HARVEST FORCE 2023 ISSUE 3
Timor-Leste
MISSIONARIES IN TIMOR-LESTE: NATION-BUILDING THROUGH EDUCATION
Rudy David Wong
MMS Home-based Missionary after serving in Timor-Leste for five years. He worships at Aldersgate Methodist Church. Cutting his own hair is one of the skills he had to learn in the field, and he has recently progressed to cutting his wife’s hair as well.
I believe this will sow the seeds of opportunity for future generations. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan met Singaporeans David Chan (right) and Jessie Chan (left), who started St Paul Methodist School in Dili, Timor-Leste, in 2016. Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Singapore Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan recently made an official 4-day trip to TimorLeste. On 26 July 2023, he visited St Paul Methodist School (SPMS). We thank God that the Minister was keen to see the pioneering work of our missionaries and went the extra mile to travel 45 minutes from the capital Dili to our school in Metinaro. The Minister spent the morning visiting our school and the construction site of our upcoming new school premises. The Minister also participated in a dialogue with other educators from Singapore who were involved in educationrelated ministries across the 13 districts in Timor-Leste, organised and hosted by SPMS. The Minister’s visit to SPMS was featured in The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao on 27 July 2023. Below is an excerpt translated from the article in Lianhe Zaobao that describes MMS missionaries David and Jessie Chan’s journey of educating the next generation of Timorese:
Newspaper clipping of Lianhe Zaobao.
Sowing seeds of opportunity for local students: Local teacher couple builds school in Timor-Leste Many Singaporeans have left their comfortable lives behind to help the needy in Timor-Leste out of the goodness of their hearts. David and Jessie Chan with their three children, moved to Timor-Leste eight years ago to set up a school so that more Timorese children could receive a good education. They have since educated more than 600 students. David Chan, 48, was originally a viceprincipal at a primary school, while his wife Jessie (53) taught physical education and maths at a secondary school. “Education is an indispensable part of every country, and Timor-Leste lacked quality education in its short history,” Chan said. “We are here to help because we have the ability to do so, and I want to show our students that each individual is capable of making an impact in our world and society,” he says.
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