Ministry Update Sept/Oct 2012

Recently I experienced the “Elijah Syndrome,” falling from a spiritual high to an all time spiritual low – almost instantly. I remembered that it was Malaysia Day n I delivered a good message in church; there were those who braved the heavy rain to come to church bcoz I was speaking, there were many “thumb-ups” n hand-shakes. I was on a (spiritual) mountain top, feeling real good that the message was strong n challenging (Christian) Malaysians to stay put in this nation to steer the destiny of our land. So (spiritually) high was I that even after the evening rally, I cld not sleep n began chatting online. That was when a friend told me she’s planning to go overseas the following month to look for a job. What?! That was my immediate reaction. Although I m not particularly close to this person, the significance of the matter knocked me down from my spiritual high to an all time spiritual low. I was not so much angry at her; rather at myself for taking this so seriously n personally. I suppose it was the timing that was just “too fantastic.” For about 3 days n 3 nights I was at the spiritual low n suddenly just snapped out of it, almost as instant as when I fell. Following that was this devotion I subscribed to that has often spoken to me strongly. Again this piece came so timely:

Sometimes we are on top of the world, higher than the highest mountain. But other times, we fall flat on our faces. For every mountain, there is a valley. But these ups and downs are what gives meaning to our lives.

We are here to learn and to grow. What would we learn in a predictable world? Why would we grow if everything came easy? Next time you find yourself feeling small or dark, look at the moon in the sky. Remember: In the times that it is smallest, it is reborn. The darkest parts of the cycle lead to the times of fullness and light.

Holy Land Moments Daily Devotional [Devotional@HolyLandMoments.org]

I felt the Lord speaking to me n comforting me in those words. Even more so was the Bible passage I read following that which was exhorting patience.

That was the “highlight” in September n now I m in Ipoh for a week-long class in OT Survey. Last Sunday was the OA church anniversary n it was fun to join them in their celebrations. Confirmation candidates totaled 34 n this is “abnormally” fantastic! Thought I missed the luncheon of asli food but it turned out that there were several late arrivals n we had dinner instead. It was prepared single-handedly by a church member who was a former SB police personnel. He is such a great cook – cooked rebung (bamboo shoots) in 2 different ways n an array of asli delicacies. It was simply delicious.

Looking forward to my next trip to the jungles: end of Oct with AIMC team to UK (Ulu Kampar); day trips at the end of Nov with Christ Church Penang; early Dec with GBC CG; n probably another trip following that to a new outreach post.

The SAM-STM partnership has been formalized; now I’m pursuing a networking with STS in Sabah. I hv a meeting with its rep in Nov n perhaps also plan a visit to STS to explore their campus facility n further liaison efforts.

By next month, Nov, our classes wld hv concluded for this academic year. Kindly pray with us n for us as we wrap up the academic year of 2012 n prepare for academic year 2013.

BJAC is partnering some churches in the SOS (Sahabt Orang Sakit) Ministry. Launched on Sat 22Sept, this ministry is anchored by New Destiny Fellowship International, an AOG Church in Singapore in partnership with a network of several local churches – AIMC, FGAC Bahasa, n BJAC. This ministry is focused on ministering to the Indonesians in Penang seeking medical attention. The services r on Sat 2-4pm n it is actually healing services for the sick. Though conducted wholly in Bahasa Indonesia, it contains live testimonies which r very encouraging. Come visit us sometime.

A BIG thank you to Chew GH for proof-reading my dissertation now...