FCBC Serves Indonesia (September, 2013)

September 12 - 15, 2013
Team Leader: Pastor Evelyn Cheok
Team Members:

• Constance Wee
• July Leong (Lynette's mother)
• Kris Childress
• Lynette Leong
• Melissa Ong
• Peggy KoK

Highlights

<For the day-by-day description of activities, refer to the Schedule of Activities and Report on Activities>

Overall it was a fruitful and satisfying trip for all of us. Although we were few, the small size of the group worked to our advantage. It helped in team bonding – we had three pre-trip meetings to prepare for the trip and get to know one another; one of which was on the evening prior to our departure, which was at 7.30am the next morning. Thanks to our small and ideal numbers, we were able to stay overnight at one of the member's home and went together to the airport in a nine-seater cab, driven by one of the member's husband, the next morning.

Our small group size also made it easier for us to move together while in Berastagi, and almost everyone, except for one member, had the chance to preach or share. This was a precious, challenging and fulfilling experience for all of them. All of them were moved out of their comfort zone – they had to really look to the Lord for a word for the people, and God being faithful, honoured this and spoke to them; for most of them this was their first preaching experience and they fared well in their preaching. Pastor Evelyn had the chance to mentor each of them in this task – by going through their sermons and giving suggestions for improvement.

Lastly, due to our small size, every member had a key role to play – treasurer, photographer, logistics coordinator, scribe, gifts coordinator, etc. There were no passive members. This was a trip where everyone really had to work! And they enjoyed it!

The faith levels of the team members were heightened. They saw many miracles of healings, and salvations. The most pronounced miracle was that of a man who suffered a stroke and was paralysed on his left side. At the end of our prayers for him, he could walk and raise his left hand. He was leaping for joy as he descended two flights of stairs to go home.

The team truly experienced the power of God working through them; everyone had the chance to minister and each saw a significant impact on their ministry – be it in salvations, or healings or lives being touched.

The Team saw God's hand of protection on us as a group:

• On our journey from the Airport to Berastagi we were saved from a head-on collision. The vehicle coming towards us in the opposite direction was barely six inches from our vehicle when the driver of our vehicle swerved to avoid it.
• Mount Sinabung erupted on the last day of our trip, at 3.00am. We slept through this and were oblivious of this incident. The only evidence of the volcano eruption was the film of ash on the ground and on the vehicles along the road. We didn't suffer any effect from the volcanic eruption, aside from the ash, which landed on our blazers while we were outdoors, and the haze. One of the Berastagi pastors later told Pastor Evelyn that there was a second more serious eruption the day after the team left, resulting in road closures as volcanic ash had covered the roads – we would have been stuck in Berastagi!

Thoughts from the Team:

"I see God's glory through the way the team members related and helped one another during the trip. I also witnessed how God used each one of the team members' unique character for His glory and purpose. Pastor Evelyn also helped me to modify my original message twice to fit the theme for the Youth Revival Meeting. I felt a great sense of calm despite having to modify my message twice. I experienced calm and anointing of God as I preached the message and was actually enjoying the time."

– Constance Wee

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"At first I thought the elderly man that Melissa and Lynette prayed for was acting. I am convinced that he is truly healed after I saw him clapping his hands and dancing and kicking his leg and his son kept saying, "Thank you. Thank you." so many times. I am very touched. It is my first time to see a miracle." [July is 70 years old and this is her first missions trip.]

– July Leong

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"I was grateful that no one on our team was a prima donna but we were flexible and looking to be used by God in HIS time and for HIS purposes. I was glad for the team spirit of our missions team that we encouraged and built one another up and could even find our own small challenges funny and uplifting. We enjoyed and were energised by one another's company. Even as the only male (and non-Singaporean Chinese) I felt like a valued member of the team – which is never a given in a missions team. Since I was able to spend more time talking with Pastor Daniel and Pastor Ezra, I became aware of the onslaught Christians are feeling in Berastagi from Muslim evangelists. I am praying about ways to meet that challenge and turn it to the advantage of the Kingdom."

– Kris Childress

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"Despite the language barrier, we can bless the people. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit and not us. We can be the servant, the vessel, if we are willing. Faith lies in the person who asks for healing as well as the one who is praying."

– Lynette Leong

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"I am touched to see how God used me during this trip, especially praying for the elderly man with stroke and seeing him healed."

– Melissa Ong

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"A few years ago, I had a vision of myself preaching on stage with a mountain in the background. This vision was fulfilled in this trip."

– Peggy Kok

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"As a team we all saw many miracles – the greatest of which were many lives which were being delivered out of darkness into the glorious light of Kingdom our Lord Jesus Christ. We were all amazed at the many who raised their hands to express their desire to invite Jesus into their hearts during our preaching ministries."

– Pastor Evelyn Cheok

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<For more of such Thoughts from the Team, refer to the Thoughts from the Team (Before & After the Trip)>

Important to Note:

The airport has been shifted and is now further from Medan. The trip from the airport to Medan takes two-and-a-half hours and it takes another two hours from Medan to Berastagi. The trip direct from the Airport to Berastagi takes approximately two-and-a-half hours. 

For trips in future, the one coordinating must ensure that the Berastagi side arranges for the group to travel direct to Berastagi to save on travel time. 

Schedule of Activities:

Report on Activities:

Prayer Meeting at Elim Karos Church

When the team arrived at the prayer meeting, it had already started. Pastor Evelyn was invited to share and she preached on "The Importance of Prayer" (Luke 11:1-13). Prayer connects us with God and it mobilises all the heavenly forces to come to us on earth. After the message, Pastor Ezra asked the people present to form groups of threes to pray for:

• Indonesian's government and economy
• Elim Karos Church's ministries
• Completion of the building of the orphanage
• Singapore team who will be ministering over the next few days

Pastor Evelyn, Lynette and Kris joined the Indonesians to pray, while Peggy, Melissa, July and Constance formed a group to pray. After prayer, Constance encouraged the group to pray in tongues. July shared that she did not know how to pray in tongues. Constance and Melissa encouraged her and led her. Finally, July prayed in tongues. Praise the Lord!

The meeting ended with the team praying for each and every Indonesian present. Many ladies were touched by the Holy Spirit and starting to weep.

Sembako

The team together with Pastor Daniel, his mother and an Indonesian set off in the night with torches to light the wet and slippery paths leading to the homes of the three families. Each family was given a package of food items.

The first home belonged to a young farming couple with a two-month old baby. The team asked if they had any prayer requests. The father was at first hesitant, but later mentioned wealth. The team prayed for good health, good harvest and wealth for the family. The team also blessed the couple and their baby.

The second – a family consisted of an elderly Christian lady and her son. Her son is not a Christian and he left the house after we arrived. The elderly lady requested to pray for her family's salvation. The team prayed for her and words were released that her household would be saved.

The third home was situated deeper into the village and the team needed light from the torch to make their way to the house, which was obscured by vegetation, and thus moved very slowly. Meanwhile, Pastor Daniel's mother went ahead without a torch! This family consisted of a mother, two young sons and a daughter. The mother warmly invited the team into her house. After chatting for a while, Peggy prayed for each one of them and released words of prophecy. The mother was visibly touched and the young girl teared. The family was joyful and the children posed readily for the photographers.

Preaching in a Kindergarten and Primary School in Elim Karos Church

The team arrived half an hour earlier and had the opportunity to speak with students who arrived early. Some team members distributed chocolates to these students.

The session started with some singing and prayer led by a teacher. The teacher invited two students to pray and they responded readily. The team was impressed. Peggy then shared on "Being Committed to God" (Genesis 22:1-12). The students were all listening attentively but after ten minutes, some kindergarten students became restless and started talking among themselves. When Peggy started her magic show, all were silent and all eyes were glued on her. The students were amazed at the magic tricks and one student sitting in the front row tried to peep into Peggy's magic bag.

Preaching in Junior College

When we arrived at the junior college, we were greeted by Pastor Daniel's ex-English teacher. We introduced ourselves and chatted with her. She pointed us to a hut – English Hut. Students who sit in this hut must speak English. She encouraged us to go to the English Hut so that the students would have an opportunity to practice speaking English. Six students were in the hut and were all smiles as we walked towards the hut. They were very enthusiastic and curious to find out more about us. Many asked Kris questions and after five minutes, more and more students came till the hut was packed and some stood outside the hut. There were laughter and fun as the students posed for photos.  

The 17-year old students gathered in the school hall, which was packed to capacity. Some student leaders led in worship and the worship leader, who was very confident, commanded the respect of the other  students. Lynette shared on "Freedom - The Truth Will Set You Free" (John 8:31-32). Props like seeds, thorns, and a beautiful plant were used to illustrate the seed falling on different types of soil. Laughter erupted when some seeds thrown by Lynette hit a student who was sitting in the second row. At the end of the message, many students raised their hands to receive Christ. Lynette prayed for them. 

Before we left the hall, we sang and danced to the song, "Shout For Joy". The students joined in the song in Bahasa Indonesia. 

Hospital Visit

The team, along with church members, packed into a bus and headed for the hospital. There was singing of praises in the bus. While waiting at the entrance of the hospital, a car pulled up at the entrance and a large man was carried onto the stretcher by his family members. A young lady was sobbing and one of the pastors went up to comfort her. 

The group was divided into smaller groups of fives or sixes to visit different wards in the hospital. Lynette and her mother went with Pastor Cindy and Pastor Daniel's mother. The first patient they met was an elderly female. She had a stroke and was skinny and unconscious. Her four daughters were with her but they were in despair and hopeless about their mother's condition. Pastor Cindy spoke with the three daughters and shared the gospel with them. The three daughters prayed to receive Christ. Lynette later prayed for their mother's salvation. The patient raised her hand! Praise the Lord. After that, the three daughters cheered up. They teared as Pastor Cindy and Lynette prayed for them.

This group went to another ward where a heavy male patient was resting. Pastor Cindy recognised him and he recognised her too. He used to be a gangster in the past. He admitted he was a sinner and had done bad things in the past. Pastor Cindy shared the gospel with him and he prayed to receive Christ. Praise the Lord. Soon after, another patient walked into the ward and shared about a pain she felt on her hip. Lynette prayed for the healing of her hip and gave an invitation to receive new life in Christ. The lady accepted the invitation. Praise the Lord. This group went into another room where a male patient, in his 70s, has problems with his lung and heart. Both the man and his daughter, who was present, prayed to receive Christ. 

The other group consisted of Pastor Evelyn, Pastor Daniel, Helen and Constance. They went into a maternity ward and prayed for two female patients and their newborns. This group ministered to a 50-year old Christian man who contracted cancer five years ago. He was warded in this hospital two months ago. The left side of his face was swollen due to chemotherapy and his speech was slurred. His family was there with him. When Constance and Helen greeted him and touched his hand, he shed tears. Pastor Daniel spoke with him and shared about walking in the presence of God. Pastor Evelyn prayed for the man and Peggy released a word from Joshua 1:9. After Pastor Daniel prayed for the man, the group left except for Pastor Daniel who continued to encouraged the man. 

Helen and Constance met a young Christian lady lying in bed who was kept in hospital for four days due to fever. She looked depressed and kept her eyes closed. After praying for her both Helen and Constance felt there was something else to pray for. They asked her but she replied negatively. After her husband came into the room, they were informed that the lady had just lost her baby. Constance shared about God blessing her with a beautiful daughter after she had lost one daughter. After praying and assuring her of God's love and promises, the lady was able to smile and thanked Helen and Constance.

Helen and Constance then met an elderly Muslim lady who had a frozen left shoulder. When Constance asked her if they could pray for her, she replied, "Sure, as long as I am healed." After praying for her she still could not lift up her left arm. Constance encouraged her to exercise her faith, raise her hands everyday and believe that Jesus will heal in time to come. Before they left, the lady asked for some medicine. Constance said she had no medicine, but believe in the name of Jesus, he is the medicine.

Radio Ministry

The team went to the radio station at 8.00pm. They sang in acappella "Shout for Joy" in English at the beginning of the programme and "Jesus, You are my Lord" in English and Mandarin at the end of the programme. Kris shared on Love (1 Corinthians 13). He gave an altar call at the end of the message.

Listeners were encouraged to call in after a song was played. A couple from the church was there to answer any questions from the listeners and pray for them.

Preaching in Junior College

On Saturday morning, 7.30am, as we entered the school compound, we heard students singing songs of praise in Bahasa Indonesia. It was a wonderful way to start the day. Later the students gathered in an open field with their teachers and principal standing at the back of the row. 

Peggy shared on being committed to God (Genesis 22:1-12). She encouraged the students to remain faithful to God when they face difficult times and when their faith is tested. The students were receptive to her message and enjoyed the magic show performed by her. After the message, Pastor Daniel invited the team on stage to sing the song "Shout For Joy". Then Pastor Daniel encouraged the students to sing the song in Bahasa Indonesia and dance along too. Before the students were dismissed to their classrooms, they gathered in groups of tens for prayer. Each of the Singaporean and Indonesian team members prayed for a group. The team also met the principal of the college, a Christian, who requested prayers for his protection. Pastor Evelyn prayed for protection, blessings and wisdom for him and his family. The principal teared as we prayed for him.

Prison Ministry

After a long wait outside the prison, followed by security checks, the team entered the prison. There were about 140 male and 12 female inmates. Most of them are guilty of drug offenses. The number has increased since two years ago when Constance visited with a team from FCBC.

The inmates were seated on mats in the quadrangle surrounded by cells on two sides. Some inmates sat outside their cells about two meters away from the quadrangle. The session started with praise and worship led by one of the pastors from Elim Karos church. The inmates joined the worship. The Singapore team was invited to perform "Shout for Joy" with Kris as the singer. After that Pastor Daniel encouraged the inmates to stand and join in the song and dance in Bahasa Indonesia. Pastor Daniel then shouted to all to form groups of threes, fives, tens and twenties as they sang and danced. One group of twenty male inmates danced in unison. The place was filled with festivity and there were smiles on the faces of the inmates. Two members from Elim Karos Church shared testimonies of God's love. One of them was an ex-convict. Pastor Evelyn then shared on "Realising the Potentials God has placed on each of us". When the invitation to receive Christ was given, many raised their hands. Praise the Lord!

Peggy performed three magic tricks. She was very nervous. The first trick went well without any hitches. But she fumbled on the second and third tricks and said, "Salah. Salah. Balek. Balek." The inmates laughed thinking she was acting. Peggy started communicating with Roy (an ex-prisoner) who drove the team around during the trip. She blamed him for the unsuccessful trick, which he denied, and the scene became a comedy. The prison officers who were standing at a distance came nearer to watch Peggy. After a few failed attempts, Peggy succeeded in performing the second and third trick. Peggy brought the house down, unintentionally. Praise the Lord. The session ended with a song of worship in Bahasa Indonesia.

Youth Revival Meeting

The session started with vibrant worship led by a youth leader. There were six female dancers and five vocalists onstage. It was a revival meeting for the youths. About ten youths from another village came to Elim Karos to be trained for three months.

Constance shared on the theme: "From a Meaningless Life to a Meaningful Life". During altar call, some youths raised their hands to receive Christ for the first time. After praying for the new believers, Constance invited the worship leader to lead worship as youth workers came forward for blessing and to be prayed for. All the youth workers came forward and the Singapore team prayed for each of them.

Before the session ended, Pastor Daniel thanked the Singapore team and expressed his hope that the team will visit every year. Pastor Daniel also mentioned that it was God's divine arrangement for Constance to preach that evening.

Sunday Combined Service

The worship was lively and intense. The presence of God was felt strongly. Melissa shared her testimony in Mandarin based on Proverbs 3:5-6. She ended by saying God answers prayers in three ways: "Yes", "No" and "Wait". Pastor Evelyn preached on "Faith of a Mustard Seed" (Mark 9, Matthew 17). It was an anointed message and the faith of the congregation was stirred. Pastor Ezra invited those who needed prayer to meet the Singapore team at the end of the service. The team stood at the balcony to bless each one on their way out of the hall.

An elderly man who had suffered a stroke that left him paralysed on the left side of his body, made his way to the team for prayer, with the help of his son. The team prayed for him and after some time he could raise his left hand. After some more prayer, he could walk in circles on his own. There were shouts of joy and rejoicing. His son thanked the team profusely. The man was so overjoyed that he refused his son's help to walk down the stairs. When some members saw him walking down the stairs, they were amazed. This man started clapping both hands and kicking his left leg when he reached the ground level. His son was beaming with joy and went to collect his motorcycle to fetch his father home. When the son rode the motorcycle to his father, the father waved away his son's extended hand of help. The father balanced on his left leg and swung his right leg over the seat of the motorcycle. They rode off amidst cheers of joy and praises. One elderly lady who witnessed the healing climbed up the stairs and asked for prayers too. She had issues in her heart. The team prayed for her and she wept a lot. After that, she prayed to God and poured out her heart to Him. At the end of the session, the lady looked joyful and at peace

The group left the service edified and uplifted by the many miracles the Lord had accomplished in their midst.

Thoughts from the Team (Before & After the Trip):