timor reflections

8/3/2019 Timor Reflections

1/11

2011 T E A M R E F L E C T I O N S 2012

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!

Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord

L-R: WITH THE CHILDREN WHO

ATTENDED CAMP, GEARING UP

FOR PAINTING

ARRIVING IN DILI LYDIAS HOUSE BLESSING THE TIMORESE

THINK OF TIMOR


2/11

RYAN

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.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.

SHERLYN

THE LORD OPENED THE EYES OF MY

HEART.

HE SHOWED ME.

THAT HE IS AT WORK.

IN THE LIVES OF THE YOUTHS WHOWENT.

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.

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 ARTISTICAND 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 EXPECTATIONSINCLUDING COOKINGTHE NEW YEAR'S EVE "FESTA AND DINNER". WE SAWGOD'S WORK AND HIS LEADING. WE EXPERIENCED HIS BLESSINGS FOR THETEAM. 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 LIFEWAS INTERRUPTED BY FRUSTRATION, IRRITATION, FEAR AND DOUBT.

INSTEADAS A TEAM WEDISCUSSED, LOOK TO GOD, ADAPT SWIFTLY ANDFOLLOW THROUGH WITHTHE TASK.

SHERLYNANDRYAN

JENNYSHARINGTHEWORD


3/11

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 fireworks to celebrate the New Year. I had gotten

out of bed for a while to try to see the fireworks but after

about 5 minutes I could not take it and I had to go back to

bed. It was the first 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 fireworks 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!

KATHY


4/11

KAH

LOONGI have always been a rather careful person,

not wanting to risk much especially not myfamily filled 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 find 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 finally 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 firm (1 Cor 10:13)

HEATHERBefore 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 five 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. Hedidnt 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 weknow 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.


5/11

CHILDRENS CAMP


6/11

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.

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 thetrip.

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 fixed 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 (Irecalled when I was doing B.S with my

pathfinders on the book of Job) but God may

have told Satan not to lay a hand (cause hurt)

on Anna. I knew it because

during Wednesday church

prayer meetings, I shared andasked 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 filled 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 reaffirmed 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 first 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.

KOK WENG


7/11

God opened my eyes to see

His majestic power & authoritythrough 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 ourneeds, 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 difficult 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 first!

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!

BEN AMIN

AGNESWHAT 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 THERAIN 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 THOUGHTHEY 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.


8/11

NICHOLASHaving 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 ofthe trip. I truly found myself depending on God throughout the whole mission trip. Since I did not fulfill 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 sufficient 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 finished, the storm finished 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 ofthose 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.

JANELLE1) 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 finished 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 first 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.


9/11

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!

AUDREY

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!

VALERIE

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!!


10/11

1. I saw God's sustaining grace throughout the trip (in daily

devotions, sharing by song leaders and answered prayers) in

midst of fierce spiritual warfare within and without.

Within such as my fears (of puncture tyre and Valerie'shealth), 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.

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, whowas 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

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 finger tips.

"If you can? said Jesus. Everything is possible for him whobelieves. 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 first. I was

taken aback because I thought we came to give (prayer and

spiritual support). But God intended us to first 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 first 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 satisfies 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 fight like a manbeating 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

disqualified for the prize.

Amen!!

WINNIE


11/11

timor reflections

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