an ageless cry

I close my eyes, and see hands reaching out from the darkness, waiting to be held, waiting to be rescued. I close my eyes, and see eyes looking out to me from the darkness, eyes filled with hope that someone from the light will grab hold of their filthy pair of hands and pull them out from captivity. I close my eyes, and hear the cries and screams of a million innocent souls in anguish, continually asking the world why. I close my eyes, and see cages filled with an army of living corpses, breathing in despair. Some are young, some are old; some are female, some are male. All are beautiful; all are precious. All are waiting for salvation. In the height of the modern-day slave and sex trade which is fuelled by the extremes of Western egocentrism, when every one turns a forgetting eye away, I hear a voice asking day and night, night and day. "Who will go for Me," says the voice of the One who created every one of these souls in chains. "Who will go for Me?"

And so I wrote a song...


Wonderful Love

Take me by the hand and we will go
To the darkest place, to the lowest place
Take me by the hand and we will go
To the hurting ones, to the lowly ones

There is a love that never fails
It is the love of the Son of Man
His perfect love is always near
He wipes our tears, He calms our fears

What a wonderful love You gave
Teach me to love like You
What a wonderful Savior King
Teach me to give like You

And I will wrap my arms around the lonely
Clothe the naked, feed the hungry
Love the ones whose never been loved before
We'll show the world that He's alive
In the darkest place we'll lift Him high
And every eye will see Your light shine

from the oxford book of exploration

I have recently been reading an anthology on the best writing from explorers and travelers throughout the ages. While reading the very words of those who changed the world through their pioneering and relentless search for new lands, new peoples, and new experiences, I have realized that a hunch and thirst for wild, raw adventure will always be close to the core of who I am. It is truly not just about the destination, but the journey that matters. The following short paragraph written by a famous English explorer Wilfred Thesiger (traveled far and wide in Africa, Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan) really speaks into my heart:

"For me, exploration was a personal venture. I did not go to the Arabian desert to collect plants nor to make a map; the fact that I have very successfully done these things were only incidental. I went there to find peace in the hardship of desert travel and the company of desert peoples. I set myself a goal on these journeys, and, although the goal itself was unimportant, its attainment had to be worth every effort and sacrifice. Scott had gone to the South Pole in order to stand for a few minutes on one particular and almost inaccessible spot on the earth's surface. He and his companions died on their way back, but even as they were dying he never doubted that the journey had been worthwhile. Everyone knew that there was nothing to be found on the top of Everest, but even in this materialistic age people would know not to ask, "What point is there in climbing Everest? What good will it do anyone when they get there?" They recognized that even today there are experiences that do not need to be justified in terms of material profit. For surely, no, it is not the goal but the way there that matters, and the harder the way the more worthwhile the journey."

- From "Thoughts on Exploration" by Sir Wilfred Thesiger, Oxford Book of Exploration.

Geylang , Singapore

June, 2010.

It wasn't until we arrived in Singapore Geylang district - Agape Church - that we realized how intense the darkness is surrounding this church. Along the same short street there were two temples, one mosque, and two chinese martial arts centers (run by triads). There is also a small hotel right across the road where occasionally you see ladies in skimpy clothing waiting around below or talking with a middle aged man (講數 discussing "her" price). Not just that, but if you have heard of the notorious Geylang district in Singapore, it is famous for its good food, durian stalls, and unfortunately ... brothels on almost every street, girls of every age and every "price" standing in every street corner at night, men coming to "have fun". It's horrible. And so our team slept, ate, hung out, held meetings and harp and bowl sessions in this church, and reached out to the lost in Geylang.

It wasn't easy at first, living in the district. At night, we were terrified for the streets were crowded with people - pimps, girls, men. In the daytime, we could see the left behind syringes and needles of druggies. But slowly, God really did break our hearts for the lost out there (most of the ladies are from mainland China!). I could not forget one night, when we were handing out mooncakes to the prostitutes and just chatting with them, one particular lady seemed mesmerized by the fact that i was smiling at her and chatting to her from a sincere heart with no intention of wanting anything from her. As I slept that night, I doubted the impact we made to those girls. The Lord then told me, "Your smiles are like a refreshing drop of living water to the thirsty out there. Thank you for refreshing their hearts with one smile." I then was reminded that it wasn't only about whether or not they get saved or come to church, but it was FIRST about loving on them, giving them a smile, bringing the presence of the Father to where they are - letting them know that the church is not just in a building, but out on the streets, on the move.

It seemed right, that the house of prayer not only stayed in one location, but went to the darkest of places. It seemed right, that we would carry the fire of prayer into the darkness and stay with them, eat with them, live with them, love on them. When Jesus gave us the Great Commission, He did not say to the church, "tell the people to come", but for us to "Go!", for all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus; and not just to go, but to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matt 28:18-20).

By the time we left Geylang, there was one prayer resounding in my heart: "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matt 9:37-38) It wasn't only about being called to evangelism, or to worship, or to prayer, but the whole LOVE package - we are called to an all-consuming, explosive, extravagant, beautiful package called GOD. And whatever the Father does, we shall do.

Video of Solo Fire Conference 2011

Click here: Video of Fire Conference Solo 2011 Last Night Alter Call

watching this just completely wrecked me once again.............. i want their hunger

Solo City , Indonesia

5-9 July, 2011.

We got upgraded to business on CX777. What a number. We hadn't gotten upgrades in a long while. Last time was after my aunt passed away. Every time it was a sign.

It was my first time to Indonesia. Never in my wildest dreams would I be able to imagine how God would connect us with the people of Indonesia. I have heard many stories of revival, persecution, signs and wonders and other Holy Spirit action in this Muslim nation, and we have met pastors, friends, and revivalists from Indonesia. But it was my first time on its soil. Dad said he could feel the oppression in the spiritual atmosphere the moment we landed. I just felt really excited, wanting to catch the fire. Longing to witness and meet a revival generation face to face.

And boy did we meet a revival generation. From the ushers to the worship and dance team to the logistics to the leaders, every one in the 80-person committee was so young, so on fire for Jesus, and their capacity limitless. They were from all over Indonesia and carrying on their shoulders the weight of facilitating a nation-wide movement. We learnt a lot from them.

Solo City was a rather obscure town but it is of great significance. It was in Solo when the first Islamic Kingdom of Indonesia was established. It is also the capital city of the last Kingdom of Indonesia. It is the center for witchcraft and darkness. And here, God chose to birth Fire Generation - a revival movement which started in 2005 with 100 young people. Today, over 60 pastors and 1200 young people have gathered from all around.

When we connected with the pastors, we were in awe of the same spirit and same visions the Lord has given us (although Indonesia and Hong Kong are completely different in many ways). The host pastor kept repeating to us over and over again that there is a hidden army in Indonesia waiting to be "incubated". He told us many stories of revival touching communities and islands, whole villages coming to Christ and how the fire of God is falling on them. Our hearts stirred within us and my burden is that ANHOP would hear this cry from the nations. Everywhere we go we are connecting with people of the same spirit who are longing for what we are doing in Hong Kong, and there is an invitation to partner with them. I am completely humbled and broken by the needs out there in the harvest field. Jesus' prayer that "the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few" is so, so real. It surely is the heartbeat of God to raise up workers to send forth into the harvest... May it become our heartbeat as well. Break us, Lord!

God also connected us deeply with the Singapore team whom we served alongside. These are seriously not typical Singaporeans - they are crazy revival junkies! We shed tears together for Singapore and Hong Kong, asking for the same hunger back home. For some reason, God has really put me with Singaporeans in the past year. Being in a team with them intensely for the past few days have made me more Singaporean than the 4 times I have visited in the past year. There was particularly one moment when the Lord spoke to us through a prophetic sign. During one of the night revival meetings, the children of Solo City put on traditional costumes of the various tribes and people groups of Indonesia and performed a dance for us while waving the flags of different nations. The two flags leading the way were Singapore and Hong Kong. We knew that this was a sign from the Lord that the two cities of Singapore and Hong Kong have a mandate, responsibility, and a call to the nations. We also knew the Lord was going to put these two cities together and raise up people to bless the nations.

As the revival meetings went on, we were drawn and captured by the Indonesian people. They were truly so hungry, and their prayers and worship was so passionate. I have never seen so much deliverance happening all around me all at once. I have never laid hands on people and felt the fire and power of God so strongly. In the words of Pastor Ben, he comes every year (and brings people along) to humble himself and learn the language of hunger. He says that hunger is a key that unlocks the power and things of God to enter our lives. As we come face to face with a group of people from a small island called Letti (not even shown on the map) who had sold their buffalo and spent 8 days in a container ship just to get to the meetings and catch the fire, we were so desperate for the same hunger that they have. The Letti lady told us that there were 9000 people and 7 villages on that island. She said we have to visit her and bring God's presence there. I told her she does not know the impact of these words on our lives. Meeting her has changed me.

On the last night, Pastor Ben asked the leaders and international team to all stand at the front to minister. As we faced the hungry crowd of 1200 Indonesians, I felt so inadequate but know fully with all my heart that God has called me to stand in this position. He told me not to hide anymore, but to stand into place as a general for this next generation and be a bold vessel, giving freely what I have freely received. I repented to God for shunning away from leading in the past, and asked for the boldness to step up for this generation. We have long prayed to experience the Book of Acts in our time, but what will you do when it truly comes alive in front of your eyes and you hear God say, "this is just the beginning"? We laid hands on the young people as humbled vessels, asking God to fill 1000 vessels with the oil of the Holy Spirit, ready and equipped to do the work of God.

While in Indonesia, I was talking with God one night during quiet time when He spoke clearly to my heart, "Open up your heart to embrace this nation and its people. Do not be afraid to embrace this nation ... Have faith and move forward. I say again, do not be afraid. Do not worry about your own future. It is secure in my hands and the enemy cannot steal it. Take heart and brace yourself for the ride ... "

So just like that, God imprinted the islands of Indonesia on our hearts and a Kingdom partnership was made. What a surprise - We were hijacked by God once again (and by our Singaporean revival junkies). The faces and cry of the young people of that land has deeply impacted my life. Their worship has pierced through me. Their hunger has humbled me. Their love for their own nation has broken me. Their willingness and total surrender to the call of God have encouraged me and awakened a longing in me. They have truly imparted something deep into my spirit... The need in the nations are marking me with a desperation to be equipped and to equip others, to spread what I have seen and witnessed in this city I call home, where we have everything, but we also have nothing... We have nothing if we don't have hunger for more of God.

On this trip, I brought a cry back to ANHOP - the cry of a hungry nation and a broken generation. I brought back the burden for a hidden army waiting and willing to be released into the purposes of God. I am bringing back the fire I witnessed and received from these young ones. They need trainers, mentors, fathers and mothers. Where are the trainers, mentors, fathers and mothers willing to go and stand with them, to train them, to believe in God's purposes in them? Where are the people willing to incubate a whole generation for God?

Hakone & Tokyo , Japan

June, 2011.

My family recently hopped over to Japan for a short few days to take a rest after Homecoming. To cut a long story short, it was not really a restful trip for me. Having to drive our way through Tokyo to Hakone was not easy. The "onsen" (public bath) thing was also a source of stress to us in the beginning, but thankfully we slowly learned to enjoy it (ha!). The "highlight" of the whole trip was when the car we rented broke down completely in the middle of a high speed highway in suburban Tokyo at around 12:30am. Our tank was full to the max and there were no lights plus very few cars around. God was seriously shouting something to us through the incident, and thankfully we have enough prophetic people around to understand what God was saying to ANHOP as a whole. Talk about DRAMA. Life is really beginning to look like a movie script sometimes. Following God is such an adventure... Following God is all about submission.

Lastly, just wanted to say: spirit-filled Japanese are absolutely terrifyingly amazingly passionate people. I love our Japanese family there. It is amazing what God can do to people with completely open hearts; it is amazing how He connects His children in the Kingdom. Heart to heart, spirit to spirit. Before I left, I was offered a home to stay at and a spiritual family to be with whenever I am in Tokyo. I have a feeling we will be going back some time soon along the way in this surprising journey. Am certainly looking forward to spending time with these crazy wild Japanese people ...and the food. Oh the food.

Singapore / Malacca - Cornerstone Family Camp

Early June, 2011.

"You were called to carry revival. You were called to carry revival. You were called to carry revival. You were called to carry revival. I am redefining revival in your generation. It will no longer be events or emotions of a touch or move of God alone, but lasting and permanent transformation in peoples and societies because a company of people are being released into the nations who would carry revival in their own lives, burning and burning for My causes and purposes of this time in history. They will burn and burn, and carry revival throughout the nations. They will go to wherever God sends them to, for however long, and burn there. They will burn wherever they are, and carry revival to wherever they go."

"Prepare yourself well."

Peter first denied Christ at a charcoal fire. When Jesus appeared to Peter after his resurrection, He was cooking breakfast on a charcoal fire too. When God bring us back to our most fatal wounds in life, He means to ask us this same question, "Do you love me more than these?" And what comes after is a new, fresh page. A rebirth. The blow of the past is completely wiped away.

...and so just like that, we crossed over.