牧者心聲

今年八月，我與 12 位中四學生及五位牧養少年人的組長一同到澳門短宣，親眼見證神奇妙的作為。

出發前，我們從天氣預報得知，兒童戶外佈道當天將有雷雨；抵達澳門後，舉辦活動的單位預告或許在遊樂場會被驅趕。面對這兩個壞消息，我們唯一能做的就是禱告，懇求天父保守當日「不下雨，我們也不被驅趕」。

神的回應實在令人驚歎！當天不但沒有下雨，陽光更十分猛烈；遊樂場管理員看見我們，亦未前來干涉。我們知道神垂聽了我們的禱告。然而，烈日當空，遊樂場內卻一個小朋友也沒有。

這時，有導師提議到附近公園派發氣球，邀請小朋友前來參加活動。坦白說，組長起初認為成效不大，但導師仍帶著三位少年人出發。沒想到過了不久，孩子一個接一個帶著笑容、手拿氣球走進遊樂場。原本以為用不上的物資與活動環節，最終全都排上用場。更寶貴的是，其中一位組長清晰感受到神對她說：「你以為不行，但我說行就行。」神在人心中動工，實在令人驚歎！

我們在短宣期間，也探訪了約 60 位長者。少年人在活動中擔任司儀，帶領長者唱詩歌、製作扭扭棒花。由於我們事前嘗試製作時已感難度不少，擔心長者們也未必能應付，便預先做了 200 朵，心想讓長者直接把花插進花盆便算完成。

然而，神讓我們再次驚歎，長者們能專心跟著步驟扭出花瓣。當他們完成作品時，臉上所綻放的笑容比花朵更燦爛，更不斷稱讚：「好靚！」整個場面洋溢著溫暖與歡樂。那位組長再次經歷神的提醒：「你以為公公婆婆不喜歡，但事實跟你所想的不一樣。」這組長深深感受到天父的愛和真實。

澳門短宣結束，群體建立的時間隨即開始。少年人之間變得熟絡；更重要是幾位組長，因著神的真實和不離不棄的愛，內心被激勵、燃燒。當他們看到少年人同行成長的需要，更主動籌辦兩次重聚日，在坦誠交流中，彼此加深認識、建立信任，群體亦慢慢被建立起來。

經此短宣，我深深體會到，神能把我們以為不能成就的事，化成祂施恩的渠道。正如弗三 20 所記：「神能照著運行在我們心裡的大力充充足足地成就一切，超過我們所求所想的。」神不但應允了我們的禱告，更賜下我們從未想過的福氣。祂的作為實在令人驚歎！

  This August, I went on a short-term mission trip to Macau with 12 Secondary Four students and five group leaders who minister to young people, where we witnessed firsthand the wonderful works of God.

  Before our departure, we learned from the weather forecast that thunderstorms were expected on the day of our outdoor evangelistic outreach to children. After arriving in Macau, the host organization warned us that we might be asked to leave the playground where the activity was to be held. Faced with these two pieces of bad news, all we could do was pray, earnestly asking our Heavenly Father to protect us so that “it would not rain, and we would not be driven away.” God’s response was truly amazing! Not only did it not rain that day, but the sun was also blazing. The playground staff saw us but did not come over to intervene. We knew that God had heard our prayers. However, under the scorching sun, there was not a single child in the playground.

  At that moment, one counselor suggested going to a nearby park to distribute balloons and invite children to join the activity. Frankly, the group leaders initially doubted that this would be effective, but the counselor went ahead with three of the teenagers. To our surprise, before long, children began arriving at the playground one after another, smiling and holding balloons. All the materials and planned activities that we had thought would go unused were eventually put to good use. Even more precious was that one of the group leaders clearly sensed God speaking to her: “You think it won't work, but if I say it will, it will.” It was truly amazing to see God at work in people’s hearts!

  During the short-term mission trip, we also visited around 60 elderly people. The youth served as emcees for the activities, leading the elderly participants in singing hymns and making flowers out of colorful pipe cleaners. As we had found making these flowers quite challenging when we tried beforehand, we were concerned that the elderly participants might struggle with the task. We therefore prepared 200 flowers in advance, thinking that all they would need to do was arrange the flowers in the flowerpots. Yet God amazed us once again. The elderly participants were able to concentrate and follow the instructions step by step, twisting the pipe cleaners into flower petals. When they finished their creations, the smiles that blossomed on their faces were even more radiant than the flowers themselves. They repeatedly exclaimed, “So beautiful!” The entire scene was filled with warmth and joy. Once again, that group leader experienced God's gentle reminder: “You thought the elderly wouldn't enjoy it, but the reality is different from what you imagined.” The group leader deeply experienced the love and reality of our Heavenly Father.

  As the short-term mission trip to Macau came to an end, the work of building community began. The youth had grown closer to one another. More importantly, several group leaders, deeply moved by the reality of God and His unfailing love, found their hearts stirred and set aflame. Recognizing the youth's need to journey and grow together, they took the initiative to organize two reunion gatherings. Through open and honest conversations, they came to know one another more deeply, built mutual trust, and gradually developed a stronger sense of community.

  Through this short-term mission trip, I came to realize deeply that God can turn what we consider impossible into channels through which He bestows His grace. As Ephesians 3:20 reminds us, God is able to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” God not only answered our prayers but also bestowed blessings we had never imagined. His works are truly amazing!