I received this email from one of my Youth leaders days ago but I failed to read its attachments due to insufficient time. Well, thank God I finally did.
Its a post by Justin Wong; the FBC Youth Camp ‘09 speaker. Check out his story before, during and after the most impactful Youth camp we had so far.
I’ll be frank, I’m not so sure whether this post is confidential to camp committee and group leaders only. But I guess it’ll be great if you guys got the chance to read this. Because everytime I do, I somehow get this warm feeling in my heart. The reason? I can’t fully explain.
Justin, take it away…
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT | MALAYSIA 2009 | JUSTIN WONG
The Coffee Chat: This first part begins with caffeine and faith (pretty sure faith was first). Years before my Malaysia trip I had met a man by the name of Rodney at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where I was trying to get through a degree. Honestly, I thought that Rodney was a classmate of mine and we just so happened to bump in the hallways. Turns out that 3 years ago Rodney was there for a day and God had placed us together in the same place at his appointed time. As we both sipped on some black coffee for only an hour we discussed what God was doing in youth ministry. Little did we know that cup of java turned into something much bigger.
We both went our separate ways with our own respective drinks and respective ministries. A year or so later I get a Facebook message from Rodney just checking up. Haha…for awhile, I had no clue who this odd man was until he reminded me of Southwestern. I grabbed my mocha latte and responded back to him and told him that I had graduated and was pastoring youth at Chinese Baptist Church. I just told him a little about our philosophy and ministry. And as we sucked on coffee we exchanged stories of how God was working in Houston and in Malaysia.
A year a goes by and I get another Facebook message on May 3, 2009
“Justin – I have recommended you to lead a youth camp held by First Baptist Church in Petaling Jaya in December – I cannot confirm yet – but wondered if you might be interested. It would probably be around 80-130 youth.”
And my response:
“That might be good…im not sure what the plan is for me just yet but keep me updated. It’s kinda hard for me to say where I’ll be in December. But i can give you 85% good to go”
What’s really going on in my mind:
“Uhhh…I think they asked the wrong person. I look like I’m 16 and I can’t even get my youth to listen to me most of the time. God, please give me some wisdom and guidance. Why am I shaking? Oh man…I need to stop drinking so much coffee”
Fast Food & Finances: I think when I responded I got kind of nervous because I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. Actually, my initial thought was “What if I do go and completely bomb? I would have made a complete fool of my church, myself, and the church in Malaysia would kill me because they spent all this money flying me there and…” So for the next several months I spent a lot of time praying and seeking guidance. And over a #2 combo meal at our local fast food place God says, “Alright…you’re going. This trip is bigger than you and your ego and everything that I’m about to do is because I want to…so trust me.” So I responded on June 1, 2009 with “Yes, I think I’m a “go”. As for who will be traveling with me – most likely one more person.” I’ve learned from my mentors and other pastors that you shouldn’t go travel alone – for your own integrity and sanity. So I asked several of my trusted friends to come along with me to be my accountability. PJ Woo and Keith Chan responded and said they’d trust that God is doing something here and they committed. And over another unhealthy fast food meal we talked about logistics of the trip. We knew that my flight would be covered but theirs wouldn’t have been (btw, airfare to Malaysia cost more than a burger & fries). We had less than 3 months to raise airfare, travel costs, and fund Keith’s additional India mission trip. We felt that the best thing to do would be for the 3 of us to fundraise as a team and whatever money we raised would go into a pool and be distributed where it was needed. So we sent out letters (lots of them) to those who we trusted…because you don’t just send letters to random people asking for support, you send it to those who believe in your ministry, who understand the Gospel, those that won’t only support you financially but will be on their knees and intercede for you. But to be honest raising this amount of money in such a short time would be like working off a #3 combo meal with a large Dr. Pepper in 2 days (err…it would be impossible). But then again, we knew this trip was from God and so we sent out this letter:
First Baptist Church Malaysia (www.fbc.com.my) approached us to travel to Petaling Jaya to speak at their annual youth conference. Justin Wong will be the main speaker for the camp, PJ Woo and Keith Chan will be involved in teaching workshops and leadership training. The church there is helping us with some expenses but we do need to raise some additional funds to cover costs of airfare and food. We’re asking you to participate with us on this mission’s trip to Malaysia by prayer and support. We have no fancy gimmicks or big propaganda…all we’re doing is to say “Lord, we need $5000.00 in 3 months”. So that’s our prayer. It seems impossible I know, but we trust that God provides. We know this is prompting from God because there would have been no way this (This whole trip) could happen on our own. A friend from seminary had asked Justin to come and speak halfway around the world to 150 Malaysian youth at their annual camp. So would you please search your heart and see if God is leading you to help us? We will be departing Houston on December 13 and will be returning December 22. And we’d love to have you guys right there with us in support and in prayer. We can’t thank yall individually but we’re hoping that you know that God will be moving through us as missionaries to the uttermost parts of his world. May you be bless to be participating in his kingdom.
Well…we never made our goal and so we didn’t go to Malaysia. Just kidding, God did something that blew our minds…not only did we meet our goal but exceeded it. Again, He continued to flex his power in the middle of our doubt. So it was on. No turning back now. Posters are made and we’re on our way to Malaysia. No more fast food for awhile Justin…or so I thought.
[Side Note] Ok, you’re going to want to laugh and I think it’s warranted but be gentle please. So I have no clue what other countries are like. I mean I have a vague idea of where they are on a map but as far as what’s going on in that country I’m oblivious. So when I thought Malaysia I thought no plumbing no electricity (blame it on my ignorance) and everyone lived in trees. So I’m thinking that this trip would be more of a missions trip. And so when we were leaving Houston we made it seem overly dramatic. “If we don’t come back or if something happens…then know that it was God’s will” And although I believe with all my heart that things could happen and that statement is true…I’m pretty sure I over-dramatized it a little bit. Furthermore I thought the weather over there was the same as it was in Houston. So when I packed, it was all sweaters, jackets, and Kevlar. Thankfully I checked the weather the day before we left…95 degrees with 100% humidity. Awesome.
Fast Forward. 27 hours of traveling (Houston – Newark – Beijing – Kuala Lumpur) we arrive and it’s 11:05pm in Malaysia. The night before I was chatting online with Kevin…Kevin Thomas. In my mind he was a 25 year old American that had a goatee and wore a beanie. He said he would be there with a sign to greet us. Well, when we arrived I was right about the sign (which was funny having my name on a sign) but wrong about this Kevin fellow. Apparently he was of Indian descent, no goatee and no beanie. First impressions out the window. I was wrong about the age too but I won’t go there. First thing I’ve noticed about Malaysia was that the air stuck to your lungs because of the humidity. The second thing I’ve noticed was my white knuckles gripping the seatbelt for dear life. It’s not that people there are bad or wreckless…but it’s the fact that I guess they’re so accustomed to squeezing 4 cars into 2 lanes that it made me pee my pants. Exhausted from travel we get home and sleep like exhausted people who just came from the States.
Tuesday Toast: First morning in Malaysia. It’s a simple breakfast of toast and jam at Tzu-Anne’s place. PJ and I sat down with Tzu-Anne’s brother and wife. They were a quiet couple when we first met them. I found out that her brother happened to be a pastor of a church in the area. And he had just started out pastoring so of course we got into the topic of ministry. His church was a Reformed Baptist Church (church talk now at 1000% interesting). We talk about everything from church politics, structure, Calvinism, and our hopes and dreams for ministry. And much like our chat, the food was nothing too fancy but it was filling and satisfying. I think one thing I noticed immediately about Malaysian cuisine was that the host (whomever it might have been) would be extremely accommodating. They would always ask us if we had enough and would provide us with more choices than we could even consider. It was the first impression of Malaysia that proved true throughout the trip.
Tuesday Thai Lunch: We went to a Thai restaurant owned by one of the FBC members. The name of the place was called My Elephant. For some reason, I thought there’d be this huge elephant on the side of the wall…that or the place would be in the shape of an elephant. I was wrong about both. It was this quite nice (I want to say upscale) place that had a clean wait staff and the food was excellent. I wish I could remember what we ordered but I’d probably get it wrong. So I took a picture of my dish so it’s ok…no worries. And from what I remembered about Thai food and my tolerance for spicy foods…I figured that meal would be the end of me. Surprisingly I made it out fine and completely satisfied. This would be the first of many meals with Kevin Thomas. Anyways…we finally had a chance to talk with him during lunch. He was soft-spoken but very inquisitive about ministry (which I found to be truly amazing). There was genuineness about Kevin and the 3 of us felt right at home with him from the get-go. PJ and I were talking about how when we sat down for lunch that day it seemed as though we were catching up with a long lost friend. First meal in Malaysia…success.
Ipoh Chicken & Durian: We went to sit-down Malaysia restaurant with the youth camp committee. It kind of reminded me of Tap House but without the techno pop music. I told myself that during this trip I would try whatever the locals recommended. And that night, my “local” buddy was named Wei Ren. He had this goofy smile that he wore with great confidence. I liked him immediately and I asked him to refer me to his recommended choices. That night he would show me Ipoh Chicken Noodle Soup. It was a simple chicken noodle dish that resembled Ramen but a billion times better and healthier…perhaps? Keith, PJ, and I pretty much scattered ourselves out during dinner so that we were able to talk with some of the youth. And it was the beginning of something pretty amazing. These students were pretty much the camp coordinators and my buddy Wei Ren would be this year’s camp commander. I was encouraged to see such a wide-range of students willing to serve and serve with passion. As dinner wrapped up everyone had this wiry smile on their faces. Odd. We left the restaurant and ended up in a night food stand. It wasn’t your ordinary food stand though. It had a distinct smell…of rotting onions and gym socks. Foreigners…meet Mr. Durian. Hello Durian, why do you smell like my feet? But I told you I was going to try everything at least twice, right? And to my surprise it was ok. I mean…I wouldn’t bathe in it, but I could eat it. PJ no likey. I suppose the durian is an acquired taste? But unless you try it you can’t say anything. It’s like ministry though…you have to be able to get involved first and if you really can’t do that particular ministry then that’s ok. But get involved, try it out before criticizing it and who knows…maybe you’ll end up liking it.
Rice for Breakfast: I’ll tell you one thing I couldn’t get over. FBC Malaysia took care of us…a little bit too well. I really can’t thank this church enough and it’s not only because they’ve invited us to even come from half way around the world, but because they treated us with biblical respect and honor. I kept asking the leaders, “Why do they do this?” and their response was, “Because you’ve been called by God to do this and we want to honor that role.” It caught us by surprise because yes, most people will agree with that…but the follow-through is sometimes found lacking. And you have to understand the amount of faith this church had…they asked someone they have not met before to come speak at a camp and minister to their youth. Not only that, but they took care of our needs and went well beyond that and treated us ridiculously well. I honestly would have been perfectly fine with going there and paying our own way (food, lodging, and all) just for the opportunity to minister there…but they honored us by feeding us very well and putting us in a hotel. I cannot thank this church enough for their vision and leadership when it comes to hosting visitors. By the way, apparently Malaysian hotels serve rice for breakfast. I remember something similar to this in China, but it was odd to see rice in the morning. Oh! So they have this pulled tea called “teh tarik” – and it was like a mix between tea & olvaltine. Personally, I had about 3 cups every morning. I miss it. I miss it right now. Do you have any on you right now for me? If you do, please send it over.
Live Free Die Full: Ok…we come to the camp (finally). Thanks for making it this far; I commend you oh trusty reader. If you feel hungry please grab a snack. Now…the camp. When PJ, Keith, and I arrived at the church to leave for camp all the youth thought we were fellow campers. Well…I’m sure we stood out but they all told us that they thought we were 16 year olds. Which one was the speaker? The goofy one wearing pajamas? Yeah…that would be me. Ok, I’m not going to walk you through all the details just the highlights (oh, and tell you about the food).
Hunger for More: The theme of this retreat was “Live Free Die Hard” from “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’ ” Matthew 16:24. The idea was the understanding of “discipleship”. But I didn’t want to go there and give them “Ok, this is what you’re supposed to do and this is what you don’t want to do.” So the approach was to plead with them to take this journey of discipleship seriously. Because I think we get into a culture of “doing” without really understanding what in the world it’s all about. I gave a series of 5 messages –
- First one explained who we really are. You and I ultimately take God’s things and exalt them above God, we think our way is better, and we create our own gods to worship. And because of this idolatry, God displays his wrath towards us not in lightning bolts but instead He turns us over to these sinful desires. But because He is a righteous and just God, He must punish sin and us belittling Him. So I ended the first session with this, “So what am I saying…that we’re sinful beings that deserve hell no matter how good we are? Yup! That’s exactly what I’m saying…but there’s good news, but that’s for tomorrow.” Haha and I just ended it right there and dismissed them.
- I settled their nerves by explaining the “Good News” of Jesus. The fact that yes we are sinners and we deserve punishment but Jesus (out of grace, mercy, and love) saves us for His own glory. And not just that but now we are able to come to him freely. I think what goes on in our minds is that we think we have to be a certain “type” of person in order for God to accept us. And so we hold that mentality and we work and work towards it. But all along, Jesus takes the anybodys…the broken, the contrite in spirit, those who really want him. It’s the first step of discipleship.
- This one was interesting because originally I was going to explain the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 in sermon form. And the main idea was that Jesus discipled the disciples and He shows them firsthand what it looks like to have compassion on people. And he shows the disciples how to minister to the people. But on the bus ride up to camp…for some reason, God told me to act it out. My first taught was “Uhh God, that is NOT going to work.” I ended up acting out the story…and I think it went OK. The students saw what it looked like to actually be in the story and what it looked like to actually follow Jesus. That there’s doubt some time and there’s frustration but in the end Jesus asks us to trust him.
- The 4th sermon was the story following the feeding of the 5000. It’s the story of Peter walking on water. The idea was that when we continue to follow Jesus where He leads us there will be those days where He’ll ask us to do something that we’re scared to do. And when those days come…we usually end up doubting ourselves. But Jesus continues to tell you and I “Hey! I called you…you’re following me remember. Don’t worry about the wind and the water…trust that I know what I’m doing.”
- The last sermon was probably the hardest…not because of the material but because I knew I had to say goodbye. And out of Matthew 28 I pled with the youth to play their part well. And I told them that they had people on the other side of the globe that needs them to be discipled and to disciple because we’re counting on them. And one day we’ll meet again and we’ll share stories of what our great God and King has done in our lives. Tear.
Thirsty for Leaders: Like I said I had no idea what to expect of the youth there. I didn’t know if they were as cynical as we are or they needed teaching. I was greeted with a very similar youth group as the one in Houston. A handful of them were hungry to learn and to take this journey seriously but most of them just “played the game.” Camp was another event to do during the year. But as I got to know them, I realized the leadership loved their youth. And they had some great leaders there. The first ones I’ve met and gelled quickly with were Su-Anne, Kevin, and Tzu-Anne. And they had the same passions as we did for our youth – to see them grow and play their part well. God showed me that biblical leaders are always in demand. And the ministry rises and falls with leadership – so it’s our job, our calling, to equip and train these leaders. Like do whatever you can to invest your time, money, resources into these leaders so that they might catch the vision and empower them to use their own individual abilities and talents for the work of ministry.
[Side Note] Everyone uses a spoon and fork to eat. The spoon pretty much replaces the knife and doubles as a scoping tool for your food. I never got use to this but I tried one time. Fail.
Thoughts on Camp: I felt like we ate every 30 minutes. Actually I’m pretty sure that’s what we did. They have 4 meals a day. The last meal is dinner but their 4th meal is called “supper” (or late night snack). But again, when God’s people are around the dinner table…ministry takes place. What I realized also is that mealtime took a long time. Like when I eat here…it’s food, mouth, wipe, done. There it’s wait…wait…drink…wait…food…wait…food…food…done. And everyone is ok with it. I realized why everyone was ok with it – because it gave them time to chat about life. I liked it. I want to implement that – 3 hour meals! And that’s why I miss Malaysia with all my heart. Because during those times we really got to know the people. Like I figured out why Kevin is so dark or why Su-Anne could be the next president of the world. I miss them.
Bittersweetness of Ministry: It’s been almost a month since I boarded the plane and left Malaysia and still my mind, heart, and prayers are with the church and its people there. I guess that is what happened to Paul when he had to leave the different churches. I thank our God that He counted us worthy to send us to another part of the world…on faith…to ministry to our brothers and sisters for such a short time. I thank our God that relationships were built and sustained because of who He is. I thank you friends for your support – that you consider the ministry bigger than your time, bigger than your wallet, and bigger than your comfort. We have built ministry relationships with FBC Malaysia and we still want to continue our support with them. If you want read the 5 sermons, they’re on www.cbc-youth.com and if you want to support their church it’s http://www.fbc.com.my/. I thank you for everything…if you want more stories, please let me know: justinhwong@gmail.com or you can check out some of the pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/chewywong.
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God bless you, Justin. It was a true honour to have you come over for our last Youth camp.
Tear Down the Walls
BShia
Numerical order
I’m just amused by that shadow silhoutte on the ground there!
No. XV Tan Hsien Zern
A lucky draw number. Unfortunately, I left early so I failed to claim my prize! Which was from what I heard, Ferrero Rocher? Chocolate… Mmmm… Oh well.
Where’s the bartender?
My dad thought that that was a special massage chair and you’ve gotta pay in order to use it. Coin functional. LOL
