John Kuperus - After the Trip to T. C. M. V.

Southeast Asia Pastoral Visits for YWAM 2012

            Before we embarked on our trip, Joshua asked “What would you like to post on the blog?”  At the time, I did not have any message.  As I thought about that question, we emailed Joshua and asked him to post “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of his suffering.”  This was the battle cry of the Moravians was they went on their mission trips back in the 1700’s.  

            Joshua emailed back that we had to give a little background to that statement.  Here is a little background.  Count Zinzendorf had finished university and was traveling through Europe visiting some of the cultural high-spots.  While he was visiting the art museum at Dusseldorf and saw a painting by Domenico Feti entitled “Ecce Homo” (Behold the Man), something unexpected happened.  The painting was a portrait of Jesus with the crown of thorns pressed down his head and blood running down his face.  Beneath the portrait were the words, "I have done this for you; what have you done for me?" All of his life Zinzendorf looked back to that encounter as utterly life-changing. As he stood there, as it were, watching his Savior suffer and bleed, he said to himself, "I have loved him for a long time, but I have never actually done anything for him. From now on I will do whatever he leads me to do." 

Count Zinzendorf founded the Christian community called Herrnhut (The Lord’s Watch) in Germany, that became part of the Moravian Church.  In 1727 they began a twenty-four hour, seven day a week “prayer watch” that lasted unbroken for 100 years.  In 1792, 65 years later, this little community had sent out 300 missionaries to unreached people groups to make Jesus known.  As these missionaries departed to distant shores, the battle cry was, “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of his suffering.”  That is our battle cry too as we go out.  

(http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/at-the-price-of-gods-own-blood)

Cambodia

              After a ten hour flight to Korea and a five and a half hour flight to Cambodia, we safely arrived in Phnom Penh and spent the night.  The next day we took a six hour bus ride to Seam Reap to visit our team, where we found them worshiping and leading music at an International Church.  It was a privilege to join in worship with saints in Cambodia and with our YWAM (Youth With A Mission) team.  I sang with gusto in English with about 350 worshipers.  After the service, Brianna met someone who knew her cousin in Michigan, Susan Datema, from Calvin College.  

            As we met with the team and our team leaders Einar and Ingrid, we heard about the ministries of evangelism, teaching English, helping at the orphanage and blessing a home that is rescuing those caught in the sex trafficking.  They had some stories to tell.

From a big picture, Cambodia went through a terrible genocide during the 1970’s where 2 million of their 5 million people were killed.  At that time, the country only had a few Christians.  Over the past thirty years, many Cambodia have come to know Jesus and the church has grown significantly.  Being part of God’s work in that land is a great privilege.  

            The next day we were off to visit the other team in Kom pong Thom.  This was a three and half hour bus ride.  The bus stopped for the town, but we did not understand the announcement.  As we continued to travel out of the town, I figured I better ask if that was Kom pong Thom.  It was, so they stopped the bus and let us off.  We started our walk back to the city in the dark, when a motorcycle came up and asked if we needed a ride.  We gladly accepted.  We started down the road with the three of us on the motorcycle and I was holding on a carry-on suitcase on each side.  Brianna had her back pack and the computer.  We entered a town in celebration for the liberation of Pol Pot regime, the regime responsible for the genocide.  Thankfully, we safely arrived at our hotel. 

 

             As we met with this team and their leaders Bob and Debbie, we heard about their working closely with a local pastor and his church by doing evangelism, teaching English, and being available any way they could be to help.  I was honored to go on an evangelism visit with the team and visit a blind man who asked us about what it meant to be baptized.  

            As I meet with our teams, it is interesting to witness team members grow.  Ray visited an orphanage and he had his heart strings pulled.  He was looking for ways to make the conditions better for the kids.  He was being a father to those precious children.  Peter was touched by a message on persecution in his country and is seriously considering returning to his country of outreach to do work in the future.  Nick and Dinny met the governor of the province and spent the day with them.  They feel like that meeting has greater implications for them and for YWAM.  The stories continue of how team member’s lives are touched as they reach out to others.  

            We concluded our stay in Cambodia with a visit to the killing fields.  This was where many people were senselessly and brutally killed by their own people.  It was heart wrenching to hear the story and reflect on the blood crying out from the land.  I ached for Cambodia and their need for Jesus to redeem and restore the brokenness of the land and its people.  I am so thankful that Jesus’ name is being proclaimed in Cambodia and people are finding our Lord and Saviour, Jesus. 

            Brianna had read a book by her friend, Emily Wieringa, about a girl who traveled to the Killing Fields.  The book speaks about a butterfly and while we were there Brianna saw a butterfly and this made the book come even more alive. 

Thailand

            Thailand was our second country to visit.  Our first experience with the team was to have an incredible dinner together at one long table.  We discovered most people on the team have come to love Thai food.  

Our team in this country is lead by Mark and Hyo.  They searched for the neediest place and they were connected with the Home of Blessing.  This is a home is run by a pastor and his wife and they can take in up to 20 students to disciple them in the ways of the Lord.  Some of these students come from remote places and this Home is truly a blessing for them.  Very little English is spoken in this area so the team is dependent on their translator Phuch to communicate.  The team was able to bless the home by pouring concrete patio and walk ways, cleaning their facility, cutting fire wood and getting to know everyone at the home.  The team went above and beyond by treating everyone at the home to a Saturday morning of bowling and for many of them, it was their first time to bowl.  

Another ministry outreach for the team was the University that was located near the hotel.  Chiang Rai University is a large university and the team was looking for ways to engage the students.  Thankfully, the team was connecting with some other missionaries who gave insight into the area.  

Brianna and I met some people from the International Christian School who invited us to visit the school.  Out of curiosity I wanted to see where our children would attend school if we were located in Chiang Rai.  Some of the high points of the school are that they were going to having a grand opening that week with a ribbon cutting ceremony and the Thai government has given the school accreditation.  On our tour, they high lighted that they have the largest English book library in the country.  I was pleased to see children being trained in the ways of the Lord with very good academic standards.  

            One of the amazing missionary stories in this area is about the Karin people and how they came to know Jesus.  Years ago a man in the community had a vision that a white man who was carrying a book was going to come to their village and show them the way to God.  A white man did come carrying a book and the people were eager and hungry to hear from this missionary about the way to God.  The entire community converted to Christianity and to this day these people continue to worship Jesus.  Our team was going to work in one of their villages known as the Elephant village or Ruammit.  They offered their services to a pastor to help in any way to complete the building of a new church and to evangelize in the community.  The pastor asked the group to include evangelism to the young who are being drawn away from the church. 

 

            Our last day in Thailand Brianna and I took a bus going north to visit Burma or Myanmar.  Before we crossed over, we met with Brandon, one of our team member’s sons who is working in Thailand with YWAM.  He and his wife feel God has called them to this gate way city to plant a YWAM base.  He shared with us the vision God has put in their hearts for that city and its people.  A number of other people felt God calling them to the same location, so they are networking together in doing God’s work in that community.  We also met a YWAM team from Hernnhut, Germany that was doing their outreach in that town.    

            We crossed the bridge into Burma and came to the immigration office. The immigration kept our passports as we visited the country for the day.  We got on a tuk tuk and visited the tourist sites.  After we had visited a temple on top of the hill and we were coming down, I noticed a large building with a cross on it.  I was thankful for our missionaries who were willing to enter this far away places to share the Good News of Jesus.  I imagine that their work was not easy.  

Our last stop in Burma was to a village where the long neck people lived.  The fashion is that ladies with long necks are beautiful.  One lady had 27 rings on.  Once their necks are stretched this far, they have to wear the rings for the rest of their lives because their necks become too weak to hold their heads up.  We watched them do their traditional dance, then we returned back to Thailand.  

Malaysia

From Thailand we traveled on to Malaysia.  Each new country is a new language, customs and currency, so we are constantly adjusting and thankful for anyone who helps us along the way.  After we went through immigration and pick up our luggage, a man sitting across the aisle from me on the airplane, took the time to help us get on the express train heading to Kuala Lumpur Central.  Once we were in KL Central, we walked toward the town and we were warmly greeted on the street by Heather, Brittany, Katie, Hudson and Charlie, who invited us to join them for dinner.  (Heather is the mom, Brittany is the nanny, Katie is the daughter who turned 8, Hudson is 4 and Charlie is 2)

            The next day I joined Darrel, our team leader, to meet with the YWAM leaders in the area, Joshua, Mark and Jonas.  We met at a church called Dream Maker, which was in the Malaysian news lately.  They were searched and charged with converting Muslims. The search was illegal and in the end the church received a warning.  The pastor handled the situation very well and everyone was thankful for no jail terms.  The five of us were heading to a village to meet a pastor, whom we were interested in supporting for his ministry with HIV positive men’s homes.  We stopped at one of the homes, shared the gospel with them and a testimony and then returned home.  

            A team was sent to Malaysia because we were invited by Sasi, who just completed her Crossroads Discipleship Training School the quarter before.  Ethnically, Sasi is Tamil Indian, which is very significant in Malaysia where the country is divided between the Malaya, Chinese and Indian.  Our connection with Sasi and her church, Tamil Methodist Church, was an open door way into that community.  

Our team engaged in the following ministries:  

Our team developed a four week Discipleship Training for the church.  They would meet for 3 hours on a Saturday morning and team members would share a topic.  This gave some the opportunity to teach for the first time.  

            Our team joined a ministry for those caught in the sex trade.  We did not have to go far for this because a brothel was on the street between the hotel and the church.  

            Our team joined a couple who organized “football” (soccer) for kids on Saturday.  There were about 50 kids that showed up for this event.  The kids had a soccer practice and they had a time for devotions around the theme of “good family living.”  This couple was sensitive to the children from all kinds of backgrounds and was a blessing to them.  

            Our team also taught English at the University.  

            Our team visited villages too.  On one night a woman was delivered of an evil spirit.  

            One member made our team stood out to the community.  It was the day after New Years and the streets were full of litter.  Gordon decided to do some street cleaning and got out there and picked up the garbage in front of the church property.  He was surprised by the number of people that gave him water, food and the positive comments he had received.  

            Outreach teams bless communities by coming and seeing with new set of eyes.  If we live in a place for a period of time, we get into a pattern and see things a certain way.  Foreigners are able to move past the Malaya, Chinese and Indian barriers because they are not part of that system and engage in ministry in new ways.  God’s Great Commission to “Go and make disciples,” is the reason for our teams visiting different countries and we see the Lord’s hand working in the lives of the team members and in their outreach locations.   

            Our time in Malaysia was highlighted by the Chinese New Year.  For this major holiday, Brianna and I traveled to a southern city called Malacca to visit a friend, Sin Ming, whom I had last seen him 20 years ago.  While we were visiting him, he had an open house where family and friends stop and visit and give New Year wishes.  One of the customs is to give a little envelop to single girls with money in it.  Brianna was the recipient of many envelops.  This is the year of the dragon and we discovered that the Chinese are passionate about health, prosperity and good luck.

Later that evening, we had dinner at another friend’s aunt’s house.  This aunt was Catholic, which was so different to all the Buddhist homes we had been in.  It felt good to be in a home where Jesus Christ is honored and worshiped.  

The following day we had a city tour of Malacca and returned to KL.  On the bus ride back to KL, we had a great conversation with a young Dutch man.  He shared that he is a Catholic in name only, although he admired his godly grandmother’s faith and the hope she was holding on to.  We pray that God may use the conversation to do a stirring in his heart to seek the Lord.  We find our students on outreach often times will have similar encounters or lead someone to Christ. 

Vietnam

            Our pastoral visits for YWAM were complete.  I had been invited to visit Vietnam by my friend An, who was in the country visiting his family.  When we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, we were greeted by An’s friend, Toan.  He had met me before in New Jersey, but I did not remember him.  (That was humiliating.)  We spent the day with him touring Ho Chi Minh City.  

One of the touching places we visited was the War Museum.  On display outside the museum is machinery that was captured from the Americans.  The Americans entered the war out of concern for the spread of communism.  We, Americans dropped more bombs in Vietnam than in both World Wars and wrecked the country.  It was a very unpopular war and our service men were dishonored as they returned home to American soil.  Hearing the story told from a Vietnamese perspective was interesting.  I thought of all the blood that was shed on this soil and how that blood cries out like the blood of Abel to heaven.  I prayed “God forgive us for our sins and heal this land.”  

            The following day we were on a plane to my friend An’s home city, Ca Mau, which is southwest of Ho Chi Minh City.  Originally, I had met An at Upsala College in New Jersey and I like to share a little of his story.  

An and his sister left Vietnam in 1978 on a boat.  They had paid the fee to leave the country and to be on the boat.  The boat was out at sea and two pirate boats spotted them.  They were unable to outrun the pirates, so the pirates boarded their boat and robbed the passengers.  Eventually they were spotted by a Dutch Oil ship, who rescued them and treated them very well.  The Dutch contacted the United Nations (UN) for refugees and the UN asked if Malaysia would take the refugees.  Malaysia agreed to take the refugees and they were on an island for almost two years before they were sponsored.  An was sponsored by Mrs. Florence Lawrence in Sussex, New Jersey, while his sister was sponsored by someone in Switzerland.  An was educated in America and later moved to Singapore for work, where he presently lives.  

            On Sunday we went to a Methodist Church.  I asked the pastor if they would like a word from an American pastor.  I was greatly honored when the pastor invited me to the pulpit.  An, who is Buddhist, was my interpreter.  So I shared with them that this was a taste of heaven, because in Revelation 7:9-10 says that before God’s throne will be people from every nation, tribe and tongue.  I also commented that we sang the song, “Standing on the Promises of God,” and I thank God we can stand on his promises and he is trustworthy.  Unfortunately, we Americans have not modeled God’s example in keeping promises.  I said we are sorry for breaking our promises and asked if they would forgive us. Finally I thanked them for letting me share with them and asked if we could praise God with the universal word of “hallelujah.”  As brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, we praised God in Ca Mau, Vietnam by proclaiming “Hallelujah.” 

One note of praise that the pastor shared with us is that the church had the school taken away by the communist after the war and it was abandon over the years.  Two months ago, the government gave the abandon school back to the church.  A second not of praise was that they had celebrated 133 baptisms last year.  

Few people spoke English in this community, so we were very dependent on An.  He blessed us by explaining so many things to us.  In addition, we were invited to friends and family gatherings, which gave us wonderful windows into Vietnam.  I was exploring the possibility of sending a YWAM team to Vietnam in the future.  I cried for Vietnam and so desire for the darkness in that land to be pierced by the light of Jesus. 

We needed to travel back to Ho Chi Minh City, so this time we went by car.  We stopped in the town of Tre Be, where we visited An’s aunt.  Her one son had worked for the US Navy and when we met him he was like a zombie.  At the end of the war, the Americans poisoned him so that he would not share any classified information with the Communist.  He continues to be affected from the poison to this day.  That case made me sad and I asked to pray for him.  

              February 3, we returned to Kona, Hawaii.  I was happy to be reunited with my wife and family.  I am thankful for all the people we could visit and all the special visits we were able to experience.  I am very thankful for our teams in the field and the kingdom difference they are making.   Thank you Jesus.