Losing the world and gaining everything.

“You can have my soul, just like Jericho come and tear down my walls”. – Passion

I don’t know about you, but I have no plans whatsoever in this life to leave anything behind. My intention is to give everything that is within me. I want to be swept away to a point of no return, where at the end I can say I have given it all I’ve got.

In the church, you will find behavioural analysts who stand by and decide whether or not a person is serving as he/she should be. My proposition is to resolve to love—to love thy neighbour as thyself, to an extent where giving becomes more than sympathy or charity but is in Christ who dwells and lives in us. That above anything else should be priority.

This love that surpasses all knowledge and understanding can take us beyond the natural—beyond our limited capacity—where our giving is done with the eyes of Jesus’ and loving a brother or sister will be as He loves them. Because it is only in Christ that we can make a real impact and transform lives. 

Behavioural Christianity

The truth is that there is too much need in this world to get ourselves perfect before we lend a hand. The truth is that there is too much of life to live, to only live it when we get it right! 

If we allow ourselves to become bogged down with an over-emphasis on behavioural modification, the assistance we are to render to those in need will be compromised and perhaps may never even take place. A settlers’ mindset is solely focused on improving superficial protocol, and not fighting for transformational spiritual breakthrough! We were created to be creative and adaptive to each person and scenario, to be pioneers of the redemptive and restorative order of Christ. In each and every new generation, we are to bring something new into tired and frustrated lives. Ultimately, focusing on each soul and on bended knee interceding and seeking Christ to reconcile them – and if you have an active part to play, by all means, step in. 

I’d like to ask: What does it mean to love thy neighbour as thyself (Matthew 12:30-31)? As essentially, this is the law of the book. 

Having a dark side has given fierce insight. Seasons of battling mental and depressive disorders tend to make us cut to the chase; it gives us an intense and magnified image of our existence. Ultimately, when we drop to the lowest point where superficial layers make utterly no sense and serve no purpose, we tend to come out seeing things very differently. This is why I absolutely love speaking to people that have gone through serious bouts of depression and mental illness. There’s nothing like having a conversation without full obedience to social protocol, without the full obedience to cultural layers and uniformed niceties (although is not completely unnecessary). 

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The writer of the monograph ‘A Mentally Ill Artist’ describes an artist whose work was so deeply profound that it cut through all the usual order and cultural norm that it practically spoke to his soul. He states: “The effect of illness which dissociated and ravaged the superficial layers of his psyche, enabling the deeper layers, including his latent artistry, to develop.” In short he is saying that the artist’s mental illness sliced away all protocol that he had wired into him and was able to communicate from his very inner being through a painting to his viewer’s soul. 

How much more would you think we are capable of if we were to deviate from the over-emphasis on behavioural protocol? Perhaps we would be able to communicate with the broken, make real relationships and love them as Jesus did, and ultimately befriend them.

As christians, yes behaviour modification is part of the process, but should it be priority? Should our sense of propriety take precedence over the essential law of Christ—to love thy neighbour as thyself?

Culture is important and so is social etiquette. It provides a foundational space where people can relate. The downside to protocol and social etiquette is that it frequently puts us in a box, restraining us from exceeding its bounds. This is where spirit comes—“to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19)—and with the priority of loving thy neighbour as thyself. 

Consumerist Christianity only looks inwardly making one fearful of giving and losing too much, making one fearful of being burnt out and downtrodden. Heart-abandoned worship and surrender to God empowers us—and if we ask for it, we’d see our neighbour as He sees them. That is truly the gospel of Christ. 

Yes, let the behavioural analyst sharpen us but do not let them have the final say. Yes, take the lesson and hone your message. But ultimately, get back to what you need to do! It is iron that sharpens iron after all (Proverbs 27:17). And while they make us better, we too make them better—together in unity we can build something new. 

Living and being fully alive

Being vulnerable, present and mindful

Living and being fully alive doesn’t mean scurrying around and necessarily milking every ounce of energy that you have ‘helping’ people and ‘getting shizz done’. It still comes with levels of being present and mindful. Each scenario takes careful consideration, and also helps to seek the advice of a mentor; this is something that will come with practice and maturity. It doesn’t involve being a vigilante Batman in the night, but looking around and seeing the immediate need, checking in with Christ, and seeking Him. Taking time to fully seek Him is best, but if that luxury isn’t present, go by the Spirit. Once you have the go ahead or have peace in your spirit, step in! Do something! You may get it wrong, but that’s fine—truly there is no success like a failure well learnt. 

I think the key thing for us is to really begin living in the fullness of the freedom that is talked about in Galatians 5. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Freedom is accessible to every one of us! And to those who don’t know it, or can’t see it because they’ve been taken captive, do what you can through love to guide them to find it. 

Guard your heart

Galatians 5:25-26 – “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

I haven’t always lived in complete freedom. In fact, many a time I’ve been taken captive to the battles in my mind and heart. But when I am free, how free I am indeed! And ultimately, it is for these moments—to feel the Spirit and to see the reward of tireless labour—that I live!

It is here that I must also express the dangers of being vulnerable and living and loving adventurously; the enemy is close and you’ve become a target to fall captive yourself (*raises hand guiltily*). Proverbs 4:23 – “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

It is in captivity where we can find ourselves conceited, provoking and envying, which is mentioned above (Galatians 5:25-26). In this arena, opinions vary. One may say “better not to do it at all if you are going to fail”. My take is that this is a mentality based on fear that can be applied to any situation, in which case, it is better not to live at all!

Failure to me is not necessarily defeat. To me, it is the foundation of success. So if you have fallen into that pit, it is okay. Dust yourself off, reflect on what went wrong and take some practical steps to move ahead with a better frame of mind and a stronger heart. You can do it. 

You can do it

Galatians 6:6 – “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

True freedom gives you strength, courage and motivation. It gives you a heart-abandoned vision of which is so gleaming, wonderful and pure that you will fight for it past your point of exhaustion. And that’s okay because Christ will top you up (Isaiah 57:10)!

It is this love that will take you past your point of exhaustion. And if I may, I say give every ounce of it back! I say, live so fully, love so unrequitedly, give so generously and save nothing for this life or the next! (Paraphrasing Erwin McManus) Lose the measure, lose the scale, lose the logic and intellect, and allow the Spirit to take you on an adventure that will intrude on your sense of propriety, that will take you beyond your organised structure, that will invade your comfort zone—because at the end of that is life fully spent and lived, a life that Jesus and all the greats have lived.   

Speakers: From ACTS College, Discipleship Training Centre, TCA College and Trinity Theological College
Venue: ZOOM
Time: 10am to 12.45pm

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Anyone that’s lived in this world (I’m guessing that’s most of us) has practised this before—the formal word for it is “compartmentalisation”. While there are many ways this word can be expressed, in terms of a Christ-follower, it pretty much is the act of having different versions of ourselves in different social settings. As expressed in my artilcle “White Man’s World”, we are obsessed with being liked—to be liked is to be accepted, which essentially to us, means belonging.

While navigating the misty and isolated roads out of this mindset, I have found that theoretically knowing and understanding this new identity in Christ is entirely different to embodying it. I love the way Erwin Mcmanus talks about being co-heirs with Christ—that we truly belong to a creative order and that we were made to create! It is in this new way of thinking and living that we can discover and build our true identities in Christ. While I would have preferred for change to happen overnight, it didn’t. I still cringed when people asked me why I was a believer, or why I go to church. I still thought twice before speaking in church, so that I wouldn’t say the wrong thing. I still slipped into that character when the music played and the drinks went down, when the talk got loud—I was in the midst, easing into the banter, bitching (still struggle with this one), sexualising—it was my strongest type of dialogue, how could I resist?

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The one thing about the compartmentalised mind is the inability to innovate—or at the very least to innovate at the level and potential you were created to. Living like this is living in preservation, survival and fear. Anyone can become a badass by just desensitising themselves, but in my opinion, this is one of the biggest forms of cowardice. 

This is my conviction—when you grasp the full meaning of being a child of God, the conviction to live fully alive, one and whole will come to you. Picture a car with a lithium-ion battery (Tesla grade) but it is disconnected and runs purely on gas—that is what it’s like, this limiting idea of self. When you are truly whole, you’re connected spiritually, emotionally and mindfully! You may not understand what this means, or how this may feel, you may even say you’ve tried it before, but Jeremiah 29:13 says that if you seek Me (God) with all your heart, you will find Me. This is a guarantee that God waits for you.

Some of us learn the hard way and I had to myself. But after that awful accident with the prospect of jail time (this event is described in my piece “speed”), it forced me to completely seek the Lord. When Jesus conquers your heart, the experience is intense. People would tell you not to live for the highs—and i mean, yeah, life is mostly lows and finding satisfaction in them, but I say always seek the highs in Chirst. This comes with one condition, never cease to seek Christ. The pursuit of truth (which is holistically spiritual, emotional and intellectual connected) will always lead back to Christ—just as long as you love truth, as to love it more than yourself, you will not be blinded.

2 Thessalonians 2:10 “And with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

In a world permeated with opinions and the complexity of choice, the idea of reconciliation and unity can seem based on a fairytale. Personally, I’ve struggled with people all my life. Since young, I’ve generally gravitated towards people that weren’t afraid to be vulnerable. And even with these sincere, humble people that were led by love and compassion and possessed the tendency to sacrifice, I still hit walls.

Why is it so hard to get along? Why must it be such a struggle to see eye to eye? It’s because we are all struggling to make something of ourselves and of the world around us! 

I can totally understand that for this reason, we hold back. So there are two things: first there is self, where our identity comes from, and then, there is the world around us, where we derive our mission. 

Identity is commonly found through relation. It is how we relate and respond that we learn more about ourselves. It’s also through what people see in us. It’s plain to see how in many ways this can go wrong, making it absolutely frustrating, especially dealing with others that also struggle themselves. Ultimately it is what God has predestined that is truly programmed within us and it is in this identity that we may live in real freedom! 

Additionally, there is a plan for the world—a mission to heal it through a united church. We all have our own ideas about this and how this could work and that right there is the beginning of our problem (we all have our version) – which is why understanding our own predestined identity and call doesn’t end right there. But as it is said in John 17, it is in unity the world may see and be compelled to come—this is the mission. So in this, there is also a predestined plan that we need to live out. This is the lens in which we should see each other and the world. So in all that we look at, there is a Christ context to it, especially when we look at others.

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Yes, in many ways we are different, but we were made to work in perfect unity harnessing these differences—in strength, capabilities, and points of view.

So let’s go back to the essential law of the bible: love thy neighbour as thyself. Do we not struggle to make something of ourselves and our place here on earth? Well, we must also recognise that equally hungry spirit with an equally allocated plan in the other person. Reconciliation and relationships are to be fought for. Take courage and fight for the Lord by fighting for His people! The walk with Christ is a journey of relating to God, an intimate relationship that twists us to our very core! But we must wrestle to see what God sees in them. Most of all pray for the eyes of Jesus! That you may see Him so that He may work through you. 

At the end of Job’s troubled life, he found God. He was the perfect man and didn’t sin even when everything was devastatingly taken away from him. In Job 42, one of the last things he says is “God I have heard of You, but now I see You”. Though He was already the ‘perfect man’ before the troubles, because of the way he chose to live his life, he still had not known God. But through his struggles, full surrender and the precise Godly application to life, he saw Him and He was full.

We hold back on giving time, our relationship, or our sacrificial love. We live with this fear of pain, both for ourselves and the other. We are terrified of losing! In complete truth, most of us are just afraid to appear weak and be made a fool of, whether directly or indirectly. 

But to me the biggest fool is that person that holds back and although is socially accepted in the moment, totally misses the picture of eternity. No I’m not talking of hell, I’m speaking of the wonderful dream of God—a  kingdom dream that would drive you to bear with the suffering, a dream that would be worth of a few cringy moments. Sometimes to find our calling, we have to forsake our comfort. 

Possessing life

We are commanded to live in such a way that is worthy of Christ. That in suffering we are to live as champions and victors of Christ! (2 Cor 4:16-18). We are called to be the ‘unmistakable aroma of victory’ (2 Cor 2:15) – a perfume of life! 

I see the gospel of Christ as something not to merely be accepted. Yes, acknowledge it, accept it, and BELIEVE IT—but if we don’t wrestle with it, we will never really own it. 

If you are asked your age in English you would simply say, “I am 21 years old” (if of course you were 21). But if you were to respond in French, the direct translation will sound more like, “I have 21 years”. In the same way, let’s stop saying, “yes I’m saved” and start saying, “I’m a follower of Christ!”

Possess your salvation! Take a second to reflect and see how far you’ve come. I don’t doubt how proud you would be! 

You see, there’s a paramount difference between knowing your salvation and possessing it. When you possess it, you begin to live out your predestined life! Furthermore, possessing it gives you the eyes of Jesus that you may see people and the world for its predestined plan. In this way, you can impart prophecy and encouragement to build unity.

As I pressed on in prayer and worship, I couldn’t help but think about John Chau, the missionary whose questionable methods resulted in his death by tribesmen of the Sentinel Islands off the coast of India. While his actions seemed unwise, I can’t help but think about that heart that was completely sold out to the mission of sharing the word! The love he had for these people he hadn’t even met almost seemed Christ-like. Because of how these Islands were protected, the people had no way to receive the gospel. So it wasn’t even a question, he simply had to minister to them. 

I want to have that same heart! It’s inspiring to think how tangible it was for him—this salvation he possessed, this reality of being God’s beloved child (Romans 8:16)! Despite his actions being seemingly foolish and widely made fun of, these forgotten tribespeople were at the forefront of every form of media globally for weeks! And now we have intercessors praying and missionaries globally dedicated to reaching these unreached people! It’s amazing to think how God makes one foolish act on earth mean EVERYTHING in eternity. We may call John Chau a fool, but as he now basks in the presence of Christ, he is a hero and a co-heir! I pray that we all may have hungry and expectant hearts, that we may come to realise the MAGNITUDE of our existence and pursue what Christ has for us and in turn overflow into the lives of others. I pray that we may be compelled to compel!

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” – Matthew 5:6

In a big way, Christ’s order contradicts much of what our cultures and upbringings dictate. It is because of this precise reason that we must wrestle with it to truly understand it in theory and application! To truly own it is to know it, which requires discovery. It is a journey, but if we remain anchored to a turning point in the past, we will continue to live in the past. 

Similarly, reconciliation and relationships are to be fought for. The walk with Christ is an intimate relationship that twists us to our very core. In ways and measures it slices off things that cling so closely that we shouldn’t have picked up. We must seek His truth and His Godly sorrow to better understand His heart which enables us to see as He does and be as He is (1 John 3:2). 

The future awaits our action! The lost, blind, dead in spirit and soul, the weary and poor await our action! 

We reside in a broken world with broken souls. Assured that in different ways, we too are somewhat broken, but it is through our brokenness that God will use us. It is in our weakness that His strength is made perfect (2 Cor 12:9). Instead of shying away from it and feeling ashamed, revel in it and possess the light and easy nature of freedom in Christ.

How I desire to see people as He does! This is one of my key prayers, if not my key prayer. Because when we do, everything changes! We see people as they are intended to be, in their predestined selves. We see them as Jesus does! 

It’s not uncommon that God reveals such love and vision to me, and how I treasure it when He does! Use this to build, to build up, to love thy neighbour as thyself, and to invest in a life, especially those of the weak! Surely it is in this kind of living that we can bring about unity and reconciliation. If it’s an impossibility, why then has God tasked for it to happen? It can happen, believe it. Don’t live for survival, but live for victory, for kingdom! 

In concert with the UN Summit on Biodiversity, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), A Rocha International, the Lausanne Creation Care Network (LWCNN), Tearfund UK, and other global evangelical organisations announced that they issued An Evangelical Call to Action on Biodiversity which implores evangelical Christians, Churches, and organisations to reverse the biodiversity crisis.

“The pain and sadness we feel over the decline and disappearance of some remarkable species,” Dr. Simon Stuart, the incoming executive director of A Rocha International and recipient of the Blue Planet Prize explains, “mirrors God’s pain which arises from his own deep love and care for all that he has made.” For this reason, and many others articulated in the statement, Bishop Efriam Tendero, the WEA’s Secretary General and CEO articulated why the WEA supported the call to action on biodiversity in the following statement:

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Faithful Christian discipleship calls for evangelicals to be joyful and committed stewards of God’s gift of creation. In today’s context, where God’s creation is suffering from the interconnected crises of severe biodiversity loss, ecosystem destruction, and climate change, this call to stewardship comes with utmost urgency. In response, and in solidarity with the global initiative to reverse the loss of biodiversity, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) calls for decisive action on these crises.

A robust explanation of the biblical rationale for evangelical involvement in biodiversity conservation, the Evangelical Call to Action on Biodiversity“ is offered both as a call to action to fellow evangelical Christians, and to assist the broader conservation movement in understanding our motivations.”

The statement and list of initial signers can be read at this link https://www.weacreationcare.org/call-to-action-on-biodiversity

Dear fellow participants in God’s mission,

Grace and peace to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This essay is replicated here by kind permission of the 24:14 Network, who previously published it.

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The whole world has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Different nations, areas and groups have been hit in different ways. A single virus has brought a wide range of results and responses. While fear and self-protection dominate many hearts around the globe, God’s children in Church Planting Movements are responding by looking for ways to manifest God’s kingdom in this challenging situation. As the saying goes, “we are all in the same storm, but we’re not all in the same boat.”

Movement leaders from various parts of the world have shared some of the responses God’s people are seeing in their respective locations. My compilation of these accounts are as follows…

A leader in Africa says: “People are thinking about their neighbours intentionally—both physical and spiritual needs.” A leader in South Asia shares: “We are feeding as many as we can because Jesus fed the needy; then we tell them that Jesus also gave spiritual food and ask if they want spiritual food. I’ve never seen so many people coming to faith as they are during this lockdown.” Another leader describes the sacrifice of some, in order to bless others: “At present we have 30 people giving out food by sacrificing one meal a day.”

Big challenges produce big miracles

This approach of open-handed blessing in the name of the Lord is bearing gospel fruit in many places. Another leader in Asia says: “We have started 35 new house churches since lockdown and fed about 3,000 people. Many of them came to Christ and we plan to do follow-up after the lockdown even as they disperse to other provinces. We are encouraging believers to bless neighbours, pray for them, and visit in small numbers. Every house church has taken initiative to bless their neighbours. Almost every day, believers are going out, and (at the time of the report) have shared with 4,000 people, and 634 have believed.”

Again, from South Asia: “Our national partners have done a great job identifying opportunities to meet needs and delivering food. They have also taken every opportunity to share the gospel and have seen numerous salvations across the field.

There have even been a few baptisms in spite of the lockdown! The food distribution is opening a natural opportunity to share the gospel and follow up. Our leaders have been extremely careful and conscious of local restrictions on social distancing and in many cases have received special passes from officials to deliver food.”

Another Asian leader reports: “Many of our leaders have been serving and making food for their neighbours, without us telling them; they were willing to share and saw the need.” He adds: “We need to focus on discipling people; it is very easy to get [positive responses] right now but we need to feed them with the word of God.”

Movement leaders are seeking God’s wisdom for opportunities—not only for the present crisis, but afterward as well. One African leader says: “We are learning to be creative in moving forward and responding to the crisis by using all the opportunities to reach those in our area. We are praying that we will be well-prepared for the harvest when the crisis ends.” Another adds: “Big challenges produce big miracles. We are planning out what God wants us to do after the crisis ends. There is a huge opportunity.”

God is also using the crisis to connect movements with others in new ways. One leader reports: “In the past, churches with buildings didn’t like Disciple Making Movements. Now these churches are being forced to the house church model and are asking us for help. We are out almost every day to help those leaders keep engaging their people. We are training them how to do house church.”

Another shares: “We have been given greater access to media by the government. In most places we don’t have internet, but we can do a teleconference with seven people. We meet with all of them every two weeks, and they meet with each other every week. We have a Bible study that can be shared over the phone.”

‘Are you guys men or angels sent to us? For the past three days we have had no food. We were going hungry and nobody came to help us.’

These are just a few of the ways movements are responding to COVID-19. We praise God for how He is working through His people to show His glory in the midst of this pandemic. The reality of God’s kingdom is being made manifest in very practical ways through these difficult situations. Here are some extended testimonies of ways the Lord is working…

One leader reports: “Recently our team found eleven Muslim families living without food. They were very surprised when our team brought them bags of food. After receiving the food, one man said, ‘Are you guys men or angels sent to us? For the past three days we have had no food. We were going hungry and nobody came to help us.’ Later, as the relationship developed, we began to share the gospel and the love of the Lord Jesus. Now six of the families are in a discipleship process, and we hope they will accept the Lord soon.”

From Southeast Asia: “Before we distribute the food we have packaged, we pray first, so the Lord will show us the right people to receive the food packages. We have received several testimonies of spiritual fruit [God has brought from this ministry]. For example, Mr. D had been a devout Muslim, but since we have been ministering to the people, he has begun to open his heart to receive the gospel message. When my wife read a WhatsApp message describing their situation, she immediately contacted Mr. D and asked him to come to our house. The next day he came to the house and began to tell me his situation. For three weeks, he had received no calls for his job. He was already experiencing economic hardship, even unable to buy milk for his child. When we handed him the package of staple foods (plus milk and vitamins for his child), he was very touched, and cried while thanking us. During that interaction, my wife and I shared the gospel message and told him that the blessing he had received came from Isa al Masih (Jesus Christ). After a while, Mr. D became more open and willing to put his trust in Jesus. We led him in prayer, and he is now one of the people we are following up.”

From Africa: “We want to distribute food to 2,000 [focus group] families (2,000 families = 12,000 persons) in the next month. We have already trained 500 families of Muslim Background Believers from that group, who can visit 1,500 families around them to bring them food and share the gospel with them.”

… a large number of people coming to faith.

From West Asia: “Families who have received the food and supplies have shown deep gratitude. One family even asked if they could share what they’d received with others. They’ve referred others who are truly needy to the believers who delivered the food so that they can also receive help. Their eyes are being lifted off their troubles, to consider the needs of others. The believers who have distributed the food have been able to explain to the families that the living God, who hears their cries, is the source of the provision. They have been intentional about beginning relationships with those who have received the food and plan to follow up with those who have expressed interest in getting to know God. Their faith and the faith of those who hear about this work has been greatly strengthened. They’ve grown in compassion for the needy and have learned to work with others on the team to take action to meet physical needs.”

From other places in Central Asia, South Asia, and East Africa, we are seeing tremendous response to various services. In some places, the believers are giving water where people did not have access to drinking water or water for washing. In some areas they are providing sanitation supplies (masks, soap, antiseptic, etc.) to help impoverished people who have to choose between buying food and buying masks. In one village, God specifically led a small team to bury the bodies of some people who had died from COVID-19, whose families and fellow villagers refused to bury them due to fear of infection. The team knew it was a health hazard, but God told them very specifically to do this, despite the rejection and fear. As a result, many of the families of these people wanted to know why they had done this, which resulted in a large number of people coming to faith.

While we praise God for his work in these places, we note that tremendous difficulties remain in many areas. Challenges include lack of resources, fear (in some areas making it almost impossible to talk to people), government barriers, and difficulties in receiving outside aid.

However, as the above stories show, the Lord is working in and through his children in movements, to provide for and bless those in great need. Often, out of their own material poverty and spiritual riches, they are sharing with others, for the glory of Jesus and the advancement of His kingdom. In this way they imitate the active faith of the Macedonian believers described in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5. Their poverty wells up in generosity, to touch others for the glory of God.

Pray

• For wisdom for leaders of movements around the world as they encourage believers to love their neighbours in practical ways.
• For wisdom and discernment for believers, particularly with regard to protecting their health and that of their families as they minister with compassion and share with those in need.
• That the gospel will be seen in the demonstration of kindness and generosity and that hearts will be open to receive and believe the explanation that God is working in their midst through God’s people.
• For strong and enduring faith for all believers at this time, for boldness and for inspiration to know how best to be a blessing to neighbours and neighbourhoods.
• Praise God for the collaboration between house churches and established churches as COVID-19 has become a great leveller. May such unity be a powerful witness to all.

Join us on this 13D11N Bible Land Tour to Eastern Turkey which is a great combination of pilgrimage + sightseeing.

Beginning in Tarsus – the birth place of St Paul, you will see the ancient ruins of the Roman city. Visit the ancient civilisation of Gaziantep and Mardin. In the south-east of Turkey, you will find ancient towns that have grown with the time, and icons that have appeared in the Christian Bible. Harran a town described in the bible where Abraham lived.

Enjoy the magnificent Nemrud Mountain to admire the colossal stone head statues that is  erected during the Ancient Near East Times. Unconfirmed but widely accepted is the final resting place of Noah’s Ark at Mount Ararat found standing tall and proud over east Turkey. Visit the stunning natural landscape where ancient monuments can be found all around Erzurum where the history from the Selcuk, Mongols and Ottoman Eras can be found.

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This really is Eastern Turkey travel at its best.

Tour Highlights:
Tarsus, St Peter’s Grotto, Zeugma Mosaic Museum, Harran, Nemrud Mountain, Karakus Funerary Columns, Malabadi Bridge, Mt Ararat, Ishak Pasha Palace, Muradiye Waterfall, Ani, Ruins of Ani, Arpa River, Seljuk Monuments, Sumela Monastery

On 9 September, the Alliance of Guest Workers Outreach – a movement of Hope Initiative Alliance – launched iFriend, a befriending programme to show appreciation, care and respect for guest workers. The programme includes training for volunteers to spot warning symptoms of mental distress in guest workers and how to tap on professional assistance for help.  

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PARTNERS

• Step Up

Alliance of Guest Workers Outreach (AGWO)—an initiative of Hope Initiative Alliance—partnered with the Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) with the support of NParks to organise a trial of outdoor group activities for guest workers at Labrador Park and Hort Park on 2 September 2020. Over the course of the afternoon, the guest workers engaged in a series of games, as well as partook in a meal together with one another, while ensuring that safe distancing practices were in place.

The aim of these organised activities are to provide holistic care for these guest workers-who are still recuperating from months of isolation due to the COVID-19 situation. It is also part of AGWO’s efforts to care for the guest workers’ holistic wellbeing and mental wellness, after the provision of over one million Care Meals and 1.2 million essential items to more than 20,000 guest workers from 300 dormitories from April to July. 

This organised activity is an exercise to prepare for the launch of a subsequent series of outdoor recreational events for the guest workers under “Project Sunshine”, in collaboration with our various partners—the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), SowCare and A Good Space, just to name a few. 

Visit hia.sg to find out how you may be a part of future initiatives to care for the mental wellbeing of our guest workers today! 

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PARTNERS

• Ministry of Manpower 
• NParks 
• National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre 
• SowCare 
• A Good Space