This is seriously one of the most absurd things i've heard that I HAD to reproduce this here. Perhaps it is because he has written anti-establishment material and been able to get away with it, and they want to put a stop to propagating out-of-the-box, non-conformist ideas like his.
Taken from Alfian Saat's blog:
Re: Inquiry Into Unexplained Termination of Relief Teaching Position
Dear Miss XXXXX XXXX,
I applied online to be a relief teacher some time in April 2007. Subsequent to that, I presented myself to the administration staff of East View Secondary School. I chose the school based on its proximity to my place of residence and the fact that one of my sisters is an alumnus of the school.
Upon seeing my examination results, and considering the fact that they were short of a Humanities teacher, I was asked to leave my name behind with the school. A few days later I was called and told that I will be filling in the vacancy for a History and Social Studies teacher.
On the 16th of April 2007, I started work at East View Secondary School. I was told to present my NRIC and my bank passbook so the school could process my salary from the MOE.
I have had a very humbling, yet, enriching, experience teaching at East View. It has broadened my views on what constitutes the dynamics of a reductively labeled 'neighbourhood school'. I have built invaluable rapport with some of the students in the school, and have learnt to be more patient with those from complex socio-economic backgrounds.
On the 14th of May 2007, the Assistant Head of Department for Humanities asked me if I was able to extend my services to the school until July, based on the fact that he was impressed with my performance thus far. However, later on, I was summoned to see the Head of Department for Humanities.
I was told that the school had received a telephone call from the MOE requesting the immediate termination of my services as a relief teacher. He was unable to give me the grounds for such a decision. When I queried him as to whether this was based on my performance in school, he assured me, in his own words, that 'professionally and pedagogically, we had no problems with you'.
I asked if there had been any complaints made against me by any student or parent. Again, I was told that the school had been very satisfied with my performance, and based on feedback from students and teachers, acknowledged the fact that I had often gone beyond the minimum expectations for a relief teacher—including producing extra classroom material and marking the examination papers. He acknowledged that the school was in a very difficult position, because they would have problems procuring the services of another relief teacher at such short notice.
He explained that the decision mystified the school as well, and I was told that the only way to get any answers was to contact the Personnel Division of the MOE.
I am thus writing to you to seek some answers.
1) What are the reasons for my termination as a relief teacher? I have satisfied the eligibility requirement as stated on your website, which stated a minimum of 5 'O' Level passes. As a matter of fact, I had garnered ten A1 distinctions for my 'O' Level results. I do not have a criminal record. To the best of my knowledge, I have not committed an infraction during the course of my teaching so grievous as to warrant such abrupt termination.
2) Today I received a letter from the Personnel Division informing me that I have not been 'successful for (my) applicaton'. This of course came after the fact; I had already been teaching for a month. Obviously, I would like to know why this letter is sent to me only after my employment.
3) When your directive arrived at the school, I was in the midst of marking the first semestral exam papers for 16 classes. I would like to know why you had urged my termination with such alacrity, without considering how this would affect the school and the student population. I felt a natural responsibility to review with the students the papers that I had marked. In light of these considerations, would it not have been more humane and less disruptive to provide me with a grace period so as to tie up loose ends before my departure?
4) I can only speculate that I have been somewhat blacklisted—as a relief teacher for now—by the MOE. I do not know the basis of this blacklisting, and whether it was generated via any kind of inter-ministerial communication and information-sharing. Does this mean that I will not be able to enter the teaching profession, and that an avenue for possible gainful employment in the civil service has been forever closed to me?
I would like to express my deep distress at the almost alarmist haste in which I was discharged. It seemed as if my continued presence in the school represented some mortal threat to the students. When I faced the Head of Department for Humanities, I could only express my surprise and bewilderment. I extended my apologies for being such a liability to the school, a liability whose grounds elude me.
I am writing to you not as a faceless member of the public, but as someone who values the teaching profession, and who had experienced first-hand the privilege of being amongst the ranks of teachers, albeit in a relief capacity. On the day of my departure, one of my favourite classes had wanted to take a group photograph with me. As I was in the middle of a lesson, I dismissed the request, somehow assured that I would have an opportunity during my final days at school. I regret that decision now; the photograph would have been a much-cherished memento.
As such, I expect a reply from you that is nothing less than forthcoming, sincere, and devoid of either bureaucratic obscurantism and obfuscation. Your hiring policy contains a covert clause that has deemed me unsuitable for teaching. I would like to know what that clause is, not simply as a matter of personal grievance, but for the sake of any Singaporean who wishes to enter the teaching profession. Full disclosure of your hiring policies to the public will prevent future incidents like mine. It is an incident I do not wish on anyone aspiring to be a teacher, yet disastrously unaware of the hidden obstacles that lie to crush his or her dreams.
Yours sincerely,
Alfian Bin Sa'at
**********************
And two weeks later, I got this:
Dear Mr. Alfian,
Thank you for your e-mail and we appreciate you taking the time to write to us. We have read your e-mail with great concern and do appreciate your feedback.
2 In the processing of relief teacher applicatons, we will usually give provisional approval due to the urgency of need at school level, pending further registration formalities. This is why you were initially appointed by East View Sec from 16 Apr to 11 May 07. Upon consideration of your application, we were not able to approve your registration as a relief teacher. Unfortunately, due to an oversight, the school has appointed you again on 14 May 07. We would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused.
3 We would like to explain that as an employer, the Ministry of Education sets stringent criteria in the recruitment of relief teachers. This is understandably so when we strive to achieve a high standard in Education. With keen competition, this Ministry has an arduous task of considering each applicant based on several factors. MOEneeds to determine which applicants most appropriately meet its organisational needs. In the registering of relief teachers, we look at each applicant in view of the specific requirements of the Ministry at the time, considering each application as a whole, on its own merit. While many capable candidates apply every year, only those that best meet the organisation's requirements will be considered for appointment.
4 We are sorry that we would not be able to approve your application for registration as a relief teacher. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to respond to your feedback and we hope this information has been useful to you. We wish you every success in your future endeavours.
For more information on HR matters, please refer to our HR Online at http://intranet.moe.gov.sg/hr_online/circulars01.htm.
regards
Ms XXXXXXX XXX
**********************
Dear good people of MOE,
Do you seriously consider the below to be a reply to my queries?
1) What are the components of the 'stringent criteria' that you have mentioned?
2) What are these 'several factors' by which an application is considered?
3) What are the 'organisational needs' which I have obviously failed to meet as a relief teacher?
4) What are the 'specific requirements' of the Ministry at this time, at this particular point in history, with regards to the hiring of relief teachers?
5) Am I to assume that since you consider "each application as a whole, on its own merit", therefore one or more of these components in my application has been prejudicial to my employment?
a) Name
b) Gender
c) Birth date
d) Nationality
e) Country of Birth
f) Race
g) Religion
h) Address and Telephone Number
i) 'O' Level Results (10 A1's)
j) 'A' Level Results (4 A's, 1 A1 in GP)
k) Previous Employment History (Resident Playwright, W!ld Rice)
l) My lack of a medical condition, illness, disease, mental illness or physical
impairment
m) My lack of a criminal record in Singapore
n) My lack of a conviction in a court of law in any other country
o) My not being charged with any offence in a court of law in any country for which the
outcome is pending
p) My not being under any financial embarrassment
q) My record of never having been dismissed from a Government Service/Government-Aided
School/Statutory Board
(Of course, with your recent machinations, you have managed to alter the record I mention in point q)
6) Am I also to assume also that since my application was assessed, as you have mentioned, "as a whole, on its own merit", that whatever information that has influenced your decision was located autonomously within my on-line application?
7) Can you thus say that there is thus nothing duplicitous in stating that my application was assessed "as a whole, on its own merit"?
There is a section in the GCE 'O' Level English Paper known as Situational Writing, where I believe candidates are sometimes expected to write a letter.
Your letter is littered with an alarming amount of bureaucratese--"stringent criteria", "based on several factors", "organisational needs" and "specific requirements". In fact I would use it as a negative example in a classroom, to teach my students against a kind of writing which is designed for obfuscation instead of elucidation. I will point out to them how this very abuse of language is what pollutes human interaction in our society, how it forecloses any form of genuine dialogue. I respect the word, along with its ability to convey truth and knowledge, and any attempt to use it for contrary purposes I view with much distress.
If I was still a teacher, I would give your letter a failing grade.
Yours sincerely,
Alfian Bin Sa'at
Monday, June 11, 2007
Friday, June 1, 2007
life in general
so much has passed within the span of 5 months.
thank God that now I know where I'll be headed for the next 5-10 years of my life. the "zheng4 hu4" (not my parents la...) thinks that I'm mad for wanting to stay in Singapore, but well, I believe that it's part of God's plan. :)
Deadline for UCAS track is drawing near (2 June), and with all the repeated email reminder from UK folks I decided to log on to UCAS track to decline the offers. Sincere apologies to UCL, Edinburgh, Nottingham and SOAS. I'm really grateful for the trust and the boost of confidence that you have given to me, but I think that you're not where God wants me to be right now.
Haven't decided whether to apply for accommodation, since BTC is some distance away from the KR main campus and I have a direct bus back home from BTC. But I really love the KR campus, it is like a large jungle with concealed buildings and little nooks and crannies that lead to surprises. It's bustling, yet you can find quiet little corners all around the school. AND I love the biz school canteen food.. hmmm... went there for to interview for my second choice degree (Biz + MPP) - basically it was just a nice little chat with the professors about the environment and how we can reduce usage of plastics and why I like politics/philosophy/governance of law etc. hung around the biz school for lunch for a while too and that was how i discovered the western food stall with the uncle-who-has-amazing-memory.
if I do sign up for hall, I think it will be either kr/sheares/eusoff/temasek (haha ok 4 out of 6 heh).
perhaps the most major thing that i've accomplished this month is to chart out my directions for the next few years to come.
adios.
thank God that now I know where I'll be headed for the next 5-10 years of my life. the "zheng4 hu4" (not my parents la...) thinks that I'm mad for wanting to stay in Singapore, but well, I believe that it's part of God's plan. :)
Deadline for UCAS track is drawing near (2 June), and with all the repeated email reminder from UK folks I decided to log on to UCAS track to decline the offers. Sincere apologies to UCL, Edinburgh, Nottingham and SOAS. I'm really grateful for the trust and the boost of confidence that you have given to me, but I think that you're not where God wants me to be right now.
Haven't decided whether to apply for accommodation, since BTC is some distance away from the KR main campus and I have a direct bus back home from BTC. But I really love the KR campus, it is like a large jungle with concealed buildings and little nooks and crannies that lead to surprises. It's bustling, yet you can find quiet little corners all around the school. AND I love the biz school canteen food.. hmmm... went there for to interview for my second choice degree (Biz + MPP) - basically it was just a nice little chat with the professors about the environment and how we can reduce usage of plastics and why I like politics/philosophy/governance of law etc. hung around the biz school for lunch for a while too and that was how i discovered the western food stall with the uncle-who-has-amazing-memory.
if I do sign up for hall, I think it will be either kr/sheares/eusoff/temasek (haha ok 4 out of 6 heh).
perhaps the most major thing that i've accomplished this month is to chart out my directions for the next few years to come.
adios.
Monday, May 14, 2007
God is amazing.
The course that I've been wanting all these while.
Thank you God, for blessing me so superbly abundantly over these years, with a church that i belong to, with a family that accepts me for who i am, with friends who help me to see the world in its beauty, with all that i can ever ask for, and more.
Thank you God. Help me to live my life the way you want.
Let my will be lost in Your will,
(That I will) Ask no question; seek no place;
Render humblest duties gladly,
Showing forth Your truth and grace
Thank you God, for blessing me so superbly abundantly over these years, with a church that i belong to, with a family that accepts me for who i am, with friends who help me to see the world in its beauty, with all that i can ever ask for, and more.
Thank you God. Help me to live my life the way you want.
Let my will be lost in Your will,
(That I will) Ask no question; seek no place;
Render humblest duties gladly,
Showing forth Your truth and grace
IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT -
by Roger Harper
She's well known for her life-changing work with drug addicts in Hong Kong and she's seen thousands of lives changed. But Jackie Pullinger-To shuns evangelistic strategies and has few resources. So how exactly does she do it? Roger Harper finds out.
Jackie Pullinger-To was walking down a hill in Hong Kong, praying in tongues. She bumped into Matthew, whom she had met once before. They said hello. "How about a cup of tea at Ah Chan's?" asked Jackie. Matthew didn't look at all keen but, embarrassed, he agreed. As they sat in the café Jackie showed Matthew pictures of people he had known who had been on drugs, and who now, as Christians, were free from addiction. He looked fidgety and finally said, "I have to go." Off he
went.
A few weeks later Jackie was walking down the same hill, praying in tongues. She bumped into Matthew again. "Hello Matthew, how about a cup of tea at Ah Chan's?" He looked even less keen, but was embarrassed and in a corner. He came and gulped down a cup of tea. Jackie said, "Matthew, all these guys were changed by Jesus and I know that you've got a problem. If you ever want an answer, Jesus is here, and I'm here, so here's my number. And this is free." Off he went.
Jackie didn't see Matthew for five years. One day she had a knock on the door. It was Matthew. "I'm ready now," he said. "Well what's happened in the middle?" asked Jackie.
Set free
"I was on drugs," Matthew said, "really needing money. I had decided to go and rob a goldsmith. I bought the gun. I found out when the guard changed. I timed it exactly and I was on my way to the robbery. And then I bumped into you! And you said, 'How about a cup of tea?' I was much too embarrassed to tell you I was on my way to a robbery. So we had tea, and I missed it. It was too late. A few weeks later I planned it again. I had the whole thing worked out and was on my way to the robbery, and I bumped into you again! After that, I threw the gun into the harbour. I thought 'I'll go to sea. I can't get rid of this habit so I'll move away.' But whatever it was that controlled me in Hong Kong, controlled me in every port I went to. Finally I remembered what you said about those other people who found Jesus. So I've come now to be set free."
"Are you willing to believe in Jesus?" asked Jackie. "Yes of course!" said Matthew like many people who have seen others changed by Jesus. "Will you believe He died for your sins? Matthew didn't understand this, but, again like many others, he simply said "Yes." He trusted Jackie and her Jesus. She hadn't just flown into Hong Kong with a message on a platform to fly out again the next day.
Jackie and her colleagues prayed in tongues for Matthew. The Holy Spirit came to him. He welcomed Jesus into his life and he too spoke in tongues. As he continued praying in tongues and others prayed with him constantly, 24 hours a day, for 10 days, he came off his drugs with no withdrawal symptoms. He joined one of the family houses, learning a pattern of family life, of meals and fun and rules and worship, which he had never known before.
Jackie Pullinger-To told this story at the Greenbelt festival in Cheltenham last year. Over 25 years ago she wrote of similar people in a book, written with Andrew Quicke, called Chasing the Dragon. For a while in the early 1980s Jackie Pullinger was a household name among Christians. Since then, most people have heard little of her. But, out of the limelight, Jackie has continued to do the same things she wrote about.
Now she is part of the St Stephen's Society, continuing to develop the approach she pioneered, working in Thailand and the Philippines and other places as well as Hong Kong. Last year a new edition of Chasing the Dragon was published, with a new introduction and two new chapters.
For over 30 years Jackie and others have been praying with drug addicts in Hong Kong, bringing them to Jesus, introducing them to praying in tongues, seeing them set free to a new life without drugs. It is remarkable how little has changed. The St Stephen's approach works among drug addicts in Hong Kong. What is this approach?
Bringing people to Jesus
Jackie sees herself as a missionary. "I don't work among drug addicts. My job is to share Jesus with whoever wants to hear and also to help those who are trapped in some kind of poverty or slavery… We start with Jesus." Jackie has wanted to be a missionary since the age of five when she heard a woman missionary give a talk at her Sunday School. Nothing else is as important, as joyous, as fun, as sharing in the joy of heaven over one sinner who repents.
Jackie brought nothing to Matthew except her message – no tracts, no videos, no evangelistic services with culturally relevant music, not even an invitation to come on a course. She was continuing the same approach as when, over 30 years ago, she left England on a boat with nothing, not even a return ticket.
Jackie says that making new Christians is "the easy bit." She doesn't think it needs great strategies and resources. People see the difference Jesus makes in the lives of people they know or in their own life when Christians pray. Eventually they want to become Christians. This may take a time, as it did with Matthew. Once they have seen the difference Jesus makes in people today, it is up to them to respond. But until people are ready, there is little point in pursuing them with adverts and offers.
Long-term care
Jackie says people trust St Stephen's because they are not going to be leaving on the next plane. Jackie herself has made Hong Kong her home. She speaks like a Chinese woman who had a very good English teacher. Ask her to write something and she writes in Cantonese. Jackie has welcomed hundreds of people on short-term outreach but she also writes of some of them as 'voyeurs.'
Jackie is grateful for those who, in her early days, asked her to stay and love the people. "All the unreasonable benefits came for me after nearly 20 years" she writes. "People I had spent time with so long before never forgot even though we lost each other for a while. Suddenly someone from the past appeared again and it turned out that he had not killed the memory of a love that was so extraordinary that the giver spent Himself in giving until He died. So we have been the delighted, sobbing representatives of the Father whose prodigal son crawled or rushed home after all."
The people at St Stephen's stay with people as they take their first steps as Christians. As many are heroin addicts, people stay with them 24 hours a day for 10 days, praying with them, massaging them, feeding them, loving them. They also stay with people after they become Christians. "If God meant a child to grow slowly and safely in a loving family for up to 18 years, why should we be angry at those who do not change at our pace?"
If making new disciples is 'the easy bit' the hard bit is staying with new Christians as they slowly work out their new life and are transformed by the renewing of their minds. People who have never known good 'honest' kind behaviour take time to learn it. "The man who prophesied last night beats up a helper in the morning."
Jackie has learnt to be the anguished representative of the Father who never gives up on any of His children. "Whatever wrong things you do, you're not out of the family."
Making disciples
No government agency will be able to support the propagation of one faith as opposed to another, as St Stephen's aims to do. "If you have a partnership with the state, you can't talk about Jesus," says Jackie. For her the key question is: "Whether the state funds you or not would you do this?" They have occasional government grants for occasional projects, but no funding for the core work.
State-faith partnerships are much encouraged at the moment, and there is no doubt a place for Christians working together with other people who share similar ideals. But Christians need to keep and support 'new disciples', work which no-one else will do or support.
"You've got all the poor missions somewhere downtown, run by strange people," says Jackie. "Everybody admires them but doesn't want to get near them. And then you've got all the nice people meeting somewhere with homes and families and jobs. One's got what the other needs." One of the most important men in Hong Kong visited St Stephen's. A teenage delinquent gave him a word from God that changed his life. "We've got what will make them rich and they've got what will make us stable and holesome." Jackie wants to see people connecting more, sharing more.
Middle class people have to start with God's heart for the poor, cying with those who cry, helping others with their own resources, joining with others who have a similar heart's desire. "Starting a project, raising funds won't do it," says Jackie. "You have to have a broken heart and the power of the Holy Spirit."
A gift for everyone
Once someone wants to meet Jesus, the St Stephen's people don't tell them anything about Him. "Just close your eyes, and He'll come," is all they say. They pray quietly in tongues. The person sighs deeply, or starts to cry or smile, feeling light or happy or relaxed. "That's because Jesus is the Son of God. Will you believe that?" they ask. "Yes," the person replies. They try not to say very much but continue praying quietly in tongues. When the person then feels even more light or relaxed, they explain that Jesus has taken all their heavinesses, their guilt, their pain, on Himself in dying for them. "Will you believe that?" The person says "Yes."
They also explain that Jesus is not dead but alive and touching them now. With all they are feeling, it's very easy for them to believe. Then they encourage the new Christian to talk to Jesus for themselves asking Him to take away fully all their guilt and pain, to save their life. "Then," they say, "He'll give you new words to talk to Him." The person starts praying in tongues, "just like a baby who's born cries – it's a very natural thing."
Jackie cannot understand why some people are so wary of this gift. She explains that praying in tongues is simply praying in sounds rather than words. People don't understand what they are saying; they trust that the strange sounds they are making are prompted by the Holy Spirit inside them. People control when they begin to pray in tongues and can stop praying at any time. But they don't control what sounds come out of their mouth. It is this humble handing over some of our control which is spiritually important – and initially scary.
"This is such a super gift and God is not picky in just giving it to some people. It's the only gift of the Spirit that builds you up. So why not all have it? That's why we read the Bible isn't it? And tongues will be a great help if you know almost anyone with problems."
The new Christians at St Stephen's also learn to let the Holy Spirit speak through them in their own language – the gift of prophecy – as well as in strange sounds. Jackie's sessions at Greenbelt began with a couple of members of her team speaking out in Cantonese what they believed the Holy Spirit wanted to say to the people there.
Real love
"We love our people whether they turn out well or not," says Jackie. "And the successes do not vindicate our ministry nor the disappointments nullify it. What is important is whether we have loved in a real way – not preached in an impassioned way from a pulpit." From their first contact with people to the nurture of the oldest Christians, St Stephen's people look to meet practical needs. "The spiritual and the practical go absolutely hand in hand."
The approach of Jackie Pullinger-To and the St Stephen's Society, tried and tested over many years, has been little adopted by other people, certainly in the UK. Yet what they do is far closer to Jesus' mission instructions recorded in Luke 10 and Matthew 10 than most of our mission work. There Jesus tells those whom he chooses to send to go in pairs, with nothing, ready to stay with people where they are welcomed. They are to demonstrate the power of the Spirit before they talk of the Kingdom. Is Jackie Pullinger-To calling us back to Jesus' way of mission? "Preach the Gospel and have fun," she says, "because it's good news, not good advice."
Roger Harper is a regular contributor to Christianity magazine. He has worked for 18 years in Church of England parish ministry and is now a part-time hospice chaplain and writer.
JESUS IS THE VICTOR
by Roger Harper
She's well known for her life-changing work with drug addicts in Hong Kong and she's seen thousands of lives changed. But Jackie Pullinger-To shuns evangelistic strategies and has few resources. So how exactly does she do it? Roger Harper finds out.
Jackie Pullinger-To was walking down a hill in Hong Kong, praying in tongues. She bumped into Matthew, whom she had met once before. They said hello. "How about a cup of tea at Ah Chan's?" asked Jackie. Matthew didn't look at all keen but, embarrassed, he agreed. As they sat in the café Jackie showed Matthew pictures of people he had known who had been on drugs, and who now, as Christians, were free from addiction. He looked fidgety and finally said, "I have to go." Off he
went.
A few weeks later Jackie was walking down the same hill, praying in tongues. She bumped into Matthew again. "Hello Matthew, how about a cup of tea at Ah Chan's?" He looked even less keen, but was embarrassed and in a corner. He came and gulped down a cup of tea. Jackie said, "Matthew, all these guys were changed by Jesus and I know that you've got a problem. If you ever want an answer, Jesus is here, and I'm here, so here's my number. And this is free." Off he went.
Jackie didn't see Matthew for five years. One day she had a knock on the door. It was Matthew. "I'm ready now," he said. "Well what's happened in the middle?" asked Jackie.
Set free
"I was on drugs," Matthew said, "really needing money. I had decided to go and rob a goldsmith. I bought the gun. I found out when the guard changed. I timed it exactly and I was on my way to the robbery. And then I bumped into you! And you said, 'How about a cup of tea?' I was much too embarrassed to tell you I was on my way to a robbery. So we had tea, and I missed it. It was too late. A few weeks later I planned it again. I had the whole thing worked out and was on my way to the robbery, and I bumped into you again! After that, I threw the gun into the harbour. I thought 'I'll go to sea. I can't get rid of this habit so I'll move away.' But whatever it was that controlled me in Hong Kong, controlled me in every port I went to. Finally I remembered what you said about those other people who found Jesus. So I've come now to be set free."
"Are you willing to believe in Jesus?" asked Jackie. "Yes of course!" said Matthew like many people who have seen others changed by Jesus. "Will you believe He died for your sins? Matthew didn't understand this, but, again like many others, he simply said "Yes." He trusted Jackie and her Jesus. She hadn't just flown into Hong Kong with a message on a platform to fly out again the next day.
Jackie and her colleagues prayed in tongues for Matthew. The Holy Spirit came to him. He welcomed Jesus into his life and he too spoke in tongues. As he continued praying in tongues and others prayed with him constantly, 24 hours a day, for 10 days, he came off his drugs with no withdrawal symptoms. He joined one of the family houses, learning a pattern of family life, of meals and fun and rules and worship, which he had never known before.
Jackie Pullinger-To told this story at the Greenbelt festival in Cheltenham last year. Over 25 years ago she wrote of similar people in a book, written with Andrew Quicke, called Chasing the Dragon. For a while in the early 1980s Jackie Pullinger was a household name among Christians. Since then, most people have heard little of her. But, out of the limelight, Jackie has continued to do the same things she wrote about.
Now she is part of the St Stephen's Society, continuing to develop the approach she pioneered, working in Thailand and the Philippines and other places as well as Hong Kong. Last year a new edition of Chasing the Dragon was published, with a new introduction and two new chapters.
For over 30 years Jackie and others have been praying with drug addicts in Hong Kong, bringing them to Jesus, introducing them to praying in tongues, seeing them set free to a new life without drugs. It is remarkable how little has changed. The St Stephen's approach works among drug addicts in Hong Kong. What is this approach?
Bringing people to Jesus
Jackie sees herself as a missionary. "I don't work among drug addicts. My job is to share Jesus with whoever wants to hear and also to help those who are trapped in some kind of poverty or slavery… We start with Jesus." Jackie has wanted to be a missionary since the age of five when she heard a woman missionary give a talk at her Sunday School. Nothing else is as important, as joyous, as fun, as sharing in the joy of heaven over one sinner who repents.
Jackie brought nothing to Matthew except her message – no tracts, no videos, no evangelistic services with culturally relevant music, not even an invitation to come on a course. She was continuing the same approach as when, over 30 years ago, she left England on a boat with nothing, not even a return ticket.
Jackie says that making new Christians is "the easy bit." She doesn't think it needs great strategies and resources. People see the difference Jesus makes in the lives of people they know or in their own life when Christians pray. Eventually they want to become Christians. This may take a time, as it did with Matthew. Once they have seen the difference Jesus makes in people today, it is up to them to respond. But until people are ready, there is little point in pursuing them with adverts and offers.
Long-term care
Jackie says people trust St Stephen's because they are not going to be leaving on the next plane. Jackie herself has made Hong Kong her home. She speaks like a Chinese woman who had a very good English teacher. Ask her to write something and she writes in Cantonese. Jackie has welcomed hundreds of people on short-term outreach but she also writes of some of them as 'voyeurs.'
Jackie is grateful for those who, in her early days, asked her to stay and love the people. "All the unreasonable benefits came for me after nearly 20 years" she writes. "People I had spent time with so long before never forgot even though we lost each other for a while. Suddenly someone from the past appeared again and it turned out that he had not killed the memory of a love that was so extraordinary that the giver spent Himself in giving until He died. So we have been the delighted, sobbing representatives of the Father whose prodigal son crawled or rushed home after all."
The people at St Stephen's stay with people as they take their first steps as Christians. As many are heroin addicts, people stay with them 24 hours a day for 10 days, praying with them, massaging them, feeding them, loving them. They also stay with people after they become Christians. "If God meant a child to grow slowly and safely in a loving family for up to 18 years, why should we be angry at those who do not change at our pace?"
If making new disciples is 'the easy bit' the hard bit is staying with new Christians as they slowly work out their new life and are transformed by the renewing of their minds. People who have never known good 'honest' kind behaviour take time to learn it. "The man who prophesied last night beats up a helper in the morning."
Jackie has learnt to be the anguished representative of the Father who never gives up on any of His children. "Whatever wrong things you do, you're not out of the family."
Making disciples
No government agency will be able to support the propagation of one faith as opposed to another, as St Stephen's aims to do. "If you have a partnership with the state, you can't talk about Jesus," says Jackie. For her the key question is: "Whether the state funds you or not would you do this?" They have occasional government grants for occasional projects, but no funding for the core work.
State-faith partnerships are much encouraged at the moment, and there is no doubt a place for Christians working together with other people who share similar ideals. But Christians need to keep and support 'new disciples', work which no-one else will do or support.
"You've got all the poor missions somewhere downtown, run by strange people," says Jackie. "Everybody admires them but doesn't want to get near them. And then you've got all the nice people meeting somewhere with homes and families and jobs. One's got what the other needs." One of the most important men in Hong Kong visited St Stephen's. A teenage delinquent gave him a word from God that changed his life. "We've got what will make them rich and they've got what will make us stable and holesome." Jackie wants to see people connecting more, sharing more.
Middle class people have to start with God's heart for the poor, cying with those who cry, helping others with their own resources, joining with others who have a similar heart's desire. "Starting a project, raising funds won't do it," says Jackie. "You have to have a broken heart and the power of the Holy Spirit."
A gift for everyone
Once someone wants to meet Jesus, the St Stephen's people don't tell them anything about Him. "Just close your eyes, and He'll come," is all they say. They pray quietly in tongues. The person sighs deeply, or starts to cry or smile, feeling light or happy or relaxed. "That's because Jesus is the Son of God. Will you believe that?" they ask. "Yes," the person replies. They try not to say very much but continue praying quietly in tongues. When the person then feels even more light or relaxed, they explain that Jesus has taken all their heavinesses, their guilt, their pain, on Himself in dying for them. "Will you believe that?" The person says "Yes."
They also explain that Jesus is not dead but alive and touching them now. With all they are feeling, it's very easy for them to believe. Then they encourage the new Christian to talk to Jesus for themselves asking Him to take away fully all their guilt and pain, to save their life. "Then," they say, "He'll give you new words to talk to Him." The person starts praying in tongues, "just like a baby who's born cries – it's a very natural thing."
Jackie cannot understand why some people are so wary of this gift. She explains that praying in tongues is simply praying in sounds rather than words. People don't understand what they are saying; they trust that the strange sounds they are making are prompted by the Holy Spirit inside them. People control when they begin to pray in tongues and can stop praying at any time. But they don't control what sounds come out of their mouth. It is this humble handing over some of our control which is spiritually important – and initially scary.
"This is such a super gift and God is not picky in just giving it to some people. It's the only gift of the Spirit that builds you up. So why not all have it? That's why we read the Bible isn't it? And tongues will be a great help if you know almost anyone with problems."
The new Christians at St Stephen's also learn to let the Holy Spirit speak through them in their own language – the gift of prophecy – as well as in strange sounds. Jackie's sessions at Greenbelt began with a couple of members of her team speaking out in Cantonese what they believed the Holy Spirit wanted to say to the people there.
Real love
"We love our people whether they turn out well or not," says Jackie. "And the successes do not vindicate our ministry nor the disappointments nullify it. What is important is whether we have loved in a real way – not preached in an impassioned way from a pulpit." From their first contact with people to the nurture of the oldest Christians, St Stephen's people look to meet practical needs. "The spiritual and the practical go absolutely hand in hand."
The approach of Jackie Pullinger-To and the St Stephen's Society, tried and tested over many years, has been little adopted by other people, certainly in the UK. Yet what they do is far closer to Jesus' mission instructions recorded in Luke 10 and Matthew 10 than most of our mission work. There Jesus tells those whom he chooses to send to go in pairs, with nothing, ready to stay with people where they are welcomed. They are to demonstrate the power of the Spirit before they talk of the Kingdom. Is Jackie Pullinger-To calling us back to Jesus' way of mission? "Preach the Gospel and have fun," she says, "because it's good news, not good advice."
Roger Harper is a regular contributor to Christianity magazine. He has worked for 18 years in Church of England parish ministry and is now a part-time hospice chaplain and writer.
JESUS IS THE VICTOR
Sunday, April 29, 2007
smelling the flowers
life has been good, in general. perhaps a slower pace of life suits us all sometimes. like what T\itus said, youths today are trying too hard to live up to expectations imposed upon them by the society, that we hardly take time to smell the flowers and pursue the things that we really wanted to do with our lives.
I thank God for this 8-month long respite. I supposed this holiday or imposed break has allowed me to pursue some of the things which I've been wanting to do for a long time - experimenting with designer tool G\imp, Japanese lessons (at least I can speak and write some decent foreign lang hurhur) and reading the newspapers for endless hours especially during the weekends, researching on topics which I've been wanting to find out about since like a thousand years ago but never had the time to do it (Nietszche, the Ma'at, Hammurabi etc).
work has been good in an enriching way, albeit tiring and tending to end at 7+ pm late into the evening. colleagues call me "xiao mei" there because i think i'm really the youngest there (and like what one colleague said, "you're even younger than my sister lor"). they have been feeding me with snacks and sweets etc etc. nice sinful indulgence haha. not to mention that h\ong l\im food centre has loads of yummy food that makes for delightful lunches.
books that seduce me:
1. The World Is Flat - Thomas Friedman
2. The Undercover Economist - Tim Harford
3. Freakonomics (have been meaning to get this for a long time but well, i never got down to doing it either)
4. He Chose The Nails - Max Lucado
after the essay I wrote today, i wondered if i should have engaged in a macro discussion of legal paternalism in Singapore, apart from delving into the issue directly at hand. well..
listened to the sermon on the passage of Ephesians 6, namely the helmet of salvation that God has provided as part of the armour. According to guys, the helmet is one of the things (or, the main thing)which makes them feel stupid. haha. however, I suppose after this sermon, I have a better understanding and appreciation of the figurative meaning of the helmet - as a spiritual protection for the most essential part of the body, our minds - which the devil has been trying to gain a stronghold over.
looking forward to the coming week.
see going to work as going to church, where your labour is worship to God - Ps K\hong
I thank God for this 8-month long respite. I supposed this holiday or imposed break has allowed me to pursue some of the things which I've been wanting to do for a long time - experimenting with designer tool G\imp, Japanese lessons (at least I can speak and write some decent foreign lang hurhur) and reading the newspapers for endless hours especially during the weekends, researching on topics which I've been wanting to find out about since like a thousand years ago but never had the time to do it (Nietszche, the Ma'at, Hammurabi etc).
work has been good in an enriching way, albeit tiring and tending to end at 7+ pm late into the evening. colleagues call me "xiao mei" there because i think i'm really the youngest there (and like what one colleague said, "you're even younger than my sister lor"). they have been feeding me with snacks and sweets etc etc. nice sinful indulgence haha. not to mention that h\ong l\im food centre has loads of yummy food that makes for delightful lunches.
books that seduce me:
1. The World Is Flat - Thomas Friedman
2. The Undercover Economist - Tim Harford
3. Freakonomics (have been meaning to get this for a long time but well, i never got down to doing it either)
4. He Chose The Nails - Max Lucado
after the essay I wrote today, i wondered if i should have engaged in a macro discussion of legal paternalism in Singapore, apart from delving into the issue directly at hand. well..
listened to the sermon on the passage of Ephesians 6, namely the helmet of salvation that God has provided as part of the armour. According to guys, the helmet is one of the things (or, the main thing)which makes them feel stupid. haha. however, I suppose after this sermon, I have a better understanding and appreciation of the figurative meaning of the helmet - as a spiritual protection for the most essential part of the body, our minds - which the devil has been trying to gain a stronghold over.
looking forward to the coming week.
see going to work as going to church, where your labour is worship to God - Ps K\hong
Saturday, April 7, 2007
This is amazingly accurate.. most of it
My profile type: X.
Dependable, reliable and trustworthy, they like to belong to solid organisations that are reasonable in their ambitions and loyal to their employees. They feel useful when their roles and responsibilities are clearly established and they can monitor their activities and productivity in tangible ways. They tend to be rather modest, traditional and conventional, to like sensible clothing, to be thrifty, careful and wise with both money and possessions.
Once they accept a project, they will see it to the end. They manage their time well and are realistic about how much time and resources will be needed.
They tend to like to stay in one neighbourhood, often choosing to live close to where they were themselves raised. They are often involved with volunteer organisations and have a developed sense of citizenship and accountability. When they purchase something, it is after careful consideration; rarely will they buy something without having a known need or use for it. They may keep possessions for a lifetime and treasure those that were given to them.
They tend to have a good memory for specific facts that are necessary in their day-to-day life at work and at home. They accumulate facts and details to orient themselves, relying on repeated experiences that have been proven trustworthy. A fact once experienced may be the product of circumstance and happenstance; it is not in and of itself reliable. When an X type hears an idea, they rummage through reams of archived facts to find an experience that provides information for the relevance and realism of an idea. When an X type utters, "It's never been done!" they are saying that no information about the relevance or usefulness of the idea is available to them. They tend to shy away from surprises and what is perceived as unnecessary change.
Dependable, reliable and trustworthy, they like to belong to solid organisations that are reasonable in their ambitions and loyal to their employees. They feel useful when their roles and responsibilities are clearly established and they can monitor their activities and productivity in tangible ways. They tend to be rather modest, traditional and conventional, to like sensible clothing, to be thrifty, careful and wise with both money and possessions.
Once they accept a project, they will see it to the end. They manage their time well and are realistic about how much time and resources will be needed.
They tend to like to stay in one neighbourhood, often choosing to live close to where they were themselves raised. They are often involved with volunteer organisations and have a developed sense of citizenship and accountability. When they purchase something, it is after careful consideration; rarely will they buy something without having a known need or use for it. They may keep possessions for a lifetime and treasure those that were given to them.
They tend to have a good memory for specific facts that are necessary in their day-to-day life at work and at home. They accumulate facts and details to orient themselves, relying on repeated experiences that have been proven trustworthy. A fact once experienced may be the product of circumstance and happenstance; it is not in and of itself reliable. When an X type hears an idea, they rummage through reams of archived facts to find an experience that provides information for the relevance and realism of an idea. When an X type utters, "It's never been done!" they are saying that no information about the relevance or usefulness of the idea is available to them. They tend to shy away from surprises and what is perceived as unnecessary change.
Thanksgiving
The Good Friday holiday brings a respite from busy workdays and hectic schedules, and I'm just glad that I have more time to myself and my closed ones. Spent the day(s) reading a variety of non-related news articles, finishing up Driven by Eternity and pondering about the issues that will hit me as I am at this crossroads of my life, peering over the edge of the cliff with anticipation and excitement for what the future holds.
Like what one senior HR manager told me, the decisions I make now will affect what I do for the rest of my life. I suppose that applies in spiritual terms as well. The things that I do and perspectives that I adopt now on earth will affect how I spend eternity.
Have been thinking about many things recently; like how I managed to (somewhat) finish strong in R/JC with the God's amazing&abundant&unceasing grace, like how many JC mates have crossed my path but diverged thereafter, how the relationships with JC mates and P/L mates differ etc, what His plans for me will be in 5,10,15 years's time.
In many ways I am a product of Singapore's education system: I have been tested and assessed in so many ways: written tests, informal assessments, personality tests, SPAs, project work. I suppose I have to thank it for helping me come out of it with an enquiring mind, to read The Straits Times and get the distinct impression that I am reading propaganda articles (especially those by the political editor, Chua Mui Hoong, who talks about the PAP), to know well enough that I have the opportunity to scale the social strata if I have enough drive, determination and verve in me to do it, etc. However, although I believe that there is equality of opportunities in education, public perception of elitism appears unchanged, and that is the reason why self-sufficing elitism still perpetuates the system. Somehow there is a distinction between 'pure-blood R/afflesians' (eg. RGPS-RGS-RJC) and 'half-blood R/afflesians' (sorry I have read too much of Harry Potter). It is not direct or confrontational, but rather subversive, a subconscious thought that lays dormant in the recesses of one's mind. I suppose this somehow affects the manner in which we perceive people and their social 'status' in school, or their networks which grants them more opportunities.
I am simply recording my observations of the happenings around me, which is why I don't necessariy have any particular point to make about the above paragraph. :)
I have also endeavoured to make this blog, as far as possible, an un-photoblog. Being the voyeur that I am, I've come across many many blogs in which the authors post up glamourous pictures of themselves, their friends, the food they eat at restaurants and other random things. No need for that, I feel(this is my personal opinion). Somehow it makes the blog entries more surface-skimming, superficial, and simply punctuated with many smiley faces.
The reason why I placed a counter on this site, was to monitor the number of blogsurfers that traverse this place. I suppose I will be quite comfortable in having a small/regular number of blog-visitors/friends here, but not too many. That's why I usually end up locking private entries which I fear may be read by undesired visitors /spammers. Then again, there's no such thing as a 'private blog' (a certain MP said that and took his word back). I suppose i have to balance between the narcisscism of seeing my voice in materialized virtual print and the privacy thingy. Ok, lor :P
All of the above seem to have no direct relation with the blog title, but here's something that I want to be thankful for. Many a times I've felt that I am really undeserving of His grace/love/blessings, since I am such a _____ person (fill in the blanks haha). But God has been good and hears my prayers. I shall learn to go deep, look far and ask big in this year, to really see and receive His calling for my life, and fulfill it to the best of my capabilities, by His spirit.
Like what one senior HR manager told me, the decisions I make now will affect what I do for the rest of my life. I suppose that applies in spiritual terms as well. The things that I do and perspectives that I adopt now on earth will affect how I spend eternity.
Have been thinking about many things recently; like how I managed to (somewhat) finish strong in R/JC with the God's amazing&abundant&unceasing grace, like how many JC mates have crossed my path but diverged thereafter, how the relationships with JC mates and P/L mates differ etc, what His plans for me will be in 5,10,15 years's time.
In many ways I am a product of Singapore's education system: I have been tested and assessed in so many ways: written tests, informal assessments, personality tests, SPAs, project work. I suppose I have to thank it for helping me come out of it with an enquiring mind, to read The Straits Times and get the distinct impression that I am reading propaganda articles (especially those by the political editor, Chua Mui Hoong, who talks about the PAP), to know well enough that I have the opportunity to scale the social strata if I have enough drive, determination and verve in me to do it, etc. However, although I believe that there is equality of opportunities in education, public perception of elitism appears unchanged, and that is the reason why self-sufficing elitism still perpetuates the system. Somehow there is a distinction between 'pure-blood R/afflesians' (eg. RGPS-RGS-RJC) and 'half-blood R/afflesians' (sorry I have read too much of Harry Potter). It is not direct or confrontational, but rather subversive, a subconscious thought that lays dormant in the recesses of one's mind. I suppose this somehow affects the manner in which we perceive people and their social 'status' in school, or their networks which grants them more opportunities.
I am simply recording my observations of the happenings around me, which is why I don't necessariy have any particular point to make about the above paragraph. :)
I have also endeavoured to make this blog, as far as possible, an un-photoblog. Being the voyeur that I am, I've come across many many blogs in which the authors post up glamourous pictures of themselves, their friends, the food they eat at restaurants and other random things. No need for that, I feel(this is my personal opinion). Somehow it makes the blog entries more surface-skimming, superficial, and simply punctuated with many smiley faces.
The reason why I placed a counter on this site, was to monitor the number of blogsurfers that traverse this place. I suppose I will be quite comfortable in having a small/regular number of blog-visitors/friends here, but not too many. That's why I usually end up locking private entries which I fear may be read by undesired visitors /spammers. Then again, there's no such thing as a 'private blog' (a certain MP said that and took his word back). I suppose i have to balance between the narcisscism of seeing my voice in materialized virtual print and the privacy thingy. Ok, lor :P
All of the above seem to have no direct relation with the blog title, but here's something that I want to be thankful for. Many a times I've felt that I am really undeserving of His grace/love/blessings, since I am such a _____ person (fill in the blanks haha). But God has been good and hears my prayers. I shall learn to go deep, look far and ask big in this year, to really see and receive His calling for my life, and fulfill it to the best of my capabilities, by His spirit.
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