MG Ministry Weekend Reflections – Part 2

 

Last week we shared part one of reflections from three Mentoring Groups (MG) on their EAST MG Ministry Weekend trips. We now present more reports from three other MGs who visited an Indochina country and a neighbouring country where Singaporeans love to go for weekend trips. To find out more, read the reflections by Dr Justine Han, Dr Raymond Go & Rev Derek Atkins, and Dr Lewis Winkler who are MG leaders.

4. Teaching and Outreach in Ho Chi Minh City – Dr Justine Han

Our MG experienced a great unity as a team in serving one another personally and while doing ministry. We had great fun and bonding times to get to know each other better. Although almost all of our ten student team members were new in going for the ministry weekend, we thoroughly enjoyed serving the hosting church members through presenting four seminars and two children outreach programs.

In our team debriefing times, the team members shared their joy and challenges in applying what they have learned in the classroom. They worked as a team of three to prepare each seminar and presented as a team during the Ministry Weekend. With actual experiences to lead the people for spiritual development under various subjects, they could identify their target audience strengths and needs better.

The host church had a great testimony of how it came to be a church today though young and small: we witnessed what God is doing in their lives to reach out to the lost in Ho Chi Minh City. The hosts told us they were blessed to have us. God answered all  our prayers above and beyond during this MG Ministry Weekend. We came home physically tired but spiritually refreshed and grateful.

5. Preaching and Ministry in Vietnam – Rev Derek Atkins & Dr Raymond Go

As an MG, we travelled to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where we spent time ministering to recovering drug addicts, university students, and young professionals. Our speaking ministry included the following.

• Derek gave a message to recovering drug addicts on how to live meaningful and purposeful lives after leaving the drug rehabilitation centre.
• Jack preached a sermon on “The Surpassing Worth of Knowing Christ.”
• Raymond conducted an overview of the New Testament seminar for Cru’s university ministry. He also preached a sermon on “Why and How to Share the Gospel,” based on Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8.
• Rammungchan gave his personal testimony during a worship service.
• Timothy preached a sermon on the parable of the house built on the rock from Matthew 7:24-27.

We also spent time ministering to Cru students in a park and coffee shops. During our time with Cru students, we shared our testimonies with them to encourage them, since several of the Cru students are new believers. During the entire weekend, we spent time with 128 youths, 40 church members, and 35 recovering drug addicts. Jack also shared the gospel with a person, who prayed and accepted God’s love in Christ.

We did face a few challenges during our Ministry Weekend. Sila was unable to join us because of illness, and Rammungchan had a severe toothache during the entire weekend, but soldiered on without complaining. In addition, Vietnamese is a foreign language to most members of the team, but Isaac proved invaluable as a translator on many occasions.

6. Sharing God’s Love in Bangkok – Dr Lewis Winkler

What do eating great food, visiting and praying for a 106-year-old shut-in, sharing the gospel with university students, children and youth, as well as collecting trash, and worshiping at a small church plant all have in common? They were all part of the ministry our MG enjoyed while serving together as a Ministry Weekend team in Bangkok, Thailand.

Besides the delicious and spicy food each day, our highlights included teaching English and telling the story of David and Goliath to youth and young children, and then letting them draw applications for their own lives.

While hard to see the suffering, it was meaningful to pray for shut-ins in the local community where we stayed. It was especially fun and exciting to be able to join with former Cru staff who has now planted a church but continue to reach out to a local university campus every week. Seeing how they interact and share the gospel with these young Thais was a huge blessing as was worshipping together at their small church plant on Sunday morning. During our time there, almost twenty students heard the gospel, and one even reached out to the church to get more information afterwards.

Everyone pitched in to use their God-given talents to bring the good news to the people of Bangkok, Thailand.

 

Read the first part of the MG Ministry Weekend Reflections here!