youth / kids - benny, joni & tini, the Gao family, ah Khim's house, giving hongbaos to the kids. it was also the first time we saw the Gao's baby girl...

the next day, we had the usual worship, adult's service, youth CE and children's lesson. sis Jojo taught on the books of the bible, helping the kids remember the books of the NT. [teachers: please refer to this link]

it was very apt too, just as we taught the youths about prayer during CE, the youths later got round to lay hands and pray for Nurrida's toothache:

and finally, after everything, we continued with our Chinese New Year party with all the adults and kids together as one big family!

God's Goodness 21 Jan 06 (sat)

2006-01-24T14:24:00.000+08:00

God is Good!! all de time, all de time God is Good!
this week, we had sis ya lian and bro raymond who joined us (aunt ann, bro daniel, victor and myself esther!) on the team ;o)
dis trip is juz so full of God's goodness..
de boat ride there was spacious and smooth, praise God!

after we touched down, we went to visit de granny who is stayin beside uncle gou's house, dis ah ma (in above pic) was saved 2 wks ago and had promised she wld follow Jesus's eg in baptism when she can come down n walk...we sang to her new year songs and could see she was thrilled! she looks healthy n joyful n can now slowly walk w de help of clutches! it wld b soon she be baptised! Praise God :o)

then we also visted melissa n family, they look gd, esp de kids, joyful n better dressed, growing up to b fine young man n woman of God, we pray for old ah ma whose eyes couldnt really see cos of bad weather, we pray for her n encouraged melissa to pray for ah ma too :o) de kids r are puttin into practise what they ve learnt =]

we then had dinner near de sea ...de scenery coupled w de gentle breeze was simply breathtaking...de food was so delicious...a moment to savour...a gd escape fr de hussle n bussle of city life..

uncle raymond was so captivated by de beautiful sight tat he asked if he could go every week..haa...one more sign-on for sawang =]

after dinner, we slowly walked back to uncle gou house for de nite, de kids n folks greeted us w such warmess n heartfelt smiles

taught de kiddies n youths lang classes and played w them...dey seemed to ve grown so much bigger n taller..wiser too :o) such a joy to b w them...as much as we r teaching them...they ve taught me alot too..what simple faith n complete trust means, no fear, no falseness, no limits, no boundaries..in de kids world...all things r possible n Jesus is their superhero :o) they love the song! yeah!

was a tiring night but was all worth it seeing d smiles on de kids face, singing de songs we ve taught them, they opening up to us n each other ...learning to treat each other w kindness, praying to Jesus :o)

went back gembira hotel (Praise God for clean hotel rms), practised for sun's praise n worship :o) zzzz

God's Goodness 22 Jan 06 (sun)

2006-01-24T14:10:00.000+08:00

woke 7 on sun, ate breakfast n headed on to batu church, prayed, set up n practised alittle :o)

dis week bro raymond, bro daniel and i lead worship, victor was playing the guitar..was interesting n quite cool!!

taught de young ones Jesus's eg of being kind n merciful to others ...praise God they were all v attentive n they realli enjoy coloring alot, heard from yong di that they dont learn arts in school :( most of de kids can realli draw n color v well =) talents fr God! so much potential in them!

sukardi came too, he fell into a big hole on sat when he was on his way to church, so couldnt make it for sat, but he came on sun, could see he was still in pain..but he choosed to honor God n came for service :o) realli felt v touched n comforted by this big boy, man after God's heart in de making =]

see d kids!! v cute n adorable right??! they love to wrestle esp de boys haa...

there was a very cute girl who juz wont get off the bike n enter the church cos she was shy :O) hope she can join us next time round!

finally lunch...more nice food again..de slogon for sawang ministry is ...
chi he wan le, chuan fu ying de last being de most impt..haa

n home sweet homez...all our hearts still w de sawang folks..

Praise God for bags of tapioca love offerings fr uncle gou and a smooth boat ride homez though was raining
recalled de song ..
with Christ in de vessel, we can smile at de storm, smile at de storm, storm at de storm :o)
with Christ in de vessel, we can smile at de storm, all day long :o)

Jesus is our SUPERHERO! yeah :o)

Sawang Trip 2006 1st trip 7th-8th Jan

2006-01-13T16:09:00.000+08:00

Ok Sawang mission blog is up!!! That's sister ann praying for an old lady...

That sister ann and jojo again praying for the baby... Initially the wife put many funny idol stuffs on the baby... Then Sister ann and jojo cut it all away and burnt it in Jesus name... Wee u wee!!!

That's how they burn it... Should bring in those power lighter so can burn faster lol...

That's me with the kids!!!!

That's me with Wingfai and the kids...

We really had lots of fun witht the kids this time round... Taking tons of photos and playing with the kids...

Then sunday service wa liao blackout and heavy rain... But lucky still quite a few came... But as Sis Ann was praying for the start of the service, the power came back just in time... Steay sia... Thank God!!!!! If any of u wanna post anything thing here in this blog please contact esther for id and password... Patrick =)