Prayer, Almsgiving, Fasting

Dear Youths,
Acts29 invites you to journey with us this season of Lent all the way to Easter.
His Holiness Pope Benedict the 16th is inviting all of us to a time of PRAYER, ALMSGIVING AND FASTING.

Youth Meetings during LENT. This Sat meeting will be held at Caritas, 9th floor, Catholic Welfare building. For youths 14 years and above.

30hour FAST
The 30hour FAST is on 7th-8th March, Church of the Holy Spirit. 14years old and above are welcomed to join us! To register email: 30hourfast@gmail.com.

What you need to know:
1. Kindly download Sponsor My Fast form and get your family and friends to sponsor your FAST. Money from this donation will help fund the FAST and the rest of the proceeds will go to Catholic Charities Week.
2. Sponsor My FAST forms must be given to the registration team on 7th March.
3. Registered Participants who do not show up on the day of the FAST are required to pay $10 (to cover the cost of the FAST.
4. Registration of attendance begins at 1130am, 4th floor Holy Spirit Church attic. FAST briefing is at 12pm and FAST pledge will be taken at 1230pm

What will be given during the FAST:
1. White tshirt for you to design your own FAST t-shirt which participants will wear for the FAST
2. FAST booklet
3. Drink breaks
4. Light dinner after Mass (Eucharistic Celebration)
5. Acknowledgement of Participation (certificate)

What you need to bring:
1. sleeping bag
2. jacket
3. toothbrush/toothepaste and small face towel
4. shorts for games/outdoor activities
5. Jeans/skirt and shoes for Mass

Who cannot FAST/participate
5. Participants who are late for the briefing and the pledge
6. Participants who are ill on the day of the FAST
7. Participants who require food in order to take medication
8. Participants who are going out during the FAST (for medical safety)

God gives us everything we need to do His will

We are now in our 2nd month of 2009 and our mission is alive and kicking in case you're wondering as it's been a little quiet on the blog.

We have many things to thank the Lord for. Our fundraising efforts have been good! We've been praying hard. We've raised enough money to see through the 5th year of our food project and have sent the last installment (Jan to March). We are grateful to all our benefactors whom God have sent our way. Without their support and prayers, our mission would have been futile. As our 5 year mark came to and end, we also had a change of guards with a new finance team taking over the food project, probably for the next 5 years. By Easter, the new team would have started raising funds for the feeding in the new school year.

The medical mission in December has also brought good news. Some of the children there who were diagnosed with tubercolosis are now receiving medication for it and it is free. We want to thank the children from Church of St Ignatius who gave the TB fund, thus making it possible for us to get the vials needed for the PPT testing (tubercolosis testing) of 100 children and Xrays of a few kids done. An answered prayer!

Our Payatas co-ordinator, Mayb, has worked extremely hard, serving the Lord and his people in Payatas. For 2009, Mayb has managed to negotiate for free registration of birth certificates for the children. While there is still some cost involved, it is not going to be as much as what we paid for in 2008. Another answered prayer.

Our little ones in Payatas who are at-risk and are now in Payatas C Elementary have adjusted into formal school and are doing well! Erwin and Mary Jane are in the top class of Grade 1. Nicasio and Pepito are classmates in Grade 1. They're also attending school regularly and bugging Mayb for more tuition :) Joannie who starts high school this June is all excited as she never thought she would be able to afford to go to school. The reason these kids are in school and realizing their dream to study is thanks to the generous sponsors who have come forward to sponsor their education. For 9000 pesos ($300 sing dollars), these children have enough pocket money, school transport and materials for the whole year. They no longer need to work in the dumpsite. Thank you! God is answering all our prayers!

We still have many prayers for our mission and we believe that God will continue to provide for us and lead us to build His kingdom.

Our Angel Network is expanding. We're starting a street outreach to the homeless. Ironically, we're homeless too! However this experience has taught us that we can still serve and be a community despite the challenges ahead. If anything, we see our homelessness actually strengthening our community! We're looking for a place. preferably free or with reasonable rent where we can hold our meetings, build a music ministry and store our mission miscellaneous stuff (the things to send overseas). We continue to trust in the Lord to provide for our needs according to his riches and glory.

We also offer to the Lord the challenges we are encountering within our families. We need to continually offer the peace of Christ to our families even when His Peace may be rejected or unwanted. We also offer our prayers to Mayb whose father has been unwell and for her sister who is due in May. It's not easy to serve the Payatas Mission and also to care for the family members. I am so thankful that Mayb is holding up so well despite the difficulties before her. And Tito (Mayb's father) is such a loving and supportive dad! I'm sure God is touched with the gift of the mission car! :)

A couple of weeks ago, we suffered a loss and we're still in the process of mourning the loss of Uncle Joseph, an elderly, we had adopted under our local mission "Angel Network". We were supposed to be having our recollection. So in the midst of the recollection, there was the visit to the mortuary, the wake and the funeral. I realize that our recollection was not our program but God's. God showed us just what he wanted us to reflect on - Angel Network, the elderly destitute, our purpose.

Our interaction with the elderly destitute started back in Anawim, Philippines. The old people there touched our hearts. I didnt feel sorry for them or had pity for them. I respected the way they lived. Despite being abandoned or having no one to care for them, they did not complain or give up on life. And they aged with grace and dignity because they were in a community where they were valued. Eventually, the ones I was very attached to passed away. I realized that I began to close my heart to the others because I feared having to lose another friend. I guess this is my struggle but now I'm willing to take that step to re-experience the Anawim here in Singapore.

We knew some day that the elderly we've adopted would pass away. We just didnt expect it to be now. As young people we think we have all the time in the world to make a difference. In truth, we don't. The elderly may not be here tomorrow. The elderly destitute here can still lead meaningful lives like how we've seen in Anawim. It's up to us to affirm them that God's plan of love is still being offered to them.

I realize that what we've accomplished so far is beyond our own abilities. I don't know how it is that our Payatas mission is growing and we have a kids' Baptism program to implement. I also don't know how it is that the Angel Network with the elderly is still moving along, even though we struggle to speak the dialect. If I knew that some elderly would pass away and the police would call on us to collect his body, I would not have had the courage to say 'yes' to Angel Network. But somehow he's given us the grace to do His will. Perhaps you're reading this and wondering if you should join acts29 :) and you're fearful that you would not have what it takes. You're in the same boat as us... Just believe that God will give you everything you need to do His will and continue His mission :)

The Great Commandment, the Great Commission

It's not that difficult to be a good Christian. Jesus' teachings were simple and his instructions were simple too. But it is we who make his teachings and instructions complicated and difficult to follow. We put obstacles before us and give opportunities to the devil to weaken our faith.

The Catechism program for teens in our churches can sometimes be rather complicated. Some churches have textbooks. Some churches have complicated Catechists. Teens are simple folks. Too much teaching can end up with only a little going into their hearts.

While it is good to teach our teens important stuff like how to read the Bible and what is Eucharist and sacraments, etc... we 1st need go take stock of the faith condition of our teens. Teaching the above things are not important if in the 1st place they have no faith. Often in every Catechism class there are more teens with little or zero faith than teens with faith. Many teens think this is what Confirmation means - "this one is a Catholic, confirm... this one may be not be Catholic, cannot confirm." Teens need people to come down to their level and share their faith(both ways).

So let's keep things simple the way Jesus did.

Number 1: the Great Commandment. Always go back to this. Love.. Love God because God loves us... young people want to experience God's love but they don't know how to open their hearts to him. Especially if they've been hurt and have locked up their heart and built a fortress around it. Only God can undo their hurt, heal their wound and love them perfectly.

Number 2: the Great Commission. Serve God. Make Disciples. If young people know and believe God loves them unconditionally, they will go all out to serve Him. We should not wait till the coming of Confirmation Day before we tell them about the Great Commission. We should tell them about this Commission all the time. Because God calls them to serve Him.

The Great Commandment and the Great Commission is for everyone to embrace not just teens. We can share this with our family, our friends, classmates or colleagues, neighbours. Talk about the Great Commandment. Talk about the Great Commission. The more we talk about it, the more people will know it... the more we will live it, the great commandment, the great commission!

The Greatest Love John 13:4

The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them.
We know that Jesus gave his life for us... Now the question is for us to answer. If Jesus is our friend and we love him.. the greatest expression of our love would be to give our life for him.

Not literally to end our life as that would be the opposite of loving him. But giving our life over to him.
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated Lord to thee
Take my moments and my days
Let them flow in ceaseless praise

When Simon Peter gave up fishing and followed Jesus, he gave his life over to Jesus. When Paul gave up persecuting Christians, he gave his life over to Jesus.

For those of us who love Jesus then know that Jesus gives us a task, to lay down our life for him. When God gives us a task he always provides everything for us to be able to accomplish it. It may seem tough to lay down our life for Jesus. Perhaps even impossible. God wants us to follow him like Peter and Paul did. God wants to use us just as he did with Peter and Paul. In actual fact, it's not impossible because God will make a way for us just like how he made a way for Peter and Paul. Peter spoke 600 words and converted 3000 people converted(people who didn't understand the language he spoke in yet they heard him speak in their own languages). Paul preached to the Gentiles even though he was a prisoner in Rome. Despite his imprisonment, he spoke about the Kingdom of God and taught about Jesus boldly and freely.

Some of us love Jesus by giving him 5 minutes a day. Some of us love Jesus by giving him $1 a week. We know we can give him more but we won't because we dare not empty ourselves to him. We're afraid that if we empty ourselves, we have nothing left for ourselves. So we make sure we keep 50% and give him 50%. and then we wait for God to give us his 50% But God doesn't and so we give him another 10% (we're left with 40%).. Hoping God would pour back 60%... but he doesn't. Why? Because God wants to give us 100%!!! 100% of his love, his joy, his peace.

At the wedding in Cana, Jesus put back 100% wine into empty wine jars. The new wine he gave tasted even better than the previous wine. If we have the desire to give our life for Jesus, we have to give him our 100%.

An Ordinary Day for an Ordinary Time

Christmas is over. We've entered into the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. 2009 is here to stay and January will soon be over. The ordinariness of life has taken over. One such ordinary activity we often engage in during the start of the year is we struggle to keep up with New Year resolutions. Many of us, even little kids in school, have set their goals for the year, making projections. The students would have set exam targets and those taking major exams are already preparing for the Day of their 1st actual paper (sometime in Oct). Some adults are making arrangements in case they get retrenched or looking for other jobs. Soon the Budget for 2009 will be released. Singaporeans everywhere are anticipating the budget and waiting for the GST rebates to come in.

So it seems the year has just started but from the plans that have been made, it seems we already know what to expect for the rest of 2009! It's as if we've lived through 2009. We're obsessed with managing everything esp. our time. I wonder if we're good responsible stewards.. or if all our plannings are done out of fear.. fear of the unknown future... So whatever comes our way... we have what we need to survive... We don't anything to want to rock our goals for an ordinary year.

Today's readings are close to my heart. For one, the story of Samuel brings me back to the time when as a hyperactive 10 year old, my siblings were exhausted out and I had no one to play with. While looking for geckos to freeze (then to thaw beside my sleeping sisters), I chanced upon a dusty Bible at the bottom of the shelf. While flipping though the pages I came across the story of Samuel and his famous words "Speak Lord your servant is listening". I marvelled at this little boy... and wondered how interesting it would be if God too would speak to me! I would have someone to interact with when everyone was too dead-tired to play with me. And so I prayed, "Speak Lord your servant is listening (and I'm very bored)". What do you sound like God? (Do you have a deep low voice like my dad? Or a loud voice like my mum?) In order to remember the prayer of Samuel I named by teddy bear, Samuel. I've kept to Samuel's prayer since then. Not a day has gone past, when I've felt bored or alone. God always finds ways to entertain and amuse me. God always finds ways to show off his works that leave me marvelled and in awe. God always finds ways to keep me busy and yet out of trouble.

The Gospel is also special because it led me to discover mission. The disciples asked, "Master where do you live?" and Jesus replied, "Come and See". In wanting to see how Jesus lived, I searched here and there. As a teen I was able to travel alot at very low rates (like $20 to $50, sometimes for free). I went to Disneyland. I rode all the rides all day. I went to Europe, saw Buckingham, Eiffel Tower, went to a mountain in Switzerland. I had a good time. I went to Australia, I went horse-riding and rode in a hot-air balloon. I had a good time. I went to Tokyo and watched sumo!!! I like sumo and I had a good time. I did the ordinary things a visitor would have done.

Then one day I went to a place like none other. A massive place where the mountains were made of rubbish, where I opened my mouth and a fly flew in and then flew out, where it was always smoky and musty, where there was no running water, where a lady had a heart-atack and nowhere to go and where undernourished children worked for long hours in dangerous conditions for a pittance. I didn't have a good time. But at the same time I didn't want to go home. The un-ordinary encounter of the people had begun to change my outlook of what ordinary should be.

We set goals, projections, resolutions to determine our future. The commitment each day to stay on track in meeting our targets, achieving standards, to be approved and accepted by others in the hope of having a successful and prosperous future can often rob us of loving Jesus in our ordinary lives.

We may percieve ourselves to be loving, joyful, peaceful, kind people. But the reality of who we are in such a competitive world can be found in how others encounter us. Do the people we interact with daily go away with a sense of joy? Do they feel loved because we have gone out of way to be loving? Do they have peace because we have peace? Do they strive to be kind because they have been moved by our kindness? Before this ordinary day ends, perhaps we can take stock of what fruits we have borne from previous years?

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, forever. If time brings about change, change that we cannot prevent, then Jesus brings about consistency. Jesus gives us consistent joy, love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In order to enjoy his consistency, we have to be consistent in our relatioship with him. Let him show you what he can do with your ordinary time and your ordinary life. Let's not worry about the "what ifs" and have any fear of the future. Let us spend the year loving Jesus. God does not give the future, He only gives the present, moment by moment.

Have a fruitful year!

Chinese New Year Outreach

acts29 will be having a Chinese New Year Outreach on 31st Jan Saturday from 930am to 1130am. We need volunteers for this event and hopefully these volunteers after the CNY outreach would like to continue a 1 year outreach program.

Those interested to volunteer for the outreach can email me at:
sherlyn@acts29mission.org

Who are we reaching out to?
Households in 1 room rental flats in Toa Payoh
Mostly elderly living alone

What will we be doing there?
As we have collated data on the households we'll be visit them and get to know them.


What do we need?
We need volunteers who can go around to befriend the residents.
We need donations of foodstuff.
1. Bread (white or wholemeal)
2. Fruits
3. Coffee/Tea
check back here as we update the list this week

What do we need to do before the outreach?
Those who have signed up as volunteers need to pick up some dialect. Teochew/Hokkien/Cantonese. Volunteers will be assigned to the various households according to the dialects they can communicate in.


What words should a volunteer learn in dialect?
Volunteers should be able to converse in simple dialect. Volunteers should be able to introduce themselves (name, where they live, why they are here, what they are currently doing e.g. study or work)

How are you?
Have you eaten?
What is your name?
What do you like to eat?
What do you do during the day?
What do you like to do?
How can I help you?


What happens after the visit?
Each adopted household will have their own individual needs. We'll come up with a year plan based on what we know about the households. Hopefully enough volunteers can come forward to take up a one year commitment.

If you're free on Saturday morning, please sign up and use this opportunity to love God's people! :)

Year 2009: From Worship to Living the Good News

These are the readings from 1st of January...
…“May Yahweh bless and keep you!
May Yahweh let his face shine on you, and be gracious to you!
May Yahweh look kindly on you, and give you his peace!
In that way shall they put my name on the people of Israel and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:22-27


He came born of woman and subject to the Law,
in order to redeem the subjects of the Law,
that we might receive adoption as children of God.
And because you are children, God has sent into your hearts the Spirit of his Son
which cries out: Abba! That is Father.
You yourself are no longer a slave but a son or daughter,
and yours is the inheritance by God’s grace.
Galatians 4:4-7


We're human in the flesh and human in the soul. We belong in the physical world and we also belong in the spiritual world. We know about the physical world. In our physical world, there's war and famine and poverty. There's also science and discovery. There's greed and money and status and power... we face global warming, pollution, animals face extinction... so that's the physical world...

then what is the spiritual world? In our baptism we recieve the person of the Holy Spirit in our lives who lives in us... We don't have to look beyond the physical world for the spiritual or for heaven/kingdom of God. We only need to look deep within ourselves where the Holy Spirit resides. How is that possible?

Because we are the children of God and it is by the Holy Spirit in us that we can call "Abba! Father!"

When we're troubled or distressed we look to the phyiscal world for peace and healing and joy. We also turn to people for help. We turn to money or people with money! But we should 1st look within us, our spiritual world, the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life.

Turning to the Holy Spirit does not mean that suddenly one will have money, or relationship with people will be ok immediately. It does not mean that life will become better. In fact life may get more difficult.. But life will be more bearable. because the Holy Spirit will give us the strength to face challenges we never thought we could handle. The Holy Spirit will give us the peace to look at our problems in a new way. The Holy Spirit will give us the wisdom to find solutions to our needs. the Holy Spirit's recovery program is not good for just 1 day. His program is good for a life time. The physical world is about nano-seconds and instant response, the time of chronos. the Holy Spirit works in the time of Kairos, His time, God's time.

As children of God, as sons and daughters of God, we should examine how we have been living in the past as people of the physical world and convert to be true children of God, putting God as our priority.

How to start doing so? Let us make our time of worship a priority we give to God each day. Set one hour a day to give to God. Let it be the 1st thing we arrange in our schedule and let everything else revolved around that hour of worship. Our studies or work should not be the centre of our lives and everything flows from it. Our entertainment and games should not be the centre. Our worship should be the centre and our life (our work/studies/relationships/etc) flows from it.

I know for many, the hour of worship will be at 10pm or when we have nothing else to do(after the TV show, after homework, just before I sleep). As long as we live in this manner, with this attitude, allowing the physical world to take priority before God, we will struggle to experience the presence of God in our lives.

Joy of Christmas and the December Mission

It's been awhile since we've had a new post on this blog. My apologies! Also sorry to all those who emailed us at our website. We've been getting so much spam that seveal of your emails was treated as spam mails and I realized it today! oops. to those who have emailed us via our web email address: enquiry@acts29mission.org and have not gotten a reply from us, your email may have been treated as spam and got deleted in the process! so do email us again or tag us so we know and will look out for your emails..

How do we stop all the spams??? as of Nov till now, I've just cleared 500 of them! Tired as I am...after going thru all the emails... I'm determined to post something up here today! tonite!

I was in the Philippines for 3 weeks from November till December and came home for Christmas which is nice because I don't always spend Christmas in Singapore. Lately I've been celebrating it in the Philippines.

Christmas in the Philippines is very different from Christmas in Singapore.
I enjoy attending the 9 days of Simbang Gabi. Christmas in the Philippines is simple. On Christmas Eve, I attend the midnight Mass with friends and their family and we head home for Noche Buena. I was determined this year to make Christmas a meaningful one! One spent with family and friends at home! not in a restaurant! and have home-cooked meal.

In 2007 many acts29 members were in Singapore so we able to have everyday evening advent reflections as a community before Christmas. In 2008, it was difficult as some were still in Payatas and came home late. This year (actually last year haha 2008) my family had a nice dinner at home! I cooked a couple of the dishes like frikadellen and macaroni salad.. hmmm. wat else??

After Mass (some attended midnight Mass), acts29 gathered at my place. We had a Christmas Prayer session after at about 130am. We exchanged Christmas presents with our secret Christmas buddy. Then we stayed up the whole night and spent time together...

December Mission went well I guess. We had a day of TB awareness with the kids. then we had another day of TB awareness with the parents. In Payatas, many people get TB and yup they die of it. Like Nicasio's mum. the Health Centre in Payatas gives free sputum tests and free xrays but of course they're slow to work on it... the residents also don't really want to go for such tests as it's troublesome, they know little about TB and they don't want people to know they have TB which is silly cos TB spreads easily. So TB is now a problem in Payatas. The good thing that came out from the mission is that the Barangay Office is ready to expel residents who refuse to get tested and treated for TB if their kids have been diagnosed with it.
So we're happy that the authorities are joining in the fight against TB.

The medical mission went well. The local doctors came in and did tests on the kids for TB. about 7 kids are now confirmed with TB and their parents and siblings are expected to get tested. If the adults agree to get treated then we will also provide medication for the kids.

the good, the bad, the ugly of Singaporeans on a mission trip

In November and December we opened up Paaralang Pantao to various groups from Singapore who were keen to experience mission. Perhaps you're thinking of being part of a mission trip one day.. well here are things to consider.

Why would you come on this mission trip?
"I want to experience what a mission trip is like..." If this is your reason, don't come for one for the sake of the locals!!! It sounds more like such a person is here to look, see as a tourist would. To be an observer looking in from the outside. From a missionary's view, that's just rude. The poor, the disdavantaged, the locals are not some kind of exhibits so rich people can go look at.

Sign up for a mission trip because you want to share Jesus!!!

Plan, plan, plan
We had 2 different groups of students join us. One in November, one in December.
The group which came in November had started preparing for their trip since September. They came for 6 days and they had a program for 6 days. They prepared their itinerary well. They also came in during the week rather than a weekend so lessons were on.

The second group decided got their tickets only in November and then a few postponed the trip and came 2 days later. So some had only 5 days and the others had only 3 or 4 days. What's more interesting, they were here over a weekend. During the weekends, school does not function. So there's little the group can do on Sat and Sun.
The 2nd group had no itinerary either for their 3-5 days stay.

Prepare, prepare, prepare!
The 1st group that came in November spent one month in preparation. learning about the culture of the Philippines. They learnt basic Tagalog. They also put together worksheets and lesson plans.

When there were last minute changes, the group could adapt and make the changes. When there was no school, the group did their reflection and sharings. They spent time with the teachers of the school and got to know them too.

The 2nd group had little preparation and were lost most of their time there, especially during the weekend.

Simplicity Simplicity Simplicity!
The 1st group that came with us understood the environment they were in. Of course, they had difficulty getting used to sleeping on the floor and using the CR. But after a couple of days they got used to it.

As much as they wanted to go around and see the place, they respected and understood the rules of the school. So they went out only when a local teacher could take them to the shops or walk around the place. They didn't ask to go to the malls. They didnt bring much money and even if they did, they didn't show it.

The 2nd group was not used to the place, the CR, etc. They complained. The teachers and even the principal felt embarrased that they couldn't afford better logdings for our pampered Singaporeans. They were not happy they couldn't go wandering around and they wanted to go to the malls.

Sensitivity and Dignity!
One of the most shocking things we encountered from our Singaporean visitors occured during this December. I'm so shocked that it took place. Unfortunately I was not there to witness it. I can only apologise to the community there that this had happened.

1 or 2 Singaporeans had decided to play Santa Claus to the kids in the area. They had gone out to the nearby shops and bought toys for the kids. When they got back, they started distributing them to the kids who were of course very happy! Then more kids wanted toys and apparently some kids got upset they didnt get toys. Now because the christmas giving had already started, the adult/s had to out to get more toys for all the kids.

Why is this shocking and even disgusting for something ugly like this to happen on a mission trip? We, rich people, have no right to steal the identity of the poor! We have no right to pity them or feel sorry for them! and go out and buy things for them and give out these things to them. The poor have their dignity! The poor should never grow up and have such a memory of their childhood where rich people came and gave them things! how crippling it is for one's sense of self-worth and esteem!

We should never leave on a mission trip with boxes full of toys and clothes to distribute to poor people! Sensitivity is needed! We bring in school supplies and materials for education. We bring in clothes and toys because we have a project. Like a fundraising project. So the poor can help raisefunds for their school by buying the items like clothes and toys all at very affordable prices for the poor. So that at the end of the day, the poor can say I contributed to the school, I paid for these clothes and these toys! So that parents can have the dignity of having given something to their kid which they had bought.

Poor communities do not need rich people like you and me, to come in for the short term and give them free things. They need long-lasting projects that will give them the support they need to build up their dignity and pride!

I'm very proud of the teens who gave their hearts to children and elderly they met. I'm very proud of the youths who came and dialogued with the community, with the teachers and principal. Kudos to those who helped with the Taas Noo Campaign (anti drug campaign). Congratulations to those who prepared for TB Awareness and supported our TB testing. I'm touched that there were those who lived in Simplicity for all their days there, never once complaining about the CR or the floor they slept on or the food. I'm so glad for all those who came and shared Jesus with each other and with the locals there, through their sharings, conversations, their programs, etc.

Mission is not an action. Mission is not a task. Mission is a process. To those who are reading this and if you were one of those who had been here November or December, you'll realize that mission is not easy. Mission does not take place in 3 days or 6 days or even 14 days. Mission takes place over the course of a lifetime and beyond.

Don't just go for mission and look see. That's not mission. Mission is not about
"going there for 5 days.. to do alot of things!" Mission is NOT humanitarian work!

If you're really interested in mission even after reading this... come join acts29. just email us at enquiry@acts29mission.org

Tribute to Tita Neneng of Anawim

When acts29 was starting out, we stumbled on a place situated in remote Montalban. Among the hills and rice fields was a 5 hectare plot of land. The plot of land is called Anawim. Anwawim means "the poor of the Lord". This place provides shelter for the elderly abandoned. Here the elderly live in nipa huts or in brick buildings.

When we first came here we fell in love with the place, the old people and with a strong wise silver-haired lady, Tita Neneng, the mother of the centre.

Anawim has always been our home in the mountains. At the end of our mission in Payatas, this is where we retreat as a community to live together and pray together before heading back to Singapore. Else we come here at the end of our 1st week in Payatas to reflect on the continuing mission back in Payatas. Often we find so much peace and joy that we struggle to return to Payatas or even home.

We stay in one of the nipa huts. Every morning we wake up before 6 and a panaromic view of hills and rice fields greets us. Birds busy building nests fly around in song. We have so many fond memories of this place. Like the 1st time ever Francis sang his heart out in front of St Francis of Assis, not knowing Jarvis was sitting behind. This was where we'd always take our long "walk with the Holy Spirit" and spend the day in silence. This is where we learnt to bathe using a water pump and fetched water everyday for our hut. This is where I started to eat liver and lady's fingers and pumpkin and egg plants. This is the place where Cha taught us to sing our 1st Tagalog song, Sa Araw Ng Pasko. This is the place where we encountered the elderly, the abandoned, the dying. Our hearts get broken each time we return. 1st Chris passed away, sweet Chris barely 30 years old who had lost his sight and wa slurring. Eventually he was bed-ridden. I remember us describing the sunset and sunrise to him. Our hearts broke when Lola Decay passed away. The lola whose hair I had cut ad who would always say "Love Me". Everyday she would just grab us and hug us! There was Lola Bibing an ex-school teacher who would always introduce herself as "only sixteen, never been kissed". Lola Bacion, who remembered my full name and address. Each time there were Singaporeans, she would ask if they knew me.

There was my "Mi Amore". Lolo Lito. and so many other lolas and lolos who loved us and welcomed us into their Anawim.

Next Saturday we will be visiting Anawim. I know Tita Naneng would love to have Good Morning Towels and Tiger Balm! I was going to buy it for her this evening.

I cannot imagine going back to Anawim and not see Tita Neneng there in her usual seat beside the door of the kitchen. Last time we went there because we missed her and Anawim so much. We saw Anawim from Erap City. And as crazy Singaporeans, we did not hesitate. we walked straight to Anawim. Never mind there was a three bamboo wide unsteady bridge to cross over the ravine. Never mind that we had to walk across the rice fields in our flip-flops or sandals, bitten by red ants, ankles covered in mud.
When we reached Anawim, dirty and muddy, she didnt ask us any questions. She just hugged us! Got hot Batangas coffee out (as if she knew we were coming!) and lots of warm pandesal, soft drinks! She got us to wash up! Gave me a new pair of slippers cos my disappeared somewhere in the mud! That was our lola, our friend!

I love going down in the mornings and afternoons and evenings to pray the Rosary with the lolos and lolas. Tita Neneng would always get us to lead. This was a great challenge for those who didnt know how to pray the Rosary. After an experience in Anawim, one will know how to lead the Rosary confidently. During merienda time or in the evenings, Tita Neneng would share with us how God provides for Anawim. Newcomers would sit close to her listening to her stories. And the older ones never get tired. Each year when we come, we'd always ask, "Tita tell the story of Anawim". And it was so uplifting to listen to stories of faith and providence... God's love alive in our world.

Thank you Tita for the Batangas coffee, for the ma sarap meals, for the stories and for your love!

With Tita Neneng at Anawim's 8th Anniversary


http://bosanchez.ph/heaven-has-delicious-tinola-today/

Quo Vadis Weekend

Hey acts29
these are the details of this weekend's Quo Vadis? (means where are you going?)
Saturday morning: Meet at 138 line Amk Interchange. 8am. Fr David will be there.

We'll proceed to Seletar Resevoir for morning walk/trek/hike
After the hike, we'll travel to Changi Jetty for lunch get foodstuffs. Then catch the boat to Pulau Ubin/Camp Nordin. Please note that handphone reception at Nordin is not very good. Your network might switch to Malaysian one if you have auto-roam. If no autoroam, there may be no network.

What you need to bring for the weekend. Please keep your bag small and light because we have camping equipment to distribute!
1. shoes/sandals for hiking in the jungle
2. poncho or raincoat
3. 1.5l bottle filled with water
4. extra clothes (and for swimming too)
5. sleeping bag
6. towel/toiletries (share/keep it light)
7. own fork/spoon/mug/plate or bowl
8. Divine office!!! (DUN FORGET!!!)
9. Torch light

Camping equipment
1. Tent 1 (Sherlyn)
2. Tent 2 (Jocelyn)
3. mess tins (Sherlyn, Terence, Alvin, Daryl, Iggy)
4. Sulphur powder (Alvin)
5. Army repellant (Alvin)
6. Kerosene (Daryl)
7. Solid Fuel (Alvin)
8. Raffia String (Johnny)
9. can opener (Sherlyn)
10. Swiss army knife (Johhny.. duh)
11. Lighters/matchskticks (Iggy)
12. Aluminium foil (Iggy)

Foodstuffs (buy at Changi)
1. potaotes
2. mash potatoes
3. hot dogs
4. maggi mee
5. eggs
6. bread
7. milo
8. marshmallows
9. chocolate
10. chips

How much?
1. Boat ride: $2.50 one way ($5 2-way)
2. Food contributon: $5-$10

We will strike tent/break camp by noon so you can attend Sunday sunset mass.

2009 Paaralang Pantao T-shirt now on sale $10

TB, scoliosis and more depressing news

Recently someone asked me how we could be so optimistic about the situation with the kids in Payatas? Let's take stock of the negative developments in the last 6 months:
1. Nicasio and sisters have lost both parents. We know the mum died of TB.
2. Nicasio and sisters are diagnosed with TB and need at least 6 months medication.
3. Nicasio has scoliosis
4. Pepito, Nicasio's Best Friend is suspected to have TB too. So he'll go for a medical examination this coming week.
5. 20 other kids are suspected to have TB. so there'll be another medical mission in November to test for it.
6. Erwin sill has no one to sponsor his education for the year which costs $300.
7. We've lost Joshua. His mum has taken him out of school and he's most likely at work somewhere.
8. We've lost Arnil who's now working in the dumpsite and according to the other chidren, he smokes.

Other negatives with Payatas:
1. Children exposed to immoral danger such as drugs/porn/abuse (physical, sexual)
2. Children taken out of school to work as scavengers/dumptruck assistants or recruited by drug lords/prostitution houses/gangs
3. Children's parents can't afford to get them a birth certificate because the legal procedure is costly and time consuming (est a 2 month cat and mouse affair)
and the list goes on....

Our greatest worry today:
We weren't able to raise enough funds/pledges this year for the food project so we have only about 2k left till last till Dec. We don't know what to expect in January.
The cost of running the feeding project for one month for an estimate of 80-100 children for 20 school days/month is $1000. If our feeding project doesn't go through after January, the kids will fall out and work in the dumpsite.

Our greatest nightmare:
That any of them gets into an accident and follows the same fate as Marvin.


Our dilemma:
Recently the Lord blessed us with some donation from a group of very generous kids. they gave $400. We wanted to add this to the feeding project which would cover about 8 days of lunches. On the other hand we received news that there's a TB problem. So in the end we chose to allocate the money for a TB Fund at least to get meds for the kids who need it.


The positive side:
If we keep working/keep the food project running... etc
1. the kids will learn to read and write (an essential element of modern society)
2. the kids will learn about Jesus and are prepared for their Baptism next Easter
3. the kids will eventually get their birth certificates, study hard in formal schools and make it some day.

The odds are stacked against us. Many times of course we feel like quitting, giving up. At times we've felt so helpless amidst the sea of poverty. Other times, we feel frustrated because the commnity does nothing about the grave immorality existing in their area even though they know it's wrong and bad. Frustration because for every obstacle overcomed there's another larger one in front.

We need a lot of hope, full measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over. We believe in having hope and passing hope on to others. Hope is not a feeling, an emotion or something like a wish that is magical. Hope is within one's reach. Hope is real and concrete that we can all have, a light that calls out the path which we could not have seen in the dark. Hope is having peace within, from knowing the peace of Christ.

So TB, scoliosis and more depressing news are not enough to take away the peace that Christ gives from knowing Him.

Another reality game for your mission!

This is a game for Fastfood nation!
Learn how to run one of the world's largest corporations - MacDonald's....

Try not to get sacked! Make money for the company!!! so we can have more burgers!!!Enjoy

http://www.mcvideogame.com/

World Mission Day Online Game

World Mission Day was just this Sunday. For those of us who have the luxury to sit in front of our laptops/desktops ever so often to play online games, how about trying out this virtual reality game, Third World Farmer.

It's really challenging. You're in a family of 4 and you need to survive! The 1st time I played it, I was ambitious thinking i could afford to send the son to school. I mean, it's school rite! all kids need to go to school. In the meantime the dad and mum would plant corn that harvested just about $20. As the game goes on, the reality of this 3rd world family sinks in! Oh Man! No one can predict when my corn is going to be destroyed, when are the droughts or if anyone will steal my one and only chicken. in the end desperate i take a deal to store waste chemicals. Sadly, one famiy after another ends up dead! Another time I played this game, i was so desparate to keep my family alive, i made a deal with a poppy salesman and grew opium. Though my conscious pricked, we were able to afford an animal to plough the fields and grow lots of peanuts.

What advice I can give is: think as if you're really in rd world situation! Marry off your members when you can, make sure the new spouse moves to the farm, and have baby when possible... cos the life expectancy is pretty short! so you'll be playing for a few generations!

The game is really an eye-opener!!! Try it!
http://www.3rdworldfarmer.com/

World Mission Day

Hey everyone!
Today we celebrate World Mission Day. Let us remember Missionaries all over the world who continue to offer their lives to be witnesses of Christ's love today.
Maybe some of you are thinking about becoming missionaries. in the next 3 posts are 3 interviews of people who share with us what they do, the struggles they encounter and their drive to keep going.

As missionaries, let us look at the signs of the times. Today's signs are not very good and the world forecasts gloomy days ahead. World leaders, finance experts and the man on the street all say the future is bleak. Large financial insitutions have crashed. There are retirees who have lost all their money in one night. This afternoon at 99cents Sushi, a group of 50 to 60 year old (babyboomers) ladies were having lunch and sharing their views over the financial crisis. One lady remarked as I walked past, "We've always been taught to invest, not save. Invest, invest. Don't save!" (P.S/ They did not look like ladies who would NOT have dined at 99cents sushi)

When I reached home, I opened the letterbox and recieved a nice gift from Singapore Power. The Power bill! From Oct we are now paying 21% more than before. I would gladly support this! Sure! let's save electricity right? but Singapore's energy source is 80% natural gas. An interesting fact, I recently discovered. Hmmmm.... Apparently the rates for natural gas is tied to the rates of oil prices! Sounds ridiculous? Does our country really need this 21% increase in electricity bills at such a time? And thanks Singtel... heard you guys are in the works to raise your charges too.

I wonder if water tax will increase too? There's a 30% water conservation tax. While we are often told that Singapore does not have enough water, interestingly we have a lot of rainfall. Enough to supply our country's demand for water according to experts.. you can google this out for yourself. Well, Singapore is really small right? and how many months in a year are considered wet days? In the past couple of months it's been raining and raining with some dry hot days in between. How do I know? I need to time my laundry. I get good sun at least twice a week now! According to a friend, November and December is going to bring more rain. How about a break on the water charges for those months? hehe.

It's been bad news one after another right? 1st there was the China milk scare. Then the current financial crisis. But before this... food prices were soaring! and so was the cost of oil! Thankfully food prices are coming down and oil has gotten cheaper by today's standards. Chocolate lovers can take heart to know that they can still afford to indulge in a little chocolate. It seems that chocolate prices have fallen at supermarkets. I'm not a chocolate-friendly person but this is what I noticed. And the chocolates aren't even from China. Oops! Maybe they're old stock from Australia and elsewhere which stores couldnt get rid off till the China products were taken off the shelf? hehe.. check the expiry date ya? haha Oh yes and taxi fares went up! Maybe to some Singaporeans living in Serangoon Gardens, it's the foreign workers dormitory coming up. In today's Crime Watch there's a special section on how to deal with foreign workers! Oh man!!!

I just received a text message. Someone died at a friend's block. Probably suicide! People! don't jump off buildings, don't jump off trains! Don't kill yourself! If you can hang in there for five years, things will get better! That's what Donald Trump said. be in bankruptcy or cancer.

The lesson to be learnt from all this is THIS: Nothing is certain! When I bought insurance with AIA, I never knew that they would be in hot soup some day! We spend so much making elaborate plans! what do we do with our material objects??? invest? save? the world would be a happy place if we could all live like St Francis of Assisi who said something like this: if you have something you worry you lose it. If you have nothing, you have no worry of losing it. In today's context, we stock up and we hoard. We possess, we own. We stamp our title over everything that is ours and we protect what is ours so that no one can take what is ours away from us. We don't think of collaborating, sharing or co-operating. How about sharing resources? Like having a common kitchen, sharing a community fridge with the neighbours or share electrical appliances so the community can conserve energy?
But in this world, community is impossible? Every man for himself? Can we structure our lives to be interdepdent on each other? At family level, within the community and among countries... Often greed gets in the way!

But nothing is certain. we can never be 100% certain of anything! except ONE THING!!! AND IT IS THIS ONE THING THAT WE SHOULD THEN BUILD OUR LIVES UPON! Jesus Christ, yesterday, today, forever.

How can we be missionaries today? Invest our time and effort and energy to know God. Invest in prayer time! Because prayer gives us that inward strength and grace and wisdom to trust in God. When the storms come and the heavy winds rush against us, we will stand strong because we have invested in a solid rock foundation! When we know God, we know where to go to seek him to be our refuge, our shelter, our fortress in times such as these. Invest, invest, invest in a life with Jesus!

And don't forget Save, save, save. Remember Jesus Saves! There are people all around us who are waiting for Hope to come! These people for the longest time in their lives have wished and wished. Wishing is magical. Wishing is not going to help anyone. Wishing gives no solution. But HOPE is concrete. Hope is having a way out of the tunnel. Hope is having a plan. Hope is certain. Hope is J-E-S-U-S.

Let's strive to be contemplative missionaries who take time to pray and listen to the Spirit at work in our lives and in the world. Let us also strive to be prophetic missionaries who speak the Truth to others and to the world. Let us not be in it for popularity rankings or for honours. Often the truth hurts and is even rejected. Our world has changed so drastically, the biggest change ever, in the last 100 years. Including the greatest amount of injustice, violence, poverty and suffering! Yup it's all in this last century. And the injustice, violence, poverty and suffering is set to increase unless we speak and echo the truth!

Meet Father Tomasz, Turkmenistan (Interview with Missionary)

I am from The Congregation Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. I am from Poland and I have been a priest since 1997. I arrived in Turkmenistan on 10th March 2000. From the moment I have entered the Oblates Congregation I always wanted to work on missions. The truth is that I have never dreamt about Turkmenistan because I didn’t know much about that country. Madagascar was my biggest dream, but after 2 years of work in Poland my Province offered to me Turkmenistan as a place for my mission and I decided to go there immediately.

Turkmenistan is very young country existing from 1991, emerged into independence from the collapse of the Soviet Union. Turkmenistan never existed on the maps before; this is totally new country not a rebirth of the old one. The country with its capital in Ashgabat is located in Central Asia bordering with Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and the Caspian Sea. The area of Turkmenistan is 488,100 km2 but much of the country (80 %) is covered by desert known as Kara Kum (“Black Sands”). Population of the country is about 4 million, there are two official languages Turkmen and Russian.

The Catholic mission has been opened in autumn 1997. Two missionaries Oblates arrived from Poland. Father Andrzej Madej OMI was appointed as the Superior of the Mission Sui Iuris by the Pope. (He is an ordinary for Turkmenistan), and father Radoslaw Zmidrowicz OMI. They were first catholic priests to arrive here after 80 years absence of a priest. Before that there was a priest in this area but only for one year, never before and never after that.

This is why we start from scratch. When after 2 years I arrived to Turkmenistan as a 3rd Oblate, there was already a group of about 20 catechumens preparing for baptism. At present whole community is about 80 people, and for past 6 years only 2 priests are working here. Until this day Catholic Church hasn’t been accepted by the country. This is why our official statute is diplomatic mission.

As I already mention our work has dual character and we share our duties into work in diplomatic corps and pastoral work. Besides everyday Mass on which there are between ten and twenty people present, we have regular meetings with people who are preparing for the sacrament of christening and regular religious educations for adults who are already christened. The whole preparation for the christening takes about 3 years. Besides that we take part in diplomatic life, we are obligate to attend all kinds of official meetings. We also try to help people in everyday life and we lead small Caritas.

The struggles of the young people in Turkmenistan are mainly the same as the struggles of the Catholic youths. First of all it is lack of prospects for the future, there is no good education, no cultural entertainment. There are a lot of young intelligent people who have no chance to study, system is constructed in such a way that unable personal development of average person.

When we began our mission in Turkmenistan one of our Fathers gave us such an advice: Low profile. In present conditions high development of our mission is impossible. We have no registration and because of that we have some restrictions, this is why to keep low profile is the best solution. What keeps me going is growing community and living faith among neophytes.

Uplifting moments in my mission were all kinds of visits of different guests and evangelizing groups. We had such groups in Ashgabat few times already. Because we are a church in separation (the closest church is about 1500 km in Uzbekistan) visits of other priests, evangelizing groups and laypeople are very helpful and give us proof of living faith.

My message to youths engaged in mission: The most important is to not lose heart when the first time things go wrong. We can not expect too much and we have to do our job and not to be discouraged when the fruits of our labor don’t come immediately. One day they are going to be visible anyway………….

Fr Tomasz in blue jacket

Meet Paul Petrus (Interview with Missionary)

Papua New Guinea is one of the four Melanesian countries (PNG, Fiji, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands). PNG received Independence from Australia in 16th September, 1975. PNG has four regions, New Guinea Islands, Momase, Papua and the Highlands. I am from the Highlands region in a province called Western Highlands.
PNG is one of the interesting countries in the world because it has over 800 languages with a variety of cultures.

My work: I am a freelance researcher. Currently I am doing research for the Catholic Archdiocese of Mt. Hagen in my province. Mainly collecting oral histories for the church. I am also a Radio announcer and programmer in our local Catholic Radio.

Challenges I Face: Working as a layman in the Church is very challenging. Seeing my school mates working in big offices with higher pay makes me tempted to leave the church and apply for a job in those big offices. Therefore, I struggle to earn a living with the little money that I earn. Having in mind the roles and responsibilities in the societies and the high expectations from the people. Working with limited resources, overloaded with roles and responsibilities in the church is quite challenging.

What keeps me going: When I realize the value of my work towards the people now and in the future it motivates me. And also when I receive positive comments from my boss or other people it encourages me to continue.
I have a aim and desire that I would like to see my people and country develop and my input seem to have a vital contribution.


My hope for the young people in PNG is that, more than 50% of them should be educated in the year 2010. But most importantly more than 70% of the young people should receive a tertiary qualification in the year 2020. If that is possible then the development of our society and the country is possible in all aspects.

Mission means working in any field that you are qualified in with your heart and mind for the good of the majority of the population in your community. The outcome of your mission can be achieved at present or in the future.

Paul with Sherlyn

Meet Marie Mondu (Interview with Missionary)

Hi my name is Marie, I am 26 years old and working with Caritas Australia on the STI Managment Program as a research officer. My mother is from the highlands of New Guinea (Enga Province) and my dad is from the coasts (Madang Province).

Papua New Guinea is a very diverse country, rich in culture, and natural vegetation. We have more than 700 different indigeneous languages! 19 provinces and almost 5 billion people. People's physical upmake are very different just like our cultures. Some of our people from the islands and southern part of PNG look more like micronesians. My people are more aggressive, short and stocky. There is an island full of very dark people who look like African's - The Bukas. Each province have their own staple food. PNG is indeed diversed.

95% of these populations are Christians, the churches that dominate are Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran and United Church. We have so many other postelates churches springing up every year as well. 97% of land is customarily owned. 85% of people live in rural communities, villages and are subsistent farmers.

HIV is a growing socio-economic issue in the country right now. We have an infection prevalence rate of 1.6%, which the data is not fully accurate or representative. Our country is rough, rugged and there is no effective data system in place for accuracy in this kind of work. I do HIV research and try to minimise stigma and discrimination by educating people. I have a strong voice for women rights and issues as we are still suffering from male dominated prejudice.

I travel alot and as a female, I worry all the time of being raped, robbed or end up dead in an accident. Air travel is quite expensive and we travel by road mainly. I think that's the greatest challenge. I think personally, I'm suffering from starting up a relationship, as I'm constantly moving around and no boyfriend would like that. So that's the sacrifice I had to make for this job.

I don't know the spirit of volunteerism I suppose. I've learnt that it makes me trully happy when I give something to the little people, people who have not had a chance to go to school like I did. Besides I love traveling and meeting new people. I guess people and places generally amaze me. If you look close enough you can see how great God is when you look at the myriads of people and places you've experienced in your life...

I hope through the church we could administer programs that would involve many out- of-job youths, to make sense of their lives. It's really a desperate situation now as we have a high number of young people dropping out of school every single year. It's hard to instil hope and give a mission to hopeless youths. We need your prayers in that.

I see mission as a job, task or obligation I must commit to, to make the world a better place to live in. In laymen's term, it is mostly a compassionate action. It can be a paid thing or volunteer job but the most important aspect of reaching out to others encompasses 'SELFLESSNESS -and something to DO WITH THE HEART'.

From left: Mayb, Sherlyn, Marie, Dominica, Daryl

Our angel, Jesper Uaje

Dear Friends,
our 4 year old friend Jesper Uaje who was staying in Erap City passed away yesterday morning. Jesper was diagnosed with Ependaymomma brain tumor a couple of years ago. Jesper was an active baby but lost his sight around the age of 2 years and eventually his hearing. He also could not walk eventually. His grandma Norma who was seeing to all his needs was able to get help from a charity organization and Jesper eventually went for treatment at the Children's Hospital this year.

He underwent an operation recently and was able to hear again. However, he slipped into a coma some time after. As he has returned home to God our Father, we know that this baby is free from the terrible pain attacks he used to suffer. May he look down on us and watch over us like a little angel. Let's also lift up Norma in our prayers. She had such a devoted and unwavering love and cared for him every moment in his time of need. May the Lord strengthen her and be her comfort as she griefs the loss of her beloved grandson.

I feel sad that he has passed away. Just a couple of days ago someone gave us money to buy presents for the kids during our mission in December. The first child I thought of was Jesper. I had hoped to see him this December. But I know that God has his reasons and knows what is best for his beloved. Goodbye Jesper. Thank you for your beautiful smile. Even though you never saw us or heard our voices, we'll always remember you :)