Serudong Laut Short-Term
Mission Trip Personal Review
Doing things
hands-on is indeed different from reading it on paper. I have read and heard a
lot about how life in a rural village is like and I’ve also listened to sharing
from friends and people in church on going for mission trips ranging from one
day to a few years. But for me, all of these are minute compared to going for
one myself, and I am privileged to be able to join the annual short-term
mission trip to Serudong Laut for less than 2 weeks, thanks to God’s
providence.
In a place
where the nearest town is a three-hour drive away (by 4WD), access to the
outside world is limited, which is good in a way as there are much less
distractions. This is in addition to the lack of cellular network. Personally,
I find that this ‘almost-distraction-free’ environment allows me to be more
concentrated on the work that I have at hand. My mind was clearer and the
burdens that I have back in Penang doesn’t seem to trouble me that much, since
I was about 1900 km away, and was without Internet connection.
I got to see
God’s grace and faithfulness in a place where these things seem to be lacking
on first sight. Being a principal in a school where the average attendance is a
third of the total enrollment and the classes outnumber the teachers, is not
easy. One would easily doubt whether God is still watching over this mission
school ministry. Besides handling the school (hiring and paying the teachers,
arranging for Form 5 students to take SPM, etc.), Rev. Rofinus also had to take
a 4-hour journey by the usual uneven and frequently-flooded dirt road through
huge oil palm plantations to Batu 15 every weekend to conduct the service at
the Preaching Point and also to check up on the teaching progress there. These
still have not taken into account of the fact that he has a wife and a child
born less than a year ago. Yet, he still faithfully carries out the
responsibilities entrusted to him, and he had been doing so for about a year. I
pray that God will continue to bless him, guide him help him to continue to
trust in Him in this full-time ministry.
Besides that, I
had also gained some teaching experience, which was my first. Although it is
not the common urban classroom setting which I’m familiar with, what I have
gained through those few hours of teaching are still relevant to me, especially
to my field of study (in Education). Teaching in this school is different from
teaching in a typical school, not just in terms of the number of students, but
the students’ attitude and their foundation in elementary knowledge and
skills.
Living together
with 3 people whom you usually meet in church services and PMVCF activities for
a relatively long period of time is not easy, yet an interesting experience.
None of the many camps that I had been before can compare to this mission trip.
For 14 days, I would wake up to Sze Jack sleeping at the side and the four of
us would be eating together at the same table for almost every meal. I am glad
to have served alongside Sze Jack, Eunice and Welyne. Though they each have
different characters and way of doing things, they also have different gifts
and skills that make our service at Serudong Laut unique. For this, I am
grateful.
by Hendrix
Cheong
