"look back & learn"

Title: OA mission trip

Tuesday, October 27, 2015 || 8:16 AM

Hi everyone! :)

This post marks my 500th post and I would like to post about my first mission trip. I went on the 24/09 (Saturday) until 25/09 (Sunday), I know how it's just a 2 days 1 night experience - if I actually really calculate it's just a less than 24-hour experience, but within the 24 hours, it was, hopefully, through my reflection, it would remind me how intense it was, and how God has been speaking to me before, during and after mission trip. I really think it shouldn't just stop there because I always believe that reflection and the actions you take after are important, but I haven't had time to do that. That's why I'm up early today to just have some alone time to reflect even though I have some piled up assignments yet to be completed.

I've been leading my CG for a while now, I needed some time to just be away to really let God speak to me and remind me again why I do what I do. So, I admit that one of the major factors that pushed me to go to this mission trip was not really to serve Him and His people, but I admit, that it was out of a selfish purpose - it was for myself - I really needed an opportunity to be away especially in amidst of my busy schedule - there's really hardly time for myself. I think throughout the 3 meetings prior to the mission trip (that clashed with my CG time) & even after actually.. the Lord has been rebuking my heart, that I was going because of a wrong motive. 😳

I would say even so, the Lord has been gracious. He has been merciful. He is ever so patient. I actually thought He would punish me or something.. but He didn't. I guess it was also His plan that I should be away? So that He would change my heart. Anyways, prior to the mission trip, I really have been praying in Bahasa almost everyday. (made me really how important our national language is, haha!) A day before the mission trip, I was actually really excited by what the Lord was gonna be doing throughout the mission trip! 😊

The beginning of the mission trip honestly didn't feel like it was anything like mission trip, though. Before leaving church, we had a few pastors and a passerby prayed for us. It was definitely cool that when these people knew that we're going on a mission, they offered to pray for us. I was asking myself, then, would I do so? I think it's so often that because of my ignorant nature, I would prefer not to ask so that I don't have to offer a prayer, or it's really that I haven't really put my full trust in praying, that there WILL be miracles that happen, if we humble ourselves to pray and BELIEVE that mountains will be moved, hearts will be changed. 🙏

After that, we started acting like Jakuns (it's quite sad that it has become an insult for ulu people, though) and climbed into the van through the windows. Hahaha, at the beginning I really refused to do so, but in the end, I did it anyways. Was convinced by the rest of the teammates that I won't get to do that in the near future, or, ever, in my life. In addition, we WERE gonna be visiting the Jakuns, anyways, so why not? 😛

Before we reach the Kampung (Kampung Gadak), we had a few stops - which, honestly, didn't feel like I was on a mission trip, at all! We went for breakfast and had wan tan mee in Cheras, then stopped by at the petrol station. After that, we went to Tesco.. 😱 Right? Is that even a mission trip I was going to hehe. Then I got a brand new towel because I forgot to bring a towel from home! HAHA! Then, we stopped by at Morris' house to pick his siblings up.

Things got real when we reached Kampung Gadak, but as I observed, I saw Astro on their rooftops! Super geng, like I don't even have Astro at home, haha! Anyways, we started to prepare station games, my game was a throwing slipper game, where it required me to pick up slippers for children after they aim to the boards. I guess even through that, I was reminded that in order to serve, we need to be humbling ourselves down, even when it requires us to do the lowliest job - how Jesus washed His servant's feet - all these services are never meant for ourselves, but it's in order that His glory may be glorified. The children were so happy to come together to play games. Although it was just an hour of promoting the carnival, almost 50 children turned up. Living in the village is really not like in the city, people from different kampungs know one another, they hang out at one another's house, leave their parents behind to attend carnivals even only at the age of 5.

After the carnival, we started to prepare barbecue for dinner. I was assigned to go to the kitchen! It was my first time to unwrapped and corns. Achievements unlocked man. Then cut sausages for the whole village, not even in a literal form, I swear the whole village came to join us during dinner time. Hahaha! 😂 Before dinner officially started, Uncle Daniel started up campfire and we surrounded the fire to worship God. Honestly felt like crying to see the genuine joy from the kids and everyone while worshipping God. Although it was just a worshipping session accompanied by 2 guitars. The joy was real! We sang a few Bahasa worship songs which includes "Kasih Yesus Indah O Indah" - which really, God's love is more wonderful compared to the rainbow, stars up in the sky and also flowers in the park! Then dinner started and sausages ran out within half an hour although we prepared like almost 20 packets of them - which initially was like a mountain full of them and I thought it was too much but obviously no, it wasn't. Never underestimate the Jakuns, man!

Then, we had a time of skit and sharing. Over 50 kids accepted Christ after hearing the message. I was really rebuked to think that they were just following the crowd to accept Christ. I was totally underestimating what God can do. Even, the chance of hearing the message of the cross, would change their lives. And honestly, it shouldn't be us who are changing their hearts, but God. God is ultimately the one working, who am I to say that they are not genuine, when the Bible says that we all should be children instead, that we all should have a childlike faith. Knowledge will only fail us. Although, of course, it is important to know why and how He saves us, but ultimately, it is by His grace and mercy that we have the wisdom to understand and believe, and especially when most of the time, it requires faith to believe what doesn't make sense to the most of us. “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me’” (Matthew 18:1–5). - "It is that honest and humble faith in God, with openness and unbridled joy. That type of happy authenticity should be a hallmark of our faith as we receive God’s gift in Christ." - for deeper understanding, go to gotquestions. 😊

It was also humbling to see that the Bahasa ministry people really ensured that everyone else, especially children, to eat first then only they would start eating. They really did put serving the children and villagers as their first priority.

It was then, a night of reflection at the church (Kampung Bukit Serok). We washed up and slept over there. The next day, we prepared breakfast and did some cleaning up, then we had a celebration service with the Sabahans and the children from Bukit Gadak! Really didn't expect almost 40 of them to turn up! It's so funny though, when we gave them sweets and ask them where should they throw their candy wrappers, although they said 'tong sampah' but they threw it outside the compound of where they are because that IS their tong sampah. 😅 Fail me.
Anyways, we had lotsa fun worshipping God while waiting for Uncle Daniel and Eugene to fetch the people to church. We had lotsa fun having an icebreaker session with the Sabahans as well!

Then, we all had lunch together. And guess what, hehe! We got to eat fresh wild boar meat! The pastor's wife of the church cooked for us and it was truly fun to have had the opportunity to eat 100% organic wild boar meat and learned more about wild boar, HAHA! Apparently the villagers always eat squirrel and monkey meat. Oh mai! Pretty weird, I wonder how they taste like!!

Then, uhm, we packed and went home! Before that, we stopped by and had dinner at 4:30pm. Can't believe we took almost 5 hours to reach back in PJ. Then, I bathed and knocked out, hahah! Although I really wanted to have some reflection time but I was really tired by 12am. HAHA!

Thank God, truly, for a time of getaway and a humbling experience to serve the Orang Asli! 😊

Posted by Bernice with love.♥
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