Ebenezer September 2012 by SSMC

FOR INTERNAL & PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY A Quarterly Newsletter of Sungai Way-Subang Methodist Church

Sept 2012

EBENEZER

t was a tremendous and humbling sight to behold - a gathering en masse of God’s diﬀerent people from di churches across denominations in Klang Valley. For the first time, SSMC could not contain within the main sanctuary, the multitudes which overflowed into the foyer, adjoining Agape visitors’ room and even the Children’s Church hall upstairs. Thanks to an impromptu AV set up, we could beamed “live coverage” to all the rooms and halls. One would be accustomed to seeing thronging crowds at a concert or rally, but this was a prayer meeting!

diﬀerent churches of all cities and towns on Sept 16 and 17. It was even reported by the media as “...an unprecedented move with churches in Malaysia coming together to hold a nationwide prayer for the Malaysia Day celebration on Sept 16 and the upcoming 13th General Election.” Indeed, the Malaysian Church has never been more united and single minded as we are witnessing today.

n ancient Israel, the Year of Jubilee was the name given to the fiftieth year, a year heralded with the blast of a trumpet. It was a year to be hallowed, a year when liberty and release from debt was proclaimed throughout the land. In this year all slaves were set free. All debts of the poor were cancelled. Those that had been oppressed into poverty for any reason were commanded to return home to their family and repossess their inheritance. It was a year of new beginnings, an economic recovery for everyone in the land.

The word “jubilee” comes from the Hebrew word yobel, the ram’s horn trumpet which was blown to inaugurate the year. “Yobel” became associated with the Latin term “jubilum” (from jubilaire, to rejoice, to exult) and so entered our English Truly God is moving His people in unison in this kiaros time and season language as “jubilee”. The Hebrew word for liberty, even as the nation ushers in its “deror”, comes from a root word Jubilee - a celebration of 50 year of nationhood. For God’s elect, Jubilee which means “to live” – to live a promises to be the year of God’s full life, to live in every The main Christian umbrella favor, when captives are set free and dimension. To proclaim organisations in Malaysia, including debts canceled, and the land rights “liberty” throughout the land the Council of Churches of Malaysia are restored. We pray for this to be (CCM), the National Evangelical means to proclaim a “full life ” Christian Fellowship (NECF) as well fulfilled in the spiritual and also the for every person. This is only physical sense. as those in Sabah and Sarawak are possible by canceling united in this prayer movement aptly You can catch a sense of the oppression and restoring the dubbed ‘Prayer United'. This will intensity and fervency of our cries freedom and heritage of the culminate in nationwide prayer and prayers in the photo montage on people. gatherings that will be held in the back page.

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his is our Jubilee edition - not that SSMC is celebrating our 50th anniversary (we’ve 13 more years to go) but because we want to identify with our nation as we celebrate 50 years of nationhood. As a church and people of God, we look forward to all that Jubilee represents and promises. Indeed, we are living in exciting and potentially tumultuous times. God has stirred the Malaysian Church and awakened us from our stupor.. Incidentally this is the theme of the youth initiated Prayer & Worship event - “Awaken 2012” in September. At the local church level, the past few months have seen a frenzy of activities. In retrospect, we give thanks for the release of resources during our Anniversary Gift Day. We experienced the warm embrace of the Father’s love during the Fatherheart Ministries Seminar in May. We rejoiced and feted the good turnout at the Chinese Church Parents’ Appreciation Nite and were then uplifted by the heavenly choral music of the GBKP Indonesian Choir in June. In the same month, the youth almost brought the roof down (courtesy of the new sound system) during our Youth Sunday. And on Aug 1st, SSMC played host to the Combined Klang Valley Churches 40 Day Fast & Prayer Launch that saw the assembling together of over a thousand Christians across denominations. We can only conclude that it is the work of the Holy Spirt who is

breaking down barriers both within and without, and moving the Malaysian Church in His kiaros time and season. The focus on prayer was carried through to the SSMC Family Camp 2012 which continued the same theme of “Transformation Thru Prayer”. You can read about these and other stories in the ensuing pages. Ebenezer has and is never about blowing our trumpet but if anything, we hope it would be like the blowing of the yobel or a clarion call to action. Give thanks and glory to God as you read the heartwarming testimonies sprinkled across these pages of our biggest issue thus far. While many of the articles are digestible bite size, there are few articles dealing with weightier subjects. These have been carefully selected to stretch your paradigm, challenge your resolve, bend your knees and spur your feet to action. Prayerfully reflect if God may be speaking to you in your specific situation through these pages. Shalom Ed.

by Categories

Prayer United

1,48

Pastor Speaks

Children’s Church

4-5

Youth

6-8

MSF

Women’s Retreat

10-11

Journaling

12-13

Father’s Heart

14-15

Fathers & Daughters

16-20

Mothers & Daughters 21-22 Finding the T’Moan

Photo Montage

24-25

Letter frm Bolivia Testimonies

26-27 28/9,41

Christian & Politics 30-33 Meaning of Jubilee

33-35

Bersih 3.0 Stories

36-37

Making a Difference 38-40 Mastering Fear

42-43

BM Ministry

44-45

Tamil Ministry

s ibutor r t n o C d! Neede

To a large extent, Ebenezer is an ongoing chronicle or a living testament to the goodness of the Lord. If God is doing something fresh in your life or ministry, use this as a platform to glorify God or as a channel of blessing to others. Shared experiences encourage others and also enable us to support each other in targeted prayer and in practical ways. SUNGAI WAY-SUBANG METHODIST CHURCH (SSMC)

Lot 1044 Jalan Cempaka, Kampung Sungai Kayu Ara Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan Tel: +603-7726 9172 Fax: 7727 3036

Website: www.ssmc.com.my Email : ssmethodist@gmail.com

Important Notice: The opinions expressed herein represent the views of the respective contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views and position of SSMC or its leadership. This publication is for private circulation only, and no part of this may be reproduced in any form without the prior permission of the editorial team.

EBENEZER, SEPT 2012

Pastor Speaks. halom. We are in the midst of 40 Days of Fast and Prayer for our nation, culminating in the Malaysia Day Celebration on 16th September 2012, whereby we usher in our 50th year as the nation of Malaysia. So, as Malaysian Christians with a stake as citizens in this blessed nation that God has placed us in to be light and salt for Him, many are fasting and praying for God’s good and perfect will to come to pass in our nation. And God is truly on the move, shaking the very foundation of our nation and government by exposing what is wrong, corrupt and unjust. In addition, God has also brought about a new-found unity and togetherness within the Body of Christ, not only in Peninsular Malaysia but also with our brethren from East Malaysia – something that is long overdue and very needful.

truth and justice and if that be our united cry as His people in this nation, I believe He will want to bring it to pass. * “He Will” if there is unity within the Church, holiness among His people and concerted prayerfulness rising up as a sweet incense before His throne. So even as we stand at the threshold of our 50th year of nationhood, our Year of Jubilee as a nation, we are asking of the Lord: * RELEASE from injustice, corruption, abuse of power and discrimination for all people including the ‘aliens and strangers’ seeking refuge in our nation. * RESTORATION of truth, integrity, justice, freedom and security that all people in this nation may live peaceful and quiet lives.

* RENEWAL of hope, racial harmony and peace that as a nation we may all enjoy the abundant and rich blessings God On 1st Aug 2012 I shared on Psalms 78:19b where it was asked, has bestowed upon our land. ‘Can God spread a table in the Scripture tells us this battle is desert?’ even as the Israelites not against flesh and blood but it marched through the desert of is a spiritual one. Since Christ Sinai. Many of us are asking the has already won the victory, we same question of God with just need to stand firm in Him regards to what is happening in our nation. I believe the Lord’s answers are clear – He Can, He Wants To and He Will.

and see with eyes of faith the coming deliverance and salvation of the Lord. So my encouragement to all is not to lose hope but to continue to pray for our nation, lifting up our eyes to the hills and be reminded and reassured that our God, the Almighty, is on His throne and He still reigns. God Bless

Ps Swee Ming

* “He Can” because He is God Almighty and nothing is too hard for Him, including bringing forth a much needed transformation within our nation. * “He Wants To” because He is a God of righteousness,

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Children’s Church Leaders’ Training hile many of us enjoyed a day of rest on May 1 Labour Day, 83 Children’s Church Leaders (CCLs) demonstrated their labour of love in the Children’s Church as they devoted practically a full day to equip themselves to serve better in this vital ministry. Mr Cheang Meng Wai, a practicing child psychologist facilitated the special workshop for CCLs. Besides sharing about understanding development stages of children, symptoms of “challenging” children, and helping parents and children to cope with emotional stress, he tasked the CCLs to express through drawings, how they viewed themselves, and how they viewed the children. Here are some of the interesting revelations….

Cheng Yee from Toddlers Children's Church The real life scenario in TCC - all kids come in to play and have fun. I take my role as a "temporary guardian" where I try to guide them to love one another & obey instructions while they toddle around. Some of them might appear to be ignoring us but they ARE observing & listening all the time. I see myself as "babysitting" them with the hidden principles of teaching about obedience and love. That's the least and basic thing that a toddler can be taught.

I see/hope to see the children in TCC to be well rooted in the word of God and as they grow and advance together to the different levels in Children's Church, they are all "siblings" in Christ. They will uphold each other in the family of Christ as they walk with Jesus.

Gary Khoo - CCL for Gideon Class (Std. 6) The first drawing illustrates how I view the children. In the sanctuary worshipping and praising God. The second drawing is how I view my role as a CCL. Constantly in search of ways to help children learn in more creative ways through fun. First thought on the top left was Moses leading the people through the Red Sea, top right: Noah’s Ark, and bottom left: Jonah & the big fish.

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Alison from Toddlers Children's Church. I see myself as a shepherd who cares for my sheep (the children) and is always on the lookout for them. Some sheep stray, some get stuck in bushes. Some will try to barge through the gate and some are

How I see the children - I see

stubborn. My role is to be a shepherd, to guide them to God.

the children's faces, happy, smiling. Children who pull your hand and say "Cheacher, come"

Cheryll Loh – CCL for Gideon How I ideally see our children - hungry for God's wisdom, receiving God's love in their hearts and walking with Jesus in obedience.

Lisha Ng – CCL for Barnabas I view the kiddos as plants and they need nutrients which we, the CCLs play a role (albeit a small one) in providing. I have always been fearful in teaching the children as many many MANY years ago when I started getting involved, God reminded me of how precious His children are to Him and for a teacher to teach something NOT ABSOLUTELY CORRECT about the bible to them...well, let's just say that I have that fear in me till this day. Never lead

Road to Christ is how I see my role as a CCL - pointing the children to the right direction that is the way to Christ.

the kids astray...ever! How I view the kids...they come in so many shades of personalities. Some are just the sweetest, some are so bouncy that they seem to be able to just go on and on and on the whole day. Then there are those who need a little bit more attention, some who make you feel that you are talking to a wall and the only thing that we can hope for is that 'the wall' is being chipped at by God, little by little everyday until it all comes crumbling down.

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forged. It was truly marvelous living with the family of God while drawing closer to Him. It has been a life changing experience for me. I have learned so much about God, His nature and His will. It made me question many things about my life. The Giver of Life has a plan for our lives - for my life. Would I want to take that step to give back my life to Him? It is not something easy to do - surrender. However, by keeping my eyes on eternity, I realised that nothing else matters. What else in this world do I have to live for except for His glory and honour?

To those JUST living life: there is much more to life than we know. There is much more to your life. Look to the Giver of Life. He knows best.

Testimony by Michael Wong

was a kid who didn't believe in God nor felt Another thing that struck me was any love and peace from BY JOSIAH LIEW the state of our church in my disHim. God led me back cussions with friends and mentors. to Him through videography! In hat a surprise when I was I met people from other Methodist the year 2010, Uncle Jack started asked to go to Jeremiah churches and saw the way they worvideography ministry in our School. I did not really shipped and behaved, which seemed church. My dad asked me to help want to go at all but my so different. It made me uncomfortUncle Jack in that area and I parents had already able. Yet, it made many others and I agreed. After learning videography signed me up and paid the fees...so I think and brought an awareness of from Uncle Jack, I slowly began to did not really have much of a the dismal state the church of Mabecome passionate about it. I choice. laysia is in. It raised questions like think God was trying to speak to Before I get into my short testi“why does the church seem so dime through videography. As I had mony, let me just tell you about vided?” and “what is being done to to pay attention when shooting Jeremiah School. It is a school (yes, bring the churches together?” during sermons, I HAD to listen school!) for youths ages 17 – 20+. How is God going to work in this to all messages preached from the We stayed in the Baptist Assembly, country when the channel of His pulpit. Golden Sands for 6 weeks. Our blessing and love seemed to be broclasses start from 7 in the morning ken? How are we to make a differ- Even then, videography in itself to 4.30 in the evening. Throughout ence when churches cannot agree could not draw me closer to God this period, we were cut off from with one another? Can we claim to or make any big diﬀerence in my any contact with the outside world. love the poor and needy when we life. I decided to attend Jeremiah For a young person, that would be hate each other? What are we doing School after my experience at the more like a prison than a school! to help our East Malaysian brethYouth “Pop Culture” Camp in ren? 2011. At that camp, I opened In reality, it turned out differently. It was an amazing time. In that 6 I just want to encourage those youth myself and shared with my discipleship group members. I weeks, I lived with people from dif- who are looking for a deeper and shared about my life and all my ferent churches all over Malaysia. fresh experience of God. I want to struggles since childhood. We As we came from different backsay that JS is a place for growth. It grounds, it was not easy to live tois a place where you not only learn ended up crying together and praying for each other. gether in such a tight community. about God but in each and every Inevitably, we rubbed each other day of those 6 weeks, you will be At that moment, one of my and had our fair share of arguments able to apply what you have learnt friends had a vision of Jesus and fights. However, I think iron into the way you live. It is not easy, walking among us and touching us sharpen iron as we spurred each but the rewards are great. one by one before He disappeared. other on, and special bonds were

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After that camp, I joined Jeremiah School (JS). Before I attended JS, I felt that my life was so bad and the world was against me. I felt so useless but God showed me His unconditional love, His peace that holds the world together and His plan for me in the future.

things. C.T.R is required before seeking God. C.T.R is simply confessing all our sins, thanking God for forgiving us although he had already forgiven us, repenting from sinning again.

Before I close, I would like to share some verses from the book At JS, I was initially very negative of Jeremiah (29:12-14) which have and thought no one cared about become very personal and real to me but that was not true at all. me. “Then you will call on Me and Slowly I began to understand as all come and pray to Me, and I will my friends there helped me to listen to you. You will seek Me and change my thinking and open up find Me when you seek Me with myself completely. I felt so all your heart.I will be found by peaceful and loved by God and I you,” declares the Lord, “and will knew God had a prefect plan for bring you back from captivity. me. I used to rely on my own strength and think that I am able This are the verses that helped me to do things on my own, but now I through all kinds of diﬃculties. I hope that God will speak to you have learnt to depend on God’s strength. Everything just changed even through my simple testimony. He will never leave us nor forsake in a blink of the eye. us for I would like to encourage the God Is youth in our church to attend JS Able . as it can transform your perspective on life. I would like to share my experience in seeking God's heart. It may take a few hours but after seeking His heart, the entire day will become very meaningful because He can speak to you through many surrounding

Mission Trip to Orang Asli Village by Darren Thean

never once thought that a mission trip could be so significant in my life. On my first ever mission trip, we visited the Or Orang Asli villages in Cameron Highlands. The Orang Asli Villages that we visited were all in the outskirts and the people we met were mainly youths with just a few adults. I really enjoyed myself on this trip, Just being there gave me a sense of what God was doing among the Orang Asli people. I could see God’s power at work throughout this mission trip as we played, wor worshiped and shared. I am amazed to see how contented the kids are with what little they have, and how they are appreciative of little things. The youths were pretty energetic and keen to participate in the activities we did, much like the youths in SSMC. On one of the days we were given a chance to share our personal testimo testimonies on how we met Christ. Even though I didn’t get a chance to share, I felt that the youths there

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...has been running since 2003 and we are really amazed at how God worked in the hearts of all those who came. We thank God for the TRAC leaders who conceived this dream and realized it by starting this school. We continue to bring a holistic awareness of God’s ministry to the youths who come for this school. The calling and challenge of the Christian Vocation remains the heart beat of Jeremiah School. With this in mind, the syllabus was developed to challenge the students in their walk with God. The areas include Spiritual Formation, Doctrinal Studies, Bible Studies and Theology, Personal Development, Ministry Skills and Practical Ministry. Their practical skills are put to test during mission week where they will go and share God’s word with strangers. They will also plan an evangelistic program during this time. It is indeed hard work for them and we can see how they have grown in the Lord and also in relation with one another by taking ownership of the program. Jeremiah School is a place for youths who are serious about God and living out their faith in the world. They have to have a desire to learn, develop, grow and be transformed in the Lord. We hope that they will be a generation of God‐fearing, faithful, persevering and selfless young leaders who will be of a diﬀerent spirit. Chang Choy Quin

could understand us and understand the things they are experiencing now in choosing to follow Christ. After that, we went to another village and were surprised to find much younger youths there. As a result, we had to change our ap approach and instead of sharing, we acted out for them “David & Goliath.” Though the time we spent there was short, I felt like we managed to get a simple message across to the Orang Asli youths and also established a relationship with them. I can’t wait for the next OA mission trip and I hope more youths will give this a shot be because it was an amazing experience expe rience for me. This is Darren Thean sign signing out! out

y name is Samuel Anthony and I would like to give you an insight on a bible course I attended roughly two months ago. I went to Tung Ling Bible Seminary for three months. It has indeed been an eyeopening experience for me to learn more about God and gain a deeper understanding of Him. Tung Ling Bible Seminary’s School of Ministry is a three-month course for anyone who is hungry and thirsty for God.

nitely made me a more responsible and considerate person altogether.

We have a daily 7.30am to 1.00pm schedule. In addition to that, each student is required to complete 10 modules from a selected reading list! Moreover, we have various chores/ duties. This includes cleaning the pantry, toilet, dining hall and lecture hall. We also have duties such as leading worship and even the opportunity to lead a short devotion! All these tiny bits of experiences there have defi-

In a crux, I would like us to ponder on these simple questions to ourselves, ‘What is my relationship with God at the moment? Am I taking Him seriously in life? Or am I just treating Him like Santa Claus and only remembering Him when I want something? Or do I put Him first at the centre of my life?’ Ultimately God loves us and wants us to return to Him! Well, I will definitely take God more seriously nowadays. In closing, I would encourage anyone who is free or interested to sign up for the School Of Ministry. It is a whole load of fun and you will surely have a life changing experience.

One thing that I have learnt is that no matter how many times we fail, God never gives up on us. He loves us with an everlasting love. When we are hurt or struggling with obstacles in life, God will come and pick us up to help us finish the race in life. Jeremiah 31:3 says ‘I HAVE LOVED YOU WITH AN EVERLASTING LOVE, I HAVE DRAWN YOU WITH LOVING KINDNESS’

Tung Ling means ‘Eastern Mountain’ in Mandarin. The founding pioneers believed that God will train many workers in this “Eastern Mountain” and send them to the mission field based on Micah 4:2. In the mid-70s, the Charismatic Renewal was sweeping across Singapore and Malaysia. During this time, God gave a vision to a group of brethren from Singapore and New Zealand, to establish a short-term Bible School to equip and prepare workers for the harvest field. With the help of Faith Bible College, New Zealand, a curriculum was developed and Tung Ling Bible School was established in Singapore in 1978 and Tung Ling Seminary (TLS) in Malaysia in 1993. Tung Ling is a ‘School of the Spirit’ - charismatic in nature and interdenominational, maintaining a strong emphasis on the Word of God and the present working of the Holy Spirit. Our Pastor Phua Seng Tiong sits on the board of directors.

EBENEZER, SEPT 2012

MSF.SSMC.parexcellence@FH.pahang.my by Ho Peng, 18 July 2012 hat a fantastic, enjoyable weekend at Fraser’s Hill!

Praise be to the Lord, ethodist for only the Rumah M Lord could grant us such memorable moments of spiritual togetherness. We did not feel the heat or the humidity but we were intoxicated by the warmth of Mother Nature and her cool refreshing, rejuvenating and serene atmosphere which filled our hearts with great joy and laughter. We were constantly blessed by the abundance of the Lord.

Guess who is who? Princess Charming, Elegance, Smiley, Gorgeous G Harry, Joyful J and her Beau B & Busy Bs?

provided us. As the Lord ministered to us and led us, we shared our innermost feelings with each other. We also encouraged We were entertained to impromptu one another as we shared testimonies of our Lord who had magic shows by our in-house magician, Harry, who gave us a snap never failed to be there with us whenever we needed Him. performance on “….you We had both leisurely strolls and all….watch…ah, watch ah…” to The 21 members of the MSF from healthy walks and hikes, traversing make his watch re-appear on his SSMC who spent the weekend of 15 wrist. He further enthralled us with the “town center”, from Rumah – 17 June up in cool, windy Fraser’s his demonstration on how a cup Methodist to town, to the old Hill will long remember the reservoir, and to the Garden Food filled with coffee could be taken camaraderie and the wonderful Court. We did not paint Fraser’s “upside down” without spilling a time together at the Rumah Hill red but we surely added single drop of the coffee. Methodist. The food was a lot of color and perhaps During the evening sing-a-along sumptuous, the company was impacted the tranquility of session, we sang oldies which were superb and above all, the Spirit of the resort. We were possibly very dear to our hearts and caused the Lord was ever present and in the single biggest group of us to reminisce “one day when we each one of us. The Good Lord seniors there that weekend. who ensured that we not only had a were young”. Siew Gek, Sarah and All these activities kept us relaxed break-away from the hustle her friends brought all of us to life, happy and high-spirited, and at the in spite of our golden ages, when and bustle of the city but also end of each day we could still sing they actively performed the “line provided us the cool environment our praises to the Lord who as we rejoiced in the majesty of His dances”. Those who had “wooden brought us together to share His legs” enjoyed themselves too creation. We had such a blessed Grace and His Blessings which he clapping and singing in unison to time praising Him for His the dances and the songs…until the bestowed abundant love for each and grand finale when Harry announced abundantly everyone present at the MSFthat he wanted to perform his “Ah- onto us. SSMC “camp”. Go-Go…” “Thy word, During the “ice-breaking” session In the midst of all the laughter, we O Lord, is a we were taken down memory lane lamp to my had our solemn moments of to re-visit our childhood hero, feet and a light reflection and meditation with the Tarzan and his lovable mate. We to my path.” Lord. We offered thanksgiving for were reminded of various characters which endeared us in our all the blessings which the Lord has (Psalm 119:105)

EBENEZER, SEPT 2012

younger days: Princess Charming, Elegance, Smiley, Gorgeous G and Harry, Joyful J and her Beau B, and there were the Busy Bs.

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Women’s Silent

Retreat hen I first heard

about the Women’s Weekend Silent Re Retreat, I didn’t know what it was really all about. All I was told was that we go to pray, wait on the Lord and listen and see what the Lord had to say to us. As that was what I wanted, I went with an expectant heart. The journey to Tg. Malim was not far. Refreshing Spring Resort was off the main road with a stream going through and plenty of fruit trees especially durian trees. It was a pity that not many of the durians were ripe. That night, after durians, we have a session where we were given four Bible passages for the next day to read and meditate. The next day after breakfast, each of us was told to choose a quiet place to relax and quieten our spirit. I was a bit apprehensive because I was not sure whether I would hear from God or if He would speak to me. I prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to help to reveal and minister to me His Words. After reading the first passage a few times, I closed my eyes and focused on God and pictured myself in the scene. God revealed a word to me, “faithful”. So I started to write and journal and as I was journaling words kept flowing out and in no time I had written one and a half pages of words that God revealed to me. Praise God for His words and message to me. God really speaks if we listen. All glory to Him. Chow Kim Looi

$%! $&'()$"#$

It was later in the night after everybody’s sharing that I had a private meeting with Pastor Wong Moi Lee, our facilitator, who told me God had indeed spoken to me through His words. I felt so encouraged! True to its name, Refreshing Springs Resort is an ideal and refreshing place for retreat when serenity is much needed.

All Glory to God. Linda Lim

have always liked Silent Retreats – for me it is a time for which I consciously set aside to spend time with God; to leave behind the hustle & bustle and go away to a quiet place to prayerfully seek His On our second day, we had to keep face and wait expectantly to hear silent even at breakfast, lunch and Him speak to me. Scripture promdinner. After breakfast, each of us ises us that when we seek Him, He had to find a spot to pray and to will surely be found of us! Such journal. We were given four pastimes are really precious to me – sages to read and to reflect upon. I and ALWAYS God is faithful. As chose a serene spot by a clear He communes with me, it will be stream. I must confess that most of specific, addressing me at my parthe time I am not in touch with God ticular station of life for that seabut here in this peaceful atmosson. Having a spiritual director is phere I surrendered myself to God also very helpful as she gives us and just focused on Him. The paspassages of scriptures and guides us sage truly came alive to me and I into allowing the scriptures to come understood it so clearly. alive as we meditate on them. The four hours that I spent by the Thank You Lord for being our God. stream gave me much peace and Carol Tang understanding of God’s words and yet I didn’t realize that God had spoken to me. We were introduced to “Lectio Divina”, literally meaning “Divine Reading” which basically focuses on entering a passage and making it come alive. It is a meditative approach to the Scriptures.

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efreshing Spring indeed!

That we’ll ne’er be tested Dangling my feet beyond our capacIn the cool of the stream, ity; I marvel at nature, Drawn unto a small God’s creation. rock… smoothened, As I gaze… rough edges honed What lay before me. lined and dented. Struck a chord. Yet, a thing of Same stream… beauty gentle to the Yet, torrents one side touch quiet ripples, the other. of those who would draw near. Can you hear the gurgling Submit, therefore as this rock; o’er the roaring turbulence? overcome adversities… The swirls coursed Refined, pleasing to the eye, by riding obstacles before it; all its facets brilliantly shining thru’ Foaming, seething in stress and strain. A gem indeed! Clarity obscured. God does the moulding. Yet, as nature shows Allow Him to work, there is another way. forming a tapestry of life’s myriad Lapping, gurgling, meandering. experiences to touch each other’s Quietly surrendering to stones life. Glory be to God along its path; with its ever-flowing stream transparent and clear constantly at work as before man and God. Clearing the debris, Believe it or not! bringing clarity and vision. In the stillness of my heart Fulfilling and invigorating life inas I close my eyes, deed! the sound of quiet murmuring o’er the roar of the rapids. Prayer: Titillate my ears. Thank you Lord, that you speak Isn’t this true of life? through nature. Thank You for your God never promised message of hope, rest, peace and joy it’ll be trouble-free. in Your presence. Just as Paul said in Life is such that turbulence Romans 1…what may be known and calmness lay side by side. about God is plain to them because Learning to access God has made it plain…so men are the throne of grace without excuse. where the still small voice Thank you for lessons learnt. In Jewill bring comfort, peace and joy. sus’ name I pray, Amen! The journey seems never-ending Kathy Chang you can’t see beyond the bend but there’s rest in between where stretches of ease lies. What a promise!

ONTEMPLATIVE & SILENT RETREATS (CSR) are designed for those who desire to ex experience or be exposed to the contemplative tradition of prayer. These retreats integrate extended periods of silence, solitude and scriptural meditation. Retreatants will follow the guidance and direction of a Retreat Director. Different amounts of teaching and input will be provided, depending on the type of retreat. The participants were invited to “carve out for yourself a space to get away from the distractions of busy city life to soak quietly in the spirit of listening prayers. Make this encounter with God a memorable one as you spend intimate time with Him in silence and solitude.” From 25 to 27 May 2012, 28 women from various Methodist Churches attended a Silent Retreat – Quest for Intimacy Retreat – organized by TRAC-ICM at the Refreshing Springs Resort near Tanjung Malim.

Ms Wong Moi Lee who was the retreat facilitator, has 20 years of experience in pastoral and church planting ministry. Her ministry to those in need of wholeness prompted her to co-found an inner-healing ministry called FountainGate.

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At the SSMC Family Camp 2012, Ruth Patterson shared about the practice of keeping a Journal of our spiritual journey. Journalling was also practiced by the Ladies at the Silent Retreat (see preceding story). While many felt it was a good idea, they may not know how to start or fear that they may not have the discipline to sustain a daily journal. This is a short guide on Journalling which summarises some of Ruth’s ideas. We have also taken a leaf from Ruth’s own journal (see next page) to give you an insight or a template which you can adopt and adapt for you own journalling. • Journaling leads to personal growth and discovery through writing and reflection.

GUIDE TO SPIRITUAL

JOURNALING you journey through life S with God, recording your adventure in a journal is a great help.

Journaling is simply a way of recording your journey with God. It helps you to pay more attention to God and is a way of learning to hear and respond to Him. By keeping a record you can see what God’s been doing, how far you’ve come and where you’re going. Keeping a journal wi$ help you to see how God is working in your life. Your journal is more than a place to record daily events. It’s a place for inner growth and personal discovery. It acts as a mirror, is a safe place to explore things with God and is a place to generate and record ideas. As such, it becomes a good %iend and sounding board. Benefits of Journaling • Keeping a journal wi$ enlarge your vision and increase your expectancy. • It helps to keep you in good spiritual shape and stay true to your values. • Your journal acts as a safe place to process what God is doing in your life and the lives of those around you.

saying through your dreams and through others.

Date every entry. This helps you to • It helps you to see where you’re going see your progress and makes it easier with God and to understand your to find things. spiritual journey. Highlight scriptures that God gives • Your journal wi$ provide a record you and words that He speaks to your that shows you how far you’ve heart, so you can easily find them in journeyed, what God has been doing your journal when you want to rein your life and how much you’ve read them. Sometimes God speaks grown. the same thing in diﬀerent ways as He tries to get your attention and Your journal can be anything you impress on you the importance of want it to be. It could be a catalogue what He’s saying. A journal helps you of your thoughts and prayers and to spot that. God’s answers. A co$ection of wisdom and insight gleaned %om A journal helps us to make sense of God’s word and others. A record of our lives. It helps us to stop and encounters with other Christians God notice what’s happening and what’s puts across your path … whatever being said, understand it and respond. serves you. A journal helps us to become aware of the many signs of God’s presence. Practical Guide To Journaling There's no right or wrong way to journal. Don’t immediately evaluate Start by praying. Ask the Holy Spirit, what comes. Don’t censor your your Counse$or and Teacher, to lead thoughts, simply write, a$owing your you as you journal. thoughts to flow uninterrupted. Write what's on your heart. Talk to It’s a good idea to do a summary God; be honest with Him and with every few months. I’m always yourself. Share your joys, victories, encouraged when I do this and desires, %ustrations, uncertainties and amazed at what God has been saying heartaches with Him. Write down and the many things that I've your goals, prayers, dreams, memories forgotten. and special events. Record Biblical and spiritual insights and revelations. “The unexamined life is not worth living …”, Socrates Write out your praises to God. Listen and document. Record what God puts on your heart and what He’s

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MY DAILY JOURNAL DAILY GRATITUDE: So very grateful that I am still ‘in the way’, teaching’ and ‘recognised as having a good relationship with You’.

PROGRESS TOWARDS GOALS:

My goal is to reach the fullness of You, nothing less will satisfy. PAST EVENTS AND DOORS OPENED: FULFILMENT OF LIFE STATEMENT

PRAYERS:

E: it is time to arise, shake off your grave clothes and stand upright in the Name of the Lord your God. Know Him alone and speak of Him with authority.

DREAMS OR VISIONS:

Many dreams all about humans and their characters, even one of myself years ago and my attitude to my hens if they did not obey me. It is just confirming to me that this area of love and our characters needs to be preached. Neal preaches that your love for God is only in as much as you love others. He is thinking of S.B. when he says that, and she is a shocker. Tempering that statement I would say ‘you have to develop the 1st commandment in yourself, and need space and longsuffering for that. Then when it is developed the 2nd commandment can be seen stronger’.

DIALOGUE WITH GOD:

Good morning Lord, how is your world today? Is there any aspect in your world today that I can become a part of? I heard in the news today of a violent cyclone affecting Manila. There will be such suffering for so many. I am thinking of the tent dwellings opposite the wharf gate swarming with children, they are so vulnerable. No way could they stand up to this weather, but who will help them for the infrastructure cannot support them. I am thinking of the churches in that region, especially Pastor Ely and his family, whose building and resources are far too meagre. They will be feeling so stretched even helpless. Sometimes the sheer

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frustration at times must tempt them to wonder where you are, oh Lord give them your strength and heart today. Heidi and Rolland Baker are always my example of who I would name as great in the midst of similar conditions, how I am always challenged by them. For as much as I admire them I am not sure that I could follow their example. Which brings me to myself as I sit before you now. You know the situations I could find myself in today, and you know whether I can rise to them in your nature. In the areas where you know I will fail I am before you now in submission. How I need you. Search me o God and know my heart today, and see if there be any wicked way in me.

RESPONSE TO READING SCRIPTURES:

Acts 14:1-3 here is Paul and Barnabas having such joy in sharing the truth about Jesus, and the folks responding in bulk. At the same time there is the disappointment at the many Jews, their own kind, who are maliciously stirring up trouble and falsehood because of jealousy. Paul didn’t try and reason with them. He gave them space to understand what they were doing and to repent, whilst he got on with preaching the truth. vs. 3 the Lord was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. There goes my prayer once again. See above

Journal of

Ruth Patterson

My Child, You may not know me, but

I know everything about you.(1) I know when you sit down and when you rise up.(2) I am familiar with all your ways.(3) Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.(4) For you were made in my image.(5) In me you live and move and have your being.(6) For you are my offspring.(7) I knew you even before you were conceived.(8) I chose you when I planned creation.(9) You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book.(10) I determined the exact time of your and where you would live.(11) You are fearfully and wonderfully made.(12) I knit you together in your mother's womb.(13) And brought you forth on the day you were born.(14) I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me.(15)I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love.(16)And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.(17) Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. (18) I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.(19)For I am the perfect father.(20) Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. (21)For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.(22) My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.(23) Because I love you with an everlasting love.(24) My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore.(25)

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me.(31)Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart.(32) For it is I who gave you those desires.(33) I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine.(34)For I am your greatest encourager.(35) I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles.(36) When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you.(37) As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart.(38) One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes.(39) And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth.(40) I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus.(41) For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.(42) He is the exact representation of my being.(43) He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you.(44) And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.(45)Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.(46)His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you.(47) I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. (48) If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me.(49) And nothing will ever separate you from my love again.(50)Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen.(51)I have always been Father, and will always be Father.(52) My question is…Will you be my child?(53) I am waiting for you.(54)

And I rejoice over you with singing.(26) I will never stop doing good to you.(27)For you are my Love, Your Dad treasured possession. (28) I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. (29)And I want Almighty God to show you great and marvelous things.(30) Each line is a paraphrased verse %om Scripture. See if you know the scripture references indexed by numbers in brackets without referring to the list on the next page

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ver 100 participants attended a 3 day-seminar organised by SSMC on “Experiencing the Father’s Love” from May 4-6. The seminar was led by Richard Jones and Dass Supermaniam from FatherHeart Ministries. The Father’s love was experienced afresh by the participants who embarked on a journey from slavery to sonship status. The FatherHeart Ministry was founded by James and Denise Jordan from New Zealand, who had earlier joined up with Jack Winter’s ministry in Pasadena, dedicated to the ministering of the Father's love. FatherHeart Ministries’ key declaration is that God is once again revealing Himself as Father. His desire is that all His children not only know and experience His fathering, but that they live as His sons and daughters. Only His fathering can truly bring us to a place of rest and wholeness. As He reveals Himself to us, our hearts are transformed, and this in turn transforms our perception of reality and our outward behaviour. He carries us from works to intimacy, from slavery to sonship, from our plans to the adventure of walking with Him as Father, saturated in His presence and journeying with Him. He is

This was the same experience shared by Barry Adams who later compiled the Father’s Love Letter. In October 1997, he responded to an altar call at a Pastors’ Conference. He was given a vision "You are a little baby and God is your Father and right now He is reattaching your umbilical cord to Himself." At another Men’s Retreat, the same Jack Winter prayed for him to receive a deeper revelation of the Father's love. He recalled the feelings of all the pain and disappointment of a little boy just wanting to be loved and also felt the incredible warmth of God the Father wrapping His arms around him. Wave upon wave of the love of God began to touch the deepest places in his heart that had been so wounded and discouraged as a child. After this pivotal encounter with God, he began to see the Father's love everywhere in the Bible.

20. Matthew 5:48 21. James 1:17 22. Matthew 6:31-33 23. Jeremiah 29:11 24. Jeremiah 31:3 25. Psalms 139:17-18 26. Zephaniah 3:17 27. Jeremiah 32:40 28. Exodus 19:5 29. Jeremiah 32:41 30. Jeremiah 33:3 31. Deuteronomy 4:29 32. Psalm 37:4 33. Philippians 2:13 34. Ephesians 3:20 35. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 36. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 37. Psalm 34:18

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restoring the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to their children (Mal 4:6). This is a generation that is longing to belong, searching for those who will point the way into the place of their true Father’s allencompassing presence, purpose and love.

The Cry of a Father’s Heart from Genesis to Revelation. 1. Psalm 139:1, 2. Psalm 139:2, 3. Psalm 139:3, 4. Matthew 10:29-31, 5. Genesis 1:27, 6. Acts 17:28, 7. Acts 17:28, 8. Jeremiah 1:4-5, 9. Ephesians 1:11-12, 10. Psalm 139:15-16 11. Acts 17:26 12. Psalm 139:14 13. Psalm 139:13 14. Psalm 71:6 15. John 8:41-44 16. 1 John 4:16 17. 1 John 3:1 18. 1 John 3:1 19. Matthew 7:11

38. Isaiah 40:11 39. Revelation 21:3-4 40. Revelation 21:3-4 41. John 17:23 42. John 17:26 43. Hebrews 1:3 44. Romans 8:31 45. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 46. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 47. 1 John 4:10 48. Romans 8:31-32 49. 1 John 2:23 50. Romans 8:38-39 51. Luke 15:7 52. Ephesians 3:14-15 53. John 1:12-13 54. Luke 15:11-32

In December 1998, as he was praying, he heard a still small voice say, "If you put the scriptures in the right order, they will form a love letter.” After compiling a series of paraphrased scriptures and sharing with his home church and elsewhere, he was simply amazed at the response to this simple message of Father's love. www.FathersLoveLetter.com was launched in November 1999, almost shutting down the Internet provider because of the high number of viewers.

hat is Father's Love Letter? Father's Love Letter is a compilation of Bible verses from both the Old & New Testaments that are presented in the form of a love letter from God to you. Each line in the Father's Love Letter message is paraphrased, which means we have taken each Scripture's overall message and summarized it as a single phrase to best express it's meaning. Since 1999, this message has been downloaded from their website in 99 languages from people in almost every nation. It has also appeared as full page newspaper ads in many countries. Father's Love Letter used by permission Father Heart Communications © 1999-2011

...was designed as a special evening for fathers and daughters to spend meaningful time together over a special meal – one to one. Organised by Focus on the Family, this banquet provided fathers the opportunity to bond with their daughters while also affirming their commitment as a father, and reassuring their daughters as young ladies.

This was indeed a precious occasion for fathers to take their daughters out for an exclusive dinner banquet filled with fun and meaningful activities, as a way of affirming their worth and femininity. The highlight of the event was the special purity ring presentation. Other key activities were : 1. Photography Session: Fathers and daughters portrait shot taken together as a memento of the banquet. 2. Short activities to emphasize the importance of understanding, communicating and encouraging one another.

3. “Our Dreams”: Fathers and daughters share their expectations and dreams. 4. “His & Her Love Language”: Participants answer a brief questionnaire and discover each other’s love language. 5. “His Story & Her Story”: Testimonies from father and daughter teams to encourage the participants in their relationship. 6. Purity Commitment: Fathers present their daughters with a “Worth the Wait” ring as a reminder to her that she is loved and precious to him. Quite a few Father & Daughter pairs from SSMC graced the banquet on 10 March and share their experiences here...

Boey Yoke Khew

Roy Lee I suppose 'dating' one's daughter I am sure we have all heard this is certainly not the usual thing to phrase "Our past shaped our future" and how true it is for me do for many of us, and was for me, a significant milestone in my as far as parenting is concerned. life experiences. The event I grew up in an old fashioned provided Hannah and I the traditional Chinese family where opportunity to initiate personal the popular parenting mantra sharings around areas which we was "you just do what you are would not normally talk about. told" and "spare the rod and And I believe those discussions spoil the child". There was would become additional practically no room for dissent platforms for us to build a and I somehow, also think that is stronger relationship with one the better way of parenting. So another. The spirit and essence this "Father and Daughter of the entire event was Banquet" thing seemed alien to comprehensively captured with me and I honestly was not sure presentation of the 'purity' ring how much it could be of help to - as a symbol of commitment, me. support and love between father & daughter.

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Roy & Eunice

I am just not a physical provider but also her emotional and spiritual provider. Four months have passed since the event and I am not sure how much progress I have made vis-avis relationship with my daughter. Honestly, it is not an easy journey but one that I have to strive through nonetheless. Perhaps what I need to do is try to COMMUNICATE better and more eﬀectively with my daughter. I must begin with Words of Aﬃrmations.

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Richard Chai

CK Lee

It was so encouraging to have a chance to participate in this Father & Daughter Banquet 2012 with my only daughter, Jane Chai. It was the first time I dined with my daughter in such a formal occasion. We had a pleasant night. This event actually enhanced a better understanding between Jane and me. I will promote this occasion to others as it is so meaningful.

My daughter Jia Rui is 13 and in Form 1. Perhaps due to the secure, relaxed and focussed environment, my daughter was able to speak and express freely and honestly that evening.

Jane Chai

After the event, I still think that there is nothing wrong in the "old fashioned" ways. It just needs to be executed in a more eﬀective way. The virtues of respect, obedience, hard work, discipline and good manners will never go out of fashion. But the event has helped me to see parenting from a daughters' point of view.

It was fun that night in the Father & Daughter Banquet 2012. We had a photo session together and that

I was totally taken by surprise by her natural tone - she talked like a young lady and was a lot more mature in her thoughts and words than what I expected of her. It struck me there. Wow! I am in the wrong track. I must now open a new chapter for her and me, and re-define our relationship as from now...in theory at least. If not for the dinner , I would have been in the "dark", rendering more friction which now can be avoided by being in the "light". I want to express my gratitude to all who had helped that night, and all the days and nights earlier in preparing the function.

Richard & Jane Chai photo is placed in our living hall. I can see it everyday. This date was truly memorable and precious to me.

I would love to attend the function again in the future.

CK & Jia Rui

KL & Joy Lam

Alban & Priscilla KL Lam

Alban

I had experienced such an event before (with Grace Lam) so when we heard about this year's dates, we prioritized our schedules accordingly, and also encouraged others about the banquet.

The Father and Daughter Banquet was a well planned event by Focus on The Family Malaysia. I am glad I registered for this event as I thoroughly enjoyed the whole evening with Priscilla. Well, we talked and did a lot of stuﬀ We continue to be appreciative, that we do not usually do at thankful and grateful for being home. Learning Priscilla’s love able to attend. The "ring" & our portrait together are tokens of the language has made me understand her better as well as to appreciate significance of the set-aside time her more. The programme for the together. evening had certainly made us connect in a whole new level. Joy Lam This is an event not to be missed I knew about it so no hesitations as it promotes family unity. I whatsoever. The "ring” is an item would highly recommend it to that continues to remind and every father and daughter. Kudos touch my heart. to the organizer!

A = Albert Tai ; J = Janelle Tai Q1 Why did you attend the event? A : Wanted to have a good time of catching up with Janelle and talk about things which we seldom get to talk about, to understand her better (hopefully vice versa) and to learn something new about her. J : I attended the event to create a closer bond with my father and to have a good conversation over a good meal without my mother around. I do love my mother but sometimes I need a little time with my dad without my mum interrupting.

Priscilla I feel that the banquet has opened my eyes. It made me realised that it’s possible for a daughter to be close to her father. Throughout the banquet, my dad and I bonded and began to know more things about each other. My conclusion is, “Yeah, maybe he is from another era, but he knows a lot of things too”. That banquet was really good. I totally recommend it to the fathers and daughters out there! Oh, plus the food is good too.

Q2 What were your greatest take-aways from the event? A : Enjoyed the food, benefitted from the sharing and most importantly, appreciate Janelle as a young lady with dreams and aspirations balanced with real needs and struggles as a teen. This made me realise that the journey is a continuing one and as a father I am reminded of my responsibilities to make the extra eﬀort to make our relationship stronger. J : Well, I enjoyed all the activities planned but the most memorable was when we just chatted and ate the meal served to us. Sometimes a good chat is all you need...and FOOD.

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Richard Tan

Matthew Tee

I was also pleasantly surprised how many questions about me Nicola could answer with ease and a few with confident educated correct guesses. Yes, I did enjoy the conversation starters and there were also new insights gained in the process. Of course I was very interested to hear the type of guy she wants to marry. I had a lot to say about both her strong and weak points. I ended the evening feeling the importance of open communication (often fierce arguments) has in influencing and knowing our children. I praise God that Nicola has grown up to be a lovely lady after God’s own heart. For some reason, the judges liked our fashion combination and we walked away with the best dressed daughter and father award. Me a Cinaman in an Indian outfit!

When I first came to know about this banquet, I was keen to attend with my lovely daughter, Grace Tee who was equally looking forward to attend. My reason being I might able to take the opportunity to cultivate a better relationship and know her in a better sense.

Nicola Tan The most memorable part of the Father-Daughter Banquet for me was the talking. There were questions written on pieces of paper on the table – conversation starters. Fun questions like “What is one thing you’ve never done but would really like to do?” or “Where would you like to travel to?”, and deeper questions like “What are you most excited and afraid of in the future?” or “What kind of guy would you like me to marry?” We tried to answer the questions for each other, and I was surprised to find that my father knows me even better than I thought he did (and I thought he knew me pretty well). EBENEZER, SEPT 2012

Richard & Nicola

There were also relationship and character-based questions like “What are my weak points?” (which my father, of course, had a lot to say about) or “When do you feel closest to or furthest away from your family?”. My family isn’t the kind that often has a shortage of conversation. In fact, getting us to STOP talking is usually the biggest problem. However some of the conversation starters asked questions we wouldn’t normally have thought of asking each other, and really made us think. Think about our strengths and weaknesses, our fun times and our fights, the hurdles we’d crossed, and our thoughts for the future. We got to know each other better because of it.

As a father to a 14-year old youth, I guess I did not really have all the opportunity to know her that well until that banquet evening. Now, after the banquet, of course, I know her better as a mature girl. She taught me some things about myself, too, at the banquet and that is, of course personal between myself and my lovely daughter. Grace Tee You are great and have a great understanding of me as my father. Thank you for loving me too.

Matthew & Grace Tee

Jack Foo

“Oh with a$ that I've done wrong I must have done something right. I It seemed like just not that long couldn't ask God for more than this is ago when I cradled Adrienne in what love is. I know I've got to let my arms. I remember the song, “Butterfly Kisses” by Bob Carlisle her go (eventua$y) but I'$ always remember every hug in the mornin' and wondering if she will always and butterfly kisses” be daddy’s little girl. One of the stanza goes like this... “A$ the precious time Adrienne Foo Like the wind the years go by Precious butterfly A few months ago, my father and Spread your wings and fly”. I attended a Father-Daughter Banquet that was organized by As we walked into the banquet Focus On The Family. We first hall, I must have shed an invisible started oﬀ with a photo shoot tear of joy as it dawned on me together before we walked into that Adrienne has grown into a the ballroom. I thought that was fine young lady. All the angst and a great idea and very appropriate teenage episodes seemed but a according to the agenda for the distant memory as I spent the night as I, myself, barely have had next few hours talking and any pictures taken of my dad and listening to her thoughts, dreams, I together alone in one frame. aspirations, fears and joys. This is because my dad and I are I whispered a silent prayer of both photographers and we do thanksgiving for all that she has not have many opportunities to become and is growing to be. have pictures taken of us Even as I am comforted in the individually, let alone together. knowledge that God continues to hold her in the palm of The one common thing my dad His hands, I could and I share is photography. hear the song Outdoor activities and being playing in spontaneous come in second my mind on the list. So, when we do talk, most of the time it would be based on these few topics that we both have a common interest in. Before the whole night begun, all the fathers and daughters, who were seated in pairs on each table, were asked to start our own conversations in the mean time, with the help of Jack & conversation Adrienne starters that were provided, which were strips of

papers containing questions to ask each other. This ice-breaker was quite helpful and eﬀective as my dad and I had a chance to discover new interests, hobbies, talents and characteristics that we didn’t know each other had. This was ground-breaking as it opened our eyes and minds to each other’s opinions and to accept each other for who we are, despite the fact that my dad and I have very diﬀerent mindsets. The activities and games conducted throughout the night were okay and they were related to the theme for the night. It was somewhat like a mini boot camp for team building between fathers and daughters to be able to have to work together as a team without arguing and shouting at each other. There was more to it than to just be the winners of the games (due to the kiasu-ness), but to achieve the big win in the father-daughter relationship and realize how much God has blessed each and every one of us, daughters, with our loving fathers, and vice versa, regardless of how our fathers nag and argue with us, which sometimes (or most of the times), turns it into a feisty “debate”. I am very thankful to God to have a father like mine.

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Jamna Tan I signed up for the motherdaughter camp to spend some dedicated time with Natasha. I went with no real expectations. Our first task upon registration was to pick a “plot”, pretty morbid and final! Thank goodness they soon explained it was for the site of our tent. Pitching our own tent and camping on the periphery of a golf course overnight was an experience in itself, but who can complain about a camp site with club facilities! I enjoyed the Amazing Race (which our team won!). Like Natasha, my most memorable activity was the 3legged race. I was touched that Natasha had been listening to me and could correctly answer many of the revealing questions I was supposed to answer.

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nother event organised by Focus on the Family, The Mother & Daughter Connection is designed to provide mothers and daughters a time to connect, enjoy and develop a strong bond with one another through meaningful sessions and exciting activities. The goals are: 1. To provide a platform for bonding and understanding one another 2. To help mothers and daughters understand themselves, and their roles and responsibilities 3. To provide opportunities to encourage and aﬃrm one another through various activities 4. To explore relevant topics confronting women today, e.g. building a healthy self-image, personal grooming, etc. Some of the activities are: 1. Sessions provide mothers and daughters with practical tips on understanding, communicating and encouraging one another, such as Building a Lifelong Bond, Encouraging One Another, Media Influence, etc. 2. Informative talks on topics relevant to women e.g. Confidence from Within, How Healthy is Your Body? , Beyond Appearances, dining etiquette, grooming tips, etc.

I felt so blessed by our close relationship. It was hard to walk blindfolded (only mums were blindfolded), with one leg tied to Natasha. We had to go over diﬀerent terrains including stairs. She was very patient and a good guide. I soon learnt to trust her to lead. This was my most significant revelation during this camp, that someday our roles would change and I would have to trust my daughters to lead – quite a revelation! Natasha Tan My mum and I attended the event to improve our relationship. were questions along the way that To me, I felt that the relationship we had to answer like, “What is your favourite family memory?” or we had was already good enough “What is one of the saddest and so I was reluctant to go. moments you’ve had?” It was However, mum was really excited really funny watching my so I figured I’d give it a shot. I’m glad I did because even though we incredibly nervous blindfolded mum take little steps so she were already quite close, the mother-daughter camp helped me wouldn’t fall but after awhile she learned to trust me. It was to understand my mum more. I definitely really fun and a good really liked the 3-legged activity. This is when my mum and I were experience especially since we carved fruit and camped on a golf tied together and she was blind course. :P folded. I had to lead her throughout the club and there

Our Grandmo!er-Mo!er-

Daughter Retreat.

by R’deen Phi$ips

e had a wonderful weekend. We went to Fraser’s Hill. It was a beautiful place where we could literally take time to smell the flowers, take in beautiful sceneries, enjoy fresh air and the cool weather and be quiet to listen to the sounds of nature. The place where we stayed at was perfect venue for our GrandmotherMother-Daughter Retreat. The main purpose of this retreat was to prepare Laura for her Challenge Year and introduce her list of Challenges. We asked her what she thought was the reason for such a list. With a twinkle in her eye, she answered “To torture me!” :) I explained to her that this is not just a checklist to go through but that Tim and I specifically designed this for her based on her strengths and gifts as well as to work on her weak areas to better prepare her to be the young woman God wants her to be.

Psalm 139:1, 1 Timothy 4:12, Proverbs 31:1, Matthew 6:33, Philippians 1:6, etc.

Some people also sent interview questions for Laura, some were silly like: “If you had a superpower what would that be and why?” while some were serious and require some time and prayer for her to answer like: “What 13 things made you who you Lola (Tagalog for “grandmother ”) and are today?" and “What do you want to accomplish in the next 13 years?” I shared from our own experiences Aside from our heart-to-heart talks some lessons learned and other we also did a few activities in town: memories from our own childhood we went horseback-riding (which and teen years. This was also special for me because my Mom shared some turns out to be Lola’s first time!), we also did some archery and boating. things that I didn’t know about her! I had several significant adults in her life write notes of encouragement and advice: grandmothers, godmother, school teacher, Youth Group leaders, coach, etc. Laura was pleased to hear such wonderful words of wisdom from people she looks up to and love, who are now scattered in diﬀerent parts of the world. There were a lot of Scripture portions shared, and here are a few that were mentioned by several people:

On Sunday morning, we had a mini service, just the three of us. We sang a few songs together. Then Lola shared from Phil 4:8, 9. Then we read the last 3 letters we have left: from me, from GrandMa Phillips and Lola. After Lola read hers, she gave Laura a ruby ring (my mom’s birthstone) as a token of her prayer for Laura to be the woman of Prov 31:10 someday. Lola said she bought this ring the year Laura was born. Lola ended with a song of blessing for Laura. I had Laura close our time in prayer.

After that we were all hugging each other with tears in our eyes. It was really a precious time! One last thing I wanted to do was to bless Lola, so while she was seated Laura and I stood up and laid our hands on her. I, representing the oldest of her children, and Laura, the oldest of her grandkids, blessed her and thanked God for her! Sunday afternoon, Tim came with Kristi to pick us up and he and Laura went to the Olde Smokehouse restaurant for a Daddy-Daughter date. Tim prepared something to share with Laura and presented her with a lovely purity necklace. They had a great time together but didn’t really finish talking (which is good, these conversations should happen not just on special dates but all the time) because Kristi sent them an sms saying: “ETA: now (please). I’m tired, and I’m itchy, and I’m cold and I wanna go home!” :)

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FINDING THE T’MOAN TRIBE IN CAMBODIA

fter a very long and difficult journey we found the T’moan people. It is difficult to find words to express how demanding and painful the journey was. It took 3 days from dawn to dusk of constant driving, walking and carrying the motorcycles just to get to where we wanted to go. One thought constantly in our minds was that we were going to have to go back as well! Reaching our objective was well worth it and it also have us understanding that to reach these people we will have to send a church planter to live among them rather then traveling in and out. The travel is so demanding that no one could do it very many times. Flat tires, engine problems, crossing some 40 streams and rivers all added to the difficulty. In the middle of the jungle there is no one to help us, so we had to manage whatever problem came up.

by Steve Hyde, speaker @ SSMC Anniversary Gi- Day 2012

Without that letter, the chief said the villagers would have run away. No one in the T’moan village could read the letter though, so we had to read it to him. They were very happy to welcome us and the whole village came out. They were all very polite and kind as well, unlike other Khmer villages which tend to be quite rude to visitors, especially foreigners like myself. We could definitely see the hand of God preparing the way by opening the hearts of the people who have been so isolated and were not accustomed to seeing foreigners. We spent a long time listening to them and we were genuinely interested in their people and their way of living. I think they could tell that we were truly interested in them and want to help them in whatever way we can, especially through seeing them accept Jesus and helping them to have a better and more healthy life. I have never seen such poverty and sickness in Cambodia, and this is a country which has plenty of both. The people do not know that their lives could be better, so they still have a big smile on their faces.

After staying with them we learned about their customs and actually, until recently, they were a nomadic people and never stayed in one place. We needed a guide to get to the T’moan people and no one wanted to They moved every year between clearings in the jungle for gathering take us. Later we were able to meet forest fruits and hunting wildlife. the district chief who was This style of life left them utterly responsible for the T’moan people. poor and they could not sustain He was from the Kraowl tribe and their living because they were gave us a letter telling the village constantly moving from place to chief of the T’moan to help us in place. The closest tribe to them, the anyway he could. Kraowl taught them to plant rice

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and they decided a few years ago to stop moving from place to place and have now built a permanent village. Even though their village is surrounded by some of the most expensive and rare hard wood trees in the world their houses are made from feeble bamboo as they do not have the equipment to cut the timbers. None of their houses (about 50 in the main village) use even one nail and are all tied together using vines and the flexible stringy bark from a special tree. Two years after we had found the T’moan people and in March we felt the time was right to finally share Christ with them. Upon returning to the tribe, they had just completed a sacrifice and we shared with them how people’s sin had caused them to fall away from the one true God. We shared the gospel every way we could, especially by comparing it to their own tribal legends. They had a flood story, a story about the world ending in fire (judgment of God) and a sacrificial system. It was definitely a time ordained by God as after sharing the gospel and answering questions for two days all the people of the tribe accepted Christ. There were two diﬀerent villages of about 500 people that accepted Christ at diﬀerent times during the week.

SSMC Anniversary Gift Day Celebrating 37 years of Gods’ Goodness

ur 37th Anniversary was celebrated on 20th May 2012. As is our tradition, the highlight of the celebration is the giving towards missions. This practice started in 1979 with a modest amount collected. Over the years, God had challenged us to expand our horizons and missions reach. As we remain faithful to this calling, God released more funds and resources to the mission fields. Beyond giving, SSMC became a sending church with the first mission trip in 1984. Since then we have sent short- term teams to many countries in the 10/40 window and continue to support full time

missionaries and mission partners both locally and globally. Our special speaker was Steve Hyde, a real life Indiana Jones jungle explorer. Read about Steve’s exploits “Finding the T’moan Tribe” on the preceding page. He shared about “Defeating Giants - Lessons from David & Goliath”. He called on SSMC to view missions over and above giving and to GO, commending the next generation to missions. Indeed, SSMC’s mission statement is to fulfill our destiny to be “missional” where every member is a missionary where he is placed.

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SSMC FAMILY CAMP 2012 double portion of blessings fell on us this year with 2 camp speakers for the English-speaking section. Neal and Ruth Patterson shared from their collective experiences

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(as teachers and missionaries) on the discipline and practice of prayer. They complemented each other in their approach and style of preaching and sharing. Neal took a very methodical and didactic approach peppered with scriptural references while Ruth opened the eyes of our heart

with anecdotes and life lessons. Family Celebration Night has always been a carnival of talents and rapturous fun (see picture gallery below). We had representation from almost every demographic group but we do miss the ‘Ah Chims’ and the ‘Ah Peks’. Perhaps next year?

Los Cleferos (Glue Sniffers) of Cochabamba By Henry Cheah

n any nation where there is a breakdown in family values there is a breakdown in society and that, in turn, brings about problems in the country. What then constitutes those values? It is a series of different aspects and considerations and among them are education, awareness, responsibility and godly example which are sorely missing in Bolivia. There is a saying here that goes like this: “El matrimonio es nada pero la olla es condenada” which literally translated means “Marriage is nothing but the cooking pot is condemning”. In other words, to marry is easy but after that comes great responsibility. This is where many families fail over here and the result is a societal and family breakdown. The Cleferos have increased in numbers over the last few years and that reflect the many facets of problems families are facing – violence, drunkenness and absent parents as they go to work in other countries leaving their children behind.

Letter from

Henry Cheah is our missionary serving among the Andes people of Bolivia. He was back in Malaysia for a few months earlier this year and shared on his experiences and ministry in Bolivia in a special meeting in SSMC on 28 April - An Evening with Henry. Here is his first hand account of a growing social and spiritual problem in Cochabamba, the 4th largest city in Bolivia.

During one of the evenings, I took 2 friends with me to one of the plazas (a public square) in the southern part of the city and talked to some street kids hanging out there. As we were approaching, they became suspicious and acted in an unfriendly way. It took a while for them to open up to us and we began to share about Jesus and God to the few who gathered around. After a while of chatting with the group, I bought them some drinks, hamburgers and hot food and before they began to eat, one of them suggested that I pray for them, which I did, asking God to help change their lives for the better. As we entered into their world, I realized how tough their situation is. On an average they spend around US$2 a day buying and sniffing glue to take away their hunger. I went away that evening with a great impression that God has left in my heart - heavy and sad but glad that I did a wee bit of my part in sharing the Good News and showing the love of Jesus to these children who never knew what real love is all about.

out some gifts. Some prayed to receive Jesus into their hearts. Note: There are some unscrupulous people selling glue to these street children so that they will be hooked and become dependent on them. This is an illegal business and is sold under the counter. To buy the glue, many rob unsuspecting passers-by. Their ages range between 12-18 years old and some of them are 2nd generation street kids, i.e. children born to adolescent kids as a result of sleeping around with different partners all the time.

During Christmas, I got the joy of returning to them again. We sang some songs and I gave a brief meditation and afterwards, gave

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This is a social-psychological issue for self-protection and survival. The problem becomes complicated as many of them have the AIDS/HIV virus. They never knew or experience what true love, family and home is. The Cleferos are getting to be a problem in Cochabamba. Their numbers are growing all the time and pose a problem to society. People are afraid and shun them. To fight for survival, they rob and steal. When caught by the police, they will be locked away for a couple of hours or a day or two and set free again as thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no more rooms in the jails. When they are caught stealing in the market places, they will get beaten very badly and sometimes burned alive as the people do not trust in the law anymore. On the surface, they may seem to be a tough lot but in their hearts, they yearn to be useful in society, have a stable home and a job. The challenge: God to raise up people willing to minister to them, not just temporarily but on a long-term basis, setting up a home and gathering a group of professional Christian counselors, doctors, lawyers, etc. to deal with the many issues and problems these children faces.

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Of late I went to minister to another group of cleferos, this time with a group of people from a small church. What surprises me is that the cleferos have now expanded and you can find them living under the bridges in middle class residential areas as the poorer sides of town are either occupied by other groups or the police have cleaned them out of some of those places. What is even more disheartening is to hear that some police officers are blackmailing and threatening to throw them into jail if they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rob and give money and part of the loot to them (the police). I was driving home around 12 midnight one day after returning from a countryside church meeting. As I was driving past, I glanced at my rear mirror and saw a group of policemen talking about the spoils of the day with a group of street kids.

hope. There are a few of them who are interested to overhaul their lives while the rest do not really care much about their future. In order for God to change the lives of some of these kids, there is a need to take them out of the present situation and put them in some homes far from where they are, probably in another part of the country where they can experience love, care and security and at the same time be trained to become useful in society. Pray that God will give me and us (as I try to get some of the local folks to be involved in it as well) the wisdom and open doors to find a hopeful solution for some of these kids and that He will touch and change the hearts of the rest of the cleferos in Cochabamba and Bolivia.

Is there hope for these children? The God we have is a God of

Cristo de la Concord ia is the statue of Christ an d is just a bit higher and larg er than the one in Rio de Jan eiro making it the worl d's largest statue of Jesus u ntil 2010

S   H y name is Ricardo. I am 45 years old. Raised as a Catholic, I attended church most every Sunday, performed confession and repentance and all rituals that I was taught to be a good Catholic. However, I struggled most of my life in my relationships with my family, because I held on to things from the past. I become angry, selfish and arrogant and those feelings transferred to my personal relationships especially with women; so my understanding of love was not healthy. My relationships were based more on physical attraction, but not sensitive to their hearts and their feelings We started attending family therapies when my parents spent a great deal of time with me in USA from 2002 and when I visited my sisters in Colombia. These therapies helped to resolve some issues but invariably I reverted to my previous patterns of behavior. In 2008, after failing in my last relationship, that lasted for 5 years, I thought that maybe I should get involved in bigger and committed journeys/projects, such as doing one of the “James Walks” in Spain, or running and biking for good causes, such as cancer organization from Lance Armstrong (Livestrong), or helping young children like the big brothers, big sisters organization. In general, I thought that by punishing myself or doing good things, I could find peace in my heart, more compassion, capacity of forgiveness and love etc. I did all those things, and nothing happened, I was still the same person with the same heart. On January 17 of 2011, I found out that I had stomach cancer, and all that was in my mind was my family and how hard my heart was towards them. I flew back to Colombia and wanted to seek their forgiveness. They took

me to three different Catholic Churches and the priests prayed for me. The day before I was to return to USA to initiate cancer treatment, a missionary women (Amelia) showed up at my parents house, because Ricardo with the pastor of Celebration Church, Austin, Texas in my brother met her in his house with his family (wife, Damaris & kids) 2004. This woman shared the scriptures and explain to me what was the meaning of the Cross and the sacrifice that the Lord Jesus Christ did for all of us, and how much He longs for me to accept Him in my heart (Ezekiel 36:26). I needed a new heart and to be Ricardo with his younger sister (Yaneth), parents, Miguel and Rachel and uncle Jose and his wife Luz Maria, taken in Colombia born again and to be filled with the presence tion Church). Since my mind and my of the Holy Spirit. Immediately it heart was dedicated to Jesus, I surrenbecame clear to me and I understood dered my past for Him to heal and all the meaning of the scriptures that restore even in my quiet times with she explained to me. I received the Jesus. As for my cancer, I just left it to Lord Jesus in my heart on January 22, the Lord (Mathew 6:33), and He took 2011. He did a radical surgery of my care of me. On March 17, 2011, the heart immediately and I felt the presLord used Dr Richard Flemming to ence of the Holy Spirit and my heart confirm that I was healed and cancer was able to feel all the love that I had free. never felt before (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). I went back to USA and All these things changed my life and I joined a church congregation and became more obedient to the Lord, started learning more about Jesus always asking Him for the next step Christ through the Bible and learning that He has for me. I resigned from my to pray with assistance of Pastor work in USA, so I could get rid of my Ernesto Marquez in Austin (Celebra“ego” and He led me back to Colombia to work with two Christian Churches for 9 months. I was living with my parents and shared my testimony with them. Praise the Lord that He changed my parents’ hearts and they became Christians and got baptized on September 2011.

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permit her to go for the recommended scan. When I asked her about baptism again, I was alarmed when she said that all gods are the same. In my heart, I prayed that the evil one would not steal my motherin-law’s faith and assurance in the Lord Jesus Christ. About a week later, she couldn’t move from her bed because of the severity of her spinal pain.

GIVING THANKS

A TESTIMONY by Renee Sze y mother-in-law, Madam Lim, was diagnosed with Stage 1 ovarian cancer in January 2011. She was 70+. This in itself is a miracle as it is extremely rare for ovarian cancer to be detected in the initial stage. Before she went for the surgery, Pastors Swee Ming and Kok Moi visited her and asked if she would like to accept Jesus as her Saviour. Praise God she said “yes”. After surgery, she underwent chemotherapy till the beginning of this year. The chemo caused pain and slight numbness in both her legs and loss of hair. We continued to uphold her in prayer. I encouraged her to get baptized but she wanted to delay that till the following conditions were met: Condition 1 – her hair to grow back. God grew back her hair beautifu$y a-er she completed her chemo sessions!

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Condition 2 – that the pain and numbness in her legs be gone. God enabled her to walk quite a distance without the aid of a “tongkat” a-er a few months though there was sti$ a slight pain! 3) She wanted to move back to her own house and remove the altar from her house as she was staying with my sis-in-law after surgery. She recovered suﬃciently to move back to her own house in Seremban recently.

She was admitted to the General Hospital and the report showed that the cancer cells had spread to her stomach and possibly, the bones, too. She was discharged as the doctor felt nothing much could be done. Meanwhile, Pastor Kok Moi informed Rev Dr Chu from Chinese Methodist Church, Seremban, to follow up on my mother-in-law. On 14th of July 2012, Rev Chu came to visit her and asked if she would like to be baptized. I praise and thank God that my mother-in-law said “yes” and she was baptized right away. I was so privileged to witness her baptism and my spirit broke forth in this song that evening

Give thanks with a grateful heart However, after a week, she Give thanks to the Holy One injured her back when she tried Give thanks because He’s given to move her precious flower pots Jesus Christ His Son as she loves gardening. So she And now let the weak say I am had to move back to my sis-instrong law‘s house in Seremban 2 so that Let those who suﬀer say I am we$ Because of what the Lord has done she could be cared for. for us Her back pain was getting more Give thanks… and more intolerable despite Please continue to pray for my going to a chiropractor mother-in-law. Thank you. recommended by her friend. An X-ray showed some deformity of the spine and quite a number of spurs. The doctor also discovered that she had fluid in her stomach. Her severe back pain did not

Be "conscious" of your political rights Written by Bishop Datuk Ng Moon Hing, Chairman and the Executive Committee, The Christian Federation of Malaysia

n the first two chapters of Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, we read of two separate accounts of God giving to Adam rule and authority over the earth and all that live in it. In the first book of the New Testament, the Gospel according to St. Matthew, chapter 5 and verses 13 to 15, Christians are told that they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. These two passages and the collective message of our Holy Scripture point to the inescapable conclusion that Christians have a duty to protect and safeguard the earth, and all that live in it. Christians have not only been granted rights of leadership, but also the responsibility of stewardship.

understanding and mutual It is of fundamental importance respect. in a democracy, that citizens actually exercise their right to 2. A nation where extremism of all vote. Having the right to vote kinds is rejected and quickly without utilising it is of little use. curtailed. Racial and religious Voting ensures that every bigotry, manipulation and lies Malaysian citizen participates in that have now come to define bringing about a more just and the social sphere, the print equitable Malaysia for succeeding media and political posturing generations to come. must end immediately. Christians must be conscious of Therefore, it is important that as 3. A nation free of corruption, their political rights. Christians, we undertake our putting in place strengthened duty as citizens and exercise our state and public institutions In the context of the nation right to vote and express our whose members conduct state, Christians, like other preference for a political themselves with integrity, citizens, have been granted coalition that will best achieve transparency and accountability. certain rights, including the right our vision of a better Malaysia. to participate in the democratic 4. A nation that works towards the process of a country. This right to fair and equitable distribution of participate must be balanced wealth and ensuring well-being 8 Priorities with the responsibility of for all, regardless of citizenship In terms of our vision for a better exercising that right, and doing status, ethnicity or creed. Every Malaysia, CFM encourages so wisely. citizen and every community Malaysian Christians to think should be empowered and The Christian Federation of about the following priorities: enabled to pursue economic Malaysia (CFM) therefore invites 1. A nation guided by the ethics of activity and achieve and encourages all Christians to respect for human dignity. This advancement duly and fairly be conscious of their political means a nation where its citizens supported by the government rights â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to vote, and to use the are engaged fairly as equals, and where needed and necessary power of the vote to elect a their rights respected in without favour or discrimination government that will ensure accordance with the provisions and without being overly or justice with equity and the wellas guaranteed under the Federal unfairly supported by the state. being of our nation. The CFM is Constitution. Such a nation not politically motivated nor is it treats its citizens with honesty, endorsing any one political party.

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5. A nation where care for the The pulpit, the environment is privileged over self-seeking capitalism and pastor and politics where its political leaders weigh all by Rama Ramanathan April 26, 2012 decisions with ecological interest and sustainability as an essential aspect of development. 6. A nation where language and education are de-linked from political expedience. 7. A nation where elitism and inequality is not rampant and people are recognised and respected as human beings and not discriminated against due to social position, educational attainment, political beliefs, gender, race or religion. 8. A nation where religious freedom to profess, practice and propagate one’s religion is allowed to flourish without undue curtailment from the law, restrictions or even prohibition.

here’s a debate going on among Malaysian Christians. It’s about preachers and their sermons. It’s about what’s appropriate in a sermon, and what’s not. It’s about politics of the partisan kind.

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Once, an older member of one church chastised me for commending a young preacher’s mention of the first Anwar trial in a sermon. The older member criticised the “politicking” of the preacher. The preacher had pointed out the many changes — during the course of Anwar’s trial — in the date on which Anwar was alleged to have committed the oﬀense. The preacher’s point was that you can’t produce an alibi if you don’t know when you’re accused of committing an oﬀense, and that the multiple changes signaled sloppy work by the police and the prosecutor. What my preacher friend and I viewed as a commentary on justice was regarded by another as politics-from-the-pulpit. That, I think, is the nub of the matter. What’s politics and what’s justice/human rights?

We live in a period when youths are underemployed and angry; a period when rich bankers have been bailed Pray for GOOD leaders. out and poor pensioners have been and continue to be robbed; a period The CFM encourages Christians to The question being debated is when ruling politicians and their kids pray that good leaders will emerge “Should those who step into the live lives of luxury without labour: from the 13th general elections who pulpits of churches and address millions in Malaysia every Sunday tell ruling politicians will not declare will not only fulfil the above their assets, while opposition their audiences whom to vote for?” criteria, but who have the interest politicians have already done so. Variations of the question include of our beloved nation and its this: “Should Christians participate Many young people in Malaysian people as their first and only in Bersih 3.0?” [Bob Teoh addressed churches are frustrated. They think priority. the Bersih question admirably in his the church has become irrelevant. They think the church is too inward article in The Malaysian Insider.] Malaysians today are better educated, politically and socially In an article in The Star, Steve Roads looking, too focused on “ministry” of the kind which solemnises things and proposed that churchmen should more aware, and geographically events (cars, houses, births, funerals, focus on fixing their church more mobile than at any time in sickness, weddings) and too little on our history, and these have led to a problems and turn a blind eye to what’s going on “outside”, for that’s urging renovation of people’s lives. citizenry that is more the task of others. Alwyn Lau, in The They see pastors as men who make a knowledgeable and experienced. living pleasing their church Malaysian Insider, pointed out the Churches have a responsibility to problems with Steve’s position: being committees, not Christ. This I think is because members of help guide their congregations to “apolitical” is actually being these committees are often people use their wisdom in the exercise of “political”, and there’s nothing who became rich by getting favours their right to vote in order to bring inconsistent about saying from the or contracts from the government’s pulpit what’s said in coﬀeeshops. I’d about a nation where all spending frenzy to build things we like to add a historical perspective. Malaysians, and those who choose don’t need (just think of the Formula to make their living in this country, Many older Malaysian Christians 1 race track, the 100-storey tower can live in harmony and prosperity, believe a precept of their religion is that faith and politics should be kept and the excesses of Putrajaya).

peace and justice.

May the grace and the peace of

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separate. This belief is best illustrated by an example.

And who neglected to speak out on issues like the abuse of foreign workers, the lack of minimum wage laws, the Lingam factor in the appointment of judges, etc. Many in church committees — which often dictate terms to pastors — are more Christ-dressers than Christ-followers; they are “blessingoriented”, not Kingdom-oriented. Their idea of a cross to bear is their children having to go to public school because they can’t aﬀord to pay for private, preferably international, schools. The church, at the behest of committees and with often cowering pastors, stepped out of public life and withdrew from real engagement with the world. It forgot its history. It’s now paying the price: the children are turning against the parents. The death knell for churches was sounded when the government took over mission schools and replaced principals who expressed their awareness of history by resisting government eﬀorts to “revive” the syllabus and “restructure” schools. The “power principals” were replaced with “putty principals”: more concerned about privilege and promotions. Education is all about power and politics! When the church exited politics, it exited the world and became irrelevant. If my religion doesn’t impact the way I relate to my neighbour, how does it please God, let alone my neighbour? If Christians don’t embrace politics, how can they foster community life? As John Stott, famously put it: “Politics is the art of living together in community.”

(This is not to say they were angelic: after all, the bulk of the “visitors” were Christ-dressers: brutal, greedy, rapacious colonists; the Christfollowers were most often school teachers and churchmen.) You can’t separate religion from community life. Even in America, much as they would like to erase Christian evidences and influence from public life, they can’t escape history: America was built upon the Christian understanding that “all are equal.” There’s nothing natural about equality: just ask the millions of Indians today who still observe caste. Communities can be built on the wrong bases. There are extreme cases which well illustrate the point: caste-ist India, Stalinist Russia, Maoist China, most Middle Eastern countries (which are ruled by sometimes benevolent dictators). The Church has something to say about this. The Christian is a sojourner, just a camper on earth, whose real home is in another dimension. A Christian is a subject of the Kingdom of God first, and subject of earthly rulers second. The Christian believes God, the Great Shepherd, has appointed some to watch over and guide His sheep, i.e. those who claim to belong to be Christ-followers. According to the Bible, every Christian has a “pastor”, poimen in Greek, a “shepherd”. Pastors are appointed by the church to lead and to instruct Christians; they are “called” by God through the congregation and their call is confirmed by the church, often through services of ordination —

after which they are usually called “Reverend”. Pastors are expected to be faithful in prayer, study, obedience and in instructing their congregations on what it means to be God-pleasing. After the reformation (birth of the protestant Christian movement), and thanks to the invention of printing, some pastors became wellknown influences upon politics and politicians. In Switzerland, Pastor John Calvin (1509-1564) had much to do with the structure of government in Geneva, which was later replicated across Switzerland and elsewhere. In Scotland, Pastor John Knox (1514-1572) once told Queen Mary that she was a member of his parish and so was subject to him! Pastor Samuel Rutherford (1600-1661), of whom it was said,: “He was always praying, always preaching, always visiting the sick, always catechising, always writing and studying,” wrote Rex Lex, “The Law, the King,” which argued for limits on government and revisions to the ideas of divine rights of kings. Rex Lex is considered foundational for constitutional studies. In the Netherlands, Pastor Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) was even prime minister. During WWII, many pastors became well known. Some for their complicity with the Nazis, others for their opposition to the Nazis. Of the former, little is remembered; of the latter, the best known is Dietrich Bonhoeﬀer (1906-1945). (Con’t on next page)

We don’t speak of Christian countries any more. Today, Americans, Brits, Dutch, French, Italians, Portuguese, Spaniards, etc. do not claim their nations are “Christian”. So it’s easy to forget that these nations applied the Christian principle of human dignity to create the conditions for living together in community.

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Other pastors whose lives have been documented and celebrated include Trevor Huddleston, whom I have written about; Festo Kivengere (Anglican, Uganda, 1919-1988); Oscar Romero (Catholic, San Salvador, 1917-1980). These men were bishops, i.e. pastors of pastors. Martin Luther King Jr (whom I wrote about, re: Bersih 2.0) was a Baptist pastor. I said “have been documented and celebrated” because there are many who have not been, but whose contributions have been significant, e.g. Cambodian pastors martyred in the days of Pol Pot; American pastors who developed Negro spirituality and influenced other pastors like Dietrich Bonhoeﬀer; Chinese pastors who turned Mao Zedong’s prisons into seminaries; and those who continue to be behind bars in many countries today. So, when “practising Christians” say politics should be kept out of pulpits, I wonder whether they are ignorant of history or whether they simply wish to be left alone to enjoy the idol they have made of the church, in their own image. As for me, I call on pastors to be true to their callings and remember their forbears. The Great Shepherd and a long line of his appointees identified with the oppressed against the rich and the religious. Can we do any less? See you at Bersih 3.0. Rama attended SSMC in the 90s.

Understanding True Jubilee by Eugene Yapp NE question we encountered when promoting the Hope of Jubilee theme in praying for Malaysia is whether we are taking the correct biblical approach on Jubilee. Some have asked if Jubilee as outlined in Leviticus 25 is still applicable since Jesus Christ has already fulfilled it (Luke 4). So what does the Old Testament (OT) law of the Jubilee mean to ordinary Christians like you and me in the context of modern Malaysia? The key rests in understanding what God intended the law of the Jubilee to be. According to Leviticus 25, the Jubilee year is a year of consecration. During that year, no harvest or crops are to be cultivated and no work is to be done. The people were to keep holy and all property forfeited due to debts were to be returned to the original owners.

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All debts were to be cancelled and all slaves were to be freed. This mechanism was provided to even out inequalities and to prevent the people of God from descending into excessive poverty. For Malaysia, the nation is about to enter her 50th year of existence as a nation-state. If Christians in Malaysia are to grasp the appropriate significance of Jubilee, we need to bear in mind that it is not a form of prosperity gospel. It is not about God unlocking His blessings and pouring them out on the church or the nation so that we may have material abundance. Nor do we expect an overnight miracle with all social ills and societal problems disappearing immediately. To expect this is premature and would imply we have seriously misunderstood what the OT law of the Jubilee really means and how it relates to us as Christians in Malaysia.

Rather, we should see in the Jubilee, God's blue-print, His vision and design of what a harmonious society should be and how it is to function. It is not so much about God pouring out His blessings directly on the church as it is a model of what the church ought to do and how Christians ought to live and witness. In doing and living out God's design and vision as encapsulated in the law of the Jubilee, we inevitably become a channel of God's blessings upon Malaysia's people, all communities, society at large and the nation. And as the nation is blessed, Christians as citizens of the nation will in turn be blessed. Allow me to share three aspects of God's design for the nation as found in the OT law of the Jubilee.

In line with this very theme, the church and Christians must therefore pray for liberty and freedom from discrimination and oppression in this nation. It is for this reason that the NECF 40Day Fast and Prayer booklet highlights the plight of those who have been treated unjustly, often under circumstances of discrimination and oppression. It has been observed that "conditions of physical infrastructure and basic public facilities in Sabah and Sarawak were also far worse oﬀ than in peninsular Malaysia. Natives in East Malaysia, especially those without any education qualifications, also encounter multifaceted challenges in adjusting to modernity and are disempowered in dealing with the encroachment of their customary land by operators of state-government sanctioned development projects and logging activities"1.

reconciliation. Where one was at first a slave, he or she becomes fellow citizen of equal standing after the Jubilee. It signals a new beginning for the slave now turned into a free person. Likewise, the OT Jubilee informs Christians in Malaysia to take up the ministry of reconciliation in addressing issues of polarisation and division. Some of these problems have arisen from the mishandling of social-economic policies resulting in unequal and unjust distribution of resources and wealth. As a practical example, some researchers opined that our national policies have been eﬀective in eradicating poverty and nurturing the growth of a new Malay middle class but have not been so eﬀective in doing the same for other Bumiputera communities. The statistics reveal the following:

In 2008, the Bumiputera constitute about 52% of professional and managerial category of employment, and 65% of skilled as well as semi-skilled workers. The positive impact of NEP on nonMalay Bumiputera, unfortunately, was not of comparable scale. AcSecondly, the law of the Jubilee cording to the 1999 Household speaks of reconciliation. In the Income Survey, poverty rate Firstly, Jubilee speaks of resocial structure of OT Israel, we among Kadazandusun, Bajau and demption for both the individ- find that those who lose their Murut in Sabah and Bidayuh (as ual and society. In speaking about property due to debt are forced well as among other Orang Ulu) redemption, what needs to be into a life of servitude. This state in Sarawak remains high. In borne in mind is that salvation is of aﬀairs is re2009, the incidence of poverty multifaceted. Redemption is not versed among Orang Asli communities only the salvation of the soul or during the was 50%. According to the 9th the individual but encompasses year of Malaysia Plan Mid-term Review, all of creation (Ephesians the the incidences of hardcore pov1:10). Hence, we see the Jubilee. erty in 2007 were 3.7% and 0.7% Jubilee provision for respectively in Sabah and SaraThis bond slaves who are wak while it was 0.3 in Peninsular reversal serving their masters to of rela- Malaysia. Sabah and Sarawak also be set free unconditiontionship have higher incidences of overall ally without the need for exhibits poverty (16% and 4.2% respeccompensation or restitua form of tively in 2007) than peninsular tion. Malaysia (2.3%)2. Confronted with such harsh realities, the OT Jubilee therefore challenges each of us to work and contribute in whatever ways possible towards bringing redemption in terms of alleviating such circumstances for these people.

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Today, in this period of the Malaysian church's journey, we are witnessing how God is beginning to shake the authorities for the good and betterment of national life. In early August, the High Court ruled in favour of 49 Orang Asli who are Christians in a case involving the lands of the Orang Laut in Stulang Laut and Kuala Masai where their chapel had been demolished by the authorities. Inevitably, disparities in economic and social standing creates gaps in social relations. We become divided into "the haves and have-nots".

To many a cynic, this judgement was somewhat unexpected. But the fact that the court did so augurs well for justice. As expected, the State Director of the But the Jubilee inspires hope; the Land and Mines Department was unsatisfied with the decision and hope where the church and has filed an appeal. The appeal Christians are moved to bring was to be heard on 7 August but the message and actions of reconciliation by bridging the divide as it happened, the State Director withdrew the appeal with through works of love, compassion and mercy to those in need. costs ordered against him. The State Legal Advisor of Johor had Thirdly, the Jubilee speaks of also approached the Orang Asli restoration. The OT law of Ju- to settle the payment of compenbilee makes provisions for those sation without further court prowho have lost property or assets, ceedings which will include full and even their social standing, to compensation for the demolbe restored to their original posi- ished chapel. tion come the 50th year. Thus, We rejoice with our Christian those who have lost their land during the years before the Jubi- Orang Asli brothers and sisters as lee are entitled to have their land such an event represents a comreturned to their family for pos- prehensive victory for them. terity during Jubilee. Such an act of restoration would definitely remind Christians of the hope of glory that we will see in the afterlife (Ephesians 1: 11-12; 18). All that we have lost due to sin will be restored and made anew in the new heaven and the new earth. But Paul reminds Christians that salvation not only has a goal, the time when all things are completed in Christ, but that it is also a process - the "eschatological remainder" where God is unfolding and bringing to pass that which He has purposed in Himself for the world.

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But beyond this and more importantly, this is a sign of the kingdom at hand! It brings inspiration and the hope of actualisation in the very prayer the Lord taught his disciples, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". It is God bringing to bear His own order of the day and His ways in the aﬀairs of the nation in this the "eschatological remainder". And the church and Christians have the privilege and honour of participating together in this great re-ordering! And so, Christians today have the Hope of Jubilee; a blessing premised upon an OT occasion that serves as a model for the church in prayer and in action as eﬀective agents of redemption, of reconciliation and of restoration to every human need, for the furtherance of His kingdom and the glory of His Great name! God bless the church and Malaysia come Jubilee! Reprinted %om Berita NECF (July-Sept 2012) 1 Dr Helen Ting, "Nation Building in Malaysia: Current Issues and Concerns"., paper presented on the occasion of 1st National BoC Consultation, Reconciliation and National Building, 23rd July 2012, 5

YOU SHALL MAKE THE TRUMPET SOUND THROUGHOUT ALL YOUR LAND… AND YOU SHALL HALLOW THE FIFTIETH YEAR, AND PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND, UNTO ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREOF: IT SHALL BE A JUBILEE FOR YOU: AND YOU SHALL RETURN EVERY MAN UNTO HIS POSSESSION AND YOU SHALL RETURN EVERY MAN UNTO HIS FAMILY - LEVITICUS 25:9,10

The stories of Bersih 3.0 by Hwa Yue-Yi This article first appeared on 14 May 2012 in www.thenutgraph.com under the title “The stories of Bersih 3.0”. Used with permission.

F you’re a Malaysian reading this, you will have seen what happened at Bersih 3.0. Whether or not you were in Kuala Lumpur on 28 April, or glued to Facebook or Twitter, you must have encountered images, videos, or reports of the colossal rally that started as a festive sit-in and ended in tear gas. The fumes have cleared, but the air is still thick with claims and counterclaims. Many have accused the police of excessive force. The police have identified more than 100 suspected lawbreakers at the rally. To say nothing of the barrier breaching, censorship, political hijacking, supposedly UN-approved teargas, and unidentifiable policemen. And then there are the stories. Stories from extraordinary Malaysians who participated in Bersih 3.0 for different reasons, and who encountered different amounts of tear gas. But who all felt a common impulse to share their observations with the wider community. So what was the impact of Bersih 3.0? High-profile statements and official spin aside, I believe it’s this collective storytelling that will impact democracy in Malaysia.

visible and organic collective action, voting is rigid and private. At the polls, political communities are fragmented into individual actors, for the sake of equal representation of every individual. But this representation has little meaning unless the choices driving it are built on good information, and unless the representatives are held accountable to their mandates. At one extreme, we have elections – a curiously constrained but universal part of democracy. At the other, there are rallies like Bersih 3.0 – climactic but often polarising moments of political participation. And in between are the ongoing and sometimes unexciting but nevertheless vital discourses that define the political sphere.

This is where the Bersih stories come in. We are witnessing a surge in the number of Malaysians expressing perPolitical scientists have yet to agree on sonal opinions in public spaces, bea definition of democracy. One thing is cause they rightly want to record and clear: it’s not just elections. It isn’t share the fact that they were there on even just transparent and fair elec428. tions. Crucially, these stories don’t stand In fact, elections are a bit of a political alone. Many writers say they were oddity. Political scientist Benedict inspired to share after reading someAnderson notes in The Spectre of one else’s story. The reader comments Comparisons (1998) that voting “is on many accounts of Bersih 3.0 show almost the only political act imagingenuine, if occasionally confrontaable in perfect solitude”. While most tional, engagement with each other’s forms of political participation involve experiences of being Malaysian. Democracy and stories

Building bridges The Bersih stories are bridges. They connect the systematic symbolism of elections and the raw symbolism of mass assemblies with the practical realities of people who are back to their everyday lives. Only with more yellow clothing and less tolerance for some of the nondemocratic norms in our country. They also connect individual Malaysians. The Bersih 3.0 narratives have come from a humbling variety of people. Seasoned bloggers. First-time protesters. Mothers. The daughter of an FRU officer.. And – I accept charges of nepotism for this one – my cousin, a SEA Games medalist who attended the rally as a medic but was beaten by the police. This virtual post-Bersih show-and-tell is democratic to its core. By sharing our stories, we affirm that individual experience matters to the larger group. That every voice has equal value. For reasons that political scientists also have yet to agree on, Malaysia has seen a lot of bridge-building over the last few years. The March 2008 elections were pivotal. The results were a shock because no one, not even those who had voted for the opposition, had imagined there were so many others like them.

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These are accounts & pictures by Daniel Tan 4.23pm – Trapped and cornered. I’m alone with the crowd in Masjid Jamek & Maybank Tower. Water canon truck moving in. My original voter registration has 5.48pm – FRU moved in but I finally found yet to reappear in the electoral roll, but at least now the website says that my way out. I’m done, I’m going home. Crowd turned little violent. my absent voter registration is being When we were teargassed by the police, there gazetted. Throughout this process, was a young Chinese man who oﬀered salt to support from Facebook friends – this pakcik but the pakcik told him ''keep it, Malaysian and otherwise – has kept keep it for yourself, go, run...'' That's my Bersih story,... what's your story? me from thinking that I am a crazy

After March 2008, it got a bit easier to dream together.

from the electoral roll for a few weeks.

Then last July we had Bersih 2.0, where a fabulous hodgepodge of Malaysians flooded Twitter with Bersih stories. After the event, images of a woman holding a flower and drenched in chemically laced water made Anne Ooi a rallying point for countless netizens who claimed her as their Aunty Bersih.

brat for demanding my right to vote.

In some ways, there is nothing new about communications technology Here’s another key way in which the creating a shared space for the deBersih stories are bridges: they convelopment of egalitarian national nect Malaysians across the globe. consciousness. In Imagined ComAfter Bersih 2.0, the steering communities (1983), Benedict Anderson mittee released a report titled “The argues that the sharing of ideas awakening of the Malaysian diasthrough the printing press is essenpora”, celebrating the 4,000 overseas tial to the development of the Malaysians who came together in 38 “nationally-imagined community”. cities on 9 July. Bersih 3.0 had an In Malaysia, the government has even larger international presence, reportedly spanning 85 locations in always kept a fairly firm grip on the 35 countries. Watching photo mon- print media, stunting the developtages of the Global Bersih 3.0 dem- ment of a democratic imagined community. onstrations is enough to trigger warm fuzzy patriotism, as well as Enter the internet. As Digital News incredulous laughter at the glorious Asia editor A Asohan observes, its improbability of it all. messy decentralisation creates a virThis kind of bridge is essential when tual space for connections, stories and truth. Regardless of how much you’re living abroad. First, these shared social platforms facilitate the tear gas and censorship the government inserts into the physical public logistics for diasporic Malaysian gatherings in the first place. Second, space. they allow overseas Malaysians to We have a long way to go. We need express their continued stake in the to sustain the sharing of stories and country, and to share that articulation reflections beyond the aftermath of a with those at home. catalytic event through the drawnout slog for political liberties. We Internet bridges need to discuss ways to translate the Internet-based media has been key to tentatively shared dreams into gritty my own bridge-building experience. policy solutions. We need to occupy Over the last six months, I have seen these bridges – both defending them my electoral roll record on the Elecand filling them with traffic, in the tion Commission website change name of a democratic Malaysia. from a regular voting status, to a Hwa Yue-Yi is a proud Malaysian regular voting status with a postal and a reluctant but hopeful product voter application in process, and of the internet age. then back to a regular voting status Article printed from The Nut Graph: with no acknowledgement of my http://www.thenutgraph.com absent voter application. My IC number then vanished completely Global bridges

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the man may be old but he's there for you and me,... perhaps, he is one of our uncle Bersih

father holds his son tightly with a smile reflecting the hope for a better future for his son

the sweetest old couples I have ever met

my most favorite pic for that day

was on these trips that I fostered my love for arts and architectures, which I maintained to this day.

Making a Difference The Story Behind

of the answer to prayers. How marvelous!

by Yeo Bee Yin (who described herself as

Before coming to Germany, I thought I knew a lot as a top No, I am not a deeply patriotic student. After I came here, I realized person who is obsessed about how little I knew about the world. I Malaysia. Being a 'kampung' girl, I began to wonder why in Malaysia we dreamt of venturing overseas - to did not learn a more complete world study, to work and to see the world. history, different political systems, different ideologies, arts and culture? Part II (a): Eyes Opened Neither were we taught to think My dream finally came true in my critically and objectively. It began to fourth year in UTP. I was offered a dawn on me how we are influenced 6-month internship placement in by an education system that is BASF world biggest chemical site in narrowly defined and biased with Ludwigshafen, Germany. As a certain political agenda. If we are not chemical engineering student, and careful, we can be easily manipulated being the first student in UTP to get by a flawed and “revisionist” syllabus. the offer, it was indeed was a great Prior to coming to Germany, I was blessing to me. So I went. an ardent supporter of Dr Mahathir Internship in Germany was my first and his legacy. I read his books, taste of international exposure as watched his documentary, supported they took interns from all over the the absolute protection of GLCs and world to Germany. I spent countless race-based affirmative action, of hours with some of these new thinking that this was true friends here discussing socialism, 'nationalism” or patriotism'. welfare state, capitalism, democracy, Six months of internship in Germany war, revolution, religion, and just completely changed my world view. about anything under the sun. My eyes were opened, my previous Due to language barrier (I knew paradigm shattered and I began to little German), I sought an English- see things with a fresh perspective. speaking church. I finally found There was and is actually a much Rhein River Baptist Church BETTER way for Malaysia. (RRBC) which was established to I was 22 years old then. serve the spiritual needs of the American army who are based in Part II (b): A Disheartened Mannheim (a city near to Young Malaysian Ludwigshafen). I was one of the few non-military church member there. After the internship, I came back to Malaysia to complete my study in Through my interaction with the American armies in RRBC, I began UTP. Before I graduated from UTP in 2006, I received an offer from my to understand what "Democracy", dream university, Cambridge "Liberty" and "Patriotism" really University, for a program called meant. This is a picture of me and some of my church mates in RRBC. MPhil in Advanced Chemical Engineering. I was elated! Immediately, I started applying for funding. I wrote to Petronas Education Unit (I was Petronas scholar), JPA, Khazanah, MCA and many other governmental and nongovernmental organizations. However, I didn't get any positive reply. Although disappointed, I wasn't bitter and did not blame anybody as I understood that nobody During my sojourn in Germany, I was obliged to fund me. Despite the also took the opportunity to travel to financial difficulties in his business in neighboring countries like France, 2006, my dad agreed to fund my Italy, Luxembourg and England. It study in Cambridge.

female, 29, loves God, loves lives, loves Malaysia)

hy are you involved in politics?" I think this is the question my family members, friends, and many others will ask. It's a long story. I am writing this story today to make sure that it will be a reminder if ever I forget why am I in politics.

Part I: The Beginning Seed of Love It all started in 2001 with a prayer movement - 40-day Fast and Pray for Malaysia, organized by NECF (National Evangelical Christian Fellowship). I was a first year student in University Technology Petronas (UTP) when I came across this movement. I can’t explain why I felt the urgency to pray for our nation. Since the prospect of fasting alone for 40 days is daunting, I managed to persuade my best friend (Thin Thin) to fast and pray with me. That is the beginning of the story of how the seeds of deep love for the country and fellow Malaysians, was sown. As I progressed in seniority at the university, I was able to persuade more and more campus students to join us in fasting and praying for Malaysia every Merdeka season. One of the constant prayer need in NECF booklets has invariably been that God will raise more righteous politicians in Malaysia. Being a very practical person, beside prayer, I also tried to persuade some of my righteous male friends to join politics. Well, I have to admit that I was then a conservative person who thought that politics was the domain of men and my role is to pray and to serve the underprivileged community through NGOs. I remembered I was only 18 years old when I did my first 40-day Fast and Pray for Malaysia. Looking back now, I realized, I too, can be a part

Part II: Years on Distant Shores

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However, there was still one more barrier. I was bonded to Petronas for 10 years which was to be served after I finished my study in UTP. So I wrote to Petronas again to ask for deferment of service until after I finished my master degree in Cambridge. A few weeks later, I was called to their education unit. I really thought it was a matter of formality for my request to be approved and I was even hoping to persuade them to fund my study at Cambridge. It was with high hope, that I went and met this a nice man who acknowledged that the program was great etc and he really wanted to help. He politely told me that it was their policy not to allow any deferment for the bond. The only alternatively was for me to pay up my bond in lump-sump. Upon hearing this, my dream came crashing down as I realised I had no way out. Again, I did not blame Petronas as they were merely abiding by the terms of the contract. Can one imagine if every scholar asked for deferment or for more funding. So I understood and accepted the situation. However that was a small incident in the education unit that made me utterly disappointed that was symptomatic of how things work in Malaysia. While waiting at the lounge, I met two returning scholars from Nottingham University, UK. I started chatting with them. To my surprise, they couldn't even speak proper English! After a while, an education unit man came to receive them. As they were presenting their documents, I accidentally saw their results - one of them had a second class lower and the another, a third class. I was completed flabbergasted. Here I was, with a CGPA of 3.95/4.00 (if it's in 100% scale, it would be a 98%) 'begging' for only 1 year of deferment and not even a scholarship, but was flatly denied. And here are 2 others who spent 4 fully sponsored years in the UK and yet spoke broken English and at best, graduated with mediocre results. Am I less of a Malaysian as them? I was 23 years old and I was utterly disheartened and disappointed.

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Part II (c): The Only Way out A few days after I came back from Petronas education unit, I received a call from an American oil and gas company informing me that I was recruited. How did I get the job? While searching for scholarships to Cambridge, I “casually” attended 5 stages of job interviews with this company as my mom advised me to get some job interview experience. I really couldn't remember what I did or said during the interview. And yet, I got the job, While some may say that it is by 'accident' or coincident, I would say that it's God's providence! Anyway, back to the story - I was given a choice by the recruiter : to join as a local staff or to take up an international assignment. Of course, there's a huge difference in the compensations between these 2 options. However, if I were to choose the latter, I would have to go to a country called "Turkmenistan", but the salary would allow me to pay up my Petronas bond in just a few months! Turkmenistan might sound scary to many, but I was so excited! I really wanted to see and know more about this part of the world! Since the offer was too good to refuse and the door to Cambridge seemingly closed anyway, I decided to take up the international assignment. I was 24 years old when I left home for Turkmenistan. Part II (c): When Money Rules

about 200 USD worth of Turkmen Mana what I really wanted to do in life, my dreams or my passion for the country. I was chasing after the money, bonus and performance. I became terribly self-centered. I just didn't care anymore. It was not until 9th Mar 2008, when I surfed The Star online and read the news on the political tsunami, that I realized I still love and care about my country. They were just buried deep under my earlier frustrations and disappointments. How I wished I could contribute to the change even in a small way, to what was happening instead of just observing it as an outsider. I began to question, why was I here? Was this really what I wanted to pursue? Was I doing this because there was no other option? Was it just for the money? If I were born in the US with many other opportunities, would I still do what I am doing now? How many more Malaysians have left Malaysia to seek better opportunities just like myself and many others I've met throughout the years?

My dream for a better Malaysia was re-ignited. After more than half a year of soul searching, I quitted my job just months before my second promotion (when I could still resist the temptation). I wanted to come back to make a change to my nation, so that our next generation will not need to wander around the world With my salary which is comparable looking for a better future, because at minimum to the general manager’s that better future IS in Malaysia. in Malaysia, I managed to settle my While I fully realised that I was bond with Petronas very quickly and insignificant and only one person even saved some for myself. With the who alone could not do much, I traveling allowances from the resolved to just do my part as a company, I traveled to many other Malaysian regardless. countries during the holidays. However, before I came back for Life was great, I worked hard, played good, I still wanted to fulfill my hard. Because of the good pay childhood dream to study in scheme, I did not really have to Cambridge University first. think much about anything else Turkmenistan was where I spent most of my next 2 years. But it was not only in Turkmenistan as I got the opportunity to spent 3 months in Alexandria, Egypt and some time in Baku, Azerbajian for work related assignment during my 2 years in oil and gas industry.

Now that I did not need to worry about finances anymore, I re-applied and got the admission oﬀer within a month. God provided a double blessing in a Cambridge Gates Scholarship - the most prestigious post-graduate scholarship in Cambridge University. I was oﬀered a full scholarship with everything paid for including air tickets, living expenses and school fees! I was and will always be grateful for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. With that, I went to Cambridge University. I was 27 years old and a long-delayed dream finally came true.

only as an absolute last resort if they can't find a job in UK, Europe or US. Among the Gates scholars, it's even more dismal. Out of the 10 who had received the scholarships from 2001 to 2010 (unfortunately none received the scholarship in 2011 and 2012), I was the ONLY one who came back.Where are the rest? There are all seeking better opportunities and a better future in foreign lands. Can we blame them for not coming back to Malaysia which seemingly have just too little to oﬀer them? NO, absolutely NOT.

Part III: Hello Malaysian Part II (d): Living Cambridge Politics Dream

I had a great and fruitful year in Cambridge. It was an intellectual challenging year and I had countless of sleepless nights trying to finish up my writings etc. I enjoyed most of the lectures, which were usually delivered by the professors who were at the top in their respective fields in the world. Many of the lectures had greatly inspired me especially in the field of sustainable development and renewable energy. I was just enjoying and soaking up the abundance of knowledge there. Here is a picture of my friends and I in my college (Corpus Christi College) in Cambridge.

After achieving my personal dream, I finally came back to Malaysia as I promised God and myself. Even with a strong burden and dream for the country, it had never crossed my mind to become involved in politics. It was too far-fetch an idea. I would not even know where to start, what to do, and which party to join. Also, I had been non partisan all my life. My idea to make a change was probably to do community works and joining a NGO. As it happened, my company did a project with Democratic Action Party (DAP) in their general election social media campaign. I was then exposed to politics first hand. It was then that I finally came to this conclusion - if I truly want to impact this nation with my limited resources, I cannot more eﬀectively than through politics.

Getting into politics was a tough decision, especially after having started my own business for only 1 year plus. As I was not one who would go after fame and power (as many politicians are prone to), why Aside from my personal intellectual development, what I had experienced would I bother to going into politics? Furthermore, I am already 29 years in Cambridge reinforced my burden old, and shouldn’t my priority be to for Malaysia. Throughout the year, I find a husband and start a family? met with many brilliant Malaysian (God knows, when I was young I students or working adults from top wanted to get married at 25!). Why universities in the UK. I would usually asked if they will ever go back take a risk on a job which may only last 5 years and one which pay less to Malaysia. Those with JPA or than half of what I am gettng? Will I Petronas bond, would say that they had no choice. Almost 80% of those be able to survive in politics in the long run? As my mom has so rightly who were not bonded, said “No” or put, "you already have a decent and comfortable life now, why choose

such a hard life?". However, what my mom did not know is my love for this nation since I was 18 years old, and my desire to see a better Malaysia. As I look back on my life, by the grace of God, I was blessed with good (and free) education, a solid MNC job training as well as so many diﬀerent opportunities of exposure. What I want to do now is really to be a faithful steward to the gifts God has given me to bless more people, especially my fellow Malaysians. "For everyone to whom much given, of him shall much be required" Luke 12:48 Part IV: Hope for the Future So now, I am in politics - what am I going to do for the next 20-30 years in politics? Firstly, my heart is to use my gifts to serve the people regardless of income, race and religion. I believe a politician is first and foremost a public servant and should always work towards the best interest of the public or “rakyat”. In the long term, my hope for Malaysia is very simple. I hope that through the hard work of our generation, we'll make Malaysia a land of opportunities and equality for all our children. I hope that Malaysia can be a land where your dreams, no matter how big or small, can be fulfilled; and where you can reach your full potential. I hope that our children, even if they have the opportunity to study or work abroad, will look forward to come back to Malaysia, (and not just because of the scholarship bond), but because this is the best place for them to be and we can compete in the global economy. I hope for a Malaysia that is free from corruption and prejudices, and Malaysians who are united regardless of background, race and religion. And now, I shall work hard for this hope. May God bless the works of our hands. Bee Yin is the niece of Yeo Swee Lan

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When you have to jump, it helps if you can see where you’re jumping and what you’re jumping into. Even if you can’t see it all, just a glimpse is good. God wasn’t giving me details yet.

Jump re-

flection on how I left my homeland by Michelle

I had always thought that when God gives you a vision, you see something. It could be an object, a scene, anything, but it’s something. So when I received a vision about eight years ago, it left me disappointed and baffled. I saw … it looked like … a blank screen. The context of this “vision” was bizarre. Just before I saw it, thoughts had formed in my mind, like a voice, saying: “This is what lies ahead. This is your future.” Then, an empty screen. Nothing.

In 2005, the moment came. God told me to “go” to a certain town in Indonesia. I went on a short-term trip. I took leave from work and spent two weeks there. I thought I had done what He’d asked.

I had to face myself. I wanted to obey, but I also wanted Him to tell me more! And I realized that my decision boiled down to this: Would I go because I knew what lay ahead, or would I go because He is God, who knows what lies ahead? Would I trust? If I said I believed He could see generations past and generations beyond (and all eternity, for that matter)…

But then He put in my heart that I should go back. Questions flooded my mind: When should I go? For how long? What would I do there? What about my job? (He had put me there and I enjoyed it.)

I went. I jumped. The happy life I was living wouldn’t last anyway because that season was over. If I stayed, my heart would not be at peace, knowing that was no longer where He wanted me.

His word to me was clear. Go.

God is good and altogether trustworthy.

I didn’t know what to make of it at first. But eventually, I realized what it symbolized. “Nothing” also meant “anything”. God was saying: Get ready. Anything can happen. Whatever I ask you to do, will you do it?

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Mastering Fear

The Causes of Fear Fears may be caused by real or imagined threats. The prospect of harm includes things important to us, such as our loved ones, our friends, our country, and our possessions and can be interpreted in many different ways and degrees - all the way from a slight concern to absolute panic. When one feels adequate to handle a given threat, he may become angry, but if he feels inadequate, he may become afraid.

Is Fear Harmful? Is there anything wrong with fear? The answer: It depends on the way one responds to fear. Fear is an integral part of of crime in the country, to the extent man’s nature which serves as a protecthat the Malaysian public do not trust e read about assaults on tive device. It is a part of life. In many the authorities who are seemingly unre- ways it can prevent us from suffering individuals on almost every other day. It would sponsive to the fears the man on the harm, but the reaction to fear varies appear that no one and no street face when they are in or out of greatly with individuals. Emotions were their houses. where is safe - young women, old laplaced within the nature of man to add dies, men, even a pastor; at carparks, On the other hand, the private sector for interest to our lives. Emotions give exmalls, on the road, by the roadside, petcitement, make life enjoyable, and prosecurity business, both for premises rol station, outside homes, in homes. duce a great deal of variety. They add (alarm, cctv, gated communities) and personal (pepper spray, panic alarm, self zest and color. The right kind of fear Our Home Minister was reported as enables us to handle the various probdefense, etc) are enjoying a boom due saying that the few recent reports of lems in life and insure our safety and to the climate of fear. Parents are imviolent crime incidences were “isolated” and that the media was “blowing posing stricter curfews on teenagers and mental comfort. Wrongly controlled they can be debilitating, harmful, paraa few cases out of proportion creating a young adults, and maybe even some perception that Malaysia was an unsafe husbands are implementing moratorium lyzing, and destructive. If fear stops us country when official data showed oth- on their spouses’ shopping sprees at the from venturing forth in response to God’s calling or responding to a human malls! erwise”. He cited that crime has need and causes us to run away like dropped by 11 per cent last year, with At a different level, we have fears for Jonah, then we should commit our fears street crime diving 40 per cent since the the future of our nation, for us and our to God. We read in disbelief of an eldGovernment Transformation Prochildren. Is the country heading for a erly robbery victim who was ignored by gramme (GTP) implemented. Opposifinancial meltdown or are we already a numerous passerbys as she lay uncontion lawmakers have decried these stafailed state? Indeed many of these fears scious on the street. As Edmund Burke tistics, and point to the lack of transparseemed justifiable. said “All that is necessary for evil to ency as well as consistency in the state Fear is simply a response to danger, real triumph is for good men to do nothing” or perceived. The dictionary definition There are other Bible examples of what of fear is “a painful emotion or passion the wrong response to fear can bring. excited by the expectation of evil, or the The Bible states: “Fear of man will apprehension of impending danger; prove to be a apprehension; anxiety; solicitude; snare, but whoalarm; dread.” Fear often manifests itever trusts in self by the impulse to escape or run the Lord is kept away. Could migration or taking flight safe” (Prov. be an extreme manifestation of our 29:25). fears?

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Fear that paralyzes or causes anguish and worry can absolutely be a snare. Many people are trapped by various situations in life because of fear. They are afraid to move out or take a risk. Is our faith the “fair weather” kind? What is the solution? The answer: to reexamine our relationship with God and our views of His nature. Do we believe that He loves us and will never leave or forsake us? Does He have a plan for our lives and is that plan good? Do we believe that He has the power to intervene? Does He merit our trust and faith?

The Right Kind of Fear As we have seen, the prospect of harm can lead to all kinds of unfavorable reactions. Nevertheless, the right response to the prospect of harm can be beneficial, even life-saving. For example: “A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences” (Prov. 22:3). In many ways fear can serve a very worthwhile purpose. It can help us to avoid dangerous situations and circumstances that could be very damaging. But fear must be harnessed and used properly. From the Christian perspective the perfect example of the right kind of fear is that expressed by Jesus Christ. How did He use fear correctly? The Apostle Paul tells us that Christ, “who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,” (Heb. 5:7). The fear Jesus experienced is the same kind of fear we should experience. He used it to keep close contact with the Father. . Fear can be used to help us rely upon God and to realize that the problems we face can be overcome. When we go to God we are driven to our knees, and by praying earnestly He does hear the prayers of the righteous.

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God’s Spirit, therefore, is instrumental in helping us to keep fear directed in the right manner. Why? ” . . . For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7).

all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:35-39)

Fear is a part of the human experience. If it helps us to have a close relationship with God, fear can be extremely The Apostle John tells us: “This is how beneficial. But if it causes constant worry and distress, if it causes us to love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day make rash and foolish decisions, or if it paralyzes us into failing to truly live a of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But per- Christian life, it is a serious misuse of an emotion that was given for our fect love drives out fear, because fear good. has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” Another proactive action that we can (1 John 4:17-18) Notice, perfect love take is to pray for all who are responsicasts out fear. What is love? “In fact, ble for ensuring peace and security in this is love for God: to keep His comour country. Instead of merely criticizmands. And His commands are not ing the police and authorities for the burdensome” (1 John 5:3). perceived ineptitude and corruption, let us ask God to bless them with integrity and a higher sense of call of duty and also for whatever resources they need to discharge their duties effectively. With the popularity of social media, many of us are quick to share and propagate every piece of information and often misinformation about crime incidents. Let us think before we tweet or post or forward any and every piece of negative news that may perpetuate a climate of fear. At the very least, we should validate the stories first. Finally, instead of being a harbinger of doom, we should also offer encouragement and hope to those who are What are we assured of? Who shall fearful, especially for those who have separate us from the love of Christ? not known the eternal security and Shall trouble or hardship or persecution hope of Christ. And the peace of God, or famine or nakedness or danger or which transcends all understanding, sword? As it is written: "For your sake will guard your hearts and your minds we face death all day long; we are con- in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7) sidered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in

KEBAKTIAN BAHASA MALAYSIA Brief History SMC’s involvement with BM ministry started way back in our early days at SS3 circa late 1970s or early 80s. It was born out of necessity. Following the visit of the late Ps Arun, who then became the President of SIB Sabah, Ps Phua was asked to visit a member of Ps Arun’s church who was admitted to one of the Government hospitals here for cancer treatment. At the time, Ps Phua was ill prepared to minister in BM and even had to source for an Alkitab to prepare himself to minister to the Christian brother. Though the brother died, it gave birth to the BM ministry in SSMC. The pioneer members comprised a few BM-speaking church members, mainly the few Peranakans (babas and nyonyas). Not too long after that, SSMC made her maiden mission trip to Sarawak. The BM fellowship was also used as a platform to train and prepare church members going for East Malaysian (EM) mission trips. Over the years, we have had the privilege of ministering to various groups such as EM students, EM workers, Indonesian maids and other BM-speaking Christians. As these groups were transient, it was a struggle to sustain the ministry. There were years that we suspended the service for a season due to low attendance. When we moved in to KSKA in 1994, the BM ministry started again as there was a significant EM and Indonesian presence in KSKA as well as the influx of foreign workers to our doorsteps.

Then, we were just contented to provide a platform for Christian fellowship. What has changed? Present Challenges Today our challenge is whether we should just remain status quo or push for meaningful and lasting growth and eventually established a full fledged BM church. This question became more pertinent and urgent in view of the dwindling number of Christians among our EM brethren due to aggressive Islamisation eﬀorts by the Government, coupled with weak understanding and grounding in the Christian faith among them. Many of them who came over to work in West Malaysia seemed totally "lost" and experienced "culture shocks" being away from their family and community. Many were not able to handle their new found "freedom" and were easily influenced to pick up bad habits like gambling, drinking and other vices as they were away from the watchful eyes of their parents, church and community. What do we do? If we were to do nothing, I shudder to think of what will be the fate of the Malaysian Church (and not only the BM churches) in the next few years. What kind of spiritual legacy are we leaving behind for our children and future generations? We are often reminded that "Christianity is just a generation away from extinction as God does not have grandchildren, only sons and daughters"

Going Forward As a church, we must endeavour to do our best to build up the BM church as the issues are pressing and urgent. We cannot be apathetic or myopic as that would be catastrophic. Aren't we reminded that "if one part of the body suffers everyone suffers"? We need to banish this notion that we are English-speaking or Chinese-speaking or BMspeaking and we are separate or independent of each other. For too long, the English-speaking churches largely in WM have ignored the cries of our EM brethren, as we are preoccupied with our own internal issues and trapped in self-sufficiency. In short, we need a Kingdom mindset that liberates and empowers the body of Christ to be Christlike and do His will on earth. After all, we are the body of Christ. We at KBM are the weak ones so we need our stronger brothers and sisters for encouragement and support. Our main focus now is to attract our unchurched EM brethren to our fellowship. We need to share resources and build effective and meaningful networking among Christians and churches. Recently on 23 June, we have had one such opportunity. An Indonesian choir group from the Gereja Batak Karo Protestan (GBKP) Rawamangun Jakarta came to minister to us and the BM-speaking community. We were glad that at least about 150 Bahasa-speaking guests were present during the event Our prayer is that events like these will create awareness

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among the BM-speaking Christians who are not attending any church, of our presence and encourage them to come back to church. Meanwhile, a new alliance and network was also formed with our Indonesian partners for future ministry and mutual encouragement. Our Indonesian brethren were also very thankful and encouraged by SSMC's willingness and openness to receive them, giving them the opportunity to exercise and share their gifts from the Lord. For many of them this is their first mission trip overseas and I believe it will not be their last.

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with them and oďŹ&#x20AC;er to bring them to church.

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GBKP Rawamanggun Paduan Suara (Choir)

3. Heed the tug in you heart and and get involved KBM welcomes you and anyone who wants to be part of this exciting and challenging ministry. We have vacancies for almost all positions. No resume needed; only bring along lots of love for the Lord and people. The reward is out of this world!

About a month after the event, we also received a family from this same Indonesian church to our KBM. Although their visit was incidental to their father's operation at Sunway Hospital, we were again blessed by their testimonies. In fact one of the family members shared that she was the prayer leader; praying for Malaysia for this year's GDOP. Now she understood why it was so. I can also see that God will make things happen when we are ready to do His will and purpose. We are also constantly exploring ways to reach out to various BM-speaking groups and helping them to integrate into the KBM (and SSMC) family. How Can You Be Involved 1. Begin by praying for the BM ministry and our EM brethren 2. Be aware of their presence amongst us and try to get to know them and connect

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SSMC Tamil Ministry by Nyanam

E2, hosted by our SSMC n October 2011, the Tamil Tamil Ministry started Ministry and meeting again after two conducted by previous attempts to the Team cosustain a Tamil Ministry ordinator of in recent years had faltered. the Jesus We started with the needs of two Redeems families. Mdm. A with her 8 Ministry of children, her sister, her mother and Malaysia. This is open to Tamil her two nephews was one family churches around Damansara and while Mrs. B, her husband and 5 Kelana Jaya. The prayer focus is on children was the other family. the nation, the Indian community The first service started at 5 pm at and especially for the souls in the Chinese Church premise with Damansara. 10 adults and 7 children. Since The Tamil Ministry has also then, there have been additions to successfully completed the Alpha the small congregation - Mr. Aru, Course in Tamil. All 12 participants Mdm. N (who owns a Mini are believers who attend the Tamil market), Mr. K from Glenmarie. service. Although, already Though most of those who attend believers, they learned a lot about the service require transport, we God and their faith through this are currently only able to provide program. We also had a good time transport for those from KSKA. of fellowship and makan. Our deepest thanks to Bro. Aaron for As of now, we have about 20 allowing us to run the program at families that we are in contact his oﬃce at Glenmarie. The Holy with. They are open to our Spirit Weekend was held at his visitation but are still reluctant to take the next step of commitment residence. to attend the celebration service.

More recently, we conducted a Tamil VBS on the 5th and 6th June On a weekly basis, we conduct a based on the theme ‘Jesus is the bible study program in Mrs. B’s Way’. We are thankful for the 46 house. Occasionally, staﬀ of the children who attended, many of Big Rajah, a catering company, whom are non-believers. We claim also join us in the study. Typically, we have an average attendance of 6 the promise that God’s message adults and 8 children for the bible will not return void, even as it was delivered clearly through the study. songs, bible lessons and the Since March, there is a monthly memory verses. We trust the Holy prayer meeting held on the 2nd Spirit will convict them and seal it Thursday of each month at Room all in their hearts. The children thoroughly enjoyed the program and were eager for the next VBS. Praise God!

Psalms 138:8

In July, SSMC witness a grand Indian wedding - that of Mark and Sumita. As the sanctuary was filled with relatives and friends in their

resplendent and colorful costumes, Pastor Phua took the opportunity to share the gospel through the wedding message, and leaflets with testimony of Mark and Aaron’s father were handed out. We pray that God’s Word that has been sown will bear fruit in His time! The Tamil Ministry is making some inroads into the community but the ground is hard and requires much plowing before we can reap a rich harvest. There is a lot of work yet to be done but our laborers are few. It is our earnest hope and plea to the main church body to continue supporting us in prayer and also in practical means. You can invite your Tamil-speaking friends to our service or our meetings, or even make an eﬀort to spend one Sunday evening just to fellowship with us. We are also in need of transport to ferry and bring more people who do not have the luxury of their own transport, to our service. I also thank the Lord for the support from all the Tamilspeaking members from the English Service who have been such a blessing towards this ministry. Nehemiah 2:18 says ‘I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.’

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Journey to Sarawak by Loo Chi Ming on CPI#3 to Sarikei n the midst of the Euro 2012 football tournament, a group of men and women decided to go on a teaching trip to Sarawak. The goal (pun intended) of this trip was to edify the Iban workers in Sibu and Sarikei. With the task at hand, two mission teams were sent to set up bases at these two towns. The mission team to Sarikei comprised of myself, Trish Tan, Elaine and Dr Chan of Penang Trinity Methodist, Richard Leow of Bentong Methodist Church with Leong Pook Seong as the team leader. We were based at Choongshin Iban Workers Training Centre for four days and three nights. This centre doubles up as Pasar Sarikei Methodist Church on Sundays. Our teaching topics included Evangelism, Prayer and Intercession, Small Groups Ministry among others. Despite having had just one planning meeting before our departure, this mission trip went smoothly like clockwork by the grace of God. Praise the Lord for His journey mercies all the way from Sibu to Sarikei, especially for the one who was driving a van for the first time in his life! Kudos to our hosts and “students” in Sarikei, as well, for taking care of us and making sure things were arranged nicely. I had thought BM would be a problem as I have not conversed in it for a very long time. Thank God everyone managed to understand what the teachers taught. Even then, the participants were helpful in translating certain

terminology from English to Bahasa Iban. The participants were appreciative of our efforts in teaching and encouraging them. As a member of SSMC, I am proud that our church is involved with TRAC in the building up of the saints in Sarawak. Based on the sharing from the participants and pastors, a lot of work still needs to be done to build the church in Sarawak. I wish to share a few key takeaway points here:

are simply too numerous and complicated to document here and you should go and get a firsthand experience to even begin to understand the issues. * Our “Bahasa Pasar” (colloquial BM) is enough for teaching. Thank you to all for your prayers. Without them, the trip would not be successful. May you be encouraged to pray and to help our brethren in East Malaysia. God Bless!

* There’s a lack of Christian study or reading materials in the Iban or BM language. Thus, there are few sources of spiritual input beyond Sunday morning service. * As our church has been blessed by many great teachers and preachers who came to impart the word of God into our lives, it’s time we share what we learnt with our East Malaysian brethren. * The Iban Christians face a lot of obstacles in their faith - different and in some ways more intense than what the West Malaysian Christians face. These obstacles

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