Mission Trip 2008 Sent-Sealed-Delivered Mission Trip 2008
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Mission trip 2008 revolves around 2 main events that will take place. The Treasure Quest and the Christmas @ Melecca.

After a good revival in the spirit from Operation DHL, going for this mission trip is definitely a challenge for me. Especially responding to God's calling upon me, to join the mission team to move up to Melecca. Normally, i'd post on every individual day, but now, i just feel like posting on God's protection, and God's mercy upon me and the team.

So, on the bus ride up to Melecca, i prayed to God and ask that if he is there thinking of me, like what Joseph said, then do reveal to me his purpose, his mercies upon me in Melecca. Knowing that i do not have a good temper, and sometimes ain't serious in what i do, i also prayed for genuine seriousness in the preaching of the gospel through the candy cane story to the kids in Melecca.

The 3rd day of the mission trip came, and it was our first challenge. A group of students and kids will be participating in this treasure quest, where they are suppose to enter 13 huts that represent states of Malaysia. Answer some questions and play a team building game before proceeding. So the first team that finishes 10 huts and fix the puzzle will end the game.

My first challenge came. I am so not a person good at dealing with kids, so i try to be very aware of my own behavior and at the same time to show the difference in me having the Spirit of God in me. I wanted to engage them and build in an enthusiastic heart in this Treasure Quest so that it will be easier for me to invite them to join me in the Christmas Party, so i will be able to preach the gospel to them. So i placed my hope that God will be able to work through me, and that they will be able to enjoy their time there.

Filled with disappointment, my first day wasn't accomplished. Not only that, one of my team member got injured, and i was really really disheartened. When i asked them, some convincingly said that they enjoyed, some chose not to reply. But what disheartened me most, was yet again not able to do a good job. In my heart, i know that i didn't do my best, i didn't engage them enough. When the Christmas brochure was given to them to invite them, my team member all were either not free or couldn't go. So i got really worried, worried that maybe i've lost the point of this mission trip. I was afraid that maybe the competitive nature in me, led the point of the Treasure Quest to "WIN", instead of actually inviting them, engaging them, to know more about them. And perhaps, this competitive nature of mine actually led one of my team members to be injured. Filled with remorse and disappointment, i boarded the bus back. Later today did i realise that 1 of the mission kids added me, and only remembered me by "

Bite me...No..NOO it can't be!?? ... i'm ... a DotA addict!!! arrgghh says:
Hmmm r u the leader of d a group where umm a boy gt injured?"

Before i slept, i prayed to God, that today's disappointment will not stop me, or prevent me from doing a better job tomorrow. So i prayed for him to work in me. Then, more fear overwhelmed me when i realise that the next day's batch is a chinese batch, which means i had to speak in chinese. And to me, chinese has always been a hurdle, because its just not my language. Then a vision was fixed on my mind,"Do Not Fear". Then i remembered, that God had spoken 365 times in the bible "Do Not Fear". This cannot be coincidence, that feeling was just so real. Then, i knew, that God has always been thinking of me, he knows my fears, my worries. I felt peace within me, to know that God has been with me all the while.

The next day, i can't help but think " What am i gonna say, Chinese? ", " Chinese? Gotta be kidding me ", " Maybe they are good in English " , " If i can't engage them in English, what more Chinese? " . When i met my team at the school, i knew that that was it. Their English was by far the worse I've ever heard. On the bus ride to "Mini Malaysia" i slept, simply because i couldn't communicate with my team, so i decided to conserve some Energy as an excuse. When i woke up, 2 words just kept repeating. " Take Comfort ". Yet again, i got blown away. This God of mine has been carrying me along the way. Take comfort because he is there for me! Full of encouragement now, i proceeded. Although it was difficult to communicate with them, i tried my very best, and this time, i wasn't so worried over the results. To me, the joy on their faces, was more important then the results. God worked through me, and at the end, this time, my whole group said that they would try their best to come. Not only was i very encouraged by them, i just knew that this was God working and without him, i am really really nothing.

So this was the end of the first project.

Unfortunately, Davin got sick during the trip, and was send to the hospital. Worried faces started to shadow people's faces and Pastor called for the team to gather to pray. Never once, have i felt the closeness of the team, to sit down together, pray together for our teammate.

As pastor said, perhaps this is a blessing in disguise.

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Christmas Party
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There will be 2 Christmas parties during the day. 1 in the morning and the other at night.

I was elated to see my group members from treasure quest in the morning. Though this time, they ain't in my group but i really pray that they received Christ, and that their Group Leaders did a good job.

For the morning session, i was the group leader with John, for the group age of 10. We worked together and conveyed the candy cane story to them. Surprisingly, the whole group prayed to received Christ, all 5 of them. This time, i was quite unconvinced, because its quite a miracle that all 5 prayed to receive Christ, especially having 2 Malays in my group. Just then, i saw Kester came over to me and told me, that It is a Good start. I was left there, surprised.

For the night session, i could see God's hand upon the whole mission team, especially the skit team. They did an impromptu Chinese version of the skit. No preparations no nothing, all in Chinese. To me, this was a remarkable work of God. He knew that if we were to do the skit in english, it would be meaningless because all of them were Chinese speaking. So he provided and gave wisdom, and they said fluent chinese. When i thought it was over, there came another surprise. Ivan's whole sermon, was translated by Siyu into chinese also. From English, to Chinese for the whole 10 minutes.

I could just vividly see God's hand over us, showering us with wisdom and mercies. God provided for us what we needed, and we were at a lost, he provides a way, an option for us.

My takeout from this mission trip:
" The Heart of Servanthood only begins when we have faith in Christ. God has always been with us, and his thoughts about us outnumbers the grains of sand. God never leaves, and if we ask and seek earnestly, he will provide for us. He is God, and God alone, believing in him, never lives us with disappointment. The Greatest Gift, is our Christ, Lord, Jesus. "

Junting