1 Special Thanks: Sophia Tan, Janice Ng, Allyssa Marie Ramos, Burlinton Goh and Saw Shay Tha Htoo for the articles submitted for this issue. Newsletter collated by Faith Teo and edited by Rev (Dr) Gary Choong.

Nehemiah 4:6: So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

Jan 2017

Joy to the World: Mission to Myanmar 2016 By Sophia Tan This is the second year that CCBC participated in the Myanmar Mission, led by Ps Saw, Karen Baptist Church Singapore (KBCS). This year we have 6 from CCBC, 3 brothers from Kim Tian CC, a couple from St. Andrew's Cathedral, and 2 families from KBCS.

Our mission theme was “Joy to the World” and our goal was to spread the Christmas cheer and message to the remote villages. We arrived in Yangon 5 Dec and after a late lunch, Dr Gary took the 5-hour-drive to the Kota Byu Theological Seminary (KTS), Pathein for teaching, while the rest of us travelled 2 hours to an orphanage.

There were about 75 children. We sang songs, shared the meaning of Christmas, prayed for them, and distributed gifts. Uncle Chee has bought a much-needed new keyboard for the orphanage.

Day 1 before Dr Gary leaves for the Seminary

The orphanage all decorated for Christmas Day Two It took about 8 hours to reach Taw Oo 16 Mile village where there was a church dedication service. Ps Saw preached, Uncle Chee and Janice led in singing. Sister CH and I shared the Christmas message. Lastly we gave out the Christmas treats to the kids and blankets to the adults.

Ps Saw speaking at the Church Dedication Service Day Three We travelled for 10 hours and it was dark when we reached the village. A stage was set up for this Christmas event. There are only a few Christian families and the lady pastor who has been working on this mission field finds the ground hard.

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CCBC 22nd Anniversary

Vision: CCBC, Toward Healthy Growing Disciple-Making Church

2 Special Thanks: Sophia Tan, Janice Ng, Allyssa Marie Ramos, Burlinton Goh and Saw Shay Tha Htoo for the articles submitted for this issue. Newsletter collated by Faith Teo and edited by Rev (Dr) Gary Choong.

As usual, we had music and singing and a short message by Ps Saw. By the time it was my turn to share, a large crowd of a few hundred people had gathered. It was an unforgettable experience to stand on this temporary stage and looking to the large non-Christian crowd standing in front of me. I urged them to turn to God that night and to pray to receive the Lord Jesus into their lives. Sister CH followed with another evangelistic message. The pastor believed that the resistance of the villagers to the gospel was broken through this Christmas function which has brought the whole village out.

Day 3: We ministered from the temporary stage

Day 3: The children participating in the action song

The mostly non-Christian crowd grew

Day Four Our destination was a village on an island. On the way we visited Dr Gary at Pathein. The last part of the journey was a bumpy ride in a pick-up followed by 5 min on a barge. When we reached the island, we rolled up our pants and waded through muddy water. It was quite an experience: stepping

on the rocks and mud in the dark, carrying our shoes and socks and bags.

Again a temporary stage has been set up for this Christmas event, in a mostly non-Christian village. We had a similar program of music and preaching. Sister CH was the last speaker and she asked those who loved the Lord to stand up. To our surprise about half of the people stood up. Our hearts were warmed by the responsiveness of the villagers.

Day 4: The responsive kids on the island

Sister CH sharing and praying for the island village

Day Five We visited the Hope Childcare Center. We were here last year. Sister Janice shared the Christmas story with the kids. Then Allyssa and the team put up a puppet show. Ps Thall Wah and I knelt down and led the children to pray. Lastly we distributed gifts to the teachers and kids. After lunch

3 Special Thanks: Sophia Tan, Janice Ng, Allyssa Marie Ramos, Burlinton Goh and Saw Shay Tha Htoo for the articles submitted for this issue. Newsletter collated by Faith Teo and edited by Rev (Dr) Gary Choong.

at Ps Saw's brother-in-law's house, we made the 6-hour journey to Yangon, marking the end of the main mission trip.

The responsive children joining us in prayers

It had been an intense trip. But I realized that we had softened hard ground through our presence there and our sharing of God's reality in our lives. For the remote village churches, a yearly visit from us, bearing gifts and bringing God's love, means a lot to them. I strongly encourage everyone to consider joining the 2017 Myanmar Mission trip. Fruitful Trip By Geoffrey, KTCC This is my first mission trip to Myanmar, although I had been to Cambodia and Vietnam. The people are friendly, courteous and hospitable, although many are poor. We thank God for Ps Saw's hard work and the team’s co-operation to bring the Good News to the villagers. We also thank God for our experienced and skillful driver, Mr Saw Wah Wah. When we were going up the mountains, the road was so narrow that only one vehicle could pass through. It was breathtaking to see our big coach climbing higher and higher up the mountains. It was indeed a fruitful mission trip. I pray that more Christians will be involved and will realize that they too could contribute to meaningful mission works.

Geoffrey sharing his testimony at the island village

My First Mission Trip By Janice Ng After signing up for the trip, I was concerned that my age would be an issue. However I was very encouraged to learn that there would be 2 elderly trippers as well.

It was a pleasant surprise that the fellow trippers were very caring and friendly. We had very good musicians—an accordionist, a violinist and a guitarist. We also had a 'Jim Reeves' singer on board - the guitarist. Though the journey was rough and long, but the end reward was priceless. Seeing the villagers' eager anticipation and welcome really made the trip worthwhile. Although they did not have comfortable seating area or air-conditioning or good lighting, yet they were so 'intent' to listen to the gospel. My only regret was that, understandably, the long travelling reduced the amount of time we had with the villagers.

As the seed had been sown, I sincerely pray that by God's grace and mercy He will nurture the people there and that they may come to know of Christ and to accept Him as their Savior. I urge therefore the young and vibrant ones to come forward and 'onward march for God's glory' and join the Mission 2017 trip. The Myanmar people need to hear the gospel in order to know Christ!

"I am singing for my Lord, everywhere I go...”

A King is born!

4 Special Thanks: Sophia Tan, Janice Ng, Allyssa Marie Ramos, Burlinton Goh and Saw Shay Tha Htoo for the articles submitted for this issue. Newsletter collated by Faith Teo and edited by Rev (Dr) Gary Choong.

Valuable Lessons By Allyssa The lessons I gained from the mission trip are to be more grateful for whatever we have, be thankful of the simple things in life, to share our blessings with others, to be an instrument in drawing people to God, and to know that for every hardship comes greater achievement. It wasn't an easy ride; we travelled like ten hours each day to reach them but whenever we see them smile there is this sense of fulfillment and our sore bodies and tiredness just disappeared. Yes, there was language barrier but whenever we connected through our eyes and hearts it was easy for us to understand each other. The elderly trippers are also an inspiration to me and reminded me that helping people has no age-limits. Once you dedicate yourself to it, you won't feel tired of doing it. One thought that I kept in my mind and heart now and hopefully you will keep it was what Pastor John, our 80-year old co-tripper, told me: "Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before."

Puppet show, designed and scripted by Allyssa Meaningful and Thankful By Saw Shay Tha Htoo [Shay attends Karen Baptist Church, lives here since age 6, and has just completed his O Levels.] First and foremost, I love to thank God that he was with us this whole journey. I am thankful that no mishaps happened to us. The trip was meaningful and a lesson for me. Even though I am from the same country and speaks the same language, I did not know how these people were living. My heart ached to see their very poor living conditions. At the first village we visited, which is up on a mountain, the conditions were so bare. But I was very glad when we got to share the gospel and distributed the Christmas presents like blankets - for surely at night, it would be very cold there.

We also got to try out new stuffs like riding the waters at night on a raft to go to an island and eating/plucking bananas from the tree. The lesson learnt for me was that I should be thankful for whatever has been prepared for me every morning. Because what I receive might not be what most people get. I praise God for giving me parents and a home to live in, and to live life meaningfully every day.

At the Hope Childcare Center - you can't miss Shay! Working as a Team By Burlinton Goh In this mission trip we learnt to work as a team and to change our plans. For example I was supposed to play games with the kids at the orphanage but when we reached there, it was too dark to play any games. Instead we did action songs with them. The trip was fun as we got to know the Myanmar people, to talk to the other teammates in the long bus journeys and to joke with them, keeping each other amused most of the trip.

Last dinner together, with compliments from Moses and Mandy