Pua Mission Trip – Jun/Jul 2023
Every quarter (except during the pandemic), GBC sends a team to Kathy's Home in Pua in northern Thailand to conduct an English camp for the Hmong and Mien children staying at the home. This is the 18th year that we have been partnering Kathy's Home in the Lord's work and we thank God for such a great privilege!
Under the experienced and faithful leadership of “some” who had almost never missed a trip since 2006, this one went like clockwork for the eleven of us. An AirAsia decision to cancel and reschedule our domestic flights to and from Nan in northern Thailand did not faze the organisers one bit. A deft tweak to the itinerary and we were back on track. Cool!
L-R, back row: Meei Fang, Bernie, Eric, Kit Wan, Megan, Beh, Mak, Siew Kim; front row: SG, Joanna, Caroline and Lawrence.
What could we do when the weather got too hot and humid in the afternoon that it became a challenge to conduct the English lessons? We could count on the Collinses to offer a way out: organise word games for some of the groups. It turned out that the children absolutely loved it and even asked for more. Well, they had to look forward to the end of the next lesson to have another go!
We also found out that many of the children are artistically gifted. If your students start to doodle on the sly and are paying scant attention in class, let them be. A little learning is better than no learning. At the end of it, they could probably reveal and reward you with their heart-warming drawings, like it happened to one of us.
To the best of our memories, we have had newcomers on almost every trip. This time, we enjoyed the participation and fellowship of Eric and Bernie Lui. Like many newcomers before them, they got to visit the Hmong village at Maesanan on Sunday morning. Eric describes his experience:
“The most memorable part of the mission is our trip to the village where we joined the worship service. First of all, although the church was nondescript from the outside, it was surprisingly well equipped with an AV system which could flash out the words of the hymns right on cue during the songs segment. Music was provided by the resident pastor who played the electronic guitar, accompanied by his 6-year-old son’s rhythmic tapping on a beat box!
Secondly, I was amazed by the preaching of our missionary Mak. He was expressive when he delivered God’s Word powerfully from Ephesians 4 on ‘Walking in the Light’. He sauntered across the stage as he preached, at times challenging the congregation to respond by pointing his finger fleetingly at them.”
Incidentally, Eric and Bernie’s 48th wedding anniversary fell on the day we were returning home. Our best wishes and blessings to both of them again for many more years of wedded bliss under the love and grace of our Lord.
Finally, if you have never been on a mission trip before and would like to consider the next opportunity, it will be held from 14 to 18 September inclusive of travelling. You may contact Beh Soo Hee at 97886171 or Ngiam Siew Kim at 97525589 to register your interest or get more information.
