1. Introduction

I came to know Christ as a teenager but my Christian walk has been a meandering walk with many twists and turns. We’re talking about 50 years of twisting and turning… that’s a long time. I’ve never been on a mission trip, or seriously considered one, until I got a text out of the blue from David Chan on 22 June 2023. Unknown to David, God has been working on me for some time and there was a particularly special encounter with the Holy Spirit, a few weeks prior to David’s text, in a Sunday service altar call for my wife, Jeannie, and me. I prayerfully considered David’s invitation for a week, and was pleasantly surprised and encouraged that Jeannie was also agreeable and up to it.

2. Mission trips
a. Trip to Kendari, Sulawesi
That was how we ended up as members of a team to Kendari in August 2023. It was an eye opener in so many aspects. We received many times more than we gave, or tried to give. It was truly inspirational to listen and learn of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ walking the walk and talking the talk – where professing the faith could mean palpable threat to personal safety or being ostracised from family, friends and community. And yet, for some as young as 15 or 16, it means dedicating their lives to serving God and to reaching their tribe or unreached people group for Christ. Coming from comfortable Singapore, it forces one to reexamine our priorities, values and perennial complaints.

b. Trip to Luang Namtha, Laos
I was quite happy to get the Kendari trip under my belt and join the group of Christians who have mission-ed. Of course, God (and David) had other ideas and in February 2024, I got the text and invitation to join the April trip to Luang Namtha, Laos. It didn’t help that a Google search of Luang Namtha points to the infamous golden triangle and there is a standing travel advisory against travel to that area on some government websites. I thank God for the conviction and the peace in my heart and so, off we went to Vientiane on 9 April, and onto a 70-seater turboprop for the domestic leg of the trip to Luang Namtha the next day. I am amazed by what I learned on the trip. Laos is not exactly on my radar for possible travel destinations; not being the trekker or adventure traveller kinda guy. But the culture, the people, the land, the spiritual climate and the socio-economic pressures assault the senses and heightened the sensitivity to a faith that commits all, demands all and sacrifices all to profess a love for Jesus. It’s being up close and personal with people and situations where “laying down their life for their faith” is a clear and present possibility that they carry with a certain lightness of being.

c. Trip to Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu
The invitation to India presented a different kind of mental resistance. India is so big we probably know of friends or relatives who have travelled there for work or holidays; with stories of the water, food (spicy curry), air quality and crowds. Of course, these are second-hand stories we hear and pass around as I’ve never been to India in my life. But it helped to have 2 mission trips under my belt and the messaging from church sermons, personal quiet time and serendipitous anecdotes of reaching out and doing our part in obedience to the great commission. Again, the experience on the ground in February 2025 is so different that it almost qualifies as a separate category of TYLI mission trips. Instead of engaging with the church planters, we were boots on the ground; ministering to the people directly in churches, villages and slums. The engagement was intense, extensive and a little overwhelming. It was certainly a stretch but I’m thankful God showed up and ministered to us and to the people we met.

3. Learning
a. A dear brother who was with me on my first mission trip, and indeed on all 3 of my mission trips, was very kind to share with me an invaluable advice and guiding principle – expect the unexpected. That pithy motto has stayed with me and served me well. It is an excellent heart posture to adopt and sets one up to be open, embracing, welcoming and accommodating of changes and differences; all in the name of sharing the good news and being a conduit for whatever the Lord wants to bring to that situation.

b. We may go with the idea of being a blessing to the people we meet, but I honestly received more than I gave. I was stretched and grew in the faith. The faith and lives of the people we met inspired me and showed me that there’s more to the Christian experience than the one I knew in the Singaporean context.

c. It’s probably not the actual trip experience, but the unknown that’s scary. Not having done it, not been there, not knowing the country or the people – all contribute to the “fear of the unknown”. It helps to have supportive team members who can show the way and make the adjustment easier. Prayerfully consider taking that step of faith to go and be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. It’s an exhilarating ride.

d. Each of the trips was different. Although they were all TYLI themed mission trips, the different cultural context, realities on the ground and the needs of the people make each experience unique and the learnings multifaceted.

e. The trips opened my eyes to the work God is doing in the region. Even then, it is but a small peek into God’s vision for the countries and the work yet to be done to partner God in reaching the lost. It is totally different from the experience in Singapore and challenges the lens with which we see the (Christian) world.

f. God is on the move and it is a privilege to be part of that. We have to be there to see it, experience it, grow with it, grow from it and have it credited to our account for having shared in it.

4. Tips for others considering going on mission trips with TYLI
a. Be open minded. Accommodation, food and transport options may not be what you are used to. Roll with it, as best as you can.
b. Contribute in ways big and small; whether it’s just taking some photos, keeping the accounts or making up the numbers of the team. The team needs your support and encouragement too.
c. Ministry of presence is as good a reason as any to go. Just be there.

5. Conclusion                                                                                                                                                                      a. Step up, and be amazed by an amazing God.