Dear partners in ministry,
I echo the statement of Dr Martin Luther, as he stood before the Diet of Worms…Here I stand, I can do no other. So, help me God…
I stand at a cross road today, undecided. It is a simple yes or no. Yet, each carries a series of serious consequences. Please pray for me, for wisdom and for discernment.
June is concluding and July starts with another session with the FGA BM pastors. The following day I will travel to JB. On Friday morning I will meet my thesis supervisor in Singapore. I will meet most of my team when they arrive on Friday night in JB. We will be in JB, ministering to the OA community, consisting of mostly East Malaysians who work in Singapore but staying in JB. Our host church is the Anglican church. We will stay here till Wednesday. Then we travel to Malacca where we will minister to another OA community. This is the Peninsular OA people group. Our host will be the Baptist and SIB churches. Two additional team members will join us here in Malacca. Our departure is also fragmented, as I may be traveling back to JB a day earlier than the rest. I am blaming Firefly for this. They changed their JB-PEN schedule a whole four hours earlier. Four team members will return to JB to catch the JB-PEN flight while two others who join us only in Malacca will travel Malacca-KL LCCT- PEN. Pretty confusing series of movements actually. Do remember us in prayer. Thank you.
Will update with the trip report upon my return on 12th July.
SB
Monday, June 29, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Ministry Update: June 2009
Ah, the month of June. This marks the entry to the first half of the year. How quick time flies. The seconds and minutes, then, the hours and the days. Needless to repeat that I was so blessed by the month long trip in the interior. It was a reverse culture shock for me to adapt back to city life…no it was nothing drastic, just my play of words to exaggerate. But I returned with a stronger passion for the ministry and I suddenly realized that as long as I am in my present capacity, there is just so much I can do. However, the work has so much more potential. It is frustrating for an eagle to be given the wings of a house fly. Please pray for me, the ministry, and mostly the ability to discern God in His marvelous work around us here in Malaysia.
Middle of the month, I have a class in Ipoh. This may be an extension point where the students may not need to come all the way up north to the main campus. Then early July is the mission trip to Johore and Malacca. I will briefly drop by Singapore to meet my thesis supervisor and hope to kick start my research proper. I received an invitation to initiate BM classes for master level students in Malacca. Yes, on one hand I am excited at the prospect. On the other hand…well, I am still asking myself whether it will be worth it to continue on in my present capacity that limits a ministry of vast potential because the leaders subscribe to its conservative policies.
Middle of the month, I have a class in Ipoh. This may be an extension point where the students may not need to come all the way up north to the main campus. Then early July is the mission trip to Johore and Malacca. I will briefly drop by Singapore to meet my thesis supervisor and hope to kick start my research proper. I received an invitation to initiate BM classes for master level students in Malacca. Yes, on one hand I am excited at the prospect. On the other hand…well, I am still asking myself whether it will be worth it to continue on in my present capacity that limits a ministry of vast potential because the leaders subscribe to its conservative policies.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Ministry Update: May 2009
The Sunday after I returned from Sabah, I read an article on Teachers’ Day in the Sunday Star. Yes, the teaching profession…a profession I disliked but was led into it. After all, if you have students who send inspiring sms to you, wouldn’t you be encouraged? I am… despite my short-comings, their appreciation towards this ill-equipped teacher made every teaching effort worthwhile.
I was very looking forward to the one-month stink in the interior. I was getting pretty fed-up with the complexities at work. Yea, I know. We have that everywhere we go, in every office, of every industry. Ministry is no exception. The Friday, before I left campus, it was Teachers’ Day. That was 24Apr. Yea, you may be wondering why Teachers’ Day was celebrated then. Me, too. However, I was pretty uncomfortable with that tradition. To me, ministers minister for the Lord, not to gain recognition and honor before men. I find that some colleagues are getting addicted to such recognition. Teachers’ Day become an occasion to look forward to in order to be recognized and honored. This is so “unministry.” So, I was very and extremely glad to get away from such scenario to the simplicity that the jungles can offer.
Despite the schedule change for the AirAsia flight to Tawau from KL LCCT, a half hour earlier than originally scheduled, I was glad I was able to comfortably hop onto it. It was at McD that I was held up. That place is so super popular; the staff was not exactly super efficient though. When I finally landed in Tawau, it was approximately half past five in the evening and the day was turning dark in this side of Malaysia. The first meal served here was biawak or monitor lizard. It tasted great. In fact, after dinner I dropped by the students’ quarters and found a few of them slaughtering another lizard. One of them scooped out the heart which was still pumping, oozing out black, dark red streams of blood.
I had a meeting with the local leaders the next day, mainly discussing the partnership of the local Bible Training Center and MBTS. A lot was discussed and it filled my thoughts the following few days. There are so many things to attend to, to grow this ministry of vast potential and the eagerness of the local leaders further fuel my enthusiasm.
The week of class went smoothly. Two students left but two additions maintained the status quo. I think the privilege I discovered then was that one of the new additions was our cousin and now he is here and I had the privilege to teach him Christian missions! Wow, right?! We study Introduction to Christian Missions in the morning and study English in the afternoon. But we were not able to start our English class the first week because the books were not yet ready. So, our first English class was held in the Star Cineplex, watching Wolverine. Much to my disappointment, the students read the Malay sub-titles to understand the story! It was also quite a surprise for me actually, when I discovered that to a few of the students, that was their very first time visiting a cinema. And mind you, watching a movie in a small town like Tawau was not cheap, it cost RM9 per entry!
There was a slight change to my weekend schedule. The original plan was for me to visit Serudung Baru but the new schedule had me visiting Kalabakan the first weekend. I have to describe the visit more vividly here. See, on Saturday morning I was sent to town, to Tawau Baptist Church, where Ps Madia greeted me and brought me around town awhile. At about noon, we started our two hour drive to Kampong Rancangan Kalabakan. We stopped by a restaurant in Merotai which was famous for its soup, like sup tulang, sup ayam, sup lembu, etc. We sat next to a family of cousins. When our food arrived, we gave thanks and started eating. Apparently, the family of cousins was pretty uncomfortable with us praying before our meal. When their food arrived, they sang their prayer loudly and it was quite awhile too before they were satisfied enough to start eating their food!
We arrived at the kampong and it was almost 3pm. The day was hot, really hot but the kampong houses are built on stilts. There are hammocks under the houses where villagers lie in the shade to rest in the cool of the day. Ps Evelyn was relaxing on one such hammock when we arrived. I was brought to visit the village briefly. There was really nothing much to see. There’s the super famous Sungai Kalabakan where huge prawns are caught daily and sold. And it was super dirty, filled with mud and was teh- tarik in color. I was all ready to rough it out in the village. But to my surprise, I was put up in a rest house. See, there is a FELDA scheme next to Kalabakan. There is no piped water in the village, electricity comes from generators. Only now, electricity poles are erected to connect power to the village. However, the FELDA scheme has all the privilege of piped water and electricity. One of Ps Madia’s sisters works as a supervisor in the rest house in FELDA. And it was suggested that I spend the night there instead of in the kampong. Wah, I felt so undeserving…especially when I found out that they planned to put me in the suite in the rest house. Fortunately, the reservation made was a bit late and the suite was taken up by another guest and I ended up in a deluxe room. Despite that it was very comfortable. For the first time in seven days I felt clean after a good shower. There was air-con, hot water shower, television, and two comfortable spring mattresses in the room. I slept so soundly that night! Meals were at the restaurant in the rest house, which was the only decent restaurant around. And yes, you guessed it – Kalabakan prawns for dinner, Kalabakan prawns for breakfast, Kalabakan prawns for lunch. Well, that was originally planned until I “intervened” and changed the menu for breakfast.
Service at Kalabakan Baptist Church was at 9am but the kampong flexibility saw the service began at 9.30am. With my usual short message, the service ended before 11am and everyone was surprised that it was still so early. Ps Evelyn had expected me to preach for 2 hours! No, that was a joke.
The second week began smoothly too. The English books arrived and we also started our English classes. Only to discover that half the students cannot follow the syllabus. Thus, we have to put the books aside and start from the very beginning of building vocabularies and forming sentences.
There is still the kelawar (bat) that’s not cooked yet. But it is already almost three months old in the freezer. Some say, throw it away. Others say, there’s no expiry date. Regardless, the students are on a look out for exotic meats. On our list are items like tupai (squirrel), ular sawa (python), etc They also mentioned porcupine, ant-eater, etc. Thus far, I have also tasted eagle meat. I think the saying is true that everything taste like chicken. I mean, after tasting monitor lizard and eagle, both tasted just like chicken?!
Anyway, the second weekend I went to two nearby villages. Ps Anthony came to Kiulu Baru as early as 7am to drive me to an Iban village called Kampong Kuala Nansang. The service starts at 8am. We arrived early and spent sometime at the (church) chairman’s house. I had another round of breakfast here. At 8am, we proceeded to the church. This is a small church that was an outreach of Serudung Baru Baptist Church. Service ended at about 9.45am. After a short exchange of greetings, we proceeded to Serudung Baru. Here, there are a lot of youth. Worship is led by the youth, complete with a team of four tambourine dancers. I met a very interesting character here, a 74-year old Burmese man who came to Sabah in 1956. He usually worships at the English church of Tawau Baptist Church but on this particular Sunday, decided to drop by the village. After the service, I had lunch at the pastor’s home located behind the church. We were later joined by the Burmese man together with his local friend. Mr. Winter, had loads of story to tell us, the younger folks. And it was indeed a blessing to hear stories of early church planting against the back drop of Malaysia-Indonesia Confrontation era.
My next preaching engagement was at the Combined Mothers Day celebration. I was given little information regarding this meeting. Slowly, I discovered that it is going to be a huge affair. In fact, it is planned as a gathering of women folk in all of Sabah (Baptist) churches in conjunction with Mothers’ Day. I was shocked to hear that. I was not expecting it to be such a big affair. But then, it is probably scaled down to nearby churches. It’s not too practical to travel far just to attend a one-morning gathering. So, I can console myself that it probably attract just nearby churches, maybe three or four village churches will come together.
However, at a home fellowship just a few short days from the planned celebration, I discovered that there will be delegates from afar traveling all the way to Kiulu Baru for the event. Suddenly, I sort-of, panicked. I mean, I do not consider myself a good speaker and here it is, a huge affair involving a huge participation and the little unknown me, invited to address the crowd! This is really a huge honor I do not deserve.
The interesting part of the culture here in the interior is that while the church service was scheduled for 10am. Most arrived as early as before 9am. Even though they stay just a stone’s throw away. Yes, that included me…because I followed some students and my hosts here. So, we were at the church for more than an hour with nothing to do except staring at each other and counting flies. Slowly, guests arrived from near and far. Some traveled for less than half an hour to arrive at Kiulu Baru while others took a journey of between two to three hours to arrive. There were representatives from women fellowship of various kampong churches. I think about six or seven churches were represented. It was a simple celebration with worship, message, presentations from various delegates, a sketch from the youth, concluded by the presentation by members of the women fellowship of the host church.
I was pretty nervous about delivering the message. Especially after discovering that it was going to be a huge affair. Well, it went ok except the end. I was pretty upset with myself for a while over how it ended. I wanted to close the message with a response song and have asked the worship leader and musician whether they knew a song I suggested. Both said they knew the song. However, at the closing the worship leader suddenly went clamoring for the transparency and could not find the song to lead the congregation. Later I discovered that this hiccup was due to the cultural differences between me and the local worship team. From where I come from, I would invite the worship team to return to the stage and to lead the response song. However, I discovered that the culture here is that when the preacher asks for a response song, the preacher is expected to lead the song!
I have an unscheduled preaching engagement the following Sunday. My host, the pastor of Apas Balung Baptist Church asked me to preach and I obliged. Well, I get to recycle my message, again. That has got to be a message most used. A whole four times!
There was a Tuesday where we had a prayer meeting in the nearby church. It was quite an experience. The past few days were dry and the water tanks were losing water fast. Everyone was praying and hoping for rain. Although the previous two nights rained, it was not as heavy as the rain that poured that Tuesday night. It was like in the movies. A jeep-load of us…8 of us packed into an old jeep traveling through terrain similar to the Camel Adventure gear. The rain was pouring heavily; the lightning gave an eerie fear while the thunders roar a deafening scare. All gathered in the hall of a quiet village church, all 13 of us, when suddenly the electricity supply was cut. Well, power cuts are a norm here, but on this particular evening, it added some flavor into the meeting. We were praying in the dark…in pitch darkness. The meeting leader read from the dim rays of a torch light. It was really quite an experience…praying in the dark, against the deafening roaring thunders with lightning of terror all around outside the church walls. Wow! Sounds like some movie scene, eh?
The final week was relaxing. We completed the syllabus by the end of week three and the whole week four was spent on revision. The students sat for the final test, worked on their project papers, and even requested an English test. Some fared well while others did not. However, on Friday, we carried the classroom to Tawau town and had another round of movies. Night at the Museum 2 was not a comedy I would recommend. We went to town early as someone told us that in Tawau, there is a morning show; only to arrive at the Cineplex to find it locked. We spent about an hour playing at the nearby arcade before the Cineplex was opened. Only to discover that the earliest show was at 12.00 noon. But we already had a lunch appointment at 12.30pm, so we went window shopping, walked a lot, and went to lunch before catching the 2.30pm show. Well, this time two of the students had to return to their home village for ministry. We were treated to a fanciful lunch by a friend and we return to the village with food stuff for barbecue. There were very decent servings on the table, except the squirrel meat. When I saw it before it was cooked, it looked just like a hairier rat. Well, it tasted like…chicken. A lot of bones with little meat.
The days progress swiftly. Suddenly the slow hours had accumulated to days and weeks. Soon it was my final week here in the interior. I sent sms to close friends and relatives…to update them that I am still surviving in the tamed wild here in Sabah. I feel too at home here to actually miss Penang. While I enjoy ministry, the circumstances made me ready to leave MBTS. Local potentials must be realized. After all, each Christian must help the other to grow in the fullness of Christ. But I do know that my strict adherence may sound radical to those who champion convention. And such clash of opinion often made me appear rebellious. But hey, wasn’t Jesus a “rebel” in His days? I’m just being like my Master.
Anyway, rumblings aside…I thank all of you for your partnership in ministry. Knowing that you are with me made the journey more worthwhile. Once again, thanks for the prayers and partnership.
I was very looking forward to the one-month stink in the interior. I was getting pretty fed-up with the complexities at work. Yea, I know. We have that everywhere we go, in every office, of every industry. Ministry is no exception. The Friday, before I left campus, it was Teachers’ Day. That was 24Apr. Yea, you may be wondering why Teachers’ Day was celebrated then. Me, too. However, I was pretty uncomfortable with that tradition. To me, ministers minister for the Lord, not to gain recognition and honor before men. I find that some colleagues are getting addicted to such recognition. Teachers’ Day become an occasion to look forward to in order to be recognized and honored. This is so “unministry.” So, I was very and extremely glad to get away from such scenario to the simplicity that the jungles can offer.
Despite the schedule change for the AirAsia flight to Tawau from KL LCCT, a half hour earlier than originally scheduled, I was glad I was able to comfortably hop onto it. It was at McD that I was held up. That place is so super popular; the staff was not exactly super efficient though. When I finally landed in Tawau, it was approximately half past five in the evening and the day was turning dark in this side of Malaysia. The first meal served here was biawak or monitor lizard. It tasted great. In fact, after dinner I dropped by the students’ quarters and found a few of them slaughtering another lizard. One of them scooped out the heart which was still pumping, oozing out black, dark red streams of blood.
I had a meeting with the local leaders the next day, mainly discussing the partnership of the local Bible Training Center and MBTS. A lot was discussed and it filled my thoughts the following few days. There are so many things to attend to, to grow this ministry of vast potential and the eagerness of the local leaders further fuel my enthusiasm.
The week of class went smoothly. Two students left but two additions maintained the status quo. I think the privilege I discovered then was that one of the new additions was our cousin and now he is here and I had the privilege to teach him Christian missions! Wow, right?! We study Introduction to Christian Missions in the morning and study English in the afternoon. But we were not able to start our English class the first week because the books were not yet ready. So, our first English class was held in the Star Cineplex, watching Wolverine. Much to my disappointment, the students read the Malay sub-titles to understand the story! It was also quite a surprise for me actually, when I discovered that to a few of the students, that was their very first time visiting a cinema. And mind you, watching a movie in a small town like Tawau was not cheap, it cost RM9 per entry!
There was a slight change to my weekend schedule. The original plan was for me to visit Serudung Baru but the new schedule had me visiting Kalabakan the first weekend. I have to describe the visit more vividly here. See, on Saturday morning I was sent to town, to Tawau Baptist Church, where Ps Madia greeted me and brought me around town awhile. At about noon, we started our two hour drive to Kampong Rancangan Kalabakan. We stopped by a restaurant in Merotai which was famous for its soup, like sup tulang, sup ayam, sup lembu, etc. We sat next to a family of cousins. When our food arrived, we gave thanks and started eating. Apparently, the family of cousins was pretty uncomfortable with us praying before our meal. When their food arrived, they sang their prayer loudly and it was quite awhile too before they were satisfied enough to start eating their food!
We arrived at the kampong and it was almost 3pm. The day was hot, really hot but the kampong houses are built on stilts. There are hammocks under the houses where villagers lie in the shade to rest in the cool of the day. Ps Evelyn was relaxing on one such hammock when we arrived. I was brought to visit the village briefly. There was really nothing much to see. There’s the super famous Sungai Kalabakan where huge prawns are caught daily and sold. And it was super dirty, filled with mud and was teh- tarik in color. I was all ready to rough it out in the village. But to my surprise, I was put up in a rest house. See, there is a FELDA scheme next to Kalabakan. There is no piped water in the village, electricity comes from generators. Only now, electricity poles are erected to connect power to the village. However, the FELDA scheme has all the privilege of piped water and electricity. One of Ps Madia’s sisters works as a supervisor in the rest house in FELDA. And it was suggested that I spend the night there instead of in the kampong. Wah, I felt so undeserving…especially when I found out that they planned to put me in the suite in the rest house. Fortunately, the reservation made was a bit late and the suite was taken up by another guest and I ended up in a deluxe room. Despite that it was very comfortable. For the first time in seven days I felt clean after a good shower. There was air-con, hot water shower, television, and two comfortable spring mattresses in the room. I slept so soundly that night! Meals were at the restaurant in the rest house, which was the only decent restaurant around. And yes, you guessed it – Kalabakan prawns for dinner, Kalabakan prawns for breakfast, Kalabakan prawns for lunch. Well, that was originally planned until I “intervened” and changed the menu for breakfast.
Service at Kalabakan Baptist Church was at 9am but the kampong flexibility saw the service began at 9.30am. With my usual short message, the service ended before 11am and everyone was surprised that it was still so early. Ps Evelyn had expected me to preach for 2 hours! No, that was a joke.
The second week began smoothly too. The English books arrived and we also started our English classes. Only to discover that half the students cannot follow the syllabus. Thus, we have to put the books aside and start from the very beginning of building vocabularies and forming sentences.
There is still the kelawar (bat) that’s not cooked yet. But it is already almost three months old in the freezer. Some say, throw it away. Others say, there’s no expiry date. Regardless, the students are on a look out for exotic meats. On our list are items like tupai (squirrel), ular sawa (python), etc They also mentioned porcupine, ant-eater, etc. Thus far, I have also tasted eagle meat. I think the saying is true that everything taste like chicken. I mean, after tasting monitor lizard and eagle, both tasted just like chicken?!
Anyway, the second weekend I went to two nearby villages. Ps Anthony came to Kiulu Baru as early as 7am to drive me to an Iban village called Kampong Kuala Nansang. The service starts at 8am. We arrived early and spent sometime at the (church) chairman’s house. I had another round of breakfast here. At 8am, we proceeded to the church. This is a small church that was an outreach of Serudung Baru Baptist Church. Service ended at about 9.45am. After a short exchange of greetings, we proceeded to Serudung Baru. Here, there are a lot of youth. Worship is led by the youth, complete with a team of four tambourine dancers. I met a very interesting character here, a 74-year old Burmese man who came to Sabah in 1956. He usually worships at the English church of Tawau Baptist Church but on this particular Sunday, decided to drop by the village. After the service, I had lunch at the pastor’s home located behind the church. We were later joined by the Burmese man together with his local friend. Mr. Winter, had loads of story to tell us, the younger folks. And it was indeed a blessing to hear stories of early church planting against the back drop of Malaysia-Indonesia Confrontation era.
My next preaching engagement was at the Combined Mothers Day celebration. I was given little information regarding this meeting. Slowly, I discovered that it is going to be a huge affair. In fact, it is planned as a gathering of women folk in all of Sabah (Baptist) churches in conjunction with Mothers’ Day. I was shocked to hear that. I was not expecting it to be such a big affair. But then, it is probably scaled down to nearby churches. It’s not too practical to travel far just to attend a one-morning gathering. So, I can console myself that it probably attract just nearby churches, maybe three or four village churches will come together.
However, at a home fellowship just a few short days from the planned celebration, I discovered that there will be delegates from afar traveling all the way to Kiulu Baru for the event. Suddenly, I sort-of, panicked. I mean, I do not consider myself a good speaker and here it is, a huge affair involving a huge participation and the little unknown me, invited to address the crowd! This is really a huge honor I do not deserve.
The interesting part of the culture here in the interior is that while the church service was scheduled for 10am. Most arrived as early as before 9am. Even though they stay just a stone’s throw away. Yes, that included me…because I followed some students and my hosts here. So, we were at the church for more than an hour with nothing to do except staring at each other and counting flies. Slowly, guests arrived from near and far. Some traveled for less than half an hour to arrive at Kiulu Baru while others took a journey of between two to three hours to arrive. There were representatives from women fellowship of various kampong churches. I think about six or seven churches were represented. It was a simple celebration with worship, message, presentations from various delegates, a sketch from the youth, concluded by the presentation by members of the women fellowship of the host church.
I was pretty nervous about delivering the message. Especially after discovering that it was going to be a huge affair. Well, it went ok except the end. I was pretty upset with myself for a while over how it ended. I wanted to close the message with a response song and have asked the worship leader and musician whether they knew a song I suggested. Both said they knew the song. However, at the closing the worship leader suddenly went clamoring for the transparency and could not find the song to lead the congregation. Later I discovered that this hiccup was due to the cultural differences between me and the local worship team. From where I come from, I would invite the worship team to return to the stage and to lead the response song. However, I discovered that the culture here is that when the preacher asks for a response song, the preacher is expected to lead the song!
I have an unscheduled preaching engagement the following Sunday. My host, the pastor of Apas Balung Baptist Church asked me to preach and I obliged. Well, I get to recycle my message, again. That has got to be a message most used. A whole four times!
There was a Tuesday where we had a prayer meeting in the nearby church. It was quite an experience. The past few days were dry and the water tanks were losing water fast. Everyone was praying and hoping for rain. Although the previous two nights rained, it was not as heavy as the rain that poured that Tuesday night. It was like in the movies. A jeep-load of us…8 of us packed into an old jeep traveling through terrain similar to the Camel Adventure gear. The rain was pouring heavily; the lightning gave an eerie fear while the thunders roar a deafening scare. All gathered in the hall of a quiet village church, all 13 of us, when suddenly the electricity supply was cut. Well, power cuts are a norm here, but on this particular evening, it added some flavor into the meeting. We were praying in the dark…in pitch darkness. The meeting leader read from the dim rays of a torch light. It was really quite an experience…praying in the dark, against the deafening roaring thunders with lightning of terror all around outside the church walls. Wow! Sounds like some movie scene, eh?
The final week was relaxing. We completed the syllabus by the end of week three and the whole week four was spent on revision. The students sat for the final test, worked on their project papers, and even requested an English test. Some fared well while others did not. However, on Friday, we carried the classroom to Tawau town and had another round of movies. Night at the Museum 2 was not a comedy I would recommend. We went to town early as someone told us that in Tawau, there is a morning show; only to arrive at the Cineplex to find it locked. We spent about an hour playing at the nearby arcade before the Cineplex was opened. Only to discover that the earliest show was at 12.00 noon. But we already had a lunch appointment at 12.30pm, so we went window shopping, walked a lot, and went to lunch before catching the 2.30pm show. Well, this time two of the students had to return to their home village for ministry. We were treated to a fanciful lunch by a friend and we return to the village with food stuff for barbecue. There were very decent servings on the table, except the squirrel meat. When I saw it before it was cooked, it looked just like a hairier rat. Well, it tasted like…chicken. A lot of bones with little meat.
The days progress swiftly. Suddenly the slow hours had accumulated to days and weeks. Soon it was my final week here in the interior. I sent sms to close friends and relatives…to update them that I am still surviving in the tamed wild here in Sabah. I feel too at home here to actually miss Penang. While I enjoy ministry, the circumstances made me ready to leave MBTS. Local potentials must be realized. After all, each Christian must help the other to grow in the fullness of Christ. But I do know that my strict adherence may sound radical to those who champion convention. And such clash of opinion often made me appear rebellious. But hey, wasn’t Jesus a “rebel” in His days? I’m just being like my Master.
Anyway, rumblings aside…I thank all of you for your partnership in ministry. Knowing that you are with me made the journey more worthwhile. Once again, thanks for the prayers and partnership.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Ministry Update II: April 2009
Dear Ministry Partners,
Greetings again from me along with Update II for April 2009. This is because of my travel plans this Sunday and the lack of internet access in the weeks ahead, thus, you will only receive an update from me late next month. Please remember me in prayer as prayer is both powerful and prerequisite for effective ministry.
I will travel to Tawau this Sunday and scheduled to teach Introduction to Christian Missions at Pusat Latihan AlKitab Baptis in Kiulu Baru. As I will be spending 4 weeks there, our ministry partner in Tawau had arranged for me to visit various villages for the 3 weekends I have there. So, the first weekend, I will visit Serudung and on Sunday will preach at Serudung Baptist Church. The following weekend, will visit Kalabakan and on Sunday I will preach at Kalabakan Baptist Church. FYI to GBCians, Kalabakan is Fendy’s hometown and I will probably have the opportunity to visit his family and deliver some greetings. It is also a place super famous for super large prawns from Sungai Kalabakan. The third weekend I will stay put in Kiulu Baru as I will be preaching at the Mother’s Day Celebration at Kiulu Baru Baptist Church. These engagements are for preaching in BM.
Please pray for:
Me and the travel plans. Also pray for good, strong health as I can expect to savor local exotic delicacies
The students and congregants in the various villages
My aging mother, home alone
Once again, thank you for your partnership in ministry. Will return Penang on Saturday 23May.
SB
Greetings again from me along with Update II for April 2009. This is because of my travel plans this Sunday and the lack of internet access in the weeks ahead, thus, you will only receive an update from me late next month. Please remember me in prayer as prayer is both powerful and prerequisite for effective ministry.
I will travel to Tawau this Sunday and scheduled to teach Introduction to Christian Missions at Pusat Latihan AlKitab Baptis in Kiulu Baru. As I will be spending 4 weeks there, our ministry partner in Tawau had arranged for me to visit various villages for the 3 weekends I have there. So, the first weekend, I will visit Serudung and on Sunday will preach at Serudung Baptist Church. The following weekend, will visit Kalabakan and on Sunday I will preach at Kalabakan Baptist Church. FYI to GBCians, Kalabakan is Fendy’s hometown and I will probably have the opportunity to visit his family and deliver some greetings. It is also a place super famous for super large prawns from Sungai Kalabakan. The third weekend I will stay put in Kiulu Baru as I will be preaching at the Mother’s Day Celebration at Kiulu Baru Baptist Church. These engagements are for preaching in BM.
Please pray for:
Me and the travel plans. Also pray for good, strong health as I can expect to savor local exotic delicacies
The students and congregants in the various villages
My aging mother, home alone
Once again, thank you for your partnership in ministry. Will return Penang on Saturday 23May.
SB
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Ministry Update April 2009
The last few weeks was so slow that I was super relaxed to the point of falling sick. Literally. I am a very work-oriented person and even the slow days that would last for something like seven or eight weeks was unbearable. Sure it gave me the time needed to prepare class lessons, and it is not that I totally have nothing to do but I do not need three days to prepare a two-hour class. And I did manage to draft three complete course lessons within four or five weeks. So, I was so relaxed to the point of feeling sick. I did fell into some spiritual depression of sorts. One thing after another came just when I was about to get out of it. There were issues of both internal and external proportions. I know the Lord allows things to happen the way it did for a reason and I always learnt my lessons the hard way. Perhaps, it is because I am such a difficult student.
A good friend confided in me that her marriage had fallen apart. I was so, completely, and utterly devastated. I know this couple, faithful serving Christians. And because of that, I am finding it extremely difficult to accept how far the husband has strayed from his faith and how deep in sin he has fallen. I realized that if I feel so much hurt, the wife must be feeling even worse. It is no fun feeling miserable. I complained to the Lord. I cried out to Him to take me out of this misery but nothing miraculous happened. The next morning, the issue was still swirling in my mind until a still small voice spoke to me saying, NOW you know what it really means to love the sinner, to hate the sin.
Another issue I have to confront is an extremely insecure colleague. Thus far since his arrival middle of last year, he did nothing more than throwing his tantrums like a spoiled brat when things are not the way he expected. But the latest outburst was pretty controlled. Anyway, he began being polite after discovering I am a PhD student. But I really do not know how long I can hold on with such a person in the ministry team. He seemed to conveniently blame me for the things he failed to do. When other ministry players appear to treat him coldly, as he claimed, I am blamed as part of the attempt to force him out of office. I discussed teaching approaches with a colleague and it became decisions made without his knowledge. I really have no idea why he is so insecure, so suspicious, and so paranoid.
I really love ministering with the indigenous community. It is the feeling like, hey…this is what I have been looking for. By the way, my dissertation topic is along this line. But the truth is, with the situation around, I am very ready to leave MBTS. I do not know if the Lord will take me to the field or to another aspect of ministry. But I am feeling very drawn to home missions. I enjoy teaching and preaching. I enjoy rural simplicity that minus the urban complexity which has much entered into the church community. I am finding it extremely repulsive because complex policy and politics only serve to divide rather than unite the church.
April starts with another exciting class with the BM congregation pastors in FGAC, the second installment of the monthly schedule. There is a preaching engagement at a Lutheran church on Easter Sunday. Then at the third week is another Cultural Anthropology class with the BM students who are mainly from the Ipoh and Gopeng interior. The following weekend I will hop on the plane to Tawau for four weeks. And no, I will not be swinging from tree to tree. I will be teaching Introduction to Christian Missions at Pusat Latihan AlKitab Baptis in Kiulu Baru. PLAB is our partner and we are initiating a sort of twinning program. The three weekends I have in Tawau will give me the opportunity to visit a few kampongs. Thus far, what has been planned is a weekend in Kalabakan and a weekend to stay put in Kiulu Baru. I was asked by my friend and student to preach at the combined mothers day celebration. I do not know how they will be celebrating it and I also wonder why of all persons, I was invited to preach at the occasion. I am not a mother, never worked with the women ministry or even with children. With the exception of VBS where I took every opportunity to relive lost childhood.
It will be end of May when I return to civilization. No, Tawau is not that rural lah…Anyway, there is a planned class in Ipoh in June which is yet to be confirmed, both its venue and dates. But this class in Ipoh will afford me some time to meet some friends in Ipoh and savor its cuisines. I must compare if there is any other city in Malaysia that can offer food as good as those found in Penang. The trip should also provide me with some fresh illustrations for my sermon at the end of June in BJAC. I am participating in a mission trip to Johore in early July, at the invitation of an alumni. But I will travel a day earlier than the team so I can drop by Singapore to meet my thesis supervisor who is based there.
The rest of July is to prepare for the BM module of STCM in August. I have a class to teach on the second week but still do not know what to teach yet. Yes, I am usually more organized than this but this is an elective for those who had already taken the core subject that will be offered on that week. So, my name will not appear on the official STCM brochure now being circulated around the churches. September is another slow month with one preaching engagement and one weekend trip to Simpang Pulai. October is also pretty slow with a one-week class. Thus far, November seems pretty slow too with one preaching engagement and December one speaking engagement at a youth camp.
I really need more and new challenges. I am already so familiar with most of the things I am doing, it is becoming a boring routine. Perhaps some of you reading this may be thinking…ha, she should be attending prayer meetings and cell group meetings, and what nots. You know what? You are right. And this is something I am struggling. I discovered something sinister recently while casually chatting with a colleague. I found that there is an unexplained reluctance to participate in church activities, especially prayer meetings. I thought the problem was just me being lazy. But as I was chatting with this colleague, she also realized that there is an unexplained reluctance preventing her from engaging in church activities in her church. Somehow, there is a draw towards seminary activities and busyness that seem to pull us back from engaging in church ministries. Then we began to observe our other colleagues…most, or nearly all, are not regularly attending prayer meetings in church. Worst, most are not engaging in church activities apart from doing it as part of their job description. Then a few older colleagues started to share of encounters of a spiritual kind at various locations in campus. Wah…this is getting exciting, right? Then stay tuned for the coming soon and next change…
A good friend confided in me that her marriage had fallen apart. I was so, completely, and utterly devastated. I know this couple, faithful serving Christians. And because of that, I am finding it extremely difficult to accept how far the husband has strayed from his faith and how deep in sin he has fallen. I realized that if I feel so much hurt, the wife must be feeling even worse. It is no fun feeling miserable. I complained to the Lord. I cried out to Him to take me out of this misery but nothing miraculous happened. The next morning, the issue was still swirling in my mind until a still small voice spoke to me saying, NOW you know what it really means to love the sinner, to hate the sin.
Another issue I have to confront is an extremely insecure colleague. Thus far since his arrival middle of last year, he did nothing more than throwing his tantrums like a spoiled brat when things are not the way he expected. But the latest outburst was pretty controlled. Anyway, he began being polite after discovering I am a PhD student. But I really do not know how long I can hold on with such a person in the ministry team. He seemed to conveniently blame me for the things he failed to do. When other ministry players appear to treat him coldly, as he claimed, I am blamed as part of the attempt to force him out of office. I discussed teaching approaches with a colleague and it became decisions made without his knowledge. I really have no idea why he is so insecure, so suspicious, and so paranoid.
I really love ministering with the indigenous community. It is the feeling like, hey…this is what I have been looking for. By the way, my dissertation topic is along this line. But the truth is, with the situation around, I am very ready to leave MBTS. I do not know if the Lord will take me to the field or to another aspect of ministry. But I am feeling very drawn to home missions. I enjoy teaching and preaching. I enjoy rural simplicity that minus the urban complexity which has much entered into the church community. I am finding it extremely repulsive because complex policy and politics only serve to divide rather than unite the church.
April starts with another exciting class with the BM congregation pastors in FGAC, the second installment of the monthly schedule. There is a preaching engagement at a Lutheran church on Easter Sunday. Then at the third week is another Cultural Anthropology class with the BM students who are mainly from the Ipoh and Gopeng interior. The following weekend I will hop on the plane to Tawau for four weeks. And no, I will not be swinging from tree to tree. I will be teaching Introduction to Christian Missions at Pusat Latihan AlKitab Baptis in Kiulu Baru. PLAB is our partner and we are initiating a sort of twinning program. The three weekends I have in Tawau will give me the opportunity to visit a few kampongs. Thus far, what has been planned is a weekend in Kalabakan and a weekend to stay put in Kiulu Baru. I was asked by my friend and student to preach at the combined mothers day celebration. I do not know how they will be celebrating it and I also wonder why of all persons, I was invited to preach at the occasion. I am not a mother, never worked with the women ministry or even with children. With the exception of VBS where I took every opportunity to relive lost childhood.
It will be end of May when I return to civilization. No, Tawau is not that rural lah…Anyway, there is a planned class in Ipoh in June which is yet to be confirmed, both its venue and dates. But this class in Ipoh will afford me some time to meet some friends in Ipoh and savor its cuisines. I must compare if there is any other city in Malaysia that can offer food as good as those found in Penang. The trip should also provide me with some fresh illustrations for my sermon at the end of June in BJAC. I am participating in a mission trip to Johore in early July, at the invitation of an alumni. But I will travel a day earlier than the team so I can drop by Singapore to meet my thesis supervisor who is based there.
The rest of July is to prepare for the BM module of STCM in August. I have a class to teach on the second week but still do not know what to teach yet. Yes, I am usually more organized than this but this is an elective for those who had already taken the core subject that will be offered on that week. So, my name will not appear on the official STCM brochure now being circulated around the churches. September is another slow month with one preaching engagement and one weekend trip to Simpang Pulai. October is also pretty slow with a one-week class. Thus far, November seems pretty slow too with one preaching engagement and December one speaking engagement at a youth camp.
I really need more and new challenges. I am already so familiar with most of the things I am doing, it is becoming a boring routine. Perhaps some of you reading this may be thinking…ha, she should be attending prayer meetings and cell group meetings, and what nots. You know what? You are right. And this is something I am struggling. I discovered something sinister recently while casually chatting with a colleague. I found that there is an unexplained reluctance to participate in church activities, especially prayer meetings. I thought the problem was just me being lazy. But as I was chatting with this colleague, she also realized that there is an unexplained reluctance preventing her from engaging in church activities in her church. Somehow, there is a draw towards seminary activities and busyness that seem to pull us back from engaging in church ministries. Then we began to observe our other colleagues…most, or nearly all, are not regularly attending prayer meetings in church. Worst, most are not engaging in church activities apart from doing it as part of their job description. Then a few older colleagues started to share of encounters of a spiritual kind at various locations in campus. Wah…this is getting exciting, right? Then stay tuned for the coming soon and next change…
Monday, March 16, 2009
Ministry Update 2: March 2009
I am tired, very tired. I often question if my sacrifice and effort is worth it to pursue an ideal that half the Christian population cannot comply. I question how we can compromise on the quality and services to our own fellow believers, which ultimately is our worship to our God. I ask why we resort to bending rules and regulations, simply to comply with our own whims and fancies. In the first place, why have rules if it’s not meant to be followed? Why do we always use “case by case basis” as an excuse to bend rules? I mean, I understand that we cannot be too rigid or too legalistic. I understand the need to be flexible, flexible, and flexible. But I do not understand why we often try to find an excuse to compromise our faith and beliefs. I find it easier to accept opposition from non-Christians than from Christians, especially Christian “leaders.” I sound pretty much like a rebel and so anti-establishment. But no one will rebel if there is no reason to rebel. Just the same as there will be no smoke if there is no fire. People say it’s unhealthy to compare. But if there is fairness, no one will bother to compare.
As members of the fallen human race, I know all of us have our own faults and shortcomings. But if we confess to be Christians, then why can’t we strive to exhibit Christian values in our lifestyle? If we are no different than our friend or colleague who is not a Christian, that will mean Christ died for nothing and the Bible is but a fairy tale book.
Jesus teaches that,
MT 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
But he also teaches that,
MT7:16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
I think I need a break. A break from the complexities and politics of the urban church (or Christian organization). I have had enough of so called Christian ministers clamoring for titles and positions, not to mention wanting to be served and to be popular. All these to the extent of compromising their given task, which is, as I mentioned earlier, is our form of worship to our God. I really look forward to entering the jungle again, back to the basic necessities and back to the simplicity of the Christian faith.
I just asked the Lord. I long to serve You. Just and simply serve You, which is my heart’s desire. To be solely and wholly devoted to You. Simply to serve as Your servant and to fulfill my calling as a humble servant. But I am feeling very frustrated and very bound up. There are all these complexities here and there and everywhere around me. Complexities created by men as means to boost their own ego and in its process profane the sanctity of the Christian ministry. And I long to know whether the Lord is grieved, what can be done to confront this issue? But I know God is merciful and loving. I’m yet to come near to be like Him. The day will truly and surely come when each of us will be judged. And I long to receive a word of praise from my God, not a rebuke. So, despite the struggle, I have resolved to keep the good fight of faith. Because my God is a great God.
Like how I had started, I am recalling my feeling of tiredness. I am tired, very tired to be striving in what appears to be a lone struggle. If the opposition is outside the church walls, this is understandable. But how do you reconcile when the “opposition” is within the church walls? When men and women who have served the church (or Christian organization) for so long and we should be regarding them as our mentors and teachers, yet it is them that contradict Biblical values?
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Ministry Update: March 2009
Urbanization…such a big word. A phenomenon that is infecting the whole world. A phenomenon that attracts, entices, and persuades. Rural folks flock into the cities for various reasons. People like the big cities for its modernity, sophistication, and amenities. But urbanization carries with it the evils of materialism and complexities of relations. People think we are “advance” if we are modern, indulging in all the complexities that kill our innocence.
Wah…this is really technical. I wonder why I started this piece in such a manner. Just to prove my point, actually. We often get carried away in wanting to impress the person next to us, an attribute of the fallen nature. And sadly, we unconsciously (or maybe consciously) import such mindset into the Christian circle. Recently, I attended a pastor installation service. The candidate is a good friend that I’ve known for several years. Although I do not know him very well, but well enough to know that this is a man after God’s heart. His “track record” of ministry proves it. I’m glad and I rejoice together with the church for this brother.
It was at the dinner after the service that I picked up a pretty disturbing viewpoint from among certain church leaders. Okay, I’m used to being observant, having being trained as a sociologist who engages in participation observation. My ears and my eyes are trained to pick up “social patterns” and it’s really like a second nature to me. I observed and I am saddened as I hear how church leaders talk about the so-called full time Christian vocation. We encourage people to enter into full-time work and yet, we seem to categorize each commitment according to their prior secular involvement. You see, the Christian leader that was going on and on about this issue was expressing how he admires people who leave their “professional occupation” to enter into “full-time” ministry. Is it only admirable for people who have “social standing” to enter “full-time” ministry? I have nothing against anyone entering the full-time Christian vocation, regardless of their background. But it seems that the Christian population sympathizes or looks down on the full-time work. It is a big sacrifice to enter into full-time ministry for those who have been earning big bucks in the secular sector. But it doesn’t matter for those who have been earning peanuts. After all, there’s no difference in the salary they command. I mean, if Christians themselves think that the full-time Christian vocation is meant for those “misfits of society,” how do we expect the non-Christians to think any better of us? It looks like even Christians themselves consider the full-time vocation as an avenue “to save” the unwanted of the secular sector. Hey, when considering my “salary” it has always been my “secular” degree that makes the deciding figure. Even Christians themselves are not recognizing their own formal training. Okay, okay…it’s not the papers that matter. That I acknowledge…it is the journey along the way that makes the difference. Granted! But hey, if the Christian community herself thinks lowly of her dedicated members and efforts, how on earth are we ever to be “salt and light” in making a difference to society around us? We are no different than the person outside the church. In other words, we only fantasize about being a salty salt when we actually have lost the saltiness.
Perhaps we lack credible leaders, spiritually discerning leaders. We often assume that a person in a “high position” in a secular job is a good candidate to lead church affairs, without even considering the spiritual health of that individual. Can we actually accept a church leader who is a young Christian, spending umpteen years steep in another faith but just converted, say less than 5 years?...and because this person was a “professional” it is impressive enough to grant a leadership position? Wow! Personally, no. But I know it is an obvious, resounding “yes” by some quarters. I stick to my belief that decisions not carefully made today may not cause harm today itself but it will certainly cause damage tomorrow or the day after. And sometimes, the damage may be just too severe to undo, to the individual, the person being ministered, and to the Christian community as a whole.
Wah…pretty deep eh? My point is, we need to restore the “dignity” of the Church. There was a time in history when church leaders are respected individuals of society, that the pastor is the most learned person in the village. And all that was lost in the process of secularization, when money and prestige became the measurement of one’s honor. The advent of urbanization further emphasizes this factor and we slip further down the spiral of materialism. And with that deteriorated church-related vocation in the eyes of community, both Christian and non-Christian.
Honestly, I’m not sure if it’s worth the effort to keep believing in an “ideal Christian community” where everyone’s focus is in allowing God to mold them, where everyone strive to be spirit-controlled, where everyone submits to each other and serves each other just the way the Bible prescribes it.
I also had a new experience recently. Based in the seminary, ministering to the academic audience has become a norm, but I had the privilege to minister to a professional crowd. I don’t know how I fared but I hope to learn along the way together with the rest. In fact, it was sort of a revision for me to dig up lessons and notes I left untouched upon leaving the pastoral ministry. And I believe that there is relevant, up-to-date ministry approach that I can learn from this group of BM pastors in FGAC.
The year has quickly entered into its third month. Affairs of the world and our nation continued to impact us. We have a national partner from BA (Lita’s team-mate) who married an American missionary and the couple is now back in the States. I was chatting with him online in Facebook today. He is looking for a job and his wife is pregnant. I don’t know how to help him, except to pray. Being Indonesian in the States will not offer a bright prospect under current circumstances. And his wife is pregnant…
I was practically glued to the PC the day the Perak state assembly created history. I confessed that I could not concentrate on work at all the whole morning as I closely followed live reporting. Like many others, I could not hold back the tears as the events unfold.
I hope the Christian community will seize the opportunity of the day to aggressively make a difference. The change must start from within the church if we are ever to be the change agent for our nation. The change must begin from each individual and I pray the change will begin from me. So help me God.
The year ahead is full of activities for me as I took note recently. There are teaching and preaching appointments in every month, right till the end in December. Looks like an exciting year ahead. Please pray for me as we partner in ministry to make a difference in this generation in this nation.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)