LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

AN INVITATION TO REMEMBER

December 2007 was when I received an invitation to go overseas to join the Market Share Conference (for a special ministry.) I said ‘Yes’ right away to Aunty Pat Toh even before asking permission from my YWAM leaders. And so, March 27-30 proved to be a wonderful experience to me (thanks Aunty Pat).  I believed this was what I needed. I need to know what is happening now with neighboring countries and be connected with the right people in the ministry that I came here for. This was the reason why I am here in Malaysia. I was sent by my family, church and YWAM base/center from my country, Philippines, to serve God through loving people of Malaysia.

 

ENERGIZED

One week before the conference, we ran a Disciple Training Week in YWAM KL. The tight schedule and the various demands from the training week made me really tired. I was very excited to leave for the conference but at the same time I was a bit concerned with my physical condition. I prayed to God to keep me wide awake during lecture times as I didn't want to miss out anything He had prepared for me. Indeed, God amazingly answered my prayers. I was full of energy the whole time of the conference. 

 

OFF WE WENT

March 27 at 10:30 a.m., I took a cab straight to the airport and meet up with Aunty Pat Toh, Aunty Evelyn Ong, Aunty Alice Toh, and Aunty Pat Shum for our 12:45 p.m. flight. Aside from Aunty Pat , I only met the rest of them for the first time (as they were from different CBC centres.) As soon as we arrived at the host country, we officially registered and checked into our hotel rooms and then went straight to our first session which started at 3 p.m. Looking at the given schedule, I noticed that it's packed from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The more my heart grew excited!

 

"GOD IS MOVING IN ALL CORNERS OF THE WORLD"

We had two main speakers, one from Sarawak and the other, from the U.K. Every morning we had lectures from the two speakers and in the afternoon, we attend workshops. There was a lot of different topics in the workshops which included very helpful and relevant information regarding the work with our neighbors. We also watched some videos that awakened our hearts to see the needs of the world and how we can respond to God’s call. The King will not come back unless we do our part in the Great Commission. We also heard testimonies of how the Lord is moving now in the world of our spiritual cousins. "God is moving not only in one part of the world but to every tribe, tongue,  every people and every part of the world. He is working miraculously.”

 

 "LET US BUILD THE WALL"

One of my highlights was when one speaker spoke about Nehemiah's response when he heard that the wall and gates of Jerusalem were ruined and burned down and his people were suffering (Nehemiah 1 - 7.) Nehemiah's heart broke; so he wept, fasted, and prayed for his people. He cried for the people, for the ruined walls and gates. Nehemiah cried out to God, appealed to the king, went to Jerusalem, inspected the land and gathered the people. When the people heard the news, they said: "Let us rebuild the wall. Opposition is part of the work but, the God of heaven will help us succeed!"

 

Everybody did their part in building up the wall. The people represented different tribes. The walls were completely rebuilt in 52 days. And even though there was lots of opposition, the Lord gave them success. I believe the Lord is looking for Nehemiahs in our present time to respond to Him; people who have a heart for His own people; people who will weep and cry out to God for their neighbor's salvation and people who are willing to leave their comfort zone and follow the call. This is a time for all of us to work together in building up His Kingdom. 

 

Another thing, In John 4:34 Jesus said: My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to FINISH the work. We are not only called to do the Will of God but we are called to FINISH the work that had been given to us. Let us go and work together with just one purpose: To prepare God's people to serve and build up the body of Christ. 

MY HEART'S APPLICATION

There was one more thing that challenged me during the conference. Evaluating God’s call for me in Malaysia, I post this important question, "Have I finished doing the work?"  My 2-year commitment in Malaysia has just ended with YWAM. My heart's passion is to follow God's leading.  Various exciting opportunities have opened up for me but I know I have to seek God in every step of the way. I need prayers in this area.

 

To summarize: The conference was a big  encouragement to me knowing that the Lord God Almighty is always at work and opportunities are there that we can partner with Him in FINISHING the work. What a privilege to serve the KING of all Creation!!!