Shaun's Mission Trip Report
Chianmai 13th December - 20th December 2009
-Personal objective, and expectation of the trip
Honestly speaking, this being my first mission trip, I didn’t know exactly what to expect, and all along (before the trip) all I wanted was for God to use this time to impact me, in whatever way He intended to. To be slightly more precise, I knew there would be contact with the mission works over at Chiangmai, so I was looking forward to seeing how things were in an overseas church as well as in Pong Aung Village.
-What I have learnt from the trip
I do feel that I have learnt a lot from this trip. Firstly, the time at Pong Aung Village and at the city church was truly an eye-opener for me in the sense that I got to witness God’s hand in other countries besides Singapore. All my life my Christian walk has been in this nation, so being able to see His works in Chiangmai effectively awakened me to the fact that He was moving all over the world, not just solely in our “little red dot.”
From the engagement with the kids in Pong Aung Village, I felt that they were different from our kids in Singapore. Even till now I can’t find the right word to describe them, or even describe the difference. Although, perhaps, “vibrant” would be somewhat appropriate. The kids had in them a certain zeal and joy that is lacking in our kids here, which impressed upon me that they were more outgoing, more active, and more willing to participate in whatever activities we planned.
As for the night service in Pong Aung Village and the city church meeting, it was mainly an affirmation of the works of God overseas. As the people who gathered for the service gave their testimonies, what struck me was that they were eager to share about anything and everything God had done in their lives.
It didn’t have to be something huge, dramatic or totally life-changing, these people were sharing simply because they wanted to give praise to God. In a sense this was different from us in Singapore, because we tend to give testimonies only when something big happens in our lives, for example living through an accident under the protection of God, or something along that line.
At the city church meeting, I felt strongly the presence of God as we worshipped as well as during the altar call. Seeing men weep before the Lord, coming undone before Him served as a great encouragement to me as I saw in them the passion they had for God. Again, this was an affirmation to me of His tangible works and presence off the shores of Singapore.
On a slightly different note, God also taught me to trust in Him. And as you might be guessing… Yes, this was when I was having stomach flu. Through each spasm I suffered it took all my strength to stand through it and call upon Jesus’ name all the while, showing me all the more how weak I was, but at the same time how strong our God was, is, and will be forever. As the Word says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “… [His] power is made perfect in weakness.”
-What God has spoken to me regarding gifting and future ministry
In recent months I have been praying regarding this, and with the help of several peoples’ encouragements and words some giftings have been revealed to be present in me. As I shared during the mission trip debrief, my primary giftings are that of faith, discernment, encouragement, mercy and shepherding (and now, prophecy). Of these, one that I value the most is faith, and I have a desire to build up on the others, especially in the gift of prophecy.
During this trip, God played strongly on my gift of prophecy, as He released sight, vision and word to me in many places we went to. He showed me, at Pong Aung Village, the angel of healing descending upon the house of the man who suffered a stroke, and also a vision of fire falling upon Pong Aung Village. It spoke of a birthing of passion and a fire for God in the people, and this brought me joy, as it was exactly what I was praying for at the time.
Throughout the entire trip, God was teaching me much on the gift of prophecy, which I knew lay in me, present and activated but not utilized to its full potential. As Uncle Jem spoke during the debrief, and confirming that he had the exact same five giftings as me (I sensed that someone in the church did, but it was only then that I realized this person was Uncle Jem) the Holy Spirit was laying upon my heart a desire to use this gifting in greater means. Exactly how, I do not know right now. But after receiving confirmations from various people of words I had released before, I know one thing, and that’s that I’m going to operate in this gift of prophecy with renewed affirmation and faith in God to use it for His purposes.
As for future ministry, I know with the giftings and a heart for people that God plans for me to move in an area involving people. More specifically, I feel that He is leading me into people-relations, as well as being a guide/encouragement to others. This is something I’m looking forward to in the year ahead, further spurred on by the fact that I truly do enjoy giving encouragement and teaching to those in need.
-My next step
As said, I intend to move in the areas of prophetic ministry and people-relations. At this point in time I am still seeking the Lord for His plans and purposes. As for mission trips, or more precisely to continue them, the answer is a definite yes.
Overall, I feel that this trip was deeply enriching. God spoke to me in many ways, through the people in Chiangmai, through the situations, with His voice, and even through the actions of the team. All praise and glory be to God, and I also want to thank everyone who was involved in this trip one way or another. Special thanks to the team, who offered much encouragement and support especially when I was sick, and to Uncle Jem who took care of us all.