Here's the second piece of sharing from another member of the Destiny team that went to Chennai. Photo: Yong Liang (right) with our new friend Petre from HK / Malaysia.
Praise be to the Lord, for He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. The best gift that he gave us is Christ. Like in the book of Romans 5:8(esv) “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” I am eternally thankful for His grace and His mercy to love an unworthy sinner person like me, that I may worship my father in heaven and also serve in his kingdom’s work.
Anne and Job from the Destiny team asked me whether I was able to go in India Chennai, for a mission trip. However I was considering whether I should be going on this mission trip because of my exams and school classes during this period. Also I was struggling with the thought that this would be the first time going with a team of people whom I hardly know or have not even met. Another doubt I had was, what was I going to do there and how is God going to use me to share the gospel to the people in India. This was not the first time I was going to India and I really love the people and their love for God there in India. Not only that, the previous time I went with my own home church (BBTC), the missionary told me that there are still many people who do not know Christ and their discipleship process was very bad because they do not have proper teaching and knowledge of the word. That really convinced me to go back to India to share the gospel through telling them or even serving them.
During the mission trip there were a few things that I observed that was worth noticing and learning. I think firstly, I really admire their hospitality towards the international delegates in India. I think during the whole trip, we really felt their love towards us. Although the living conditions were not the best, however they tried their best to keep us comfortable and happy. I felt as Singaporeans, we lack that in us as we are quite spoilt and selfish. Many times even for me, we think of our own comfort before thinking of other people’s comfort. The Indian people had very little sleep and time for themselves, however they kept serving us non-stop. As a Christian, I think I should learn this quality that I see in them. This reminds me of Christ's service to us, that he left his throne in the heavens to serve us sinners, even till death.
Another observation that I saw was how passionate they were about praying for people, through their prayer meetings and also their worship, and how they worship God with their actions and dance. They earnestly would worship God no matter how tired they were and even through the night they prayed and practiced. I was thinking to myself that these kids were rejected by people and the lowest in the society yet they were doing great things for God. I was praying for them that they will be the ones sharing the gospel to the world. Sometimes I felt pity for them because most of them do not have parents or they have been abandoned, however seeing them knowing Christ, I did not feel pity for them as they have the best gift of all which is Christ in them.
Lastly, we went to the leprosy village in the outskirts of India Chennai. I was really stunned at the people that were there. Also this was my first time seeing lepers and also praying for them. They were in the outskirts of Chennai, because society has cast them aside. When I was there, I started praying for the people. There were over 100 lepers in the village. We were also able to go into the houses to pray and even hear the testimony of the lepers. Juliana, who was one of my group members, went into a grandmother’s house, because she wanted prayer. When we went in, the house was really small, just like a size of a bedroom in Singapore. She told us that her house would be flooded during raining days because the roof was leaking. Also she did not have any money to pay her medical and electrical bills. During the duration of our stay at her house, the electricity was erratic; it came on and then turned off for long periods of time. This could be prevented if the government could just care for these people. As an engineer, a simple thing like drainage would solve the flooding problem in her house. I do see now how sin causes the world to have poor people. However, we as Christians need to be there with the lonely, the poor and the hungry, as what Jesus did when he was doing his ministry on this earth. He wasn’t just looking at these people from heaven, but He came as a man to serve us to glorify his Father in heaven. We should do the same as He did.
In conclusion, I would like to give thanks to God for his grace and his mercy to the whole team for safety and good health. As God has taught me a lot of things in India, I would like to apply them in Singapore and in whatever I do. Also I would thank my team members for making me feel comfortable and being so friendly. To God be the glory!
No comments:
Post a Comment