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+ Elenana
+ 04 Jan
+ elenatan@gmail.com
Full time music teacher
Loves God's creation, Loves travels, Loves beaches........
+ 04 Jan
+ elenatan@gmail.com
Full time music teacher
Loves God's creation, Loves travels, Loves beaches........
Monday, November 13, 2006
Mission Trip to Tanjong Balai
It was in year 2000 that i first went to Tj balai for a short mission trip. Went there for 5 days then, to do house visitation to invite pple down for an outreach concert.
This time it was a weekend trip - 2 days 1 night. Our scope of ministry was for the ladies ministry and children ministry. Blogging some of the events that took place for my personal memories, and then my personal thanksgiving for the trip. This entry can only tell abt 30% of what i experienced over there.
On Saturday, we met at harbourfront and then took a 2 hr ferry to Balai. It rained, but when we had to travel on foot, the rain was small enough for us to walk around. We stayed at Asun's house. Before heading out to our first destination, we spent sometime aligning ourselves to the right purpose that we were there. I guess different ones of us went for different reasons, some simply just choosing to avail ourselves, some to serve, etc. God spoke clearly, to love the pple there as ourselves.
We went to the church, and then started preparing for the ladies ministry session. We did facial for the ladies, wahaha, by faith. There were four ladies who came, including Asun's wife. It's cool that the women actually entrusted their precious faces to us! While doing facial, the guys and our all-time favourite guitarist, Esther, "ministered" thru different songs, just light music in the background. It was a very warm atmosphere because we sang as we did facial for them. Though there was a short circuit, all these didn't dampen our spirits. After the facial session, we sang some hokkien praise songs and then Amber shared a short word for the ladies. She shared something very close to her heart and it touched the ladies. Set the atmosphere for ministry time. We prayed for the ladies, and i had the honour of speaking to one of the ladies there, Sally. i was really blessed by her, seeing how quickly she warmed up to me, and obviously i made a fool of myself with the chinese that i used. i wanted to tell her that one of my friend's dad is in the wood business. i ended telling her in mandarin.." wo peng you shi zuo mu de".. (My friend makes wood????)..zzzzzzz.....But it was ok, because it was something for us to laugh over, and something that she would be able to remember me with.
One of the ladies invited the group of us to her place. Nice place, seaview, my favourite. Persis, Esther and i went to another girl's house. Was supposed to be a follow-up trip but she wasn't at home. Later, we headed for dinner. We met Uncle Benedict at the dinner place, together with Adeline (Zoe tay-lookalike) and Uncle Colin. Dinner was indeed a blessing, i felt so fortunate being able to have such good food on a mission trip, and i really thank God for it. Had a very good chat with the two regulars, Uncle Colin and Adeline, i was very inspired by their commitment and love for this land. i was reminded that it's no point going into balai once in a blue moon, because then we'll always be visiting houses and asking the same questions. What that place needs is regular follow-up and commitment. Very true. They are still very very very lack of it, and the pple there are hungry for God. It was food for thought and something serious for me to think abt. Many times, we like to touch and go, but what's really important is to go deep and make an impact, which would require alot of time on our part.
After dinner, we headed to a Hair Salon, Uncle Ben's contact. He wanted to just visit her. So he brought the WHOLE group of us and we just crashed into the salon. 8 of us decided to have our hair washed, some cut. Yes, we're on mission trip but yet we could go for hairwash, what a blessing! Pure insanity and craziness, but God isn't a sadistic God, he wants us to be happy even as we do his Work. What was thought-provoking was the boldness of the adults. Uncle Ben started singing in the salon, and everyone joined in. I guess no one dared to enter the salon, was just so crowded, in that small salon. Hahaha. Persis met the girl whom we were looking for earlier that day in that salon, it was obviously God's good and perfect timing!
At night, we had a mini celebration for Thomas on the rooftop of Asun's place. The adults got him a cake.
The next day, we got up early, spent some time preparing for the craft session. Headed out to the wet market for a mini educational morning walk/tour, and then headed for breakfast. Another good session of chilling with the adults.
At 11am, we had Sunday School for the lil ones. Vincent shared on the story of Jesus and the Miraculous catch of fish. We did a short re-enactament for the children. Later, we had art and craft time.
After lunch, we went back to the church for the main svc in the afternoon. During testimony sharing, one of the ladies shared that she was very touched that we did facial for her the day before. Uncle Ben preached from James 3, using the tongue for the right purposes. During altar call, many came out for prayers. U could see how hungry these pple are for the Lord, wanting and believing that the Lord can heal, the Lord can do miracles, and that the Lord is capable to provide for their needs. i had the honour to pray for them, in English and my broken Chinese. I'm determined that before i go there again, I WILL BRUSH UP MY CHINESE VOCAB SO THAT I CAN PRAY IN CHINESE!!
Had a crazy time with the adults again on the ferry back home. i laughed so hard that i cried...was a really mad time! i really thank God, i was blessed so much more than i could ever imagine. What a mission trip, all glory is His!
1. I thank God that nothing stopped me from going for this trip. Initially i was hesitant because i had a duty to fulfill, ie. i had to play for Sunday service and it was the first service at SAS, so i had to weigh my responsibilities. I thank God that Jeremy agreed to take over my keybd duties because during one of the prayer sessions, God just placed in me the burden and desire to go on this mission trip. And i felt the peace and joy. And so i went!
2. I thank God that our preparations went very smoothly. Though it was super last min, but even during the preparations, i could see the "architect" in God. He handpicked and provided just the right people for every aspect of this trip. I thank God for every person who went. All were a blessing to me personally. In mission trips, one important element is moral support. i received more than i could ever imagine.
3. i thank God for Persis and Angeline. Angeline, for being so faithful in coming and joining us in our preparations, and for being patient with us when we were slow. Persis, for providing so much freedom for us to just "fa hui" and do whatever we wanted, as the spirit leads, yet providing the support and stability to the group. i thank God for her, and i never knew she was so mad. She's an inspiration to me, esp when it comes to ministry in the mission field.
4. Thank God for the weather, first day, it was rainy, second day it was sunny. God knew what He was doing, he didn't allow the weather to upset our plans. Thank You Lord.
5. i thank God for the adults team, they were really a big blessing to us, something that we didn't expect, but because of their great faith and boldness, we could see the faithfulness of God and how God moved in this 2 days. To my surprise, we were of rather "similar frequency", so we mixed pretty well with them. When it was time to work, we worked, when it was time to rest, all hell broke loose! Hahaha. But really, this was really something unexpected, but God knew the bigger picture.
6. I thank God for Asun's handicapped brother, Paul, though he was walking with the help of crutches, he walked faster than us. God really reminded me of how fortunate i am. Sometimes we walk a little bit also complain. Paul walks for kilometres, and he doesn't complain, doesn't throw tantrum. He isn't mentally normal like anyone of us, but yet, U could see the joy he had in the Lord. He accompanied us wherever we went, sat patiently to wait for us each time we stopped to do something. i really am very thankful for him, and i thank God for sustaining Him and allowing him to walk though only one of his leg is well.
7. It was such a blessing for us when Asun gave up his room for us to sleep in. We had aircon and we were protected from the mozzies. God, u were really good to us.
8. I thank God for every balai-ian we crossed paths with..they made us so welcomed, including the smiles on the children's faces.
9. I thank God for sustaining us, nothing serious happened, no food poisioning, nothing. He sustained me physically though i was supposed to be weak waist-down.
10. I was very happy in Balai, i love the environment there. Their simplicity was a breather for me.
It was in year 2000 that i first went to Tj balai for a short mission trip. Went there for 5 days then, to do house visitation to invite pple down for an outreach concert.
This time it was a weekend trip - 2 days 1 night. Our scope of ministry was for the ladies ministry and children ministry. Blogging some of the events that took place for my personal memories, and then my personal thanksgiving for the trip. This entry can only tell abt 30% of what i experienced over there.
On Saturday, we met at harbourfront and then took a 2 hr ferry to Balai. It rained, but when we had to travel on foot, the rain was small enough for us to walk around. We stayed at Asun's house. Before heading out to our first destination, we spent sometime aligning ourselves to the right purpose that we were there. I guess different ones of us went for different reasons, some simply just choosing to avail ourselves, some to serve, etc. God spoke clearly, to love the pple there as ourselves.
We went to the church, and then started preparing for the ladies ministry session. We did facial for the ladies, wahaha, by faith. There were four ladies who came, including Asun's wife. It's cool that the women actually entrusted their precious faces to us! While doing facial, the guys and our all-time favourite guitarist, Esther, "ministered" thru different songs, just light music in the background. It was a very warm atmosphere because we sang as we did facial for them. Though there was a short circuit, all these didn't dampen our spirits. After the facial session, we sang some hokkien praise songs and then Amber shared a short word for the ladies. She shared something very close to her heart and it touched the ladies. Set the atmosphere for ministry time. We prayed for the ladies, and i had the honour of speaking to one of the ladies there, Sally. i was really blessed by her, seeing how quickly she warmed up to me, and obviously i made a fool of myself with the chinese that i used. i wanted to tell her that one of my friend's dad is in the wood business. i ended telling her in mandarin.." wo peng you shi zuo mu de".. (My friend makes wood????)..zzzzzzz.....But it was ok, because it was something for us to laugh over, and something that she would be able to remember me with.
One of the ladies invited the group of us to her place. Nice place, seaview, my favourite. Persis, Esther and i went to another girl's house. Was supposed to be a follow-up trip but she wasn't at home. Later, we headed for dinner. We met Uncle Benedict at the dinner place, together with Adeline (Zoe tay-lookalike) and Uncle Colin. Dinner was indeed a blessing, i felt so fortunate being able to have such good food on a mission trip, and i really thank God for it. Had a very good chat with the two regulars, Uncle Colin and Adeline, i was very inspired by their commitment and love for this land. i was reminded that it's no point going into balai once in a blue moon, because then we'll always be visiting houses and asking the same questions. What that place needs is regular follow-up and commitment. Very true. They are still very very very lack of it, and the pple there are hungry for God. It was food for thought and something serious for me to think abt. Many times, we like to touch and go, but what's really important is to go deep and make an impact, which would require alot of time on our part.
After dinner, we headed to a Hair Salon, Uncle Ben's contact. He wanted to just visit her. So he brought the WHOLE group of us and we just crashed into the salon. 8 of us decided to have our hair washed, some cut. Yes, we're on mission trip but yet we could go for hairwash, what a blessing! Pure insanity and craziness, but God isn't a sadistic God, he wants us to be happy even as we do his Work. What was thought-provoking was the boldness of the adults. Uncle Ben started singing in the salon, and everyone joined in. I guess no one dared to enter the salon, was just so crowded, in that small salon. Hahaha. Persis met the girl whom we were looking for earlier that day in that salon, it was obviously God's good and perfect timing!
At night, we had a mini celebration for Thomas on the rooftop of Asun's place. The adults got him a cake.
The next day, we got up early, spent some time preparing for the craft session. Headed out to the wet market for a mini educational morning walk/tour, and then headed for breakfast. Another good session of chilling with the adults.
At 11am, we had Sunday School for the lil ones. Vincent shared on the story of Jesus and the Miraculous catch of fish. We did a short re-enactament for the children. Later, we had art and craft time.
After lunch, we went back to the church for the main svc in the afternoon. During testimony sharing, one of the ladies shared that she was very touched that we did facial for her the day before. Uncle Ben preached from James 3, using the tongue for the right purposes. During altar call, many came out for prayers. U could see how hungry these pple are for the Lord, wanting and believing that the Lord can heal, the Lord can do miracles, and that the Lord is capable to provide for their needs. i had the honour to pray for them, in English and my broken Chinese. I'm determined that before i go there again, I WILL BRUSH UP MY CHINESE VOCAB SO THAT I CAN PRAY IN CHINESE!!
Had a crazy time with the adults again on the ferry back home. i laughed so hard that i cried...was a really mad time! i really thank God, i was blessed so much more than i could ever imagine. What a mission trip, all glory is His!
1. I thank God that nothing stopped me from going for this trip. Initially i was hesitant because i had a duty to fulfill, ie. i had to play for Sunday service and it was the first service at SAS, so i had to weigh my responsibilities. I thank God that Jeremy agreed to take over my keybd duties because during one of the prayer sessions, God just placed in me the burden and desire to go on this mission trip. And i felt the peace and joy. And so i went!
2. I thank God that our preparations went very smoothly. Though it was super last min, but even during the preparations, i could see the "architect" in God. He handpicked and provided just the right people for every aspect of this trip. I thank God for every person who went. All were a blessing to me personally. In mission trips, one important element is moral support. i received more than i could ever imagine.
3. i thank God for Persis and Angeline. Angeline, for being so faithful in coming and joining us in our preparations, and for being patient with us when we were slow. Persis, for providing so much freedom for us to just "fa hui" and do whatever we wanted, as the spirit leads, yet providing the support and stability to the group. i thank God for her, and i never knew she was so mad. She's an inspiration to me, esp when it comes to ministry in the mission field.
4. Thank God for the weather, first day, it was rainy, second day it was sunny. God knew what He was doing, he didn't allow the weather to upset our plans. Thank You Lord.
5. i thank God for the adults team, they were really a big blessing to us, something that we didn't expect, but because of their great faith and boldness, we could see the faithfulness of God and how God moved in this 2 days. To my surprise, we were of rather "similar frequency", so we mixed pretty well with them. When it was time to work, we worked, when it was time to rest, all hell broke loose! Hahaha. But really, this was really something unexpected, but God knew the bigger picture.
6. I thank God for Asun's handicapped brother, Paul, though he was walking with the help of crutches, he walked faster than us. God really reminded me of how fortunate i am. Sometimes we walk a little bit also complain. Paul walks for kilometres, and he doesn't complain, doesn't throw tantrum. He isn't mentally normal like anyone of us, but yet, U could see the joy he had in the Lord. He accompanied us wherever we went, sat patiently to wait for us each time we stopped to do something. i really am very thankful for him, and i thank God for sustaining Him and allowing him to walk though only one of his leg is well.
7. It was such a blessing for us when Asun gave up his room for us to sleep in. We had aircon and we were protected from the mozzies. God, u were really good to us.
8. I thank God for every balai-ian we crossed paths with..they made us so welcomed, including the smiles on the children's faces.
9. I thank God for sustaining us, nothing serious happened, no food poisioning, nothing. He sustained me physically though i was supposed to be weak waist-down.
10. I was very happy in Balai, i love the environment there. Their simplicity was a breather for me.
at 3:45 PM
Arabesque
Elmo-nette
BI-eliza
PIC
The 4th Haven
Bobochacha
Chrisnana
Cheongster
Chefs Affair
The Oxymoron
Pirouette
Elmo-nette
BI-eliza
PIC
The 4th Haven
Bobochacha
Chrisnana
Cheongster
Chefs Affair
The Oxymoron
Pirouette