The Final Words

Time has flown by and we are nearing the end of the trip already! So much ministry has happened through seeds that have been sown over the past three weeks. We are thankful that God is the one who brings the increase and though we may never see all the increase that God brings we can rest knowing that He is fully able and in control. 

On a personal note I’d like to share with you a few things the Lord has taught me on this trip. First of all life is short so be intentional! When I see life from the perspective that I am dying it causes me to check my motives in what I’m doing and depth of conversations I have with others. This trip we’ve been teaching the kids in CI about the seven “I Am’s” Jesus says He is in the book of John. Everyday Jesus gives me a fresh perspective of how great He is and yet He says let Me tell you who I am and let’s live in fellowship through a relationship. Spend three weeks pondering who Jesus says He is and I’ve come to a new level of desperation for Him when I realize just how much I can’t live this life without Him.       

CI has finished but the trip is not over. Today we traveled to Villa Bukit Pinus for a few days of final team time and fellowship with some of the local families. It’s great to get away from the city for a bit and enjoy the mountains and cool air. Tonight we had church with Mr. Teh and then family game night of occupational charades. It’s quite fun seeing everyone's creativity come alive as they crack out of their comfort zones to pass the message to their teammates through acting. And we can’t forget to say Happy Birthday to our teammate Grace and celebrate with a little cake!

I’m so grateful the Lord brought me back to Southeast Asia to serve with this amazing team and of course all the lessons God has taught me along the way. 

- Elizabeth Shoemaker (Eltz) 

Staff Team

June 25, 2016

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The Beginning of the End

Hello Everyone! This is Krystal reporting from Jakarta! Today was our last day of CI. We had to reach church really early in the morning, so everyone was really tired. But we all reminded ourselves in prayer that we need God’s strength to go through today – that using our own strength would be useless.

Well, most of the teams had an awesome day. We reminded ourselves that this was the last day we had to spend with the kids, and it was our last chance to sow seeds and make an impact on their lives. I’m really proud of all the leaders because of their eternal perspective – they pushed back their tiredness and gave their all to build relationships with the kids on their team, putting others’ needs before their own. They even jumped in during large group to help spice up singing and memorizing our songs and verses.

For me personally, I had an awesome day too! It was really encouraging to see that even some of the kids did not really understand or speak English, they really made effort in singing the songs and doing the hand motions. They were such a sweet bunch of children with such cheerfulness and willingness to learn. I must sincerely say that I will miss them as this CI ends.

After CI, we had dinner with the Indonesian families. It was really refreshing to talk to them and see their kindness and generosity in hosting us.

God has been teaching me on this trip to put others before myself. I’m still learning that and I pray that God will continue to teach me that even after I go home.

All right, that’s all for now! God bless!

Krystal

Staff Team

June 24, 2016

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The End of the Beginning

Hey people, we've arrived at the 3rd day of the C.I's 3rd week. Hailing from Jakarta!

When the majority of teachers and translators arrived at the IBLP office, Sam started the group with a few songs of beautiful worship. The songs always does its job of opening our hearts for our morning devotions, and it's always a pleasant time singing those sweet and lovely melodies! The morning devotions content yet again challenged us to contemplate on how we can make God applicable and real to our lives. Pretty deep stuff! So it was beneficial but hard to swallow... 

Moving on, the staff team surprised us with incredible information on Tuesday about the trip to the old folks home, and Y to Y (youth to youth). So today's discussion was dedicated to finalizing the schedules and performances. Marietta and Mary Jane did an awesome job and organized their programs like seasoned veterans! 

Following the briefing regarding Thursday, the team leaders and assistants rushed to complete their arts and crafts materials for Thursday and Friday. It looked as if a twister of colorful cardstock and foam swept through the room!

While getting to the seminar location, the traffic was horrible as usual, but it was definitely a cloud with a silver lining, as we get to catch a small snooze before facing the storm of children.... 

The lesson for that day was Jesus as the door and self-control. The teachers shared their ideas for the self-control lesson, and as a result they all ruled that character! One trending idea was to gift each child with a candy in the beginning of the lesson, and inform them that if they wait ‘til the end, without eating their candy. They earn another one! Absolutely gratifying to see the children practicing the same character their teachers are teaching during the lesson!

Truly a testament to God's blessing on how well the day passed. Praise the love of God

Sarah Lim

Team Member

June 22, 2016

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Prep, Practicums, and Ping

Greetings!

Today, we started off by meeting at the IBLP office in the late morning where we had a refreshing session of worship and devotion.

After devotions, we had prep time for our practicums, followed by a scrumptious lunch of pasta!

And all too soon, it was time for practicums! The translators went downstairs to prepare while the rest of us were divided into two groups

Personally, I really didn’t want to do practicums because I was afraid that I would get a mind-blank (which I did) and I felt that my lessons weren’t good enough. However, I didn’t have a choice, so I did it; thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as I had thought it would be. Eltz and Krystal gave me very relevant feedback, and everyone else was so extremely… After practicums, we were briefed about the activities for the rest of the week and then we headed to church in our respective cars.

Tonight, we learnt about Persuasiveness and Jesus being the light of the World. I acted in one of the skits as Ping, a blind Chinese girl. Tonight was a night of new experiences for me because I was teaching Persuasiveness and acting blind for the first time. My team leader has been really great in encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone to learn new things.

Oh, I almost forgotJ. We had two new kids in the team who only spoke Indonesian. I spoke as much Malay as I coud to them, and the younger sibling started thinking I spoke Indonesian. I can’t always understand her, but the cuteness will definitely be one of the most memorable memories of the Jakarta CI week for me

Blessings,

Charis Chen

Team Member

June 21, 2016

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Day 17 and Counting

Today is day 17 of 26 and were in beautiful Indonesia. To start off our Monday we met at the IBLP office where we met our interpreters, sang songs and planned our lessons. We then had lunch listened to devotions and then broke up into small groups for a rich time of sharing. We then headed to church for our first night of CI in Indonesia and we are all so excited to meet our team of kids.

I personally am so very blessed to be attending again this year and to have the opportunity to work along side like minded Christians and to be encouraged by fellow teachers. It's also so encouraging to see everyone have to fully rely on God and call on his name for strength to teach and to make it through the challenges of everyday struggles. I look forward to seeing what God will do for each of us this week and to experience his true power. Thank you to all our wonderful host family's who have been beyond generous to each of us. Until next time.

Adlai Welfel

Team Member

June 20, 2016

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Apa Kabar, Indonesia!

Hi y’all! My name is Jaeriel Sia from Malaysia. Singapore week have just finished and we are on the way to our next port of call, Jakarta! But first things first, this is Sunday so we went to church today where the pastor spoke a very powerful sermon about the Christian’s main business, making disciples!

Today was going to be a long day as we had to transit in KL first after leaving Singapore, and then go to Jakarta. By the time we arrived, it was already getting dark, so we hurried to grab our luggage and went outside to meet the host families. As soon as we got to the house, we all went for a delicious dinner of mie bakso and roti panggang.

Following dinner, we got sent to our host homes for a good night’s rest. We had a great time with our hosts before hitting the hay in preparation of tomorrow.

This is Jaeriel Sia, signing off.

June 19, 2016

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One More Chance

Ay, the time flies by so fast. It seems like we began but a few days ago and now we are at the last day of CI Singapore. Before we know it, the trip will soon  come to an end and all we have left would be the memories.

But this is no time to depressed (one can do that once the trip is over)! Today's Saturday and we are gonna leave Singapore with a bang, so let's get this started!

We left early in the morning to arrive at the church around 8 in the morning, eating our breakfast on the go. Most of the teams were ahead in their craft cutting so most of them hunkered down to nail their lessons. I was personally busy separating crafts that teams might still need and the ones that I need to clean up. The TNTTM's (our personal slaves Temporarily Not Teaching Team Members) were also preparing for the final large group that Sam had put them in charge of.

The first half of the day went off pretty much without a hitch, something which I thoroughly liked, yet it was the second half where things got real fun. Soon after lunch, the kids rehearsed one final time before presenting to their parents. At the presentation, they almost quite literally brought the house down! Everyone was singing so loudly and yet so beautifully. We then took the opportunity to thank the people who made the CI possible by handing them the thank-you notes the kids had made.

With all the stressful stuff over, we all went upstairs where Erik was prepared to tell the skit, and he delivered! Kids were laughing, people had a great time, and the story's lesson was captured. Yet, just as the old saying says, all good things must come to an end. The parents had already come to collect their children and the teachers barely had half an hour to say goodbye.

And just like that, it was all over. Everything we did this week could not be changed. All we could do was pray that everything we taught the kids would stay with them long enough that it would be relevant in their lives. We all cleaned out the place and headed home; tired, but satisfied.

At the hotel, a wonderful dinner of chicken chops and burgers awaited us. They were good on its own, but I think being hungry made it taste better than usual. After dinner, the guys and the girls separated for their respective pajama parties.

Sadly, as if saying goodbye to the children wasn't enough, we had to say adios to one of our teachers, Erik, who will not be joining us for the Jakarta week. We managed to pull of a surprise farewell session before he had to leave in a few hours.

We wrapped up the day with a good night's rest. Tomorrow morning was still busy with final packing and stuff before we had to go to the airport and fly to our final CI of 2016, Jakarta!

James Pasaribu

Staff Team

June 18, 2016

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It's Friday, Friday! Gotta Get Down on Friday!

So…. I am not the greatest at writing, but I will try my best to put my thoughts into words J

Today was our free day so we started the day off with some Korean barbeque. Afterwards, went to the beach to have some fun. Alas, it rained all day so we just kind of chilled at the café. We then went shopping at Bugis Street but to be honest, I really missed CI and I was sad that we didn’t have it tonight. It has been a real eye opener for me to see the way that children understand the Bible and the way that I have to change my lessons depending on my audience. Their minds are so different than ours and I think it is because they have not been as corrupted as ours so they have a better connection with the Father. I believe this is why Jesus said that you have to be as a little child to enter into the kingdom of heaven. I believe that being able to teach the children has taught me a lot of things and helped me to grow closer to the father. And I now understand the saying that says the teacher learns more than the student. I am very grateful that I got a chance to come on this trip.

Brianna Varela

Team member

June 17, 2016

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Devos+Food+CI=A Great Day!

Hi everybody! Greetings from Singapore! My name is Joyce and this is my first time teaching at CI. This morning started out with a really good devotion that set our minds into deep thoughts. Sam talked about God’s agape love and that His love for us is everlasting even though we don’t deserve it.

In the afternoon we went to the mall to relax a bit and buy KOI, a really delicious drink much like milk tea. Anyway, after that we went back to the hotel to get suited up and go to the church. At the church, we went into our own teams and prepared our own stuff for the night. I am teamed up with Brianna, and she is an awesome assistant. She’s so efficient and she uses every scrap of everything when preparing the craftsJ. After all was done, we sat down to a deeeeeelicious dinner.

Youth 2 Youth Session

Around 7:00 PM, the kids began to arrive and we started off with a fun game that was connected to our lesson, that being how Jesus said that He is the Good Shepherd. The kids were quite attentive and interested in the lesson. We then went to large group where we sang songs, memorized verses, and of course, listened to STORIES! The kids LOVE story time and they listened and watched attentively through the whole story. We had one more small group and another large before the night ended and the kids went home.

Tired but happy, we teachers returned to our hotel. I am really thankful that God always gives me the strength to teach when I feel exhausted. Plus I’m really grateful for my assistant. I really don’t know what I would do without her help. Anyway, it’s getting closer to the end of Singapore week L. Nonetheless, I am so grateful to God for His blessings and His agape love for me.

Blessings,

Joyce Ling

Team member

June 16, 2016

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Yo Ho Ho and a Day in a Daycare

Hello peops! Whew, time went by so fast! It feels like I just left for CI and now we are halfway through already!

Olright, so this morning we, the CI team went to a daycare called Care Corner. We had to walk to and from the train station to get there. It started drizzling when we were on our way, but thank God that it held until we were all safe and sound inside Care Corner before the storm blew in. So, the kids greeted us and we greeted the kids, then we had songs! Hannah and I taught the kids a new song called the Captain of the ship, which includes hand motions. They responded pretty well, although they were quite boisterous to the extent that we had to shout to make ourselves heard. J

We then jumped straight into games with Grace and Jason leading as soon as the songs were over, and the kids were all EXTREMELY excited and hyped up before Adlai had this ingenious idea to switch the game to chill them down. While they were playing, the team members who were in the skit story prepared for it, wearing wigs and robes and stuff. It was a pirate story because Adlai, who was in charge of this trip to the daycare, had a pirate theme.

The CI teachers sat the children down and Eric began to tell the story. He introduced each of the four pirates, each with their own individual special personality. Captain McSwagger was bold, daring, goal-oriented, and tough. Captain Periwinkle was gentle, caring, and a listener. Captain Bubbles was fun-loving and easily distracted. The last one, Captain Pythagoras De Theorem, was a clever and analytical person. Each of these four pirates had a piece of a map that led to a treasure. They had to find four keys to get to the treasure. There were different challenges along the way that they had to overcome in order to get the keys, and they only managed to because of their different personalities. The point of the story was that using our talents for good and about benefiting others.

So after the skit, we all played one more game before we said our goodbyes and left for the hotel. All of us rested in our rooms after having eaten lunch till it was time for devotions. Sam led the devos and we separated into groups to discuss some questions he had for us. After that, we made our way to a bus that took us to the church where the Basic Seminar and Children’s Institute is being held. The team leaders and assistants went their merry ways to prepare for the night while the staff team and the TNTTMs prepared their own things. We had pizza for dinner yayy! The kids began coming, and the third night of CI has started! The five teams had their own individual games and lessons before coming to large group. Eltz and Krystal and I taught songs and verses, and then Sam had a skit for the kids. Then they went back to their own small groups for a lesson that taught them about self-control.

The Breath of Life skit

Large group time came again, and the three of us went up to sing songs and quote verses with the kids. Story time came, but instead of having the CI teachers act, Sam had some kid volunteers help him illustrate his story. They had a blast, and soon it was time for all of us to go home. We had cooldown on the bus, and then everyone went back to rest and sleep. Well, that is all for now. Thank you and goodnight!

Dorcas Ling

Team Member

June 15, 2016

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A Continuing Journey

 Wow, with the blink of an eye, our week in Malaysia has passed! I’m left in awe of how God has worked - not only in the hearts of the children, but also in us as individuals and as a team. We now find ourselves ensconced in the heart of Singapore, sights and sounds of the city all around us, and the seminar up and running smoothly!

After a busy week of teaching and travelling, our team took some time off to visit Singapore’s Botanical Gardens – a welcome opportunity to have some fun in the sun while enjoying each other’s company! As we are quite a large group, we’ve been learning to be Responsible Human Beings and fight against ZOHM (Zoned Out Herd Mentality) while travelling on trains and buses. ;)

Upon arriving at the gardens, the bright-eyed and (not quite) bushy-tailed members of our team expended their limitless energy and creativity through various gymnastic feats, while the less mobile members of our team enjoyed their old age in the shade of the trees (hehe, that would be me). As we enjoyed the nature around us, I was reminded of a verse from our team devotions: “For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). Truly, this is our Father’s world – creation attests a powerful Maker who leaves His handiwork in the tiniest details!

For lunch, we headed back to the hotel, where we rested and prepared lessons before bussing to our seminar location. Tonight’s curriculum focused on Jesus as the Light of the World, and – as ever – the teachers poured their energy into bringing the message to life through lessons, crafts, skits and games. As a team, we’ve been praying that we will break through “cliché” presentations of well-known Biblical truths, but present each lesson with fresh perspective for the children.

Looking back on the trip so far, God has taught me time and again that His strength is made perfect in my weakness. Through every challenge and obstacle, He has shown me that it is not by might, nor by power, but by His spirit!

As we teach a curriculum centered upon the love of God, I pray that – above any lesson we may teach or craft we may prepare – it would be our lives that testify the love of which we speak, and our actions that serve as a picture of Christ to the children. And finally, as we continue to learn and grow as a team, my prayer echoes that of Moses: “[O Lord], let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your glory to their children… let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us…establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90:16-17)

In His name,

Hannah Tay

Team Member

June 14, 2016

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Just Another (AMAZING) Monday.....

Hello, James here! Nice of you to check us out down here xD I'm on the staff team this year, so that's cool hehe. On top of being in charge of Materials, I was also put in charge of taking care of this year's chronicling. Hence, here I am writing to all of you about today...which is kinda obvious....well, enough chit chat, let's get down to today shall we?

'Twas a bright and sunny day. The team had just arrived into Singapore and we were prepared to hit the ground running. After a hearty breakfast of bread and coffee, we all piled up in the guy's room for devotions. Sam talked to us about how the Bible became truth because God who spoke it into existence is truth. After this bit of truth, we then went to lunch at a nearby food court before heading back to the hotel to give out the announcements of teams. After letting the teams prepare for their night, we all suited up and got ready to leave for the church to begin our showtime prep.

Being in charge of materials meant that I can usually get some down time before starting CI night. But when the clock starts ticking down to showtime, that's when the real fun begins. Teams need to prepare well if they want to teach well, and so my responsibilities had a direct impact on their performance. Monday was the first day so there were more stuff to do today than on most other days. So I got to work as soon as I can on setting up team stations, my crafts supplies table, as well as passing out the day's material needs to each team.

This is the second week I have had this responsibility, but already I can feel myself improving (mainly because the other staff were really swift in telling me what I could do to better my skills). But most important than any practical skill I have learned during this time is learning how much I can trust the Lord to answer prayers. I have always prayed to God about this and that, but never did I realize that I was always asking for the wrong things. But as soon as I changed the way I prayed to the way God told us to pray, I felt my spiritual being come to life like no other moment I have ever experienced.

Today, we taught the kids about how God is the Bread of Life, and few truths seemed more important to me than this today. Just as man needs calories to give him the energy to make it through the day, we also need that same dependence on God's daily dose of blessing and goodness. No one in their right mind would say to himself, "Well, here's a slice of bread. I guess I'll just ration it for a week or so". Yet I feel like we often times forget to get our daily needs for that very reason.

I don't think I have yet faced an experience that stretched me as hard as this past week and a bit has, and I can only pray to God for the grace to endure any more stretching that might/will come my way. God has already promised that he will never give us anything past our ability to endure it, promising a way to escape that we might not suffer needlessly. Sometimes said means of escape could be an actual escape, and sometimes it could very well mean that we need to take our stand where we are and weather the storm through His grace.

Well, that's probably enough of me. Long day + tired body + running mind = a messy story, so I shall spare you from such a fate :D

Until next time,

James Pasaribu

Staff Team

June 13, 2016

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To Singapore, My Noble Steed!

Today was traveling day! Hence, apart from the sleeping, occasional conversation, and eating waffles, not too much happened today. Once we arrived in Singapore, however, I discovered that I would be sharing a room with 3 other girls. Now, to most people, this isn’t so bad, pretty good even. But I felt like I died a little on the inside. I don’t like medium sized groups. I like gigantic groups that you can get lost in or teeny tiny ones altogether. So that was my fate, chosen for me….

But I was reminded of how I was asked by one of the staff if I would be willing to grow. I said yes and so grow I shall. Throughout this trip God has been teaching me to let go of my expectation and to let Him write the story (without my additions). I know that this will be hard, but I look forward to what God’s plan is. In the end, His story is a lot better than the one I had in mind.

Mary Jane Lukachik

Team Member

June 12, 2016

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A Great Wrap to a Great Week

Wow!!! What a way to finish out our first CI week - starting off our full day with small and large groups and then moving to parent presentations! The kids worked so hard on their songs and verses; they deserved the pictures and all the excitement of the parents!

Parent Presentation

            

We all had so much fun! It was also really neat to get to spend this final day with our team. Swapping information and pictures with each other was so encouraging because we got to see that the kids cared about what they were learning and will miss not being at the CI with us. Talking about how they want to implement these concepts and character qualities into their lives is so rewarding

Lord willing the seeds that we planted and nurtured will grow and one day we will see the fruit!! God has used the teachers and students to truly demonstrate His love to those around them. It was a wonderful ending to the week! Singapore, here we come!!

Marietta Oliverio

Team Member

June 11, 2016

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All Aboard the Free-day Train!!

Helloooo everyone! My name's Grace Pasaribu and I come from the bustling city of Jakarta, Indonesia!

Today, which was my personal highlight of the week, was outing day. We all met in the hotel lobby at ten in the morning and all got on our ubers excited for the busy day ahead!

Arriving in the terminal, we all grouped up into groups of about six people, bought our LRT tickets, and headed off to the Pavilion for our delicious all-you-can-eat Japanese buffet (which was soo good :D) and continued to have fellowship there while having scoops of green tea ice cream!

After that we arrived in the LRT station again to leave for the city's central market and Chinatown. In spite of a few troubles with the transit of trains, we reached the central market around four and again separated into groups of fours and shopped till we dropped! Some people went and got shoes, some did the fish therapy, and a few even got their eyebrows shaped! Finally we stopped in Chinatown, where the Malaysians put their bargaining tricks to the test, helping us foreigners get the best deals out of the vendors and shop keepers. Feeling exhausted after running around against the clock to get all our shopping done, our feet were sore but our hearts happy as we gathered around again at 6:45 with all shopping done and only a few regrets :D

We got on the train to taman bahagia as the sun set in the distance. Once we reached the terminal closest to where we were staying we got on our ubers again and sleepily walked up to our rooms not forgetting to get food for critical midnight snacks! :D

Well that's it from me!

Grace Pasaribu

Team member

10 June 2016

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Another Day, Another Journey

This morning started with Mr. Teh giving us a short word on how we should see our teammates. We then moved on to our core event of the morning, that being teacher training, of course. We were given ideas and shown examples regarding our lessons for the kids. 

I remember the announcement of our Youth 2 Youth meeting. This was shocking because I had no idea what that meant or what to expect. It turned out to be our special event for some of the younger folks from the seminar to be around like-minded Christians and be taught new things about God and themselves.

At 4:00 PM, Youth 2 Youth began. We were taught perspective-opening and mind-blowing ideas! I learned that we can only go as far we let our mindset to be. If I think I am a loser, my subconscious makes that thought a reality; likewise, if I think that I want to be a millionaire, my subconscious will help me get there. This was personally very helpful because I always thought that I couldn't.

After wrapping up Y2Y, my team began to prepare for today only to find out that we had already done all that we could. My team decided that we could use this extra time to lend a helping hand to the staff before I had to go and prepare my lessons for today.

My leader taught the lesson about Jesus as the Good Shepherd, followed by our crafts. To my dismay, I found out too late that we were doing the crafts incorrectly which costed us precious time. Thankfully, we were able to catch up on these things pretty quickly during the next small group, and from there things went on without a hitch.

Lastly, I got picked to play in one the skits for large group. At first I was nervous, but God helped me clam down and I actually had an enjoyable time up there on the stage!

Jason Theos

Team Member

June 9, 2016

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Growing and Growing (in God!)

Although the days seemed to be getting shorter and shorter as CI’s Malaysia week reached its midpoint, the relationships built had grown stronger and deeper and it suddenly felt like the time we had in Malaysia was running out!

Earlier that morning…

After grabbing a quick bite for breakfast, we headed down to the lobby and off to the office where we would have our devotions and teacher training. For devotions, we focused on how God is the ultimate truth and how the realization of that affects us. Brilliant were shared and we were given good, wholesome food for thought.

As this was my first time teaching in CI, I found it extremely helpful that we were shown examples of how we could teach the lessons during the teacher training. The principle for the night was Responsibility and the character quality was Self-Control. We would also be learning how Jesus is the Door (John 10:9).

Shortly after splitting up to plan the lessons and crafts with our teams, we had lunch at a nearby Chinese restaurant. We then walked back to the hotel and were welcomed by a pleasant announcement: we had more than one hour to rest and recharge before heading off to the church!

We had almost 3 hours to prepare for our craft materials, plan our lessons, and have dinner before the children arrived. While it may sound rather dull and boring, I actually found it to be quite therapeutic.

Later that evening…

The children were really responsive and attentive during the lessons and it was a great joy watching them enjoy themselves during the games. They were thoroughly entertained by the funny skits and seemed to enjoy making the crafts (especially the clothespin “monster”). However, I pray that that they won’t just understand the lessons, but that they will remember them and apply them to their daily lives.

It’s amazing how God can teach you through different, unexpected things in your life. For instance, God used the children in my group to teach me patience and obedience on a whole different level from a fresh perspective.

Zacchaeus Skit 

May God continue to teach us, guide us, and use us to do mighty works for His kingdom!

All glory to God!

Melissa Foong

June 8, 2016

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The Birth of an Acting Star

We began the day by splitting up into two groups - boys and girls- for devotions. Jolynn, Eltz, and Krystal brought us girls out to the mall to discuss over a late tea. After devos, we reconvened with the rest of the team and went out for a scrumptious lunch of noodles at a nearby shop before beginning our training! After training, all of us piled into cars and headed to church. Craft materials, lessons, and games were prepared, and then we had... drumroll....PIZZA!!! For dinner :D

Today was also the birthday of Jemima, one of our teachers from CI 2015. There was a mini celebration with cake and a birthday song, before we tromped back downstairs for CI to begin once again!

For the second day of CI, the life principle was Authority. We learnt about how Jesus is the Light of the World and how we, having been shown the light, can show persuasiveness by being a good testimony for Christ.

Team Preparation

It was only the second day of CI, but it was already beginning to get at our energy levels :D However, just in these two short days, I've learnt many lessons, and one of the most significant ones for me is learning to be flexible. The children in my team came rather late these past two days, so my teammates and I had to set our priorities right, and decide which parts we to leave out and which to keep. In addition, just like everyone else, children have personalities and working with them is teaching me that I need to make allowances and not be concerned over habits and things of theirs that won't affect their learning in a major way. I've also learnt that the more confident I am, the more the children are willing to listen to me.

One of the highlights for me yesterday was a skit about a modern day version of the demon-possessed girl of Matthew 15. I acted in my very first CI skit as Madge, the crazy girl! How cool is that?

Despite all the craziness and fun of acting in the skit, I was also struck by something which I feel is very relevant in everyday life. I am not exactly one to go out and show the world how crazy I can be, but when I saw how amused the kids were, I was really encouraged and heartened, and slowly, the nervousness and fear ebbed away, and I was able to better portray my character. This really reminded me that it is not just being a good communicator or a good speaker that matters; it is also how I behave as an audience member that shows the respect and support I have for the person in front.

And as a final note, here's part of a song the kids learnt today!

Let your light so shine before men 
That those who see might praise your Father in heaven.

Let your light so shine before men 
That they may see your good works 
And praise your Father in heaven.

Blessings and much love,
Charis
Team Member


June 7, 2016

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A Veteran Returns

Wow! 2016 Southeast Asia Children’s Institue is here! When I was first praying about returning this year, I was not really quite sure if I would be able to have the opportunity to serve on this year’s SEA CI. I just want to say thank you for everyone’s prayer and support and to praise the Lord for providing the funds for myself and others on this year’s Team.

The theme this year is “The Love of God”.  Monday is the first night of CI, so tonight’s principle was Design.  We taught about how Jesus is the Bread of Life and we also taught about the character quality Tolerance. The skit today, which the kids seemed to enjoy, was Jesus healing the blind man. And finally, the year’s memory verse is Isaiah 12.

Skit team for Jesus and the Blind Man Story

I would just like to ask for continued prayer for the Team, that we would end each of the three CI’s we will be having with the knowledge that we have been a positive influence on all the children, and that we will be able to turn the hearts of the children to God.

Please also be in prayer that we as teachers and staff can grow in our walk with the Lord. Additionally, also pray for the health of the team (I, for one, am getting over a light cold) as each day’s schedule is very tightly packed with different things and are usually very long.

Thank you again for the continued prayers and support!

God Bless,

Erik Fredrickson

Team Member

June 6, 2016

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The Day Before D-Day

It’s Sunday! Today’s the day to meet the full team, but to start the day off we attended church for a wonderful sermon on loving your enemies. Around 1:00 we went to lunch and then headed back to our hotel to meet the rest of the team coming in. How wonderful it was to see some old friends from last year but so exciting to meet all the new team members as well. Once everyone was settled and joined with their roommates, we headed down to an office where we got to introduce ourselves and fellowship among each other.

Dinner Time! It was so nice to break up into our small groups for dinner. Each group had about 7 team members and it was such a blessed time to get to know each other on a more personal and spiritual level. Back to the office!

What a perfect way to end a Sunday with praise and worship to our heavenly Father. With everyone excited about Monday, we head back to the hotel to receive our teaching books, name tags, and t-shirts. Finally, we went back to our rooms for a final charge and lights out at 10:00! I'm so thankful for the amazing staff keeping us all in line.

Adlai Welfel

Team Member

June 5, 2016

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