March 2012 Report

Faith@Work
through
Asia Seminary for Ministry
Reaching Nationals for Nationals

March, 2012
Hi Friend,

Training Nationals for Nationals in integrity and skills (Psalm 78:72)

(Mar 4:31-32)  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:  But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.

The Training of Nationals for their own, put into the hearts of a group of pastors, leaders and supporting partners, began as a mustard seed.  While each has his/her own responsibility, God brought us together for this single focus.  We began small but stayed with a single purpose.  While we train members, we get addition, but when we train leaders, there will be multiplication.  We began in Myanmar, then into Nepal,  next to Medan, Indonesia and we have forays into Vietnam, Cambodia and Tanzania.  There have been calls from other countries, but we await His leading and timing.  Truly, the harvest is while unto harvest, but the laborers are few.  Please continue to pray for and with us as we co-labor with our loving Savior and Lord and with our praying, teaching, resource and financial partners.  God is the One that gives the increase and gets all the glory and praise.  As for us, we will receive our own reward, according to our own labor (I Cor. 3:7,8).

I.         MEDAN, INDONESIA:  We had 3 exciting years with some 70+ Indonesians from Medan, Acheh and Nias Island, culminating with 48 graduating with Master of Ministry degree and one with Bachelor of Ministry.  28 are pastors, 14 religious teachers and 7 in other full-time Christian ministries.  Most are planning to expand their ministries. Praise the good Lord for this unique privilege and joy.  Please view the photo of the graduation.

We will begin the Master of Religious Education program, in conjunction with the MMin. Program.  This will be a 34 credit hour extra program with the writing of a thesis.  God will enable us to equip Nationals as they reach their own.  Future dates of training will be 25-29 June, 10-14 September and 19-23 November 2012.

II.          NEPAL:  We serve the Lord in two places: Kathmandu, the capital, and Biratnagar, East Nepal.  We had four and a half years in Kathmandu and graduated 23 last September, 2011.  We have helped these leaders for greater use in their churches and other ministries.   We will continue with the MRE program.  Pastors Yap Beng Shin and Simon N. will be in Kathmandu,  25-29 March.

The MMin program in East Nepal began a year ago and we continue to train some 35 leaders.  Rev. Dil Tamang and I will be there, 18-22 March.  The next training sessions will be in Kathmandu (23-27 September) and in East Nepal (30 Sept. to 4 October).

III.      FINANCIAL PARTNERS:  Praise the Lord for our praying, teaching and resource partners.  As the Training of Nationals is a faith ministry, we depend upon God to supplying the financial needs through God’s people.  Our principle is:  Tell God and tell God’s people.   Faith@Work Fellowship has adopted the following budget for 2012.  Praise the Lord for those that are praying and have given.  100% will go to the designated needs.  Please continue to pray for and with us as we look to the good Lord for His supply in 2012.  God’s work done in God’s will and way, will never lack His supply!

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THE EXPENSES, BY FAITH:

A.     MEDAN , INDONESIA  – 4 sessions at S$1,000 each = S$4,000
                                                   Graduation 18 Feb. – S$1,000
                                                   Scholarships for Bible Institute – S5,000 per year

B.      NEPAL – 2 sessions at S4500 each  at Kathmandu = S9,000 
                         2 sessions at S$4500 each at East Nepal = $9,000
                         10 goats for 5 pastors at S$150 each = $1,500        

C.      MYANMAR
1.       Scholarships for 40 students (Mandalay Bible Seminary)  at US$150 (x1.30) each due May =      S$7,800
2.      Spiritual Convention in March, Shan State at US$1,000 = S$1,300
3.      Oct-Nov. Pastors’ Conference, Mandalay  at US$1,500 = S$1,950

D.     CAMBODIA – praying for one session in 2012 = S$1,000

E.      RESERVED FUNDS FOR LECTURERS’ and other EXPENSES – S$4,000

Total:  $45,550

JEHOVAH-JIREH  !

Thanks again for your prayers and support in so many ways.  Please visit 

                                           FaithatWorks Facebook 

or our blog at 

                           http://faithatworksfellowship.blogspot.com/

Be sure to bookmark it.

If we can be of any help to you, please let us know. The good Lord bless you and all yours this Christmas and for many more to come!

Yours always in Christ and for Christ,

Rev. Goh Seng Fong
(John 12:24)

Hdphone: 98207783

              +65-98207783

Name and Address: 

Faith@Work Fellowship,

9, Kalidasa Avenue,

Singapore 789389

People involved in the Fellowship include: 

Rev. Tan Choon Seng, Rev. Tan Eng Boo, Rev. Yap Beng Shin, Rev. Simon N., Rev. Robert Chew,  Rev. Mark Tay, Rev. Andrew Tan, Ong Beng Hong, Michael Lim, Amos Hoon, Jeff Tan and Daisy Koh.

Medan MMin Graduation - February 2012

Nepal Graduation - September 2011

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February 2012 Report

Faith@work

through

Asia Seminary for Ministry

Reaching Nationals for Nationals

January 29th, 2012

Hi Friend,

     Training Nationals for Nationals in integrity and skills (Psalm 78:72)

As I read the story that is at the end of this writing, I am reminded of what our loving Lord God requires:

(Jas 1:27)  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

And what KING JESUS is observing in our lives:

(Mt 25:34-40)  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?   And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.

And our Eternal God will always remember, now and for all eternity:

(Heb 6:10)  For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward His Name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Thank you so much for your prayer and labor of love in so many ways in partnering with us as we train Nationals for Nationals.  Jeff Tan and I had the privilege and joy of spending 10 great days in three places in Myanmar in January.  We preached in two churches on two Sundays and ministered to four groups of leaders and Seminary students in Yangon, Mandalay and Maymyo.  We were blessed to be at a graduation service for 26 at Yangon Seminary.  God renews and refreshes our burden and passion for the leaders and people.  We are believing God for exciting days ahead.

John Ching and I will be training in Medan, Indonesia, 13-17 February, ending with the First Graduation on Sat. 18 February.  It has been a great three over years of training and 49 will graduate.  28 are pastors and preachers, 14 are religious teachers and 7 in full time ministries.  Praise the wonderful Lord for this unique privilege and joy.

Two teams will head for Nepal, 16-24 March and 24-30 March.  We are entering into our 5^th year with the National leaders there.  Please pray for God’s direction and blessings.

As I come closer and closer to the BIG 70 (how time flies!), I am reminded that God’s purposes and dreams do not change.  HE is in the soul-saving and soul-building ministry for Him and eternity.   Praise the Lord for the opportunity and pleasure of co-laboring with Him and one another in investing in God, souls and eternity.  I am also reminded of the encouraging devotional thoughts of Dr. A. Rogers. My desire is to finish well and strongly.

 

Shining Brightly in the Twilight Years

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” -2 Corinthians 4:16

 

So many people think that they cannot do much for the Lord as they enter their twilight years. God doesn’t change just because your health may take a turn or you feel weaker. The faith that is inside of you has not weakened, unless you stop feeding it with works of faith. The things that God calls us to do in life do not hinge upon our physical stamina or financial strength.

Do you know where one of the great strengths of a church lies? In its seniors who have walked with God for years. With their reservoir of wisdom and fortress of faith, they get hold of God, and though their bodies are wearing a bit, they are as strong as they ever were—because God is their strength.

Douglas MacArthur once said, “You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubts, as young as your self with confidence, as old as your fears, as young as your hope, as old as your despair.” God gives unfading strength for His undiminishing promises.

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Now, here is the story that will bless your life:

Aren't we always in a hurry? In our busy-ness, do we sometimes brush aside little opportunities to be a vessel of kindness, of love to someone who may be in need?
Here's a sweet story which I hope brings home the point that we never know who or how we're affecting those who cross our paths. Everyone has a story, someone may be coming from a point of hurt or you may be the last vestige of love they will encounter.

Don't let that opportunity pass you by!

This is a lovely story...

                                              TAXI

I arrived at the address where someone had requested a taxi. I honked but no one came out. I honked again, nothing. So I walked to the door and knocked.

'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters.  In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said.  I took the suitcase to the cab, and then returned to assist the woman.  She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness.

'It's nothing,' I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated'..

'Oh, you're such a good boy,' she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.

 'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice'.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.

'I don't have any family left,' she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.'

 I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. 'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. 

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'.

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said.

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'


I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.  I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought.  For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk.  What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT WE DID, OR WHAT WE SAID, BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW WE MADE THEM FEEL.  ALSO PEOPLE DO NOT CARE WHAT WE KNOW TILL THEY KNOW THAT WE CARE! 

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Maymyo

Yangon Seminary

January 2012 Report

Faith@work

through

Asia Seminary for Ministry

(Seminary without borders)

Jan. 3, 2012

 Dear friend,

    Training Nationals for Nationals in integrity and skills (Psalm 78:72)

A New Year …

A New Year promise: 

 (Isa 46:4)  And even to your old age I am He; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

A New Year mission:

(Isa 60:1,2) Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.

  

A New Year Prayer (from my journaling)

1^st Jan – What a great promise in Isa. 46:4.  Even to your old age, I am HE, and even to gray hairs, I will carry you.  I have made and I will bear, even I will carry and will deliver you.  Yes, Lord, thank You.  You are the Awesome and Almighty God.  And my Lord and God.  You will carry me as a man carries his son (Deut. 1:31) and bears me on eagles’ wings and bring me to Yourself … and You are enough.  (Exo. 19:4; Deut. 32:11,12).  You alone has led me thus far, and You are God, my God forever and ever.  You will be my guide even to death (Ps. 48:14) … yes, even though I go through the valley of death, You will be there …. You will never forsake or leave me (Deut. 31:8). Thank You, Lord.

As I view back into 2011, I thank You for supplying all my needs and Your assurance that You will continue to supply all my needs.  What with the bad economic times,  You are the Source of all my needs.  And, You gave me two wonderful children and families to invite us into their homes and lives.  Yes, thus far the good Lord has helped us (1 Sam. 7:12) for the heavenly Father knows our needs, even before we ask Him (Matt. 6:25,32)…. And He will provide till the end.

Oh, to learn to live simple, simply for You.  To love unconditionally.  To give generously.  To care deeply.  To speak kindly, seasoned with salt.  To trust You fully … please increase my faith. 

Yes, to be a one-thing man …Phil 3:13,14 – to forget the things that are behind … to press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Yes, You have an unique and customized calling for me … and, Lord, if Your presence, power and provision do not go with me, I will utterly fail (Exod. 33:15).  And You have promised, as I go forth and make disciples of all nations, You will be with me, even unto the end of this age (Matt. 28:18-20). 

Yes, arise and shine, for my light is come, and the Glory of the Lord is risen upon me.  For, behold, while darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people, You will arise upon me and Your Glory shall be seen upon me, for truly You will give me Your Grace and Glory (Isa. 60:1,2; Ps. 84:11).  The nations shall come to your Light and the kings to the brightness of Your rising.  Be it be done according to Your Word.  Fulfill Your will and desire in and through me.

This begins my journey into 2012.  I really miss times of journaling like this.  Please enable me through Thy Holy Spirit to keep on writing.   I am going to trust You a day at the time.  Lord, I love You and do sorely miss and need You.  I just want to be with You, to enter into the Beauty of Your Holiness and the Holiness of Your Beauty.  Grant me, Lord.  Amen.

Arise and Shine into the Nations  -  Jan-May, 2012:

A.       MYANMAR – 6-15 January (souls to be saved and leaders built up)

        1.      7 Jan. – Yangon Seminary Graduation

        2.     8  Jan  -  Preaching at worship service

3.     9-10 Jan  -  Training Pastors and Leaders

4.     11-12 Jan  -  Training at Mandalay Seminary

5.     13-14 Jan  -  Training at College in Yangon

       6.     15 Jan  -  Preaching at worship service.

B.      MEDAN, INDONESIA – 13-18 Feb.

1.     13-17 Feb  -  Training of some 70+ pastors and leaders

2.     18 Feb  -  First Graduation service for some 40+ pastors & leaders

C.       NEPAL  -  18-29 March

1.     18-22 March  -  East Nepal

        2.     25-29 March  -  Kathmandu

D.      BANDUNG, INDONESIA  -  16-21 April

       Training of Pastors and Leaders from Sumatra and East Indonesia

E.      MANIPUR, INDIA  -  14-23 May

       Paying Gospel debt to India – a new foray and survey

Thanks again for your prayers and support in so many ways.  Please visit

                                      FaithatWorks Facebook

or our blog at

                     http://faithatworksfellowship.blogspot.com/

Be sure to bookmark it.

If we can be of any help to you, please let us know. The good Lord bless you and all yours!

(Heb 6:10)  For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Yours always in Christ and for Christ,

Rev. Goh Seng Fong
(John 12:24).

Hdphone: 98207783

                    +65-98207783.