Just Another Blog Out There

It was cross-cultural missions at my doorstep.

The Gateway Cities Youth Convention (GCYC) concluded successfully...by that I mean all the foreign delegates have packed their bags and went home. However, the work done in me because of this convention is far from finished. Frankly, I initially wasn't too keen on going for this convention (was thinking of purposely planning a overseas trip to coincide with the GCYC dates, but didn't come to pass for some reason or another), because my mindset is that to take three days/one weekend off to listen about and pray for other countries isn't really what I look forward to do over a weekend. :/

But as always, God never shortchange me when I just submit to His purposes. It is tiring to sit through the presentation of 18 teams from 11 countries, listening and praying for them. What I received in return, beyond expectations, was immense blessings by simply serving, loving and praying for them. The problems youths are facing in these cities can be very different from what we experience in Singapore; the church in Vietnam faces persecution from the authorities, while Tokyo faces an alarming youth suicide rate, while other cities are not that different, such as an aging church population and declining moral standards among the youths.

What was most fulfiling, beyond all the presentations, was the chance to meet foreign Brothers/Sisters-in-Christ up close. More than just a name on the map, I now can associate the city with a face—there is a friend I know in Ho Chi Minh City or Medan or Kuala Lumpur. There is now an affective bond (as opposed to just a cognitive one) that links me to that city. And as Ps Eugene shared in one of the sessions, the purpose of this whole convention is to achieve just that. The doctrine of being one body in Christ regardless of our nationality, colour or tongue suddenly becomes (more) real.

I pray that as God leads, let this not be an end in itself, but rather a start of something larger.