Hidden Treasure

My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,

turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,

and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,

and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.

For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He holds victory in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.

For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.

Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
from men whose words are perverse,

who leave the straight paths
to walk in dark ways,

who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,

whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways.

It will save you also from the adulteress,
from the wayward wife with her seductive words,

who has left the partner of her youth
and ignored the covenant she made before God.

For her house leads down to death
and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

None who go to her return
or attain the paths of life.

Thus you will walk in the ways of good men
and keep to the paths of the righteous.

For the upright will live in the land,
and the blameless will remain in it;

but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the unfaithful will be torn from it. - Proverbs 2-1-22(NIV)

Give Thanks

Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations. - Psalms 100:1-5(NIV)

Emily Tiang's Testimony

Balingian Mission Trip 22-24th Aug 2009

Emily’s sharing
__________
I am Emily Tiang, I am 16 years old. I joined the short term mission trip because my mother signed me up since it was a week of school break. This is my first time and I do not know what to expect.

When I reach there, it was a lot better than I had expected. I was glad that I had gone. I had actually enjoyed the stay.The adults and children at the longhouse were very friendly and lived simple lives. I feel relaxed to be among them. The food is simple yet nice like bamboo shoots, midin, tapioca leaves, oil palm shoot, most of which are obtained from the jungle. I was also not bitten by mosquitoes, Praise the Lord.

I helped with the drawing and colouring in the children’s ministry. Helped the children tie their hair while some got their hair cut. It was a joy to be able to see so many people, 35 of them, from infants to adults, being baptized at the Selangau church.

I hope more youths will join such mission trips in the future.
Thank you.

Article distributed by Wendy Tiong. Posted by Peter Yong

Melanie Tiang's Testimony

Balingian Mission Trip 22-24th Aug 2009

I am Melanie Tiang, I am 14 years old. This is also my first time to a mission trip. I have similar expectation to Emily’s. But it turned out a lot better than what I have expected.

The longhouse folks and children are very friendly and they welcomed us warmly when we arrived. I am quite comfortable with their living environment and fitted in well.I helped with the drawing and colouring in the children’s ministry. We also played some games with the children. I can see that the children enjoyed the children ministry.The children enjoyed singing the songs of praise which were taught to them. They even performed on the last night and also did the puppet show about the lost sheep to the longhouse folks. I am privileged to be part of the team.

I hope that more youths will go for trips like this to serve them.

Thank you.

Article provided by Wendy Tiong. Posted by Peter Yong

To Share What We Have

Sharing by Jocelyn. Article provided by Wendy Tiong.
Posted by Peter Yong

I went to this mission trip because I had wanted to do so last year but had missed the opportunity.

So this year when this came up and it was during the one week school holiday, I brought my children with me as well. I had not stayed at a longhouse before, and did not know what to expect. Nevertheless, I felt peace in going. I had to drive with a backup driver. The longhouse folks were very friendly and we quickly settled down with our unloading. We had to bath in rain water collected in a tub since there is no piped water. It was so refreshingly cold after a long journey.

I watched those who had been to this longhouse before with their sense of familiarity and ease. Though language is a problem for me, because I neither speak BM nor Iban, this was no obstacle to helping with the team in what they are doing. To be able to leave my comfort zone and go for this trip was a blessing for me since I felt that I do not even have the urge to complain when I see the earnestness of the longhouse folks in hearing what we have to share.

It was also a real joy to be able to witness some 35 people, from infants to adults , being baptized in the Selangau church on Sunday by the pastor there. To be able to share what we have in terms of food, bibles, quiet time, songs of praise, guitars, fun time and just by our being there, serving in whatever ways we can, can bring the gospel message alive and more acceptable.

I would urge those who have not gone to sign up for the next one.

Selangau Short Mission Trip 22-24th Aug 09

Video clip by Wendy Tiong. Posted by Peter Yong

The Spirit Gives Life

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. - 2 Corinthians 3:1-6(NIV)