Rejoice 2010!

3rd Jan 2010

Dear Prayer Partners,

1. TQ for your prayers during the last 2 weeks ministry in Sabah. It was a hectic but fruitful time to serve the Lord in the land below the wind.

2. Jessie and Ana went along with me. Jessie had been in Sabah once, around 25 years ago! She went to Sandakan for a mission trip during her undergraduate days. This was Ana’s first trip and she was super excited!

Day 1 – KK!

3. We landed in Kota Kinabalu (KK) and were greeted by Aunty J and Aunty V. They were ex-students that I had taken care of in the 1990. They were the batch that the government chose to send to the UK for further studies. I had the privilege to mentor them during the 2-3 years they were in Kuala Lumpur before going to England.

4. They blessed us with a night in the hotel, and Ana could not stop jumping like crazy on the bed! I almost had to shoot her with elephant tranquilizers to calm her! She was THAT energized!

Day 2 – Ranau

5. The next day, Aunty R drove us to Ranau, a 2-hour drive from KK. Aunty R is a school mate with Aunty V and others that will be mentioned later. Interestingly, I took care of her older sister - Aunty VE - when she studied from Sec One to A level (in 1980s) in northern part of Malaysia 25 years ago. I lost contact with her for 20 over years and only reconnected early this year (2009).

6. Btw, I call them Aunties because this is what Ana calls them – not because they are old, though most are married with kids.

7. The first night of the camp, I preached on the importance and power of the Scriptures. However, the participants were tired after the long journey so I did not individually pray for them.

Day 3 – Ranau

8. I preached in the morn, noon, and night! After the night services, I prayed for them and many of them had an encounter with the Holy Spirit. They lay on the floor and quietly wept before the Lord. A 9-year old boy who is a descendant from biblical Hagar, who has never seen nor experience the anointing of the Spirit, also rested in the presence of the Lord. Praying for his salvation.

9. I took the opportunity to pray for Ana and she too felt the power of God on her. Later on, she told us that when she was lying down, she “heard fireworks” and “saw many different colors in her mind.” Being only almost 4 years old, I think she may not fully understand the experience, but she knows it was Jesus who touched her.

Day 4 – Leaving Ranau to KK

10. The next day, while talking to Ana she suddenly out of the sudden said, “I want to be like daddy. I want to preach and pray for people so that they can experience the power of God.” I asked her are sure? And she answered confidently, “Of course, daddy.”

11. This has been my prayer for her that she will serve the Lord and preach the Word. That she will be open to the work of the HS. I continue to pray daily for her that she will be burdened for mission and be committed to fulfill the Commission of Jesus in her life. And that God would be pleased to call her into the ministry.

Day 5 – Kota Belud (KB)

12. We headed to KB (a 2 hour drive north of KK) as I was to preach in a service there. Half-way, I suddenly remembered one of my ex-students who had become a lecturer in a college. We detoured to visit him and to be pleasantly surprised that his wife just gave birth to their 6th child, about 6 weeks ago.

13. He had also become an elder in his church as the congregation had no pastor. The vision that the Lord gave to me almost 30 years ago to disciple-mentor these group of tribal East Malaysian students have become a reality in ways that only God had the ability to bring it to pass.

14. During this drive, Ana was so excited to see live cows, horses, and all types of animals that she does not have the opportunities to see in Spore. That night I shared with the youth service and encouraged them to continually grow in the Lord.

Day 6 – Tambunan (TBN)

15. The next day, we drove to Tambunan, a 4 hour drive from KB. I was scheduled to preach in the afternoon as well as the night. But we only arrived in the evening and after a short drink in the elder’s house, we were ushered to the church.

16. The congregation has been experiencing a mini revival since 3 years ago, according to the elder. Many of the congregation had come from a more traditional background but had been touched by the Spirit. I was led to preach on unity of the leaders so that the gospel will continue to grow.

17. It was a good service as I felt it was easy to sow the Word as the people were hungry for the Word. And when I started praying for the people, many felt His mighty presence. It had nothing to do with me, it was their passion and love for Jesus.

18. The service ended late and after a delicious supper, we headed to Keningau, an hour’s drive. We reached there past one am.

Day 7 Keningau

19. Sunday morning service, I preached in one of my seminary student’s church. He has been pastoring there for a few years. The HS was ministering to the people to challenge them to worship Jesus even much more in their lives.

20. After a short lunch, we headed to the hospital to pray for Aunty R’s father who has been bedridden for the past few months. The family only discovered a few days ago that he has been keeping some amulets and mantras, and now want to let it go. They asked me to come and pray with him to repent and to renounce those forbidden stuffs.

21. After the hospital visit, we went to Aunty R brother’s house. She has asked the family and relatives to come over so that they can do a family worship service and for me to pray for them. Around 20 of them came and the Spirit moved gently upon this family. For many of them, this is a first time that someone is actually laying hands on them.

22. There was another biblical Hagar’s descendant, and in the beginning she was not open to be prayed for. But as they persuaded her, this 16-year old came forward to be prayed for and she encountered the HS in her life. Praying for her salvation too!

23. Then they brought us to several houses to pray and dedicate them to the Lord. Then Aunty V drove the 3 hour journey back to KK, arriving around midnite. She has been a great blessing to all of us. Though she is a manager and has an MBA, she humbly, tirelessly and joyfully served all of us, especially Ana.

Day 8 KK – Nexus Resort Karambunai

24. After such a hectic one week of ministry, Aunty J blessed us with a stay in this place where some say its heaven. They thoughtfully planned for us to have some family time. Ana swam and swam in the nice swimming pool.

Day 9 Singapore!

25. Jessie and Ana flew back to Singapore in mid afternoon, as Jessie had to go back to work. I stayed on as I have other services to minister in. The night, Aunty V, Aunty M, and myself went to visit another ex-student, Aunty P. Her family was having a BBQ.

26. Aunty P is another long lost student (mid-1980s) whom I have lost contact. Currently she and her hubby are leaders in their church. They are one of the pioneers for a bilingual service which grew from 20 plus to about 200 in a span of 10 months. It was encouraging to fellowship with them and to hear what God has done and continue to do in their lives.

27. PTL for another fruit that remained faithful and fruitful. Thank you to those who have prayed and financially supported during those uncertain times. It has multiplied many times over.

28. I took the opportunity to pray for their children and their nephews/nieces that had come for the BBQ. The Lord touched them gently as I prayed for them. For a number of them, this was the first time they felt the anointing of the Spirit on their lives.

Day 10 Miscarriage!

29. Jessie sms from Singapore that she went to the hospital and they confirmed that she had a miscarriage. She had experienced some bleeding since the beginning of the trip but it was not serious until the final part of her stay.

30. PTL, she is fine now, just resting though busy working from home and taking care of Ana. Doctor gave her the all clear sign. Apparently she is supposed to go through a short confinement period – as though the body has given birth. Appreciate your prayers for her.

31. We also appreciate the Singapore church members who dropped by and prayed with her. It was truly the family of God at work, rejoicing with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

32. From another perspective, we have spilled blood for Sabah (the miscarriage probably happened during the Ranau camp, Day 2 or 3) as we desire to see revival in that land. We do not blame God or anyone, neither are we discouraged. In fact, the trip has strengthened us even more to serve the One who has the authority to write or blot out from the book of life. There is no regret. A bit of sadness and disappointment but we have turned it to worship and praise unto the Lord.

33. Today I visited another ex-student in KK. He has become a full-time pastor reaching out to the Filipinos in KK. He accepted the Lord during one of the camps that I was preaching in, back in 1989. It was a joy to see him become a minister of the gospel.

34. Then I visited another ex-student who is a school teacher in KK. He has organized several Bible camps for his students and seen them come to faith in Jesus. Again the vision that we gave to them in the 1980s continued to burn and spread. I may go in March to speak in his camp.

35. At night, I taught in a fellowship group. Though they are in their early 20s, they are into intercessory prayers. As they are hungry for the Word, I took time to teach them. There is a need for more teaching. Pray!

Day 11 Christmas Eve

36. I met up with the chairman of the Full Gospel Businessman of KK as well as a committee member of Gideons. They have kindly invited me to speak in some of their future meetings.

37. Then we headed to KB again where I would be preaching for their Christmas celebration.

Day 12 Happy Birthday Lord!

38. I preached on the life of Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father and challenged the church to emulate him as he obeyed the Lord. A number came up and told me they appreciated that message and that no one had ever preached from that perspective. All glory to the Lord.

39. Then its open house! Eat till u drop! I was brought to visit another person and bumped into another ex-student whom I have not seen for several years. He has become the chairperson of the church that he is attending as well as becoming the main person in charge of a government post.

40. He brought me to visit another ex-student – and he too has become the boss of a government post in another district. He is also one of the leaders in the local church. We rejoice that God is using all of them in their various capacities. The vision continues on for the Great Commission must be fulfilled in every generation.

41. I headed back to KK to stay in the hotel with another ex-student. He is working in Europe and has just returned to KK for Christmas holidays. He is involved in the European church there. The vision continues overseas!

Day 13 Beaufort-Papar-KK

42. We headed to Beaufort (2 hours drive) to visit and to pray with someone there. Then we headed to Papar (one hour drive) for some Christmas celebrations. We then had a short prayer ministry time with the last family.

43. We headed back to KK to visit a family for Christmas gathering. Unknown to us, they had a youth cell gathering and the parents asked me to pray for their teens. It was a good time to pray for them and to speak forth words of encouragement for them. I believe the Lord spoke some personal words for a number of them.

Day 14 Sunday service

44. I preached in a church service and encouraged them to see things from God’s perspective. Then we dropped by to have lunch with a pastor who is teaching in Singapore. After the lunch fellowship, we headed to attend the afternoon service in Aunty P’s church.

44. I met up with the pastor and we had a great fellowship as we had a number of common interests. He graciously invited me to preach in their service during my next trip.

45. Then we headed to another house to pray for the family. They have been under some sort of spiritual attacks. We had a good time of worship and the HS came upon the family members. I believe the Lord really ministered to them.

46. Continue to pray for them. Apparently one of them is a local celebrity and has to make major decisions in her life. If she chooses to obey the way of the Lord, I believe she can influence many people, especially in Sabah.

Day 15 Final Day in Sabah

47. We visited Sabah Theological Seminary (STS). It happens that the registrar and the academic dean are from my alma mater and we had a good time of fellowship. Though they have a lot of Chinese staff, it began as a Malay-language seminary in 1988. Then they added Mandarin and English courses. Then its’ off to the airport.

48. I decided to write this long and detailed trip so that you can get a sense of what God is doing in Sabah as well as the ex-students. Pray that revival will breakout upon this land and spread to other parts of the world.

God bless! Thank you for reading, praying, and replying! Love to hear your comments.