Reader Blog

Dearly Beloved Brethren,

Serving the Lord begins with a Burden and Concern

The Lord has laid in my heart the burden to serve in mission especially to help the poorer countries in our region. This burden for the Lord grows stronger in each passing year and the Lord also opens more doors in each passing year. As for Nias mission, the last trip that we went was in 2009 when we organized a VBS camp for the children. Since we left in 2009, there was no VBS as no one has gone there to help. I met Rev. Famachoic who is in-charge of the Nias children ministry last year 2011 when he came to Singapore. He requested for help to come to Nias in 2012 to organise a VBS camp for the children. I was sad to hear of no VBS in Nias since we left in 2009 and my heart was burdened by it.

Serving the Lord is to Pray unceasingly

I told Rev. Famachoic last year that we will pray about the VBS in 2012 and let the Lord lead us into it. It is easy to say “pray about it” and then forget the whole matter. Or we can pray for a while but the busyness of life will cause us to think we have no time for it. The Lord granted His grace upon me to keep praying and committing the mission trip to His Hand. Not my will but what God wants me to do. It is in praying that I know the Lord is working and preparing the way for us to go.

Serving the Lord is Teamwork

I know I cannot go alone to Nias mission as the VBS camp requires a few helpers to run it. I pray and commit the matter to the Lord to touch hearts willing to go. Who will commit their time for the Lord? When we do God’s work in God’s way, He will provide the manpower resources for it. Thank the Lord for 4 willing brethren to join me to Nias mission. In the service of the Lord, it cannot be my compulsion. Thank God also for other willing brethren who contributed to prepare the art & craft materials for the VBS.

Serving the Lord entails Preparation

As we trust God to provide and lead us, the Lord also wants us to be responsible to do our part by preparing for the trip. The VBS camp programme has to be planned, the duties to be allocated, the messages and related activities to be prepared, the art & craft materials to be ready, the games to be thought through etc. Yes, even the air tickets have to be bought at a good price flying by budget air. As we prepare, the Lord enables and blesses.

Serving the Lord is Hardwork

Going for a mission trip is not a vacation trip. With all the preparations done, the real work begins with the flight to Nias. I only bought 20kg of check-in luggage while we have to carry the rest of luggage in the plane including the laptop, projector and guitar. The Lord saw us through the flight from Singapore to Medan and then the domestic propeller plane flight to Nias island. After that, it was a narrow pothole car journey of slightly more than 2 hours from Nias airport to the Church kindergarten where the VBS is held. We learned to bathe and brush teeth with rain water and sleep on bed with mosquito net. Needless to say, mosquitoes are everywhere and been bitten is common. I supposed the hardwork is to stay strong and active running the VBS programme from 7.30am to 9.30pm. After the VBS programme is over, we need to wash up and then prepare for our lessons in the following day. I literally drop dead on the bed every night when I sleep. A lot of hardwork but we serve with no complain. God’s grace is sufficient for us.

Serving the Lord is always a Joy

I always asked myself this question “Is it worth it?” The answer is always a resounding YES. There is great joy in serving the Lord despite the hardwork and long preparations. The joy of the Lord is our strength. The joy to see the children learning God’s Word and receiving Jesus Christ in their hearts and desiring to grow in the Lord outweighs all the difficulties and personal inconveniences we faced. Frankly we can only do so little for these children who are relatively poorer and whose future in Nias island is not promising at all. But the joy of giving “a cup of water” to them is worth the long journey there.

May everyone of us rise up to “be stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” 1 Corinthians 15:58.

Elder J. Leong