Be thankful for everything

Jun 02, 2017

By Ashley Patrick
From April 23 to May 5, 2017, the Catholic students from UiTM Pasir Gudang and Politeknik Ibrahim Sultan (PIS) organised their second mission trip during their long semester break.

While there was much initial enthusiasm in the few weeks before the trip as the members did their fundraising, the team experienced a setback due to last-minute withdrawals. Nevertheless, the team of five sensed God’s perfect plan for us to come in spite of it all.

Brisco from PIS shared how it was a challenge for him to come on this trip as he had to sacrifice a family gathering. Another example of God’s providence was the help we received, at the very last minute, from an alumni of MJD Campus Ministry, Julian Oddell, who drove us from Kota- Kinabalu to Keningau.

Deacon Adrian Ng, head of the Campus Ministry of Melaka- Johor and Adrian Lasimbang joined the five of us on the first day of our mission, at Tatal Retreat Centre, where we were briefed about what it meant to be a missionary. They also gave a background of the Murut villages in Pensiangan that we were about to visit. After the explanation, we were stirred and eager for this mission.

We arrived at Pekan Pensiangan, a Catholic village further down the river and spent the night there. Here at St Michael’s chapel, they had raised a large illuminated crucifix that was quite a sight at night. We took a walk through this abandoned British outpost as this was one of the southern-most villages near to the Indonesian border. The children were initially rather shy but, by night time, they were eagerly singing one Christian action song after another.

The next morning, we proceeded to Kg Tinanduk which was about half hour away by boat. The task we were given was to paint the Community Learning Centre (CLC), which was begun by Sr Dorothy FSIC, and to get to know the villagers. Indeed, our fondest memories of the mission was when we spent time with the villagers, especially in the evenings. We even had a volleyball match against the villagers. “My highest moment was when we spent our time together with all the children and where we solved our problems together,” said Wesley Joseph, a graduating student from PIS.

Throughout our mission trip, we discovered how fortunate we are to be living in the city as we saw how hard it is to live in a rural village. By learning the true struggles faced in Kg Tinanduk, we became more grateful for what we have in our own lives. Eva, the only girl on the team shared, “The difficulties that I faced during the 10 days in that village also taught me to stop complaining about the small problems that I faced in my own home.”

Our greatest moments were when we encountered God: Most of us felt the presence of the Lord in the prayer sessions we had before we went to sleep. We also experienced God during our moments with the community, especially while we served. “I experienced God when I made my decision to join this mission trip. I also experienced God when my ungrateful feelings changed and I became thankful for what I received during the mission trip. I was also thankful for everything, especially the water supply in Kg Tinanduk,” said Kevin, a student from PIS.