4 minute read
MISSIONARIES IN TIMOR-LESTE: NATION-BUILDING THROUGH EDUCATION
by 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.
The Singapore Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan recently made an official 4-day trip to Timor-Leste. 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 education-related 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:
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 vice-principal 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.
As part of the Methodist Missions Society (MMS) in Singapore, they set up St Paul Methodist School (SPMS) in 2016, which caters for students from Grades 1 to 12. Two cohorts of 18 students have graduated, and some have been awarded scholarships to study at universities abroad.
The curriculum was developed by the couple, and this year they have also launched a healthcare-related vocational programme with a private education provider from Singapore where the students will have the opportunity to do internships at St Luke’s Eldercare in Singapore. The vocational programmes will later be expanded to cover agriculture and the environment.
When the new campus in Metinaro is completed next year, it will have dormitories, science labs, and a farm for learning agricultural technology, and a mini-supermarket in the future.
Foreign Minister Dr Vivian visited SPMS on Wednesday (26 July) and spoke to representatives of NGOs and the school, Timorese government officials, students and parents.
In an interview with the accompanying media, Dr Vivian said it was heart-warming to see Singaporeans coming to TimorLeste out of a sense of goodwill and mission, volunteering their time in welfare work to train teachers, and enhancing educational opportunities for children and young people.
I believe this will sow the seeds of opportunity for future generations.
He suggests that making a difference in the long-term sustainability of facilities such as laboratories for 800 to 900 students cannot be limited to a single voluntary organisation, but the role of the NGO (non-governmental organisation) is to help to catalyse systemic changes in local systems and infrastructure. “Ultimately it is important for each Timorese to remember that ‘it is our own people and leaders who are responsible for our country’.”
Join us to pray that God’s name will continue to be lifted high through our missions endeavours and the MMS ministries will continue to contribute to building the people, especially youth, in Timor-Leste. May God’s blessing and favour be upon this young nation!
