5 minute read
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
A Testimony of God’s Faithfulness and Perfect Timing
by Sapphire Daogas, MMS Missionary to Timor-Leste. She worships at Holland Village Methodist Church. She enjoys karaoke singing & dancing.
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After we got married in 2005, we began seeking God for our next mission field together as a married couple. Prior to that, my husband, Ben, had completed a five-year commitment in Vietnam, pioneering a discipleship training school with Youth With A Mission (YWAM), while I had finished my ministry in Northern Luzon, Philippines, where I had helped pioneer a church branch in the mountains under my former church.
One day, during a missions-sharing session by a missionary couple in Kuala Lumpur, God impressed upon us a vision of a school. Ben’s heart was especially moved when he saw a video clip of children in a school in China. With the Lord’s leading, we travelled to China to join their teacher training programme.
The school we visited was a new academic and vocational training institution formed in partnership with the government. It was a large campus, with two dormitory blocks housing male and female students separately. After completing our year of training there, God led us to serve in Vietnam. Before leaving China, our mentors cautioned us not to start anything in haste or in our own strength but to wait on God’s timing for Him to “open the door” in His own way. With their counsel in mind, we proceeded to Vietnam, all the while waiting for the school vision to come to pass.
We waited and waited… years passed, but still, nothing happened. We began to wonder if we had heard God correctly. We “double-checked” and retraced our steps with the Lord many times, but each time, the conclusion confirmed the same direction. So where was the school He had shown us? It was nowhere in sight. I told God I could not understand, but I would trust Him anyway. Over time, as more years passed, the vision seemed so distant, and eventually, it faded from our minds.
Fast forward to the present. I first visited the site of St Paul Methodist School (SPMS) during a recce trip with my pastor and missions chair as part of my responsibilities in the pastoral missions team. At that time, the school was still under construction, and we had the privilege of praying on-site on the school grounds. In 2023, I visited the site again—this time with Ben and our son—during a short-term missions trip. Then in July 2024, Ben returned with our church leadership for the school’s official opening and dedication ceremony.
Imagine our surprise when God confirmed through our church leadership that Timor-Leste was to be our mission field! And that was not all—an even greater surprise awaited us when we learnt that we would be attached to and staying in this very same school. What a moment of awe and wonder! We certainly never expected that God would call and bring us back to Timor-Leste in 2025— not just as visitors, but to serve and work in SPMS.
While watching a video of the school’s opening ceremony, God reminded us of the vision He had given us back in 2005. Suddenly, memories of our training season in China and the school vision came flooding back.
Nearly 20 years later, the vision He gave us is now unfolding—in His perfect time.
Now, we are beginning to see the bigger picture and understand why God led us to China all those years ago—not only to be trained as teachers but also to learn the ropes of school leadership and management. We are amazed that, nearly 20 years later, the vision He gave us is now unfolding—in His perfect time. What once seemed like a closed chapter was, in truth, preparation for the work He had planned for us in Timor-Leste.
Looking back, we are in awe of how God has orchestrated every step of our journey, even when we did not fully understand His plans. This journey has deepened our trust in Him. Truly, when the Lord gives us a vision, He will bring it to fulfilment at His appointed time.
“For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:3
To God be all the glory!
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About St Paul Methodist School, Timor-Leste
A school established by MMS to provide formal education with Christian morals and principles for children from remote villages. To learn more, visit www.spmstl.org or contact us today.
