The World’s Biggest Need Today: The Gospel
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken the world by storm. I have never seen anything like this before. Countries are in complete lockdown. Major sports leagues around the world have shut down. The stock markets have crashed. Schools are closed. Churches are telling their attendants not to attend but to stream the service online instead. Supermarkets have shelves emptied of toilet paper, masks, hand sanitizers, and non-perishable foods as people panic. Even here at CIM Canada, as we announced a few days earlier, we have decided to postpone all our short-term trips this summer for the safety of our staff and short-term team members. Currently, there are over 150,000 confirmed cases, nearly 6,000 deaths, and close to 150 countries affected. These numbers are changing hourly so I am sure that the numbers will be higher even as you read this. Even Canada’s Prime Minister is in self-quarantine because his wife has been tested positive for the virus.
I have never seen anything like this before. Or have I?
If we look at the big picture, every single person on this earth has been infected with a disease and it is much worse than COVID-19. That disease is called sin. We will die from it and the only cure is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the reason why CIM Canada exists. We want people all over this globe to find this cure. Even though we will not be sending missions teams this summer, we do ask that you partner with us through prayers, through finances, and by joining our short-term teams once it is safe to do so because these teams make a difference.
In this month’s news update, read from Pastor Joel Uong, who traveled to Togo on one of our teams last summer.
A Personal Sharing from a Recent STM trip to Togo
Pastor Joel Uong
I never thought of going to Togo for a STM (short-term mission) with my two older siblings, sister Aiwah and brother Kim. Back in March 2019, when Aiwah told me that she was planning to go for a STM in Togo for the third time, I felt right away that she would like me to join her although she did not mention it. I said to myself and to God that I was not going. No, not a chance! I put forth my strongest and seemingly invincible argument: my youngest 8-year old boy Emmanuel suddenly died two months earlier (Jan 2019) with a cardiac arrest at home without any warning sign, due to the neglect/error of the medical staff, within 12 hours after a simple medical procedure of dilatation of his bowels. My family was so devastated and we were so grieved. Our lives were so shattered that we were just trying to pick up the broken pieces to carry on. I was the one who needed to be comforted and healed and restored, and being in such a miserable state, I wondered: how could I bring any good news, encouragement, comfort or hope to others?
To my surprise, God was not upset at all and He did not even argue with me. Yet, in His most amazing grace and unfathomable wisdom, He very gently used my argument to show that He understood me perfectly, because He has been there with the loss of His very own Son.
As Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all.”
Will I give away my son in exchange for anything? No! Absolutely not! And yet, out of His love for us, God did not even spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all. This is unfathomable to our human mind, yet God did it for us all. Yes, for us all, including the people in Togo. God’s sacrificial love melted away my defenses, comforted my heart, and brought healing to my soul. I then said to God, “I don’t know how much You could use me in Togo, but if You want me to go, then I will go as You lead me.”
I will never regret the decision to go on this trip because this mission trip turned out to be a life changing experience for me and my siblings, as well as to all the people we met in Togo. Throughout the trip, God reminded me that He desires all men to be saved. God’s heart desire was so strong that Jesus Christ offered up Himself as a ransom for all (see 1 Tim. 2:3-6). Such is His great love that is so unconditional, boundless, selfless and self-sacrificial for us all. Every day in Togo, God touched my heart and put me to tears as He shared His heart desire with me. I was in awe of the most amazing intimacy that I had with God. I came to the Lord for more than 33 years and have been in the pastoral ministry for 25 years, but I never experienced God’s intimacy to this degree. I was amazed at how close I could be to God, and how quickly I could download His instructions whenever I needed and cried out to Him.
Throughout the trip, God reminded me that He desires all men to be saved.
One time we went to visit a Christian brother in a village where the chief was very anti-Christian and hostile to the Gospel. Because of this, God’s work there as hindered for quite a while. Upon our arrival, God put a burning desire in my heart to see the chief right away. God clearly instructed me to not share the Gospel this time, but gave me two words instead: to show “respect” and “appreciation” to the chief. As a result, our meeting with the chief was so refreshing with singing and dancing at the end with the song from Ps 133:1, “How pleasant and good to dwell in unity” (in French of course). There were several incidences where I was uninformed of the church gathering, and the Holy Spirit gave me words to share with the congregations on the spot. I was amazed of how close the Spirit was to me and how He instantly answered my prayers for the edification of the church. On one occasion, the Spirit gave me revelation when we were casting out demons for a sister, and that saved the day! There were so many other incidences where our team experienced the closeness and intimacy with God, uniting our hearts with God and with each other.
All in all, together under the leadership of Pastor Matthieu Ayena, our team was able to lead a workshop for the women, Sunday school for the kids, a business workshop for the church, music classes (piano and guitar) for the youth, Biblical training for the church planters (pastors, leaders and Bible college students), and to daily visit the villages to share the Gospel with the villagers.
God earnestly wants us to share His heart’s desire. Let us open our hearts and enter into a deeper intimacy with Him, so that we will passionately share His love with others. For God our Savior desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 1:3-4).
It is always encouraging to hear the stories from our short-termers. If you would like more information about our organization, please do not hesitate to email us.
Rev. Isaac Quan
Financial Highlights
February 2020
