Sunday, December 26, 2004

baptism

attended W's church baptism jus now(cos happened to be in area). its ultra cool.. so touching, and personal.. its done after the last serviceof the day, all the candidates gather, old/ young/ families/siblings. saw the youth one close up.. it goes: person walks into pool(which is in the middle of the stage(never knew it was there!!)

pastor asks him if he has anything to say,(ie thank God for Him etc) then asks 3 questions, : do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, do you believe He died for you and rose after the 3rd day, is He Your only God and Saviour, to which the person says 'Yes' into the microphone, bearing witness to all present(and there are many present).. then" what you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart, i baptise you in the Name of Jesus, unto the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost"(to the shouts and cheers of the people present).. its almost like a wedding.. so cool. my church does it a bit differently, at service time while worship taking place, then the pple get baptised in a pool above the stage, but the confession is only heard be the person saying it and the person baptising them, so don have the "i announce to the whole world Jesus is my God" effect.. so cool.. yeah.. praise God..

read another cool verse fr Romans.. 13:8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbour has fulfiled the law.

ooh, went for christmas bash yest at fort canning, ard 6 plus to 1130 pm.. was fun! tho i didnt really wan to go at first, was imagining crowds and i don really like crowds. but it was really fun! watched performances by our church mini "singapore idol" finalists, song, dance and band categorys, and worship and service under the stars and spraying snow!!! every goodie bag had a can.. haha first time i played w fake snow. worship was energised and we were jumping up and down.. gladness of heart and joy bubbling as we were reminded how God love us so much He came for us.. awesome..


Wednesday, December 15, 2004

driving this week!

parents went india for a week so i have the car!! jus knowing i have a car to go home in makes me feel less tired at the workplace.. went home and had time to blade on monday! cool..

went to shop w L (who's on leave) yesterday and watched 'national treasure'. it quite good. today going bowling w cell later at east coast. i cant really bowl but so cant e other 3 gals going so its fun. keke..

tomo E is buying me belated bday dinner, haha. den fri go return dental stuff at Dr C's plus give him all e leftover LA(which W's church decided to donate to em), gauze etc, which is quite a lot of stuff, 7 tins of LA! i know it'll be a great blessing to e next team dat goes on mission. so its cool too.

i love driving, feel so free. but next week no car so mustn get to used to it.. and sigh, forgot to put in the card today and got fined $10 again at the ERP gantry!!! yester even more dui, put in the card but didnt insert it all e way in so also got fined!! set alarm to remind myself tomo.

K and gf seem ok already, so jus lie low and see loh, anyway next year he'll leave prob wont see often also.. but its been real fun hanging out. :)

Friday, December 10, 2004

simple faith

YS sms me his mom just received Christ. praise God indeed! he really impressed me w his simple faith during the mission trip.. and he only received Christ early this year.. he went for e trip immediately after his 'A' levels..


i'd like to learn that from him.. when did me and God get so complicated.. criss-crossing issues that have no business there..? distractions..


met 2 friends jus now.. one of them has struggles going to service on time due to other appts.. how abt making her date with God The appt of the day that she cant be late for.. i don know.. i suppose this is her struggle for this phase of her life. He has made everything beautiful in its time.. jus feel that we have such a long way to go from what He has in mind for us.. after the trip, jus feel that the church right now is so far from what God must have intended it to be.. we look at ourselves and think, we're good, we send a few missionaries(?) a year out there, if a member has regular cell attendance, service attendence, or is a cell leader balancing work and leader meetings we think, thats a good member..


is that all?


how God cries out for the villagers that we visited in thailand.. multiply that by other countries, other locations, villages in mountains, valleys.. that a lot .. no wonder He told us all to Go..


didnt we give our lives to Him when we realised the price He paid? how often we (myself included) take our offering back.. we do the bare minimum and think, ive done my part.. in reality, we still have much ground to cover..


im so guilty of that.. please effect a change Lord.. teach me a simple faith that i may be a fruitful life, in your opinion..


hmm. God says to me.. do not look down on evangelism in the cities.. and.. discipleship is a process after all.. keep at it.. feeling more encouraged now.. :)

still praying that K and his gf will be alright and misunderstandings cleared up..


Thursday, December 09, 2004

choices

i have to be in 3 places at e same time on sat. i'd like to be in 3 places at the same time on sat.


1) H's wedding, which he invited me a month ago.. a dear friend, closer in the past.. lost a bit of touch over e years.. which is why even more when he remembered to invite me to his wedding, i could see his sincerity and i really want to b there.. and blocked it off in my calender.. 230 pm at serangoon


2) came back fr thailand, realised there's an SM2 briefing for the sentosa outing on sunday. we'd be briefed then we brief the juniors. 2-330pm we get briefed, 330 pm onwards, we brief others.. in the east.


3) jus remembered, Irfan's band playing in toa payoh in the afternoon.. he'd mentioned it earlier and i'd put it in my phone.. would like to be there jus to take a look and support a bit..


4) SA jus requested i do conso duty tomorrow. i thought wat the ..? its a mess anyway, so agreed also.. briefing @ 415 pm at TC.. k maybe my thought processes are a bit haywire..


5) morning, going to tailor cos sis want to make bridesmaid dress. 1030 am in toapayoh. this one mus go.. promise already..


and to think i actually planned to go blading in the morn..


choices..


after much mulling.. i decided. i'll go bridesmaid dress, then wedding, then church for conso . shall miss the sm2 altogether. and watch Irfan another day. he's so talented, i'm sure he'll be playing again. dont want to stretch myself too much and get burn out rushing multiple locations all day. plus J has slide show at night after service.. may miss dat.. will think it over..


Monday, December 06, 2004

my mission trip report

background info
we went as a group of ard 150 youths (abt 30 youths fr Brighton ministry, this being a joint trip, (with COS (Bukit Timah) who does this a few times a year)). Most of the youths are between 13 – 17 yrs old. We were arranged into 4 big groups of 4 teams in each group, ard 8-10 pple per team.

We'd go together to Bangkok, then each of the 4 big groups would head off for different nearby parts of Thailand for ministry and we would all meet back together on the last 2 days to celebrate. My group went to Nongkai. Every day we’d go to a different village (500 or less families each).

ministry
In the day, we’d prayer walk, give out tracts (similar to the 4 spiritual laws) and invite the villagers to the night rally. There were interpreters and pastors fr a local church who went with us (most of us couldn’t speak Thai). At night, we’d share testimony, song, skit, a simple message, then invite the people to receive Christ and the sick to come forward for prayer. It was amazing..

God healed 98% of the people who came forward. We prayed in groups of 5-10. Sometimes we had to pray twice or even 4 or 5 times, but many times it was immediate. There were miracles everyday. (They counted more than 80 from the 5 night rallies and 4 day ministry) I’d jus mention a few. There was old man, wearing sunglasses (at night) who had blurred vision, could see clearly after we prayed for him. We were testing him, holding up fingers fr a distance. And the joy on his face is just wonderful. Another old man, after seeing his friend get healed of back pain, climbed over the knee high barrier and asked for prayer for his deaf right ear. We tested his hearing by asking him to repeat sentences while covering his good ear. Again, his eyes lit up with surprise and amazement when he realized God had healed him.

Many others, suffering from long term leg problems, backaches etc, were healed and the joy on their faces was priceless as they strutted around where they once needed assistance to walk, and flexed their hands and backs when they once winced in pain. I saw many old people who shuffled slowly to the front due to leg problems and strutted happily back and forth after they were healed, their countenance changed completely and looking years younger. There was much rejoicing. Praise God!

its just amazing how one moment the person is limping and after praying for less than 5 minutes, he can be walking around with this mixture of amazement and joy on his face. God at work is really amazing.. There was an old man, seeing others get healed, who left hurriedly with one of our interpreters and brought back his wife who could not walk properly, to the rally. His wife was healed and he was very happy. They both received Christ. There were many wonderful testimonies, people who were hunchbacked who could walk straight, a lady who was healed even as she said the sinner’s prayer to receive Christ.

reflections
As the days progressed, I realized the focus is not on the miracles, to God, it is not difficult to heal, but its God’s love for the people. He does these miracles so that they have a powerful witness and will know that Jesus is the true God. A verse that struck me, from Matthew 11:5 in response to John’s question if He was the Saviour, Jesus said” .. the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them” I believe what moves God’s heart most is that the poor have the gospel preached to them. Many of the villages we visited had never heard of Jesus. An old lady who received Christ and healing said, ‘I had never heard of Jesus before, why didn’t you come earlier..?’

We also saw many people of all ages, who, on presenting them with the gospel simply, without any prayer request for healing, laid aside their idols and Buddhist gods whom they had prayed to all their lives and received Jesus into their hearts. A group of women whom the pastor talked to one night said that they believed, but they have no church to go to. It was touching and heartbreaking at the same time.

Each time someone received Christ, the local ministers took down their names so they could follow up in future. There were many, many salvations. I know many of us realized the task ahead to follow-up for the local church is immense. And we could only continue to pray strength for them and trust in God who is bigger than the task.

For many of us, it was the first time we saw miracles (in fact many of the trippers are less than a year old Christians) first time we prayed for the sick, many of us were anxious (“what if the person was not healed etc) pastor assured us it was normal. But as the days passed, we grew in faith and prayerfulness. We were praying and interceding throughout the day and the night rallies. I realized it’s not just about praying for healing, or commanding the sickness to leave, it was more about interceding for the person’s life.

more reflections
Personally, I was very touched by many things. I was touched by the fervour of the youth I working with, each night as we prayed our heart out during the rallies for the people. We were ready at 730 am and often slept after midnight. No complains. Overall, all were ready to cooperate. Most of them may be in secondary school or jus finished ‘O’ levels, and when they play, they are gigglish and we tell lame jokes and run around together, but when it comes to the ministry or praying, they are 100 % serious about God. I have never seen such mature 14, 15, 16 year olds. many are accomplished guitarists. There was always some group singing worship songs whenever we had pockets of time.

There were times when things didn’t go well too. The first 2 night rallies we had, only a few came forward for healing, though those that did come forward were healed. Overall, there were a handful who did not receive complete healing, though they said they felt much better, there were others as well who were asymptomatic to begin with so we could not test (like thalessamia), but it was encouraging seeing the team not discouraged, but very willing to pray until the person got complete healing.

Pastor explained for some, healing would not be immediate, for various reasons of lack of faith etc, though for most it would, so we should not be lazy to use that as an excuse to not persevere to pray. I realized too for all those who came and received the blessing of God, there were also others who did not come, though they were invited.. or else they would have received healing and God in their life. Though many were blessed, many missed out too. Not all who were evangelized to received Christ, they were just not ready, or wanted to continue in their own idol worship. And though offered, some of the sick rejected prayer when they were visited in the day, or else they would be healed too. 2 lessons I learned. One is a warning/reminder to myself that God will not force me to accept His blessing.. I can miss out if I reject it. Another lesson is the sad thing of the lost being blinded and held captive by a combination of satan's lies and their own choices, and suffering needlessly.

Dental work
My team and I did 3 days of dental work. Saw 35 patients, extracted 37 teeth. At times, I did wonder if I would rather be tracting/ prayerwalking/ evangelising/ praying for the sick/ visiting schools more, in the day, like most of the others cos it sounded so exciting. But I trust that God had His purpose for the dental work, and I was comforted whenever I heard this or that patient had received Christ (cos they’d usually hang around after the dental extraction and someone could share Christ with them.) I was glad also to have the opportunity to experience being the only dentist around, in case next time I have the same situation, then will have a better idea. Thank God also it went relatively well. We even treated 2 pre-schoolers.

Personally, it encouraged me to have the chance to share with this 71 year old man after I extracted his tooth and there were no other patients. I had watched how some of the others had shared with the locals and as I spoke to him simply about how God can forgive our sin, I saw he understood. We prayed together to receive Christ, and invited him to the night rally. he came, and was healed of his leg pain, back pain and asthma. He was all smiles and hung around till the very end.

thanksgiving
The other groups in other parts of Thailand did slightly different things, some did more evangelism in schools and less night rallies, others did roughly same as my group, but all had its purpose in God's design. In the end we all met together and praised God for all He has done. And prayed for and appreciated the local church members who are going to continue the work. This trip has blown my mind and been an eye-opening experience. Am still processing. Just really thank God. And praise Him. Praise God! again and again!

realisations

some of my processed thoughts after the mission trip(more thoughts to come)

God is really real.. what are we going to do..

what it means.

1) many you love have died and are going to go to hell. there's no more way out for them.

2) many you love are going to die, and will go to hell. because some will reject Jesus, and simply refuse to understand.

there is no happy ending for everyone.

its a hard truth that i must learn not to delude myself from anymore, that my days would be wise.

please help us Lord. i ask especially for those i love. and those You love too, out there.

if you are reading this and you dont know what Jesus is about. here's a few simple sentences to let you know.

1) there is only one God, and He created heaven and earth, man and woman.

2) man has sinned(sin= lying, stealing, all the bad things you/ve ever done, no matter how small)

3) man is separated from God because of his sin

4) hell exists, and if we have sinned before, when we die, because of sin, we will go there.

5) God does not want us to go to hell, He wants us to go to heaven to be with Him. Hell is not meant for us.

6) God sent Jesus, His Son, to earth. Jesus did many miracles on earth, He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind etc. But the greatest thing He did was die on the cross as payment for our sins. so that our sins are paid in full by Him. if we ask Him to forgive our sins, He can release forgiveness and we can be restored to God and be with God after we die. Jesus rose from the dead after 3 days, alive, to show us He has truimphed over death and we do not need to fear.

7) our Lord Jesus now becomes the bridge over sin that reconciles us to God. He is the only Way the truth and the Light, no one comes to the Father except through Him, through His forgiveness and reconciliation.

8) if your life ended now, would you be going to heaven or hell? would you ask Jesus to come into your life and be your Lord and Saviour? if so, jus say a simple prayer right now..

9) Dear Lord Jesus, i confess i am a sinner and have sinned. i believe you died on the cross for my sins and rose again after the 3rd day. i receive your forgiveness for my sins. come into my heart, be my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Lord. In Jesus Name , amen.

10) if you have just said this prayer, congratulations, you have been reconciled with God through faith. you are now a child of God. as a new born, you will need a family to care for you. do let someone, or myself, know of your decision to trust Jesus so that you may fully know the blessings, joy and power of God in your life. Praise God!


Sunday, December 05, 2004

mission trip

jus came back from mission trip today. it was really cool. dear Lord, praise You. Just wondering what sort of impact it would have in my life. seeing all the miracles happen. it is just amazing.. and it drives home deeper how real this all is.. and how real hell is. how.. so many dying without You.. perhaps i have been avoiding it, cos dont want to imagine all those i love suffering in hell. but if i avoid it, then there's not even hope that You could use me to do something about it.

another thought. now i know why W chooses to follow D. who wouldn want to follow someone who has a clear direction, and passion and has the power of God manifest in their life. i'd follow him too. but i know God has a place for me where i am now. and it just doesn sit right to jump. so out goes that thought..

dear Lord.. how long has it been..? what will life bring..? my mind is so full right now from all the happenings the past 10 days. what does it mean.. i just dont know yet.. but i pray You will build something with all i've experienced so that it is not just an experience, but You can use it to build into my life. I see how real You are. its awesome Lord.. how can i comprehend it.. perhaps i can only try having a simple faith with what i do comprehend. and i pray i walk humbly with You.