“Peter replied, “Repent and be baptised, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” – Acts 2:38

Time has really passed by so quickly, but it is truly a joy to serve on the SCGM Council for the last 12 years even as I have served in missions for over twenty years! 

For nearly 20 years, I have been organising & leading many medical mission trips from my church, Wesley Methodist Church, to various countries in South East Asia. One such memorable trip was in 2010 leading a team of 20 trippers to the Isaan Province of Thailand which was mainly an agricultural region, considered the poorest region. As such our medical ministry in different villages was well received by the local population. Providing free medical help was a way to “break the ice” to reach out to the people besides our usual children ministry and evangelistic program.

In the advanced preparation, I had suggested to the pastor in-charge of the local church, which was our partner on this mission, that we should organise a teaching seminar for the church members for the coming trip, to strengthen their faith. In our discussion the subject of “Holy Spirit” came up and I somehow agreed to teach a session on “The Holy Spirit” without realising that it was going to be a huge subject to teach.

Nevertheless, I did my preparation and we scheduled the seminar to be on the 5th day, following 4 days of exhausting ministry. At the end of the 2-hour seminar, which was attended by about 30-40 church members and their family members, it was time for an altar call and prayer ministry. I invited the worship team to minister with music as we entered into a time of prayer. In our prior preparation, I had arranged some to be intercessors and some to be catchers who helped to break the fall of someone under the power of the Holy Spirit i.e. when they are ‘slain’ in the Spirit. I began by asking the congregation if there was anyone who would like to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and to my surprise, almost everyone put up their hands. I then invited all of them to come forward for my team members to pray for them individually.

As I began to pray a general prayer for all of them to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, what happened next really took me by surprise. The first people to start manifesting in the Spirit were not the local people but some of my trippers! When I finished praying and the intercessors took over, the local people too started to manifest in the Spirit and many were slain in the Spirit. It was truly an awesome experience for everyone that night, with some having received the gift of speaking in tongues!

To God be the Glory indeed!