Since the team from CNL came last December, they have been actively encouraging and mobilizing more people to make a trip here again this year in June. We were looking forward to their coming and found to our pleasant surprise that not only had they returned with a bigger team, they even brought with them a love gift from the Chinese congregation in CNL@JurongWest to help meet some of the needs of Canaan Church here. We are encouraged by their act of love.
The team kicked start a 2-day Alpha Course (Evangelistic Meeting) in Canaan Church complete with refreshments, ushering, sharing and song presentations. Although there were language and cultural barriers, their can-do attitude helped them to minister effectively, setting an example for all to see.
Canaan Church conducts water baptism twice a year and the team from Singapore got to join them in this event. It was an unforgettable outdoor experience. Contrary to what others might say about this city, we were warned not to sing and preach about Jesus in public. However, the Holy Spirit gave us the creativity to conduct the service in English!
Many migrant workers, even members of Canaan Church, view themselves as transient citizens. Because they see their time here as temporary, they lack a sense of stewardship towards the places where they live, work and worship. The team challenged this particular mindset by demonstrating how to beautify and take care of the house of God. They took 2-days to paint the walls, cleaned the windows, installed locks for the main door, cleaned the toilet, repaired the water pipes and installed a sink. The members of the church were touched and one sister later shared, “We’ve always had the impression that city folks like you are arrogant and proud. Never did we expect you to walk the talk in humility by doing chores even some of us hesitate to do ourselves. We just could not imagine the house of God can look and feel so homely.”
The actions of the team broke down walls of suspicion towards outsiders and drew everyone closer and testified of what it means to be one in the family of Christ. They helped us build a firmer relationship with the locals and laid a foundation for deeper mutual trust.
Recent multiple suicide cases in factories attest to the fact that migrant workers do not know how to handle work-related stress. They need a place to rest and people to relate to. Because of this need, Canaan Church serves to be a lighthouse and place of refuge for workers in nearby factories where they can come to for help and where the Gospel can be freely shared.
We thank God for the mission team as well as you who constantly pray for and provide financial support for the work here. God’s blessings be upon you!
