THE PIONEERING SPIRIT
Forty years ago , a small team of 5 young YWAMers arrived in Singapore . My wife , then Joyce Urban , was part of that first pioneering team . Since then , YWAMSG has been a launching pad to the nations . Many have gone through our training , and pioneered ministries that reach the last , the least , and the lost . More than a few of these pioneers have gone to distant lands , strange cultures , and to a people they did not know before . Others are pioneering in our very own Geylang neighbourhood — reaching out to migrant workers , ' street workers ', and ' street stayers '.
Most pioneers started with little to no experience . They faced countless challenges , but persevered because they heard God ' s call . Some have seen amazing results , while others still labour on , trusting in His good purposes . In this section , we are honoured to share a few of their stories . ( Many could not be featured due to the sensitivities surrounding the work they do .) These are not just YWAMSG ’ s stories , but stories of amazing missional partnerships , where many churches , friends , and families had come together in persistent prayer and with sacrificial giving to make these missions possible . So friends , these are also your stories . May these accounts bless , encourage and also challenge you . Let us create more of these stories with Jesus until the work is done . Be a part of His pioneering story . — Simeon Siau ( fellow-pioneer )
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BOBBY & JAI * — SUMATRA , INDONESIA
Jai graduated from YWAMSG ’ s DTS in 1983 and joined the FEET team in 1984 . Bobby joined the FEET team in 1985 becoming its Team Leader , and led a DTS in 1986 . They married in 1987 and left Singapore to pioneer work with an Unreached People Group ( UPG ) in 1989 .
When Bobby and his wife , Jai , were invited to go for an exploratory trip to the 6th biggest island in the world , they jumped at it . “ We ’ d heard about Unreached People Groups on the island and were quite fascinated by that ,” Bobby recalls . That 2-month trip was the first step into a journey of a lifetime . This May , it will be 30 years since Bobby settled in a province of the country . However , though Bobby has managed to raise some local leaders over the years , he laments , “ Till today , this place remains very hard with very , very little fruit . Workers are still sowing seeds , engaging in friendship evangelism , and making one-on-one connections .”
In a world where the focus is on results — the quicker the better , the more the better — getting support in a mission field that is of hard ground has sometimes raised more questions than help . “ I get comments very often that we should move on to places where you can see success ,” the veteran missionary says candidly . “ In fact , one gentleman even said that he would help us if we had more results .”
Vision , passion , obedience , faithfulness — to such values there is sometimes no sight of rewards , only cost . A moment in history did bring Bobby and his teams to the fore after more than a decade of quiet toil in the background . At the end of 2004 , the Indian Ocean earthquake , the 3rd largest recorded in history , swept through the region . It claimed more than 100,000 lives and left 500,000 without a roof over their heads . Bobby and his mission organisation sprang into action immediately . “ For the next 5 years , my wife and I , plus the core team , spent most of our time working in response and rescue , disaster search , and then in reconstruction .”
“ We provided leadership for many projects as we had lots of contacts from the years we lived there . We knew the layout of the land , where things were , how things work , and the local language . It ’ s like we were there ‘ for such a time as this ’ ( Esther 4:14 ).” Even if these ‘ times ’ are few and far between , Bobby is committed to staying in this province for the rest of his life . “ If I stepped out of what God asks me to do , out of the centre of His will , I think that would be more dangerous , as God ’ s grace is not going to be there for me .”
It may never be possible to put a price to the work Bobby does and , more difficult yet , to measure the returns on investment . Still , the good work continues . “ We just focus on the word we received more than 30 years ago . This is where we ’ re supposed to be .”
* Pseudonyms
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