A Decade of Mission Journey

Time flies so fast I didn’t even notice that I’ve been crossing cultures for the last decade. December 2009 seems just like yesterday, when I tendered my resignation to join my Mighty Father in an exciting adventure of faith.

I didn’t grow an inch taller, but by His grace I got to grow in the knowledge and grace of God and enjoy the great privilege of seeing His mighty hand at work front row, and I am forever grateful to God for all of the people who were with me in this adventure.

Made for the Villages

In the midst of tiredness and frustrations, visiting houses and teaching in far and remote villages take out my weariness and really lift my spirit. It gave me a different kind of high. I now understand why I was born in a remote village, too. God has created me for these places, for those who are deprived of all opportunities and luxuries a city can offer, to give them hope and to let them know that they, too, matter to God.

December Surprises

Just when I was at the end of my rope—tired and weary both in heart and body, when I was stressed by the locals’ ingratitude, when the joy of sharing the Gospel ebbed away, when I couldn’t see the Holy Spirit moving, when my mother cried on the phone wanting me to come home, when my heart started to grumble in the midst of busyness preparing for Christmas celebrations at church and in the villages—God, in His faithfulness, amazed me with 20 souls who received Him as Lord and Savior last December 20. Wow! It was worth all the late nights doing all the work. There was great rejoicing in the heavens!

But even after that, the spirit of heaviness and my frustrations did not leave me because I saw the young locals not growing in their faith and the staff not having the passion for the unreached. I wanted to quit and go some other place.

December 26, the team is scheduled to go to a village for a children’s ministry. Deep in my heart I thought, “What will I do there? People will just think I’m out of my mind sharing a God so foreign to them. Will they believe?”

Yet God carried me on His wings, His wisdom still with me after greeting one household. I proceeded to the next house where the children’s program was being conducted. Visiting the children and their families really lifted my spirit.

I met Lee Mai. She looked much peaceful and younger the last time I saw her. She was deep into spirit worship. She lost her 18-year-old daughter and a thousand dollars on treatment because of a sickness that doctors cannot explain. Her other daughter was also under some spiritual attack.

When I started sharing to Lee Mai about God who created man, not the god that man created, I was surprised to see no hostility on her face. In fact there was affirmation, and she exclaimed, “Yes, I already believe in Jesus. I want to offer my life to Him!” Not only that, she led me upstairs and showed me all her paraphernalia for spirit worship and took them all away and burned them. I was awestruck!

God really is a God of surprises and He is my great Comforter. He is so gentle in rebuking me and He is mighty to save!