Hello friends. In the last episode, David surrendered his life to God in response to His call. Then he prayed for God’s provision on food, travelling expenses and clothing. Immediately after he responded to His call, David experienced the overwhelming joy and peace of God flooded his heart.

Next, David was so determined with his decision - he sold all his books on management, marketing and sales to a used-book store. He was determined that there would be no turning back to his career. The move signified David’s will to follow Jesus.

He was then dating a Malaysian girl, a young believer whose family was rich. He felt that she did not feel strongly about his mission work, so he thought that he should call off their relationship. He made a trip to meet her in Kuala Lumpur and they did break off the relationship. But they remain good friends until today.

During his visit, she arranged for him to stay with her Sunday school teacher, Sam Chak Ming, someone unknown to David but used by God to help him. David shared with Chak Ming about his calling who was very excited upon hearing that. He took the initiative to introduce Philip Koh to David. Philip, who just returned from his training on board the Operation Mobilization (OM) ship Logos, persuaded David to join the ship ministry. Philip truly believed that was an excellent place for missionary preparation. He directed David to contact Dr. Allan Adam, the director of OM Singapore then. Dr. Adam promptly accepted David’s application upon hearing his calling and his interest in training on Logos.

In June 1976, missionary candidates from Malaysia, the Philippines, Australia and Singapore were supposed to gather in Belgium for a one-week orientation for the OM Summer Crusade in France. David would have to buy a one-way ticket to Belgium that costed $1,000 by Aeroflot, the then-Soviet Union’s national airline. But he had used up all his savings as he was out of job for some time. How could he pay for the airfare? David was very sure that God would not let him down. He chose to trust God again.

Timothy, a friend from another church who joined David at his church for a prayer meeting, approached him directly with financial support. David was surprised that God used Timothy to provide him the airfare. See, God is a faithful God, He is trustworthy to be praised. God has never let David down in his daily provision.

David was excited about going to Europe for the first time. What made him so overjoyed was that he had the chance to join Christians from around the world and travel to various European countries and witness for Christ. And that was the first time David worked with an international team. His team consisted of a Briton, an Irishman, two Americans and two Singaporeans.

In Europe, I realised that God often provides for our needs, and even our wants are not below His notice. The OM Summer Crusade, an evangelistic outreach program, began in June. I was to help win souls in Toulouse, France.

Our team stayed at a farm owned by a Christian man. Living in the concrete jungle, it was a delightful change to see cornfields, sheep, horses and cows grazing in the meadows.

At night, we slept in tents in our sleeping bags. The night temperatures, even in summer, were too cold for Singaporeans but comfortable for the Europeans. I often wore a sweater during the daytime. The breeze added a chill factor but I enjoyed the crisp and fresh summer air. The cold weather made it impossible to have a shower; in Singapore, we are used to taking them daily, and it was hard to adjust.

Prior to door-to-door witnessing, team members learnt a few French phrases to engage strangers in a simple conversation. Each day, some members went to parks while some went to train stations. Others went where they felt inclined. They gave out tracts and sold gospel books to people whom they met along the way.

David considered himself a country bumpkin but adapting to the new culture was still a challenge. Once, he met a ‘woman’ with a trendy shoulder-length hair at that time. When ‘she’ answered the door, ‘she’ growled while jabbing ‘her’ thumb at ‘her’ chest. ‘Her’ movements made David’s partner’s face turn red instantly. Well, ‘she’ was actually a man! A hippie!

Needs and Wants

In the 1970s, OM workers were not allowed to carry money. Every single cent, including their church support and love offerings from friends went into a common pool. That provided for their basic needs and was a means of support for those who had no support from their churches. The emphasis was on communal living.

David had a sudden craving for ice cream after staying some time in Toulouse, France. Philippians 4: 6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Strangely, David did not pray to God for ice cream. But the omniscient, all-knowing God knew his unspoken desire.

Some people say that God only cares about the big things, not the little details. But Jesus says that God’s sovereignty over the tiniest detail should give us confidence that He also superintends the larger matters.

One day, David was outside a supermarket giving out tracts and selling Christian books. An Asian woman entering the supermarket caught his eye. She smiled at David, perhaps thinking he might be one of her countrymen. David returned her smile and approached her in English. She seemed to understand David a little and revealed that she was from Vietnam. David tried to sell her a book but she shoved that aside and took out her wallet. She handed David 10 francs and waved goodbye.

With 10 francs in hand, David had an idea. He asked the American team leader whether they could use the money to buy ice cream for the team. The team leader approved and they bought a box of ice cream at a nearby riverbank and enjoyed the blessing from God.

David said that God has never failed to answer any of his unspoken needs. God has continued to show David He can provide for his needs, whatever the place, time or amount. His blessing is always timely and abundant.

In the Steamboat

In October 1976, after spending almost five months taking part in OM’s Summer Crusades in Belgium, France, Holland, Austria and England, David boarded MV Logos in Antwerp, Belgium. There were 200 volunteers from 50 nations on board for training. The next year, the ship sailed around the continent of Africa for ministry.

We began in the Ivory Coast and everywhere the ship went, we put up a book exhibition, so that the locals could come on board to buy books and have a chance to hear the gospel. Souls were saved during each port visit.

Our crew members visited churches to preach, conduct seminars and teach Sunday School. Others went to parks to share the gospel in the open-air meetings. Our international team, often dressed in their traditional clothes, held concerts – performing skits, dances and songs. While singing Mandarin songs with the Singaporean and Malaysian team members, I loved to wear my purple Chinese robe my mother had tailored for me.

Photographs on OM brochures with an international assortment of crew members posing on the deck flashing a ‘V’ sign with pearly white teeth might appear that it was a such fun place. However, life on board the ship was not a holiday cruise.

Living with a group of Christians with different cultures, languages and backgrounds for months, David remarked that the OM ship was more like a ‘steamboat’. The Chinese term ‘steamboat’ refers to a pot of boiling soup, in which a variety of meat dishes like pork, chicken, beef, fish and fresh vegetables is immersed into the soup and cooked, It is then taken out and eaten with chili or soy sauce. But some ingredients do end up tasting bad because they are not meant to be cooked together. Crew members on board are no different. The spiritual levels of each individual differ too. So, while camaraderie developed, conflicts developed at the same time. Thank God that most became better and only a few became bitter.

Each crew member had a work routine to follow. David worked on the deck doing ship maintenance. The cooks in the galley prepared meals for the crew and visitors from morning to night. The exhibition team stocked up and arranged books for sale to visitors. The engineers kept the ship’s engines running to provide power. The laundry shop washed and ironed the crew’s clothes. Others went through the streets and schools to do evangelism when the ship was in port. With a tight daily schedule, the crews felt the heat of the steamboat.

At times, David turned sour with fellow brothers. He came across brothers who spoke a mixture of English and their native language, a leader with racial prejudice and once, David had to carry out his duty at wee hours but got chided by an officer. It was because the scrubbing noise woke the officer up. All that made David’s life difficult on the ship. After a while, self-pity overwhelmed him. Then, he recalled those days where he managed two companies in air-conditioned comfort. He began to doubt whether he had made the right decision in joining the ship. But God meant good for David. The ship was where David leant to live, accept and bear with peoples with different cultures. God used a host of problems to teach him submission and servanthood because God was more concerned with David’s being than his doing.

God was slowly turning up the heat, brewing the ‘soup’ that would eventually bring out the essence of Christ in David’s life. And God intended to remove the impurities inside him. David quoted James 1: 2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

It took a few months before David fully surrendered his circumstances and trials to God. When that happened, the ship was in Cape Town, South Africa. Two Caucasian brothers took David to a church and prayed for him. As David knelt before the altar with their hands laid upon his head, he began to seek the Lord. Emotion overcame him and he began to weep. The Lord readily forgave him and filled him with the Holy Spirit. Then David’s life began to change. He resolved to submit to the Lord and accept his training on board, no matter how unpleasant the circumstances.

By then, David had lived on the ship for nearly a year. His trousers, shirts and shoes were all worn out. After lunch one day, one of those brothers gave him a cheque. David handed the cheque to the ship leader and asked whether he could use some of the money to buy himself some new clothes. The leader approved his request. God met David’s needs through newfound friends in a foreign land. It was God’s miraculous provision right on time.

Friends, one should never doubt that God hears his or her prayers. God, not only cares about big things, He cares about tiny requests too. Psalm 9:10 says, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Let us cruise with David next week and see how God moulds David and His plans for him. See you!