to serve the local churches ’ vision ? Were we willing to adapt our training programmes for the churches that wanted to send out their own missionaries ? The base leadership was convicted that God would fulfil our vision if we served the local churches . Not every accommodation was easy , but we persevered in building unity for Jesus ’ Great Commission by building others up .
MOBILISING THE CHURCH
We cannot overstate the importance of prayer in missions . Thankfully , there were numerous prayer mobilisation efforts in Singapore . YWAMSG participated in these events and the leadership also challenged their staff to pray together as well . Spurgeon said , “ Prayer is the slender nerve , which moves the muscle of omnipotence .”
After adopting 5 Asian UPGs at our 1996 leadership team planning meeting , the challenge came to set in motion a vision to send new workers to the unreached . That is mobilisation . We needed new methods for doing this . Alan Lim encouraged everyone to sound the trumpet for Asia ’ s unreached peoples . Our leadership spoke in local churches about the unreached . We developed new mission awareness tools and employed them in Singaporean Christians . We focused all of our short-term and DTS outreaches on unreached peoples in the 10 / 40 Window . James Chan , Base Director after Alan Lim , required the base leadership to explain how their programme or school was contributing to the overall effort to engage Asia ’ s unreached with the Gospel . We were all humbled by the enormity of the task before us .
Mobilisation is an endeavour of faith . Who were we to think that we could impact 5 large UPGs ? Mobilisation happens when knowledge of the spiritual need , the availability of missions opportunities , and God ’ s prophetic challenge to obey Christ ’ s last command are prayerfully considered . In short , God ’ s vision must be repeatedly cast into His Church . Often , this is done without tangible evidence of God ’ s working . But the seed of God ’ s Word will bear fruit when it is bathed in prayer . During that time at YWAMSG , every leader and staff member cast forth the vision God had given us in his or her own way .
TRAINING THE CALLED
In reference to the Gospel , G . K . Chesterton said , “ It is always simple to fall ; there are an infinity of angles at which one falls , only one at which one stands .” The same could be said for missions . We can run programmes without answering , “ How is this programme or school making disciples among the nations ?” It was during the 1990s that Bill and Susan Smith of the International Mission Board impacted many YWAM leaders . Bill and Susan taught us to plan with the end in view . If 5 people groups in Asia needed healthy , indigenous churches strong enough to evangelise to the rest of that people group , how should we design our training programmes ?
The YWAMSG schools were seldom large in number , but God did send us excellent people . They had great faith and accomplished amazing things for our Lord Jesus . One Indian Singaporean Christian disregarded my advice to pursue missions training after just taking a YWAM missions awareness course . Instead , he went directly to the Muslims in India and planted 7 churches ! There was a Korean YWAMer who brought the contextualised Gospel to nomadic people on the Tibetan plateau . There was an Indonesian YWAMer who launched the first YWAM base and School of Frontier Missions in a closed Southeast Asian nation . Another Korean YWAMer launched the first underground DTS in a closed East Asian nation . One Indonesian YWAMer began her field internship in a large East Asian nation and planted a church among a UPG in her first 7 months . Another 3 Singaporeans started community development projects among a large Muslim UPG in a closed Asian nation . Space does not allow me to list the details of their faith exploits . These people , mostly Singaporean YWAMers , are my heroes . I admire their faith , love , and boldness for the Lord Jesus Christ .
SUPPORTING THE ‘ GOERS ’
Our leadership team knew that if missionary ‘ goers ’ are not adequately supported spiritually and emotionally in their field locations , attrition will likely be high . We wanted to value the individual above the work and enhance field teams ’ fruitfulness .
Lim Phi Lan was one of several staff who , out of friendship , was motivated to do something practical and sacrificial . She began , quietly , visiting many of these teams that our base had been sending out . I spoke with several of them . They told me how God had used her friendship and kindness to help keep them on the field . Phi Lan ’ s passion to bring member care to our YWAM field workers inspired others on our base and gave birth to a member care department . She showed us that our faith can be hollow if we do not care for those who have sacrificed much for the sake of the Gospel .
SO CELEBRATE !
It is appropriate to celebrate what God has done . Formerly unreached peoples are now worshipping the King of kings ! And let us not forget the many pastors and Christians who gave and prayed and encouraged and enabled YWAMers , so that they could go . Thank You , Heavenly Father , for all You have done .
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