Newsletter No. 3

Recently submitted a write-up in the bulletin together with the ones for the mission teams to Thailand and Cambodia...so, here are some updates with more details. Scroll down to the end for prayer requests!

Ready to go…on my knees (May 2006)

The path He’s led me to take
It’s been an exciting journey since I’ve quit my job as a teacher back in July 2004. God has shown and taught me so much when I was an intern in Glory for 6 months, and after that, when I was a Bible college student for a year. I’m really thankful that I’ve graduated from my missions course in Singapore Bible College and now, I’m finally getting closer to leaving for Thailand as a missionary. It is amazing when I think of how I kept asking God if it was really what He wanted me to do 7 years ago when I went on my first mission trip. He has been so faithful to walk me through these 7 years to convince and then prepare me for this.

What have I been up to?
I’m really thankful for the opportunity to serve as a coach in the YF and teach in the Young Adult Bible Class (YABC) since the beginning of this year. He has shown me how He has been working in the lives of the youths, taught me about serving them, and encouraged me with how He has been blessing the youths in our church (much has changed since I was in YF!). Just at the right time, God also provided an opening for me to relief-teach at the same school I taught for 3 years before I quit.

OMF
After much prayer, together with finding out more about the various mission agencies and talking to many people involved in missions, I decided to apply to join OMF to go to Thailand for 2 years. My plan is to go and learn the language and culture, see and learn how ministry is done, and to explore and seek what kind of ministry (children, youths, students, church-planting etc.) God wants me to be in. And after 2 years there, I would come back here to be further in SBC before going back to Thailand for a full term (4 years).

Cleared to go
I submitted my application forms and met and spoken to the Candidate Coordinator from OMF, as well as the Field Director from Thailand. By God’s grace, I have managed to meet the requirements for 3 out of the 4 clearances – Field (OMF in Thailand), Medical (health checks, psychological assessments and immunization), and Home (OMF Home Council in Singapore). Currently, my visa application being processed in Thailand and I have been granted a place in the July Orientation Course (13 July – 4 August). God-willing, I should be leaving for Thailand shortly after my Orientation.

What’s next?
If all goes well, I will be stationed in Central Thailand for 2 years. The first 6 months, I will be in Lopburi, where I will go through the Language Orientation and Training programme. After that, the field council will help to decide which church-planting team I will join.

On bended knees…please pray for me
1. Please pray that I will be able to raise the required financial support before the start of my Orientation Course in July. Pray that I will grow in faith as I trust the Lord to supply my needs.
2. Pray also that there will be faithful brothers and sisters-in-Christ who will pray for me.
3. Pray that the visa application will be successful.
4. During this period of time before I actually go to the field, pray that I will be able to spend quality time seeking the Lord and prepare myself well. Pray also that I will be able to spend time meeting up with friends and supporters.
5. I come from a family where only my brother, Roy, and I are believers. With God’s blessings, my parents have allowed me to do something that they cannot really comprehend. Please pray that there will be opportunities for my family (my parents and my youngest brother, Jack) to hear the gospel, and that they will one day understand what I’m doing.

Thank you for your prayers!