As another year comes to a close, we are again reminded of the fact that time does not stand still. The approach of a new year gives us an opportunity to look back at how God has sustained us through His wonderful love and grace. There is a chance to go over what we have done with our time, and a chance to plan (or at least make some resolutions as to what we will do) for the future. We are all a little older, and hopefully a little wiser. All have had opportunities to serve God and reflect His glory, and most likely (if we are honest) we have all missed some of those opportunities. Sometimes we miss the opportunities God gives us because we are too concerned with our own goals and desires. We need the gentle coaxing of God’s spirit telling us that we were designed to reflect His glory in not only our words and deeds, but also in the thoughts of our hearts and the motivation we feel for what we do and say.

At the end of the day, the things of the heart are more important than the tasks we complete. This is one of the key lessons we want ACTI trainees to carry with them from their time here. Anyone can "do" ministry, but often our standards for measuring ministry effectiveness are based merely on numerical results, rather than on personal spiritual growth. My challenge to you who are reading this is the same challenge that God has given me (and many times I have failed, so don’t feel badly if, like me, you have not conquered this trait yet): "whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do all to the glory of God the Father." This means all the time, not just my "ministry" time. Because God looks at the heart, He is not impressed with how eloquently I speak, or how professionally I write. (I’m glad I don’t have to impress Him with how well I can sing!) He is concerned, though, that I (and you) represent Him in the most positive way. Your situation where you are serving, be that in full time mission work or in whatever other vocation He has called you to be in, may be difficult and demanding. Take a few minutes to thank God that you have a job, and ask Him to use your situation to strengthen your character. Ask for His counsel; He may want you to move on to something else, or He may be seeking to do a special work in your life through this situation. Reconfirm your desire to be pleasing to Him. As we move into the New Year, may we all be encouraged by His amazing grace to continue to walk faithfully with Him. Have a blessed Christmas, too!

The 23rd Thanksgiving and Graduation Service was held on October 16, 2002. Five trainees graduated from the training course which started on August 5, 2002.

Rev Henry Armstrong welcomed guests and friends to the service and led the congregation in worship. Graduating trainees took turns to share their testimony. They also presented a skit "Puppet or Pulpit?" which focussed on contextualization, and sang songs in Tagalog, Thai and Korean. Following that, Mr Chan Ban Leong, chairman of ACTI Board, presented certificates and gifts to the graduates. The staff and board of ACTI also presented a gift to Melville and Salome Szto, in recognition of their seven years of service as dean of ACTI.

We were also honoured to have Melville share the word of encouragement "Why me, Lord?" to the graduates (this can be found on page 5). Mr Hans Heldberg (OMF missionary) and Mr Fred Sabapathy (member of ACTI Board) then led in the commissioning prayer. The service ended with Rev Edwin Lam giving the benediction.

Do continue to pray for the graduates as they serve in the respective field:

1 Balbuena Lacatan - as she returns to the Philippines to serve among the Mangyan tribe.

2 Dusadee Rachapai - for preparation to minister to Thai workers.

3 Kim Jae Chong - for effectiveness in service among the Thai people.

4 Simon & Victoria Sim - for preparation as they serve among the poor in the Philippines.

"I am Balbuena Lacatan and I come from the province of Mindoro, Philippines. I am working under OMF-SERVE PHILIPPINES, serving amongst the Mangyan Tribal People of Mindoro.

Why did I decide to come to ACTI, and what did I learn from ACTI that could help in my future ministry?

Two years ago when I first read the News Bulletin of ACTI given by an OMF colleague in Mindoro, she encouraged me to consider ACTI in prayer for my sabbatical leave. I never thought of coming to Singapore. I was afraid and I had difficulty with my English.

Some months passed by and the time came that I needed to decide about coming to ACTI. I didn’t know what to do so I prayed and God opened my mind through the book of Numbers 13:1-33. The story of the spies sent out with excitement to explore the land but suddenly it turned into fear. The power of fear overwhelmed them. For me, at first, I looked on the presence of other nations as an insurmountable obstacle to entry but God showed me from this passage the confirmation of His purpose. It says in verse 30, we should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it. So I obeyed.

My purpose was just for additional knowledge about cross-cultural ministry and to gain some experience, not knowing that God has a great plan for me. Our classes taught me many meaningful lessons that I hope can help in my future ministry. The opportunity to be here is to learn about other trainees’ culture, in practical ways like how to communicate directly and indirectly to people, using the methods of learning the language of other culture so that I could be an effective communicator of the gospel. Missionaries should not only be masters of the Word of God but also effective listeners, listening to others’ burdens. Being a good mentor, being available for them, flexibility when times get hard. Conflict can occur anytime while working among people. I learned to be optimistic in all things.

My third point is to rest upon God and let Him be in control. I am far away from home but He gave me new friends and mentors. His word is on my side. Psalm 125:1-2 says, ‘Those who trust Him are like Mount Zion which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountain surrounds Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people both now and forevermore.’ I want to give all glory, praises and honour to Him!"

"There are many things that I have learnt in ACTI but I will only share two tonight. Firstly, I learned about several ways of resolution in conflicts. For example, some people will resolve to the way of the turtle approach and that is, they try to avoid and be silent about the issue; some approach the bear way, that is agreeing with others because they value friendship more than the issue; another group chooses the shark method and that is, they fight until they win; and finally, the owl method, that is agree to disagree. The last method is a win-win situation.

The other lesson is the sharing from the missionaries. Their precious experiences in the field have indeed been helpful to my wife and me when we go to the mission field.

What is the hardest thing I learn in ACTI? I believe it is in being one of the two named above that I have learnt and those that I have not mentioned. It is easy to know than doing it. How well I resolve when I encounter conflict is something that I am still working on. I hope to be a good missionary when we are in the field. This is also one of our prayer requests."

"When I joined Youth With A Mission in 1995, my life became a story of moving around. In my first year, it was very exciting for me. But soon, packing luggages became so tiring for me. I had to pack luggages and change roommates and it happened almost three months at a time in a year. Until the year 2000, when I was finally married, I need not have to change roommates anymore. Marriage causes my life to be settled from packing and changing roommates but my packing and unpacking still continued.

When I joined ACTI, I had to pack my luggage again. Before I came to ACTI, I was in Korea for about a month. I thought that I would have two weeks to pack my things before coming to ACTI. But the Church had a retreat in Johore Bahru the week after we returned from Korea. Following that week, one of my church elders suddenly passed away. Two weeks just quickly passed away. So, there was so little time of preparation for us to stay in ACTI. My mind was still in Korea. I realized that I was still unpacking my mind from Korea. I am quite an expert in unpacking and packing luggages in a short time. But I realized that unpacking my mind is something that is not an overnight thing. Because ACTI is located in the same building as our church, I was already so familiar with the place. So I did not think that it was a big adjustment for me. But it was not true. I have solved the problem of roommate now, but I have also discovered another thing and that is unpacking my mind.

I needed some time to adjust myself to living in ACTI. It was also quite stressful by packing, unpacking, and moving into new culture as well.

From the lectures, I learned about transition, that is, I need time to adjust to a new place. So lessons from the class have helped me to understand about my transition. Even though Philippines is a place I am familiar with, still, I need time to prepare my mind too, so that I can have good transition."

"About the end of September I faced a deep slump and I was struggling with myself. I was exhausted and I neededa breakthrough. Someone advised me what I should do and prayed for me but it was useless. I just prayed and hoped that the situation would not last long.

That evening, when I decided to give myself an ultimatum, Rev. Kim shared the story of Joseph and his dream, and then asked us, "What is your dream?" I became more confused because my state was pitiable. After the Dean's Hour, I tried to write a research paper, but I couldn't. I began to praise the Lord loudly. "No," I protested to Him. In the night I called one of evangelists in Thailand. She said that more than ten youth from my village would attend a youth bible camp. I was beginning to regain my strength because though some of them were not church members, they decided to join the church camp under my church members' guidance.

I handed in the research paper related to my ministry with difficulty, but my supervisor, Rev. Kim required of me to rewrite the paper almost entirely. Heeding his advice, I tried to think and pray again and again about the strategy of my next ministry. God asked me, "Do you want to plant a church indeed?" "Yes, of course!" I wondered why God asked me such a question. And I recognized that God wanted me to plant a church not by the order of my team leader but by my spontaneous will. That is a heavy burden for me. However without spontaneous will, it cannot be done. Despite my phlegmatic and diffident prayer, God responded with sufficient grace.

Generally, there are three training courses for missionaries - Pre-field orientation, On-field orientation, and On-going training. Goette said, "In the beginning, there was a conflict." At Pre-field orientation course, we were faced with conflicts. Interestingly those who throw the stone don't think that they throw it or forget about it, but those who are hit remember. Hopefully, at on-going training I want more and more to be a mature missionary. I'd like to have a good relationship by God's grace on the one hand, vertically God and myself, on the other hand, horizontally myself and others.

Finally, I am grateful to each of the trainees, staff members, lecturers and many friends for direct or indirect instruction. I am especially grateful to Rev. Kim and Mrs. Mayuree Kim for their unfailing support and encouragement."

"My name is Dusadee Rachapai. I come from Thailand. God has led me to attend ACTI, to prepare myself for the work of service as a missionary to the Thai workers in South Korea. I thank God who provides everything for me here. All lecturers, staff, classmates, training and activities are like the green pastures that God is using to strengthen my spiritual life in cross-cultural context. God uses this training opportunity as his voice saying to me, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" I have no other choice except only one answer as Isaiah said, "Here am I, send me!"

I know that missionaries will encounter difficulties. But God encourages me, "I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Now I am convinced of God’s calling. And I need not be afraid, because to be a missionary is to be Jesus Christ’s ambassador. Consequently, it is a great privilege of my life to testify to the Gospel of God’s grace, and to extend God’s kingdom to the end of the earth with other faithful missionaries, until the task is completed. I am assured that I can do everything through Jesus Christ who gives me strength. And God who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion. I want to say "thank you" to all the lecturers who have taught me at ACTI. I will treasure the memory at ACTI always."

He was a prophet of Israel, but he was also a priest. He had a message of woe and judgement, but he was also a prophet of hope. Jerusalem was heading toward a great catastrophe. It was a time of turmoil, a time of religious and political crisis. It was a time of the shifting of world power. The period? 650-500 B.C. This period would see the rise of the great religions of the world - Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism and Shintoism. Islam of course would come much later, about 1000 years later, just over 500 years after Christ’s coming.

He prophesied through the reigns of five kings of Israel, two of whom reigned only a very short period. In fact he would prophesy right up to the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian armies and a little beyond. It was a costly service. In many ways it was a hopeless ministry, because he would not succeed in turning the people back to their God, and so averting the great judgment that was about to fall on them. It was a ministry entrusted to one who perhaps more than any other prophet agonised over the fate about to fall on his people, a person sensitive and highly strung and not afraid to speak out his emotions. His writings reveal to us the deep emotional struggles he suffered as he attempted what must have seemed mission impossible.

Samuel Zwemer, the great missionary to the Muslims, says of him, that "he is a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He felt loneliness and the burden of the nation’s sins. His life and his lamentations are typical of Christ’s." I refer to the one who has been called the weeping prophet, Jeremiah.

If ever the term ‘mission impossible’ deserved to be used, it surely could be applied to Jeremiah’s task. The people did not want to listen to his message and they persecuted him. Then when his prophecies came true and calamity fell on his people, he again suffered seeing his people suffer. Despite this, the remnant that was left behind after the Babylonians destroyed the city and deported the bulk of the people, still refused to listen to him. In the end, according to Jewish tradition, he died at the hands of his own people for whose good he had incessantly laboured.

Yet Jeremiah was a very human person who experienced the ups and downs that we experience. He was no superman. He was not afraid to pour out his inner struggles. Compare Jeremiah with Daniel. Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den, but we are not told how he felt. The Persian king Darius seemed to have spent a more troubled night than Daniel. Jeremiah was not put in a lion’s den, but on one occasion he was thrown into a stinking cistern where he sank into slimy, oozing mud. After he was rescued he pleaded with the king not to put him back in that horrible pit.

Daniel was rewarded with recognition and honour for his faith and courage. Jeremiah never received that kind of honour. One king even contemptuously cut up the scroll where Jeremiah had written the prophecies God gave him into small pieces and burnt the pieces in fire. Daniel interpreted dreams for great monarchs and was accorded honour and prestige. Jeremiah had to hide himself from the king and his officials. During the siege of Jerusalem, Jeremiah was placed under house arrest and accused of treason. Daniel wrestled in prayer over the meaning and implications of the visions he saw; Jeremiah wrestled with doubts. His prayers were not answered. Unlike Daniel, Jeremiah received no promotions, gained no honour, was not invited to royal festivities. Instead he was blamed for the calamity that overtook Israel. Even today, the phrase, "Don’t be a Jeremiah" is sometimes used.

If ever anyone deserved to ask the question "Why me, Lord?", Jeremiah was that person. He was a loyal patriot and yet was branded a traitor. He was a poet but God called him to be a prophet. He surely must have thought he was the wrong person for the job. "Why me, Lord?" Missionaries too have sometimes asked this question. As we look at the life and calling of this great prophet I want us to think about three questions that relate to missionary calling. Let us read the account of Jeremiah’s call, Jeremiah 1:1-10.

The first question is "Do I have a choice?" If God has called you or me to do a particular task, do we have a choice? Did Jeremiah have a choice? Or Moses, or Joshua, or Daniel, or Esther, or Paul? Hear what God says to Jeremiah (1:5). Hear also what Jesus says to his disciples and to us, John 15:16. And hear what Paul says in Ephesians 1:4f,11. So, if God has already chosen us, do we still have a choice? What do you think?

Did Jeremiah have a choice? Yes, he could protest. He could say, "Lord I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." Meaning, "Lord, I think you have made a mistake. I am not the right person." He could say, "Why me, Lord?" Moses too, said pretty much the same thing, only he gave even more reasons why he was the wrong person. And God patiently answered each of Moses’ objections, just as He answered Jeremiah’s. God chooses but He does not force obedience. We can choose to obey or we can choose to rebel. No doubt both Moses and Jeremiah tried to avoid God’s calling because they were afraid. If we examine our own hearts I think we would find that fear is often at the back of our unwillingness to do something that God wants us to do.

We know that this was Jeremiah’s problem because God said in verse 8, "Do not be afraid of them (the people)," and again in verse 17, "Do not be terrified by them." There is only one antidote to fear and it is trust. God said to Jeremiah, as He earlier said to Moses, "I will be with you. I will help you and I will rescue you. Trust in me." (1:8,19). As long as there was work for God that he was to do, Jeremiah would not be protected from suffering. Jewish commentators believe that Isaiah 53, a prophecy about Christ’s sufferings, was written about Jeremiah. He was truly a man of sorrows. And a day would come when Jeremiah’s work would be completed, and then God would take him home. Jewish tradition says that he was sawn in two, perhaps alluded to in Hebrews 11:37. Of course, Jeremiah would not know all this when God first spoke to him.

The question he faced was a simple one, whether he would do what God told him to do. Did Jeremiah have a choice? Yes he did, just as you and I have. He could have chosen not to obey, like Jonah. He could have thrown in the towel at any point, and in fact he did say, "It’s no use Lord, I cannot go on," but somehow, he did go on. God strengthened him in those low moments and gave him the courage and faith to go on.

So when God says I have called you, when He says, "before you were born I set you apart," does it mean that therefore we have no choice? No, we still have a choice, to obey or to disobey. The question for us therefore is one of obedience. We are not saying that obedience is easy. But we are saying that obedience is possible. God’s calling and our obedience is the start of a life of fruitful service.

A second question that Jeremiah asked, and probably all who have been called to missionary service would have asked, is "Can I do the job?" The simple answer to this question is, "Of course you cannot!" But God can, only God wants to work through you and me. Jeremiah said to God, "Ah Sovereign Lord, I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." And maybe we say to God, "Lord, I cannot do it. You have got the wrong person. You need a strong, confident person, not timid, little me." Jeremiah certainly was not a child when God spoke to him. What he was saying was that he was young and inexperienced. He was saying that he did not have the gifts or the abilities for such a work. He was expressing his inadequacy.

It is not a sin to recognize our inadequacies. In fact it is a good thing to know our inadequacies. It keeps us from becoming confident in our own abilities and so cease to depend on God. And God wants us to be aware of our inadequacies. Only then can He use us. We need to remind ourselves that it is not the strong and gifted person that God uses, it is often the weak, the foolish, and the small (1 Corinthians 16:26ff). It is the person that is conscious of inadequacies, of weaknesses and limitations that God chooses to use. God says repeatedly in the Bible, "My glory I will not give to another." God’s work must be done in God’s way. This means recognising that we cannot do it by ourselves; we need His help.

Paul was an outstanding missionary who possessed great gifts. But Paul understood this important principle. He knew that God sometimes even sent sickness, or caused weakness and disability to keep us humble and dependent (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

God says to Jeremiah, "That’s okay, Jeremiah. I will be with you. You cannot speak? I have put my words in your mouth. The message is my responsibility. But you must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you." Jeremiah’s awareness of his own inadequacy was actually his best qualification for the job. J.O. Sanders says, "there are disqualifications which do not disqualify."

Can you do the job that God wants you to do? Of course you cannot. But God can, and that is the main thing. God wants your availability, but He is the One who equips and empowers for the task. Does God want you to be a missionary? You say, "Lord, I am not qualified. I don’t have the gifts. I can’t preach. I’m timid and shy. I’m afraid. I cannot do it." He says to you, "Of course you cannot do it, but I will be with you. I will put my words in your mouth. I will help you, and because I will be with you, you can do it." God wants your availability, not your ability.

What is to be Jeremiah’s mission? (See 1:10) Notice it is two-thirds about judgment and only one-third about hope. By contrast we have amessage which is mostly about hope because of what Jesus Christ has done. We have the Gospel, the Good News to share with people. Of course the Good News is still bad news if people choose to ignore or reject it. But that is not our problem. Our task is to go and preach the gospel to all the world. We have a good message to proclaim, unlike Jeremiah.

But there is a third question that Jeremiah must have thought about, and this may be another question that you and I have: "What if I cannot make it to the end?" Why me, Lord? "Because I chose you. You just need to obey me" What if I cannot do the job, Lord? "I am with you and will enable you. My strength is made perfect in your weakness. You just need to be available for me."

"What if I cannot make it to the end?" Do you have this kind of doubt, you new ACTI graduates who have responded to God’s call? I have been a missionary for 29 years now, but I still pray regularly, "Lord, please keep me faithful to the end." There are examples in Scripture of people who started out well, but finished dismally. Saul, the first king of Israel, was one such person, as was Solomon, the famous son of David. Judas must have started off well too, yet finished betraying his master. And there are others, less famous people.

What if I cannot make it to the end? Hear what God says to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:17-19). A message about judgment is not going to make you popular. On the contrary, Jeremiah would be hated and reviled. There would be plots against his life. He would be put in stocks, cast into a deep cistern, spend much time under house arrest, and eventually be killed. God said to Jeremiah, "I will protect you. I will be with you and rescue you. I will enable you to do what I have commanded you. Stand up and say to the people whatever I command you and do not be afraid."

Until the task is completed, until mission impossible is accomplished, God promises to help, protect and rescue. But one day the task will be completed and God would take his faithful servant home. Jeremiah suffered martyrdom, as did most of the other prophets of God. Many of the apostles too eventually suffered martyrdom. And many Christians and missionaries have also suffered martyrdom. God does not promise that we will not die. But He promises to be with us till the very end, and then take us home to be with Him forever. The prophets have all died but the messages they spoke still live today, recorded for us in God’s Word. The words they spoke were God’s words.

Jeremiah made it, faithful to the end. You and I can make it too, faithful to the end. What is needed? In one word, "trust". Trust in God. "Trust and obey, for there is no other way." Faith is just simply obedience and trust. It is not our own efforts that will keep us faithful to the end. It is trust in God’s faithfulness, trust in God’s grace that will enable us to endure hardships and trials, and persevere faithfully to the end.

What if I cannot make it to the end? The Lord says, "Trust me."

Why me, Lord? The Lord says, "Because I chose you. You just need to obey me."

What if I cannot do the job, Lord? The Lord says, "I am with you and will enable you. My strength is made perfect in your weakness. You just need to be available for me."

What if I cannot make it to the end? The Lord says, "Trust me, I will bring you safely through the course."