April newsletter
Diary
This month we thought it would be good to include extracts from our diary, so you have some idea of how our schedule goes.
Friday, 3 April.
We were up at 4-30 to catch our 7-05 flight to Kuala Terengganu. In the morning service we had a divine visitation.
Saturday, 4 April.
We caught our flight to KL. In the afternoon I drove Julia to Harvest Christian Assembly in Klang where she spoke to the women's meeting. They loved her. We drove home through a deluge.
Tuesday, 7 April.
In the afternoon and evening I spoke at three meetings for Pastor Stephen Ow and the Indonesian factory workers in his church.
Friday, 10 April.
I struggled with a cold all day. Tonight I preached at the Good Friday service in Glory Gospel Mission, Kuchai Lama.
Sunday, 12 April.
Last night I preached at the Easter service in Liberty in Chist Tabernacle in Dengkil. The meeting started at 11pm and ended around 2-30am. At 10am We went for the service at Glory Gospel Mission in Kuchai Lama where I preached again.
Monday, 13 April.
This was a long day. It started with me taking the visa applications for India over to Full Gospel Tabernacle. Then I had an altercation with the toll barrier which came down on the car before I had driven through. I travelled with three friends to Kuantan where I preached at the FGBMFI dinner. They had expected four tables but got seven (ten at each table). We drove home after the dinner, arriving at our house about 1-20am..
Friday, 17 April.
At lunch time I spoke at the Talam Corporation fellowship.
Sunday, 19 April.
Today I spoke at FGA Subang Jaya, at the 7-30 and 11am meetings.
Tuesday, 21 April.
Tonight we had almost 30 of the Full Gospel Tabernacle staff for dinner. Julia did all the cooking. Now I remember why I married her!
Wednesday, 22 April.
Tonight I started a four part series at Harvest Christian Assembly on Extending the Kingdom.
Thursday, 23 April.
Today we flew to Kuala Terengganu..
Friday, 24 April.
This morning I preached at Lifeline Assembly. Tonight we had steamboat followed by a durian fest.
Saturday, 25 April.
Tonight we had a memorial service. We then flew back to KL, getting home after midnight.
Sunday, 26 April.
This morning I preached at the 7-30 meeting in Full Gospel Assembly in Kuchai Lama.. I came home, collected Julia and went back to preach in the 11am meeting.
Wednesday, 29 April.
Tonight I continued the series on Extending the Kingdom in Harvest CA.
Thursday, 30 April.
We collected our passports from Full Gospel Tabernacle before driving to Sri Malaysia Hotel in Malacca for High Praise Ministries church camp, which will continue until Sunday. The first meeting went really well.
Please pray that the seed sown will bear fruit.
March newsletter
Relaxation
Just in case you think all work and no play are going to make us a dull boy and girl, we want to let you know that we do get some time for relaxation. 4th March was our wedding anniversary so we took the opportunity, on our way to minister in Kuala Terengganu, to spend a couple of days in a hotel on the beach near Kuantan where we lived when we first arrived in Malaysia in 1978. Even the journey there was relaxing, because they have now completed the highway from Kuala Lumpur to Kuantan and greatly reduced the “dicing with death” element. At the hotel we felt very secure as a police conference was taking place so we were surrounded by the strong arm of the law. It was great to look out from the beach (Telok Cempadak) over the South China Sea where our kids used to spend so much time swimming.
Language
One thing we love about Malaysia is the variety of languages spoken. The month of March commenced with me preaching, though an interpreter, in the Tamil language meeting in Harvest Christian Assembly in Klang. Fortunately they have the songs projected in Romanised characters as well as Tamil so I was able to sing along, even though most of the time I had no idea what I was singing – our Tamil is limited to only a few words. On our visit to Kuala Terengganu on 5th March I preached in the Mandarin service. Once again we were singing along to the Romanised words, until they projected one song completely in Chinese characters so we were reduced to humming and trying to spot the characters we still recognise. Before I preached the pastor’s wife asked me if I could do it in Manglish (the Malaysian version of English) because it was my interpreter’s first time at translating a sermon. We worked well together. From Terengganu we went to Johore Bahru where, on the Sunday morning, I preached in the Bahasa Malaysia (Malaysian national language) meeting. Here Julia and I were more at home because they use the same alphabet and we can still remember a lot of our BM. I was even able to help my interpreter (again a first timer) with a word he had forgotten. On my next visit to Terengganu I went with one of the leaders to pray for a man with Parkinson’s and was able to witness to his daughter in a mixture of English, Chinese and Malay.
Bible Schools.
Besides our travelling and preaching in various churches, Bible School teaching has now started. In Malaysia I taught in Tung Ling Seminary on the topic of Prayer and Fasting. On 21st March we flew to Manila where. After preaching in two Full Gospel Tabernacle pioneer churches on the Sunday, I taught in the newly established Tung Ling Seminary (an extension of the Malaysian school) on the topics of New Testament Survey and Prayer and Fasting.. We also attended the Baccalaureate celebration of Jesus Reigns Christian College where I preached on Powerful Potential from Ps.139. Back again in Malaysia, after preaching in Full Gospel Tabernacle and seeing about a dozen people respond to the gospel appeal, I taught in Tung Ling on Hearing God’s Voice.
Prayer pointers.
Apart from Julia falling down the stairs, ripping off a toenail and badly bruising her toes (see her Facebook for photos), the Lord is keeping us in good health and strength, which we believe is because of your prayers. PLEASE KEEP IT UP.
Next week we will commence the application to reside in Malaysia under the Malaysia My Second Home programme. Please pray that this will be approved without a hitch.
April will be a busy month with Sunday ministry, three Easter meetings, three services in one day in Seri Setia where the congregation consists of Indonesian factory workers, two flights to Kuala Terengganu, a series of Wednesday Bible studies in Harvest Christian Assembly in Klang, and a church camp with High Praise Church. Julia will also be speaking in some ladies’ meetings.
Please pray that all this ministry will be effective and eternally fruitful.
