2011

T E A M

R E F L E C T I O N S

2012

THINK OF TIMOR

L-R: WITH THE CHILDREN WHO ATTENDED CAMP, GEARING UP FOR PAINTING

Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord

That was the prayer of each of the 23 members of the team that went from Emmanuel Evangelical Free Church in Singapore to Timor Leste, from 27 December 2011 to 3 January 2012. During the short 8 days (and before and after), God worked: He broke, He mended, He tested, He healed, He opened doors, He changed plans, He showed how the whole world is indeed in His hands. The following pages contain thoughts penned down after returning to Singapore. As you will see, God opened the eyes of many hearts to Him and His people. With each members unique presentation of their thoughts, we hope that you will be encouraged by what God has done, and what He will do. Do read and enjoy!

ARRIVING IN DILI

LYDIAS HOUSE

BLESSING THE TIMORESE

S H E R LY N
THE LORD OPENED THE EYES OF MY HEART. HE SHOWED ME. THAT HE IS AT WORK. IN THE LIVES OF THE YOUTHS WHO WENT. WHERE THEY HAD TO STEP OUT AND STEP UP. IT WAS A JOY SEEING THEM PRAY FROM THEIR HEARTS. IT WAS A JOY SEEING THEM SERVE WITH THEIR HANDS. LORD, MAY THEY EXPERIENCE YOU AFRESH EACH DAY. HE SHOWED ME. THAT HE IS AT WORK. IN THE REMOTEST PART OF THE EARTH. WHERE BLANCA, A MISSIONARY, HAD STAYED FOR NINE YEARS. IT WAS AN ENCOURAGEMENT SEEING HER PERSEVERANCE IN THE LORD. IT WAS AN ENCOURAGEMENT SEEING HER DISCIPLE LOCALS TO GO INTO THE VILLAGE TO BUILD CHURCHES. LORD, MAY SHE CONTINUE TO FIND STRENGTH IN YOU. HE SHOWED ME. THAT HE IS AT WORK. IN EAST TIMOR. WHERE SPIRITUAL WARFARE IS REAL. IT WAS HEART WARMING TO SEE LYDIAS LANDLORD STEP INTO HER HOUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME. IT WAS HEART WARMING THAT LYDIAS PRAYER OF TEACHING IN THE LOCAL SCHOOL WAS FULFILLED. LORD, YOU ARE STRONGER THAN SATAN.

RYA N
GOD WORKS. I'VE BEEN TO EAST TIMOR TWICE AND HAVE NEVER FAILED TO FEEL GOD'S PRESENCE WITH US DURING THE TRIPS. EVEN WHEN WE WERE IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY AND OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONE, GOD WAS THERE. MANY OF US FELL SICK, BUT GOD PROTECTED US SO THAT WE CAME BACK TO SINGAPORE SAFE AND SOUND. IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE TO WORK WITH FELLOW CHRISTIANS TO SERVE GOD AND TO SEE HIS WORKS OUTSIDE SINGAPORE. GOD HAS TRULY OPENED THE HEARTS OF MANY TIMORESE.

SHERLYN AND RYAN

FIND JOY.

THE CHILDREN IN EAST TIMOR ENJOY DOING ANYTHING! SINGING, PLAYING SIMPLE GAMES- ALL THESE BRING SMILES TO THEIR FACES. IT MAKES ME TREASURE WHAT WE HAVE IN SINGAPORE AND TO FIND JOY IN THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE. IT ALSO REMINDS ME OF THE JOY WE CAN FIND IN KNOWING JESUS. PRAYER IS POWERFUL. GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS. THE WEATHER, NO MATTER HOW UNPREDICTABLE IT MIGHT BE, IS UNDER GOD'S CONTROL.

JENNY
I AM THANKFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE A DIFFERENT MISSION FIELD. PROGRAM COVERED: 1. SCHOOL HOLIDAY CAMP - ENGLISH AND CRAFT THE CHILDREN WERE ENTHUSIASTIC AND EAGER TO LEARN. THEY WERE ARTISTIC AND MUSIC AND GAMES BROUGHT JOY TO THEIR FACES. 2. VISITATION AND EVANGELISTIC OUTREACH WE VISITED THE HOSPITAL, CHURCH AND A FEW FAMILIES. AS IT WAS RAINING EVERYDAY, THE TERRAIN OF THE COUNTRY WAS "ROUGH" AND FULL OF POT-HOLES. THE WEATHER RESULTED IN MANY CHANGES TO THE ITINERARY AND THE NEEDS DIFFERED FROM PLANS. AS A TEAM, UNITY PREVAILED.WE MANAGED TO MEET ALL EXPECTATIONS INCLUDING COOKINGTHE NEW YEAR'S EVE "FESTA AND DINNER". WE SAW GOD'S WORK AND HIS LEADING. WE EXPERIENCED HIS BLESSINGS FOR THE TEAM. WE SAW A BEAUTIFUL RAINBOW ON OUR WAY BACK TO DILI. DURING THIS TRIP,I LEARNT NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED AND ANXIOUS WHEN "UNEXPECTED" AND MULTIPLE CHANGES WERE MADE. MY WELL-ORDERED LIFE WAS INTERRUPTED BY FRUSTRATION, IRRITATION, FEAR AND DOUBT. INSTEADAS A TEAM WEDISCUSSED, LOOK TO GOD, ADAPT SWIFTLY AND FOLLOW THROUGH WITHTHE TASK.

JENNY SHARING THE WORD

KATHY
The mission trip to East Timor really opened the eyes of my heart. Although it was a big team, I think that God spoke to each and every one of us who went in His own special way. Personally for me, God told me something that I had always needed to hear; that I was special. For a long time I had been struggling with feeling wanted and accepted, as most of the time I felt excluded and useless in one way or another. It was so easy to tell that God was real when we were in Timor. We had morning devotion in front of the endless blue (my favourite colour) ocean when we were in Dili, and in the majestic mountains up in Maubisee. Everything was just so beautiful and perfect, and I realised that the God who created what was in front of me, had created me. He even knew my name before the creation of the world and I just felt so special and loved. Every single one of us was created in His image, so if the ocean and mountains can be so perfect, then what more are we to ask of God, if we are even more special than all that? During a sharing session, Sherlyn had also reminded me that God knows every tear that I cry and he keeps them. That Gods unfailing love is enough for me. Not only did God show me His love, He showed me that He is sovereign over all. When we came together as a team on the last day of the year to pray to ask God to stop the rain, I could not stop myself from crying. Because at that moment I knew that we serve an all-powerful God who can do the impossible, and He had stopped the rain for us. He did not have to, but He did. Everything is possible for he who believes Mark chpt 9 v 23. That night when we were back at the guesthouse, I had very bad cramps and a headache and I wasnt able to join the rest of the group to watch the reworks to celebrate the New Year. I had gotten out of bed for a while to try to see the reworks but after about 5 minutes I could not take it and I had to go back to bed. It was the rst time that I could remember that I was spending New Year in bed! And all I could do was lie helplessly in pain as the rest watched the reworks in the other room. (With the exception of my sister who was also lying on her mattress) But that had allowed me time to just pray and thank God for the whole year that had passed, and I was spending New Year with God instead. Although the pains had lasted till the last day of our trip in Timor, I knew that God was my strength and that He was with me. I am thankful that I was able to share Gods love for me with the children during the 2 day childrens camp; that I was able to bond with them and learn more about them. God had really opened the eyes of my heart and I had grown so much closer to Him over the 8 days we were there. Although we are back in Singapore now, with only buildings and not mountains to surround us, God is still as real to me and He has helped me with something I could never do; daily quiet time. I thank God that this passion for Christ and yearning for God has not died down, and I pray that God will give me more opportunities to share His love with those around me. All glory goes to God!

KAH LOONG
I have always been a rather careful person, not wanting to risk much especially not my family lled with young children. When the invitation was open for this trip, somehow I felt that God was calling me to go and that means the whole family as well. I was hoping that I could nd some logical excuses so that I can justify my decision for not going. Well it seems that the further I wanted to run away the stronger the calling. I nally stop resisting and decided to just obey. From that point on I realized all I can depend on was God and my trust in Him. I learned that obeying God is really not all plain and simple. While preparing for the trip, God showed me Joel 2 and it was just not all that encouraging except the FACT that God is; Slow to anger, Compassionate, Loving and Gracious (Joel 2:13). When Zack got real sick during the trip, I have to accept that God is indeed still Compassionate, Loving and Gracious. I can no longer just say I trust God but I must live it in my prayers and submission to Him. In fact, I must be Slow to anger and at times it was hard to practice when I hear the moaning and crying for help from my son. Faith, I feel was my greatest lesson learned. God prepared me and see us through. Indeed He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain rm (1 Cor 10:13)

H E AT H E R
Before that week away from all the usual comforts, there had been many things undone and even more that need undoing. It was a time for Him to do more of the deep faith work. Dismantling and undoing the trust in self, the trust in others, the trust in doctors and medicine. It was time for him to break me (and us, as a family) so that He could rebuild us. I shared with a few young parents about how Zack fell sick the moment we arrived in East Timorabout how the supposed allergy problems were really a virulent virus about how the fever went up and up about the trip to see the doctor that we couldnt communicate with about the limitations at the hospital we visitedabout how the sickness in him went on for ve of the seven days of this very short term mission trip. They were stunned, shocked, stressed on my behalf. It was hard to hear. But I had to go on. I had to share what God was doing while bodies and spirits languished under the weight of sickness and the added weight of being far from home and our usual ways of coping. It became a time for prayer work. Every time the fever went up, Zack asked for us to pray for him. Daddy, please pray for me AGAIN. He was learning, too. He didnt ask for more medicine, he asked for more prayer. It became a time for faith work. In tears we offered ourselves again and again to Him. We offered our son to Him. We are yours. He is yours. Its all yours. In our helplessness we came back to that place againwe knew were nothing; we had nothing. We couldnt cure our son, we couldnt get him to the best doctors or hospital, we couldnt even get him the best medicine. And all the while the Enemy was whisperingSee? See what happens when you bring kids on a mission trip? See how much trouble and worry youve caused yourselves and your team and the missionary you are supposed to be helping? I bet you wont do this again. The enemy is betting on us coming undone. But we know better than to fall for his lies. We need faith. And with faith (which is a gift from the Father) we will obey Him if He calls us to go again. We said it in tears that night, after giving the midnight dose of medicine to the boy burning with fever. We said we would obey; we said we would not listen to the Enemys whispers, we would not be undone by temptation. If we were to be undone, it would be at the hands of our Maker. Our undoing would be for our transformation, for our remoulding into the vessels ready for deeper faith work.

CHILDRENS C AMP

DURING THE TWO DAY CAMP, WE SANG SONGS, PLAYED GAMES, TAUGHT ENGLISH AND CRAFT TO THE CHILDREN. WE ALLOWED OURSELVES TO BE USED TO BLESS THE CHILDREN AND WERE IN RETURN OURSELVES BLESSED.

KOK WENG
1. Gods Provisions. By Gods grace, we spent within the budget S $34,121.00. Actual amount spent was S$29,938.20. In total for this trip, we raised S$7,471.00. Members paid S$17,050.00 and Church approved S$9,600 (16 persons x S$600/person). God had made it possible for us. All praises, thanks and glory to Him. Lesson learnt was our willingness to trust Him. on Anna. I knew it because during Wednesday church prayer meetings, I shared and asked the church to pray for my relationship with my daughter, Anna for healing and also her relationship with God, to return to church on Sunday. God had allowed this crisis to happen so that I could mend this relationship with her and as a family to pray for her and asked God to deliver her from the evil ones. On 5th Jan 2012 evening, my wife and good self together with her, we prayed and my wife asked her to read the scriptures. That night, the evil ones left her, she became conscious of herself and lled with joy of relief throughout early morning, could not sleep. Then I knew how God answered my prayer the next morning, when she was okay. c. On the way up to Maubisse (2nd day), a funny negative thought came into my mind, ask God, why I spent so much money on the airfare, come to this remote place and help up in this childrens camp (23 of them) and also 23 of us. It was Satans temptation that cast doubt in my mind, but then I remembered in my quiet time lessons, Mk9:36-37 & Mk10:13-16, that taught me that these children are precious in Gods sight and He will not lose anyone of them. Once again, God reafrmed and strengthen my thoughts, when Jenny Cheang shared her devotion (3rd day) on the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-31). At that moment, I realised how unfaithful and discourage I am, I repented whole heartedly to Him. The Lord welcomes me and any of the children into His Kingdom. d. On 4th day, Winnie shared on 1 Corinthians 13 chapter on Love. Love is patient and kind (V4a). It was not easy for me. By nature / temperament, I am an impatient person. The Lord has to slow me down and I have to wait for the host, Mr. Tonito who is busy with his customers in his provision shop on the rst day morning of the New Year. The Lord taught me to relax and wait to go along with their way of life (culture immersion) to show love and understanding and not to provoke one another.

2. Able to witness how God answers my prayers despite of Satans disturbance. a. Overcoming our challenges by depending on God, return to Him with all your heart. Joel 2: 12-13. Reminded me that God is in charged, obey and take orders. Our Itinerary changes last minutes. Lesson learnt, willing to accept change and be adaptable. b. By overcoming my unbelief Mk 9:23-24, like the spirit possessed Boys father. Be prepared to seek and pray to God with intensity, Mk9:29. Lesson learnt, God intervened through our persistence prayers and sent angels to guard over us before, during and after the trip. 2 personal incidents I shared before and after the trip. i) Before the trip, when praying for the trip during Wednesday church prayer meeting , knew that spiritual warfare started, my car broke down twice between November and December 2011, especially that Thursday night (22/12/11), when I came to church to help Kah Loong to pack the items for the trip, my car radiator give way. Somehow, God had directed me to call the two workshops and only one workshop (nearby my house) that has the spare part to get it xed on the eve afternoon of Christmas day, while most of workshop already closed for the holidays. ii) When I returned from the trip, shocked to hear from my wife that Anna went into a daze (not of herself) on the evening of 27 Dec 2011, same day that we left for ET. Then I knew that Satan had attacked the weakest one in my family. Probably God had allowed it to do so (I recalled when I was doing B.S with my pathnders on the book of Job) but God may have told Satan not to lay a hand (cause hurt)

BENJAMIN
God opened my eyes to see His majestic power & authority through His wonderful & purposeful creation His hand at work in East Timor, demonstrating His sovereignty over all nations that I can trust in Him not just in the bad times but in the good as well that prayer is something that I lack in my life Prayer was something that hit me hard partly because I was guilty of not having a healthy prayer life prior to the trip. But God is so good! He showed me the importance of relying on Him through prayer. In Timor we had nothing to depend on in times of trouble but God alone. In Singapore however, its almost as if we lead totally different lives, not trusting/depending on God our Creator for our needs, sometimes distracted by things such that we forget He is right there, waiting for us to call on Him. We seem to be leading different lives because we depend on ourselves or others too much, to bring us through difcult times. We learnt it the hard way, each of us from last years (2011) mission team, we learnt to trust in Him always, and when trouble arises, to turn to God rst! It is with joy that I can say, through His grace, from mission trip till now, I was able to sustain a healthy prayer life, and He has worked wonders in my ministry work in SYFC and also at home. Praise the Lord!

AG N E S
WHAT I LEARNT FROM THIS TRIP: 1) I LEARNT TO SURVIVE ON FEW RESOURCES AND LEARNT TO DEPEND ON GOD.. 2) I LEARNT TO BE PATIENT AND SUBMIT TO THE AUTHORITY..3) I EXPERIENCED GOD'S LOVE STRETCH OUT TO PEOPLE IN TIMOR..4) NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD, AND GOD CAN STOP THE RAIN AND HOLD IT UNTIL OUR PROGRAM ENDED, EVERYTHING WAS DONE AND WE WENT BACK TO OUR GUEST HOUSE BEFORE THE RAIN STARTED AGAIN..5) PRAYER IS IMPORTANT..6) I EXPERIENCED GOD PROTECTION..7) I EXPERIENCED HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN ME..8) I EXPERIENCED LIFE IN EAST TIMOR..9) I EXPERIENCED BREAKTHROUGH IN ME {{ PRAYING TOGETHER WITH MANY PEOPLE IN PUBLIC,OPENLY }} ( COS I'M ACTUALLY VERY SCARED TO PRAY IN PUBLIC WITH MANY PEOPLE ) 10) I LEARNT THE MISSION TRIP IS NOT ABOUT US, NOT ABOUT HOW MUCH WE DO..IT IS ABOUT GOD,TO SEE GOD'S HAND WORK AND TO GLORIFY HIM.... MY THOUGHTS TO GOD: 1) GOD, ALTHOUGH THE TRIP IS VERY TIRING AND EVEN FALL SICK, AND MANY DIFFICULTIES, OBSTACLES I FACED..BUT I WILL STILL CHOOSE TO GO AGAIN TO SERVE YOU THERE, AND I KNOW IT'S NOT EASY,AND EVEN THE SPIRITUAL WAR FARE IS GOES AROUND TO

ATTACK ONE BY ONE..2) IF YOUR CALLING FOR ME TO GO AGAIN, I WILLING TO STEP OUT FROM MY COMFORT ZONE TO GO AGAIN..3) GOD BEFORE WE CAME BACK TO SPORE MY COMFORT ZONE MY HOME ..I HAD ALREADY DECIDED TO GO AGAIN,BECAUSE MY HEART TELL ME ( I WILL GO AGAIN )..4) GOD I KNOW I CAN'T BEAR TO LEAVE AND LEFT MY HUBBY ALONE, AND WILL MISSED HIM SO MUCH,BUT IF GOD YOU WANT ME TO GO I WILL STILL GO AND I'M SURE MY HUBBY WILL VERY HAPPY TO SEE ME SERVE YOU THERE .. MY PRAYER: I NEED PRAYER FOR TO CONTINUE TO DISCIPLINE MYSELF EVERY DAY MUST SPEND TIME WITH GOD AND OBEY HIM.. ENCOURAGEMENT: I AM VERY ENCOURAGED BY EVERYONE OF MY TEAM MEMBER, THEY WORKED SO HARD, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE VERY TIRED AND MANY OF THEM NOT FEELING WELL, BUT THEY STILL TRY THEIR VERY BEST TO DO THEIR PART, TO DO WHAT GOD WANT THEM TO DO.. GIVING THANKS: I THANK GOD FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AND PRIVILEGE TO GO ON THE MISSION TRIP. ALTHOUGH I DID VERY LITTLE DURING THIS TRIP, I LEARNT ALOT IN THIS TRIP, I'M SO GLAD THAT EVERYONE WAS UNITED.

NIC HO LAS
Having been to the East Timor Mission Trip, it truly was an experience for me. Initially going there without any expectations whatsoever, I went there to accept whatever that came. It was indeed like I was telling myself, Que sera, sera. (Translated it would be: what will be, will be.) The one word which I could indeed use to summarize what I learnt from the mission trip, it would be this word that we all know: faith. Why do I say faith? Without faith, we can never accomplish anything in life. The same goes for the progress of the trip. I truly found myself depending on God throughout the whole mission trip. Since I did not fulll the task of having someone pray for me personally, I just thought that God would be enough. I was right. I have been right the whole time. God was indeed sufcient for me. Faith in God cast the dark clouds aside when we wanted to have a small celebration with all the kids and some of the people living in the vicinity. The clouds looked like they wont go away for a long time. However, we all got down on our knees and just started praying for God to push the clouds away. When we nished, the storm nished as well. It was truly a miracle which I saw before my very eyes. One which I dont see in Singapore personally. Haha. Apart from caring for our own team members, I discovered that people in East Timor and other poorer countries indeed need the touch of Gods hands. They need to be brought to God. They need to be blessed. I guess thats one of the objectives of the Global Day of Prayer, where we pray for God to touch the hearts of those who need him so much. East Timor happens to be one of those places. In all, I learnt that we ought to count our blessings each day and not just thank God for everything when things go our way. We should thank Him for every single thing we have. Time: every week, every day, every hour, every minute, every second. We need to thank Him for giving us the chance to live out the next day. To be grateful to God. To thank God for letting us live good lives. To thank Him for letting us exist to make the world a better place and most importantly, to bring people to Him. Indeed, without God, we are truly nothing. Useless, if I may add. We need to always be faithful, to always believe that God is always there and to look to Him when we are in need of Him. Prayer is our weapon. We should always use it. Not just for requesting things but to thank God for His grace.

JANELLE
1) God Is really powerful. A lot of the other people would probably share this in their sharing as well but well, this is also what Ive learnt. Haha. During the last day of the year 2011, we were supposed to have a festa for aunty Lydias landlord and for the kids that came during the camp. We were also supposed to paint the landlords house. However, it started raining really really heavily after we just nished painting the house. And the rain didnt look like it was going to stop. By 6pm (the festa was supposed to start at 4) the rain was still pouring down, as heavily as ever. We started to get really scared and worried as no one could come in such a heavy downpour. So we started to pray. And in like less than an hour, while we were still praying, you can already hear the rain starting to die down. By the type we stopped praying it was just a light rain and the children were gathering outside. So while some of us went to get the tables and chairs, the rest of us just sat around the living room singing praises to God. By the time we stopped, the rain too had stopped. Another miracle: the landlords house was still more or less painted! (: 2) Prayers really important. I never took much notice of the verse that said where twos or threes gather in my name, there I am with them. - Matthew 18:20 (NIV) however, during this trip, I really saw the power of prayer. On the rst day of the childrens camp, it rained during lunch. So a few of the youths and zacky gathered around to pray. When we stopped, the rain had also stopped and we could have lunch outside. It was really amazing how God blew away the rain, just for us.

MINLING
FIRSTLY, I JUST WANT TO THANK GOD FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO GO FOR THIS MISSION TRIP BECAUSE HE HAS SHOWN ME SO MUCH OVER THERE. I HAVE SEEN HIS SOVEREIGNTY AND MAJESTIC SELF OVER AT TIMOR AND WE ONLY CAN COME BEFORE HIM HUMBLY AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT HE RULE OVER ALL THINGS AND HES THE ONLY ONE WHO IS IN CONTROL OF EVERYTHING. I CAN SAY THE EIGHT DAYS MISSION TRIP WAS FILLED WITH MANY CHALLENGES. THERE WERE CHANGES TO BE MADE IMPROMPTU, MANY SPIRITUAL BATTLES AND PEOPLE FALLING ILL. HOWEVER EVEN AS WE FACED ALL THESE CHALLENGES, WE LEARNT TO MAKE PRAYER SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT AND TO KNOW THAT AT THAT POINT OF TIME, WE HAVE NO ONE TO TURN TO BUT GOD. WE WERE KEPT ALL THE WAY. HE HEARD AND ANSWERED OUR PRAYERS. NOW THAT GOD HAS OPENED THE EYES OF MY HEART, I HAVE EXPERIENCED HIM BEING SO REAL THROUGH THIS MISSION TRIP, ITS MY TAKEAWAY FROM TIMOR TO SINGAPORE SO THAT I MAY CONTINUE TO TRUST IN HIM AND REMEMBER WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR US OVER THERE! MAY OUR SHARING ENCOURAGE YOUR HEARTS!

AUD RE Y
HAVE YOU EVER TALKED TO GOD ABOVE, TELL HIM THAT YOU NEED A FRIEND TO LOVE, PRAY IN JESUS NAME BELIEVING THAT GOD ANSWERS PRAYER... DEAR GOD, THANK YOU FOR THE MANY LESSONS YOUVE TAUGHT ME DURING THE TRIP. IVE BEEN REMINDED TIME AND TIME AGAIN OF YOUR MAJESTY AND YOUR MIGHT. JUST AS YOU CALMED THE STORM FOR YOUR DISCIPLES, SO YOU CALMED THE STORM FOR US. YOUR POWER NEVER FAILS. EVEN THOUGH THE TEAM FACED MANY ILLNESSES AND PERILOUS JOURNEYS, YOU HEALED, PROTECTED, AND GUIDED. JEHOVAH JIREH THE LORD IS MY PROVIDER. FOR EVERYTHING WE LACKED, YOU PROVIDED A WAY OUT. WE COULD NEVER COMPLAIN THAT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH OF ANYTHING, LORD, YOU ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR ME. THROUGH THE LIVES OF THE TIMORESE AND MY TEAM MEMBERS, IVE SEEN HOW POWERFUL THE LOVE OF CHRIST IS. I CAN LOVE LORD, BECAUSE YOU HAVE SHOWN ME HOW. I WANT TO KNOW YOU MORE, LOVE YOU MORE, EXPERIENCE YOU MORE. AMEN!

VA L E R I E
I FELT THAT THIS MISSION TRIP WAS GREAT. SINCE THIS IS MY FIRST MISSION TRIP, IT WAS BETTER THAN I THOUGHT. GOD WAS REALLY REAL DOWN THERE. WE ALL COULD SEE THE WONDERFUL CREATIONS THAT HE HAD MADE. THE SKIES, THE MOUNTAINS AND THE SEAS. EVEN THOUGH SOME OF US WERE SICK, I THINK THAT THEY ALSO ENJOYED THIS TRIP. OVER ALL, I REALLY ENJOYED THE MISSION TRIP FROM 27 DECEMBER 2011 TO 3 JANUARY 2012. I HOPE THAT I CAN GO FOR THE NEXT MISSION TRIP THE END OF THIS YEAR!!

WINNIE
1. I saw God's sustaining grace throughout the trip (in daily devotions, sharing by song leaders and answered prayers) in midst of erce spiritual warfare within and without. Within such as my fears (of puncture tyre and Valerie's health), miscommunications and unspoken expectations of each other. Without such as weather and road conditions/external factors beyond my control, food preparation and physical ailments of team members. I learnt humility through submission unto God especially in matters beyond my control. How did we overcome? Only by faith through prayer! Kok Weng's devotion reminded me to believe when I pray! " If you can? said Jesus. Everything is possible for him who believes. Mark 9:23 NIV Kah Loong's devotion reminded me to press on and honor God even in bleak situations! Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. (Joel 2:12, 13 NIV84) These are only a taste of God's sustaining GRACE. provided by Australia. The local Health Ministry hardly sent any panadol all these years despite Branka sending bi-mthly report to them. Lesson:- God's ability to mobilize the world for his work. Spiritual warfare is very real in remote places where resources are limited; ie medical and water resources. People resort to witch doctors for solutions but God destroyed many and only 5 are left. Lesson:- Like in the healing of a boy with an evil spirit in Mark 9:14-29, PRAYER is our weapon and resource against the devil. We must never be complacent even when things appear to be smooth sailing. Especially in Singapore where resources and technology are at our nger tips. "If you can? said Jesus. Everything is possible for him who believes. Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief! (Mark 9:23-24 NIV84) Her church was eager to pray and prayed for us rst. I was taken aback because I thought we came to give (prayer and spiritual support). But God intended us to rst receive His Blessings through his people we came to "mission". Lesson:- I was truly humbled and blessed by God and this people's love. I was so touched by God's presence in our midst although I don't understand their prayers, tears just streamed down my eyes. We gave them in our abundance, but they gave all they had God. Experiencing the Father's love rst hand enabled me to love others. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not selfseeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV84) God's love never fails, He desires to satises us for His Own Glory! I'll live this new year in expectancy of greater things from God. Lastly, as Sherlyn shared on the last devotion from (1 Corinthians 9:25-27 NIV84), this is my prayer:Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not ght like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualied for the prize. Amen!!

2. I saw how God never passes up on us as long as one of us came with a servant's heart. How simply carrying Abigail landed Lydia a teaching position in the Maubisee school and my 10-year preparation nursing my own children was put to use.

3. I saw God's unfailing love through Sister Branka; who was called, obeyed, harvested 29 converts in 10 years, sent them out to church plant in 6 villages including an elderly man, who was baptized 1 day before after 9 years of working on him. She, a trained nurse conducts seminary for 4 pastoral trainees. In her own words (paraphrase) 1 brings 10, 10 brings 100 and 100 brings 1000s to Christ, the multiplying effects of just 1 who obeys the call!! Initial 2.5 years, she walked daily into this village from her residence crossing the rocky stream we drove through to enter the village. On many occasions, she also evacuated patients on foot through the same path. Lesson:- God prepares us in his time for his work. No matter how long and arduous it seems, the end brings harvests if only I continue to plough in His Grace and Glory. The village's clinic was built and medicines are mainly

THANKS FOR READING! WE HOPE YOU HAVE BEEN ENCOURAGED :)