Timor-Leste (8-15 Jun 2013)

All bleary-eyed, except for the morning larks, we met at Terminal 2 of Changi Airport at 7.00am for a group check-in. We wore our team t-shirt because it's supposed to serve as a priority pass for fuss-free immigration clearance at Dili. 

After a comfortable four-hour flight aboard Air Timor, we arrived at the Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili. The bright sun greeted us as we exited the plane to approach the immigration building. Pastor Catherine and Julie were there to meet us and we headed out to the four SUVs parked a short distance away. Within ten minutes, we reached Sakura Tower hotel where we checked in and headed out shortly after to stock up on some last-minute happy food from a nearby supermarket. 

We ended the evening with dinner at a Singapore-priced Malaysian-run Chinese restaurant across the road from the hotel that served free wi-fi. By evening, rain fell and cooled down the town. And that was it for Day 1.

After our first night in a strange city, we awoke to fair sunny weather. This is an anomaly. According to the weather forecast before we left, we should be facing thunderstorms throughout the trip. Breakfast was at 7.00am, with planned departure at 8.00am.

Our interpreter, Acacio, a 23-year-old law student and Pastor Catherine's "godson", who aspires to be the next prime minister of the country, arrived early. After a slight delay waiting for the other interpreter, Brennan, a missionary from Uganda who has been here for five years, we gave up and took off without him. Thankfully for him, he managed to catch up with us. Julie had thought it'd be a great opportunity for him to visit Viqueque with us as he'd never been there before.

The drive eastwards was most scenic. The beautiful coastal road laid out before us on a gorgeous sunny day as waves rolled across various shades of liquid blue to lap against the shore. A backdrop of mountains covered with green trees rose in the distance, drawing nearer to us as time passed.

Shortly after, we were at Manatuto where we met Francis and Grace, a Singaporean missionary couple living there the past seven years. Their home was built on a piece of land by the sea, on which also stood a church and learning centre that were built by a Filipino pastor who owned the land. This stop allowed us to stretch out and use the washroom after two hours of riding in the vehicle. Carrying on for a further two hours, we came to a restaurant where we had lunch overlooking the side of a hill. The alfresco scene was made better with the cooling breeze and mild sun. Then off we went again, this time for the long haul.

The earlier attempt before lunch to refuel at the outskirts of Baucau ended abruptly because there was a power failure after the first vehicle got its dose. After lunch, we travelled further into the town where the rest of the cars were topped up and everyone buckled in for a long, windy and bumpy ride. The view shifted from the sea to the mountains at this point as we drove inland towards the south. After the skill-demanding drive, we were rewarded with a stop at the lookout point overlooking padi fields carved into the foot of the mountains. At one point, the bridge had given way but we had no problems clearing the river with our vehicles even though they weren't exactly all-terrain vehicles.

Before long, we had all arrived in one piece at Colegio Orfanato São Francisco Assisi in Beloi, Viqueque—the convent that was to be our home for the next five nights. For many children at the orphanage, this was home. Although there were also other children from faraway villages who were sent to the town to get an education and they lived here as boarders. We also met Lovey and Suzy, Julie's pet chickens, when we popped by the Dream Centre and missions house a short distance away to pick up the items we'd need for our Sports Day programme the rest of the week.

We headed back for dinner and then went to meet the kids. We were told it's their exam week so we shouldn't take up too much of their time. After the team was introduced, we played a quick game of "Dog n' Bone" and then prayed for those sitting for their exams. We made a faux pas by laying hands on their heads, a cultural taboo, which resulted in the children pressing each other's heads in mimicry.

Pastor Catherine closed by leading us all into a time of joyful worship, singing and dancing along to children's songs. Then it was bedtime for everyone by 9.00pm.

Lesson learnt:
There's nothing our God can't do. And for every obstacle, He clears the way.

If you stay at the convent, waking up at 6.00am every morning is such a joy. Like clockwork, all the children living there will join their voices to fill the air with angelic hymns before they head to school. We enjoyed natural cool temperatures as it rained during the night and continued drizzling throughout breakfast and group devotion time. Pastor Wee Long shared on John 3:16, that the first-ever missionary is none other than Jesus, sent from the Father to earth. Because 1) He loved, 2) He gave (what was important and valuable), 3) He gave eternal life (the good news, far beyond temporary earthly circumstances and we need faith to believe things are not what they seem).

As we drove off, we prayed for the rain to stop and the sun to come out with just enough clouds so we could play in comfort. Halfway through our 90-min journey, it stopped raining and the sun shone. We had huge potholes to navigate with stretches of road that had been washed off by the rain but nothing we couldn't get through, however deep the ditch was.

School Sports Day (Fatudere Village School)

We had roughly assigned duties in the morning so we set to work and were fluid enough to step up wherever help was needed. It was mostly fair weather and we were done with the lower primary kids. It was interesting how the first batch were hesitant about playing but after prizes were given to those in first and second place, the subsequent batches were most enthusiastic.

When it was time for the upper primary kids to play, it began pouring and we had to disrupt the games before the final round. After hiding out in the shelter a short while, it stopped raining and we got to complete the games.

Holy Spirit Seminar (Christian Vision Church, Visão Cristã)

We arrived promptly at five minutes before 2.00pm. And learnt that locals don't exactly follow the clock. We got to pray for the session, the church and for Pastor Simon Tan who was the teacher for the day. We were told that apart from Pastor Clementino and his wife, the rest of the church does not move in the Spirit. This was evidenced by the moving away of the few early birds when we began to pray in tongues.

But as the session progressed, we sensed a shift in the people. At first, hardened and resistant, then began to understand, and gradually responded to the altar call, crying their hearts out. Pastor Catherine later informed us that the people constantly cries at the altar call, but reverts to status quo after a few days, and that has been the pattern at the church. Halfway during the teaching, there was a blackout, which lasted until 7.30pm.

By the time we were back at the convent, dinner was served, and it was off to the night programme. We played "Hunters n' Squirrels" which the kids absolutely enjoyed, and then "Body Parts" which produced just as much squeals. The story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" was told and the night ended with jukebox-style singing and dancing where the kids would call out the songs they wanted to perform with us. Afterwards, we regrouped for a meeting at the dining room to discuss the night programme for the next day.

Random observation:
Chickens, pigs, goats, cows, ponies and dogs co-exist around the villages, giving each other space and not expecting one to behave like another. Human beings could learn to live like that, accepting each other's differences without expecting another to conform to our expectations.

Pastor Cristabel led the morning devotion, sharing from 2 Kings 20 about Hezekiah who pleaded with the Lord to extend his life when God told him to get his house in order before his death. After he sinned, God said He would punish his future generations and he accepted it saying it was good. While God was concerned for future generations, Hezekiah was only concerned for himself. We all need to be concerned about leaving a legacy, whether married or single.

School Sports Day (Bibileo Village School)

We set out for Bibileo Village School to conduct games for the School Sports Day. We had fun with the primary school students, and even roped in four kindergarten kids to join in the excitement. Making them "race" against each other as an excuse to give them prizes. After the games, we got to have a bit of fun ourselves and climbed the low-hanging branches of a huge banyan tree at the corner of the field.

Holy Spirit Seminar (Christian Vision Church, Visão Cristã)

After returning to the convent for lunch, we headed to the church for Pastor Simon Tan to continue his teaching. This time, Pastor Clementino and his wife led worship in Tetum. One of our team members, Ban Seng, then began with a series of icebreakers. It helped to bridge the cultural divide and there was much laughter. Later, Pastor Simon explained the spiritual significance behind each game. For example, the thumb wrestling teaches us to "press on".

When the session was underway, Pastor Simon felt prompted to switch the topic from baptism of the Holy Spirit to a teaching from Galatians 5 on putting off the old self. Pastor Clementino led his church into a time of renunciation of idolatry and witchcraft. Words of knowledge were then released by the Singapore team, and followed by ministry where a few healings were recorded. When the ministry session ended, we shared in their tasty tea break where we ate bananas and steamed tapioca with spicy sambal and papaya.

Later that night, we conducted the kids' programme and told the story of the multiplication of the five loaves and two fishes. It taught the kids to believe in God for miracles. Then we began singing "Jesus Loves Me". Pastor Catherine asked the kids to close their eyes and open their hearts to receive the love of Jesus while we carried on singing softly. As we sang, the children started crying. The night ended on a very heartwarming note with healing hugs.

After breakfast and worship, Ps Weelong shared from Matthew 6:19-23 on storing up treasures and how what we set our heart on will be what we set our eyes on which determines if we shine for the Lord or not. 

School Sports Day (Lugasa Village School)
This was the muddiest field ever—even with sunny weather all day long! The first car attempted to drive over a muddy pitch to get closer to the field and ended up getting stuck. But we managed to use another vehicle to tow it back onto dry ground.

Amidst all the splish-splashing, it was fun for all the kids who ran barefoot with utter abandon. The older ones tend to strategise in terms of team member selection and player order but it didn't necessarily mean they'd win. Rules are seldom followed. 

Holy Spirit seminar (Christian Vision Church, Visão Cristã)
The third day of the session, it was Ps Weelong's turn to teach. He shared the testimony of how Emmanuel's neck cyst was healed. Harry also came up to share about how he received healing for his back through faith. Ps Weelong gave a simple introduction to the power of the Holy Spirit and we went into a time of ministry to baptise the church members with the Holy Spirit. 

Later that night, we were preparing to tell an original story about the Father's love and give the kids the chance to respond to Him. So everyone got together and offered our various talents. Janie did props, so did Ban Seng. Even Ps Simon Tan got in on the wardrobe. Every single team member played a part. From the story, we found that many of the children were afraid of the devil. So during ministry time, Ps Cat led the kids into breaking of fears. Ps Simon was reminded of a song he sang as a child whenever he was afraid and we taught it to the kids that night:

In the name of Jesus, In the name of Jesus, We have the victory!
In the name of Jesus, In the name of Jesus, Demons will have to flee!
For when we call on the name of Jesus, Tell me who can stand before Him? 
In the mighty name of Jesus, We have the victory!

That night, the cloudless sky was perfect for stargazing.

We began the sixth day with "Adversity to Destiny"—a devotion by Pastor Simon Tan. Based on the book of Ruth, we could see that God engineered everything behind the scenes. Through seeming coincidences, the genealogy of Jesus came about (Ruth 4, Matthew 1). Just as He did with Tamar and Rahab, God can use us regardless of our backgrounds. In Ruth, we see the providence of God as well as His hidden hands. We also see the plan of redemption through the kinsman redeemer as a foreshadow of Jesus, the saviour of the world.

Holy Spirit Seminar (Christian Vision Church, Visão Cristã)

Since there was no field near the school in the fourth village that the medical mission teams normally visit, we could not organise a Sports Day, instead we began the final session of the seminar that morning at 9.00am. Pastor Wee Long helmed this last session and taught on baptism and the gifts of the Spirit. Three of us came up to share our testimonies of healing in body, soul and spirit. Then we wrapped the session with breaking of strongholds and impartation of gifts, followed by a practical session. There were some who were ill so those who believed that they have received the gift of healing came around to pray for them. Lunch was on the team, a simple and tasty spread cooked by Julie's neighbour.

After bidding farewell to the 30-odd church members, we returned to the convent to rehearse the kids' programme for the afternoon. Around 4:30pm, we went over to play with the little darlings. As more of them trooped in, we started with some group games and flowed into a time of worship, once again belting out the newly-learnt and super-empowering song, "In the name of Jesus."

Then we told them the story of "The Good Samaritan" and enacted four scenarios for the kids to decide if the scene depicted was an act of love or not. Farewell was a tear-inducing event where the kids went around to shake hands with each one of us and looking deep into our eyes said, "Please come back."

After a final night of stargazing at the basketball court, we headed back to our rooms. Shortly after, around 10:30pm, there was a blackout that lasted all the way till we left the next morning.

After saying our goodbyes to the sisters at the convent and some of the kids who were still around at 8.00am, we took off. Along the way, Julie noticed that the right rear tyre of one of the cars was flat. All of us pulled up along the side of the road to get it fixed. This turned into the first unofficial toilet break of the morning. The next stop was at a very scenic spot where native Timor ponies grazed on highlands surrounded by rising peaks.

Continuing the long ride, we arrived at Baucau for intended refuelling. However, there were some threats of fighting so we kept driving. At Manatuto, we stopped for lunch before settling in for the remaining journey back to Dili.

After dropping Acacio and Brennan off, the rest of us checked into Sakura Hotel to rest and relax, before taking off to "Jesus Peak", Cristo Rei, to catch the sunset. The night ended with a marvelous seafood dinner at Saigon Restaurant.

After breakfast, we set out at 9.00am to head to the market along the promenade to buy fruits. Avocado was in season. (Travelling tip: It is better to buy unripe avocados when travelling, as they're easier to pack and won't damage easily in transit.) Then it's across the road to the supermarket to buy local produce such as coffee, honey, chilli sambal, and other local snacks. Armed with our purchases, we returned to the hotel to pack everything into our luggage and check out. We then drove to the Transformation Alliance (TA) office to pick Julie up. She had gone there to leave her vehicle as she's returning to Singapore with us. TA is a non-governmental organisation under LoveSingapore. The LoveSingapore churches have each adopted a district that they're committed to serve.

We drove to the airport to check in our luggage and made our way to Timor Plaza, the one and only mall in the country. We ate at the food court where you'll find gelato, roti prata, wanton mee, nasi ayam, western food and lots more. At 2:45pm, we finally boarded the flight home—with our minds full of memories and our hearts full of love for East Timor.