“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12 NIV)
Twenty of us were bound for Davao, Philippines—fourteen teenagers, three young adults, and three adult leaders. This marked the culmination of a six-month journey of learning about God’s mission and preparing for the trip. Over the past six months, the youth had participated in Bible studies about mission, learnt how to present the gospel, written and shared their testimonies, recruited prayer supporters, planned and practised the programmes they were going to conduct …
The preparation was not all smooth sailing. Life in Singapore was busy; exams, part-time jobs, extra-curricular classes, and even vacations competed for their time. For some who’d grown up in Christian homes, writing their testimonies proved to be a struggle. There’d never been a time they had not known God, so it was hard to put into words why and how they knew that God was real. And with limited information and experience, it was difficult to plan and run the programmes they were meant to deliver. I understand all these, because I’d once been there.
But by God’s grace, we prepared as well as we could … and we were off! Arriving in Davao, we plunged into the work: visiting families, conducting two outreach programmes for children in the neighbourhoods in partnership with the local church, presenting two testimonies and a worship song in the Sunday service, conducting Sunday School and youth engagement activities, teaching English through the story of David and Goliath in two elementary schools, and “helping” with farm work and a painting project. We did most of these with the support of our hosts and the youth from the local church.
Our youth were not the most brilliant, or the most experienced, or the most confident. (In fact, two other groups from our church had gone before us, and we had big shoes to fill!) But they were willing to learn and to serve and to bless. What they lacked in skill, they made up for in energy and vigour. Indeed, “The glory of the young is their strength” (Proverbs 20:29a NLT)!
Through it all, I saw our youth step up to do what they normally wouldn’t do back in Singapore. (To be fair, why would they want to, especially when the adults could do it—in their minds—“so much better”?) They led us in worship and devotions each day. They took the lead in running all the programmes. They acted on our feedback to speak louder, slower, and with more excitement. They prayed for the families and missionaries we met. In doing so, they truly stepped out of their comfort zones. And they connected with the children and youth in a way that the adults, with our abating stamina and generational gap, couldn’t.
Collectively, we were also inspired by the youth we met in Davao. Many of them grew up in poverty—one had woken up at 3 a.m. every day to sell bread before school, just to earn some pocket money; another had lived on just one meal a day. Vices—drinking, smoking, gambling—were common in their growing-up years, but God in his mercy pursued them.
They experienced hardship that most of us from Singapore couldn’t even imagine. Yet, even through their struggles, they held on firmly to their faith in God and commitment to Him. It was truly heartening for us to hear of their conviction of God’s goodness in their lives and to see their passion to live for him and serve him. And as we heard their stories and saw how they lived, we were confronted by how much we’d taken for granted and challenged to reprioritise God in our lives.
They started off as two separate groups of young people, most of whom had never met before the trip. But as they came together, even for just a few days, they inspired one another for Jesus. And together, they showed the watching world (and me!) the love of Jesus.