Covenant Youth and Youth Adults

WORSHIP Jesus through Word. Outreach. Revivalist. Supernatural. Honor. Impact. Prayer

Psalms 27:4

Becoming dwelling places for Him to dwell in

Monthly Extended Worship

Spend time soaking and being in His presence, talking to Him as He speaks to us

CG/BAG Time/Bible Study

Your weekly Cell Groups or Basic Accountability Groups, ploring over the word, journeying together

Our Core Values

Jesus is the focus of our worship.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Telunas 2010 - LIVE WHATEVER FOR

A bountiful loads of thanksgiving (and love) from the campers :D

"I'm thankful for the reminder that faith is all it takes and not my ability to run the race, that counts" 
- Ryan

"I AM THANKFUL FOR (absolutely) EVERYBODY!"

"Really grateful for organising the trip at that wonderful serene place where you can soak up the sun and sand and just chillout a whole and in God's presence, just, WOW!"

"1. This paper 2. A funny buddy 3. Being able to enjoy this trip despite being sick 4. Jetty 
J
U
M
P

5. Beach Soccer

and on (how do I run so that I will win the race?), I discovered that GOD'S word is my map, the HOLY SPIRIT is my compass and JESUS is my running buddy."
- Andrew WX

"I want to thank everybody for making the camp fun. I'm thankful for all the camp leaders and MY BROTHER and thank GOD"
- Alvin's Brother (Alex)

"I thank God for good food, good sleep, good activities & good reflection"

"I thank GOD that this camp really gave me the opportunity to interact & understand the youths better, especially the younger ones since I've been really apprehensive about my role in the youths, as I am grateful that the position of group leader was appointed to me as it helped encourage & affirm my doubts about entrance into the youth."
- "Big" Charissa (Tan)

"I am thankful for BEN CHAN, Neo, Eunice, Clarence, JESS, GOD, I am thankful for revelation during the trip, new understanding, refreshing faith and new drive."

"that I got to see God's Kingdom here and that each person's GIFT was so evident"
- BEN CHAN

"I thank GOD for revealing Himself and His LOVE to me time and time again. I also want to thank God for this time of rest & relax in Him"

"1. For not getting a sunburn 2. AWESOME Team 3. Perfect Weather 4. Good bonding with CG1 & 2 5. <3 GOD

"Thankful for the new closeness forged between the youth and the YA. Thankful for SHIH YANG'S wonderful workshop"
- Daryl

"I'm thankful that God brought me to this YaYA retreat as it reminds me of the need to trust in Him and also the fact that He knows ALL that I am going through! It was definitely an awesome get-away from life in Singapore! =)"

"I am thankful for all the fun, KOREANY games"
- Josiah

"Awesome team, friends that encouraged me and most of all, the camp committee that made this camp ROCKING!"
- Wayne

"I'm thankful for this time of retreat because honestly, I was really jaded before coming for this camp. But this camp helped me realise that what I was live for is CHRIST and the JOY and purpose that comes along this realization"
- Louisa (the other NEO

" I'm thankful that Telunas is such a beautiful place and for the dearfulness of everybody here :) "
 - Esther 

"I am thankful for the REST God has given me this camp, for new friends and old friends, for the fun & activities, for the teaching and the messages"
- Andy

"I am thankful for this trip. I was feeling quite exhausted physically. But coming to this trip has allowed me to rest in God and just meditate on Him. The word He spoke to me was "Your sea has always been rough, now this is my sea before you - Calm & Peaceful, Enjoy it my child. I feel well-rested after this 4 days, recharged to be back for work. Thankful for all the people who worked hard to make this camp possible."
- <3 Daddy's Little Girl

"Thank you for everyone here who made this retreat AWESOME!" 

"I am thankful that I decided to come for Telunas. At first, I was lazy and didn't want to come. I thank God for THIS experience."
- Evangelle

"This retreat was a great way for me to take my mind off recent disappointments and to just relax and have fun. I'm thankful for the chance to clear my mind and really find out God's purposes for me. I'm also thankful for the chance to know so many new people (especially the YOUTHS!)
- Justin

"I thank God for creating such a beautiful scenery, reminding me of His awesomeness and power that He controls to make everything"

"YOYO, it was a good time to unwind & relax at Telunas again. I'm thankful for a good youth buddy with whom I could HTHT with on a deep level. She's one impressive gal.  
GO CARISSA FOK!
- X.

"GOD'S PRESENCE WITH US ALL THE TIME"

"I am thankful for great leaders, committee members, organisers, musicians, all those who planned for a great camp, Reuel's cooking, friendly people, encouraging, humorous, talented, Lectio Time, Beach Service (HOW DO I GET TO GO FOR ONE?), nice staff, good good, good weather, God's presence here & His creation, to hear from Him"

"I have never seen such a nice and clean beach. Truly a first time and unique feel. Perfect for inspiration and to truly hear/feel God.
- NJ

"I would like to thank God for this wonderful retreat. Something I really benefited from was the workshop by Shih Yang. It really helped me realise my dreams and aspirations.

"I thank God for the time spent to interact with people that I don't usually talk to and I thank God for a stronger bond with my CG mates, AWESOME! :)  
THANK GOD FOR EVERYTHING!

"I <3 Telunas and it really has been such a REFRESHING experience for me. GOD IS SO GOOD!"
- Shaun HO

"I am thankful for the safe trip here, good food and the good weather :D"

"I am thankful for a time of rest in God's presence :)"

"I'm thankful for my group (not so GG afterall!), ample rest during the entire camp, getting to know more youths (MY SISTER IS AWESOME!), the  
AWE-INSPIRING JETTY JUMP!
- Joyce Ho

"I'm thankful that I didn't back out of the trip because I really didn't want to go at first. I'm thankful for the awesome scenery and the nice & friendly people that made the camp
SUPER FUN :)"
- Natalie

"For this camp, I am really thankful for what the LOVE of God can do in each and everyone of us when we open our hearts and just come to Him together. It has really been an AWESOME time of just resting in Him and enjoying His presence. And it is so apt that we are at the beach and Jesus just invites us to come and experience water - walking with Him.
His love never fails."
- Tammie

"I am thankful for the food, the bed, the people that make me laugh and the activities that they conducted and lastly, God who protect us"

"I'm thankful for TEAM GINSENG and the great team dynamic that we had; the positive attitude and energy even when the chips were down. Also thankful for JINGSEN was such a good sport when we made all the jokes about him - He's a good guy. I'm thankful for Neo's message on running the race with perseverance; he preached the gospel as if should be.
BEST MESSAGE OF THE CAMP
Finally, I'm thankful for God's grace which catches me always despite my failings."
- Daniel Tan 


":D I really enjoyed hanging out with everyone!! It was fun"


"I am thankful for the NEW FRIENDS that I made during the camp!"

"I thank God for the beautiful sand, sea, skies of Telunas beach! It was really relaxing to just lie back and feel the sea breeze, something we don't experience back in Singapore. :)" 

"Thank God for the fun, ACTION-PACKED but relaxing trip, for my awesome team and the food. Most importantly, thank God for the beautiful time and weather." 

"I AM THANKFUL FOR THE YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS WHO ARE SO UNITED BEHIND EACH OTHER. FROM THIS CAMP, I CAN SEE THE BOND & LOVE BETWEEN EACH OTHER. THANK GOD FOR CPC YAYA"
- Alex's Brother (Alvin) 

"I am thankful for a good get away with all my friends"
- Grace :)


"Thankful for the good bonding time with my friends :D"


"I'm thankful for the awesome breakfast and the obstacle course at the hill"

"I want to give thanks to God and everyone who cared + prayed for me, that I managed to recover in just a day even though a headaches can already take up to 3 days to subside. 
Thanks for the warmth, love, care going around in this retreat."
- ZhiQi 

"I'm thankful for the activities and the people who showed care to me. I'm thankful for the free time so we can do our own stuff" 

"I thank God for the awesome group that I was in and also the fun time we had together and also all the nice good. :) & all the new friends I made!"
- Gift Fong

"I am thankful for the three saviors (Jessica, Daniel & Ben Chan) who encouraged me to do the jetty jump, because I don't know how to swim. It really takes me alot of courage & faith in God to just jump without much thought. I am also thankful for the good weather despite now being the monsoon season"
- Peilin

"Thank God for the opportunity to come and experience this beautiful place and also getting to know more people better"

"I want to thank the camp. It was good and fun and interesting. 
I <3 Josiah.  
WHY?  
Because he is sitting next to me"
- Jerone Ho

"I thank God for the great time I had with my group bonding together and really putting in effort into all the things we had to do, the cheer, flag, skit and all the other stuff with a spirit of excellence. And most of all, IT WAS FUN! I also thank God for the chance to know my buddy, Wayne, in a more personal level. And finally, I thank God for the Cajun and omelet practice He let me have :/ "
- Reuel


"The fun trip that the members planned, concern of others when I was sick, learn more about God, make new friends"

"I am thankful for all the friends that kept me company throughout the trip and also many thanks to the camp committee for putting so much effort into the camp"
- Daniel Chan


"Just wanna thank God for this opportunity to come back to SG, to spend time with family, friends and to come for this camp. Thank the committee and everyone involved in organizing this camp. Thank Telunas for cooking good food!"
- Jia Wei

"I thank God for letting me be a part of the CPC family, to experience how it is
to live with the Spirit and have fun."

"I want to thank the committee and also everyone for making this camp enjoyable. I am also thankful for God who blessed us with good weather, good food (most of the meals) and very beautiful location. Lastly, I want to thank UNCLE TONY (my buddy) for sharing with me about life."
- Gui Jia

"I'm thankful towards the committee for organizing this retreat as the workshops were encouraging and refreshing for me. Thankful for the HIGH levels of energy of everyone to be so enthusiastic throughout the trip."
- En Yong (Yongie)

"Thank God for the people who cheer me to have courage to jump the  
SUPER HIGH JETTY JUMP.
Thank God for the night stars and the sunrise. Thank God for my buddy who accompanied me throughout the camp."
- Elias

"Actually I'm really thankful for EVERYTHING. I really thank the committee for organising such a great camp! I thank God for being with us during the duration of the whole camp, protecting and guiding me."
- Nathaniel Foong

"I would like to thank the people who took time to prepare all the fun and exciting games to play and all the company I had. I would like to thank those people who took care of me and comforted me."
- Nicolas

"Really thankful for my team for encouraging me as a leader. Thank you!
Daryl Jan, Ian, Daniel, Jolene, Jing Sen, Keith W."
- Jacob

"I am thankful for EUNICE & AUDREY, I think I got to know them better, committee for planning. My 流星花園 for being the best group in my mind. Cell group! G6! :D "
- Clarence

"Thankful for the people (ALL THE CAMPERS WHO MADE IT), the good food (Fish Soup?!),
great committee teamwork,  
awesome worship &
GOD'S UNFAILING LOVE + PRESENCE"
- Joyce Goh













































Sunday, December 12, 2010

TMT - Indelible Impressions

Joanne: TMT 2010 was a really awesome trip, had lots of fun interacting and getting to know the children as well as the youths and adults. I have learnt to count my blessings and I thank God for His love and everlasting presence. Getting to experience God’s healing power was amazing, not only the people will healed but I myself was healed as I was sick during the trip. Thank God for everyone in this team, Ah Jaan Henry and Carol, and the Thai people (: This trip has instilled much joy and euphoria in me (: Love Thailand!

Audrey: I was really quite eager to embark on this trip and the trip definitely lived up to its hype! It was really a beyond amazing experience for me, feeling God’s presence with us, praying for healing, watching people getting healed, meeting old friends and of course the amazing kids. Thank God for his amazing love for us always!

Ah Bi: I am still having fun! I am happy. I thank God for healing me when I was sick. (: I met my old friends and made some new ones too. (: I like covenant and I love tmt I love YaYA.

Cheryl: Initially, I was somewhat reluctant to come for this TMT trip due to the other plans that I had. However, I will never regret spending these 8 days in Thailand!  What I experienced these few days is more than just an  experience, it was a whole new connection with God and the people in Thailand. Thank God for the amazing opportunity to come for TMT rather than my initial plans I had! I wanna come back in JULYYYYY! (:
Damaris: This trip is really a meaningful one and I’ll never regret going for TMT!! I get to play and haha with the little kids.[: Most importantly, experiencing God’s awesome healing power upon those that we prayed for. Also thank our Elders for taking care of us. Finally, Thank God for everything!! Amen:D
Kelda: I was really excited and could not wait to go for TMT this December. This trip has really boosted my confidence in praying for others, I also experienced healing which was really interesting as I felt heat and the person was healed! I also became much closer to the trippers and from not talking at all, now we talk a lot. As I talk to the Thai people, I realize I really am very fortunate to be born in Singapore, where I have a home and a school to go to with electronic gadgets to use. The team and that Thai people are like a bowl of salad, we mix together well and we match each other. Hahaha. I love our TMT team and everyone rocks! I <3 Thailand loads! I will DEFINITELY be back! (: Thank God for the awesome, jaw-dropping experience! (YAY EVANGELLE, you decided to come yeah! I heart you.)
Darius: This trip has brought back my child-likeness in me and the Lord has truly blessed me in giving me the confidence to pray for people and reveal himself through the people that the TMT team prays for. Healing, affirmation and encouragement, lives transformed by God through one thing: Prayers. The Thai people have show us that you can be help without your gadgets and computers, the simple life like our parent’s era has experienced. Their heartwarming and genuine affection just warms our cold, distant Singaporean hearts. It’s really heaven here apart from the awful mosquitoes. I can see why people go TMT and they want to go again. Their lives are changed forever.
Joyce: This trip is truly special because it feels like the team not only ministers to the Thai people, but the team itself gets ministered, through the love and unity of each other, sticking and supporting each other the best they can. Unending love and grace experienced from God, through each other, flowing to the people, has been an unforgettable experience. I’ll miss each other’s antics and the Thai kids dearly.
Carol :
This is my 2nd trip here. So I am more prepared this time J God is good and always good. There were so much good times – many that were prayed for – God showed up and we saw many visible healings. And I saw the generosity, warmth and love coming from the team.   I am super proud of you all !!! oh ya – I will miss the song tiao FM too.

Louisa: This trip really helped me step out of my comfort zone, considering I happened to be one of the older ones around. It was fun to play with all the kids and also see many people that we used to meet in previous trips around and to talk and reconnect with them. It was really great to see all the youths really stepping up and going for everything, and a lot of them really took up many responsibilities and carried them out really well! I know we have a new crop of people who will eventually rise up now J

Evangelle: This trip has shown most of my true colors to the other TMTers.    At first, I didn’t really want to come for TMT because I was quite scared but after much persuasions I decided to go. After this trip, it has helped me to be more lively in a way and more spiritually mature. I made many friends in Thailand also bonding with teammates. I can’t wait to go again.   I LOVE YOU LOUISA AND JOYCE[TMT] .   (I love you mom & dad too.)

Keith: This trip to me is really a life changing experience. On the night that Joanne was sick and everyone was dead worried, we prayed as hard as we possibly could and so did I. That night, I received a dream. It was about Joanne being bullied. Then, Darius and En Yong stepped in and pushed the bully away, however, I did not see the bully. That being said, the next day, Joanne felt better. It was really amazing as this has really never happened before. Other than that, I would like to say that at the start of everyday, when we are all dead tired and the song tiao was always half alive in the morning, the children’s faces always changes the mood totally. Nothing was more amazing than seeing the kids actually enjoy themselves and getting to know more about God. I would also like to thank my fellow Tmters’ that every single one of them made a difference.
Justin: I’ve had to wait for 5 months, but I was finally able to go for this TMT, and I must say that it has most definitely lived up to all of my expectations! Throughout the entire trip, I constantly felt God’s refreshing presence, and was able to stay closely attuned to His voice, which felt, as Ah Bi would say, ‘super-duper cool’. I also relished the opportunities to lead and mentor the younger members of the team which arose in the course of the 8 days. I probably wouldn’t have been so active if I had gone for the previous all-YA TMT, so perhaps this is God’s timing at work once again. I had such a ridiculously good time, I am putting my name down for next year’s TMT right now, thank you very much.
En Yong: The trip of 7 days is almost over! Totally not looking forward to it though. The trip has been filled with ups and downs for me BUT nonetheless enjoyable. I am very thankful towards God for providing all 21 of us the strength to last through the whole trip with enthusiasm. Through this trip, I have learnt that Singaporeans are super fortunate! Being born in a place where the economy is good and the place is clean and green. As compared to other less industrialized countries (such as Thailand), being very dirty. But of course, the food here is great and CHEAP! Throughout the whole trip, I could truly sense God’s hand over everything. No one got too sick or hurt. Although I did not have any of my close friends in this trip, but God is always good and will provide friends to encourage and share good times with me, being thankful for that. Lastly, I believe God wants me to love others just as he loved us. The urban life of Singaporeans has led to many people being very cold towards others and not show enough love towards others. So in this trip, I met many new friends and people which had many problems and somehow I was always given the chance to help them out and I did. So yeah that’s an important lesson that I have learnt and I believe everyone should learn to as well. ‘ To give more than receive ’

Andrew: Our God heals. And I think God really loves the Thai people here in Singburi, since we have witnessed so many instances where people experienced healing, here on this trip. On the very first day, I was already encouraged by Ps Eng Kiat’s sharing about conducting a Christian funeral service in Sawaeng Ha. He was relating to the team how, without him knowing, the service was broadcast through the Public Announcement speakers into the community. The moment he mentioned the speakers, God reminded me of what happened on my last TMT in July. Basically, a piece of prophetic art I had drawn for pastor had come true. I still remember clearly that it was Peilin’s idea to do a card for our hosts, Pastor Eng Kiat and Aunty Anong, using prophetic art. The idea was only finalized at night on the last day of the trip. So in the early hours of the morning, after cleaning up the house, I quickly did the artwork, without much thought, and wrote some random quote off the top of my head. Coming from a design background, and having been drilled extensively in art and I did not think much of prophetic art. Like I know that there is the concept of sanctified imagination, but the hastily sketched and colored artwork I did that night probably would not even make it onto one of my sketchbooks. However, today I stand corrected and there definitely is a place for prophetic art to edify and encourage others. And when the prophecy comes true, we have to give credit where it’s due. To God be the glory!

Jasmine: This TMT is really like a battle field, some of the TMT members got sick, hurt, and not to mention bitten by different kind of insects. But I know God was there with us through the whole trip, carrying us through really shocking times like, Ah Bi’s fever, Joanne’s breathlessness, and the sink breaking incident. Everyone is okay now, because our God heals and protects :D
Thailand is an amazing place, full of amazing people and food. God has blessed many people in Thailand and the Thai people had blessed us too in many ways!  
It was a really amazing mission field experience, and I feel that the next TMT is a must go ^^   
Cheng Kie: I come to this trip with great expectation of meeting the Thai people which I have met during 2005 prayer trip and also seeing God’s transformation work in the lives of the Singburi churches. TMT2010 members were amazing. It is exciting to see each member rising up to the occasion especially the younger ones. In John 14:12 God’s promise if we have faith in Him we will do greater things. Truly there were many healings that have taken place and many lives were blessed. Likewise we have been blessed too by them. It is heart wrenching to see some families were in debt incurred before they accepted Christ. If they unable to pay their debt they will have to go to the city and leaving the young one behind. This team has responded immediately by collecting some money for two families. Indeed it is better to give than to receive. I end every night sharing with Pastor Eng Kiat, what strike me is his word “work while it is still day before the night come”. Existing work is only a drop in the bucket there is still a tremendous harvest in Thailand.

Henry: I thank God for anointing the team of youths and young adults and making them rise up as a cohesive Army of God, filled with his love and power. They literally went from the playground of preparation to the spiritual battleground to release God’s compassion, healing and joy to the Thai people. The trip once again affirms the strong partnership between the churches in Singburi province and CPC in advancing the Gospel. The friendship forged are unforgettable. I even have a Thanpraporn church staff who calls me his dad from S’pore. The experiences on this trip indeed cement the special relationship between Eng Kiat’s team and the S’pore team.

Liyang: God has graced this (and probably all the other) mission trips to Singburi aplenty. Everyone can attest to the sheer variety and delight of the food that was spread before us every single day. I believe God has a special blessing for cooks who prepare wholesome food that nourishes our bodies to do His work.

Elias: In the past 7 days, I experience God’s love and healing power. When I prayed for auntie Anong on the first night, I find that I was really crying out to God for her. Throughout the trip, I observed that Thai people have deep affection for one another. From them, I have learnt the importance of showing others that we love them.  I enjoyed the Sunday cell group meeting where I get to share my life story, and I was touched by the life of the Thai youths.
Clarence:
Ok. Over and out. BUT not yet! This TMT has been trying for me personally, I really wanted to be in the children’s team I like playing with kids. :) I guess God had other plans, so I ended up just hanging around doing nothing very coherent, and a lot of miscellaneous things. So yeah, I must say I did fail my own expectations of trying to be a good leader, GOD who is ever so gracious really pulled through where I failed, and shone through where I lacked the strength, I must say this TMT has been a learning experience I will not forget. The sicknesses, injuries and mishaps were always followed up by GOD’s healing and his mega dosage of grace was definitely evident. I think I really have to thank this team that came to TMT, with anyone missing I think this trip would be incomplete. (: I guess we all feel like a family when we are here, one set of thai parents (Ps Engkiat and Auntie Anong) and one set of Singapore parents (UH and AC) and one Uncle ChengKie constantly looking out for us. i must say the joy the thai people gave us as a team was really epic. LOVE, GRACE and JOY were definitely the key notes of the trip.
I’ll be back – The Terminator. ^^
OK TMT OVER, just flight left. :(

Thailand Mission Trip Day 7

Finally, my days as the reporter are soon coming to an end.
We made our way to Thachang for the morning service. The team was split into three groups, the children, youth and adult service. The people in charge of the children’s program led songs and a short reading from the Bible, when Jesus was born. The children had to form a train and follow a star carried by the leader of the pack. The last activity for the children was craftwork. It was ingenious of the team to produce small saucers and containers for the kids to colour and paint on. The finished products were stringed and hung on a Christmas tree that we had bought for them.

Concurrently, on the youth side, Clarence and his team conducted a circle game that got the mood up for the dozen or so youths. The main bulk of the time was used for reflecting on their lives. Each participant was tasked to pen down their victories, significant events, failures and God’s promises on colour coded Post-it notes. For members of the Young Adult ministry, you would be familiar with this meaningful activity. It was good too for the facilitators to know more about the reality and challenges that Thai youths face compared to our local context.

At the adult service, Uncle Henry and Louisa jointly preached a message from the Epistle of Philippians. Uncle Henry talked about the special partnership between the Singapore and Thai churches here. He also shared a vision he received during worship that the Thachang church was like a large warehouse, filled with all kind of fruits. It is a promise of fruitfulness and blessings for the church in the days ahead.  This was a first for Louisa and she certainly did an excellent job; a revivalist preacher in the making.
Soon it was time for lunch and it was a familiar favourite for us, wanton and char siew noodles. On a personal note and as part of my reflection for this year’s Thailand Mission Trip, I would like to express my appreciation to God for providing excellent food that has nourished us and everyone else who was in the church. Every time I eat the appetizing food prepared by Pi Kridsana, I think to God, “God bless the cook.” No one, to my knowledge, has experienced diarrhea or stomachache thus far. And for me, I often suffer from traveller’s constipation and my whole digestive system becomes very finicky. Thus far, I have a clean bill of health, digestive system-wise. I don’t wish to take a simple yet essential thing like food and bowel movement for granted. I am sure the others must have felt the same way as they were wolfing down double or triple portions for every meal.

The second part of the day took us back to Thanpraporn to attend an afternoon service. I think it would take us a long time to get used to the concept of a church service here. Church was more like a shophouse and service was held on the ground floor with groundsheets and mats placed around. It was not the most comfortable physically-speaking but there was no denying the sincerity and authenticity of the worshippers.

The mingling time after the service was meaningful because we took the chance to pray for other people with infirmities. Healing took place on a lady called Mong who was a hardworking lover of Christ known to go out of the way on two wheels, and head out to the hardest to reach places to pass out evangelistic flyers out to reach out to the unreached. She met a mishap while turning out towards a main road on her bike which caused her a broken arm. A couple of us prayed for her arm which was quite a heated experience and you could actually see her wriggling her fingers around the cast. As usual, after praying, we asked her how she was feeling and she said she could feel some tingling feeling flowing through her arms and the arm felt strengthened and that she could now have a larger area of movements in comparison to before. She is scheduled to have her cast removed on the 17th of December, so meanwhile, it is encouraging to hear her arm is regaining strength and we will continue to keep her in our prayers that she will have full recovery. We also prayed for a man with back ache and a lady with knee pain, both felt better after the prayer. Praise the Lord!!

Saying goodbye was probably the hardest for many of us. Despite the language barrier and limited vocabulary, we have formed bonds with some of the more sprightly kids and youths. We were significantly delayed with what seemed like endless photo-taking, signing of autograph books and we could only move towards our vehicle slowly by the metre. It was expected. For the next leader of the next Thailand Mission Trip, please be extremely aware of this. He or she must have the persuasive powers to un-tether the group from the new friends they have made when it’s time to go.

Before landing back to base, it was time to make a pit-stop at the 7-Eleven outlet and substantially clean it out. We were cradling many parcels of tid-bits and drinks and stuffing ourselves in the song theow like sardines in a can.

Previously I could have mentioned this sentence, “It looks like it’s going to be a long day tomorrow.” Now the statement of the moment is “It looks like it’s going to be a long night.” The time now is 9.30pm, a relatively early night compared to the previous night, and the team energy level is on a high plateau. It is expected.

After all, I’m sure all of us have been on camps and trips and inevitably sleep becomes an option on the last night. Music is being played in the background, laughter rings through the air, multiple cups of insanely salty instant noodles are being consumed, fingers regularly plunging into opened packs of tidbits strewn on the floor, sweet drinks being slurped, card games being played, final packing of the logistics and handling of financial affairs is taking place and two computers are in use for the compilation of the report. It was relaxing! ;)
Hope we will rest well and for an adequate number of hours.

Sincerely,
Liyang

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Thailand Mission Trip Day 6


It was the day of the English camp and before setting off, there were several doubts for good reasons. For one thing, we were not sure what the turn-out would be like. Would there be enough participants? After all, it is a Saturday. Would there be an unequal balance of children and youth? Uncle Henry led us in prayer, offering the day’s program into His hands. Ultimately, we should not lose our overall objective that is to connect with the participants. Uncle Henry requested that we simply interact and connect with the participants. I was reminded that in the end, programs do not change people but it’s the people who will change others. In addition, each participant had to shell out ten 10 baht for this program. Though it is relatively insignificant, it’s still money and we had to give them their money’s worth.

We arrived at Thanpraporn church and started unloading our items and setting up the registration booth.  Many children started streaming in at nine thirty onwards, half an hour earlier than the appointed time. The team went into action, communicating with the children in whatever limited vocabulary that both parties had. Thankfully there were some things that did not require much verbal communication such as hand and finger games. We were grateful that God granted us an attendance of about 30 children and 20 youths, more than we had expected.

The children’s program ran relatively smoothly. The children were split into groups of 4 and a TMT member was assigned to each group as the facilitator. The atmosphere in the beginning was a little heavy side even though the children were following my instructions. I was very grateful to a church member named Choo who was my translator. Without a doubt, he is a professional children’s ministry worker. I was amazed how he rallied attention when the children were noisy and stirred-up huge enthusiasm with his repertoire and arsenal of songs, dance and hand actions. I found out he was trained at a Children’s Evangelical Fellowship (CEF) and it really shows. I am a primary school teacher by profession for four and a half years, involved in Covenant’s children ministry and I (and of course, all the other trippers) were amazed by how effortlessly he organizes and controls the children, maintaining a very positive and vibrant air. The English program for the youth was conducted upstairs. Below you’ll find Audrey’s account.

20 youths joined us for the youth programme and we had a blasting time! We had an awesome team who were able to execute our programme of simple English conversations and games. Circle games like animal gestures and whacko were crowd-pleasers. Our activities included a memory game, Pictionary and charades. We thank God for the youths and their eagerness to learn, and we had a great time bonding with them. Our takeaway message from this experience is that it is not enough to rely on ourselves, but we also have to trust God enough to commit the whole event to his hands. Once again, we would like to thank God for his magnificent guidance.  (:

The last hour or so was dedicated as an evangelical concert where we taught them the Absolutely Everybody song and dance and performed the Set Me Free skit. We capped off the concert with a pass the parcel, freeze game and a paper ball fight. The paper snowball fight had to be mentioned for excessive adrenaline rush. We had no idea that the participants would be so enthusiastic. Joyce also shared her personal testimony.
The most meaningful activity could very well be back at Pastor Eng Kiat’s home where Uncle Henry conducted a sharing session with everyone chipping in what he or she is grateful to God for.
Perhaps it was the whacko game that warmed up us though it was kinda strange calling each other by nicknames. Aunty Carol was grateful that Ah Bee recovered from her fever as she was prepared to buy three tickets to fly back to Singapore. Uncle Henry was grateful that the team members did their best and manifested the workings of the Spirit. After all, there is no such thing as a smaller Holy Spirit for the younger team members or bigger Holy Spirit to the older members. The same spirit which empowered and empowers is the same regardless. All the other team members affirmed each other.

Some team members had to prepare for the next day’s Christmas service. I was surprised that they painstakingly painted plastic saucers and small containers as Christmas tree decorations. As I am typing, the laughter of the girls upstairs periodically travels all the way downstairs. Looks like it’s going to be a long day tomorrow.

Sincerely,
Liyang

Friday, December 10, 2010

Telunas Updates

Please note that the reporting time for Telunas is now 645AM both for those departing on 17 December and 18 December! 

Thailand Mission Trip Day 5

As our reporter is busy prepping for the English camp (exciting!) tomorrow, I (Louisa) shall come and help to write this entry.
This day was centered on the youth discipleship camp at Tachang Church. The intent was to challenge the youths to bear the servitude of Jesus, to simply live out the ‘new commandment’, that is to love one another. The focus would be an episode from the gospel of Luke when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet.
Uncle Henry wrapped up this morning’s devotion with a challenge posed to us, whether we are able to love another first before even preaching this message. Can we walk the talk and not just talk the talk? Surprisingly and ironically without much surprise, church members criticize each other the most. It is impossible to preach the message of loving one another if members of the same body are warring against each other.
We started off the day with a few setbacks, considering that Joanne and a few others were under the weather and they had to stay behind and recuperate. In addition, the sink in the girls’ toilet almost dropped on Jasmine, but thank God that there were no serious injury other than a few scratches. Honestly, we seemed a little discouraged in the beginning as we seemed a little short on manpower and we also woke up a little late and hence our engines are not warmed up just as yet. However, once we started setting up the stations, we fell into a familiar pattern and it really started taking the team’s mind off all these setbacks.
Uncle Cheng Kie started off the camp with a game where the youths (and surprinsingly quite a number of children) fire catapults to knock over bottles with their fears written on them. This was based on the story of Goliath. They really seemed to have fun with it. Hopefully they have learned something from this game. Then, we challenged them to take on the same love that Jesus actively demonstrated his disciples when washed their feet, after which we prayed for them. However, we realized that there were too many children to continue with our original lesson plan, so we decided to throw everything (well, not everything, but most) out of the window and adopt a new schedule.
Then, we decided to get them to build a pyramids that symbolized the tower of Babel that man trying to reach God through various mean (religions and good works) but God has destroy all work of man. Instead of reaching to God, God reached down to man through Jesus. We thought them how to reach to God and established a relationship with him through prayer (holding of breath under water) and the word (seeing your reflection in the mirror).
Then, we did an impromptu act of the resurrection of Lazarus to demonstrate the power of Jesus (hahahahaha, it was funny because Justin and I are not you know, what we call great actors) and asked them to act it out. This probably helped them to internalize the story better and they had loads of fun wrapping their chosen “Lazarus” up in toilet paper. After which, we acted our skit (which of course, had loads of us in makeshift roles) and ended with praying for any problems for them. After the skit, a few youths responded positively and indicated that they would be coming for the English camp the next day.
I’m really proud of everyone today. We had lots of changes in schedule as we had lots of “holes” in our manpower allocation. It’s really cool considering lots of people really worked outside of their comfort zone, and they stepped up and took initiative in the absence of “seasoned” people.
We ended the day with lots of games with each other (it was really fun!) and of course, the usual packing and debrief and discussion of the next day’s schedule and jamming session of worship.
Prayer requests
  1. Pray for good health for everyone and God’s protection and peace to be upon every single one of us
  2. Good turnout of English camp this morning and God to prepare the way and hearts of the participants.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Thailand Mission Trip Day 4

We had an eventful day, starting off with a devotation by our handsome En Yong and handsomer Darius.

We shared about being in unity in Christ from Philippians 2:1-5 and spoke words of encouragement and prayers to each other. It was a pity that we couldn’t complete the encouragement session due to time constraint but armed with the few sincere comments we received, we were on our way.

Our first stop was Inburi Church. It was really a sight to see a two storey church in its final phase of completion. Those on the last TMT would know this church only had its concrete foundation but now it is almost complete. We met the caretaker of the church, aka Coffee Lady, well known for making a good cuppa coffee :) Pastor Eng Kiat showed us around the church and we prayed for the church workers.  Once again, we were encouraged how God is raising up people from within to serve the locals. Darius saw a vision of Gair, the elder of the Inburi church, dressed in white and that he will stand in on the pulpit and preach to the church. Gair was formerly a drug pusher and his life evidently changed dramatically upon receiving Christ. 

We proceeded to Daw Rung’s house. She’s a full-time church worker. We prayed for her aunt, Ang Porn, to receive Christ. Although she didn't after spending an hour there, we know that at least the seed has been sown and that in God's timing she will receive Christ eventually. It all started with a weakness in her legs and she wanted healing. We were glad that after a few rounds of prayer, she felt better but we know that the greater prize would be her salvation.

At this point of time, Ah Bi had a fever and Uncle Henry and Aunty Carol decided to bring her back to Pastor Eng Kiat's house to let her rest and take her medicine. Thank God that she recovered by the time we arrived home at night!

After lunch we proceed home to get a good afternoon rest. It was much needed for the team as we have been busy with activities for the past three days.

We proceeded to Sawaeng Ha for Children’s Club. The kids had a fun time learning our dance and the Thai Church Youth were encouraged to join us for our dance! The house where it was held was luxurious by local standards. It had solid concrete walls and tiled floors. We were impressed by how one church member, being touched and compiled by the Spirit, decided to use her inherited plot of land to build this house for church activities.
Children’s club saw the second appearance of our children’s game wildcard Uncle Chengkie. IT WAS EPIC. The monkey movement was really good with the kids. Parents you should really ask their children about the woo-woo ah-ah actions! (:
Joyce and Liyang led the session with heartfelt testimonies and a short exhortation on Philippians. It was fantastic. The Thai people who attended the cell group were really ministered to and their emotions regarding the topic could really be felt. It was a time where the Holy Spirit was really moving and ministering to the people present. The key message was that God is always in control and always for us, not against us. We thought it was relevant as the locals often face very real bread and butter issues.
After the cell group, we also went to visit an old lady at her house and prayed for her as she still has some doubts and struggles in her life. Dung our debrief back in Ps Eng Kiat’s, Clarence shared his first experience witnessing angels. He saw one or two angels around each tripper at the old lady’s house that we visited while Darius also saw that there were angels with us when we prayed in a circle.

Prayer Request

Joanne felt sick on the way back to Ps Eng Kiat’s house and vomited. We cover her with prayers and she felt better. Those at home in Singapore, please pray for her!!

Pray for the TMT team to have the strength to carry on for the rest of another long day.

Pray for us that we are able to minister to the people of Thailand

Pray for us that we all well and healthy even though we don't have enough rest.

Sincerely,
Clarence and Darius
Edited by Liyang (not much though)

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Thailand Mission Trip Day 3

Thailand Mission Trip Day 3:
We are still going strong. The day has been tiring and it is evident in how most of us lay slumped on the cool concrete floor when there was a slight break in the afternoon. However, it has been a fruitful day and there were no regrets.
The day started off with a hearty breakfast and morning devotion. Uncle Henry challenged us whether we could sustain this spiritual high even after this trip is over, maintaining that constant burden for the salvation and healing of others and making prayer a close ally.  After that and lots of mosquito repllent application, we were off for the home visitations.
We travelled down to Bangrachan today to visit Thanpraporn church where a hearty lunch awaited us. One thing which the trippers looked forward to is the food. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, like chicken curry and pork trotters but something about the way they were cooked made it extra special. Aunty Carol was joking that she would like to bring the cook (a most hospitable lady) back to Singapore.
Below you’ll find Louisa’s account of the events and the people we prayed for.
Hi friends! I’m making a reappearance today after a long hiatus of six months. Today was an interesting one in that many unexpected events happened. Firstly, Audrey and Cheryl (yay!) started off the day by leading us in devotions. Cheryl prayed for people to flock to our evangelistic concert, and it really happened! But before I begin on that account, we had visitations in the morning. We first visited an old man who had a multitude of problems. What struck us first was that he had no right forearm. He shared with us that he had high blood pressure, dizzy spells and headaches. When we first arrived, we just wanted to share our joy with him through worship, yet he seemed rather unfazed when we started singing. So we tried all ways (including releasing Clarence’s and Darius’s laughter) but it didn’t work. Finally we gave up using human ways and just prayed for him, (which definitely had Jasmine and Evangelle very enthusiastically praying in Thai and everyone just chionged for it) and the headaches left. He seemed very much happier after prayer and with Ah Bi’s sweet smile, he cracked many smiles! Isn’t it great? After all, joy is a right and hallmark of a Christian…
Hmm, after that we visited an auntie’s house. During the June 09 trip, the trippers prayed for her and she was very much better. We prayed for her again and the pain in her hips disappeared. She actually broke out into a dance, which really surprised many of us! Joy again reared its head, especially apt considering Philippians is the book of focus for our trip.
The concert really had many many children who came, to the point where we almost ran out of goodie bags. In fact the goodie bags had a story too, in that we thought we ran out of goodie bags yet there was one without it, but somehow, the logistics team unearthed one more. I guess it didn’t really hit home the significance of the large turnout then for me, but when Uncle Henry raised the point, I realized it was a great way of just broadcasting the word out to the community in this simple manner.
Hmm, after the concert, we had two people who requested for prayer. And I shall share my part. There was an elderly woman who was not a believer yet requested for prayer for her many illnesses. She had pain in her spine and knee and thyroid problems and diabetes… ok shan’t go on, but basically, we prayed and the pain lifted totally! She was really happy and she bent up and down to test her knees and her back wasn’t in pain anymore which was great! She looked really happy. Really. Don’t know how to describe it but she was really happy. Hopefully this is the stepping stone to something greater.
Back in another room there was a non-believer lady who had problems with her thyroid, being sensitive to dust that was plentiful in her working place. She told us that she had a hectic schedule, going to work in the morning followed by taking care of her children after work. Her problems were made worst by her husband’s addiction to drinking. Thus she requested prayer for her thyroid as well as the strength to be able to work and take care of her family. During the prayer, Justin and Audrey released visions upon the lady. Justin saw a picture of a pillar, and interpret it as the lady being a pillar of strength for the people around her, that God will provide for her and she need not stand alone. On the other hand, Audrey’s vision was about a sky full of the lady’s needs of which the lady was desperately trying to reach out towards them, not aware that on that very same floor that she stood upon was already filled with all the needs the lady required, provided by God himself.
 After the team prayed for her, she told us that her thyroid felt better ( being able to breathe with more ease as compared to before we rayed for her) and that she felt very encouraged by our prayers. Her experience was more towards the emotional side instead of the physical.
She later on prayed to receive the Lord into her life, being touched by the Lord. This experience marked the beginning of one new member’s journey with the Lord!

The day ended with a message from Uncle Henry that we should not underestimate the work that we are doing here even though it may not seem much or when things do not turn out the way we desired to be. In army speak, when one wants to take control of another territory, engineers have to first build bridges before the infantry can move in. Similarly that is what we are doing, building bridges which others can use to move in. it is very heartening to know that within Thailand itself, local people have responded to the call to become missionaries and are moving from provinces to provinces, out of their comfort zones.
I hope that our work will not just be a temporary thing but have a permanent effect on our lives.
Sincerely,
It dawned upon me that the reporter is probably the last person to hit the sack everyday.