I thank God for giving me the opportunity to take part in this mission visit. Our two-week team consisted of thirteen brothers and sisters: nine served in Lautoka and four in Suva. My son Kexuan and I served at the church in Lautoka. I happened to be the youngest adult on the team. Do not misunderstand—being younger brought no special privileges; the work still had to be done. :)
Serving as a Mission Team
December is Fiji’s hottest month, and Lautoka is hotter than Suva. My room also happened to be the hottest room in the church. I shared it with Sisters Yizhen and Zhu Qing. Their witty, humorous conversations often left this younger teammate laughing and admitting that I could not match them.
Most of the children attending the holiday programme were non-Chinese Fijian children. A few understood little English, so their older brothers and sisters explained the important points to them when needed.
As the Lautoka co-workers described them, the children could be very well behaved when they were quiet and wonderfully energetic when they played. Several were gifted singers. When they sang hymns loudly together without accompaniment, everyone was deeply moved. Some were also excellent dancers. Two children from charismatic churches even taught us to dance along with Christian songs.
The Fijian children took Sunday worship seriously and always arrived neatly and properly dressed. Several children who stayed overnight and came from a church with unorthodox teaching prayed together before bed and again at five in the morning, blessing everyone. They also eagerly learned from me the Chinese pronunciation of the central teachings in Evangelism Explosion for Children.
I thank God for giving me several ideas. In the activities I led, I encouraged the children to speak the lines and demonstrate the gestures for the central gospel message at the front. Through direct participation and performance, I hoped they would remember the true gospel message and be able to recognise the genuine gospel in the future.
Thank you to the brothers and sisters of EFCCA who prayed for the mission team. Your prayers gave us immeasurable strength and brought warmth to our hearts. May we continue to pray for one another without ceasing.
Interpreting a Sermon in English for the First Time
The children’s holiday programme ended on Saturday evening, but eleven children stayed overnight. They and their parents would also attend Sunday worship the next morning. As people gradually settled down to sleep on Saturday night, I began preparing for another new assignment from God: interpreting the next day’s sermon into English.
With my level of English, this was neither simple nor easy, and it was my first time interpreting a sermon. I quietened myself, read through the Chinese manuscript, considered how to translate it and searched online for the English names of the people mentioned. That evening I prayed for God’s help and sent messages to several dear sisters in New Zealand and China, asking them to pray. May God Himself remember your prayers.
The next morning I also asked my son to listen and check my English grammar, but the preparation time was clearly insufficient. Half an hour before the service, I prayed again. I sensed God saying that even if my interpreting went badly, it might leave a deeper impression on those listening—and that too could serve His good purpose. The burden immediately lifted. I thank God for sustaining me and enabling me to complete the assignment.
Mission Visits and Short-Term Mission
A mission visit of one or two weeks cannot be compared with the experience and sacrifice of long-term mission. Minister Che and his wife, who have served in Africa for many years, can offer us a much fuller understanding of mission.
Nor can participation in a mission visit or short-term mission be used to measure the height or depth of a person’s spiritual life. Someone who is very close to the Lord will not necessarily take part in either.
Different Gifts
God gives each person different gifts, a different background and a different platform for service. May we be faithful to the mission He has entrusted to us, walking with the Lord and overcoming through Him each day.
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10, NIV)
What training and place of service has God prepared specifically for you and me? May He open our spiritual eyes so that we offer our five loaves and two fish and remain faithful to what He has entrusted to us.
Most importantly, all service, evangelism and Christian living have eternal value only when they are grounded in our relationship with God.
Finally, I share this prayer with everyone: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10, NIV)
Thank you.
Author: Stephanie Liew
Written in January 2024
