Post-Trip Reflection

1. Obedience, not outcome

In this trip we only saw 1 salvation, and 2 asked for prayers. Most of our time was spent on the English classes, in which we had little chance to share about God or Christianity.

In a Singaporean mindset that chases after efficiency and productivity, it might be tempting to think that this is not worth our time. We might question if God is truly moving in that place, and whether we should direct our energy to do something else instead.

We sometimes idolise the fruits and results of our ministry.

But through Ps Kathy’s life, I saw what it means to walk in obedience and single-mindedness. She refused to divert her ministry to other parts of Japan because this is the local community that God has called her to serve. I saw the steadfastness that we sometimes lack. She runs the church service week after week, hosts one after another mission teams, regardless of how many might turn up and “impactful” the work might be. I saw what it means to leave the 99 for the 1. She has planted herself in the community for more than 30 years, building relationships and investing in people’s lives. And the truth is that she has brought people to Christ — one by one.

More than perseverance I think this takes humility. We sometimes take pride in how much impact we can make through a mission trip. We want quick process, quick harvest (and then we return to our comfortable life).

But sowing takes time. Building relationships takes time. Discipleship takes time. And sometimes, the time required might be longer than the time that we can be around, or even the time we have on this earth.

So the key has to be obedience. Quoting my favourite line by Ps Benny Ho again, "Ultimately our discipleship is not determined by how much we have accomplished for God or for man, but simply how much we have obeyed the will of God".

Hear and obey. Don’t add our own desires and agendas to the equation.

2. “Those who have been given much, much will be required”

The Singapore Church is incredibly blessed. We have discipleship resources at our fingertips, and we have so many Christian organisations that are advocating for different aspects of the faith.

Many things that we can easily take for granted — having a local church near where we stay, having a community in a local church (regardless of how much we like or dislike it), even having Christmas as a public holiday — these are all luxuries in Japan, for example.

More than driving us to be grateful for what we have, it should drive us to steward what we have. We really have the capacity to do so much more, and we really should be doing so much more.

Going for mission trips opens our eyes to how comfortable the Singapore church has been. And perhaps, how comfortable we the Christians in Singapore have been.

3. Young and old

“The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.” — Proverbs 20:29

Objectively speaking, youths do have something unique to offer.

Ps Kathy shared with us that Leo, a young man that she has been discipling to serve, struggles to stay passionate for God because of the lack of community. It’s not hard to understand why when he is always serving the old, with the old week in week out. And whenever he gets to interact with young people from the mission teams, it’s like he just comes alive.

The Church needs young people. But young people need the generations that come before us. We need your wisdom, your experience, your encouragement, your belief, your support, your guidance.

We need you, to not give up on us.

Young people are still work in progress. As we serve and work with others, our flaws and imperfections will often surface. We can sometimes be prideful, stubborn, selfish or immature.

But don’t bail on us just yet. Don’t just conclude that we are not ready or not suited for the work. Come journey with us, invest in our lives, correct us and stay with us through the pruning process.

Help us to become the generation that you hope for us to be. Help us to become the generation that God has called us to be.