Ministry life

6 May 2009

Dear Prayer Partner,

DISCIPLING

1. TQ for your prayers and support during the past few weeks! It was a hectic 2-3 weeks. I arrived in Klang Valley (KV) on late Friday nite, and on Sat morn had Bible Study with some uni students. I am still discipling them through the Gospel of Matthew. Pray for their spiritual growth.

OFFICIATING WEDDING

2. Then I had to rush off to officiate and bless a wedding. It was a nice cozy cross-cultural wedding. The groom was a caucasian British and the beaming bride is a Malaysian chinese. The groom and his 3 best men (all caucasians from Australia and UK) wore traditional Chinese kungfu silky costume – and I was in the western coat and tie! Talking about reversal of culture!

PROCLAIMING

3. Sunday, I preached in 3 Easter evangelistic services (8.30am, 10.30am, 5pm) – about how Jesus came and overcame the power of death. When I gave the altar call, several people raised their hands to recommit their lives to Christ. Its always a joy to see people come to submit to the kingship of Jesus over their lives.

COUNSELING & MENTORING

4. After the last service and dinner, I was off to counsel a family. By the time, I reached home it was close to midnight. On Mon morn, I was giving Bible Study to uni students on mission history to challenge them to consider God’s heartbeat. Pray that they will have catch the vision for mission! Then it was back to Singapore.

TEACHING-PREACHING IN KUCHING

5. Thur nite, I flew to Kuching, Sarawak from Changi. I had my Sarawak laksa that night itself! Then everyday was packed with activities and services. Fri nite, was the beginning of a 4-nights seminar on spiritual leadership in an SIB church.

6. Sat morn, preached in a students’ camp, around 25 students, that was held in a Baptist church. The presence of God was so real among the tribal students as they were hungry for Him. For the first time in their lives, many of them had an encounter with the Holy Spirit. I wish I can teach them more! The need is tremendous, for they are the next generation – but they do not know God nor His Word!

7. Sat nite, it was back to teaching the spiritual leadership seminar. Though they lack exposure and need to be taught more, they were open to receive the Word. Sun morn, preached in the same Baptist church, but more adults, and challenged them about learning the Word.

8. In the church, I got acquainted with a missionary family from Argentina who had learned the Malay language and now translating the Bible into the Bidayuh language. They had been in Sarawak for more than 7 years. Talk about cross-cultural mission!

LECTURING

9. Mon-Fri (9am-4pm), I lectured on the theology of Ezra-Nehemiah based on the Abrahamic Covenant. The class had about 12 Malay-speaking pastors and leaders. PTL. Many of them mentioned that they were blessed by the teaching as it was something fresh and different. Pray that they will be effective pastors for their churches.

NEXT GENERATION!

10. Mid week, on Wed nite, I preached in a school fellowship, just outskirt of Kuching. I preached in a camp there in 2004. This service they had about 350 students. I preached a simple salvation message and then prayed for the exam students. Many of them had a touch from the Lord.

11. Fri nite, leadership seminar. Sat morn, service with the church uni students and single working adults. Again, the urgent sense that they need to grow in the Lord. Sat nite, concluded the leadership seminar. I need to spend more time and effort to develop more spiritual leadership materials for the Malay-speaking world. Pray for me! (and if u have any materials – English or BM/Indonesia – please email to me or make a copy for me!)

12. Sun morn, preached in the SIB church, and amazingly the power of the Holy Spirit hit them. Many of them had an encounter with the Holy Spirit as they allowed Him to minister to their hearts. Many of them need restoration and the life-changing Word. Pray for me for greater empowering of the Holy Spirit.

13. After a quick drink, I was up again to preach in the adolescence service. I was encouraging them not to be unequally yoke with a life partner who don’t love the Lord. Many of them need to control their emotions and passions.

LAND BELOW THE WIND

14. Sun nite, I flew to Kota Kinabalu (KK), Sabah. I arrived midnite and was met by two ex-students who took the effort to pick me. While waiting for the car, someone tapped my shoulder from the back. He is one of the church leaders that I had preached for in KL and he informed me that he was back for a funeral.

15. I also knew the deceased – who passed away that Sunday afternoon – as he is one of my ex-students father. He was also an active church leader. As it happens, I was already scheduled to be in the neighboring town, so I quickly made arrangements to pay a visit.


KENINGAU, TENOM & SIPITANG

16. Mon morn, we traveled to Keningau, which is about 2 hours drive from KK. We went to Keningau to meet an ex-student whom I had not met for 22 years! I reconnected through her younger sister who took leave and showed us the direction to the house.

17. She mentioned how she almost converted to another religion when she was studying in West Malaysia. But the Lord preserved her faith and how my visits to her school during the 1980s in Kedah encouraged her. She has since married and become a school teacher. TQ for your support during those years that enabled me to travel to take care of such students so that they did not leave the faith.

17. Tue morn, we visited another ex-student who is also a school teacher. As I listened and observed the students in his school, my heart is burdened for them. If I thought the young people in Kuching needed the Word of God, the young people in Sabah needed it more! They do not have school fellowships. Pray that the Lord will grant us ideas, contacts, and finances on how to reach out to them.

BE PREPARED!

18. Then we headed to Tenom to visit the bereaved family. Unknown to us, they were waiting for me to conduct a short service for them. Apparently about 20 over people have been waiting for us for several hours. I shared a short message and the Lord just moved and touched them.

19. We headed back to KK via Sipitang as I wanted to visit another ex-student who had married a pastor and were serving there. I had not seen them for close to 4 years and wanted to encourage them in the ministry.

20. On the way back to KK, we received an sms that a group of church people are waiting in KK for me to preach and minister to them. It was totally unplanned but I was prepared to minister. We reached KK around 10pm and started the service. The Lord did not disappoint them as He touched them.

21. Then we went for a midnite supper. After supper, because they had requested, I went to pray for a family at around 2am. I am ever conscious that people are hungry for the Lord’s blessings in their lives – and I must be ever ready to be a channel to minister – even at 2-3 am!

22. Pray for me as I allow the anointing of God to flow through me to minister to many individuals. I need to stay focus to teach the Word and minister as many lives are being impacted. I need your prayers and support as I sense the breakthroughs in ministry.


God bless.