C O N T E N T S

PEM

President’s Message

PEM Communication

Director’s Message

SDA Logo

and Its Meaning

Unity in the

Warmth of Fellowship

‘I will NOT work!’

Soul II Soul…

…‘I Still Believe’

Serving in China

How I was saved by

my Lord & Saviour

Klang Pathfinder

Induction Service

Quality Education

in an Exotic Land…

…Mission College

Isn’t it STRANGE?

Visit to

The Hannah Home

Will You be the ONE

to Show Us

the Saviour

Dorcas Club

Adventist World News

Foods and Their

Healing Power

Official Newsletter of Peninsular Malaysia Mission I2 Aug 2004

Peninsular Malaysia Mission of Seventh-Day Adventists 22-1, Jalan 2/114, Kuchai Business Centre,

Jalan Kuchai Lama, 58200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel > (603) 7984 7795 Fax > (603) 7984 4600

Email > sdapem@po.jaring.my

Website > www.sdapem.org

For

Internal

Circulation

BBee ssttiillll,,

aanndd kknnooww tthhaatt

II aamm GGoodd;;

II wwiillll bbee eexxaalltteedd aammoonngg tthhee nnaattiioonnss,,

II WWIILLLL BBEE EEXXAALLTTEEDD IINN TTHHEE EEAARRTTHH..

PPssaallmm 4466::1100,, NNIIVV..

~~ MMeessssaaggeess ~~

Vision 2 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess. Hebrews 10:23, NIV.

MMeessssaaggee ffrroomm tthhee PPrreessiiddeenntt ooff PPeenniinnssuullaarr MMaallaayyssiiaa MMiissssiioonn ((PPEEMM)),, PPrr FFrraanncciiss LLaajjaanniimm

BBeloved brothers and sisters,

The Word of the Lord is always wonderful. It is my

privilege and honour to share God’s Word from

the experience of Nehemiah.

As I was reflecting from the experience of

Nehemiah during my devotion, I discovered the

following spiritual insights:

He went to approach the king. He had been

praying for this event to take place. He had been

praying for the king as well. He planned carefully

for his request and speech. That day he felt the

Lord’s work became his work. He waited on God

for his strategy and plan to mature by keeping on

an intercessory prayer.

We often feel that praying for something not

realized immediately is a waste of the Lord’s

resources. However, we must look at it in terms of

its end results. Waiting is wisdom as we trust the

Lord patiently. We must pray persistently.

As a result of waiting and careful planning

through intercessory prayer, Nehemiah’s strategy

and plan became mature, urgent, bold, and

detailed. He found out what God wanted him to

do and he knew exactly what he needed. He

was willing to take the risk of doing and

accomplishing God’s work. His detailed strategy

plans include goals, expectations and plan of

actions.

Nehemiah received the king’s approval, provision,

and protection. The Word of the Lord tells us that

God was with Nehemiah all the way. By God’s

grace, Nehemiah was able to accomplish the

task of rebuilding Jerusalem as he trusted the Lord

completely.

I would like all of us to ponder on the word of

Jesus found in Luke 14:28-30.

To accomplish God’s task in PEM, we need to

plan and work together in unity by God’s grace.

This is my humble plea.��

MMeessssaaggee ffrroomm tthhee DDiirreeccttoorr ooff PPEEMM CCoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn DDeeppaarrttmmeenntt,, PPrr TTeerrrraannccee SSiimm

BBeloved believers and fellow workers,

The PEM Communication Department owes you a

lot for publishing a regular newsletter. We did

encounter many obstacles and difficulties.

Nevertheless, many thanks should go to those

who had contributed to the revival of our Mission

newsletter! We acknowledge that newsletters

play an important part to motivate the growth of

the church, eventhough it is difficult to gather

enough news and information for the publication,

the Communication Department strife hard to

come out with a newsletter on a quarterly basis.

As we are in a team, the Mission and local

churches work together to do a few things for the

smooth continuation of the newsletter. We would

like to request each church to appoint a

Communication Secretary. The Communication

secretaries can help to report the activities of their

churches to the Mission Communication

Department. Pastors may help to gather

testimonies of their members or share their unique

pastoral experiences with us. Our Departmental

Directors who are always traveling to different

localities conducting training seminars, can easily

provide us helpful information.

It is our prayer that the Communication

Department will continue to receive your support

and the newsletter will continue to play its role in

the growth of our church. Let’s serve each other

and share the blessing together!��

Pr Francis Lajanim delivering a speech at the PEM

Combined Camp, Malacca.

~~ GGoooodd ��eewwss ffrroomm PPEEMM CChhuurrcchheess ~~

There is neither Jew nor Greek…for you are one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28, NIV. Vision 3

UUnniittyy in the Warmth of Fellowship ~ 1

st PEM Combined Church Camp Meeting,

June 4-6, 2004 ~

WWith God’s grace, more than 600 members from churches

around Peninsular Malaysia flooded Malacca to attend

the 1st PEM Combined Church Camp. It was for one good

reason: to celebrate unity in the warmth of fellowship.

To fellowship among each other of different language

groups: Indian, Chinese, English and Malay. To share their

special talents of performing special music. To worship

together. To share testimonies with each other. To share

the happiness of baptisms. To dine together, to play

together.

To join in the warmth of fellowship, guest speaker Pr Alberto

C. Gulfan, President of Southern Asia-Pacific Division and

SAUM President, Pr R.W. (Bill) Townend were there at the

camp.

Pr Terrance Sim was also ordained at the camp, a big

congratulations to him!

May unity be embedded in your Christian fellowship

experience!��������

KOTA BHARU CHURCH: Pr

Chan Chong Kee shared with

us about a club set up at the

church by the women:

‘Dorcas Club’.

This club is specially catered

for the ladies where they hold

an event each month to

motivate, encourage, help,

share, fellowship, etc. among

themselves and their invited

guests. They just had a

vegetarian cooking class in

June to encourage healthy

diet in the family. They are

currently planning for a health

talk.

The church also organized a

Family Day outing to the

gardens. The members and

friends took the chance to get

to know each other better.

They had lunch then Bible

games.

Another good news Pr Chan is

very happy to share is that

earlier in the year, one of the

church members gladly

helped out financially in the

renovations of the church.

New and modern lightings

were put up, the ceiling was

done up with new roofing and

paint-work was carried out. Pr

Chan is also very thankful to all

the church members who

worked together in unity to

beautify the church.

One interesting aspect of this

church is that the members

speak in Hokkien, Mandarin

and Malay.��������

KUANTAN CHINESE CHURCH:

Pr Ngo Kim Chai shared with us

about a Health Check-Up

Session. This Community

Service took place on Apr 25

at the church venue. The

public was given blood sugar

test, blood pressure test,

cholesterol check, health and

diet counseling. Our health

messages were shared with

the public successfully.

On the World’s Baptism Day, 3

people were baptized at Balok

Beach.

The new kindergarten set up

earlier this year is running quite

smoothly with God’s grace.

They have 10 students at the

moment and there are more

registering. Please pray for this

project.

On July 11, another

community service was

carried out in which an

education seminar was

conducted for the parents

and children. Plans for

Adventuring is also on-going!��������

Special presentation by Penang English Church.

Baptisms during the PEM Combined Camp.

~~ GGoooodd ��eewwss ffrroomm PPEEMM CChhuurrcchheess ~~

Vision 4 For He who promise is faithful. Hebrews 10:23, NIV.

JJooyy ooff tthhee nneeww SSkkuuddaaii CChhiinneessee CChhuurrcchh

PPr Janssen New shared with us the celebrated upgrading of

Skudai Company to Skudai Chinese Church (a new church

building).

On July 3, the Grand Opening Ceremony combined church

worship marked the solemn moment of joy for all church

members (from Ulu Tiram, Muar, Skudai, Pontian), friends and

guests. There were also delegates from Thompson and Jurong

Chinese Churches (Singapore), Malacca Church and Johore

Baru English Church.

The greater news is that there were 9 baptisms from Skudai and 2

baptisms from Kulai by Pr

Terrance Sim!

Another good news to share, in

early June, the Kulai and Skudai

Churches had a combined

camp at Kangkar, Kulai. There

were about 40 Pathfinder

campers. The campers were

taught the survival skills right out

in the wild woods: to cook

without oil, without pot, without matches nor burners to bring on

the fire. If you are curious about how they survived…join the

Pathfinders!��������

MALACCA CHURCH: A special

Voice of Youth Evangelistic

Crusade was held in June

running for 2 consecutive

weekends.

This successful crusade

brought a lot of new interests

and baptism was conducted

recently. Currently, these

new-borns are still receiving

Bible studies and continuing to

study on the books of Daniel

and Revelation.

One other good news is that

the church is drawing a lot of

interests from the Malacca

army camp. This Bahasa-

speaking group is swelling by

the great numbers!

RM1.00 vegetarian set lunch is

one of the most innovative

ways to attract the public to

know more about health. This

every Sunday deal is brought

about by the Bukit Rambai

Health Farm, Malacca. This set

lunch brings about a

complete meal. Patrons are

also taught about our health

messages. If you want to

know more about it, visit

Malacca on a Sunday and

have your dollar worth!��������

TELUK INTAN CHURCH: Pr

Johnathan Muthal shared with

us on ‘How to Conduct Small

Group Meetings’.

They held a seminar for the

church members on how to

conduct effective cell groups

in their homes to win more

souls.

Pr Sam Govindasamy and Pr

David Kumar are also actively

involved in this project which

they are bringing to the

Klebang and Taiping

Churches.

On July 25, they had a fund-

raising programme to raise

funds for their kindergarten.

An evangelistic meeting was

also held in late July. More

good news to share next!��������

KUALA SELANGOR NEW WORK:

From the previous issue

published in May, we read

about Ms Selvi being the new

interest in Kuala Selangor,

praise the Lord that she is

having prayer meetings in her

house every Friday now!

Pr Lawrence Francis also

shared with us about cell

group meetings in each

member’s house. They

conduct a short and uplifting

meeting for about 45mins

each time.��������

Pr Janssen �ew (left) and Pr Francis

Lajanim marking the birth of Skudai

Chinese Church!

Special presentation by the youth.

Baptism candidates.

~~ GGoooodd ��eewwss ffrroomm PPEEMM CChhuurrcchheess ~~

He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Psalm 62:2, NIV. Vision 5

Pr Peter Foo (left) presenting a candle to one

of the children in turn to lit the candle of

pledge and law.

PPaatthhffiinnddeerr IInndduuccttiioonn SSeerrvviiccee ~ by Tan Weoi Siong, Pastoral Intern of Klang Chinese Church Group ~

KKlang Chinese Church celebrated its Pathfinder Induction

Service on the early morning of May 30. It was one of the

happiest occasions for the Church Leaders, parents and

children. Even the Nanyang Chinese Newspaper

publicized about it.

This special service symbolizes the official admittance of the

children into the Pathfinder Adventurer Club. The

ceremony includes citing and explaining of pledges and

laws. Candles are lighted by the Pathfinders to represent

that they accept these laws and will practise them in their

lives. The first batch of 10 children and 8 youths were

admitted.

Pr Sonny Khoo blessed them with God’s message, Pr Peter

Foo presided the Candle Light Ceremony while all of them

including Pr Terrance Sim joined hands together to light the

candle of Foundation, Pledge and Law.

The Puchong Pathfinder Club joined them and presented

and hand-signs song. Refreshments were served for all

participants and visitors to mark the end of this auspicious

occasion.��������

GGoooodd ��eewwss from Ipoh Chinese & English Churches

PPr Tan Meng Cheng shared the good news from the 1-

night musical evangelistic programme on Apr 24

(picture on the right top) is that the attendance was

amazingly full to more than 100 people! They had LCD

projections to present “God’s Love”, in which, is the

theme of the night. Many friends were invited and the

church members were very happy having this chance

to mingle and share with them about Jesus Christ. Light

refreshments were served as well.

On May 2, they had a 1-day camp in Cameron

Highlands (picture on the right bottom, with Pr Tan on

the right, 1st row). This camp brought the church

members and their family members to enjoy God’s

creation…the great nature of the Strawberry Farm,

Cactus Farm and the cool non-city green surroundings.

On the 2nd Sunday of June, both churches had a fun

tele-match activity. The main purpose of this event is to

foster better relationships between the church

members. They had much enjoyment with hola-hoop,

tug-a-war, water games, etc. The champion was the

green team!��

Pr Terrance Sim (left), Pr Sonny Khoo, Pr Peter

Foo and Mr Gan Say Guan at the ceremony.

~~ GGoooodd ��eewwss ffrroomm PPEEMM CChhuurrcchheess ~~

Vision 6 Come, let us return to the Lord. Hosea 6:1, NIV.

PENANG INDIAN CHURCH: Pr

James Edward shared the

special programme of Father’s

Day. The church members

and their relatives had an

unconventional Sabbath

worship. They worshipped

among the great nature in

Youth Park! T-shirts were given

to guests and the fathers.

The interesting Bible Quiz

session ‘Wheel of Heaven’, is

still on-going and it has

continue to stir more

attendance for Sabbath

School.��

PUCHONG INDIAN NEW WORK:

We read about Aunty Taro in

the previous issue published in

May, here’s the latest unlikely

update by Mrs Meena Sam.

“But the desire of the righteous

will be granted.” Proverbs

10:24. Aunty Taro is a woman

of no small means. Her home

was the shelter for

abandoned, battered, lonely

women. Her food was shared

by those who were hungry.

When you step into her

humble house, you will feel a

sense of belonging, no matter

who you are.

The people of the community

came to her for financial aid

and Aunty Taro has lent to

many. She forgave those who

could not return.

In short, love was there.

She set her house in order, a

will was drawn and all her

properties were given to the

people of her family. Ranee,

Aunty Taro’s adopted

daughter, was given an

inheritance, and she was to

return to her biological mother.

Aunty Taro’s sickness relapsed

and she passed away recently

at the age of 79. She left

making peace with God and

man.��������

PONTIAN CHINESE CHURCH:

Good news of baptisms to

share in the next issue!

The well-established popular

kindergarten held a special

Parents Day in June. About

200 parents attended. Pr Peter

Wong was the special speaker

and he shared with the

parents about education.

Information about the latest

education methods and how

to bring up a child were

presented.��������

SUNGAI PETANI NEW WORK,

KEDAH (Shared by Pr Sonny

Khoo): Sungai Petani (SP) New

Work started as it is quite a

distance for the members in SP

to travel to Alor Setar, at that

time the nearest church (led

by Pr Dennis Ng) for them.

The service is ran in the home

of Frankie and Hencey Chim

at 201 Lorong Desa Jaya 2/9,

Taman Desa Jaya, Fasa 3,

08000 Sungai Petani, Kedah.

The group is first started with

about 3 regular families

(picture this page), namely

Frankie's, Miko & Lipon & Lim

Peng Khiang & Peng

Peng. Now, however; the

group has grown with the

addition of new families.

Daulin & Regina from Sabah is

now in SP, Daulin working for

Petronas and his family

accompanying him.

Just last Sabbath I was there in

SP working out with them their

greatest concern, that was

evangelism, the setting up of a

church as a future goal and

the tools which they could use

to accomplish this aim.

The "ADVENTURER" programme

was introduced to them as an

evangelistic tool for SP and

they were given the manual

which they have agreed to

implement, especially since

they have many kids in their

church. By the grace of God

we will see the club set up very

soon.

Pr Francis Lajanim also went up

to SP to conduct the week of

prayer. Baptisms were

performed at the end of July.

I could see that this group of

people in SP are committed

and that they too requires our

prayers. Let us be together

with them as they work in SP

for the Lord.��������

PETALING JAYA ENGLISH

CHURCH (Shared by Pr Sonny

Khoo): Petaling Jaya English

Church has been in

Adventuring for a pretty "long"

time now. They had their

Induction on May 22 under the

leadership there, namely

Cyndy Saw, Jane Yap & Shirley

Chong together with all the

rest of the church members

who supported by sending

their children. Their church is

better for it and the

Adventurers and their families

are blessed by the Club.

They have been very

supportive of the programme

and currently one of their

leaders, Mrs Jane Yap is

waiting to expand into

Beavering as well. And as

God would have it, the timing

is wonderful as their new intern

minister is an active Pathfinder

himself. Keep up the good

work people and God bless

you all. Our prayers are also

with your Club.��������

~~ GGoooodd ��eewwss ffrroomm PPEEMM CChhuurrcchheess ~~

You are the God who sees me. Genesis 16:13, NIV. Vision 7

GGoooodd ��eewwss from Petaling Jaya Chinese Church

~ by Pr Peter Foo ~

DDuring April, the Petaling Jaya Chinese Church had

their Ground Breaking Ceremony. They are tearing

down the 50-year-old building to rebuild a new

church building. Currently, construction is going on

and it is expected to be completed by year-end.

On another occasion, the church had a Voice of

Youth outing to Genting Highlands in late April. It was

a good outing where the youth took this opportunity

to foster better ties among themselves.

Pr Foo also share with us about the ‘Happy Cup Sports

Day’ which took place on Aug 1 (more good news in the next issue). It is a sports event among the Klang

Valley Chinese Churches where games like badminton, table tennis, basketball, swimming, archery and

tele-matches took place. Another good news is that the Master Guide training for all Klang Valley Chinese

Churches started on Jul 12, every morning from 8:15am to 9:45am at Puchong Chinese Company.��

PENANG ENGLISH CHURCH: Dr

Looi gave us an update on the

Penang Outreach project.

After the launching of this

project for about a few

months now, the center had

about 40 interests. Mostly

Christians of other divisions

dropped by and collected

some tracts. The tracts include

Pathway to Health, Daniel and

Revelation, etc.

They are also planning to have

a Video Seminar on Bible

prophecies/end-time events

specially for these interests.

Another plan is to distribute

tracts again which carry more

impacting titles.

Please pray for this project.

On the other hand, Mr Ho

Soon Cheng shared with us

about the Prayer Meeting he

initiated every Wednesday

evening. Little pamphlets with

prayer quotations from the

Bible are distributed in church

to encourage members and

friends to attend the meeting.

The response is very good with

about 30 to 40 people actively

attending the meeting.

The meeting has an interesting

arrangement whereby they

have worship in songs to start

off, short testimonies to follow,

short sermon and lastly end

with a 20mins conversational

prayer.

The conversational prayer

applies the rule of KISS (keep it

short & simple). There will be a

team leader to start off

praying for forgiveness from

God and thanksgiving with 3

sentences, then the next

person intercedes and

continue to pray with 3

sentences. They will pray for

each others’ needs and for

other people with other needs.

He is also heading the

Myanmar Outreach

Committee. This committee

takes care of our Myanmar

brethren and keen interests

who work in banana

plantations in Kepala Batas.

Myanmar Bibles are given to

them and their transportation

fees are subsidized by the

church. Currently, quite a

number of Buddhists are

attending the church.

Another programme he

shared with us is Intercessory

Prayer after divine service. A

team will stay back and pray

specially for the prayer

requests for that day. Usually,

the team comprises of church

elders and the Prayer Ministry

Committee Members.��

KUALA LUMPUR ENGLISH

CHURCH: On Jun 25-26, the

church held a Spirit of

Prophecy Seminar by Elder

John Brereton, Union Publishing

Director. There are also

baptisms in July, more good

news next issue!

Pr Matthew also shared with us

about his Family Life seminars

held all over Peninsular

Malaysia. He had one in Alor

Setar on Jun 18-19 where quite

a number of non-SDA couples

attended. Topics presented

were: Three Biblical Secrets

for Happy Marriage and Who

is the Boss in My House?

Petaling Jaya English and

Taiping Church also had this

similar seminar. Currently, he is

traveling to the other churches

to share this seminar with

members and their friends.��

Pr Francis Lajanim (left) praying at the ground

breaking ceremony at Petaling Jaya Chinese Church.

~~ GGoooodd ��eewwss ffrroomm PPEEMM CChhuurrcchheess ~~

Vision 8 To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are His. Job 12:13, NIV.

GOOD NEWS SHARED BY PR

SONNY KHOO: On the

beautiful Sabbath morning of

Jun 26, Petaling Jaya English

Church witnessed the

handover of pastoral duties by

Pr Abel Bana and the

introduction of their new

ministers, Pr Matthew Mambu

& Pr Petrik Andrews.

Pr Matthew will be practically

now the man in charge of the

whole Klang Valley English

Churches, which comprises of

Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya &

USJ.

Pr Matthew will be supervising

Intern Pr Petrik Andrews who

has just graduated from Muak

Lek College this June and is on

his first assignment in PEM.

A little more about Pr

Matthew. He holds an MA in

Education from AIIAIS which

he received in year 2000.

Originally hailing from Sarawak

Mission, where he last served

as Principal of Ayer Manis

School, he came to PEM in

June 1998 and was

Penang Adventist Hospital

Church pastor till 31 Dec 2002.

Since then he has been

pastoring Kuala Lumpur English

Church till the present

development. He is also

serving as the part time

director for Family Ministries in

PEM. He is now 48 years of

age.

Pr Petrik Andrews, interning

under Pr Matthew has much to

gain under this internship and

serving Petaling Jaya & USJ

English Churches will be a

challenge that will hone his

skills and build him for future

ministries. He is 45 years old.

The outgoing minister, Pr Abel

Bana will be going to AIIAS in

the Philippines to do his

masters programme. He is

expected to complete and be

back to serve by July 2007. Pr

Abel is a very likable and

loving minister as proven by

the love his members have

showered upon him in his short

10-month internship. He is 28

years of age.

We wish each and everyone

of our three ministers the very

best in their ministries and your

prayers are solicited for

them.��������

GOOD NEWS SHARED BY MRS

JENNIE MAMBU: The Family

Ministry Department carried

out a Parenting Seminar in

Penang, the Northern Region.

It was conducted by Drs Sally

and CY Phoon.

The attendance was

impressive with about 120

people. The greatest surprise

was the seminar was mainly for

parents but the children

(picture in this page) came to

support their parents! The

children played a great part

because they gave inputs to

encourage their parents to

improve on their roles of being

parents.��������

PETALING JAYA ENGLISH

CHURCH: They had a special

divine worship on Jun 26. It

was the Women Emphasis

Week then.

‘Will You be the ONE to Show

Us the Saviour’ was the theme

for that special day where the

divine service was solely

conducted by ladies. The

ladies were given scripts

provided by the General

Conference to deliver to the

congregation. They also

dressed authentically to

enhance the true stories

narrated.

The stories covered a leper, a

woman facing the reality of

AIDS, a working professional,

and a lady of different faith.

The summary of these stories is

to remind us that everyday we

are faced with different

situations and can we be the

one to show them Jesus. We can, by not being

discriminating or we can share

the health messages that our

church teaches.��������

KLANG BAHASA MALAYSIA

CHURCH GROUP: Pr Francis

Lajanim conducted baptisms

in the middle of May and he

reported that there are many

more interests there!��������

ISN'T IT STRANGE how RM20

seems like such a large

amount when

you donate it to a church, but

such a small amount when

you go shopping?

Isn't it strange how 2 hours

seem so long when you're at a

church, and how

short they seem when you

are playing a game?

Isn't it strange that you can't

find a word to say when

you are praying, but you have

no trouble chatting with your

friends?

Isn't it strange how difficult and

boring it is to read

one chapter of the Bible, but

how easy it is to read 100

pages of a popular novel?

Isn't it strange how everyone

wants front-row-tickets

to concerts or games, but they

do whatever

is possible to sit at the last row

in a church?

ISN'T IT STRANGE?��������

Editor: ‘Isn’t it Strange’ is

emailed to be by a friend,

Kelvin, it is thought provoking

and I hope it is to you too!

~~ GGoooodd ��eewwss ffrroomm PPEEMM CChhuurrcchheess ~~

Peace in Heaven and glory in the highest! Luke 19:38, NIV. Vision 9

VViissiitt ttoo tthhee HHaannnnaahh HHoommee

ffoorr tthhee OOrrpphhaannss ~ by Mrs Ruth T John, Klebang Church ~

TThe members of Klebang Church, Women Ministries Department had organized a trip to Hannah Home for

orphans. There are about 45 children in the home.

A group of women and few church elders together with the

pastor took part in this event. A short story about Jesus’s

second coming was told using pictures file. The meeting was

ended with a prayer by Pr T John. The children were served

food prepared by the Women Ministry Department.

The Women Ministry Department also hold their gathering

every Saturday after church service. During the gathering,

they will always remember to pray for the Mission Officers, all

PEM Churches, members and friends.

God has listened to our prayers and has done a lot of

miracles in our lives. God has given a lot of blessings to our

families and we need your prayers for our department so

that we can continue to do more God’s work.��

MMaajjlliiss PPeerrppiissaahhaann PPrr && MMrrss PP BBeennjjaammiinn ~ by Pr Edwin Philip ~

PPada Mei 15 & 16, satu majlis perpisahan untuk Pr & Mrs Benjamin telah dijalankan di pantai Morib, Banting. Majlis ini telah di anjurkan oleh

semua gereja India di Lembah Klang. Dalam Majlis ini di hadiri seramai 80

orang peserta daripada gereja Banting, Klang, Shah Alam dan Kuala

Selangor. Dalam majlis perpisahan ini juga 2 orang telah di baptiskan

oleh Pr Benjamin yang terdiri daripada gereja Klang dan Shah Alam.

Dalam majlis yang gilang gemilang ini banyak aktiviti telah dijalankan

seperti drama, komedi dan pelbagai permainan termasuk permainan

pantai. Pr & Mrs Benjamin telah diberi penghormatan besar di atas jasa

dan pengorbanan mereka selama berkhidmat di gereja-gereja di seluruh

Malaysia khususnya gereja-gereja tamil di semenanjung Malaysia. Di

akhir majlis ini sesi gambar juga di ambil sebagai kenangan.��

OOn May 15 & 16, a farewell party was held for Pr Benjamin at the beach at Morib, Banting by all the Klang

Valley Indian Churches. 2 candidates from Shah Alam and Klang Churches were baptized. The members

and friends also enjoyed the fun games at the beach. Pictures below.��

Women gather after church service and have

prayer meeting.

Mrs T John telling the story on Jesus’s second

coming at the Hannah Home.

Children having their meals at

the Hannah Home.

~~ IInnssppiirraattiioonnaall ~~

Vision 10 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. Psalm 107:1, NIV.

HHooww II wwaass ssaavveedd

bbyy oouurr LLoorrdd aanndd SSaavviioouurr ~ by Mr Prakash T R, member of

Kuala Lumpur English Church ~

II am glad I have this opportunity

to share my testimony on how I

was saved by our Lord and

Saviour.

Emily was always there telling me

about the Lord for the past 20

years. I was also exposed to this

during my childhood days through

my mother’s side of the family.

I joined them to church, more of

an outing than anything to do

with the contents of the Bible.

Over the growing years I was

exposed to the various beliefs

such as Hindu scriptures, prayers,

meditations with various spiritual

teachers. It showed me how to

reach a higher level.

A lot was involved in pleasing

people than one to one with the

Creator. I began to move away

and felt it was not for me and

maybe I was not good enough to

be spiritual. Or only certain group

of chosen people can do this.

I began to look at different ways

people talk or behave about

looking for God.

I was made to belief that He is in

different forms and we can

experience Him in ways only they

can show me. So I began trying it

out and saw light/music/floating

feeling and chanting words to

awake your senses. While it

worked for a while then it did not

work anymore, reason was not

practising enough.

I began to wonder if they was

really a so-called Creator and

joined the shipping industry which

kept me away from this topic. The

Lord did not give up hope on me

and guess what the first engineer I

was put under was a SDA! He

used to have problems with the

chief engineer when it came to

Sabbath and he refused to work

and stayed in his cabin and read

the Bible. I used to cover for him

till he left the ship. We did not talk

much about what his belief was, I

was young and wild.

Emily would still write me letters

and keep sending flyers which

end up in the bin, friends always

tell me I get thick letters from my

girlfriend but I only knew what was

the contents. I left looking for

God and only prayed when I get

in trouble or talk about Him when

the situation permits.

When I decided to return and

work in Malaysia, Emily was by my

side and she started telling me

about the Lord all over again. This

time I was the one who drew her

out of her belief and stopped her

even going to church with the

excuse that if she loves me then

she has to follow the way I look at

things. This was going on for some

time and material things became

my goal and to make it in life.

I attended church with her a few

times just to please her and never

even believed what I heard in

church.

Anyway, something deep inside

always kept talking/telling me to

come back to worship the

Creator. Emily and I started

talking about what she follows

and believes. I started telling her

about what I knew about life and

different ways to reach God. I

have also taken her for

meditations/talks by other

denominations.

One morning I decided once and

for all to find out and prove her

wrong. I decided to read the

book, Great Controversy by Ellen

G. White. As soon as I started I

could not stop even she got

worried. I would read till the wee

hours trying to find ways to prove

her wrong. I did a lot of research

against other beliefs.

Slowly but surely the Holy Spirit

began answering my questions. I

was hooked and now I wanted to

know more and attended the talk

by Brother Moses. This opened a

totally different way I understood

life and my Creator. Emily was

very happy but was not sure if I

were only taking down notes and

then go after her to explain on

how/why/what…

I started talking to my friends and

family about this. I did not stop

and wanted to be very sure and

even began having Bible lessons

done in my house which I did not

allow before.

Then things began to change with

me, which was a good thing but

friends were concerned losing

their friend to Christ. I kept my

stand and wanted to move

forward and save my soul.

I stood firm to my keen interest

and kept reading and praying to

the Creator to show if this is the

right path. He answered every

question I had and then I knew

deep inside that this is not by

chance but by God’s grace.

When things got better, it turned

around, I started losing contracts

without any reason. There is a

saying that if you get close to

God, this happens. Well, Emily

and I spoke about this and

agreed that if we have God on

our side, nothing can harm us.

We kept on having Bible studies

and Emily wanted to get re-

baptized with me which she really

looked forward to. We also

decided that whatever comes or

happens we will trust the Lord.

About a month later, Emily was

found to have cancer, and if it

was not for the Lord’s love and

trust, I would not have taken to

this news. Seeing Emily’s belief

stood as a rock, I prayed and

asked the Lord what is going on

with us. A small voice inside me

said do not worry but leave it to

the Lord. So I did and this kept me

going forward and now learning

what is the meaning of life on this

world without the Lord.

Many things came into my mind

but with the help of our members

and pastors, they kept me always

holding onto His promises.

It has been almost one year now

without my companion, Emily,

who stood till the end with the

Lord.

I was baptized on Sep 6, 2003 and

now it is my duty to get closer to

my Lord and Saviour.��������

~~ VVaarriieettyy ~~

Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. Psalm 16:1, NIV. Vision 11

SSoul II Soul…the original SDA group from Petaling Jaya English Church, comprises of 4 young, handsome,

promising, enthusiastic, committed, talented men.

These gifted singers started out as a special presentation 2 years back and thus grew into a group that

serves by praising God in songs of worship. They play and write their own songs. The lyrics are down to

earth, interesting and easily identified.

‘I Still Believe’ is their 1st spectacular album and you may

want to have it for yourself or give it to someone as a gift.

Get it today to find out who these young SDA singers are by

contacting Mr Cevin at (016) 250 8234 or email him at

cevinrand@yahoo.com��

I will �OT work! ~ A children story shared by Mr Cevin, Choir Director and Youth Leader of Petaling Jaya English Church ~

IIn Africa, 150 years ago, on one

sunny morning in an open market,

there was an auction. It was not

a normal one, as it was auctioning

men and women for slavery. 150

years ago, this cruel practice was

seen as legal as selling potatoes

or apples in any market.

As the auctioneer was parading

his "goods" and labeling them with

prices, there was this young,

strong-built African man who was

obviously reluctant and proudly

announcing his disapproval of

being sold, even worse eventually

becoming a slave for his entire

life. He was heard shouting " I will

not work!" during the whole

session. With his hands clasped

tightly around his chest together

with his nose lifted and framed

with his proud face, it was really

not a good way to market himself

out for the auction.

One elderly Englishman seem to

be interested with this young,

rebellious lad. He was looking

around, trying to see if he was

going to be sold, and what will be

the price for this arrogant will-be

slave! To his amazement, when

this lad was auctioned to the

public, a mass of people seem to

be very impressed with this

arrogant lad as the price of this

young African was rising every

minute as everyone was bidding

for him. The price was really

astronomical for a young,

arrogant African lad!

Finally there was a bid coming

from the back of the crowd. It

was seem to be an unthinkable

high price for a slave! As

everyone was dumb-struck and

gasped at the new bid, the

auctioneer happily closed the

deal as he was awfully happy with

the final price for the lad. It was a

super bargain for him.

To everyone’s amazement, the

quiet elderly Englishman who has

never bid anything since the start

was the one who made the last

bid. He solemnly paid the price,

took his new, arrogant slave,

who’s still shouting "I will not work"

unceasingly throughout the

ordeal, and brought him to his

horse cart and started riding

home. Nevertheless, the lad kept

on saying " I will not work", proudly

proclaimed to his new master he

will never surrender to any of his

master’s wishes!

As they reached a small house

that reside beside another bigger

and handsomely built house, the

new master stopped and said

"You can go down now. We have

reached home!" He instantly

answered "I will not work". With his

calm face and serene eyes, his

master looked at him and said

"This is your house, you can do

whatever you want with it, as long

as in the evening you come to the

bigger house and have dinner

with me."

This was getting more confusing

to the African lad as no slaves will

be entitled with a house. They will

always sleep in the slave bunker

or even the stable with the horses

or cows. Nevertheless, he still said

"I will not work", but with less

conviction and arrogance. Finally,

the new master replied "Son, I

bought you not to become your

master, nor to become your

employer. I have bought you to

set you free."

Immediately the young African

lad fell down to his knees, and

with his tears of joy and face of

gratitude, he said "Sir, I can't

accept this offer as I am not

worthy of it. But be as I am, I will

humbly become your most loyal

servant and your friend as long as

I live"

Friends, someone else has bought

you from your slavery, your

burdening life and even your

eternal death. He has not bought

it with gold nor silver or any

richness known by man, but by His

own blood to set you free from

your bondage, so that you can

be His friend for the rest of your

eternal life. He is our Lord, Jesus

Christ.��

Editor: You can share this story

with your kids or friends as it is a

good reminder to us.

Soul

II ‘I Still Believe’

Soul

~~ AAddvveennttiisstt WWoorrlldd ��eewwss ((SSoouurrccee:: AAddvveennttiisstt ��eewwss ��eettwwoorrkk)) ~~

Vision 12 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Matt 6:34, NIV.

KKiinngg--ssiizzee EEvvaannggeelliissttss PPrreeaacchh ttoo PPeeeerrss (Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia)

WWith 2004 being the Year of

Evangelism for the worldwide

Seventh-day Adventist Church,

children at the Port Macquarie,

New South Wales, congregation

are showing the way.

A public evangelistic campaign

entitled "The God Factor" was

conducted by 10 to 15-year-olds in

the new church building over four

consecutive Saturday evenings in

May and June.

"This outreach series was a project of

our very committed and visionary

junior and teen Sabbath Schools,

although the whole church

community gladly supported it," says

Pr Justin Lawman, who leads the

congregation.

4000 youth-oriented postcards were

distributed and the events were

widely publicized in the local

newspaper. Months beforehand the

junior and teen Sabbath Schools

organized a prayer list, and then

personally invited their friends from

nearby schools.

"The target age group was the 10 to

15-year-olds," says junior Sabbath

School leader Trish Campbell, "but

parents were also welcomed with

open arms." And they came. The

average attendance over the four

nights was 135, 40 of whom were not

church members.

According to George Smith, principal of Port

Macquarie Adventist School (PMAS), "About 70 percent

of our students come from non-Adventist homes. Quite

a few came to 'The God Factor,' and some brought

their parents too."

Pr Lawman adds, "There were people there who had

never set foot in our church before."

At the conclusion of the meetings, Jacob, an 11-year-

old who attends the Adventist school but not the

church, commented, "One of the things I learned

was how to get to heaven. And I came really

close to God. I've never really been close to God

before, and it felt really cool." Two young people preached each week for 7 to 10

minutes each. Topics included, "God R U really there?"

(Prophecy), "Why do bad things happen to good

people?", "What do I have to do to get to heaven?"

(Salvation), and "A future without fear" (Second

Coming).

The children chose the topics

and were involved in all aspects

of the planning. "The subjects

were not only relevant to

children," says Pr Lawman, but

adults as well."

Each programme began with a

praise and worship service

conducted by the young people

and accompanied by a 12-

member junior and teen band.

Other regular features, all conducted

by young people, included a quiz

(with prizes), a bracket of "Whacky

but True" facts, and a short

dramatized sketch related to the

night's topic.

At the close of each meeting,

everyone was invited to the school

hall for two hours of recreational

activities and food.

Three days after "The God Factor"

concluded, students in the Years 5

and 6 classrooms at PMAS were

invited to write down their thoughts

on the programme. Ten-year-old

Peta wrote, "I learned to know God

better," while Zac, 11, said, "I don't

need to worry, because God is

always by my side."

All the children who helped lead the

programme now have a new focus

in life as expressed so well by 11-

year-old Lara. "You feel good

inside with the feeling that you are sharing God's

love with others."

"It doesn't matter if you are scared about doing it,"

according to Anita,11, "God helped me through and I

didn't freak!" And Lachlan, 14, adds, "We all

appreciated Pr Lawman's help too."

Reviewing the series, Campbell says, "From responses

on returned quiz cards, it's gratifying to know that

many lives have been touched--especially those

we've been praying for--and many decisions

made for Christ." Pr Lawman adds, "We now have a

number of interested people to follow up."��

Editor: Hope this enlightening article inspires you

of children evangelism. This can be a sample of

event that we, in Malaysia, can organize! Let’s

IMPACT the children!

Committed and visionary juniors and teens.

One of the attractive teen postcards.

~~ SSppeecciiaall FFeeaattuurree ~~

The righteous will never be uprooted…Proverbs 10:30, NIV. Vision 13

Daniel Was A Child Of God C 4/4 ~ by Mrs Leong Fai ( for children) ~

5. 5 3. 3 / 5 . 5 3 .

Daniel was a child of God;

3 / 1 . 1 2 . 2 / 3 .

He prayed three times a day.

5 6 . 6 / 1. 6 5. 5 / 3 .

Like Daniel I will be God’s child;

1 2 . 2 / 3 . 2 1 - //

To Him I ‘ll always pray.

~~ IInnssppiirraattiioonnaall ~~

Vision 14 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him. Lamentations 3:25, NIV.

4:11 : “ , .

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~~ FFooooddss aanndd tthheeiirr HHeeaalliinngg PPoowweerr ~~

With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:12, NIV. Vision 15

GGrraaiinnss,, ffrruuiittss,, nnuuttss,, aanndd vveeggeettaabblleess constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator…

They impart a strength, a power of endurance, and a vigor of intellect,

that are not afforded by a more complex and stimulating diet. ELLEN G. WHITE

North American writer and educator (1827-1915)

*FOODS FOR THE EYES

TThe eye is one of the most amazing organs in the body.

All the muscles of the eye are

in constant movement to carry

out three simultaneous

functions necessary for vision:

• Exploration of the field

of vision.

• Opening and closing of

the pupil according to

the light available.

• Modification of the

curve of the lens of the

eye according to

distance of the viewed

object, thus bringing it

into sharp focus.

Carrots, together with alfalfa

greens, are the food richest in

provitamin A, which makes

them a true dietary medicine.

Carrots are also very useful in

diseases of the retina and of

the eyes in general, skin

disorders, gastritis, excess of

gastric acid, colitis and in the

prevention of cancer.

Preparation and Use of Carrots

• Carrots can be taken

raw in salad or dressed

with lemon juice. It

strengthen children’s

teeth.

• Carrots cook well

together with potatoes

and other vegetables.

• Carrot juice makes a

refreshing, delicious

and nutritious

beverage.��

AApricot, gives sparkle and

beauty to the eyes.

Apricot has a low calorie

content which makes it an

excellent part of weight-loss

diets. It has an alkalizing effect

because of its richness in

alkaline mineral salts. It is

particularly noted for its low

sodium content and its high

levels of potassium.

It is also an important source of

protein and iron, and most

importantly provitamin A.

Apricots are recommended in

cases of conjunctional

dryness, chronic irritation or

itching of the conjunctiva, loss

of visual acuity due to retinal

atrophy, and night blindness.

Preparation and Use of

Apricots

• Taken fresh and ripe

without skin as

pesticides are used in

the farms. Unless it’s

100% grown

organically, then it’s

safer to consume.

• Taken dried.

• Made into

marmalade.��

SSpinach, in addition to

providing strength to muscles,

it protects the retina.

It is very rich in lutein and

zeaxanthin, two carotenoids

that prevent vision loss

because of degeneration of

the macula, the most sensitive

point of the retina. This

disorder is the most common

cause of blindness among the

elderly.

Spinach also contains vitamin

A, C, folic acid, magnesium

and iron which are good for

the eyes.

Preparation and Use of

Spinach

• When spinach is

tender, it may be taken

raw in salads.

• Stored frozen as it can

be kept year-round.

• The ideal method is to

steam it as it preserves

most of its vitamin and

minerals.

• Can be a great fresh

juice.��

MMango is one of the richest

fresh fruits in provitamin A and

it is also rich in other

antioxidants vitamins such as C

and E.��

OOrange is rich in carotenoids,

vitamin C, and other

antioxidants that protect the

retina. Additionally, it contains

flavonoids whose action

protects the capillaries and

improves blood flow to the

retina.��

*Source: Encyclopedia of

Foods (available at Adventist

Book Centre, Kuala Lumpur,

contact: 603 9287 8272).

Information published in this

page serves only as a guide

and does not guarantee any

prevention or cure.

~~ AAbboouutt SSeevveenntthh--DDaayy AAddvveennttiissttss ~~

Vision 16 For God does not show favouritism. Romans 2:11, NIV.

TThe choice of the Church's logo reflects the core values that Seventh-day

Adventists are committed to. The

foundation is the Bible, the Word of God,

shown open since its message must

necessarily be read and put into practice.

Central to that Biblical message is the

Cross, and is also central in the logo.

Above the Cross and the open Bible is the

burning flame of the Holy Spirit, the

messenger of Truth.

It is our hope and prayer that though this

logo is a very simple picture of the

foundation of Adventist beliefs and values

it may be a recognizable symbol of the

Adventist message to the world.��

Source: www.seventh-dayadventist.com

UUpcoming Events around Peninsular Malaysia

1. Aug 8: Mid-Triennial Review, Kuala Lumpur.

2. Aug 26-29: Chinese Pathfinder Training Camp, Port Dickson.

3. Aug 28: Spirit of Prophecy Meeting, Johore.

4. Sep 3-4: Stewardship Educators Seminar, Kota Baru.

5. Sep 3-5: Women Ministries Spiritual Retreat, Kota Baru.

6. Sep 10-12: Teachers Training (Tamil), Ipoh.

7. Sep 18: World Pathfinder Day, Peninsular Malaysia.

8. Oct 2-3: Children Ministry Certification, Kuala Lumpur.

9. Oct 8-9: Institute of Christian Ministries, Kuala Lumpur.

10. Oct 11-16: Youth Alive, Kuala Lumpur.

11. Oct 15-16: Trust & Wills Seminar, Johore Baru.

12. Nov 12-14: Indian Pathfinder Camporee, Selangor.

~ Information published is correct at press time; however, dates may subject to changes without prior

notice. Please seek your pastor for confirmation and further information on the events.

Advisors: Pr Terrance Sim and Pr Francis Lajanim

Editor: Jessica Thai

Printers: Inter-Centre Point Sdn Bhd

~ Many thanks to all who have contributed to Vision, a quarterly official newsletter of PEM.

~ Centre picture on cover page, courtesy of www.corbis.com

~ Articles have been edited to suit the alignments.

~ You may have noticed some of your church’s happenings/events are not published in this newsletter, Vision, next time you may want to help your pastor by emailing a short write-up with or without pictures to

the editor at eightp@tm.net.my or post to 57, Jalan Medan Midah, Taman Midah, Cheras, 56000, Kuala

Lumpur or sms to (013) 421 0119.

~ If you have any constructive suggestions or would like to share your testimonies, uplifting spiritual visions,

recipes, spiritual stories, poems, or anything inspiring to the soul with other readers, kindly email the editor.

The Lines at the top of the design suggest

a continued upward momentum

symbolizing the resurrection and ascension

to heaven at Christ’s Second coming, the

ultimate focus of our faith.

The Flame is the shape

formed by 3 lines encircling

an implied sphere. The lines

represent the 3 angels of

Rev.14 circling the globe

and our commission to take

the gospel to the entire

world. The overall shape

forms a flame symbolic of

the Holy Spirit.

The Cross’s symbol, representing the

gospel of salvation, is positioned in the

center of the design to emphasize Christ’s

sacrifice, which is the central theme of our

faith.

The Open Bible

forms the base of

the design and

represents the Bible

foundation of our

beliefs. It is

portrayed in a fully

opened position

suggesting a full

acceptance of

God’s word.