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Report on Missions
A team from CBC went to Chennai, India, in August, 2007, to help plant a church there. The reports on the trip will be published in the next issue of CBC News

“He is truly the God of all”
Visiting the Orang Asli

The morning of June 9, 2007, was filled with excitement and anticipation as we left Petaling Jaya for Raub, Pahang. The emotions were not for another vacation but the enthusiasm was there because it was Lighthouse IV’s first outing to visit an Orang Asli (OA) Church. We have heard much about their faith and we are finally going to see it first hand. The village we were going to visit is in Sungai Lui, Raub. The drive to the OA settlement was an interesting and adventurous one. After watching the CD’s of previous mission trips to the OA people with rocky and challenging terrains we were thankful that this one lane road was paved with stones. It was rocky but fun. We could see God’s wonderful creativity along the way as we were just inches away from the plants and trees of the thick forest. The sound of our engines could not overpower the sound of nature as we could still hear the sound of chirping birds. It was many kilometers before we saw the first OA village. “Oh so near only ah?” was the first thought. However, the guide from Pastor Moses Soo’s ministry who was leading the way in a Toyota Hilux did not show any sign of stopping. We proceeded deeper into the jungle.

Lighthouse IV SG Members with the OA

We stopped in the end of the road which was paved with stones. The road ahead was unpaved, thus may be extremely difficult for our unequipped cars to exit if it rained. The fantastic drivers managed to park along a one lane road. Within minutes we were all ready to go for jungle trekking to the village. Geared with our caps and ‘Mosiguard,’ we pressed in. To our dismay, it was not much of a jungle trekking experience but more of flat ground with direct sunshine on our backs. The village was only 10 minutes walk away. There was a sigh of relief at the first sight of shade from the scorching heat of the sun. Speaking of the weather, our God is really in control of everything. He provided us cloudy skies as we drove all the way. At some point of time it seemed as if it was going to rain. Nonetheless, He provided us sun as we walked towards the village.

We had the privilege to join the OA in their church celebration. It was a great experience as we were able to join them as one Body in worshipping God. Their simple manner of worship with just a guitarist and no song sheets or OHP was a stark reminder of how blessed we are; not to mention the air conditioning we enjoy. The celebration proceeded with a presentation of a simple skid by some of the youth. It was a last minute plan as we were not aware of the preaching of the Word in Bahasa Melayu by an uncle. Although it was a last minute preparation, we managed to share the message of God’s love to the OA people by God’s grace.

As if being able to celebrate with the OA in their church service was not enough, we were blessed with an early dinner at 5pm. We were privileged to share their simple meal of boiled wild boar meat, bamboo shoots with curry and fried fish and rice. The food was good. Looking around us as we ate, we saw that the OA people had half a fish each, whereas we were offered whole fishes. Their generosity and hospitality really touched our hearts. It spoke more about the love of God than the conversations we had with them. It was indeed a reminder to all of us who were present to have a willing heart to share and give, unlike the individualistic society we live in today. Truly actions speak louder than words. Having said that, they even volunteered to wash our dishes with the little tap water they had. We had the experience of washing our oily hands in the river nearby using the sand as our ‘soap.’

We left at approximately 5:30 p.m. Some of us used an alternative route by crossing two shallow rivers towards the place where our cars were parked while the others took a cowboy ride on the back of the Toyota Hilux. As we left the village, we took with us a valuable experience of living in sheer simplicity. Besides, it was also a feeling of joy knowing that our brothers and sisters deep in the jungle are being saved daily and running the race with us.

The hospitality, generosity and friendliness towards ‘strangers’ and ‘citified’ people like us, from KL, were simply amazing. Although we may dress or speak differently from them, we still have something in common – Jesus Christ, whom we worship. It has definitely opened our eyes to see that the God we worship is not just a God of the city but He is truly the God of all regardless of our shape, size or color. Praise to the Lord of ALL!!

By Iris Dang
Lighthouse 4 SG

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