25th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service

I celebrated with 30 of my closest friends and associates in ministry along with 9 of my former students from Namaus and Melangkap Campuses. I appreciated that my "first student" from Melangkap in 1994-1995 came all the way from Labuan. He was in KK for the SIB AGM and had to return to Labuan on Saturday night for Sunday morning service and after service made his way (2 hours' ferry and 3 hours' drive) to KK to attend the function. He gave a wonderful testimony of his 20-year long in ministry and our times together in Melangkap 25 years ago. My other 8 students most of whom are pastors of rural churches came from their respective churches. With their basic salary of less than RM1,000 a month (one person told me that last year in 2018, she was only paid RM200.00 per month). They must have sacrificed time and money to come all the way and most had spent the night at a motel nearby before returning to their places of ministry on Monday. When you have nothing, you truly know who your true friends are.
My students ran the service. My good friend, the former Mayor of KK who is now the Ranau's assemblyman was one of the earliest to turn up and after dinner fellowship we started the thanksgiving service at 8pm and ended at 9.45pm. We chatted and took photos and left for home at about 10.30pm. My lawyer friend of 31 years and his wife also came. I basically invited about 30 people, most of whom have been my close associates in ministry, at the Likas church where I served as pastor and also District Superintendent. My Deputy DS at that time also came. My good friend who was involved in the building of the Ministry Centre (the venue of the service) also came. I thanked them all for your love and support for me. A few asked me where I would be going as 2020 is just around the corner and whether I have received an appointment for ministry. Yes, I told them but I could not announce it at that time as I was still praying over it and God willing, by the end of the week, a decision will be forthcoming. The double blessing on Sunday was that I also preached at my home church on the Sunday morning service on "Doing the will of God" based on 1 John 2:7-17 about loving our brothers, abiding in the light and that for those who do the will of God, they will live forever.