2012 Doug Erdmann National Director For four days at the end of May, the Singapore Navigators hosted something that has never happened before in the 50+ year history of the Navigators in the Asia-Pacific region … a multi-country conference for students. 319 students (and some staff and volunteer leaders) came from Indonesia, Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore.
ASIA-PACIFIC STUDENTS DISCIPLESHIP CONFERENCE
I truly experienced God’s love for me in this conference. I was rebellious, but now I want to be committed and connected with Him forevermore. ~Hannah, Philippines The workshops were remarkable. I am glad because my confidence in God has grown much stronger in just 2 days. ~Vibo, India
In my opening address, I quoted from the movie Braveheart, “You have come here to fight as free men, and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?” I told the students that, in Christ, they were “holy in his sight, blameless, free from accusation.” (Col. 1:22) Then I asked them, “What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight (for the faith of the Gospel)? (Phil. 1:27) For the next few days, the students heard messages on Connecting to the Calling, Connecting to the Called, and Connecting to the Caller, and enjoyed a number of good workshops. Each country did a report to the whole conference on their respective ministries, and several countries led worship. It was interesting to contrast the relatively formal, organized worship of the Hong Kong group with the loud, jumping worship of the Filipino group! The reason for this Conference? 97% of the world’s unreached people live in the Asia-Pacific region. Who will reach them? We believe it will be students who are reached and trained, and then upon graduation, sent out to take on this great task. Connect 2012 was a significant step in that direction.v
Group Photo: Kelvin Gan Photo Inserts: Patricia Lian Brave Army Design: Neo Wei Chong
“What wi
ill you do with that freedom?” Seeing so many brothers and sisters from different countries who have this passion for Christ, and are aflamed for the Great Commission, really encourages me to learn from them. ~Grace, Singapore
If our dreams do not include God in the picture, they are not big enough! ~Meria Johan, Singapore
God can use me if I keep connected with Him. ~Josua, Indonesia
I want to say “Thank you” to my brothers and sisters in Singapore who prepared a lot for us. They showed me what Jesus would do. ~Kwun Hing, Hong Kong
I see God’s hand among this young generation; it marks a revival. ~Kwan Soo, Korea
Sharing one God, one faith, one hope, one calling: Staff and student leaders on 26 campuses across 8 Asia Pacific countries convicted to connect deeper with God, and to raise spiritual generations.
Hello
, new staff and ministry
We welcome Andson Tang and his wife, Peck Hoong, on board as Navigator staff. Andson has volunteered with the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Navs for twenty-two years. At the beginning of this year, he launched a new ministry at Republic Polytechnic and several students came to faith. With a growing ministry and an increasing desire to be more involved with the students he is reaching out to, the Lord laid upon the couple’s hearts the possibility of serving Him full-time. Andson recalls how God led through His Word:
Andson and Peck Hoong, with their children, Joy and John
While studying the Bible one day, 1 Corinthians 15:58, and especially the word ‘fully’, caught my attention. “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves FULLY to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” After being involved with the student ministry for many years, helping and seeing different ones grow and mature in their faith, my wife and I are convinced of the importance of committing ourselves to do the work of evangelising, establishing and equipping among the young people of Singapore. We want to raise up the next generation of spiritual leaders and labourers, thereby fulfilling the Great Commission. Andson and Peck Hoong will be leading a new ministry among students studying at Republic Polytechnic. RP Navs is our third ministry among Polytechnic students after SP Navs (Singapore Polytechnic) and NP-SIM Navs (Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Singapore Insitute of Management). v
Navigators at NTU say a fond farewell to Shannon and Lisa Sandquist and their daughters Naomi and Natalie. (They have two other children who are currently in US.) Shannon led the work at NTU Navs for the past four and a half years, and the baton is now passed to Christopher Lian. Chia Meow Hah continues as our NTU Navs lady staff. Shannon, Meow Hah and Chris
“It’s my joy to know Shannon and Lisa and to co-labour with them in the NTU ministry. During these last few years, they had opportunities to share their lives and faith with students from different nations and God gave them the joy of seeing some of these come to faith in Christ.” - Meow Hah
Cheerio, Sandquists!
“We were touched as we looked around at our farewell party and saw friends who were not Christians when we came, but who are now believers in Jesus. We are so thankful for your prayers and support that have made it possible for us to be a part of these people’s lives, not just for the last four years but for eternity! Here we are with Chris and Pat Lian and their wonderful children. On 12 May 2012, we made an official handover of the NTU Navs ministry into their capable hands. We are so encouraged by how God has prepared Chris and his family to be the next leaders.” - Shannon
11 November, 1962 Roy Robertson, the American missionary who began an official Navigator work in Singapore, undertook a prayer walk along the breadth of the island, from south to north, claiming Genesis 13:17 “Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you” as the promise God gave for Navigator work in Singapore. Fifty years later, we want to claim again this promise by walking the length of the island, obeying, to the full extent, this promise that God has given. l
At the Cenotaph, Roy prayed, “O Lord, please send forth committed disciples and missionaries from Singapore.” We are praying for a new wave of missionaries being sent forth, taking on both the challenge and the blessing of carrying the Good News of Jesus to the nations.
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Where the CBD is now, Roy asked God to raise up strong, witnessing lay leaders. We are asking God for active disciplemakers in our Alumni-Community and 20s-30s ministries.
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Roy prayed that God would raise up many disciples from the then University of Singapore. We are praying for ministries on every campus including universities, polytechnics, ITEs, and secondary schools.
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At the Kranji War Memorial, Roy prayed that God would raise up men and women in Singapore who were willing to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Beyond more volunteers, we are asking God for more staff who are both gifted, and fully available for ministry.
Route A
Start Point:
End Point:
Route Leader:
Pioneer MRT
Jurong East MRT
Christopher Lian
Route B
Jurong East MRT
Labrador Park MRT
Ryoo Jae Kwan
Route C
Labrador Park MRT
Cenotaph
Doug Erdmann
Route D
Changi V Bus Terminus NSRCC
Andson Tang
Route E
Kembangan MRT
Fort Rd flyover
Roger Yeo
Route F
Mountbatten MRT
Cenotaph
Pun Wee Leong
Map: Joanna Tee Scrapbook art: Sophie Lawrence
14 July 2012 Saturday Navigators will walk the length of our country, through areas that were impassable in Robertson’s time. We look to God to renew our vision to raise up committed Christians who walk close to Him and are equipped to teach others to do the same. We claim again the promise He has given us and fulfilled in the past 50 years, and ask of the Lord to help us advance the gospel of Jesus Christ through more generations of labourers for His kingdom work.
t Join us on one of
these routes!
Simply email your name, contact number, route choice to prayerwalk@navigators.org.sg by 1st July and meet at the designated start point by 7.15am on 14th July. Details will be given upon registration.
The
NavMemories
Contest
brings together stories of lives touched by God through the ministries of The Navigators, Singapore. The winning story A panel of three independent judges chose the story sent in by Viloane Ko, a long-time labourer with NUS, NPSIM and SP ministries, and more recently, a Navigator staff. The story was chosen based on its representation of the distinctive Navigator calling to follow Christ and to build spiritual generations.
I
look back to the day when I was 20 years old, studying in the National University of Singapore, when Jesus stopped by my side at a NUS canteen’s table and drew me to Himself, through a faithful witness – a Navigator staff who approached me, shared with me the gospel, and taught me the bible. This Navigator staff was Ryoo Jae Kwan, who became my spiritual leader. At my first Navigators camp, Jesus gave me a verse in Matthew 11:28-30 that has taken hold of me and changed the course of my life. Since then, the Lord has given me numerous opportunities to learn, grow and be trained spiritually. I thank Jae Kwan for having grieved for me when I went off course, for helping me live out the Lordship of Christ in my life, for loving me like his own son and for serving as a strong anchor in my life, up to now. In these past years under his nurturing, I have learned many simple and powerful lessons that have been helpful in building a solid foundation for my faith and ministry. These include the Bridge to Life, Quiet time, Wheel Life, Word Hand, Prayer Hand, Scripture Memory, Follow-up, Man-to-Man, Claiming God’s Promises, Home Training, etc. After graduation, I continued to serve with The Navigators’ ministries in Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP), Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) Spiritual generations (from left): Jae Kwan, Viloane, See and Singapore Polytechnic (SP) under his guidance. Guan, Nicholas and Derrick During the past seven years in NP ministry, the Lord has given me the privilege to learn the vision of spiritual reproduction and multiplication, and to disciple many young people. Today, it’s a great encouragement and joy for me to see several of them as labourers in God’s harvest field, faithfully raising up spiritual generations of disciples and labourers! ‘For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy!’ (1 Thess. 2:19-20) I thank God for this privilege to grow in The Navigators and experience the vision of spiritual reproduction and multiplication because of the faithful laboring of my spiritual leader. v The contest was opened to volunteers, alumni and staff of The Navigators, Singapore. We are putting all these great testimonies into our Commemorative Book “With Eyes Singled to His Glory” which will be launched in August this year. So, watch out for it!
www.navigators.org.sg The calling of The Navigators is to advance the gospel of Jesus and his kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of labourers living and discipling among the lost. Views expressed in published articles are those of the individual writers and may not necessarily be the views of The Navigators Singapore. THE NAVIGATORS SINGAPORE • National Director: K. Douglas Erdmann • Editor/ Design & Layout: Patricia Lian 117 Lorong K, Telok Kurau, Singapore 425758 • Tel: (65) 6344 4133 • Fax: (65) 6344 0975 • E-mail: admin@navigators.org.sg • www.facebook.com/singaporenavigators Printed by Seng Lee Press Pte Ltd