As a movement to bring the gospel and biblical discipleship into the nations, The Navigators has impacted many people. Some bequeath part of their estate to The Navigators. They leave a living legacy to the work of reaching the lost through generations of disciplemakers for Christ. One of them, Teo Siew Lan, kindly allows us to share her story here.

While doing post-graduate studies in the U.S., Siew Lan was introduced to Navigator staff Kevin and Beth Curry. One significant thing that they did for Siew Lan was that, upon her graduation in 1988, they bought her a ticket to fly to The Navigators Headquarters at Glen Eyrie. There, Siew Lan joined a 5-day International Student Conference.

“That conference made me want to live for God. For the first time, it dawned on me that Christianity was not a schedule of religious activities but a relationship with God that I had to live out.”

So compelling was the experience that Siew Lan returned to attend the 2-year Leadership Development Institute at the Glen. After that, she went to South America on a mission stint. It was there that she found her life mission—to be a coach and missionary.1 She returned to Singapore in late 1991 but what she thought would be a short trip home before leaving to do a PhD overseas turned out otherwise.

“While back in Singapore, three things happened that changed the course of my life. First, a staff from the high school ministry, NavTeens, counselled me to consider teaching to impact the lives of students for Christ. Second, I was then reaching out to a student at St. Hilda’s Secondary School who was on the verge of being expelled. I started a basketball team to interest him to stay, and he

responded. Lastly, I was accepted into the teaching service again despite having resigned in 1986 to pursue my Masters.”

In the years that followed, Siew Lan became a passionate volleyball coach who gave much to, and expected much of her students. But the chase for championships often did not go hand-in-hand with the vision of helping these students know Christ.

“With the intensity of training, it was often hard to release the students to do Bible-study and attend NavTeens events. When I started in St. Hilda’s, I knew I wanted to live my life for God, but I struggled a lot with guilt and anger.”

The next turning point in her life came with the help of an ex-Nav staff-turned-counsellor. He helped her acknowledge certain truths about herself, resulting in a decision to spend a year in Regent College, Canada.

“At Regent, I experienced what it means to be loved by God. It changed something deep within me. I came back with compassion for people because God reached down through all my anger and “unloveliness”, and loved me. I used to be very rigid in my pursuit of excellence, but now, I cared for my students as individuals, many who came from broken homes. As

a coach, instead of it being about proving who I am, it became being about proving who God is through the training, the game, the competitions. I saw that if the students can trust God and have Him with them in their lives, the championship will follow.”

Siew Lan has bequeathed her property to the Singapore Navigators, hoping that it, or its sales proceeds, will be used to offer a place of rest and refreshment to workers in God’s Kingdom.

“God is my family. The students, the people He brings to me are my family. Since my college days, people from The Navigators have supported me in many ways, and they have always been used by God to walk with me during the pivotal points of my life. I want to help them continue doing that for others. I want to leave behind something for the work of His Kingdom through The Navigators.”

For more information on how to leave a Living Legacy to The Singapore Navigators, kindly contact Royston Koh, Director of Development at roykoh@navigators.org.sg

1 This happened after Siew Lan was not able to go on two previous mission opportunities as reported in the print version of NavNews June 2014.

Here in Singapore, The Navigators has served our local churches since the 1970s by making our materials accessible to all believers. Spiritual classics like Design for Discipleship, Topical Memory System and Growing in Christ Series have been sold annually in the thousands.

NavMedia Resource Centre in our Telok Kurau main office serves as a one-stop shop for the discipleship needs of both the Navigators ministries and al l Christians. With our Roadmap to Discipleship curriculum, church leaders need not look further for proven time-tested and well-designed materials and tools. The varied tools can be tailor-made to ensure spiritual growth of new believers and equipping of older Christians to be effective labourers for the Kingdom.

For more details, please visit our website: www.navmedia.com

“Materials are just tools, remember,” Dawson reminded his men. “If they‘re not used, they rust. But if they are designed exactly right ... they will be used. And the reason for finding better ways to do it is not some gimmick, but in order to help some fellow or girl build in to his life the strength and devotion to His Lord that will stand the test. So we want the very sharpest, most efficient tools possible.”

Over the last 75 years, tens of thousands of believers have benefitted from using Navigators materials to help them in their spiritual development. Many Navigator classic tools like Beginning with Christ, Word Hand Illustration, The Wheel arose out of the days of Dawson Trotman’s work with sailors in the US Navy prior to 2nd World War (1939-1945).

NavMedia on its opening day in 1985NavMedia today:

A one-stop Discipleship Resource Centre

Why this year’s National

Conference is a MUST-GO !

NavMedia

NavNews checked in with Yap Kim Meng, the Director of this year’s National Conference, and asked him for 3 reasons why the event should be a must on our calendar.

Our key speaker, Mutua Mahiaini, is African and his experiences as a believer in Africa will be unique and quite different from ours. It will be exciting, refreshing and insightful to learn biblical truths from him.

10 excellent workshop leaders who have abundant experience in fruitful Christian living, evangelism and discipling. So much to learn from them!

The conference theme ‘True Discipleship’ is taken from William McDonald’s influential booklet of the same title which made great impact on those who responded to Christ and His call in the 70s. Nothing has changed. Jesus still calls us to follow Him without reservations. Come to the conference and let the truth take hold of you again!

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We have a capacity for 644 participants. At press time, there are only 152 places still available. Registration closes on 30 June. Register now at www.navconference2014.eventbrite.sg

Royston Koh reports:

MISSIONS: Kolkata Report

In the previous issue, we introduced the mission team to Kolkata led by Nav Staff Supramaniam and Yin Wah. They stayed with the Moons, a Korean Navigator missionary couple who has worked among students in a Discipling Fellowship there for 16 years. They are back, fired up by their fruitful month-long experience. Here’s what they have to share!

Tell us an experience that left an impact on you:

Jermyn: ONE Saturday, Andrew and I were supposed to meet up with the Christian students in the Fellowship for lunch and shopping. We went to their hostel, but to our disappointment, many of them had gone back home, and those who remained were either sleeping or had had lunch. But we met 2 non-believing friends who had attended the Fun Nite on Fridays at the Fellowship. One of them mentioned his desire to experience peace from God and I shared with him my personal experience with the Lord. It was the first time I introduced God into a conversation with a non-believer there. What began as a disappointment turned out to be a divine appointment!

Xuezhen: DURING the first visit to the girls’ hostel with Mrs Moon, we saw students bowing down and worshipping idols in their room. I felt sorrow in my heart. I believe God desires us to share what is on His heart--to reach out to those still living in darkness.

What have you learnt from the mission field:

Joy: OUR continual reliance on the Holy Spirit is essential. The missionaries were very patient. It took years to see fruit. They persevered and I believe it was their full reliance on the Holy Spirit which gave them the strength to do so. We always want to see things fulfilled “in our time” and this impatience leads to discouragement and the desire to give up. But a volunteer in the Fellowship followed up on someone for 10 years before this person finally responded. Eventually this person became very fruitful and even turned his house into a home church. God makes everything beautiful in His time. (Eccle 3:11)

Andrew: YOU must be ready to love the locals you are about to meet, regardless of their reception and their actions. You have to love unconditionally because this love will compel us to share the gospel with them!

by Neo Wei Chong

The team with the Kolkata Disciples Fellowship

Photo: Joy Tan

Doug ErdmannNational Director

Cheng Kingfai and Yee

In our last NavNews, I wrote that we were looking for some “C.T. Studds” to join our staff. Studd was the famous missionary who said, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” I think we’ve found three.

Adrian Ho is from Malaysia. He came to Singapore to study at Republic Polytechnic. There, one of our staff men led him to Christ and discipled him. Adrian just graduated with a diploma in Environmental Science. Rather than take a job in that burgeoning field, he has decided to join our staff as an EDGEr. He will be a huge help to our growing Inter-Poly ministry.

Adrian says, “I believe that every individual has the potential to be a disciple for Christ through proper discipling and training. Matthew 9:37-38 helps me to see the urgency of raising workers to labour among the lost.”

Cheng Kingfai and his wife Yee are coming to us from Hong Kong. They are involved there in a discipling ministry started years ago by a Nav-trained Singaporean doctor. The ministry has thrived, but they have no full-time staff. Feeling God’s call to serve Him full-time, but having no other full-timer to train them, Kingfai and Yee have turned to us. They will leave their careers and join our staff (despite strong parental objection) to be trained and minister at NUS for the next few years.

Kingfai shares that “since 2011, I have been burdened to move into full-time ministry. Years of prayer has made my mission clearer – to build up labourers for Jesus through personal discipling. My wife Yee and I are convinced that we are called to be shepherds (John 21:15) and we are

longing to pour out our lives for building many others for the sake of His kingdom (John 12:24).”

As Adrian knows, the call of God can mean setting aside career plans. Witness the fishermen who had to “cast down their nets and follow Jesus.” (Matt. 4:20) As Kingfai and Yee know, the call of God can mean disappointing parents. Recall Jesus’ comments to aspiring disciples regarding “burying the dead” and “family farewells.” (Luke 9:59-62) Are these sacrifices too great? Not compared to Jesus’ sacrifice for you and me.

Adrian Ho

NEW STAFF BOARD

Printed by Seng Lee Press Pte Ltd

The calling of The Navigators is to advance the gospel of Jesus and his kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of labourers living and discipling among the lost. Views expressed in published articles are those of the individual writers and may not necessarily be the views of The Navigators Singapore.

THE NAVIGATORS SINGAPORE • National Director: K. Douglas Erdmann • Editor/Design & Layout/Photography: Patricia Lian 117 Lorong K, Telok Kurau, Singapore 425758 • Tel: (65) 6344 4133 • Fax: (65) 6344 0975 • E-mail: admin@navigators.org.sg • www.facebook.com/singaporenavigators

www.navigators.org.sg

DISCIPLESHIP in action

Scripture Memory is not just for Christians! Freshmen got a chance to memorize a scripture verse and win a prize at the SPNavs Freshmen Outreach . It was a fun activity and attracted non-Christians and Christians alike . We got to know more than 80 first-year students and plan to know them better!

Did you know medical students can cook too?!Our year-2 girls from the NUS Medical Faculty ended their finals early. They surprised the rest of the NUS Navigators by cooking a meal for them. The lunch also became a platform for everyone to encourage , strengthen and motivate each other.

Alumni-Community@ Penang Place

170 guests enjoyed high tea and heard 4 people

share how they do discipling one-on-one.

Great food, and great encouragement to begin

discipling!