LIBERIA & GUINEA MISSION TRIP

On 14 March 2012, Mi Jeong, Doyin and I landed on the shores of Liberia, Africa, for the very first time. Our mission was to train the leaders in HIM Liberia and Guinea, minister at an evangelistic crusade and speak at the Hope Liberian women’s conference whilst forging a stronger relationship with our family of churches in Liberia and Guinea. Liberia is a country under progressive restoration, having come out of a civil war almost ten years ago. The people are friendly, warm and highly hospitable. We could sense God’s mighty hand upon the nation; bringing a people back to that place of relationship with our Maker.


Leadership training in Monrovia, Gbarnga and Foya 

Training was provided for all the leaders and potential leaders of Hope Monrovia, Hope Gbarnga and Hope Foya of Liberia. I commend my teammates for their heartfelt sharing during the training sessions and their fantastic support to me. The training went well with good attendance. The leaders and potential leaders were extremely attentive and hungry for God and His Word. It is so encouraging to have each and every person participate, discuss and pray for one another to grow in godly leadership.



Two nights of evangelistic crusade

I was highly encouraged by the level of intercession and spiritual preparation that went before the crusade. Every person, from children to the elderly, were geared up to bring the Gospel message to the town folks in Foya. We had two nights of crusade as there was a thunderstorm in between. Praise God for the 170+ salvations and 250+ people who came out for ministry. God just moved miraculously; people were hungry to know Christ, people being prayed for all varieties of healing, people being delivered on the crusade ground, people openly repentant before God. God is awesome! It was so exciting in God! This will always be a poignant memory in all our hearts and minds! Glory to God!

Liberia Woman's Conference 

Immediately after the crusade, we held the women’s conference entitled “Leadership”. I learnt that all training and teaching sessions are likened to preaching sessions. Each person was deeply hungry for more of God and was highly responsive. It is such a joy and honour to be amongst this wonderful bunch of courageous women of God! I truly enjoyed the women’s dialect choir. The Liberians and Guineans are great people of praise and worship in God!

We also marched through the whole town of Foya for three hours. All the women and men were in one accord as we marched, prayed, interceded and praised and worshipped God throughout the entire march. I believe plenty of people were touched by the sight of Christian solidarity. I believe there were many heavenly transactions being made that day. Praise God!

Pastor Sonny, Mary and leadership team 

Ps Sonny Brown and his wife, Mary and their leaders are to be commended for their tenacity, humility and godly leadership. My teammates and I count it such an honour and privilege to minister amongst a generation of Africans who are rich in their hearts for Jesus. We have had to adjust to a variety of factors such as weather conditions, road conditions, sanitation etc but none of these mattered as we are all joined together by God’s love. We have indeed felt very much at home with HIM families in Liberia and Guinea. We do look forward to future mission trips to Africa. We also thank God for His covering over us all throughout the entire trip. Praise God!!!

In Christ’s love, Ps Lai Ling LIM

HOPE AUCKLAND MISSION TRIP TO FIJI

A team of five people, Angela Soh, Kathy Wu, Kwadwo Ofori, Li Hsien Yoong and Alex Goh went to Fiji. We had meetings at Lautoka, a one-night rally, a youth rally, a Sunday Service and also informal prayer meetings and ministry and worship training.

We also had night meetings at three villages in the Raki Raki area and visited the Raki Raki Hospital where we had permission to walk through the wards to pray for the sick and pray for all the nurses (about 20) on duty at that time. We had the privilege to visit and pray for two High Chiefs, one over 9 villages, the other over 18 villages.

At all the places/meetings, there were instant healings, including healing from pain from different parts of the body, return of mobility to a stroke patient, a breast lump disappearing, clear vision to people with blurred vision, woman with two poorly set broken legs who could walk again; many healings. There was salvation, re-dedication of lives to God, almost instant Holy Spirit baptisms evidenced through speaking of tongues and deliverances.

Team members also spoke several prophetic words and words of knowledge that brought conviction and hope to many people. One highlight was when the team was praying for a young man whose house was out in the bush; it did not even have a house number. We had prayed for his mother, the Sister of the hospital we visited the day before. She gave details of her son’s condition to Ps Mark but not to us. Upon finding his house, we received permission to pray for him and we received many words of knowledge revealing his present condition, including wrongful relationships, drug and alcohol abuse and occultic practices.

Pastor Mark had told the young man that we did not know anything about him. The fear of God came upon this young man and he repented and re-dedicated his life to God. It was wonderful to reunite mother and son the next day when we persuaded him to move in to live with his mother whom he had not seen for a while.

HOPE BRISBANE FIJI MISSION TRIP

In October, six of us from Hope Church Brisbane went to Fiji for a short-term mission trip. Prior to the trip, we were all nervous due to our uncertainties about conducting a healing service. However, God is faithful! A couple of days before the trip, I picked up a Christian book titled ‘How to Heal the Sick’. After reading it, I was empowered in faith and knowledge by many biblical principles. God also used me to empower the team to grow in different aspects about God’s miraculous healing.

During the mission trip, we met many friendly and hospitable Fijians. We ministered to the people in the slum area. God healed an elderly Indian woman, who had pain in her knees, after praying for her. A Fijian teenager who had uneven legs after a car accident, was healed by God as we witnessed her legs grew even in length after prayers. Many others were very open to receive prayer even they did not know Jesus.

We also went for street evangelism in Suva (Fiji’s capital city). We did street worship in the middle of the city, and we attracted quite a number of people. We blessed a Chinese expatriate who has been looking for an English Bible - what a divine appointment!

We also participated in a ‘Gift ministry’. The ministry help people to know God and provide free medical services. Since three of our team members are professional nurses, they helped in the medical area for the whole day. The other three helped provide Christian counselling and prayers for the people who came for the service. It was a very effective ministry as it covers the spirit, soul and body.

On Sunday, we ministered at Lami Gospel church, about five minutes away from Suva. We prepared some song performances, and bought lollies and small toys for the children. After Kay and Julius led the congregation with songs, Julius and Flora shared their personal testimonies. For the sermon, I preached about Faith in Healing from Mark 8 and Acts 3. During the altar call, an elderly woman was healed from wrist and arm pains after we prayed for her. Many others responded to the altar call and received prayers. During lunch, besides receiving a feast from the church, we also ministered to a woman who suffered a stroke and was battling breast cancer. We prayed for her and she received Holy Spirit baptism and the gift of tongues, praise God! In the afternoon, we joined an Australian missionary, Pastor Bryan and family, to a small church in the slum area. Despite the poverty and lack of resources, all the people were rejoicing in God in worship and strengthened in faith through the Word.

In conclusion, the whole team have been empowered in faith about God’s power, the love and compassion for the poor and the lost, exercising spiritual gifts in actions, serving together with love and unity. We are also eager to go for another mission trip again. All glory to God!

Written by Ken Wu

LIBERIA, AFRICA MISSION TRIP 2012

In January this year, we travelled literally half way around the world to visit our churches in Liberia. Our mission: to strengthen our churches in Monrovia and Gbarnga with leadership training, particularly in the aspects of leading life groups and establishing a healthy and growing life group model in their local context.

It was a great joy to be with our brothers and sisters in Liberia. The training was well received as evidenced by their hungry hearts and eagerness to learn and soak up everything they could. We had a good time teaching, sharing and much problem solving discussion. We also had the privilege of spending eight days with Ps Sonny and his lovely family, and were blessed to learn much from their lives.

It was mostly a smooth journey with a couple of perhaps ‘usual-mission-trip-incidences’ that challenged and built our faith along the way. This including being surprised by an apparently void air ticket when we reached the airport counter; and our luggage did not quite make it to Liberia with us. So we had the opportunity to experience living on what felt like bare minimum for four days, and develop a deeper appreciation for how blessed we really are!

All in all, it was an eventful and fruitful trip! Please keep Ps Sonny and our churches in Liberia in your prayers as they raise Christ-centered disciples and plant vibrant biblical churches in Liberia! Ps Lai Ling with a team of two others will be visiting them in March 2012. They will be preaching at a three-day crusade, speaking at the national Women’s Conference and continue to build on the leadership training.

May & Sunita
Hope Church Brisbane

LIBERIA & CONGO, AFRICA MISSION REPORT

Praise God. The missions momentum in Oceania is going strong. There are several mission trips conducted by various churches over this coming summer. Do pray for the teams and believe for great things.

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:38

Sending Church Mission Location

Hope Melbourne City Centre - Hope WA (Dandaragen, Busselton and Esperance) Oct 5-18
Hope Auckland - Lautoka, Fiji, Oct 10-18
Hope Brisbane - Suva, Fiji, Oct 12-17
Hope Adelaide - Chennai, India Oct 25 – Nov 2
Hope Hobart - Hope Newcastle, Nov 23-28
Hope Brisbane - Perth & Katanning Nov 23-30
Hope Brisbane - Chiangmai, Thailand, Jan 2-8
Hope Brisbane - Manila, Philippines, Dec 8-15
Hope Brisbane - Liberia, Jan 2012 & Mar 2012

In July 2011, the President of HIM, Ps Simon Eng, with Ps Brendan Kirby of Hope Adelaide went to visit our African Hope Churches in Liberia and Democratic Republic of Congo. They met with the pastors and leaders, encouraged them and deepened the bond with our international Hope family of churches. Here is a report of the visit.

May Cheung
Oceania Mission Coordinator
www.oceaniamissions.blogspot.com

[Hope Liberia, Africa]

A Liberia and Congo Ministry Report by Pastor Simon Eng

I want to share in particular one aspect. I was in western Africa in June. I travelled to the country of Liberia and after that, I went to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Pastor Brendan came along with me on this journey. We preached over in these two nations. We conducted crusades in these nations and we encouraged our pastors and leaders over there. In DRC, we have 51 churches going; in Liberia, we have six churches going. Both the pastors from our African churches are dynamic men of God. I really believe deep in my heart God has many wonderful things that he is going to do in Africa. We strategized; we talked about the things we want to see in Africa.

Pray with us for Africa because I believe there are huge needs there. These two nations have recently come out of civil wars and in many ways; they are just reconstructing the nation. The people are desperate, the people are poor; these people are looking for God, for peace and wanting to build their nation as well.

[Hope Congo, Africa]

Pray with us because I really believe God has many things he wants to do in these two countries and these two pastors and leaders as well are also visionary and enthusiastic to be able to carry the work in their entire nations and going into the nations of Africa. At DRC, our leaders speak French, so they can reach the French-speaking part of Africa. On the west-side in Liberia, they are English-speaking and fluent in their local language. So I believe this is a fantastic potential of what God is doing.