reachthenations-cambodia

2009-11-15T00:42:00.002+08:00

16 days to Vietnam! I wonder how everyone is doing?
Well, just thought that I'll reshare this video.

You may choose to look the other way.
But you can never say that you did not know.
-William Wilberforce

Super Cambos 2009

2009-09-04T13:32:00.002+08:00

Almost another year has come and gone, too soon! :)

Guess, what.. Super Cambos 2009 is in the process of assembling itself. A year after all the grace God's so freely given to SC08! 101 days to SC09! Doing a quick mindmap (in my mind) of the things to do for SC09 feels that the task ahead seems rather daunting. But thank God for the team of SC08, which has paved the way with an such extraordinary grace of pioneership!

As all the mission trips draw nearer, let us continue to seek the Lord in prayer and ask Him for an equal, if not more powerful encounter for every team that is going to serve the Lord overseas in Dec!

Til then, may every homework, every exam, every project, every marriage, every plan we have succeed in the hands of the Almighty God.

God bless,
Dan :)

2009-08-25T13:20:00.002+08:00

I set up a blog cause one of my modules in school requires me to blog, and I saw this blog was updated, so i popped in to have a look :)

As I read, I feel like I'm doing some kind of self-evaluation of the pass 8 months. Suddenly Cambodia seems really surreal. The joy of knowing the impact we are bringing to people there, have I lost it? I don't think I have, I just subtly move other things in my life into positions no.1, no.2, no.3 in my life, and it gets push back progressively...

It's time to move God back to number 1. :)

Thanks for the post Isaiah!

Eliz says it's 100 days to vietnam! I'm slowly getting excited about it! It's time to quicken the pace? Firstly, Viet classes in 4 hours. God help me with the language!

hello world!

2009-08-21T01:51:00.002+08:00

haha just felt like coming here. trying to remember the good old SC times ;)

seems like a life time ago? but it was just 8 months back!

a lot has changed in such a short span of time. Yet God is the same here as He was 8 months back.

what's different? are we changing the world or are we the same as 9 months before? where's the prayer, where's the faith, where's the joy?

maybe it's there? maybe it isn't? but God's the same, same in bishan as in banda aceh.

what are you hearing? or rather who are you not hearing?

what are you having? or rather, do we have too much?

"when all is stripped away......."

Love & Pray

2009-01-23T08:08:00.002+08:00

i couldn't agree more with Joel =)

for some strange reason, i'm trying to blog something now, but can't seem to post anything coherent haha...

anyway all i can say now is to encourage everyone to be sensitive in the Spirit and to pray in the Holy Spirit whenever you can....especially as you start your day.

i really think as we ask to become more sensitive to the Spirit, we will see opportunities start popping up all over....whether it is bumping into friends you haven't seen in a long time or when the name of someone whom you used to know, suddenly pops into your head.

can we live a more purposeful 2009? it is not how good our programmes are that draw our friends and loved ones into His kingdom, but rather how much we LOVE and as a result, how much we PRAY!

Lets move from glory to glory in Christ. remember every good thing done from cambodia right through to the camp as milestones and altars built along our journey - look back at them and remember that the same God that was with us is the same God who wants us to fulfil even more of our destiny in Him for 2009 =)

“[Ask, Seek, Knock] "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”- Matthew 7:7-8

2009-01-17T20:05:00.002+08:00

Whilst I'm here stoning in Woodlands Library, I was reminiscing about Cambodia and the prayers we made in a certain hotel room!

Admittedly I can't say that I have prayed as long or as fervently as those days in Cambodia, but FUEL has reaffirm that we ought to pray! Pray for e Nation, Church, our family and our friends!

Greater things have yet to come!

2009-01-07T17:13:00.004+08:00

Couldn't find a current article.. so this year it's the 30th Anniversary.. :)

Cambodia marks fall of Pol Pot

(Picture: Prime Minister Hun Sen took part in the commemorations)

Cambodians across the country have marked the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Khmer Rouge.

It was on this day in 1979 that Vietnam invaded Cambodia and ended the rule of the brutal regime led by Pol Pot.
But the BBC's South East Asia correspondent, Kylie Morris, says the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians have barely been acknowledged by those responsible.

After years of impunity, now the government says justice is imminent.
In a speech to mark the anniversary, the president of the ruling party, Chea Sim, said those who suffered must receive justice.

He said this would be done via a tribunal set up to prosecute those responsible for their crimes.
"We will always remember the most horrific events of three years, eight months and 20 days under the regime of Democratic Kampuchea, which carried out the most cruel genocide policy resulting in massive and limitless destruction.

"We will be able to completely close down this dark chapter through the successful implementation of the law to form an extraordinary tribunal to judge the crimes committed under the Democratic Kampuchea regime," he said.

His speech, which was broadcast on national television, was concluded with children releasing doves and balloons to symbolise peace.

Six former leaders of the Khmer Rouge are due to face the tribunal, sponsored by the United Nations, which is expected to begin its work in the coming months.

Delays

But a political deadlock in the country following elections in July has led to delays, despite agreement between the government and the UN nearly a year ago.

The defendants will include the former Khmer Rouge president, Khieu Samphan, who admitted recently that mass killings did in fact take place between 1975 and 1979.

The former party leader currently raises ducks on a farm close to the Thai border.
He says he only found out about the genocide when he watched a documentary film recently about a torture centre where thousands were held before being taken to their deaths in the so-called "killing fields".

He denied personal responsibility for any killing and says that much of what happened in Cambodia in those years was as a result of the Cold War.

But Brother Number One - Pol Pot - is one who will never be called to account - he died five years ago, although not before stating that his conscience was clear.

Our correspondent says such easy truths remain beyond the reach of his fellow Cambodians, still struggling to be free of his regime's terrible legacy.

Article from BBC News Wednesday, 7 January, 2004, 14:21 GMT

dots!

2008-12-14T01:52:00.000+08:00

Our first Altar Call!

2008-12-13T01:05:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the family, dear brothers & sisters =)

We are back!

2008-12-12T13:04:00.000+08:00

2008-12-10T08:17:00.001+08:00

We'll be conducting a youth outreach service tonight, and we're expecting a few hundred pre-believers for the event. Please, please pray for us!!!

Super Cambos for GOD!

2008-12-05T01:51:00.000+08:00

T-1

2008-12-03T20:15:00.002+08:00

WOW! One more day to Super Cambos goes off to Cambodia! Jon is safely there now, thank God!

Hope everyone is packing and getting ready, not just physically, but spiritually and spending time in prayer!

I must say that the SC devotions have been wonderful over the past few days (thanks Liz!). Truly we are in a fight not physical.

Just to share a story: everytime I have done well for a major exam, it was often when i was physically sick! I still remember running out of the hall during A-level prelims cos of a super-tummy-ache!

Linking it back to today: as of now, I still can't go! i am have a slight dribble of a cold. i have loads of work to do in the office. but all this just reminds me to come in the right perspective - God is in CONTROL!

In a sense, part of me is quite excited, because when times get tough, i know to expect wonderful things from God.

A story from Daniel 3:

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

that's what i call "LEVEL 18" faith. it's easy to say we have faith and shout about it when times are good, but when the tide is against us and we are swimming without a float or paddle - that takes something more.

As i was preparing for my sharing in Cambodia, these verses puts it so nicely:-

1 Thess:16-18
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

God's will is not always about us doing something physically for HIM or accomplishing a great task. rather, its an overcoming over the circumstances. We are not chained to happenings or occurrences. Rather, no matter the situation, we must be JOYFUL, we must PRAY and we must GIVE THANKS!

And in this situation, I have all 3 =) And i wanna say thank you to the team & to matilda, for praying for me and keeping this before the Throne of Grace. Seeing the transformation in the spiritual lives of the SC Team, before we even go up - that's amazing & something to praise God for!

So please keep praying for the trip & the team & the targets! cos in my heart i really believe something amazing is going to unlock in all our lives, the moment we step into the warzone!

Agape =)

I

2008-12-01T23:35:00.002+08:00

Under Shalom's encouragement, I'm here to blog a mini-testimony of sorts since this blog is suppose to track our progress. Uh, it's already on my blog so I'm just re-posting it here.
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There's a testimony in the making I think.

I'm feeling a lot of things that I don't quite know how to describe or don't think the average person would be able to understand. But it's there, and I think in due time God will give me the words for it. But I'll share what I can which is how it started.

About 3 months ago, preperation for our trip to Cambodia first begun.
I had a strong feeling that I had to go on this trip but I didn't know why. The idea of mission wasn't very appealing to me and I think I signed up mainly because I was sick of being idle in God's kingdom and I really really wanted to start doing things.

During our first session, we concluded that mission was all about love. If we really love God, we cannot help but love all those He loves. And He loves the poor, He hears their cries day and night. He wants to reach them. So He sends the church, His body, to go.

I knew then that my heart wasn't right. Honestly, I had no heart for the poor. It sat cold and unmoved when people describe proverty. When letters/magazine come regarding mission or the poor I simply leave it somewhere in the house if not the bin without casting it a second glance. Yes, my bad. And I knew it was wrong. So I prayed the words from Hosanna.
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

It was a short simple prayer. Not those filled with passion and persistence. But God still heard, and God still answered. And so, His heart arrived in my mailbox one fine day.

In the mail, I got a book with a letter that said "As your requested, here is your free copy of Revolution in World missions!" And I was like, when did I ever request for a book like this!?!?!?! Maybe our team head went to request the books for us. But anyway it screamed BORING to me. Missions are for the missionary. For those in the outreach department. Not relevant to my life enough to motivate me to read the book. So I just left it at one corner of my table.

That is, until I found out that out of a team of 12 people, only Jon Wong and I got the book. And no one requested it for us, neither did we fill in any kind of form to ask for it. It just.. mysteriously popped up in our mailbox. But the strange thing was, it had our name and address on it. Strange right? Strange enough to me, that I decided to start reading it. Because even if it was a mistake, I believed it was one that God allowed so that this book could land in my hands.

I'm not done with the book yet. But from the beginning, as I read, I could feel God using the book to work on my heart. The Holy Spirit was bringing to light the ugliness of my heart and healing it, fixing it. As I read about the sin of christians in first world countries and the need of third world countries, my heart felt so.. broken. For the first time, I saw the reality of Matt 25:35-40. Do the poor exist because we are hoarding our blessings? Because of our selfishness and desire for more and more we do not spare a second thought for the poor? If it is because of our selfishness that people are suffering, if it's because of our timidity to preach the gospel that one more person is going to hell, then can you see how great is the judgment that's hanging over us!?

So it is, that I'm going to Cambodia with the right heart at last. Or maybe, I should say, right heart in the making. In place of my rock cold heart, God has replaced it with one that is able to feel the love God has for the poor. It's a love so strong I want to weep for having missed it all this while, and knowing that many others are missing it too. Following the footsteps of Jesus, I'm going to the poor to see... ironically, Jesus. This is the part where I don't quite know how to explain, and even if I could, I don't think many will get it. Despite my words, there are people who will still be unable to feel for the poor. I can only hope that one day God will change their hearts just as He did with mine.

Since reading the book, everything looks different. Or maybe it's because I feel different. There's a sort of burden weighing down on me. Don't quite know what it is, but I think it's gonna lead to something more. It always does. I think, this is just the beginning. Maybe it's the beginning of beginnings because the beginning is long because the journey is long. But I'm excited to be part of it. God is moving, I don't want to be left behind. I don't want anyone else to get left behind either.
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2008-11-28T16:45:00.003+08:00

As we go, think that it'll be good if we can read up more about the country and the people.

Here are some sites you can browse:

http://www.cambodia.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodia_under_Pol_Pot_(1975-1979)

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107378.html

http://www.yale.edu/cgp/

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cb.html

I read this book earlier this year: First They Killed my Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Ung Loung. It's really good in relating the kind of life the Cambodians went through during the Pol Pot era. Recommended :)

2008-11-28T15:36:00.002+08:00

Another one from Isaiah!
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The Power of Serving Others
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2 by Os Hillman
Friday, November 28 2008

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms" (1 Peter 4:9-11).

There is a Kingdom principle I find few others really understand. The principle is this: When you focus on serving others, your need is often met through God's supernatural law of serving.

I've seen this happen so many times. The law of sowing and reaping comes into play in this Kingdom principle. "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love" (Hos 10:12).
"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Cor 9:6-9).

Whenever God calls me to serve another person with my time and resources I notice how God measures resources back to me from unrelated sources. Sometimes it comes through an unexpected donation to our ministry or a speaking engagement or a new opportunity. It is uncanny how this happens consistently when I serve others. We are never to view people or organizations as competition. The Bible says that God has already assigned our portion. We need not have to manipulate outcomes.

"LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance" (Ps 16:5-6).

We don't serve others to get. However, when we do serve others, there is a Kingdom principle that works on your behalf as fruit of your service. Is there someone you need to serve today?

2008-11-28T09:13:00.001+08:00

The Bible Says Love Is a Skill
by Rick Warren

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7 (NLT)

*** *** *** ***

Love is a skill that can be learned. In other words, it’s something you can get good at and that means you get better at love by practicing love.

You may think you’re a good lover, but God wants you to become a great lover, a skilled lover, a master lover. Yet, most people never learn how to love. You can become an expert at relationships.

Wouldn’t you like to become known as a person of extraordinary love? When people speak of you they might say: “He doesn’t care who you are or what you look like.” “She doesn’t care where you’ve been or what you’ve done or where you’re from.”

The only way you get skilled at something is to practice. You do it over and over. The first time you do it, it feels awkward, but the more you do it, the better you become.

The same is true with love (1 John 4:7). Let’s practice loving each other. As the Bible says, “Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:15 HCSB).
© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.

2008-11-25T17:53:00.001+08:00

Love Is a Choice
by Rick Warren

… That you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deuteronomy 30:20 (NIV)

*** *** *** ***

Love is a choice and a commitment. You choose to love or you choose not to love.

Today we’ve bought into this myth that love is uncontrollable, that it’s something that just happens to us; it’s not something we control. In fact, even the language we use implies the uncontrollability of love. We say, “I fell in love,” as if love is some kind of a ditch. It’s like I’m walking along one day and bam! – I fell in love. I couldn’t help myself.

But I have to tell you the truth – that’s not love. Love doesn’t just happen to you. Love is a choice and it represents a commitment.

There’s no doubt about it, attraction is uncontrollable and arousal is uncontrollable. But attraction and arousal are not love. They can lead to love, but they are not love. Love is a choice.

You must choose to love God; he won’t force you to love him (Deuteronomy 30:20). You can thumb your nose at God and go a totally different way. You can destroy your life if you choose to do that. God still won’t force you to love him. Because he knows love can’t be forced.

And this same principle is true about your relationships: you can choose to love others, but God won’t force you to love anyone.
© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.

2008-11-22T22:38:00.000+08:00

on behalf of das..

--

Discerning Road Blocks
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2 by Os HillmanSaturday,
November 22 2008

"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, youwill receive what he has promised" (Heb 10:36-37).

How do you know when God has placed obstacles in your path to protectyou or that Satan is hindering God's purposes in your affairs?

I was in California traveling four hours to a speaking engagement whenterrible fires had broken out in Southern California and many of thehighways were being shut down. Such was the case about an hour into myjourney. I had to detour to a small town and was questioning whether Ishould turn around and go back. I stopped at a convenience store. Awoman pumping gas next to me said the interstate was closed down aheadand if I was going north I would never get there and even if I did getthere I'd have difficulty getting back.

Suddenly, fear struck me with the prospects of being stranded in astrange place. I quietly prayed, asking the Lord whether this was awarning for me to turn back or Satan's hindrance. I went into theconvenience store to inquire about a map. While I was standing there aman walked up to me and said, "Where are you trying to go?" I told himmy dilemma and he explained that the interstate was open just north ofwhere we were and that he had to go to this exact spot and would beglad to guide me there. He took me through all sorts of side roads invery unfamiliar areas. I would never have gotten there by myself, norwould I have made the attempt.
We came to the interstate ramp just above where the fires were. Hewaived as he sent me on my way. I had no more trouble. I arrived atthe luncheon on time and ministered to the businessmen.

I often look at that situation and wonder if God sent his angel tolead me to where I was to go. Immediately after I had prayed at thatconvenience store - the man approached me and gave me the answer.

Do you have a situation that is difficult to discern whether God isprotecting you or Satan is hindering you? Ask God to show you.

--

2008-11-20T15:03:00.000+08:00

================================
Daily Discipleship
A devotional from The Navigators
================================

--------------------------------
Today's Devotional
--------------------------------

The Separated Life
Today's Scripture: James 4:4

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind. - Romans 12:2

If you were to announce a lecture on "The Separated Life" before an
average audience in, say, New York City, some might think it had to do
with troubled marriages. Even Christians are vague about the biblical
teaching on a separated life. It means a life set apart for God, no longer
swayed by the pull of worldly attractions and ambitions. In my discussions
with Christians across America about the concept of living a separated
life, most people have strong opinions on the subject.

I know a man who advocates the idea of having a drink with nonChristians
to show them he can be their friend and perhaps to gain an opportunity to
witness to them. As a matter of fact, he's had the opportunity to lead
people to Christ along the way. He cites the Scripture passage that speaks
of becoming all things to all men that by all means we may save some (1
Corinthians 10:22).

The late Paul Little had a different approach. Paul practically lived on
the college campus. He was always out there with his shirtsleeves rolled
up, mixing in lively discussions with nonChristians. And when one of them
would invite him down to the bar to have a drink, he simply thanked them
but said he really didn't enjoy that. Would the person like to go to a
game the next night--his treat? He kept the lines of communication open,
didn't condemn the person, yet didn't participate in something he'd
separated himself from.

We don't need to enter into questionable practices with people to show
them we're not crazy-headed fanatics. There are many ways to build
friendships with nonChristians without doing things we're against.

Prayer

Lord, show me how to follow Your lead of loving sinners without
compromising my walk. Amen.

To Ponder

God wants us to show His love to the ungodly.

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2008-11-15T15:05:00.004+08:00

Prayer Pointers

Hey hey.. just thought it'd be good that we continue to pray and wait on the Lord as we're closing in on the trip. If I remember correctly, we're supposed to be fasting on Friday. I must admit, I haven't done it recently... let's remind one another and be serious about this if we're serious about wanting to see God work through us during our short time there.

It's a long list, but take a couple of pointers to pray through per day for your TAG... There'll be other points we can pray for I'm sure, this is just a guide to get us started :)
Let's press in for something good and exciting!!

For Cambodia

Being a war-torn country, many parcels of land are useless because of land mines.
Pray for the clearing of the mines.
Spread of HIV to be stopped, especially among the children.
Healing of the land and Cambodians will open their eyes to the true God.
Pray that the Cambodian government will continue to allow Christians to go in to help the country.
Unrest at the border to be resolved.

Pre-Trip

We will bring all the necessary things for the trip & not miss anything out.
We will rely on God wisdom, guidance and strength as we prepare the program for the trip.
God will prepare and preserve the team for and during the trip – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Especially to fill our hearts with genuine love and compassion for the lost, poor and needy.
Against any work of the enemy that might try to hinder this work & the message from going forth.
Unity as a team, having one love, one mind and one purpose in Christ.

During the Trip

Body/Physical

Journey mercy on the flight to and from Cambodia and Singapore.
Good weather during the trip.
Strengthen our immune system of the body and protect us from all illnesses and diseases.
Bless us with good, hygienic food & water and keep us free from food poisoning.
Protect us from any harm, injury and spiritual attacks.
Protect our families back home.
A fun and memorable stay in Cambodia.

Mind

Able to adapt to the Cambodia culture fast and to communicate well with the Cambodians.
Ability to have an open mind to learn from the experience.
Not be distracted by anything that will make us lose focus of our purpose there.
Boldness and confidence in praying for the Cambodians.
Boldness to share our testimony whenever the opportunity arises.

Soul

To submit our emotions/moods to the Lordship of Christ.

Spirit

A fresh revelation of who God is as we serve.
God will draw close to us as we draw near to Him.
Give us a heart of compassion and love that the people can feel our care for them and see Christ in us.

Team

Unity as a team, to rely and rest in the Lord in all things.
Team confidence to carry out the program well and to be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
In trying times, to remember to have grace and love for each other that will cover a multitude of sin.

2008-11-11T09:38:00.003+08:00

The countdown clock is ticking away!! I think everyone's getting excited about the trip, and even as the dates draw nearer, God has been really awesome!

Let's thank God in ALL things!

We thank Him for:-

1) Helping Rachel and Eliz promote to J2!! Congratulations girls!
2) Rachel and Eliz clearing their PW!
3) Providing us with about $500 more for the trip
4) Providing us with about 300 sets of stationary as gifts for the children
5) Nat Lee finishing his O' Levels!! Woo Hoo!!

Meanwhile, let's continue to uphold Joel and Su Jun in our prayers! Uni projects and exams are coming up! :)

Not forgetting our dear Shalom who has all those tests that she has to go through! Keep her in our prayers too!

Some reminders for us to also note:-

Nat and Dan Fung:- Children Program
Dan Yan: Youth Program
Eliz: Devotional materials
Joel Chin: Worship Songs
Shalom and Rachel: Christmas program
Su Jun: Prayer items
Daryl: Publicity

Dan Yan: Foundational Series
Isaiah: Worship
Syl-vyn: Discipleship/Mentorship

Cheers and God Bless!

2008-11-11T01:25:00.002+08:00

Super Cambos Photos - OUT NOW in facebook!

I propose we take 1 more this sunday with Daryl in it.
Yes? No?

2008-11-10T22:57:00.003+08:00

Immunized
Yes.. and we got jabbed. I never knew getting shots could be fun.

More photos here.

2008-11-07T11:55:00.002+08:00

IMMUNIZATION ALERT!!

Date: 8th Nov 2008

Time: 4pm

Place: 1 Lorong 23 Geylang #01-08 Building 4, Singapore 388352

(Inside Highpoint Social Enterprise Ark SEA)

Bus: 2, 13, 21, 51, 62, 63, 80, 100, 158, 67

Train: Aljunied MRT

2008-11-05T09:25:00.002+08:00

Woopee, less than a month till our mission trip!! Excited!!

Anyway, just a gentle reminder to keep everyone up in prayer, especially those taking their exams, tests and project work over the next few days...

Continue to keep:-

1) Eliz and Rachel in prayer for their project work presentation
2) Joel and Su Jun for their uni exams
3) Nat Lee for his O Levels
4) Shalom for her series of tests over the next few weeks

So yeaps, keep praying everyone!!

Love.

Seminar by Ps Benny Ho: "Re-Visiting The Great Commission" on29 Nov 2008 @ Church of Singapore Marine Parade

2008-11-05T01:07:00.003+08:00

HIHI!

here's a forward from isaiah's friend:

Seminar by Ps Benny Ho: "Re-Visiting The Great Commission" on29 Nov 2008 @ Church of Singapore Marine Parade

To: Undisclosed-Recipient Clear DayDear Brothers and Sisters-in-Christ, Our last seminar for the year 2008 will be on 29 Nov 08 @ Church ofSingapore Marine Parade,and Ps Benny will be sharing with us on "Re-Visiting The Great Commission".

"RE-VISITING THE GREAT COMMISSION- GLOBAL VISION & LOCAL FOCUS" Dr Augustus Strong said:
"What are churches for but to make missionaries?
What is education for but to train them?
What is transport for but to carry them?
What is money for but to send them?
What is life itself for but to fulfill the purpose of missions – the enthroning of Christ in the hearts of every man, woman and child in the face of this earth?"

Mission is the imperative of the local church. The Holy Spirit is the dynamo behind missions. And the Church of Jesus Christ is the divinelyappointed vehicle.

The apostles received the Great Commission in Matthew 28 and the GreatCompulsion of the Holy Spirit in Acts 1: 8 but they never quite did it! The Early Church pretty much wrapped up the gospel with a Jewish flagand kept the blessings of the Gospel within their own Jewish people and their ownbeloved Jerusalem.

This course seeks to uncover the hidden message in the Book of Actswhich recorded not so much the readiness of the Early Church to spread the Gospel butrather their reluctance to do so!

Come and see how the Holy Spirit turned their reluctance into resolveand unleashed a mission force that transformed the world for Jesus Christ!

***************************************************

Date: 29th (Saturday) November 2008 Time: 9.30am to 12.30pm Place: Church Of Singapore @ Marine Parade 145 Marine Parade Road SE449274 Registration Fees: S$5/- per Participant(Seminar Materials will be provided)

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HOW TO GET THERE?

Buses along Joo Chiat Rd: 16 & 16A Buses along Marine Parade Rd: 15, 16, 31, 36, 43, 48, 76, 135, 196, 197, 541, 853C & 966

WHERE TO PARK? Please kindly park your car at public carparks opposite thechurch, Katong Mall or Parkway Parade. Please refer to www.streetdirectory.com.sg for direction.

HOW TO REGISTER? Registration is required for this session even though Admission is Free. Please reply to this email douglim@singnet.com.sg stating yourName and Contact number.

For group registrations, please indicate thenumber of attendees. Upon confirmation of your Registrations, you will receive aconfirmation slip, this confirmation slip will be your entry ticket tothe seminar.

ADMITTANCE is STRICTLY BY REGISTRATION ONLY PLEASE feel free to forward this email and inform your friendsof this seminar.

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

douglas lim
ARROWS RESOURCES
http://www.arrowsinstitute.com/
Mobile: (65) 97 484 595
Blk298 #06-463 Punggol Central Singapore 820298
To unsubscribe from our e-mailing list, please write to douglim@singnet.com.sg -- Sent from my mobile device

thats the end of the mail..
for those going to the missions, YOU ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO GO FOR IT!
(*perhaps during our 3rd training, next saturday, we can confirm our attendance to isaiah so he can register us as a group?)
and for ANYONE who is reading this blog, it would be great for you if you can make it too!

peace, =)

2008-11-03T23:07:00.002+08:00

Mail from Isaiah!
--
The Root of Bitterness
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Monday, November 03 2008

"See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root growsup to cause trouble and defile many." Hebrews 12:15

The enemy of our souls has a very specific strategy to destroy relationships. Whether these relationships are in business, marriage, or friendships, the strategy is the same. A conflict arises, judgments are made, and feelings are hurt. What happens next is the defining point ofwhether the enemy gains a foothold, or the grace of God covers the wrong.

When a root of bitterness is allowed to be planted and grown, it not only affects that person, but it also affects all others who are involved. It is like a cancer. Breaking satan's foothold requires at least one person to press into God's grace. It cannot happen when either party "feels" like it, for none of us will ever feel like forgiving. None of us feel like talking when we have been hurt. Our natural response is to withdraw or lash out at the offending party. It is only obedience that allows God's grace to cover the wrongs incurred. This grace prevents the parties from becoming victims who will seek compensation for their pain.

The next time you are hurt by someone, realize the gravity of the crossroads where you find yourself. Choose grace instead of bitterness. Then you will be free to move past the hurt, and a root of bitterness will not be given opportunity to grow.

woo~

2008-11-02T22:33:00.003+08:00

more love.more funds.more subsidy.

so, we have $520 more added(today) to our 2kplus funds from the car wash!

thankGOD&thankYOUs who gave

peace =)

2008-11-01T22:26:00.005+08:00

Woopee! Another fantastic and exciting day!! I was truly blessed by each of you when everyone was sharing their own testimony. I was trying hard not to tear when everyone was sharing their own experience, and I know that God is going to do something great when all of us just unite our hearts together with the same purpose.

It was really great to see everyone just sharing their experiences on going door-to-door and talking to the neighbours. Indeed, we have a community that is so near to us that is waiting to hear the Gospel.

Today's experience is for us to learn how to open up to strangers, and for us to also learn more about our community.

So let's challenge ourselves to learn more about Cambodia, even as we go to a land that many of us haven't been before, it'll be good to just read up on Cambodia! Google it! Also, remember to write down your testimony some where! I have been really blessed by everyone's sharing today! :)

Anyway, some links on Cambodia to help us get started!

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cb.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodia

Cambo Poster

2008-10-31T17:40:00.008+08:00

2008-10-29T11:36:00.004+08:00

Mission Training Session #2
Date: 1st Nov 2008, Saturday
Time: 4pm
Place: Amtech, CR 5&6

Thanks! (Yo Jonathan Wong Over here!)

2008-10-28T20:50:00.005+08:00

Yes yes, the "Car-Wash Fund Raiser" has finally concluded, with us collecting more than SGD$2,000. With news that our Mission Expenditure might increase due to price inflation and the stronger US Dollar, I'm praying for God to provide more! I'll be announcing on Sunday the results of our collection so far, as well thanking the kind souls who have contributed! (And hopefully ask for more funds!!)

Anyhow, as many of you have already mentioned, the car-wash was a great success!! Our thanks really extend to all the Youths who helped that afternoon! From the administration, to the key-collection, to the drivers, to the car-washers/dryers, to the people who contributed for lunch... Fantastic!!

But definitely, a special thanks to all those who contributed in this mission trip through their generous funds!! A special shout-out goes to the following...

Anne Wong

Betsy Teo

Boaz Cheong

Chris Poon

Chrislyn Lau

Christine Sim

Cynthia Chng

David Fung

David Lee

Elynn Yang

Eric Tan

Eric Yong

Frank Quah

Grace Chua

Daniel Ho

James Wong

Jason Ong

Jeffrey Nah

Jennifer Ng

Jimmy Tan

Kevin Lam

Mark Lee

Mary Fung

Seh Chuan Oh

Peter Eleazer

Phinehas Tan

Sebastian Wong

Selina Lee

Thomas Tan

Victor Wong

Vijay

Viona Tan

Vivian Cheng

William Koh

Willy Lim

Chuan Chong Yang

A prayer of blessing goes out to all of you! Let us continue to sow into the Kingdom of God! :)
Also, we'd like to appreciate our enthusiastic car-wash helpers! Couldn't have done it without you guys..

Charissa Lee
Evangeline Chen
Hannah Oh
James Ke
Jeremiah Lee
Jesse Chin
Joey Tan
Johnathan Lau
Joshua Quek
Josiah Lee
Joy Lee
Karen Teo
Lim Yong Qin
Marilyn Huang
Matthew Fung
Roanna Yong
Samuel Fung
Sharon Quah
Timothy Lee
Vanessa Tee

May the Lord return the blessings to you more than what you can ask or imagine!

car wash car wash!

2008-10-27T01:12:00.002+08:00

absolutely fantastic! i had great fun today guys! thanks to the whole E-Sword Youths for coming together and pulling this off!

we raised more than $2000 and i think thats great - all Glory to God! =)

i agree with joel on the chaos, but i enjoyed it! even if it meant getting drenched by jeremiah and samuel!!! =p

we should have more of such events! =)

2008-10-26T18:05:00.002+08:00

Hey everyone!

Even though it was slightly chaotic as first, I think we all can agree everything turned out rather well! Praise God! The weather was just about right and everybody had fun in the midst of it all! Thank you everyone for all the effort put in!

Off to school... on a sunday 6pm!

Joel :)

2008-10-24T16:17:00.003+08:00

Thank God it's Friday!
How's everyone doing? If you took Isaiah's suggestion to fast I suppose you should be feeling hungry now :)

So, I'm here to blog by order of big boss Jon Wong about last night's cambo briefing. If you weren't aware of it, now you do :) Yea we had one with... some other people who are also going to cambodia. Till now I still don't really know why I was there since I make a lousy secretary. I wasn't able to catch a lot of stuff that were being discussed, but what I did manage to catch I'm now here to present.
---

Brief Overview of what we're doing
5 Dec
Upon arrival in Cambodia, we would head for an orphanage somewhere in Kampong Chhnang (I think?) approximately a 6hours drive away. The ride would be quite bumpy (someone described it like driving on the moon) though it should be better now. So people who get motion sickness easily like Shalom may want to bring some pills?
- We'll probably conduct some programme for the kids there.
Then we'll stay overnight, which I heard would be an interesting experience for many of us. This would be the most uncomfortable stay in the whole trip I should think. Although if you love lizards, mosquitoes, bugs and what not, you'll love it at this "many stars hotel" :)

6 Dec
- Full-day programme for either the children or youth and possibly some ministering.
Overnight again at the same place. If you're scared of the dark please bring a BIG torchlight :)

7 Dec
- Conduct sunday service there.
Then we're off to the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh!

8 to 10 Dec
What we'll be doing there have yet to be confirmed. A Christmas programme possibly?
At least we will be having better accommodations if that's a cause for concern :)

11 Dec
R&R!! :D

Things that were highlighted
- Drink packet-ed mineral water instead of their water. Unless you think you have a strong stomach :)
- Dressing. NO SHORTS. Yep, this again. This time it was brought up by the other people in attendance. Instead of arguing about the shorts length, let's just agree to stick to berms and jeans or track pants? Makes life easier. No sleeveless tops either.
- Money. We may have to pay more than what was estimated due to a rise in the price of food, petrol and what not. All the more we should work hard during this Sunday's car wash!
---

Someone who had been to the orphanage we're going to on the first day said that really, what these kids want is love. Even though they don't get to eat a lot, when we come what they want is not just our money nor our food. What they want is a smile, a hug, our attention, for us to play with them. What they want, is Love. And that's what we're there for right? To spread the love that we have unrestricted access to. Like the shirt design we agreed on, it's only LOVE that can make the world complete.

Lest we forget, when we're fighting battles for God, the enemy is not going to sit back and do nothing either. It's thus important that we start praying and fasting now as we prepare for the trip. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12

41 more days to Cambodia!
Be prepared!
For greater things are yet to come! :)

P.S you can check out COSBT's Cambodia blog at http://cosbt-cambodia.blogspot.com/

CAR WASH DETAILS!

2008-10-22T01:20:00.010+08:00

Best viewed in Firefox Or Chrome!

Hello All! This Sunday will be the much awaited car wash after service! To avoid chaos and to effectively use both resources and time available to us, here are the roles and their scopes and who is allocated to do what on the day itself!

Roles!

Admin – Your job on the day itself is to man a counter at the foyer area immediately after service. We have a list of people who have registered during the pre-registration. As such, your roles are,

1. Ask owners who have registered to check their details in the form that will be provided. Ensure their details are correct!

2. If the owner didn’t register in the pre-registration phase, ask them to fill up their details in a blank form.

3. Once this is done, ask owners to hand over their car keys over to us. Once their keys are in our possession, tag the keys accordingly.

4. Collect their love gifts and ask them to SIGN on the form. Please fill in the amount given! Also please ensure that the form is signed only AFTER both love gifts and their keys have been given to us. We don’t want to misplace their keys and we want to be accountable for the money as well!

5. Pass them the appreciation gift! (prepared by Rachel)

We can anticipate a swarm of people registering after service, so let’s ensure it’s a seamless process from start to finish so we can quickly move on to the car-washing!

Here are the people who will be at the counter.

1. Syl-vyn Lim (Overall in charge!)

2. Deborah Ng (Love Gifts)

3. Isaiah Das (Keys)

4. Shalom Fung (Registration)

5. Elizabeth Lee (Registration)

6. Rachel Wong (Appreciation Gifts)

Here is a preview of the form. I thought of having individual slips instead of having everybody’s detail in a single form which can only be signed one at a time. This would hopefully speed up the process!

Name

Contact No.

License Plate No.

Love Gift Amount

Please Sign Here

Isaiah Das

98765432

SBA1234E

$100

For Official Use:

So here is how things go!

a. Person A comes to the counter

b. Give Person A his personal form

c. Have him check his details and amend if necessary, OR fill up his details accordingly.

d. Person A would move along to the Keys Section, where he will pass his key to Isaiah. Keys to be tagged! Should also ask where his car is parked!

e. Person A would move along to the Love Gift Section where his love gift would be collected and the amount collected and noted down on his personal form.

f. Have Person A sign the form

g. Su Jun to counter sign the form

h. Collect the form from Person A and pass him the Appreciation Gift!

i. Rinse and Repeat!

Let’s aim to finish the admin process within 15 minutes!

Pre Car Wash – Your job is to prep the area as well as the resources needed for the car wash immediately after service!

1. Jonathan Wong (Overall in charge / Driver)

2. Daniel Yan (Driver)

3. Daniel Fung (Car Wash Resource Manager)

4. Daryl Ong (Car Wash Resource Manager)

5. Joel Chin (Car Wash Resource Manager)

Whilst the admin team is busy with the registration, we should be doing things like filling the pails with water and stuff. I don’t know much about car wash! So we’ll take orders from the IC on the day itself! J Once the first keys have come in, Daniel can start driving the cars to the “waiting area”!

Since we have to be discreet about this whole operation, I suggest a waiting area of two cars, while two cars are being washed. Then cars which have been washed could be moved to another location, maybe at the far end of Amtech.

I’m not sure whether the loading bay would be occupied this Sunday. Would it be the best location to wash the car? Just in case other tenants need to use the loading bay. Also the waiting area could just be somewhere nearby. Suggestions?!

Pre Pre Car Wash – Here are some of the things that we’ll have to do before the day itself!

1. Shopping For Materials – Isaiah has a list of things we will have to buy! Other things to purchase would be the key tags. Rachel suggested putting the keys in small ziplocks then we label them instead. Opinions?

2. Forms – Elizabeth will do up the individual slip forms!

3. Appreciation Gifts – Rachel will do the gifts.

4. Detailed Planning for the Car Wash Area, Waiting Area and Finished Area.

5. Anymore?!

After the admin team is done, they can come join in the car wash! We can probably leave 1 or 2 people behind to handle the returning of keys, as well as to call and inform the owners that their cars are ready for collection. J The counter can always be shifted to the loading area so they can see all the fun of the car wash. Haha.

Car Wash Poster

2008-10-19T00:44:00.002+08:00

2008-10-17T10:26:00.000+08:00

Mission Training - Session #1
What was shared:

The importance of having a common vision – Mission

The essential ingredient of LOVE as a motivation for missions. 4 kinds of love that people experience – Affection, Friendship, Eros and Charity. What I found most interesting was the aspect on Friendship love [Idea from - The 4 Loves by CS Lewis]. The book described this kind of love as being unnatural, for it doesn’t come about ‘naturally’ in the sense that unlike Eros-love where you look then suddenly your heart beats faster, your palms go sweaty, the grass is greener and the sky is bluer. In fact it seems at first, passion-less, born out of a common interest, simply a fact binding the minds of two people that excludes the rest when the two decides that they are friends. It could be anything, a love of ping pong, the same kind of music, or computer games. However, don’t misunderstand, though it excludes, it is not exclusive. In fact as more people join the friendship, the love gets enhanced. Unlike people in Eros-relationships where the exclusivity is jealously guarded, and with good cause, the friendship-love gets enhanced when more join the group.
For example, Jonathan and Daniel Yan are friends, with friendship built on the common cause of “COSB”, and they relate to each other as ministry peers. Now, suddenly Daniel Yan brings Daniel Fung into this circle of friendship. Does this mean that Daniel Y now has less love for Jonathan because he has to spread his love out to accommodate Daniel Fung? No, in fact the relationship becomes richer now that Daniel Fung is in the picture. Why? Because, Dan F brings out the nurturing, big brotherly, lame side of Dan Y that JW will never draw out, this comes simply from the fact that Dan F is younger and he’ll laugh at lame jokes. So if Daniel F suddenly gets cut off from that circle because he has to go overseas, the big brotherly, lame part of Daniel Yan gets lost.

So bringing all that back to our team, each person brings something unique to this group as a whole and every single one is important. Most, if not all of us, are already friends and our common cause – Christ which should ideally be sufficient to pull us through anything. However, I think we want to establish an even more focused purpose of working together in this group, make it more tangible and relevant, because as we will be working together on an even closer proximity and there will definitely be friction. So practically speaking, we want to establish this common focus for why we do what we are doing and for when things get rough.

That brought us to the question of – Why exactly do Christians go on mission trips?

Most of us cite the bible and rightly so. If we believe the bible to be the word of God, we cannot help but go. Without the Bible, World Evangelization would be “an impossible and a senseless endeavour”. It is the Bible that lays the responsibility on us to evangelize the world. It gives us the “news” to proclaim, tells us how to proclaim it and the promises of power that come with it when we go in obedience. In fact the whole bible revolves around this missionary call. Right from the beginning – Creation, to the call of Abraham, to the coming of Christ and finally when Christ comes again. It is the grand story and design of God to involve us in this work of sharing the news of salvation to those that are lost even to the ends of the earth – so we are getting involved.

What exactly is the vision and purpose of THIS team to Cambodia?
What is YOUR vision and purpose in this trip?

Roles and Responsibilities

With much consideration of individual strengths and talents, specific roles have been assigned to each of you, this list means that you’re mainly in-charge of that certain area, but it doesn’t mean that you don’t have to do anything else. In fact everyone is involved in everything, just that the in-charge will drive it and tell everyone else what to do.

Overall I/C (JW)
Logistics & Finance (Isaiah)
Admin & Co-ordination (Vyn)
Prayer & First-Aid (Su Jun)
Devotion – Preparation of Materials (Elizabeth & Vyn)
Worship – Musicians (Joel)
Creative – Song & Drama Preparation (Shalom & Rachel)
Publicity (Daryl)
Children Program (Daniel F & Nathaniel)
Youth Program (Daniel Y)

T-Shirt - Black Shirt with Red heart in front and Jigsaw Pieces behind.

[Excerpts from William Carey & the Missionary Vision]

Traditionally, at least in evangelical circles it is a word [missions] normally associated with the activities of our Lord’s early disciples as they attempted to begin the work of going ‘into all the world to preach the gospel’. Today it is used to cover just about anything that is done by Christians in any other country other than their own. This, we are persuaded, is at best regrettable; at worst it is mischievous. How so? Because the most inevitable tendency of this outlook is for the preaching of the gospel to end up taking second place to humanitarian concern.

It is not that we are against the good being done by Christians all over the world… It is that we are convinced that the work of the church is essentially something else. It is almost as an aside, by accident, that she finds herself involved in these other matters. She is commissioned to fulfill another work; a work that no one else is either interested in, or qualified to perform: the preaching of the gospel to needy sinners that they might be properly prepared for an everlasting state. It is a question of priority. It may even be a question of mandate. This is what she is uniquely called upon to do and all else must be subservient to it.

[About William Carey] He was not unconcerned about the social, educational, and environmental needs of those to whom he ministered. But we are persuaded that all these interests and concerns were subservient to this greater work of proclaiming the gospel.

2008-10-16T10:07:00.002+08:00

Ok!! Finally, my turn to give a short introduction of myself!! :)

Who Am I?
I'm Jonathan Wong, or better known as Jon Wong to most. Going to start work from the 1st of Nov and I'm looking forward to that aspect of my life. 26 years old, and enjoying every moment of it!!

Why Am I Going?
Having a great experience in Cambodia when I was there in June this year, I thought it'll be a great opportunity for all of us to go for a mission trip together and experience what God can do through our lives if we became only willing vessels!

What Am I Expecting?
On a personal level, I'm looking forward to be part of God's work in "Reaching the Nations" - and reaching out to countries and nations that haven't had the opportunity to hear the Gospel!

For all of us, I'm praying that a 'Community Spirit' within us will birth, realizing that life isn't centered around us, but knowing that our life should center around God! And if God's heartbeat is to love Him and love those around us - let us also develop that philosophy in life - Love God, Love His people. It's also a great opportunity for us to step out of our comfort zone, and for the blessed to start being a blessing!
----

Well, it's less than 50 days to our trip!! Continue to pray and seek God! :) I really believe God's going to do something great and mighty in this trip - if only we seek Him!

2008-10-10T22:34:00.009+08:00

who am i?
SUPERRAE ♥ ! or so i pretend to be, HAHA. im rachel, verh much blessed by Him & seventeen years young! i tend to be OPP (out of point) at times, but well, who isnt! haas, my churchies whom i’ve grown up w & those who have thankfully came into my life are really really wonderful people, in their own funny unique way! thats what you call, God sent! whee.

why am i gg?
as mentioned earlier, im quite a blessed girl (we all are! AMEN?) & we’re blessed to bless! so we, the blessed people are blessed w this opportunity to go out to bless those who we can bless! at the same time be blessed through this experience, the good & the bad, & by the end of the trip be more moulded or “edited” towards the person God had planned for us to be! YAY. *clap clap clap!*

what am i expecting?
growth / a life changing experience!
be it growth that is life changing, or life changing-ness that brings about growth (cheeken-egg theory, heehee. i reckon cheeken.) i hope & sincerely pray in my heart that He will use this trip to further reveal His plans for our (from the oldest to the verh youngest!) lives. the trip prolly wouldnt be all fun & smooth sailing, but i hope through the bitterness or hardships, we’ll learn, be moulded & be encouraged!
&& of cos, to bond w my sweet team mates! ♥
to know their funny habits, like if they snore or drool in their sleep, HAHA! we'll all verh unique individuals w different strengths & weakness, so its quite a cute combi of people altgt! also, to have our relationship between the body of Christ, & Christ Himself strengthened!

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH, IM SO EXCITED BOUT THE TRIP! excited excited excited luhhhhhhhhh! *screams & pulls hair, jumping up & down frantically!* everytime i see the countdown timer (the non mushroom one) my heart beats uber fast!
alrightie, im kinda brainjuice-less now w all the verbal vomits for the past few days, so thats that for now! *waves goodbye in an act cute way.*

anws joyima if youre seeing this, donte be upset cos we're gg! we love you! ♥

Exam-timetable & Tee-Shirt Design

2008-10-08T22:32:00.008+08:00

Hihi!

2things..

1)MY EXAMS

I'm currently having my papers.

Your prayers are needed! :)

I'll be having papers from OCTOBER till DECEMBER CONTINOUSLY!!!!!

(* but i will post that of month OCT first)

October

~~7th – Enterprise skills~~

~~9th – Science~~
14th – Communication skills
16th – Mathematics / Computing
22nd – Cognitive Process

2) TEE-SHIRT DESIGN

Currently i have a lot, a lot of designs with my but its all ideas and sketches.

BUT

We'll put that aside for now first?

CAUSE

What i think is that we all have some ideas and smething that we probably would want to suggest putting into the shirt..

SINCE

Its gonna be a shirt that all of us ae gonna wear,

CAN I PROPOSE THAT

We discuss roughly what we want to include in the shirt before i come up with the design?

And that 'discussion' probably will take place THIS SATURDAY* our first training ( 11th OCT )!

Some things(which your want to be included in the shirt) your can think about/suggest is for e.g. some verses, any logos (e.g. mushroom?no link lor!) or nicknames (e.g.SUPER CAMBOS?) your want included etc..

yeppyepp!

thats all folks!

have nice thurs&fri till we meet again!

goodnight:)

Shalom

2008-10-06T20:50:00.015+08:00

Picture

Top: that's ME!

Bottom: Lovely people (as mentioned) and almost all are going to be in the team!=)

Yo! Shalom, Shalom, Shalom is my name!

<&YEAH~im the first of the under 20s to post:)>

HAHA! anyways,

This is my maiden mission trip!& im extremely thankful for the chance to be on the mission field& im super excited too!
I see this opportunity as a great exposure and as one whereby we can all as a team go out there to aid in the growth of others as well as to build ourselves up.
Touching lives has always been something I want to do and I hope that through this whole event starting from the preparation lessons to the actual trip, I (including all of the rest of them) will be able to experience great blessings and areas for us to grow, grow, GROW!

Im in for SURPRISES also! of anykind. (HE always surprises, doesnt he?)

Enough about all the growth stuff.

Its gonna be EXCEPTIONALLY fun also cause its going to be a whole YOUTH thing!

So, im also there to enjoy the great company of the 'Lovely peeps'.

Lastly,Im sure HE's going to do SUPERDUPER cool things!

So,im super duper luber tuber puber nuber cuber suber wuber excited!

ps: gotta keep it short. my papers starting tmr! pray for me kay!=) its pretty crucial cause im going to miss several papers for this trip so i must do awfully well for the rest.

Love&Joy&Peace OUT,

Shalom

2008-10-06T09:21:00.004+08:00

First and foremost, I think it's a privillege to be on this team. Any opportunity to serve is a privillege, what more a chance to travel and be 'stuck' with a bunch of great people for 8 days?

Who am i? (that the Lord of all the earth. Would care to..)
Syl-vyn. It's hard to define what exactly it is I do now, but I think I'm in the people-business. I meet people, talk to people, play with people and hopefully help some along the way. -In picture: vanessa, vyn & gail-

Why i go?
I am convinced, now more than before, that it's my duty as a born-again person to go, reach and touch others with the love that has already been shown to me. Here at home.. there at Sin Ming... even in Cambodia.. Whoo!! Duty? Haha.. more like fun than duty sometimes. Who says a duty can't be enjoyable right? Also, I revel in situations that will cause some stretching of character, challenge the concept of who I am or what I can tolerate. It's not fun at that instance, but such sweet satisfaction when it's been overcome!

What i hope to see?
Change! It'd be a waste if we went and came home unchanged.
That as a group of 'sibilings', we'd have strenghtened our relationships that would hopefully last beyond this time and world.
As a team, we'd work as one to see others being blessed, encouraged and hopefully come to the saving knowledge of our Lord.
As individuals, we'd grow to be better versions of ourselves to more like the One person we all aspire to be (Christ of course).
For myself, faith to be enlarged. The mission field has always been the place that opens my eyes to see what the Lord can do through vessels submitted to Him. I'm expecting even more :)

It's gonna be exciting.. Whooo!!

Birthday Greetings!!

2008-10-05T08:31:00.001+08:00

Happy Birthday Joel Chin!!!

Ooh, also, a special shout-out to Matilda -- Happy Birthday!! Hope you enjoyed the surprise! :)

2008-10-04T00:28:00.003+08:00

Yipee!! Shalom, thanks for putting up this blog together! It really looks fantastic! Anyhow, i received a call from Pastor Ong (From COS BT) who is helping us put the program of the mission trip together. Even as we were sharing with each other about the vision and objectives of the mission trip, I was reminded of one very, very key fundamental foundation of why we should go on missions - L.O.V.E!

Missions require us to really step out of our comfort zone, to be stretched. Preaching the gospel to all the world requires us to actually go into the world, reaching out without selling out, and ALL these requires courage, humility and definitely LOVE. We need a commitment to LOVE what God Loves: People.

Yes, it's sometimes easier to love those that are 'far-away' from us. Even as we board the plane and journey towards Cambodia, somehow, the sense of 'commitment' is far else - considering we'll be there for a short time, and we're back to our very cushy environment in Singapore.

LOVE, sometimes is so selective, but yet, our community, our mission field starts already, the moment we step outside our house. How effective have we been in our mission to reach our community, our friends, our marketplace? Perhaps, these are some thoughts we can ponder as we prepare for our mission trip to Cambodia.

Reach the nations - Cambodia is going to start soon - as the jumping mushroom indicates. Let's start by Reaching our nation - our schools, our workplace, our community, our friends. Let's be committed to Love.

Jon.Wong.

our pix + intro of ourselves + why we are going & what we hope to expect going into this for the first time?

2008-10-03T15:59:00.004+08:00

Hey...haha looks like i get the privilege of being the first to post an intro!

For our first-time visitors, in case you don't know, there are 2 ppl in that pix - pretty & handsome, so you can obviously guess which of the two am i! =p

i think it's gonna be a great trip up with the fantastic bunch of people that have volunteered for this trip. being out with young ppl, makes me feel like i'm still in my teens! haha positive benefit there!

Who am i?

so i am isaiah, 26 years of God's grace to be on this earth. by day i work in the financial sector, trying my best to be relevant and a marketplace Christian. at night - i go out with Ms Pretty or play ping pong!

Why am i going?

i have to say that i have not been on a mission trip since my last one in 2004 to North East Thailand. and i am totally excited about having another opportunity to spend even just a short time out in the field! all the more cos cambodia is a special place to me, cos that's where pretty & handsome met! =)

What am i expecting?

at the group level, i look forward to having the opportunity to experience God's blessing through the team, into the people that we will come into contact with.

personally, i believe trips like this always bring a transformational element into our lives. the last trip was an eventful one for me and through the more challenging situations, it forced me to confront flaws in my character and to be willing to submit them to the Lord as He moulds and changes me.

this would really be something that i hope for the whole team, that we come away, not just with a stronger understanding for the need for both local and overseas missions, but more that our lives be able to better reflect Jesus Christ as we learn to enjoy being His hands and feet in Cambodia, and even while we learn to work in a different culture, environment and with diverse personalities and strengths and weaknesses!

personal disclaimer: i may end up irritating some one in the team just by saying too much or being too pushy or whatever...but i ask for your patience, love and forgiveness in advance =) which i know you will gladly give! =)

so i'm totally psyched! let's go have some fun in cambodia! whoo! =)

hello =)

2008-09-29T13:02:00.001+08:00

wow! thanks Shalom for setting this up so fast!

I got this idea from my friend, who did the same for his mission trip.

I think it would be a good way to share with our friends as well, so when they ask "what are you doing for the holidays?", we can just send them the link to our blog!

Blogging the whole process, i think also helps us record those small transformations that we can expect in our lives as a result of giving our time to serve the nations for God.

so all in all, i think if everyone of us can find sometime to post every now & then, it will make this experiment a richer one for our supporters! =)

First topic? how about our pix + intro of ourselves + why we are going & what we hope to expect going into this for the first time? =)

~isaiah

first.

2008-09-29T12:47:00.000+08:00

isaiah suggested this whole blog thing..
for the people involved in this mission trip to share about individual as well as team's experiences/testimonies from the very beginning which is like the 'training' to the 'fund-raising' till end of the trip..

=)
Shalom