On the 2^nd night, Ps. Harold asked those who wanted a touch from the Holy Spirit to come forward. I felt a prompting from God to go. And I obeyed. But I told myself “Whatever happens, I’m not gonna cry.”

But when Ps. Harold came to me, something quite extraordinary happened. I felt this hardened wall of emotions crumble down bit by bit. I started tearing as he asked me to continue praising God and receiving from Him. And then Ps. Harold uttered the 3 most unexpected words that still blow my mind up to this day. He said “The Spirit of God asked me to tell you this: It is fine. God has heard your prayers.”

“God listens to prayers”- one of the first few things you would learn in Sunday School. It is such a basic statement that it has lost its significance and meaning over the years. Being repeated again and again only made it a cliché to me.

But when Ps. Harold actually said those words out loud, they were so surreal that I almost choked. Not only was I amazed at how anointed Ps. Harold was, but more so, I was in awe of the fact that we have a Living God who listens to our every cry. The God of the universe listens to me. My problems and struggles- yes, no matter how big or small they are, God is there listening (And probably chuckling at how anxious mere mortals can get about the future). Speechless and stupefied, I broke down as I pondered upon what an incredibly loving God we have. And how little faith we have in the God that set the stars in their place.

It is fine. The 3 most reassuring words I’ve heard in ages. Sometimes really all you need to know is that everything is going to be OK, that your future is safe in God’s hands. I feel thoroughly blessed to have had a face to face encounter with my King.

In retrospect, I find the irony of it all quite hilarious. I never expected to come back from camp overwhelmed by the peace of God. Prior to camp, the most I prayed and asked God for was a renewed and refreshed Spirit. But God superseded my expectations and gave me way beyond what I bargained for.

I am now convinced that it is divinely possible to be flooded with the peace of God just after a 3-day camp. For with God, nothing is impossible. There are certainly no words to describe this peace in me. You just have to experience it for yourself. =)

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” [Phil 4:6-7]

~Adeline~

Jesus – the Good Shepherd

The Holy Spirit – the Empowerer

In John 10:10 (NIV) it says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

As I was pondering on what to share for my experience in Easter camp, trying to put together my thoughts, I found myself praying this prayer in my heart, “God, I know you’ve given me so much, you are everything I need Lord, so I ask Lord that you help me to share this truth with others so that your will be done, in Jesus’ name.” And it hit me like a snowball in winter or hailstone in UWA :P

This is my second year going to Easter camp and compared to last year, I wasn’t nearly as reluctant to go, worrying over deadlines, assignments and reports. One thing one of my previous cell leaders has taught me is to have an expectant heart to receive from God. So, this year when Easter camp was first announced in church I was so excited and I believed that God had something he wanted to tell me, teach me or show me. And God being God, didn’t just give me what I expected, but gave me so much more than I expected.

One of the things that I asked God for was, “How can I be a good witness for you?” It is an area that I struggle in and what Karen wrote in the devotional, “There are decisions we must make that bear not only upon our own lives but also upon the lives of everyone with whom we are associated. My life touches my family, my neighbours and my business associates” has challenged me to be a better witness for the sake of my family members and friends who have yet to be saved.

And I thank God that He answered my question on the first night of Easter Camp through Mark Pomery who shared about Jesus and the Samaritan Woman (John 4:1-35). He said this, “The greatest gift that God gave us was His Son, and the greatest gift we can give to others is the message that He has risen”. He went on teaching us a three point action plan - PRAY, ENGAGE & INVEST. Pray, as it is the starting point and foundation of what we do. Engage, to meet people where they are, to be concerned with they are concerned about. Invest, to be interested in people and to consistently give your best to someone. Jesus’ words that invested in the Samaritan woman compelled her to bring the villagers to meet with Him.

If you’re like me, then you’ve probably shied yourself from people at the fear of not knowing what to talk about or how to act around them. Then, there are the times when you muster your courage and finally talk to someone you’ve never talked to before and you get the feeling, they are just uninterested in what you have to say.

This leads me to my last point: Submit and Obey and He will give you the victory. Like David who was up against Goliath, Moses against Pharoah, Jesus facing the pain and suffering of betrayal and crucifixion, and yet submitted to God and followed through to His will, triumphed over their overwhelming circumstances. So, what is the thing you want to overcome in this year? For me, it’s inexperience and the fear of reaching out to people. I don’t know, but can I encourage you that God’s spirit in us will empower us to overcome those difficult situations when we earnestly seek Him.

Alright, enough of my ramblings. Haha. God’s peace!!!

~ Henry ~

So after ALLLLL that anticipation and excitement, Image Matters finally arrived! What a spectacular turn out, albeit transport woes amongst others. Once again, Elizabeth Jolley LT was filled to its brim with such an enthusiastic crowd of Aunty Irene Low herself, Zion Praise Harvest members and guests! How privileged one is, to be part of such an event :)

People MY age & Aussie Day Celebration!

The 26^th of January is a notable day for Australia. It is when Australians congregate regardless of race, religion or colour to celebrate the beauty of our cosmopolitan nation. This was my expectation for the day; however, things did not go according to plan.

Every great story has characters, a setting, a beginning, middle and end. My Australia day experience was no different. The morning began with a lovely sms from AMA, you know it’s going to be a great day when the AMA texts you.

On a slightly more serious note, we met up around eleven in the morning. The setting was picturesque, a shimmering clear blue sky, a cooling breeze and lush green surroundings. Matilda Bay! Today was the best day to be outdoors and praise God we were! Being Asian we had our fellowship over food, lots of it. There were refreshing jellies, scrumptious sandwiches which had an amazing variety of fillings (THANKS FELICIA & CO.), nuggets, corn and pizza! All these would fill our tummies.

But best was yet to be… The most awesome thing was all the MALAYSIANS! (I seriously think people from Kuching are taking over the world…). The number of people who came greatly exceeded our expectations. Our estimate was blown out of the water. We were anxiously concerned whether there was sufficient food! Regardless, God is always good. Everyone ate to their hearts’ content and there were still food left over!

Following our feast, we spent the afternoon playing and enjoying a variety of intense team games (to work off our makan makan)! Dodge Frisbee was the first game we tried. During the game there was an interesting twist as Max had to go for a quick dip in the river to save the Frisbee. Next was an intense and dramatic game of captain ball! This game had it all as people put in their blood, sweat and tears. A game which was played at an incredibly fast pace with a little bit of cheating but most importantly a lot of fun! It was a wonderful way to cap of the afternoon as the game came to a close.

Next, time to chill, relax and get to know others. We adjourned from the bay to the Caporn house.I personally had the most fun. There were individuals - folks from different parts of Malaysia with diverse upbringings getting along harmoniously. Everyone talked and played games as if they had known each other for ages! This to me was astonishing as people were ever willing to take the initiative to chat and be friendly.

The final part of the night was the barbecue and fireworks. There was an awesome array of food. Thanks so much to those who prepared and cooked the food!) The ambience of the evening was unbelievable; the weather was relatively cool and not a cloud in the sky. The fellowship between Passion and Young Adults was wonderful.

Lastly, the glittering fireworks that lit up the night sky. For half an hour we watched gob smacked, razzle-dazzled by the aerial displays, the colours, shapes and motions… For the first time, everyone was actually quiet! (This is actually quite amazing as we are a CHATTY bunch) .

The last job was cleaning up. As some us gathered up the rubbish, I was pleasantly surprised. All the freshies joined in. I thought it would have taken ages but with their helped it was completed in no time! Thank you freshies. Truly, these individuals have a bright future ahead. But my prayer is that God would be the centre of that future. This is our calling, our ministry and our responsibility.

Our vision for Passion this semester is

P=Prayer

T=The Word

L=Loving People

I believe when as we rally together to support this vision, put aside our differences and pride, we can truly be God’s hands and feet this semester! Orientation is coming and the MASQUERADE CRUISE. This is your opportunity to make a difference. Be the difference. You can make the stand. You can make the change. You can be an influence. All you have to do is be willing and God will take you on a ride unlike no other J So let us go and do what we are called to do. Being awesome because we have Christ. (TRUST me people will follow).

Written by:

Anonymous Writer 2

Via Max's Account.

Hello to all who read this!!

I regret to inform you that the awesome-ness of ONE cell has finally come to an end and now is the time for us to part ways. But fear not, as we journey in the same direction and the companionship will always remain true!

For those who are blessed (or ARE going to be blessed) to be in my cell, we will be having cell at ...

Where: 35 Caporn St, Nedlands
When: 7pm SHARP - Sabo for latecomers ... I MEAN IT!!

Now, on top of this, we are going to have a little PASTA spread for refreshments. So bring your bibles, brains and tummies .... good looks are optional but appreciated!

If you need transport, please drop gang-ho Letitia a msg @ 0430079158!

God bless and see you all tomorrow!!

Max

eloelo :) as promised, details for aussie day, dis tuesday =P

we'll start ard 11am. we'll haf a picnic first @ matbay :) followed by some time to just chill and get to know each other better. and dinner will be bbq @ caporn st hsehold :) we'll also try to catch d fireworks after that along mat bay :D

come dressed casually and comfortably. no heels or dresses or suits.. and just just just incase, be prepared to get wet :)

kk so for details in short,

date: 26 Jan
day: tuesday
time: 11am
venue: mat bay
dressing: casual
things to bring: $10 for food :) (tentative. might be abit more. see what kind of food is prepared)
what to expect??? time of fun and games, fellowship and getting to know each other and maybe, just maybe.. a time of throwing josh n max into mat bay :D

so so so.. invite ur frens, siblings, cousins, freshies, etc.. and pls rsvp to ur summer cell leaders... NOW!!! :) (so that we can settle food etc)

On the 12^th of January 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the city of Port-au-Prince. One of the worse ever disasters in the western hemisphere leaves the Haitian capital in ruins. The death toll is estimated to be between 100 000 to 200 000. More than 600 000 people have been left homeless. Half the population of Haiti consists of youths aged 20 years and younger. Relief workers are working around the clock tirelessly but are still struggling to get aid to Haitians in need. There remains a shortage of medical supplies flowing into the affected areas. This is an emergency appeal to the compassion of your hearts to give to our brothers and sisters in Haiti. They need medical supplies, food, shelter, clean drinking water and rebuilding funds. The organisations we are going through will be either Compassion Australia (http://www.compassion.com.au/cmspage.php?intid=346&linkid=229)

Or Unicef International

(http://www.supportunicef.org/site/pp.asp?c=9fLEJSOALpE&b=1023561)

For donation and aid enquiries contact me at:

Gerald Liew 0421156712

gd_8801@hotmail.com

or at cell this Friday, or at service on Sunday.

Thank you, and do keep the people of Haiti in prayer.

-chopchopburnburn aka gerald-

Once again here are the details for cell!! And once again, we are going to have our little get together as a combine cell since some of our leaders/members (including our fearless cell leader, Josh) will be heading on to Worship Retreat straight after cell!

Let's get excited for cell cos its going to be A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!!

Where: 35 Caporn St, Crawley. (UWA area)
Time: 7pm SHARP

If you need transport, please RSVP to the ever-faithful and resourceful AMA (Eunice Teo) @ 0433552103 and she will make sure you get to cell just fine :)

Remember to have a light dinner before coming to cell!

God bless and see you later!
Max

Peter's India update (part one)

I left Perth at 6am and arrived in KL in good time. After checking in for my next flight I realised that the plane to Kolkata was delayed by about 2.5 hrs so I arrived in Kolkata just as my flight to Mumbai was due to leave. Fortunately nothing in India departs as scheduled so I ended up making the flight and having about another 2 hr wait. I got out of the airport for a short walk and smelt the smells of India. The air is heavy with woodfire smoke, petrol fumes, refuse and an indescribable mixture of unique smells. I also managed to purchase the most precious of rare commodities in India- a coca cola. The flight to Mumbai was great, awesome food and awesome service and I ended up landing in Mumbai at about midnight before the experience of a 30 km ride into the centre of town in a taxi. This was my first experience of the Indian roads and my driver was both extremely skillful and extremely crazy. There don't appear to be any road rules and people overtake and cut each other off with only centimetres to spare. And there are bikes and motorbikes everywhere sneaking into all the little gaps in the traffic they can find. It seems that the most polite thing to do while driving is honk your horn as much as possible to let everyone know that you're coming past. You don't wait for a gap in the traffic to turn or pull out from the side of the road but just pull out and expect the other drivers to slam on the brakes or swerve to miss you. I must admit that instead of being scared by it I was actually thrilled by the risk and skill displayed in the very quick journey. Upon arriving in central Mumbai I found a hotel for a few hours sleep.

I was woken in the morning by the sound of the 5am call to prayer blasting from a loudspeaker just outside my window (the sound came in via the air-conditioner which in my drowsy state had me confused for a little while). There was no sleep after that and I made the short trip to the train station at 7am ready to board the train to Surat. It turned out that the train had been delayed for 5 hours so my taxi driver took me to see the Gateway to India which is just outside the hotel that was bombed last year. He was a nice guy and was going to take me to see most of the sights in Mumbai (and probably make a lot of money from it) but I really had to get to Surat asap to meet Ziech so I could join the rest of the team. So it was back to the station where I managed to buy another ticket for an earlier train which took about 5 hours to get to Surat passing through some beautiful country but also some slum areas. It seems to me that there are very few buildings in India that have finished being constructed. Most building either look half finished or in a state of disrepair. I wonder what will be left in another 10 years from now. My train trip was kept interesting by the constant stream of vendors walking up and down the carriages selling Chai, different foods and weird odds and ends like toys and locks. I also managed to be propositioned by a couple of transvestites and a group of child beggars sat next to me for half an hour tapping me on the arm and pressing their foreheads against my legs after I gave one of them some money. I had paid a little bit extra for a 2nd class sleeper ticket but most of the time different passengers came and sat on my bed so the few minutes when I could lie flat were a luxury.

If I thought the beggars on the train were bad the beggars at the station in Surat were terrible. I had about a 45 minute wait for Ziech who was coming by bus and a crowd of young kids crowded around me poking at me and touching their fingers to their lips asking for food. The tragedy is that most of them will be working for someone else so any money you give them will go straight to someone who is making a lot of money. I gave one of them some popcorn and was shocked at their cheek when they said that wanted my coke as well! Anyway, Ziech arrived soon enough and we just made next bus to Navapur which was about a 3 hour drive. The bus driver was nuts. We were driving on a road with one lane in each direction and at one point he overtook a car which was overtaking a truck with oncoming traffic. Imagine three vehicle side by side heading in the same direction on a road with just two lanes and with cars and buses fast approaching from the other direction. Ziech and I were thankful that the driver was in the worst position but there were many times that he just swerved back onto the correct side of the road with a split second to spare. This is driving with no margin for error. We were spooked after passing a truck on the side of the road with the whole front end buckled inwards but we made it to Navapur safely. Ziech was due to preach that night in a village church and we were running late so we quickly got in a tuktuk (a small 3 wheeled motor-rickshaw that is less powerful than my little postie-bike) and made the 10 minute journey to the little village where we were staying. Almost immediately we were on the back of motorbikes and heading to another village where the rest of the team were already leading worship. During the 15 minutes on the bike there was a stream of tears flowing from my eyes which I don't know whether to attribute to the smokey, dusty air or a sense of peace from God knowing that I was in the right place with a group of beautiful people. Although we were late Ziech and I had to have a cup of chai with the village pastor before joining the team for the last worship song. The team then did a drama performance (the Lifehouse 'Everything' skit) before Fenny and Cindy did a dance to Casting Crown's 'Who am I' telling of how unworthy we are that we have a God who cares for us individually. Then Ziech preached an awesome message challenging the local believers and encouraging some of the non-Christian visitors. It must be hard to be a non-Christian in the villages surrounding Navapur because 90% of the villagers are Christian and strong and passionate in their faith. More than 30 years ago there was a great revival so many of the Christians are second and now third generation believers.

We went back to the village where we were staying in a school bus so I had a change to catch up with all the happenings of the rest of the team. Then it was time for dinner and planning for the next day which was a Sunday. We were splitting up into three groups and preaching in three different village churches whilst also running the childrens churches. I was teamed up with Andre to preach in the local church so I definitely had some preparing to do. We were staying in a grand buliding owned by the missions organisation with three storeys with high ceilings and wide corridors. It stood out from the bark and clay huts that make up the village houses and the rough unfinished concrete building that was the local school. The building housed an orphanage and a bible college and we had rooms on the third floor where my room had light and power during the day but nothing at night. So after dinner I headed back to my room got out my computer and started preparing a message to follow on from what Andre was sharing. I planned to share about continuing on in faith and being like Caleb who at 80 years of age was still just as willing to fight for God as he was when he returned from scouting the promised land with the other 11 spies and encouraged them to be obedient to God and take the land. Unfortunately I fell asleep almost as soon as I started preparing and woke in the morning totally unprepared with my computer on my lap. In the 30 mins I had before heading off to the church I wrote down some scriptures and when it came to my turn to speak I just spoke as I was led and everything seemed to fit together. There were about 200 villagers packed into the little church which had a ceiling draped with most beautiful cut paper decorations of every bright colour imaginable. So beautiful. The message was well received and afterwards we went back to the college for lunch where gradually the rest of the team arrived back.

The rest of the 3 days that I was with the team in Navapur went by with a rush. We were busy with so many things. Each morning different members of the team would wake at 5:30 and do devotions with the orphanage kids and one morning I joined Andre for his sharing to the boys and ended up telling them the story of Jonah and the big fish. We also did sharings with them during the day and one time Fenny felt lead to teach them about how Jesus washed the feet of the disciples so then we washed the feet of all the kids who were old enough to understand. It was really hard because so many of them objected to letting us wash their feet because it went totally against their culture but we finally managed to have about 25 pairs of clean feet and were then blessed when they washed our feet in return. On the last night in Navapur we were invited to the birthday party of the young daughter of the overseeing pastor of the Bible college. We sang some songs in Hindi and then sang some of our loudest and fastest English Christian songs before Ziech shared a challenging message about going where God has called and taking advantage of the gift of our youth. It was an awesome evening and an interesting introduction to the Indian Christian culture of sharing a message during a birthday party. Afterwards back where we were staying we had a worship and thanksgiving session to give God the glory for what had happened during the trip. On the final day in Navapur Fenny, Simon, Cindy and I made a trip to the local school and taught a geography lesson and a back-care lessons to two of the classes. Fenny did a great job with the back-care lesson she had prepared. Later I was lucky enough to hear the last message in a three sermon series on evangelism that Esther had prepared for the Bible college students. We also had the opportunity to pray for them as they were coming to a time where they needed to decide in which area they were going to serve the Lord and they returned the favour and prayed for us as well. I then managed to find some time to explore the little village with Ziech and Andre before heading back to my room to pack and preparing to leave.

The kids in Navapur were so beautiful and really made it hard for us to leave but after some group photos we piled into two 4WDs and made the trip back into Surat where the team were boarding a train to Delhi. It was a fun trip for a few of us in the back seat who sang songs and made a nuisance of ourselves most of the way. On arrival to Surat the 4WD carrying Gagan and me had a detour to visit a local pastor who had booked us some bus tickets to Udaipur on the overnight bus. We made it to the station about 20 minutes before the train was to leave but there was a short lived scare when we got an incorrect report that the train had been delayed for 6 hours. Even though it was now about 7pm the child beggars were making a nuisance of themselves and again weren't pleased with the food that Gagan gave them. The team made if off ok but not before a brief moment of panic for Gagan and myself when she suddenly couldn't find the tickets for our bus trip. I made a decision to never let Gee look after any tickets or other valuables while we were travelling :-) Anyway, she eventually found the tickets and we were dropped off at the bus stop where we were constantly comparing the number plates of the buses arriving with the number on the ticket. We caught our bus easily enough and I had a sleeper compartment which is a 1.7 by .7 metre compartment with just enough room for me to lie flat with my feet touching one end and my head a couple of centimetres from the other end. Gee had gone budget and just had a seat so while I managed to get 9 hours of sleep during the 10 hour overnight journey she didn't get much at all. The streets in Udaipur were quiet when we arrived early in the morning and we quickly found a tuktuk who took us to the Bible college here and overcharged us a lot for the pleasure. Most people were still asleep so we sat on the verandah outside the main building softly playing guitar as it became light and people started appearing. There is such a peace in this place. It's hard to think that it's the hub of an organisation that has planted over 1500 churches throughout northern India. It's like a little oasis in the craziness that is India. It's such a blessing to be here...

The mission continues!

There we were. Saying goodbye to all the kids in the childrens home we had come to care for so much over the last few days. Each child amazingly unique in the Lords eyes and each child so beautiful. unfortunately all good things had to come to an end... and as we were getting ready to go... the kids began to hold on saying "leave tomorrow ... leave tomorrow."

The time had come to leave and what a journey ahead. We would travel to Surat by car, then to Delhi by overnight train which ended up taking 17 hours instead of 14, but all the same the team had a great time sleeping, eating, playing cards and worshipping the Lord (competing against the group in the next set of bunks who were singing songs to Krishna). I tell you what... worship really changes the spiritual environment.

From there we spent half a day in Delhi (what a confusion! more to come on this later), before flying back to Singapore for our further onward departures to Perth and elsewhere.

God was so good to us as a team. There are so many great stories to share, and I'm sure others will share soon, but one of the things that really stood out to me was how the Lord brought the team together and the love that really was present in the team. There we were in a foreign land, and our distance from the familiar only brought us closer as a family in the Love of Christ.

What a great experience. An amazing time in India. May I encourage you to join us for the next missions trip in 2010.

Is God calling you to reach the unreached? Yes. So prepare, equip and go!

God's Love is waiting to be shared.

Here are the details for CELL for those here in isolated PERTH!!

Where: 35 Caporn St, Crawley. (UWA area)
Time: 7pm SHARP

If you need transport, please RSVP to the Metro-man, Ian Leow @ 0401861153 and he will make sure you get to cell just fine :)

Remember to have a light dinner before coming to cell!

God bless and see you later!
Max

Onwards and upwards to Udaipur!!!!!

i love how India never sleeps!!! blaring horns, a bus that was being driven at the speed of a rocket and constant stops at motels playing loud bollywood music...as chaotic as that sounds, thats what makes India unique :) God's Presence on the bus to Udaipur was so strong and as we zoomed past the vast sky and endless stars, I was again reminded that Jesus is always in control and even though i couldn't understand why on earth i was asked to stay behind for 6 months, He knows and He is with me. and again in that moment, living for the lost world just felt so right, just felt so normal...any other place would be abnormal...

so Peter and I made it alive to Filadelphia Bible college...it was quite amazing to see no cars on the streets at 6am...Udaipur is beautiful at dawn...!! but got ripped off by the rickshaw guy...!! after some chai and some guitar time the week's plans were discussed. it looks like we have a busy week ahead!! I'll be working in the clinic with the women and children with the slight chance of being able to minister in women's prisons around the area. Also working in the children's home at the Bible college and assisting Jean (an American teacher) in teaching english at the local school which is down the road. EXCITING stuff!!!! Peter will be used as the physiotherapist he is at the local clinic and also have a chance to do some jamming with the guys...he is also able to join a visiting medical team from the UK who will be working with the village folks. Have had a chance to get to know the UK team. Thery are doing some great work and their jokes are actually really funny hehe...!!! as well as being meds, they have been organizing prophetic healing meetings at which many of the villagers have been healed!!!! Talk about preaching the Gospel through actions and the Word!

Peter preached at the chapel on the first day. it was quite hilarious because the translator was a guy that was translating for the first time so he kept mixing up the words haha...but despite that tiny obstacle, the Holy Spirit worked in the hearts of the students and they understood it! :) overall a really encouraging message that broke through the barriers of language! went out to dinner with the UK medical team at a local restaurant called "berry's". was great fun and a great laugh on the way back as we decided to experiment with the whole many people in a rickshaw thing...good thing i'm tiny, i can squeeze in anywhere ;) by the way Udaipur is very pretty at night... :)will try and post some photos soon...

while it is great being back here, its quite different without the rest of the team....today, the kids at the children's home followed me around all morning curious to know more :) the schools were closed for 2 days because its been quite cold...LOL!! India is funny i tell you! so the kids have been hanging around alot...and little kids trying to explain things to you in hindi is quite hilarious!! Spent some time with the girls at the Bible college too. They are quite keen to learn English in order to do their assignments better...so from today onwards i’ll be doing some classes everyday for about an hour or so. ...tomorrow we might head off to check out the local school (St Matthews) for a mela (indian carnival) and then do some more teaching/preaching with the Bible college students... having the UK team around has been quite a blessing...could be assisting them with more of their village ventures... thinking of doing some intercession stuff with the girls...getting to know their lives, their hearts and their stories has really challenged me...their hunger and desire to honour the Lord is soo raw!!

good night from the starry skies of Udaipur :)

Navapur

the name Navapur means new horizon... indeed it was a new chapter for many of us coming to India for the very first time...!!! the kids there really stole our hearts, they broke us, they challenged us, they convicted us...all of them are up by 5.30 every single day to do their devotions... the passion burning in their little hearts lights up their faces as they sing praises to their Lord and King...they live each moment with such simplicity...their whole life is packed in one small suitcase, that contains everything from clothes, food supplies and memories of home... they love like there's no tomorrow and they smile like they've never known pain...really we all had so much to learn from them. one particular day we were doing devotions with them regarding Jesus washing the feet of His disciples...and we were convicted to wash their feet...at first they didnt let us because they wanted to wash our feet instead! such humility!! washing their feet did something powerful in my heart...serving the least of them is such a great priviledge bringing with it a new revelation each time...earlier on in the trip i just looked all around me and saw such tremendous need and as i did i felt that my love is so small compared to God's love for mankind...but as the children turned around and washed our feet...God's love washed over me in waves and floods...once again i was reminded that His grace is so sufficient and the only way we as Christians can respond to the needy is by asking God to fill us with His love more and more...we cant love supernaturally on our own. we need His grace and His love in us to love like He does...powerfully and deeply...for us to be Christians that live out of the deeper places we need to be able to let God take us into deeper places, places where your life, your heart and your all gets wasted for the Kingdom of God...

the Kingdom of God...is such great treasure...a lesson we all learnt at the 4 village churches we visited...people that worship in mud houses in authencity and simplicity...they dont have much, but they have a Kingdom treasure that is impossible to miss...and they hold onto Jesus with such zeal that it makes you want to worship the King of Kings even more madly...for me the best bit about visiting these churches was worshipping in hindi...worship that was just so rich and so pure...on the second last night in Navapur we went out to our translator's church where they were holding a youth rally...i must say that hearing worship rise through the vast and plain surroundings of trees and mud houses was incredible... its amazing that whether we live in a city, or a village, in a proper house or a mud house, for those that believe...Jesus is still the King of Kings...Cindy and Fenny did their wonderful dance entitled "who am I?"...doing the drama was a bit of a squeeze in that place but it worked out well...we had a lot of laughs which was kind of strange because it was a pretty serious song...but after speaking to a few of the village folks we realised it was the first creative drama done in their village and they'd never seen anything like that before...they were all so curious and so welcoming at the same time...i'm sure we sowed some great Kingdom seeds that night... riding on the bus home (back to the children's home) through the village was filled with lots of laughs and chatter...and being out there driving in the middle of nowhere expands the size of the sky as you realize that although you've known God and continue to know Him one of the things you'll never quite be able to fathom is the size of His heart and the amount of love in it for every person...its like this ceaseless bottomless tumbler that continues to overflow and overflow...leading kids church in hindi was a tough one but a good experience...its funny how God places you in a ministry that you dont have a passion for, uses you and grows you in it and then uses you in a totally different environment and country...hahaa He really does all things for a reason :)

on the day we left, the students at the Navapur Bible college prayed for us and wow! was it awesome!! they really are serious about spending their lives in service for Jesus....they know the costs involved and that the road is so narrow yet they are willing to go into some of the most unreached places around... strengthening and encouraging people like these teaches you more and you receive much more than you intended to give...they have such precious hearts!!!

saying bye to the kids was hard...literally because there were soooooo many of them crowded all around us, some hanging onto us, others not letting go of our hands...but also much more because their little hearts had so captured ours... there was this one girl called Manisha, and as i hugged her she said to me, "you wont forget us will you?" even though there were so many of them, its then that you realize that each one of them wants to be loved, wants to be known, wants to be held, wants to love back... they gave us so many cards just to make sure we'd remember them and to say thanks for all we'd done, even though we were only there for 6 days... after one last photo we were off in the jeeps to Surat from where the team was catching a train to Delhi, and we were heading back to Udaipur... there are so many beggars at the stations and especially seeing children begging is quite heart breaking...however some of them are quite cheeky.. you kinda laugh and cry at the same time... :) well this is India... :)

The day of Navapur

Curries curries and more curries! The last meal we had at Udaipur before leaving for Navapur of course came along with curries.

It is interesting that the concept (and design) of buses around the world varies from the usage of it. From the defaulted buses found on the streets of Singapore and Malaysia to the uber high class coach for those wishing to make a 5 hour journey from Singapore to KL or vice versa. The one we boarded for Navapur was of course, custom made for overnight trips. To call it high class was perhaps overhyping it a little while to call it haphazard was to underhype it. Imagine a bus with a little more leg space than normal added with an extra level for several 2 by 1 metre compartments for that extra comfort of being able to lie down for some shut eye. That was our 12 hour journey transport to Navapur.

The ride was rather smooth together with the usual bumps that one would expect from travelling on the road the colours within the bus was however what I would call scintillating, it was almost like a mini party bus (only thing missing is the disco ball) with neon colours of blue, red, yellow and I think there was green as well and with the constant chattering, it was pure vibrancy!

The amount of shut eye time was good. Most of us got ample rest while in our little bus "boxes" which upon reaching Surat (the meeting point where we would be picked up to head into Navapur), we were all ready and raring to go.

Some highlights have been: joining them in worship, acting out a skit called the lifehouse 'everything' skit (for those of you who know it) with Fenny starring as mankind, and Simon as Jesus, and all contributing fantastically (Zee - money guy, Andre- mr suave, Jason - mr death, Esther - too much drink, char - good looking) and our directors Andre, Cindy and Gee, with only 2 hours practice!! Praise God!! people were really encouraged by the skit and hope to use it in their ministry.
The girls also did a dance presentation for all, and a workshop for the college students. Many of us have given devotions with students including Gee and Andre during the evening time.

During the trip to the orphanage in the mountains, we were moved to pray for a little boy who became crippled due to a fall from his cot. As we hugged him, we could just see him breaking into a smile. That melted all our hearts. Even though we didn't see physical healing, both ours and the boy's faith were strengthened through this experience. We know that God is at work in restoring his soul as we commit to continue to pray for him.

It is encouraging that we are able to use Creative Arts (which is a major part of ZION ministries) to minister to the students. Our activities will hopefully equip and empower them to in turn minister to their own people through Creative Arts.

On Christmas Day a group on Zionites met at my house at about 11:30am to prepare for an afternoon of carolling at the Bentley Park nursing home. About 15 people decided to give up some of their day to bring some joy to the residents of the nursing home who weren't able to visit family or friends at Christmas but instead stayed at Bentley Park. After the carol sheets were passed out Genesis and the team started selecting the favourite songs and we had a great time practicing and getting ready to head over to the nursing home.



There was a great mixed group of African, Asian and Caucasian brothers and sisters (with some amazing singing talent) but we decided that a guitar by itself wasn't enough accompaniment so we made some egg-shakers from containers of rice. Pia had prepared individual gifts for around 60 residents who were expected to remain at the nursing home on Christmas day and had also come ready with a large package of chocolates for the staff who were working. Each year the staff provide a big cooked Christmas lunch for the residents (with pre-mashed vegetables of course) and last year we had entertained them with around 10 Christmas carols before they headed into the dining room for lunch. This year we decided that we would sing to them after lunch so we headed over the Bentley Park at 1pm.

On arrival we found out that most of the residents have a nap after lunch and had already gone to their individual rooms to rest. But this wasn't going to be enough to curb the carollers enthusiasm. We gathered the remaining residents and sang a few carols to them before setting out on an expedition through the centre. Bentley Park has 5 floors so we started at the top floor and one of the staff members went from room to room checking in on the residents and asking if they would like to hear some carols. The carollers stood in small groups outside the doors enthusiastically singing before meeting each of the residents and offering our gifts. Two and a half hours later we had visited all 5 floors, handed out every one of the 60 gifts, brought some joy into the life of some oldies and had a great time doing it! Next year we plan to do the same thing again so if you are in Perth please join us :-)

Day 1
The awaited time of the India missions trip had finally arrived. 7 months of preparation, heaps of prayers and countless meetings later, we were stepping off the plane in Dehli international airport staring into the endless queues and queues of people with the marauding crowd shoving their way towards the customs point it was almost akin to a stempede.

Road dividers were obviously a non existant item within India as cars (and the taxi we were travelling in) were crossing each other with the constant "I'm coming through" beep of the horn as the usual saying in Perth goes, "if you can survive driving in KL you can drive anywhere" after the life shortening experience in the Indian traffic, I reckon the word KL should be changed to India. But all was good (thank God) we survived the ride, though thoroughly shaken by "roller taxi" ride we had.

We took 3 taxis to the train station for the next leg of the journey to Udaipur. By the time we boarded the train, it was well past 6.30 p.m. The train was going to be an overnight trip arriving between 8 a.m and 9 a.m. The train itself wasn't that bad, we had a time of worship and prayer before calling it a night and going to sleep (lots couldn't sleep and the other passengers were snoring!). The next morning, tired and sore, we had finally arrived at Udaipur. Our friends picked us up and away we went to the Bible school. It was a Sunday morning, we freshened up, had a light breakfast and then it was time for church! It was such an experience to be having attending church on the first Sunday of the year in India. Worship was great, although we didn't know the language for the songs, the message from Pastor Finny and Pastor Paul was awesome, ask anyone of us when we're back. From the message, we moved on to a special time in the service, Holy Communion! How cool is that? Having our first Communion of the year in India! Soon after, we ended with a few more worship songs (sounds familiar anyone?) before concluding the service. And since it was the first Sunday,the church prepared lunch for the whole congregation, thats 500 - 600 people! And lunch was good! Take it from Esther who's never, NEVER had Indian food.

After lunch, we showered and took some time to rest. The girls took this time to prepare for their dance which was going to be performed on Monday. In the evening, we joined the Bible college students in their evening devotions. We as a team lead in praise and worship and generally the whole devotion session. Ziech shared to the students about "knowing Jesus" as a relationship rather than "knowing about Him."

After the devotion session, We had a meeting with Pastor Finny to discuss what we're going to do or what we can do while in Udaipur. Following that meeting, we were served dinner. This time we had dinner with Pastor Paul and Pastor Michael from Florida, another guest at the college. After dinner, we had a bit of free time, the girls again practiced for the dance in the guys room while Jason and Andre went to the men's dormitory for some fellowship. It was really a good time of fellowship, getting to know the students better, sharing our knowledge and getting to know their heart and desires. Each and everyone of the students already has such an amazing testimony and their passion for God and to serve Him really encouraged us. It was 10 p.m by the time we left the dorm to get some sleep and there is the morning devotions at 5.30 a.m tomorrow.

Day 2
The guys got up at 5.20 and were ready to share for the morning devotion but we were told there would be no morning devotions for today because most of the students arrived back at the college last night or early in the morning. So off to bed again for a few more hours of sleep. We got up again around 7 and went down for breakfast. After breakfast, it was time for morning chapel. It started at 9.45 and it was basically a mini service run by the students. The girls then presented their dance after the message and it was well received. Students were excited to see what we were doing for them and for the church, it was something new. It's usually the little girls who dance during worship on Sundays but to watch a worship dance by our young women, it inspired the young women who are studying at the college. Then we announced that Cindy and Fenny would be conducting a workshop for the dance and we'll also be conducting a drama workshop the next day after performing a ZPH drama.

After chapel we frantically got ready to take a "45 minute" journey to one of their missions in the field where our friends run an English school and a orphanage for about a 60 children. Ziech just told us it was in the mountains ... which is somewhat undescriptive!

The ride up to the mountian was a bumpy one leaving a few of us with rather weak stomachs. The view of the mountains were however breathtaking! The children were glad to meet with us and definitely, the feeling was mutual. We sang songs, did a short skit on the story of Noah's Ark and taught them how to fold an origami boat! Taking photos of the kids was a delight as they rushed to Andre each time he previewed a photo to them on his camera.

2 days are over! But what an experience already. It feels like its been a week. From the comfort of Singapore and Perth, to the masses of Delhi, to the riviting traffic and dreadfully long train ride. Our next stop would be Navapur where we would be spending time and living in an ophanage and children's home!

PS: Chai is really really good tea!

Esther