Samson Yap- Knowing N practicing His Words.

From the 6th to the 14th of December 2008, a rising generation, was set apart to do His work of witnessing and telling the world that Jesus is Lord (Acts 1:8). I am so honored to be counted in as one of them. It truly gets better every year in Sarawak. This trip has compelled me to press on and totally rely on God's grace. On the third day when we departed from Betong Zion Baptist church to Muman, a new longhouse which requires a jeep to transport us, our faith was literally stretched to the max. Our ride stopped half way because of the rainy weather, muddy slopes and steep gradients. We had to walk for 6-7 hours to reach our destination, in the rain. While tiredness may enshroud our thoughts, but God reminded me of 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, My power works best in your weakness".

All the way, God was constantly reminding me about how He didn't give up on me when I was still a sinner before knowing Him during the wearying walk and that has kept me going and spurred me not to give up on Him and to cling on Him. From there on, I literally felt God's strength resting on me and that has made the difference. I am also surprised and honored to be able to encourage and help my team members. To them and the whole team "thanks for having me in this trip, I count myself privileged to run this race and serve alongside with you!" Indeed, we did accomplish what we've set to do and it was a significant success, because of our great God.

The amazement didn't stop there, towards the end of the trip; we had a service of the baptism of the Holy Spirit for our fellow Miri brothers and sisters who joined us for this trip. It has never occurred in my mind that I could pray and encourage the gift of the Holy Spirit in people's lives. That night, while we were worshipping, Ps. Gideon approached me and asked me to pray for them. I had this fear of not knowing what to say in times like these. Luke 12:12 talks about how Jesus encouraged his disciples to face difficult times, "for the Holy Spirit will teach you what to say at that time." And as I start to pray I could hear His voice telling me so clearly to ask them to open their hearts, and pray for those who are ready and whose hearts are fully surrendered. At that moment, God opened my eyes to see and I started praying for them. Words just couldn’t describe how astonished I was when I heard the language of tongues coming forth from their mouths, and many were ministered by the Holy Spirit because of the little faith that I had in Him that time. To God be all the glory!

This trip again has taught me further about God's grace. If it wasn't for Him, I wouldn't have come thus far. Next to God, my gratitude goes out to Ps. Gideon, Seaw Chin, Kenneth, Ah Sher, the youth leaders and all my team members; they were and will always be my source of inspiration. I am more than blessed, because of their lives, their faith and their heart for God. God be praised.