Today, Isaiah from the 03 Guys will be sharing about his experience carrying out mission work in Cambodia and Thailand.
He had the opportunity to reach out to youths from other cultures to share about who God is and the good news! This is Isaiah’s testimony towards how serving in mission trips went.
-Kevin See Toh (03 Guys)
What does service mean to you?
Service to me means any act of building the church. Paul describes the church as one body, so imagine that you are a body part, and you are called to carry out your function that has been given to you when he created you. You may not know what your function is, and a way to find out is to go build the church and seek his guidance.
“Go and make disciples of all nations,”
What is your form of service and how is this form of service different from conventional forms?
The main ‘mission’ of mission work is to evangelize to communities overseas. Jesus, the man we follow, has specifically told us to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20. Mission work is definitely a way we can accomplish this. Even though we are not willing to give up our lives to become a missionary, we can commit to something of a smaller scale. It is different from conventional forms as it involves going overseas.
Why did you pick this form of service?
To some, or perhaps just myself, becoming a missionary seems like the highest form of servitude. Nothing seems more challenging than the idea of giving up our comfortable lives and ambitious dreams to go to an unknown land to serve God. Hearing stories of the hardships of many missionaries, even the modern-day ones, makes me think “uh nah”. I am sure everyone here including myself is not willing to commit to that level of service (yet? haha). However, I chose to embark on my first mission trip because I loved getting out of Singapore and found it cool to interact with non-Singaporeans.
How did you execute it?
In December 2018, I went on my very first mission trip to Cambodia. I went with 3 other TBC youths and a group of uncles and aunties from the Chinese ministry. Our “mission” was to help out the local Christian youths with an evangelistic Christmas program that they had planned.
The following year, I went to Thailand to take part in an activity that used football as a tool for evangelical work. We played street soccer with the village thai youth and had bible study and worship sessions with them.
“It provided a common platform for us, a group of foreigners, to connect with the village youths in order to present the christian community as welcoming for them.”
How has this form of service impacted others and your walk with God?
Before my first trip to Cambodia, I did not feel like I was called to go on the mission trip nor was my main drive to spread God’s love with those yet to know him. In fact, I was asked by a friend in church to accompany him. Serving God was a side objective. During the 2 weeks that I was in Cambodia, we carried out the Christmas program in many local kindergartens, spreading the good news to young khmers and saying the sinner’s prayer with them. Through these various activities, I could see God’s work being done through me, even though I was initially unsure of my motivations.
In Thailand, I could finally wrap my head around how we could use our unique hobbies like football to serve God. It provided a common platform for us, a group of foreigners, to connect with the village youths in order to present the christian community as welcoming for them.
Seeing the young christians in Thailand and Cambodia, who are often of harsh upbringing, shamelessly expressing their genuine and wonderful relationship with God, it made me question the things I have taken for granted. It has encouraged me to take steps to ensure that I do not stagnate in my faith.
Aligning with Vision 2023, how do you think more youths take up discipleship?
In light of Covid, mission work is definitely out of question. It is also in this light that taking part in discipleship is encouraged. As physical fellowship continues to be restricted, discipleship can be a stepping stone to strengthening relationships with our brothers and sisters in christ and God, and for mutual encouragement in these challenging times.
If you have any questions or issues regarding the above, please do not hesitate to contact me!
