Mission Trip to Tamil Nadu - 23-28 Apr 13

A total of 15 went from Singapore on this trip. Others joined us from Trivandrum and Chennai.The objective for the trip were:

• Dedication of the 2nd floor of Shadrach Home
• Graduation of 4th Batch of Church Planters
• One church dedication
• Visit Church Planters

We departed Singapore on 23^rd Apr and arrived Trivandrum about 11.15PM. Pst John Signey and the boys from Shadrach Home were at the airport to receive us. Suresh was there as well. All guests were garlanded by the boys and it was a joy to see them. They are growing real fast. By the time we checked into our hotel it was past midnight.

On 24 Apr, we visited the Shadrach Home. It was a joy to see the boys again. Late morning, we had the dedication of the 2nd floor of the Home. Dr Lim offered a prayer of dedication, after which we toured the new structure. It was beautifully done. There are now sufficient dormitories for the boys and rooms for dinner and study. We thank God and the sponsors for helping this become a reality.  Thereafter we had a service where Sis Doreen Lim shared the word. We prayed for the boys and my wife concluded the meeting with a prophetic word of prayer. 

That afternoon the boys put up an entertaining program for the visitors. They had one of them share the word in Tamil which was translated to English by another. We were thrilled as we watched the skits, dances and recitals of Bible verses. God has indeed endowed these boys with both spiritual and physical skills which we believe will help them to glorify God. 

I was specially moved when one of them testified. He said that his mother died when he was young and his father left him and went after another woman. He has not seen his father since. He was simply overwhelmed and could not continue with his testimony.

A total of 10 students graduated from the PEC – Ecclesia CP Training Centre.  About 200 people gathered for the ceremony. I shared on the call of Elisha. It was joy to see these graduates, rearing to go out to plant churches in the villages. Dr Lim and Doreen presented the certificates and gifts to the graduates.

The next day we , set off early for the Church Dedication in Tenkasi. It was along drive and on the way we stopped at a village caled Valliyoor where we visited the Pst Robin He is pioneering work in that area. 

A few members gathered for prayer. We were told by Pst Dharmaraj  that there were about 18 villages in the vicinity and he has been pioneering the work since one year. About 15 people gather for Sunday service. I could not help but wonder why he and his wife, with two children, would want to sacrifice all his life and come to a “desert place” to start the work. We encouraged him and prayed for the members and his family. By the time we arrived at our hotel in Tirunalveli, it was about 3.00pm. We had lunch.

We drove that evening for almost two hours to get to Pst Wilson’s church in Vangarapatti, Tenkasi. The new church was sponsored by Praise Women’ Fellowship and it was packed. The last time we visited the place was last year. We had a service on the roof top of the house Pst Wilson was renting. We were truly exhilarated to see the growth and the power of the Holy Spirit in touching lives. We praise God for such diligent and committed church planters. Bro Ruben shared the Word and many people came forward for prayer. It was indeed a fulfilling experience. Praise God. By the time we reached our hotel it was 11.30PM. Dinner was served but no one was complaining.

The next day we planned to visit three church planters by only managed to visit two due to lack of time. The fist place we visited is being pioneered by Pst Devakirubai in a village called Ayyampatti It took us almost four hours to reach the place. It was a long and trying drive as it a “journey to nowhere”.  At some point there were no sign of human existence only trees, shrubs and narrow sand roads. Chandra remarked, “Singaporeans better not complain for what we have, just be thankful”. About thirty people were cramped into a small “house” for the meeting. Not a house by any Singapore standard. It was humid and stuffy but we could see the joy of the Lord on the faces of the people. I was impressed with the work. Pst Devakirubai told us he was working in the surrounding twelve villages. There are no churches in the vicinity. Bro James shared the word and encouraged the believers. They certainly need a new building. Again we prayed for the people and departed for the next church planters’ village. 

By the time we arrived it was almost 2.00pm. This work is pioneered by another young man, Pst  Gobinath in Pathibanoor. This place much smaller than the previous and about thirty people squeezed in. When we started there was no electricity and it was unbearable.  We were told that the people had been waiting for us since 9.30am. No words to describe their hunger for God. 

Bro Chandra shared the word and encouraged the people.  Sis Jeya released a prophetic word for the pastor and encouraged him to remain strong in the midst of trials. We could sense  a deep hunger and thirst for God by the simple village folks.. Many have both spiritual and physical needs. We prayed for them.

  

We missed lunch and survived on biscuits and coconut water, as we made our way back to Trivandrum. At least seven hours to reach our destination. We stopped at Tirunalvelli at about 7.30 PM where we had our dinner. By the time we reached our hotel it was almost 12.30 AM.

Before we headed for the airport, we visited Suresh, an HI alumni and a good friend. We had wonderful fellowship meeting at his home. We felt the power of the Holy Spirit as we worshiped and thanked our wonderful Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. We strongly believe that there will be a great breakthrough for Suresh and his ministry.  Suresh’s family graced us with a wonder meal.

We returned to Singapore on 28 Apr in the morning, thanking God for a wonderful experience and for his grace and mercy upon all of us.