Can you predict what things will look like in your life 5 – 7 years from now? Probably not. Can you have a desire for how those things will look? Certainly!
Doug Erdmann National Director
This is the question our staff leaders recently asked … what is our desire for how our ministries will look 5 – 7 years from now; and more importantly, what is God’s desire? What is His vision for our future? After much discussion and prayer, we believe God has given us that vision:
“A new wave of disciple-makers for Singapore, Asia and beyond.” Why “disciple-makers” as opposed to converts or disciples? Many churches and organizations in Singapore are already actively bringing people to faith, and making disciples. But is anyone having great success in making disciple-makers … people who can personally help another become a disciple? This is The Navigators’ forté. The how-to’s of making disciple-makers is something we can model and teach to the greater Christian community. “Disciple-makers” also fit well with our Calling ... “To advance the gospel of Jesus and His kingdom through spiritual generations of labourers...” To have on-going generations, one must have disciple-makers. Why a “new wave?” Firstly, “wave” suggests a large number, a surge. (“The least of you will become a thousand.” Isaiah 60:22) In the past the Singapore Navigators raised up a lot of disciples and disciple-makers. That was in the 70s, and into the 80s. We have not raised up as many in the last two decades, though. “Forgetting what is behind, and reaching forward to what is ahead,” we are asking God to raise up another wave, a “new” wave, of disciple-makers. Why disciple-makers for “Asia?” The Great Commission mandates that we think beyond Singapore. Asia is our logical target. Within 2,000 miles of Singapore is over ½ of the world’s population. Why disciple-makers for “beyond?” Jesus told us to make disciples of all nations. Is this vision feasible? Yes. God is doing something new among us. In the last 5 years we have seen two new campus ministries started, and two new community ministries started. Twelve new people have joined our staff. We held our first national conference in more than twenty years, and a first-ever conference for students from all over Asia. As the Lord said through Isaiah, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19) When God is at work, visions tend to become reality!
Click above to watch “Disciple-Makers,” a 3-minute video on the vision of The Singapore Navigators .
Bible-study. Besides studying Christian beliefs, they also studied through the 60 verses in the Topical Memory System.
How long would you continue meeting a non-believer every week to study the Bible? 6 months? 1 year? How about 7 years? Photo by Meria Johan
Huei Jun laughed. “I was the slowest in memorizing verses because my English was not good. I often asked for the verses to be explained. But memorizing verses was like reading a book to me and key to understanding the gospel.” Siew Lim recounted that Huei Jun started with no knowledge of the Bible and Jesus, but she came faithfully to learn. The measure of her growth was seen when 3 years into attending Bible-study, someone in the group asked about the difference between Christianity and other religions. No one had an answer until Huei Jun, the only non-Christian, said, “Christianity is about having a relationship with God.”
Huei Jun (centre) and her good friends (L-R) Dorcas, Siew Lim, Rachel and Jodi, in the Bible-study group. They faithfully prayed for her salvation. Huei Jun is now with Siew Lim in the ITE ministry.
Words don’t come easy to Ong Huei Jun. A weak command of English landed her in EM3, the academic stream for the weakest primary school students. But she was sure she could do better. She recalled grappling with the constant spectre of failure as she worked from the Normal Technical to Normal Academic stream in St. Hilda’s Secondary School. She did well enough in the ‘N’ Levels to do her ‘O’ Levels. Posted to continue in an Institute of Technical Education, she succeeded in entering Republic Polytechnic instead. She now hopes to gain a place in the Singapore Institute of Management to do a degree course. She teared as she recounted, “Every step of the way, I had to persuade myself to try for the next level. Even when I counted myself as a non-Christian, I prayed and God always provided me with a way out so that I became stronger.” Doing Christian Things Being a student at St. Hilda’s connected her with the NavTeens ministry in 2007. Since then, Navstaff Goh Siew Lim had been meeting Huei Jun weekly for
Seven Years for One Special Day One of Huei Jun’s replies whenever she was invited to accept Christ as her Saviour was, “I am waiting for a special day.” That day finally came on 21st May. “I was facilitating a Bible lesson and the sinner’s prayer was part of it. Just 2 weeks before that, Jodi who attends Bible-study with me, asked if I had eternal life. That question somehow nagged at me and I knew the day had come for me to say YES to Christ. Prior to that, I suppose I did not want to become a Christian just because my friends did so. I did not want to commit myself and later find that I cannot live up to my decision.” Huei Jun paused. “God waited a long time for me.”v
MISSIONS The Long and of it Robert Goh, SGNavs Missions director, recalls a man he helped who was not progressing much in his Christian growth. “He went on a short-term missions trip and came back a changed person. Through the experience on the field, he met real individuals out there who had a need for the gospel of Christ. As a result, he saw in himself the need to be discipled in order to be in a position to be of use to them.” Robert says short-term missions trips are good for exposure, and often they put in the reality factor for someone who has learned about and prayed for world missions.
NavTeens ministry leader Roger Yeo led a team of twelve on a 10-day missions trip to Davao City, Philippines in June. They tutored students and shared the gospel through skits, songs and bible stories. Roger shares: “On this team were several who had been discipled by us as students, and recently decided to serve as volunteers with the ministry. The objectives of this trip were to bring the gospel to unreached teens and expose our young volunteers to missions. As they connected with the Philippines Navigators and shared their testimonies with the teens in Davao, they experienced in a fresh way the joy of sharing the good news. Something special happened when they left their comfort zones. Being away from the familiar helped the volunteers focus on kingdom matters and the plentiful harvest field. One of the volunteers, Kaixin said, ‘On this trip I really experienced God’s hand at work in my life as well as in the lives of the Navigators here in Davao. I saw that God’s plan is above and beyond what we could ever imagine.’ William lost his wife Jonalyn to lupus in January. A missionary sent by the Singapore Navigators to serve in the Philippines, he had to decide if he would be able to continue in the field with his toddler son, Song En.
“They see that the work can actually be done by people like themselves versus just the knowledge they get from reading a book on missions or talking to a missionary.” There are joys, as well as pains and challenges on the missions field. NavNews catches up with William Tew, missionary to the Phillippines; and Roger Yeo, NavTeens ministry leader. They share why they believe in shortand long-term missions.
William and Song En (centre), with good friend Justin from NUS Navs alumni (far left) and his key guys in the Los Banos high school ministry.
Another mission tripper, Judy, reflected, ‘I relied a lot more on God because of the unfamiliar situation that we were in. And I really experienced God’s guidance when we interacted with the high school students.’ Short-term missions allowed each of the participants a glimpse of what God is doing outside of Singapore. It broadened their perspective of world evangelization, discipleship and even strengthened their walk with God in the process. For the volunteers, the trip is a start to having a bigger vision for the world. Who knows, maybe one of them may decide to be a missionary for Christ in the long run?”v
Joey and Carolyn (centre), young volunteers on the team, engaging high school students in conversation. The team had the joy of seeing 9 teenagers come to know Christ as a result of their evangelistic efforts.
“It is not easy being a single dad. My heart will ache for a long time to come for the loss of a wife whom I loved so much; and for Song En, the loss of a mother while he is still a boy. God is lifting me gradually but surely from grief and He is teaching me to courageously overcome the pain & move forward to rebuild my life with my young son. I find comfort in God’s Word daily. The past months have been a time of major adjustments even as important decisions had to be made— childcare, visa permits and ministry direction among them. Prompted by the heart I still have for cross-cultural missions and for the lost and needy, I have made a clear decision, affirmed by my leaders, to continue with my work in the Philippines. In going back to the field, I hope to encourage fellow brethren with the knowledge that God’s love is more powerful than anything. It is certainly not easy as memories of my wife are brought forth afresh in the familiar surroundings. However, I want to cling on to the fact that God is bigger than the giants I am facing. I still get revitalized whenever I think about serving God in ministry. It is to God’s glory that He is leading me back to the calling He had for me. The damages constantly brought by more than 20 typhoons a year in the Philippines serve to remind me of the ‘storms in our life’. As a man I need to face the many storms in my own life and overcome my fears in God’s name, for the sake of those I love. As someone wisely puts it, ‘That is the best legacy you can give to your son.’ I was moved to tears when I heard that statement. I hold on to Isaiah 41:10 which says ‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ ”v
DISCIPLESHIP in action t Mutua in a lively presentation on why the costs of discipleship pale in comparison with the joys of being used by God to impact the generations.
Photos by Paul Tan
700 conferees worshippng God together q
Over 700 attended the ‘True Discipleship’ Navigators Conference held at Anglo-Chinese Junior College on 19th July. The speaker Mutua Mahiaini spoke passionately and insightfully on ‘Cost of Discipleship’ and ‘Generations’. The ten workshops were well-received, and the range of topics welcomed by the conferees. Dr Cheong Hee Kiat, President of UNISIM led the workshop on ‘Serving in the King’s Palace’ which was a huge draw. Mutua and his wife Stephanie spoke on ‘Marriage for Keeps’ and it was also very popular. We thank God for the opportunity to bless many through the Conference. Indeed He is the One who made it happen! Yap Kim Meng National Conference 2014 Director
It was a great conference, and I have been truly
I was very encouraged to see blessed to learn from the speakers. Thank you for 700 like-minded people at the blessing the Christian community by organising this conference, and that many conference! - Yingrou young people were among them! This is my first Nav Conference - it has I observed that the Navigators been a day very well spent. I would youths were sincere in their faith encourage others to come to another and teachable, demonstrating similar opportunity. - Helen Chandler biblical servanthood during the event. I was very heartened I was very moved and inspired by today's because this just shows that conference. Truly life-changing. Well done! Navs is doing a great job among - Ruth Yap the youths! - Eunice When is the next Nav Conference? -Michael Lee
www.navigators.org.sg The calling of The Navigators is to advance the gospel of Jesus and his kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of labourers living and discipling among the lost. Views expressed in published articles are those of the individual writers and may not necessarily be the views of The Navigators Singapore. THE NAVIGATORS SINGAPORE • National Director: K. Douglas Erdmann • Editor/Design & Layout/Photography: Patricia Lian 117 Lorong K, Telok Kurau, Singapore 425758 • Tel: (65) 6344 4133 • Fax: (65) 6344 0975 • E-mail: admin@navigators.org.sg • www.facebook.com/singaporenavigators Printed by Seng Lee Press Pte Ltd