India

Diary of our Indian Mission

Mission: To partner with Harvest Apostolic Ministries in planting a church in Chemencherry, Chennai.

Host: Ps.Kumar and wife,Jessie,

Church Planters: Ps. Kirubirajan & Rebecca

20/8/07, Monday
The team met at the airport at 6.45am. Pastor Richard and Pat came to see us off. We departed from KLIA at 7.30 am. All of us were excited. The flight took us nearly 3 hours to get there. On arrival, we were received by Pastor Kumar and his driver, Mani. The team was hosted by Ps Kumar at his residence in Kazuka Garden. After a delicious lunch, we spent the rest of the day undergoing orientation by Ps Kumar. In the evening we visited the famous Bango Beach, as long as 4 km in Chennai.

21/8/07, Tuesday
Team devotion at 7.30 am. After breakfast, we were introduced to our team in India led by Ps Kirubirajan. This morning's mission was to a slum area in Chemencherry. CBC PACT members divided ourselves into 3 teams accompanied by 2 local Indian brothers in each team for translation purpose. We handed out flyers to the launching of the new church this coming Sunday, flyers to a meeting in the evening and Christian tracts. We entered lots of homes to pray for those with needs. We were baked under the hot sun.

We returned after 3 hours for lunch and after a short rest, we rehearsed for the evening performance. It started raining very heavily as we set out on our evening performance. All of us prayed hard. When we left the house at 7.00 pm, it was still drizzling. Thus, the performance originally scheduled at a street corner in the slum area was changed to a house. We did two gospel tricks, shared a testimony and sang a couple of songs in Tamil. We prayed for the head of the family and his family members and neighbors who had come to watch our performance. We returned to Ps Kumar's residence for our dinner. A debriefing after dinner encouraged our resolve to persevere in the power of the Holy Spiri36

36 22/8/07 Wednesday
As usual after the PACT members' morning devotion, we had a hearty breakfast provided by our host. Today, we went to an even poorer suburb. There were potholes every where and residents get their water from the well. There we found a brick school by the entrance of the suburb for students who spoke Tamil. Then there's a Telegu hut school for students who spoke Telegu. According to the Indian brothers who act as our translator, the front part of the suburb consists of Tamil speaking residents while the back part consists of Telegu speaking residents.

For about 2 1/2 hours we walked from house to house to distribute the flyers and tracts and we also entered many homes to pray for the residents. The stark poverty and sense of hopelessness prevailed amongst the residents. As we walked, we prayed and released blessings into the community.

After lunch, we had a short rehearsal for the evening performance. With eager anticipation, we made our way back to the same suburb. Our venue for the evening meeting was a street corner under the street lights next to the Tamil school. We led in singing some simple Tamil songs, did a gospel trick and performed a drama based on the parable of the Good Samaritan. There were about 50 people watching us. We ended our performance with a testimony of a changed life as a result of inviting Jesus into the heart.

After the meeting, the brothers hurried us to get into the van as they have noticed someone getting drunk and do not want to cause any hassle. There was one woman who asked us to pray for her mother who was locked up in jail due to being a suspect in connection with the suicide of her sister-in-law. There were about 15 persons coming to faith in Christ that evening.

23/8/07 Thursday
Today, we went to a housing resettlement scheme built by the government for tsunami victims relocated from Chennai. This huge housing scheme was badly maintained with stagnant water and rubbish strewn every where. We stopped by the house belonging to the man of peace in this huge housing area. This was our resting point for the day and the evening's meeting will be held outside his home. We entered many homes compared to the previous day and had opportunities to pray for the occupants. The residents were grateful to us for praying for them and for sharing the love of Jesus Christ with them. We were much encouraged despite the hot weather. We spent about 3 hours before we regrouped at the home of the man of peace.

We went home for lunch and after some rest did a run through of our evening program. Upon arrival, we saw that there was a tent set up for us next to the home of the man of peace but there was no electricity. There was a big crowd tonight. After waiting for 10 minutes we thought of using the light from the car when suddenly the electricity supply was restored. A local church planting team member, Babu, led in singing and the people joined in enthusiastically. After our performance, we made an altar call and prayed for many who stepped forward. That night we got about 51 salvations. It also came to our knowledge later on that the police came to know about our meeting and wanted to cancel the meeting by cutting the electric supply earlier. Luckily, one of the residents knew one of the police there and negotiated with them. That was how we got our electric supply back.

24/8/07 Friday
Today we went back to the same housing scheme as the previous day as there were many places not covered. The Lord provided us opportunities to enter many more homes and pray for the residents. Many were ill and malnourished. There was so much hopelessness on their faces. As we entered the housing scheme for our evening meeting we saw 4 police cars around the area. A little apprehensive, we started praying. Nevertheless, we continued with our presentation. As the night before, we gave the altar call and many people came forward but the crowd was less compared to the previous night due to the presence of police. On our way home, we passed by 5 or 6 police cars blocking the alleys on the way out. Just before leaving Ps Kirubirajan informed us that 29 persons had received Jesus as Savior and Lord. Reaching home, we were informed that the policemen were there to catch a criminal. Later at night, Lisa went through her baptism class facilitated by Ps Reynold as she will be baptized the next day.

25/8/07 Saturday
Lisa was baptized at Ps Kumar's church in the morning. As it was our rest day, we spent 3 hours in the morning shopping at a huge emporium. We bought a saree for Ps Kumar's mum, visited the famed Bango beach, the longest beach in India where the tsunami hit, visited St Thomas Church, the biggest church in Chennai. St Thomas brought Christianity to India and St Thomas Church is one of the 3 churches in the world where the remains of St Thomas, a disciple of Jesus Christ, was preserved. We went back to have lunch then set out to the House Of Hope, a home where 20 children affected by the tsunami tragedy are housed. The team taught the children some games, did a handicraft activity and taught them bible lessons.

In the evening, we met in the new church building for the launching of Victory Harvest Assembly, Chemencherry. As we reached the church, there was a disruption to the electricity supply. There was a big crowd of people in the sanctuary and in the shadow of the candle lights, they worshipped and prayed with passion. Electricity supply was restored after 30 minutes to our joy and we praised God for His greatness. We were amazed by the happy countenance of the people despite the fact that the sanctuary was hot and in darkness. CBC PACT members presented a few items and Ps John gave the message. Seven children that were present had their own activity in the verandah.

26/8/07 Sunday
We returned to join the new church in its 1st celebration at 7.30 am in the morning. After the message by Pr Reynold, we ministered to the people present and prayed for the Ps Kirubirajan, his wife, Rebecca, the children and other leaders of the new church. We lingered to fellowship with the people and took some photographs. We went to the main Harvest Church in Chennai and joined in the English service. We were invited to share our experience during this mission trip and shared God's wonders that we have experienced. The message was delivered by Ps John and Ps Reynold. We had a sumptuous parting dinner with Ps Kumar and family and some church members. We left for the airport at 11.00 pm for our return trip back to KL & PJ.

We thank God for the privilege to serve Him on this mission trip and most of all, for God's grace for unity and a unique team spirit despite the fact that PACT members came from 3 different CBC centers, and two others, from Langkawi.

Contributed by Lisa Lai, scribe for the CBC PACT 2007.

The first day when we touchdown in India, we were greeted by Pastor Kumar himself. We were placed in a bus specially chartered to carry all 9 of us (Pastors Reynold & John, sisters Norah, Suet Beng, Rachel, Lisa, brother Steven Cheah, Chris & myself) to Kazura Garden, 1st Street (hmm …sounds like somewhere posh.)

Pastor Kumar encouraged us by asking if we were ready for mission in Chemencherry, Chennai, India. Well, we believe he was being kind, preparing our minds and our hearts to be ready for the worst. Mission …. you know …. out of our pampered comfort zone in Malaysia. Chennai city is really big … 8 million people, traffic congestion everywhere … honking from the vehicles sounding like “music to our ears” (Not to worry … nobody gets upsets being honked at, unlike in Malaysia!)

Finally, we reached our place of rest … and lo and behold, a “mansion” before our eyes, our so called “suffering for Christ” place of rest. So comfortable … marble floor, air-conditioned, good home cooked food everyday by Pastor Kumar’s mom and wife, Jessie, (better than in Malaysia … breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner not forgetting that we were pampered with ice cream almost every night.) Just imagine … after a mission, most people lose weight, unlike our team, we put on weight! What blessings from the Lord to the team who was ready to suffer for Him.

Indeed, Pastor Kumar shared with us how the Lord had blessed them with this home which has been used as a home to many mission teams from all over the world under Harvest Apostolic Ministry. Each year there are about 5 to 7 teams posted to India.

The second day to the last day was “work for the Lord”. Our daily schedule was typically like this:

It rained the second night, but our spirit was not dampened. We could not meet at the designated streets as there was no electricity but we did our evangelistic meeting in someone’s home. The place was small and packed but we did it anyway with a local interpreter (Pastor Rajan). The people there were so kind. Even though they were poor, they opened up their homes for us and blessed us with hot drinks and biscuit whenever they could. Indeed it was a very humbling experience for us.

On the second last day, from morning to 4.00 p.m. was our free day. We visited the fourth longest beach in the world, Saint Thomas Cathedral, tourist gift shop and budget department store called Saravanan.

In the evening, we had an evangelistic meeting at the new church in Chemencherry which is headed by Pastor Rajan and wife, Rebecca. The church is simple in its setup yet so blessed by the Lord. We all sat on the mat with the ladies on one side and the men on the other.

On the last day, we all got ready for service in the new church. After the service, we went to the children’s home (children who were selected and brought there after the Tsunami), called the House of Hope. The children are taken care by brother Ammi and his wife, Anishah, and their 3-year-old son. As we conducted the evangelistic meeting, the children were all so well behaved and enthusiastic in participating. In fact, it is said that the children are more blessed to live in this home. Before the Tsunami, these children lived in poverty with their parents and were left roaming the streets, without proper schooling and care. Many of the children indicated that they would want to become pastors someday. PTL! By 4.00 p.m. we were back to pack up. At 7.00 p.m. we attended an evening service in Pastors Kumar’s church before flying home.

The stay in India was indeed a blessing and an encouraging time for us, especially by the local Indian team which went alongside us throughout the 8 days. They acted as our interpreters, we prayed together and they were all so passionate for the Lord. The living conditions in Chemencherry reminded us how blessed we are in Malaysia. In fact, we have nothing to complain about anymore. The simplicity of their lives coupled with their generous welcoming hearts towards us, foreigners, have put us city people to shame. We have both learned so much from the people in India and how Jesus is making a difference in their lives as well as ours in transforming into Christ-likeness.

To cut the story short, this is what happened: -
My dad rededicated his life to the Lord, a few days before he passed on. PTL! (I rejoice because of the Lord’s promise that we will meet again in heaven.) Dad was called home to be with the Lord on 21st March 2007.

Pastor Reynold informed that the mission trip had been postponed to a later date. (Hmm … is God in control or what, I asked myself? The answer, my friends, is a definite YES! The Lord is always in control, Amen.)

When my wife, Audrey, asked, ‘Can I follow you for the mission trip?’ I took a deep breath and replied, ‘Who is going to care for our 3 boys?’ God spoke through our 3 boys, and they unanimously agreed to allow Audrey to go. God also assured Audrey that He will take care of them. PTL! Knowing how the boys are attached to us, this surely must be from God telling us to just be obedient and trust in Him. Furthermore, it would be taxing on our finances. God who is Jehovah Jireh provided some of our expenses through an anonymous donor who blessed us with RM1k! We want to thank God and this donor from the bottom of our hearts. PTL!

During our entire stay in India, God always provided the inspiration, the right things to do and say, not only to one another, but also to the people in Chemencherry. God is gracious and merciful. We can plan but there were times when we ourselves needed to adapt and readjust according to the situation and the people whom we were ministering to. Our message and prayers were focused on God’s love, healing, transformation, bringing hope, binding alcoholism, abusive husbands, ministering to widows and giving thanks to God in allowing us to join Him in His marvelous work (2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long–suffering to us–ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”)

We thank the Lord for His protection and providence and the opportunity to join Him at work. We serve a great and living God indeed!

A very big thank you to all the members of PACT for their joy, laughter and encouragement, especially Pastor Reynold, who guided and led us all in humility, love and full of passion for the Lord. Our deepest and sincere thanks to all the brothers and sisters for all your prayers. We want to give our Abba Father, our Lord and Saviour Jesus and the Holy Spirit, all praise, glory, honour and blessings for this opportunity to share this testimony.

May you be encouraged by the lyrics of this song

You are my hiding place
You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance
Whenever I am afraid I will trust in You
I will trust in You
Let the weak say I am strong
In the strength of my God
I will trust in You

SERVING OUR LORD JESUS TOGETHER!
Chris & Audrey Ho
Watchman SG -CBC Kota Damansara Center.

Post script:
Both Audrey and I were very encouraged when we saw both Senior Pastor Richard Toh and wife Pat Toh at the airport on the day of our departure to India. They took the trouble & effort to be there at that hour (around 5.30 a.m.) to send the PACT team off. Their presence, words of encouragement and prayer really touched our hearts.

Catching a Glimpse of Heaven on Earth

We entered the homes of many and listened to their stories. So many were desperate and hungry for goodness and grace to happen, it’s hard to not hold them and cry with them. Although I had a translator with me most of the time, I really sensed an akin-ness. We do not share the same culture and language but we were able to laugh and cry together... pain, loneliness, love and joy are universal experiences that don’t discriminate against race, nationality and religion.

I’ve met some of the most amazing people as well. People who’d walk into an ankle deep sewage puddle to greet a woman on the other side, people who risked everything to follow Jesus, people who are able to love orphans as their own flesh and blood, people who’d pray hard for electricity and people who gave up marriage to serve the underprivileged. What they experience daily I was allowed to experience in a week. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

My mind was constantly being renewed. There were times (and this happened very often) when a prayer was not as powerful as a hug or embrace. When you begin to understand why Jesus touched the leper when He could have simply said a word for the man to be healed. When the skin is unfamiliar to touch, a touch is what it needs. When the hand is empty, another hand needs to fill it. It’s when words are unnecessary.

On the night before we left, I met Ramya, a 19 year old girl. We talked about family, her love for her husband and about being disowned and adopted at the same time. The people here didn’t talk about community or service, but they were living it. I found this to be true in the hope for the tsunami children whom we visited. India was filled with paradoxes. The lonely weren’t alone.

The poor were rich. The meek had what no one can steal and money can’t buy. The abandoned had homes in human hearts and a shelter. The orphans were adopted into bigger families -frail beings with the divine in them.

Catching a glimpse of heaven on earth was humbling and refreshing. It’s true that there is no such thing as a godforsaken place, only a church forsaken place. So God was already there and all we did was show up.

By Rachel Chew
Co-ordinator for Project Elijah, member of Subang-Sunaway Center