The past few weeks have been really busy for me - with teaching in the morning and sometimes afternoon, shopping for Chinese New Year goodies, clothes, curtains & stuff and preparation for GNK Bible lessons....on top of cooking and washing and other chores...... Sometimes I wondered how I could have the energy and time to do all that I needed to do.

It was especially stressful on Chinese New Year's Eve when I had to cook a few dishes for the reunion dinner. That week I was so busy buying things, doing spring cleaning that I had little time to really think through my lesson on Sunday. But God is faithful. When I looked to Him for strength and grace, He never fails to help me. Each time when I totally depend on Him, I can sense His leading in guiding me to use appropriate object lessons and even putting in my heart a closing song after each lesson. It's awesome...

Somehow as I shared with the children such serious topics like the Holy Spirit, the Church, water baptism and holy communion, I could feel His love and desire to reach out to the children in a special way. At times during the preparation, I could feel tears well up in my eyes as I recalled how the Lord touched Cheryl in the past. It was a real challenge to me to bring the message across and at the same time great joy to see the children filled in the Holy Spirit and have the desire to be baptised in water. Only God alone can do such an amazing work in their lives.

It amazes me that I have laid off blogging for more than a month and this is the first one this year. Well, I entered 2007 with an anxious heart, both concerned about what I want to do as well as what course of studies my boys will be embarking on. I was just praying about whether to go back to school to teach when the call came for me to be an adjunct teacher in a nearby school. Of course I was excited. I was eager to try it out for 8 weeks and see if I can cope, not knowing that my patience would be put to the test. I soon found that I had to teach a group of 10 to 11 nine-year-olds who are both weak in Math and English. I just cannot figure out why some of them have no concept of numbers and place values. It is very trying for me to make simple addition sums easy for them to work out. I have to pray every day that I would not lose my temper with them when they just cannot follow the lesson.

Have a break, have a cup of Myanmese tea!

Stting down for a local special - 'morhingar'

Christmas Party for 200 children.

Christmas Story time - That's Charity on the left, translating it into the Myanmese language.

Hands and hearts lifted to the Lord!

People from the community came for a free meal provided by the Shining Star Baptist Church.

The rest of the mission trip

8 days seem to fly past and we're back from Myanmar! This mission trip is a real eyeopener for me. Before I went, I could not imagine the poverty of the people and their living conditions there until I saw them with my very own eyes. In Singapore I have really taken so many things for granted.

On the 4th day of our trip, we had our first Sunday service in an orphanage - Love Bosom Orphanage. It is a wooden double-storeyed hut where we had the adult service on the ground floor and children's programme upstairs. We had a good time sharing the word and praying for each of the 30 + children. They opened their hearts to the Lord. Then we joined the guys to pray for the ladies who mostly came forward to ask God for healing. They were earnestly seeking the Lord.

Later that afternoon, we went back to the Life Bible College where the children's Christmas party was held the day before and we had an intergenerational Christmas service. The people were so eager to hear what God was doing in our lives that each of us had to share our own testimony one by one. I didn't have my testimony written out beforehand so I was rather worried about what to share at first. Praise God that when I stood up by faith, the Lord gave me the words to speak. One of the highlights of this mission trip is that when we learn to entrust ourselves to God with simple faith, He will never let us down. In fact, He answered our prayers more than we can ever ask or imagine.

The next 2 days, we visited 2 small churches led by 2 very dedicated pastors who sacrificed alot to bring the gospel to the Buddhist community. In fact, one of them was often questioned by the village chief for his Christian activites. One of our team members gave a comforting word from the Lord for him and his family to stand up for their faith and not to fear men because the Lord honours their work.

On the 7th day, while the guys went to preach in Life Bible College, we, ladies, went to Victor Educational Centre which was started 2 years ago in memory of Victor, the 2-year-old son of Charity and Daniel, who went home to be with the Lord after an illness. This couple touched my heart, for they have turned their tragedy into a triumph by taking care of other needy preschool children despite their own loss. Subsequently we prayed for them that God would grant them the desire of their hearts - to have a child of their own.

Finally, we are back! What next? There is so much that needs to be done. Indeed the harvest is plentous, the labourers are few. I am praying that the Lord will raise up more labourers especially among the Myanmese people (including the young children that we have ministered to) to bring the gospel to the lost.... and also if the Lord willing, He will send a team to provide training and materials for Charity and her fellow teachers so that they can be better equipped to share the gospel with little children.....

Mission Trip in Myanmar

After days of preparation, I'm finally in Myanmar. It's my first mission trip there. I didn't know what to expect. I thank God for our team. Each one of us has a part to play - be it preaching, telling Bible stories, giving object lessons, organising games, gift wrapping, etc. We work very well as a team.

While planning the children's Bible stories and object lessons, I felt rather stressed as every day, we go to different places and have to play by ear concerning the programme as the situation arises.

On the first day, we travelled to a village and ministered to community children in a house on stilts. Most of these children are unschooled and are very poor. We are pleasantly surprised that when Charissa taught them simple Sunday School songs, they were able to follow and enjoyed doing all the actions. Thank God the Wordless Book came in handy as we told them about God's love and salvation being a free gift. We know the seed has been sown in their hearts.

Yesterday we had a Christmas party with almost 200 children all cramped in a classroom in a Bible College. These children were from different educational centres run by a sister named Charity. We had fun doing a skit on the Lost Son, the Christmas story "The Night There Was No Room For Jesus" and again the salvation message. Praise God many hands were raised to receive Jesus. Though we do not know how many of them genuinely understood the message, we believe that God in His own way will reveal Himself to them. We are touched by their simple faith and hungry hearts. After that we had great fun playing games in a sandy compound. It was a feat organising the 200 children to play games but we did it! Then all of us had lunch and the children eagerly redeemed gifts with coupons, much like our GNK Shopping Day.