A Recharged Sabbatical
Deborah, one of our supported missionaries, joined the Ministry Traineeship during her sabbatical back in Singapore. She shares how she has been blessed and recharged by the traineeship.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
My heart is full of gratitude to God and GBC for granting me this sabbatical and the chance to join the Ministry Traineeship. The power of “rest” is so wonderful, and I’ve also been able to taste and see that the Lord is good.
I have been greatly blessed by this traineeship. Adding to what Mimi and Jocelyn have shared, below is my list of blessings that I have reaped through the last five months of being on this programme.
Learning Through Reading
During this traineeship, we took turns to lead and share a devotion based on texts in the books of Timothy and Titus. We also had to write reflection papers on books weekly, and met with Pastor Eugene and Pastor Oliver to discuss these papers. I am thankful to God for these shepherds who speak the word of God to us, and also for this opportunity to watch the outcomes of their lives so that I can imitate their faith.
Learning Through Living Together
I also had the opportunity to participate in various ministries, and found this hands-on experience enlightening. It helped me to see how the things we read in the books could be applied in life. For example, the trainees were able to observe the elders doing the Elder Chat with prospective members. As we attended the weekly pastoral staff meeting, we were also given the chance to witness the church staff’s preparation and work behind the scenes. I found the bond of love and unity reflected among the staff team beautiful, and witnessed Psalm 133 in action. The trainees were also invited to join the staff on their retreat in September, and I got to know not only my fellow trainees, but also the staff team.
The Weekender held in September also took place during the traineeship. This widened my understanding of working with the GBC staff team and the overseas leaders. I also had the opportunity to meet pastors from different countries, and heard about their life and ministry there.
I am thankful to God for the many ministries in GBC that add to the richness of our life together. I have also been tremendously blessed by our life together! The opportunity given to participate in the Reformation Concert as a member of the choir was a healing breakthrough as I finally realised God could use a musically untalented vessel like me to sing His praises.
I am also thankful to God for the GBC library ministry. Praise God for the dedicated librarians who serve the church sacrificially every Sunday. Our library has lots of good and helpful resources that have been screened and selected for our spiritual diet. The GBC library is also my favourite spot to hang out after every Sunday’s service.
Having spent the past six months back in GBC as a member, I’ve found the EQUIP classes on Sundays a blessing and have learned lots of new skills through them. The monthly prayer meeting is another favourite of mine, as we get the chance to pray together as a church. Meeting and learning with other sisters in church at the Women of Grace event was also a great opportunity to grow in Christ, and I highly commend future events to the women of GBC!
Bringing the Gospel to Cambodians
Just like Paul addressing the church in Ephesians 3:10, I am pleased to share with you that the manifold wisdom of God has been made known to many Cambodians through the ministry of GBC. As a supported missionary of GBC, I am very grateful to the Missions Committee. It was through the work of this ministry that I was introduced to the missionary work in Cambodia, and have been working there for the past 10 years since 2013. More than a thousand households in Cambodia have been blessed by GBC’s education fund and dental projects.
Pray for these three Cambodian youths as they pursue biblical studies at Highland Bible College.
As for me, I am thankful for the privilege to walk with many youths in their faith journey. Praise God that this year, three 18-year-old youths have chosen to pursue biblical studies instead of industrial training courses. They each have received a full-fledged scholarship to do a four-year study with Highland (Baptist) Bible College in Cambodia. Their parents and siblings are pleased to stand with them in their biblical studies pursuit. You can pray that they will grow in their knowledge of God and be strengthened in their faith.
I will also make a two-week trip back to Cambodia in early December with another member of GBC, Sister Lily Pang. The Bible College would be hosting us in the campus hostel during this trip. Please pray for God’s direction on how I can continue to assist these young Cambodian believers and their community to grow in Christ.