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Daniel Kwan
When I got baptized, I had no idea that I would, sooner or later, face some hard situations. After two weeks in Macau, I felt pretty fortunate to be living under better conditions in America compared to Macau. As my Mom and I arrived in Macau, we experienced several unexpected events that celebrated our coming, like RAIN.
This was my first time on a short-term mission and my first time teaching kids.
As I began to understand God's plans for our short-term mission, I developed a better relationship with Him than I had before. The class God put me in to help was 4th to 6th grades, which suited me well. I don't think I would have done well if I had been put into the two younger level classes.
I thank Wesley, the teacher of the class, who showed me how to teach and handle little kids. God taught me as the weeks went by to try “stepping-out-of-my-comfort-zone”. I had trouble with one of the little kids who was very naughty. I prayed to God about this issue and God did not let me get away; I had to work with him – the little monster! During my second week in Macau , I took over the lesson for a day while Wesley helped. He knew how to help me and I had a good time serving with him. Besides classes, the field trip with the kids was a good way to understand them and get to know them. The house visiting was another way to understand the kid's situations.
As I think back, after traveling from San Francisco to Macau, I remember I had jet lag, a painful experience when trying to concentrate on teaching a class of twelve. (I arrived in Macau the day before the class started.) During my stay in Macau, I felt more at home and was able to go out of my comfort zone to serve more. Although a bit crowded and dirty, I think Macau is the best place to go during your vacation to do a job for God.
Vivien
Situation in Macao…
Macao , located on the southeastern coast of China , approximately an hour long of ferry ride from Hong Kong , is a city that contains an approximate population of 455,000. About 7% of the populations are Catholics, only about 1% is Christians and the majority believes in Buddhism.
Our mission team arrived Macao on July 11, 2004. A local missionary escorted the team to Toi San, where our 2-week long mission work commences. Toi San is located at the northern part of Macao , near the borderline of China , which is a relatively poorer area than other parts of Macao .
Idols are apparently worshipped at almost every household door entrance and at each block of the street in Macao . Everyday, as I walk from the apartment to the learning center with my team, I could not ignore the lost souls that linger by the gambling stations and people that burn incense to idols that they do not comprehend. I could sense a surge of fear, insecurity and hopelessness among the people. Later, I learned from the local missionary that most people in Macao , especially the teenagers, find neither hope nor growth within their destitute, gamble-oriented city. Although most of them possess audacious spirits to venture and to take on challenges, typically, it is the lack of financial source that keeps them bounded within Macao .
Change in my spiritual life…
Brothers and sisters of the mission team lived in separate apartments. Each morning, the men would bring breakfast to our place and start our day with worship songs, devotion, sharing and prayers. Such routine had set my spiritual life to a different gear. I usually do my devotion and prayers before bed time, frequently feeling exhausted from a full day of work and would sometimes fall asleep before finishing my prayer. This trip gave me the opportunity to start each morning with God's words and prayer and to ask Him to bless each day at a time. Just as He said, ”So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matt 6:34). The mission trip prompted me to recognize the need to reverse my devotion habit; I shall begin each day focused in God and immerse my spirit into His words so that the rest of the day will be fruitful in glorifying His name.
Challenges…
To take on the role of an English teacher was a challenge to me. I have neither taught nor have served in any children's ministry. In fact, as the first school day approached closer and closer, the more nervous I became, worrying that I would not have the patience, the ability to teach, to connect and to build relationships with any student. Yet, to my surprise, most students were eager to participate and to listen even though I did not teach well. While some of the students could be quite naughty, such as calling us names and talking among themselves while we were teaching. I would say that in general, they paid a lot of respect to us and were not shy about sharing their personal thoughts as long as we were willing to listen.
During the second week of the mission trip, each team member was to make an attempt to spend time with an unsaved student so to proclaim the gospel. Although I managed to offer an invitation to one of my students, whom is a converted Catholic called Priscilla, she insisted on tagging her classmate along, which had made our conversation difficult. Though I was a little disappointed by the outcome of the gathering, I felt that I had built an even closer bond with the two girls. By God's grace, He did not cease His work from there. Later in the week, I learned that the local missionary had assigned the same student to me for home visitation. I was overjoyed by this “coincident”, knowing that God is giving Priscilla and I another opportunity. However, several hours prior to our visitation, Priscilla's parent cancelled the appointment and we ended up visiting a different student of mine. I was once again, disappointed by the hurdle placed before me. But God has His own plan. That same night, I ran into Priscilla and her family at an herb tea store nearby the learning center. We exchanged a couple lines of conversation and the next night, Priscilla's mother finally confirmed our appointment and I was able to speak about my testimony because I was also once a converted Catholic. As for the alternate family whom we visited, it occurred that the father obtains a very open mind to listen to the gospel. Although he did not decide to accept Christ that very night, our team leader felt that we have sowed a good seed within his heart.
Moreover, on the only day of the week that we were able to use Bible materials to teach, a third level typhoon hit Macao , which resulted many absence in each class. We perceived the typhoon as nothing but a hindrance to our work. However, it was because of the reduced number of students in the younger class, the 5 out of the usual 14 children that came were able to listen to the gospel quietly and attentively. All 5 children received Christ that day.
Fore street evangelism, although we experienced sporadic heavy showers earlier during the day, God gave us a wonderful weather during our actual evangelism and one man accepted Christ that night.
How God used the team…
Even though each team member is unique in character and discipline, it is the conglomeration of the uniqueness that made the team so strong and complete. Each team member obtains a gift, whether it is in evangelism, music, craft, teaching, caring or acting; I certainly witnessed how God had used each of those gifts to the full extent during the trip, “from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:16) This team was not pulled together by coincident or by random, God truly had hand-picked each and one of us from different part of the country for this mission trip and I thank God for giving me the privilege to be included in this team. Surely, it is God's love and Spirit that is within each team member that we are able to work in harmony.
What I've learned from the trip…
I've learned about the art of teamwork; to respect and to accept each other's differences, to recognize one's merit more than one's fault and that we shall put one's merit into good use. I've learned how to listen and to obey to the leader's direction while being a leader of others. Most importantly, I learned how to be flexible when there is a change in program or schedule. Sometimes, I get obsessed with a lot of planning and would become unyielding to change. But I learned that in a mission field environment, everything is bound to change and no matter how hard we plan, God has a better plan in all circumstances.
Sacrifice I have made for the trip…
Typically, “mission” trips would conjure perceptions of giving, suffering, challenges and sacrifices, which may be the reasons why most people are reluctant to go. To attend this mission trip, I had to make a few financial sacrifices. But the small sacrifices I have made cannot compare to the great joy I received from the trip, the opportunity to work with brothers and sisters of other churches, to be exposed to God's work in other parts of the world and the opportunity to witness His work on others and me. I treasure each moment I spent working with the team and connecting with the students. This mission trip revived my relationship with God, broadened my perspective personally and spiritually and also utilized my undiscovered gifts. Although I realized that I do not teach well, I discovered that I enjoy teaching children very much and will work on this aspect for further growth.
Lastly, I would like to mention that toward the end of the mission trip, the local pastor in Macao once said, “although mission work is always tough, his work for God brings the most wonderful and abundant joy in his life.” And I can certainly relate to his statement and would encourage everyone to go and to experience God's great mission.
Kitty Ma, Macao STM Leader
We truly felt God's presence. The rain stopped and when the evening ended, two accepted Christ that night.
During our two weeks, we reached 25 students and 9 accepted Christ. I thank God for uniting us and enabling us to serve Him and see His grace in Macao. I urge you to join our short-term mission to Macao next summer. May God make you a blessing to the people in Macao and at the same time bring blessings upon you!
Maggie Lo
I wanted to serve God and be a part of the Great Commission for a long time. I had that chance by joining CCM's short-term mission to Macao this summer. While I was there, I realized that if I were willing to give myself to God, He would use me as an instrument to bring others to Him. Amazingly, every meeting with the students was greater than my expectation. Their enthusiasm of who Jesus is and their willingness to accept the Gospel gave me confirmation that God did have a purpose for me in Macao. Whenever a student repented and accepted the Gospel, my heart filled with gladness and joy. It was a beautiful experience.
God is amazing! He used a sinner like me to change other people's lives, and He also changed me! I realized I wouldn't be able to accomplish anything without Him. Everyday God used John 15:4 to remind me to remain in Him. I learned I was in Macao to "bear" fruit and not "produce" fruit. I can't produce anything. I can only bear ever-lasting fruit by remaining in the true vine. I found this to be very encouraging because everything that I did in Macao was for Him and He used our team to glorify His name.
A favorite memory from our time in Macao was the day our team visited an open area with huge bricks and water fountains around them. The environment was beautiful with trees, flowers, and a lake to the side. In the center of the area, we came together to sing praises and hymns to God. Although we didn't have any musical instruments and couldn't remember the exact lyrics, it was a great moment. As we sang, the new faces I met in Macao reappeared to me. With their faces in mind and the friendship of our teammates, I could only give all the glory to God.
Victoria Chu
I remember three distinct messages from God while I was in Macao. First, God used This was my 6th year leading the short-term mission to Macao. Through prayer offered by our CCM co-workers, God brought eight team members from various parts of North America. With different ABC(American Born Chinese) and OBC(Overseas Born Chinese) backgrounds and an age range from 18 to around 50, the team worked in harmony, joy, patience and love for the students and each other. Even with hot weather and cramped living conditions our team complimented each other and prayed for each other. In this way the Lord gave us the opportunity to taste love and unity in Him and His grace to witness for Him. As a team- we lived out Christ's command for us to love one another that others will know we are His disciples (see John 13:34-35).
One evening we did street evangelism where our team presented a skit, gave personal testimonies, and sang praises. This is particularly difficult for our ABC members because they have to do all this in Chinese. I was impressed with their hard work to learn and memorize Chinese for this.
I really felt the oneness of our team on the night of our street evangelism. It was raining that evening when we met to pray. Our prayer time was so touching. We held hands and submitted ourselves to God. Amy, a nine-year-old girl in my English class to humble me. I am usually patient and compassionate, but Amy was outspoken, sarcastic, and rebellious. She sat in class with her arms crossed, rolling her eyes. I became frustrated with her.
One day when Amy was especially upset, I asked her what was wrong. She refused to speak to me. This made me quite angry. After class, I shut myself in the classroom; put my head down on a desk; and did the only thing I could do Ñ pray. I asked God what I was doing wrong. He answered saying, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). "Depend on Me."
That afternoon, I realized I had been trying to love Amy with my limited human strength. God unveiled my eyes to see my impatience, pride, and inability to love unconditionally. This mission trip was His, not mine. He softened my heart to see that Amy was created in His image, just like the rest of us. I saw how deeply God loved Amy, and I realized that my strength was actually very weak. The patience I needed came from God alone. Only by His power was unconditional love possible.
The second lesson I received from God was a beautiful picture of the Body of Christ. Never have I ministered with a team of brothers and sisters so passionate about sharing God's love and the Gospel. God partnered us together so well Ñ from each member I saw a glimpse of Christ. Our gifts complemented one another, and our work in Macao would not have been the same if any one of us was missing. To see such a picture of unity where God brought us to Macao was awesome.
The third and most profound lesson God showed me was His deep love for the nations. I have always wondered why the majority of Christians today seem to be of Anglo-Saxon heritage. However, by living among people of my heritage in Macao, God showed me He is not done with His vision and plans. In Revelation 7:9, John shares a vision of heaven, "...I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no on could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb..." God desires to see people from all nations and of all lines of heritage to come to know Him.
Douglas Ma
For a long time I was reluctant to commit myself to serving in such a great capacity as a short-term missionary. Thus, I saw myself in many ways similar to Jonah. Like Jonah, instead of going to Nineveh as God commanded, I chose to focus on my studies and serve myself. However, it soon became apparent that those were all excuses I made to keep me from serving God. Though I didn't think much of myself, I realized that God will do great things through anyone who has faith as small as a mustard seed.
Leading up to the trip, I spent much time in prayer, fundraising, asking for support, and travel preparations. Despite the fact that I had prepared a great deal for the trip, the people of Macao still seemed unreal to me. Before I left they were merely a five letter word that existed somewhere in China. It wasn't until I arrived in Macao and saw the great need for the Gospel there that I developed a heart for the people of Macao. Getting to know them and witnessing their lifestyle gave me a whole new understanding of what it means to love people.
The children especially touched me. I am reminded of Jesus saying we must have faith like a child to receive the kingdom of heaven. My time in Macao allowed me to witness how true those words are. I am privileged that God chose me to share the message and plant seeds in the Macao children's hearts.
Practicing for the street evangelism was particularly difficult for me. Several of the ABCs, including myself, did not speak Cantonese as their first language. At first, the prospect of doing an entire skit in Cantonese seemed impossible. This experience definitely gave me an appreciation for OBCs who have to learn English and adapt to North America. Without a doubt, the skit and communication with the children would not have been possible without God's help and the love of our teammates. They were there to give us strength and overcome any uncertainties or fears. It was their love that truly showed that God is good all the time even during times of difficulties.
Since I've returned from our trip, God continues to bless me more than I could ever expect. Today, I am considering what else I can do to further God's kingdom. Knowing that I'm doing His work gives my life joy and real meaning. My hope is that God will provide me with many more opportunities to tell people overseas about Him.
I am now far from the person who resembles Jonah a short time ago. I encourage others to listen to God and to seek His will. He may be beckoning you to serve him overseas in a place such as Macao. There isn't anything in the world that can compare to the happiness of serving our almighty God.
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