Malaysia 2011 (Postscript - Joseph Kwan)

God was glorified!

I would like to thank everyone who supported us spiritually and financially to our mission trip to Malaysia.  Your partnership with us changed lives in Malaysia, and it is still continuing to affect those who we interacted with.  

In September, I learned about the opportunity to go overseas to Malaysia with our youth pastor as he spoke at a youth camp. This would be my first overseas mission trip; so I was very hesitate about committing to this trip. However after much praying and talking to people about this opportunity, in December I committed to this trip. Even through my hesitations and worries, God was glorified.

We were assigned books to help us prepare for this trip.  However due to my laziness and my busy life, I was not very prepared for this mission trip. I read most of the books and researched about my workshop but I felt like I could of done a lot more.  A week before we were supposed to leave for Malaysia, I was over at Chris Gaw’s house (another team member) almost every night preparing for our workshop that we would teach at the camp. As I was traveling a part of me felt like I was inadequate and unable to serve him. Even through my laziness and our last minute preparations, God was glorified.

After traveling for 24 hours, we arrived at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Our schedule was very tight and we had no time to rest. When we got to the airport we were greeted by the leaders of Pantai Baptist Church.  I got the privilege to drive with Thomas Yap who I later served with at the camp. We spent our time just talking about ourselves and what we expected from camp and how I could serve this week. We went to the hotel to check in and had lunch with the other leaders and it was amazing just seeing people across the world loving the same God that I love as well as serving him because we have the same mission. After lunch we had a meeting with the camp committee to discuss the logistics of the camp and pray over the camp. At this point, we were exhausted and our jetlag got worst...we became delirious. Even through the awkwardness of meeting a group of people, and our physical weakness, God was glorified.

The next day was the first day of camp and it was hard just realizing that I had to serve these kids for the rest of the week. But I knew that I was there for a reason and there was no time to waste. The day progressed with the games, the dinner, the message, and we finished with our first small group. I was co-leading with a leader from Malaysia named Callie. She was a blessing to work with and together we lead 8 campers (age ranged from 13-18 of males and females).  During the message, Justin told them that if they had any questions about their faith they needed to answer them within this week because they must know what you believe. The questions ranged from: What was sin? Why did Jesus have to come down? Why are Christians so hypocritical? It was amazing seeing people so vulnerable about their insecurities. We spent a good hour just answering questions and posing questions to challenge their faith. Even through my worries and my lack of knowledge, God was glorified.

The next day we woke up at 7:30am after a long night of prepping for the next day to led a group devotional. During the group devotion I kept challenging them that there is more to life than what they been living. I wanted to stress the importance of studying and applying the truths of the Bible into their lives. In the afternoon I led a workshop with another member (Chris Gaw) about sovereignty and free will. The first day we had 8 people who came and by the second day 25 people came. It was amazing seeing how God’s grace overflowed as we taught this complicated subject.  As we shared about how God has so much grace and mercy that he actually saved us, we explained to them differences between the doctrine of Arminianism and the doctrine of Calvinism. God used us to bring basic and solid teaching on these two theologies. We stressed how this workshop wasn’t about learning about doctrines however it was really to help people understand about their own salvation. At the end of camp, many of the campers came to us about questions not just about these two doctrines but about Christianity as well as questions regarding salvation. Even through our lack of preparation, our limited knowledge, and our nervousness...God was glorified.

The stress and the pure exhaustion of the week took its toll on my body. Many of the team got sick and I was one of them. After lunch on the 3^rd day of camp I started to get headaches so I decided to take a nap during games and free time to try to rest my body. However when I woke up for the message, I started to have body aches. I decided to miss the evening message and sleep with hopes of feeling better in the morning. As I woke up for the last morning of camp and I felt all right, so I went to lead group devotions.  However after breakfast I went back to my room and threw up. I went back to bed and when I woke up I walked to the main hall, and I started blacking out and felt dehydrated. I left the camp early to get medical treatment at a local hospital. The host family was truly gracious to us throughout the entire trip and it was evident when they took care of me during this part of the trip. Also God provided a pharmacist on our team, Aunt Swee-Ling, who was a mother to all of us. As she provided medical advice and was the caretaker during our time in Malaysia. God was gracious to us on the way home and none of us got sick on the airplane.  Even though my body was physically weak, God was glorified.

The next day we spent the day attending the host church’s service and Sunday school. It was amazing seeing God work through the Church in Malaysia. That night we held a leadership workshop for the youth leaders of Pantai Baptist Church. We encouraged them and explained to them what the youth need from their adults leaders and the expectations that youth have. The last day we got to go sight seeing. God was gracious to us once again as he allowed us to come back home safely after a 24 hours flight back.  Even though we were not experienced in leadership training, God was still gloried.

The thing I realized the most from this mission trip is that even though I was unworthy, God was bigger than who I am or what I have to offer. He did what He wanted even though our team was unfit to be there. God showed his grace and his power so that we can experience joy from working with Him.

For pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chewywong/

Malaysia 2011 (Postscript - Erica Chen)

Dear Family, Friends, and Supporters,

                Today is July 13, 2011, and our team that went to Malaysia has been back a full month now. Thank you for all of your prayers, encouragements, and support; without y’all, there was no possible way that we could have made it there to be ministers of God’s kingdom.

When we first started fundraising, we thought it was going to be impossible to raise the funds we needed in time for us to go. But we trusted God’s provision, that if this really was what He was calling us to do, He would provide for us. We prayed, begged, and pleaded with God to help us accomplish a borderline impossible task, and He provided big time, exceeding everything that we expected. We ended up raising enough money in a month and a half, with funds still coming in from anonymous donors. Even while we were already in Malaysia, some people still felt led to give. God definitely taught us that when we fully trust Him to provide, He does so abundantly.

As I prepared for this mission trip in the six months leading up to it, I was very anxious and scared out of my mind. I was responsible for leading the Evangelism workshop with Avina, but i knew that teaching was not one of my gifts. I felt like I would never know enough, have all the answers, or suffice to actually help any kids in Malaysia. That was definitely my pride and sinfulness controlling me, trying to convince me that I could actually do all of this on my own, with my own human strength.

The theme at the youth camp in Malaysia was “Truth Fitness”, meaning that we were to be teaching these students a lot of theology, doctrine, and essentials to our faith. The pressure was truly on; the leaders at Pantai Baptist Church wanted the kids to come out of this camp with a renewed desire to study Scripture and theology for themselves, and that was why we were coming in to teach workshops. We were partnering with PBC to support their ministry, and I did not want to fail them. I did not want to fail you all who supported me and the rest of the team; I did not want to waste PBC’s time, all the funds from y’all, and misrepresent Chinese Baptist Church. I wrestled for a long time with trusting that God would give me wisdom, understanding, and discernment regarding my workshop and also leading a small group during the camp.

Day 1: We left Sunday after church to begin our almost 24 hour transit to Malaysia. Here is an excerpt from my personal Tumblr blog that I wrote a few weeks before we left. This post describes my thoughts on Day 1 perfectly:

“I’m leaving for Malaysia in less than a month to help teach and equip youth there, and I am terrified right now. I constantly think about failing, about not knowing enough, about being boring, about not being able to fully convey how amazing the saving grace of our God is. I mean, it’s kind of a weighty responsibility, no? Why did God call me to this task if I’m not “ready”? Doesn’t He want me to be effective for the kingdom? What if I screw up? What if this ends up just being another camp workshop? How in the world can I possibly share how freaking broken I am, how much my soul aches each day because I can’t handle the weight of my sin, how I am renewed each day with the knowledge that I have a gracious Father in Heaven, how I will NEVER know enough, but that I have felt the immense discipline and humbling by God? How can I POSSIBLY do this? How can God possibly use ME? And then I remember, amidst my anxiety and frantic-ness: “BUT GOD” and there are many verses that begin with this, but all I remember is “But God”, and my heart can finally find rest in that moment—it’s not about how much I know, or how much I can understand, but about the glorious and redeeming grace of God that gives me knowledge, understanding, boldness, and comfort. God once again shows me how even while preparing for a mission trip, my heart is still sinful, stubborn, and blind to a personal and loving God right before my eyes. He will provide a way for me, will use me even when I don’t think He can, and will continue His sanctifying work in my life. His will WILL be done.”

Day 2: When we arrived in Malaysia, we were all pretty delirious, jet lagged, and exhausted. We arrived at 8 am their time, so we immediately had a long day ahead from the get go. We were able to eat at a local Malaysian cafe located in one of their huge malls for lunch. The food was delicious, and of course my favorite part was the dessert. Afterwards, we got to go back to our hotel and rest for a bit before we met with PBC’s youth leadership team. We went over camp logistics and got to meet some of the youth. Following the meeting, we went out to a nice Chinese restaurant with Uncle Bryan, a church elder that took ridiculously good care of us like his own kids during our stay. We were all pretty out of it by dinner, but it was awesome to get to spend more time with the leadership team.

Day 3: We woke up, packed up our things, and headed to PBC to get on the buses for youth camp. When we arrived, there was already a half day of events planned. We got to meet lots of the kids, began our week of heavy mealtimes, and got a feel of how the camp would go. We discovered very soon that their camp was the super camp of all camps. Everything that you have ever done in camp was all put into this one 4 day period; skits, small groups, games, workshops, free time, challenges. Not going to lie, I was pretty scared when I saw the schedule; I knew it was going to be a tiring but rewarding week. I got to lead my first small group session with my co-leader from PBC, which was extremely nerve wrecking and honestly slightly discouraging. Going into this trip, we had heard that the schooling system in Malaysia was different; that the students were not encouraged to ask questions in class. I knew that it would be hard to stimulate discussion, but I did not anticipate that it would be as hard as it was on this first day. I felt like no one really liked me or cared enough to talk about anything. That was definitely my pride getting to me, my impatience bringing out the worst in me. On top of these feelings, I was extremely stressed about my two workshop sessions that would start the next day. I did not think I was ready at all, and to be honest, I felt like my workshop topic was brushed over by the kids. Comparatively, my workshop did not sound as intense as some of the other ones, such as Sovereignty and Free Will, Pluralism, and Science and Christianity. I felt very inferior compared to the other workshops, like somehow mine was of less importance. Avina, my co-leader for the workshop, and I prayed a lot about this, about trusting in God to guide our words and hearts so that we might be vessels for His work. We still had so much fear, but as you will see, God definitely provided for us in big ways that only He could. By the end of this first day, we all pretty much just passed out from exhaustion; one half day was all it took to take out a good chunk of our energy.

Day 4: This is a clip from my personal journal during the trip. It describes how I felt for the beginning of the day:

“Today is the beginning of the second day of camp--I am feeling tired, frustrated, and weighty. There is a huge weight on my heart right now to plea and get on my knees to beg these students to listen. I feel like there is so much disrespect and lack of desire to learn (they just want fun). I have been at this place before, but from this perspective now, I really want to punch some kids in the face. I want to beg them to listen because their salvation is at stake. I want to tell them that Christianity is so much more than simply believing in Jesus so that they get to go to Heaven. I want to plead for their souls with them, to teach constantly because I know our time is limited. I feel like the teaching never stops, like I am constantly going--which is exactly the point that Paul makes in 2 Timothy. I feel a huge weight on my soul, like the sake of these students is on me. But thank goodness that it isn’t all me--You have already predestined a plan and already know what I do not. Father, thank you for being my comfort and my strength when I feel so week and defeated and upset. Thank goodness you are working in ways that I cannot see or understand.”

This day was the first time that Avina and I taught our workshop. It was extremely scary for both of us, and it did not go as smoothly as we had hoped. Our thoughts were not cohesive, the workshop did not flow as we had hoped, and many of the students were not listening to us. It was frustrating because we had so much to teach them in only an hour and a half, and yet it felt like no one really wanted to truly learn. At the end, Avina and I were both feeling pretty low. Yes, this was our first workshop, but we just felt so defeated. We prayed at the end together, just begging God to help us and guard our hearts from any feelings that we are not good enough and to give us wisdom to teach more effectively tomorrow. We prayed for the students, that they would take their faith seriously enough to want to learn it for themselves, not just play the infamous “church game”

The games were ridiculously exhausting but crazy creative and fun. Although there was allotted “free time”, it was almost always cut short because our group discussions lasted longer than the expected time, and other planned activities seemed to go longer than planned. We had a lot of fun doing everything with our group and such, but there were never any real breaks. God definitely gave us the energy to keep going, because I’m pretty sure we all felt like collapsing after Day 1.

Unfortunately, on this second day of camp people from our team started to get sick. It was probably a combination of the jet lag, adjusting to the food, and most importantly, God humbling us. I personally did not get sick during the whole trip, but i watched as may almost every member of our 11 person team started to drop like flies. God definitely taught our team about our true dependence on Him during everything, and that in all things, we should come back to God in pure worship and praise.

Small group discussion was still rough, but it was getting easier because some people started opening up. I begged God this night to plant a seed in the hearts of these students, that I would not be discouraged by what I physically saw. God sees the heart, and that was what mattered. We did not want to see the kids get a “camp spiritual high”, but rather, a completely life altering realization that they are hopeless without the work of God on the cross, and that THAT is what their whole lives should be about.

Day 5: Today was the second session of our workshops, and I have to say, God definitely showed up. It was such a beautiful thing to be teaching, but yet not know how all of the ideas and explanations flowed so well because God exceeded what we expected. Avina and I were
trying to study more and prepare more for this 2nd workshop, but we realized that we truly had to trust God to take care of us and guide us. We knew we were relying too much on our own abilities, which would ultimately lead to nowhere good. Here is a clip from my journal regarding how the workshop went:

“On the second day, God definitely showed up. Our ideas were a lot clearer, people weren’t messing around, and we could tell that people really wanted to learn. I felt so empowered by God to teach the Gospel in all parts of the workshop, and God truly provided. I definitely was not speaking--all the credit goes to God. The change from the 1st day to the 2nd was so radical--I really saw how powerful prayer was and how God really comes through when I put all my trust in Him.”


Day 6: This was the last day of youth camp, and it was definitely bittersweet. We were all kind of ready for it to end, especially since many of us were sick, but I felt like there was more teaching to be done. But what we had to remember was that we were not here to teach the students EVERYTHING about theology, doctrine, etc, but rather, we were here to support the PBC leadership in their ministry. We were never going to be able to teach everything, not matter how hard we pushed on. This realization gave me so much comfort and peace on that last day; that we were part of a bigger plan beyond these 4 days of camp. In my journal I summed up how I felt on that last day:

“I’ve really learned a lot more about how to do youth ministry--the dos and don’ts. The culture here is so different than at home--the way people interact, the humor, the characters, the way people treat one another. Despite our differences, I really grew to truly love the kids here. There were people that wanted to just have fun here, and that was okay, but there were also a handful of people that really wanted to know God more. God was faithful to provide this week even though there were times when I was discouraged and doubted His power. I felt a huge burden on my soul, a huge weight on my back because I was so in sync with God’s heart this week. I desperately want these students here to know God; not just know about Him, but have a true relationship with Him. My heart breaks for them when I see that they could have so much more than what their hearts are settling for--they could have Jesus Christ, our only true satisfaction. My heart is breaking for God’s children--they desperately need God--they are playing the church game just like I was in Middle school/high school. Life is so much more than this for them. I love and feel for them. Sessions were hard because people did not seem to care, but I know that God was at work despite what I saw. When I got frustrated, God humbled me and helped me love the students so much better.”

When we got back from the campsite, we experienced a true Malaysian rain. It rained super hard as we all were trying to get out of the bus--crazy! After we returned to the hotel and rested for a bit, we went out to dinner with Keith Chan’s parents who brought us to a delicious seafood restaurant. If you haven’t noticed, Malaysian people love food, even more than Chinese people--we ate such filling meals whenever we were taken out! So blessed :) And of course, after finally returning to the hotel, we all passed out.

Day 8: We went to Youth Service at PBC where Chris and Aly led worship and Justin gave the sermon to wrap up youth camp. Afterwards, everyone from our team split up to go visit various Sunday school classes. I went to the 16 year olds class, and in the class we basically talked about what we learned at camp (because some students did not go). It was a cool picture of the body of Christ teaching one another things about predestination, science, etc. After Sunday school, we went to a local restaurant where many of the youth came to fellowship with us and say their goodbyes, for we would be leaving the next day when they all started school. I ate some delicious noodles of which I don’t know the name of, but I got to sit with some hilarious people that shared their lives with me for that short 2 hours. Our team literally had to be pulled out of the restaurant when our rides beckoned us to go; lots of hugs goodbye. We rested at the hotel for a bit, then headed out again for a leaders training at the church. I was in the group of college students/ youth, and we got to give our perspectives on church discipline, bible study, and other topics that the leaders had questions about. It was crazy getting to teach older leaders, but it was such a powerful testament of what the body of Christ is supposed to look like. After this, we went out to dinner at a Chinese restaurant in a popular mall. We were told not to eat too much, for they planned to bring us out afterwards for another snack--Crazy! The food was great, I ordered Dim Sum dishes and shared with my table. I did not listen, because I was so stuffed after the meal. For dessert, we got this thing that was like 3 feet tall and had a tissue like texture; I can’t describe it, but it was freaking good! We got to see more leaders here, saying more goodbyes when the night ended.

Day 9: Today, we were sightseeing and shopping. We ate lunch at McDonald’s, which made many of us happy because we got to eat “safe” American food at last. Our whole team really wanted one thing from Malaysia to bring home--a popular flip flop called Fippers. We were obsessed! They were just like regular flip flops, but at the same time not at all. We went to a really upscale mall, picking up souvenirs here and there. After this mall, we took the tram to a marketplace that sold more traditional Malaysian souvenirs. At this mall, we each got to experience fish eating the dead skin off our feet. We paid the equivalent of two US dollars for like 15 minutes of giggling and putting our feet in fish. It was so gross! But I do have to admit, my feet were very soft afterwards.

We left the mall and then headed back to PBC for a little while before leaving for the airport. At the church, we were able to debrief with us as a team. We got to encourage and admonish one another, constantly giving God the glory for pulling us through this week and allowing us to be part of His plan.

Once we debriefed, a few of the leaders came in because they had bought us all Fippers! We were so excited and in disbelief because they literally bought 20 pairs of flip flops. We ended up taking lots of pictures with them and extending the inevitable good byes.

We actually got to the airport later than we should have, which resulted in us running through the airport to get where we need to go. It was quite the adventure! But God once again was looking out for us, thankfully not letting us miss our flight back home.

When we were finally on the plane, on the start of our long journey back home, I felt very content and peaceful. God showed up this week, was faithful, and taught me so much about myself. Even though there were moments when I doubted God’s plan, He was gracious enough to let me be a part of it, showing me that I am so loved and valued by Him. I learned firsthand the immense power of God when we actually trust Him to do what He says He will. I saw the beauty of the cross in my life as I taught my workshop; even when I thought I knew it all, God was faithful to keep showing me so much more. Even when I felt inadequate, like I couldn’t teach or communicate with the kids, God overcame my insecurities and blew my mind when I trusted Him.

                If you made it all the way to the end, congratulations! I hope you were able to get a taste of what this trip was like for me; so much more than just a week of my summer, it was a life changing experience that taught me more about God, myself, and others. I got to see the universal church at work in Malaysia; believers on both sides of the globe coming together to worship and praise the same God. I pray that just as our team studied and prepared for “Truth Fitness” with a goal to help the students in Malaysia desire to figure out what they believe in, that you would continue to seek answers, seek truth, and ultimately find God. Thank you again for supporting, loving, praying, and ministering to us. This trip would not have been possible if God had not been faithful to provide supporters like y’all.

In Christ,

                  Erica

Malaysia 2011 (Postscript - Warren Ho)

                                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                        July, 2011

                                                            Malaysia 2011

Greetings and Peace Be with You,

          First off, thank you to everyone who so graciously prayed and supported us this past Malaysia mission trip in June.  Your generosity and faith did not go unnoticed overseas.  Many lives were changed spiritually, myself included.  In addition, valuable and lasting relationships were built.  Thank you for partnering with us in ministry. 

To be honest, prior to this Malaysia mission trip, I felt a bit uneasy and unprepared.  I was basically quite uncertain about how God would work through me.  Spiritually and mentally I felt inadequate and incapable.  This was especially the case since this was my first overseas mission trip.  For a good part of my life, I have read the Bible stories, taught Sunday School, attended various Christian conventions, and counseled quite a few youth, but this was different.  Upon our initial arrival in Kuala Lumpur after a 24 hour flight, I already sensed this would be an intense trip.  Our schedule was very tight and time to rest seemed very limited. 

We were all so encouraged by the warm greetings and excitement of the Pantai Baptist Church Youth Camp committee upon that first day of arrival in Kuala Lumpur.  As a result, I had this sense of feeling that something awesome and great was about to take place during our trip in Malaysia.  However, this was not going to happen without God breaking and humbling us first.  The theme for the Pantai Baptist Church Youth Camp was “Truth Fitness”.  Our mission group was primarily responsible for preparing and teaching various in depth workshops regarding Christian doctrine and truths.  As messages and workshops were given I was overjoyed to see such enthusiasm and hunger for God’s Word from the Pantai Baptist Church youth.  However, as the youth camp progressed many of us, myself included, felt ill and fatigued.  I believe 8 out of 11 of us at some point or another got sick during our time there.  As a result, I found myself constantly praying and begging God for energy and strength.  We were at times discouraged but never beaten down.  God, in His great mercy and love, continually provided and healed us during our bouts of weakness. 

Towards the end of our mission trip, it was clear that God was doing something extraordinary in the spiritual lives of the Pantai Baptist Youth Group.  They were curious and asking a lot of questions regarding the Bible and Christian doctrine.  Currently, they have plans to start up their own personal Bible study groups.  Because of all this, God reminded us of why we were there in the first place.  He reminded us of the power of the Gospel and His Word.  He reminded me once again what it means to persevere and fully “Trust and Obey”.  Malaysia 2011 has left a lasting impression in my heart and I hope to head back there sometime soon. 

Thank you all again for your prayers and support.  Please continue to pray for Pantai Baptist Church and its youth.  Pray that they will continue to thirst and hunger for the Word of God.  Pray that they will be equipped to effectively share the Good News of Jesus Christ to all those around them in their communities.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  (2 Corinthians 12:9)

                                                                                              In Him,

                                                                              

                                                                               Warren Ho

Malaysia 2011 (Postscript - Chris Gaw)

Malaysia 2011 – God is Able

So we’re finally back in Houston. I just got up after a much needed and refreshing 12 hours of slumber. Before I began to write this, I had a really hard time trying to put together all my thoughts and experiences into words. As I begin to look back on the whole trip though, I think the one theme that rang during the whole time was that “God is Able.” While we are weak, foolish, and needy… He is able. That idea was inspired by Hillsong Live’s song “God is Able.” So yeah, what I’m about to give y’all is a short run through of what happened on my trip and attempt to show you just how gracious and good God was to us during our time in Malaysia. My hope is not only that you enjoy hearing about my trip, but that it reminds you of just how beautiful and powerful our God is. So here we gooooo.

We first landed in Malaysia and were greeted by the church leaders that were our hosts for the week. They picked us up from the airport, took us to our hotel, and helped us get situated. Then we pretty much spent the whole day with them. They took us out to grab lunch at Little Penang Kafe and dinner at a very nice Chinese restaurant. It was fun meeting the leaders and just talking. For me, I just loved being able to look around the city and see how different it was from what I’m used too. Also, it was fun just talking with the leaders and seeing how our pronunciations and vocabulary differed. As the trip progressed… we began to get used to using “boot” instead of trunk, “rubbish” instead of trash, “washroom” instead of bathroom/restroom, and adding “la” randomly at the end of sentences (yes, they do that, and yes, it’s awesome!) As the day progressed, our jet lag got worse and worse. By the time we got back to the hotel at night, we were all completely exhausted. This was good though, it definitely forced us to adjust to the time difference. So the next morning we left for the youth camp with the church.

Day one at the camp was really fun. It was tough trying to meet the kids though, especially since many of them were a bit reserved or just nervous to meet us. As the evening rolled around (following a session of games, room assignments, and Justin’s message), it was small group time. As the group discussion time approached, I began to get more nervous and more worried, especially since this was my first time counseling. In addition, what also intimidated me was that 5 of my campers were either older than me or the same age (oldest being 21). That, also piled on with the fact that two of my kids were non Christians (one of them speaking very little English) made for a really tough time for me. Right before we began, I met with my co-counselor Colin and tried to discuss how we would run the group. He pretty much told me that I’d be leading because he didn’t feel comfortable doing it. So yeah, I was pretty much on my own for a group of 12 kids (mixed sexes and ages from ages 13 to 21). The first night of small group felt like the longest half hour of my life… and I struggled big time.  There was little to no conversation, discussion, or questions. The few questions that were brought up I could not immediately answer, so I had to delay them to a later time (I needed my scripture references and to think about the questions). I just felt like I was lecturing and with little response or attention from my group. When that first session was finally done, I just felt so defeated… like I had failed. After this, I went to a few of the leaders to just talk and figure out what are some good things to try in my small group… and the best advice I got was definitely… “You’re trying too hard.” As I look back, I think God was definitely humbling me in this moment and reminding me of my purpose for this trip. Showing me that this is all for His glory and will only be made possible and done by Him. I am merely a servant and instrument. I cannot do anything, but He can do mighty things. I am not able, but He is… to bring himself more glory through me than I can imagine. So this is what my heart’s cry began to be… starting from night one. I just called out to God and begged Him to use me up. To empty me of self and to fill me with humility and a heart set on bringing Him and He alone glory. In His grace, He did that very thing. Our God is able.

The very next morning, we led group devotionals at 7:30. I opened with teaching the devotional passage and going over the handout. Then I opened up the time for questions because the theme of the camp was truth fitness. It basically challenged the campers to look at their faith and truly understand it. Also, Justin challenged the campers to answer questions and doubts about their faith that they have either neglected or been afraid to ask… whether those questions were about foundational beliefs or about higher level theology. As I said before, during the previous night, there were little to no questions asked, but this morning there was almost an abundance of questions coming from 4 of the campers.  I got questions like how do we know Christianity is right?, how do we get other denominations?, How do we treat those other denominations?, and How do we know God exist?. God definitely provided. He not only sparked questions in my group, but also gave me the knowledge and understanding to answer them. Throughout the rest of camp, God in His grace continued to provide during every small group time. Some other topics I got questions on were evolution, the trinity, and can a person lose salvation. The last night was the only time when we really were able to start sharing my group. God opened hearts and wills to share their stories and hurts… as the topic for the last night was… why does God allow suffering? Overall, God did beautiful work for His name in my small groups… I’m just blessed to be able to see it and be part of it. Our God is able.

As for the workshops that all of the CBC members taught… God provided once again. He helped us teach well and with patience. As for Joseph and I’s workshop on sovereignty and free will… the first day about 8 people came and the second day about 20 people came. God in His grace made it like that so that Joseph and I were able to present a better workshop on the second day for more people. After the first run through, a few of the leaders were able to give us feed back on how to present our workshop better and improve it which helped us out a lot. When initially preparing, I was afraid that Joseph and I would not present an equal argument for both sides of Arminianism and Calvinism (not on purpose, but just because Joseph and I hold one of the doctrines). To our surprise, one of the leaders said that we actually over compensated, and did not present a strong enough argument for the side we believed. They also reminded us that we need to reassure and emphasize to the kids that the Bible does not contradict itself. This was great advice, it helped us better manage our time and topics during our second workshop run through. Overall though, I think God in His grace, helped many of the kids who came to our workshop gain a basic and solid understanding of Armianism and Calvinism. So overall, I think our workshop went great… especially considering that almost everyone who came to our workshop had not heard of the doctrines of Calvinism or Arminianism before they came. God helped us keep their attention and explain the doctrines well. In addition, God kept Joseph well enough to teach the workshop with me both times. Following the end of our workshop, over a dozen campers had questions and were interested in learning more. Once again, God is able.

The last major thing I was responsible for was leading worship with Aly for two sessions.  Each day was extremely full and tiring. The day started with waking up around 7, then doing camp activities all day and then sleeping at about 12 or so.  This tiring schedule started to kind take a toll on my voice and just my energy. In addition, members of our team started to get sick on the trip. First it was Rebecca and Aly, then it was Warren and Joseph, and then it was Avina and Justin.  When Aly first went down, I got worried because she was supposed to help me lead. I considered asking other members of my team to help me out, but the problem was that I hadn’t had the opportunity to practice with them yet. God in His sovereignty and grace, brought Aly back to health just in time to help me lead worship for both sessions. He guided our song selection and used our service… He used it to bring about reflection in people’s lives and praise to His name. As I said before, 6 members of our team fell ill at one point on the trip. Joseph had to leave camp a little early and get medical treatment at a nearby hospital for just a little bit for his dehydration and food poisoning. Many of us got sick because our bodies were just not used to the food and probably because of the ice that we ate at the meals. God was sovereign over all of this illness and provided for us greatly. In His sovereignty He provided us with a great host family in the Lee’s who helped accommodate us and get us medicine when we needed it. In addition, in His sovereignty He planned for us to have a pharmacist on our team in Aunt Swee-Ling who helped take care of us and give us advice when our team members got sick. God healed those that were sick and protected those that were not. Lastly, God’s hand was definitely at work in the fact that only one of the members of each co-led (two people) workshop fell ill, never both at the same time. This allowed for all the workshops to be taught, despite some of the leaders falling ill. When I look back on it, God could not have provided in a mightier way than the way in which He did. God is able.

Lastly, God just helped us connect with the kids. It might not seem like it’d be tough… but it was. I think partly for a lot of the kids they were a bit intimidated because they had never met us. He not only helped us relate to the kids but also gave us the energy and time to be able to hang out and get to know them during meals and games. As for me, God provided a boy in my group by the name of Kenneth, who helped encourage our team during group games and helped excite our team to work together. His “team spirit” was sooo key to us winning competitions and just building a sense of unity and fun. By the end of the camp, my team was able to meet lots of the kids and some of us were able to make good friends with many of the kids. In addition, a few of the kids were able to really open up to us and share with us what was going on in their lives.

As the camp ended, we came back to the hotel and pretty much spent a lot of time resting. In the evening we were able to go out to dinner with the Chan family and the next day do some leadership training for the youth leaders of Pantai Baptist Church. We gave different perspectives and suggestions to them on how to teach Sunday school, How to do church discipline, and what is the role of a youth leader. Then we were able to go out to dinner and dessert with a lot of the youth and their leaders. It was nice to be able to just hang out with them and see the city some more. The last day was our sight seeing/shopping day. We were able to see the two famous twin towers of Kuala Lumpur and do lots of souvenir shopping at a mall and market. At the Market, we got to try a fish spa. For those of y’all that aren’t familiar with it… basically you put your feet in a tank of fish and the fish eat all the dead skin off your feet. It was a lot of fun, but really really tickilish. If y’all want to know more about all of the trip and see some of our pictures… you can check out https://picasaweb.google.com/chriscross14 or www.flickr.com/chewywong.

In the end, I’m so thankful I was able to go on this trip and be part of God’s plan. It’s awesome for me to sit back and reflect on what God has done and how He did it. He truly did great things in the lives of the youth while we were in Malaysia, and it was amazing to see Him do that… when we look back, we see that it can only be by His doing. It astonishes me that He used such a weak and young team to do such great things. Thank you again for your support in prayers and donations… it’s your support that God has used to bring glory to His name and do beautiful work in the lives of others. Thanks be to the God who is Able.

Face to Face with Reality: Part 2

I think the easiest thing about being a church-goer was that there wasn't really anything to it. Like go and attend and that's pretty much it. I mean, people would tell me what to do and what not to do...but for the most part I never really cared about what they said. And I expose this part of my journey because I think many of us are here. Where it's easy to believe certain things and even pretend to abide by them but there's something drastically different between knowing something and acting upon it.

Saturday night rolled around and like most Saturdays i'm trying to prepare my mind for the long and exhausting Sunday that is to come. All of the sudden I get a call from an unknown Houston number. I don't think about it and I answer it. "Hey...is Justin there?" the caller asks. "Yeah, this is Justin...what's up?" "It's Michael...the homeless guy." At first i had no clue what was going on and honestly, i thought one of my youth was pulling a prank call on me. But then i realized that i had given this homeless guy my business card with my number on it. We chat for awhile and I was trying to figure out what he was calling about and more importantly what for. He really didn't say much...just that he was having a tough week and out of nowhere i go, "Hey man...what are you doing tomorrow? Would you want to go to church with me?" And i'm not really sure what made me do it but I just felt that perhaps i might be able to talk to him in person. But funny enough he goes "alright" and i tell him where our church is located and i feel bad about this next part. He goes "wait a minute...i need to write the directions on the back of my sign". And at that moment i tell him to forget it and i'll just pick him up and drive him to church.

I hang up the phone and my mind kind of goes all over the place. 1) because i've never done anything like this and 2) i start thinking about the "what ifs". The biggest thing that continue to filter into my mind was "what if the church doesn't receive him?" Like i'll play his side and i know scripture time and time again commands us to practice hospitality and to show love to the world - and this was definitely it. I knew in my gut that this is what i was supposed to do biblically. And i think this is going to have to be my filter for the rest of my decisions for the rest of my life. Because that night as i was trying to put a handle of the situation many people were telling me that this wasn't a "wise" idea because "what if the church isn't ready for him? what if he's dirty and smelly? what if he endangers people?" Just a week ago someone came up to me and told me that they found people smoking on our property that attended some of our church events. And they were furious with the situation and wanted us to kick them out because "it might ruin the reputation of our church and this isn't who we are". I kind of stood there and was just dumbfounded. Wait...this isn't the church? Seriously? You're telling me that we're only supposed to take care of people when it's convienent for us? My first impulse was to go to scripture and there i found the parable of the good samaritan. What you have is a man trying to justify himself with religion and the hard in-your-face question that is addressed is "who is my neighbor?". I read that story and i realize that the samaritan (the one who helps in the story) he's put in an unreal situation. Already two religious, powerful men pass by the beat-stranger and yet the samaritan stops, puts him in his car...drives him to the nearest hotel and stays with him over night. Can you imagine that? Do you know what my momma would do to me if i told her i did something like that? But yet the parable conveys the lesson - your neighbor is ANYONE that is in need.

Sorry, back to my story. I talk with Tina about it and though she understands where i'm coming from and the biblical rendering she still worries for my safety. Which...i'm alright with. So i ask Brandon to follow me in the morning in his car. We get there at 8:45 at his "place" and he comes out and the first thing i notice is that he had a can of beer in his hand. I didn't say anything about it, nor would i have, but he goes "man...i'm sorry. I don't mean to offend you by bringing this beer" I guess he thought beer offends christians. So he puts down the beer and he apologizes once again and pulls out another beer from his pocket. haha...i couldn't have cared less but it just makes for a funny story. Anyways i ask him if it would be alright if brandon and i just go to breakfast to just chat. And so we spend the morning over chorizo and listening to his story. The first thing i notice about him was the smell and even after dropping him off for the day my car still smelled as such. And you know...it's not pleasant, but it's reality right?

You know...after breakfast and just chatting with brandon about the whole morning and experience made me think a lot about life, christianity, and homeless people. I think a lot of time we like to compartamentalize these three and i found myself forgetting a lot of lessons that i've learned throughout life about this. But i told myself i'd try to remember, so i'm writing these lessons down...in part 3