Finish His Work - 20 Dec 2007 to 25 Dec 2007
Honestly, before the trip, i was dreading to go. the thought of taking a plane on my own and being away frm sg during christmas for the 1st time was overwhelming. but right now, i can confidently say that i thank God for allowing me to go on this trip and i dont regret gng a bit!!!
God had been really good to us. He had been our Sustainer and Provider and He is sovereign. during the 5 days, the team did a total of 6 performances. we felt like a circus troupe - unpack, perform, pack, go. but i thank God for the opportunities to sow seeds in thailand. we performed in schools and on the streets in the night market. It was a really great experience! during the open-air performances, people walked right past us and less than a handful stopped to watch. it was a really different scene from home, where most people would stop to watch. it just reminded me that there is so much to be done in thailand, and we were just merely sowing seeds. we performed to students and children who were naturally more excited. but no matter where we performed and who were the audience, i just thank God that He gave me this opportunity to serve Him in a different way in a foreign land this Christmas :) and i know that somehow, in His own time, the work that we had done now would bear fruit.
this is my 3rd trip to Chiangmai, and i returned from each trip with different lessons. the 1st trip taught me to treasure the education that i receive here in singapore and not to take things for granted. the 2nd trip served to reinforce what i gained frm the 1st. this trip was different, probably cos i am no longer studying. during this trip, the friendships built with the thais and within the mission team strengthened and it is something that i am grateful for :) one thing that i had learnt from the thais is that they are definitely a more contented lot than us singaporeans. and i believe it has to do with the environment we are brought up in. here at home, we have so much more and thus, it leads to greater discontentment with life. in thailand, where there are much lesser comfort and entertainment, the thais are contented with just ice-cream and company. when the mission team met with a diff situation - we were stranded as the truck battery was stolen - a typical singaporean will probably fret and worry about what will happen next. however, the thai friends continued to smile and chat the waiting time away. it really caused me to think about what i should do the next time i'm caught in a difficult situation.
the thing that i missed most about tis trip was the fellowship that i had with the others. i missed it the moment i was on the plane back home! i found out so much more about the youths, uncles and aunties. one thing that really touched me was aunty christine's testimony. God was not only faithful to her now, but He had been answering her prayers ever since her first pregnancy 15 years ago. as i heard her testimony, i could not help but feel ashamed of myself, how i will sigh and complain when the littlest of things do not go my way. here is a woman, who is in a position that no one will want to be in for the 3rd time in the last 6 years and she can still praise God and serve Him in this mission trip. i also got a chance to hear aunty amy's testimony who went thru a similar situation as a.christine during her younger days. both their stories reminded me of how precious life can be and how we must treasure each day that we are alive because we do not deserve it, but God gave us each new day out of His mercy and grace.
i thank God for the many lessons that He had taught me. though i was there for less than half the trip, God's plans and timing are perfect. i gained so much out of this trip. God willing, i will want to serve Him in the mission field again :)
"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalms 46:10
Labels: God is faithful, lessons learnt from God, moments of life
in Christ alone ♥
3:18 PM
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