Hope Ipoh Missions Trip
This trip has a long history. It was already in plans since Oct last year & was meant to be in April this year. Subsequently, it was postponed till I felt that it couldn’t be postponed any later. Things started getting confirmed about 1.5 months prior to the trip & it was a hectic time of preparation as many of us were getting very caught up with work as well.
There were 2 objectives to this trip & it was to catch up & encourage a brother in christ & secondly, to bless the church as much as we could. We prayed as a team that we would be able to fulfill both objectives & even set for ourselves a goal that we would do something different on this trip & really rely on God. Indeed, we were led to do many things differently from previous trips & also, it was different in terms of having to prepare a lot more compared to previous trips. It was unfortunate that we didn’t have more time to prepare, else I would have preferred to conduct workshops instead of teachings (the difference being the level of interaction). However, as we step out in faith, God moves!
This missions team was from Y’s CG & the team dynamics was there as they have been together for so long & have accepted each other despite their differences. We had someone laughing when watching comedies, which disrupted some of our sleep in the coach on the way to Ipoh. We also had an ‘elephant blowing his trumpet’ in our midst. We ate a lot during this trip. Think I’ve got to get some new clothes for my wardrobe as a result – but we were mightily blessed by the people who extended their hospitality to us (perhaps beyond their comfort level as well).
Aunt A who opened her house for the entire team of 6 of us to stay & allowed us to use the bathroom in her bedroom for those who needed heated water coz the heater in the common toilet just broke down recently. CL & J who lent us the use of their car during our trip there so that we didn’t have to rent one. J, A & KH who chaffered us around. The other core team in Ipoh who also blessed us with their fellowship & testimonies. We kept Aunt A up almost every night to have fruits & fellowship with us as we shared about our day & she was so obliging, despite her normal sleeping hours to be about 10pm or so, she sometimes stayed up till midnight with us & woke up early the next morning for work still.
Also, I felt bad as I felt that we were also facing some sort of spiritual attack that was affecting the church members in Ipoh. On the first night there, A’s car got into an accident where someone crashed into her car. On the 3rd day, J got a ticket for overtaking (actually, it seemed more like asking for a bribe). Anyhow, we prayed really hard on both incidents that God will continue to protect us as we already started praying for that prior to the trip. I can only imagine what else would have gone wrong if we didn’t intercede & pray from the beginning.
M was really nice to encourage me on the way, giving me some feedback on the sermon preparation I had done as well as to share what God impressed him for this trip we were making – indeed, we were all filled with greater faith after hearing from him. He shared that he sensed that we would meet up with our brother-in-christ & that we would make an impact during this trip. I believe we achieved both beyond our wildest imagination!
So many things happened during this trip that really boosted my faith & trust in the Lord & I could see how He used me even as I availed myself. This is my 6th missions trip (Sydney, Solo, Uganda, Yogjakarta, Kota Kinabalu, Ipoh) & every experience has been an enriching one. I’m really glad I went for this trip, despite having questioned myself why did I previously agree to it as I was so busy & caught up with work. Praise God for what He’s doing in our church as a movement.
I strongly believe that there will be a revival in Ipoh as they choose to set their eyes & focus on God. During this trip, we heard about 3 conversions already! God is really faithful!
