Monthly Archive

On October 4 to 9, I had the privilege of leading a team of dedicated servants of God on a short-term mission trip to Thailand: Tristan, Dexter, Michael, Kathy, and Thea. Our task was, generally speaking, to visit and strengthen our brothers in the Hope Movement in Chumpon, a Southern province characterized by dual economy (agriculture and industry) 6 hours from Bangkok. Hope of Chumpon oversees several mini-churches in the province, some of which just had about 6 in attendance. As we visited each church, we preached, testified, and even sang for the congregation. We also had the chance of visiting and praying for some of our friends there. And when we visited Maejo University where one of our brothers was teaching, we were even invited to the radio station for a live interview. But God opened the opportunity for us to sing a Christian song and pray for Thailand – all on air! It is impossible, of course, for me to recount all the details in this simple narrative. But allow me to share with you certain things that God taught me during the entire mission.

1. The only life worth living is that which is completely sold out to the Maker.

During the mission trip, I felt that every part of my being was just being fuelled with God’s purposes, strength, and joy. So much so that I thought to myself that I could be doing precisely this for the rest of my life and be at peace. (In fact, the experience brought back memories of me staying in the province of Batanes in the Philippines as NGO worker in 2005). How was it meaningful? Jesus had His own parallel experience which I can relate well with. “When He saw the multitude as if sheep without shepherd, He had compassion on them…” That compassion, I believe, is precisely what kept Christ on carrying the cross to Calvary. Even though my teammates and I were tired, we felt that giving another push is not a problem so long as it advances the Kingdom of God in the hearts of people. People need God regardless of what they believe in. The sacrificial spirit I saw particularly in Dr. Tanart’s life, one of the pastoral leaders who holds a PhD from Japan but decided to give up the academic career to serve the brethren fulltime. I saw the humility in this man’s life as Dexter and I accompanied him in the visitation. We visited some of the elderly from the rural poor and saw how all forms of comfort were laid aside in order to reach the neglected and at times stubborn too. But the labor was not in vain. He would tell me of how people are beginning to open to him which he uses as an opportunity to share God’s hope.

On our way home, I told him that he didn’t have to bring us straight to where we would sleep just if it was far from his own place. His reply, which I thought summed up all the sacrifices he has made, struck me: “It doesn’t matter”.

2. One can influence 100,000.

This was something that I heard a couple of times from the brothers at Hope Chumpon. Kru Sam, in particular, exemplifies this. He’s teaching fulltime in a secondary school, teaching part-time at Maejo University, and DJ for a local radio station. Alongside these, he also runs regular English Camps for Thai students. (In fact, we arrived in Chumpon when the English Camp just started and immediately helped out as facilitators for two days). The man doesn’t understand what getting tired is. When asked about why he does all these things, he just mentioned how people he comes across get to hear and at many times accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. As a teacher, he directly influences lives. On radio, he plays inspirational music and even gets to talk about the Friend up there. And when we were on air at Maejo University, he was the one who asked if we could render a Christian song and pray for Thailand and the University. His is a bold spirit, unafraid of what others might say against his convictions. Sam was telling us that many people are ready to hear the Word and in fact many have received Christ through him but there are not enough laborers to follow up and support the new believers that’s why many of them go back to their old ways. We visited some of them and found out later that they were encouraged to go back to church. Fellowship is essential to one’s spiritual growth. Sam’s labor is not in vain. We went to the house of a woman who started recovering from Leukemia after Sam prayed for her a couple of months ago. Her life is a testimony of God’s miracle but because there was no follow up, she did not proceed with her Christian life. During our visit however, she informed Sam that she would go with her children to church starting the next Sunday. Of course he gets tired as seen when we arrived at his place. No sooner did he doze off than his body reached the couch. But in the relatively short life that he has led so far as a Christian (six years), his changed worldview has compelled him to make use of every resource to let the people turn back to God. Indeed, even before we left Sam’s place for Bangkok, one of his students visited us and she accepted the Lord.

3. I choose to make myself available for God’s service.

Pastor Samarn oversees all the churches in Chumpon. He would strike you as a humble, cheerful, and peace-loving man. But his past was very different, he told us. He was a communist actively plotting attacks against the government decades ago while working as pharmacist. But he was caught, jailed, and providentially released when Amnesty International petitioned for him. He stumbled upon Christ and one year and a half after deciding to follow Christ, he decided to become a pastor. 16 years later, there are so many mini-churches in Chumpon and beyond under his care.

All because he made himself available for God. Dr. Tanart and Sam did too. And so did their respective wives.

This particular insight was what God fully impressed in my heart on our way back to Singapore. I thought it was good to be going for short-term missions from time to time just to remind oneself of the outside reality of serving in the Kingdom of God and perhaps come back refreshed again. But I don’t want my life to be mere roller coaster of sometimes-serving-God-sometimes-not. As I shared my brothers and sisters last Saturday in our unit gathering, I want to give this life to God even now. And when the time comes that fulltime service is called for, gladly will I do so. In the meantime, I it’s all about equipping and preparing myself. The harvest, believe you me, is just so big but the laborers are few. I have decided that my life belongs to God – every portion of it.

I want God to make use of every gift – music, leadership, interpersonal skills, and intelligence – for the advancement of His Kingdom. There’s nothing bad about His Kingdom. It’s all about joy, newness, transformation, forgiveness, and life. As it is now, many people are dead and they do not realize it. If God gave me a brand new start as a man despite all the frailties and frustrations I must have caused him, I believe He can give other people the same if not better chance of living the most meaningful life ever. I love my God.