I've been so busy that I haven't put up my prayer letter on my blog. Sometimes I wonder how much information I should put on my blog. Anyway, here it is, in case you haven't received or read it, or heard about my plan... Oh, and I've booked my ticket for departure on April 7.

Greetings! Thank you for all your prayers and concerns about my future plans. Indeed, the Lord has blessed me with much encouragement through various sources. I have decided to give myself a year to test out God’s calling for me and see if He’s called me to serve with the skills He’s given me over the years. I’ve been working as a Chemical Engineer in the water and wastewater treatment industry for the past 9 years. By God’s grace, He’s opened doors to some unique opportunities that have helped me see the possibilities of making use of what He has so graciously granted me - my education, background and experience.

Why am I doing this?

Ephesians 2:8-10
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

I am convinced we’re called to do good works and show love, and that I should use what He has given me to make disciples, or at least, to sow the seeds for others to harvest the field when it’s ready. I also believe that one of the ways to show God’s love, apart from showing them the spiritual light, is to care for their physical needs. (1 John 3:17-19).

How did it all start?
I’ve been on several mission trips; to Thailand, Japan and Cambodia. Although I’ve had the burden for “mission” work for the longest time, I’ve always found it scary. How could I fit the bill of becoming a missionary? I’ve often wondered if being a traditional missionary is all there is in terms of mission work. And even though I gained a lot from each of the mission trips I went on, I still found myself struggling with the same issues after each trip. Although I enjoy my work, I have been trying to find meaning in my work as an engineer. After working for 9 years, I find myself wondering… is this God’s will for me? Am I doing the will of God? What IS the will of God for me? Is there any other way for me to serve Him besides serving in church? How do I serve Him and bring Him glory in my work and daily life? Why do I often feel like I’m too much part of the world and unable to hear His voice?

The disastrous tsunami in December 2004 really hit me. Faces of those in need, and yet were without hope, pained me. For the first time, I realized that perhaps the work that I do could be more than just a career or means of making a living. Perhaps it can make a difference and be used by God to help His people. Maybe there is a reason why God created me the way I am and shaped me into what I have become today. I simply cannot take life or anything for granted, and I can’t go on searching for God’s will aimlessly. So I took a step of faith and spent a week in August 2006 visiting a NGO (Non-Government Organisation) in Cambodia, after hearing about the kind of work they do from a church friend.

Where am I going?
After much prayer and deliberation, I’ve decided to work as a volunteer with the NGO I visited during this “testing” period. The vision of this NGO is to facilitate increasing knowledge of Christ in word and deed to the Cambodians, resulting in a church-planting movement. This is done first by living the Christian life among the Cambodians, modeling Christ in all relationships. One of the organisation’s goals include improving the quality of life by providing clean water for the Cambodians, while reaching out and introducing Jesus to the Cambodians as “the Living Water”. The projects they undertake cover the spheres of education in schools, health and hygiene in the community at large, agriculture and mentoring, some of which help to generate sustainable income for the locals.

What will I be doing?
The main project that I’ll be working on explores the usage of iron oxide material in sand filters to remove arsenic. This is of particular interest to the local government because villagers in several locations have been found to be suffering from arsenic poisoning. Hence the organization receives a small funding from World Bank. Arsenic is one of the natural-occurring minerals in well water in third-world countries like Cambodia, and since the human body cannot get rid of arsenic once it is consumed, it accumulates in the body, and arsenic poisoning becomes a very real problem among the locals in Cambodia. Given my background as a Chemical Engineer in the water treatment field, I’m praying that I can contribute a little of what I have learned over the years, to this particular project.

I will have the opportunity to work with local Khmer staff at the NGO, some of which have yet to receive Christ. It is my prayer that I will have the opportunity to share my faith in the one true God by building relationships with them and showing them God’s love in a practical and real way.

When will I go?
The exact date is not confirmed yet as I still have to finish some work in Singapore. A tentative window period would be after Chinese New Year, sometime between March and April 2007.

Thanksgiving
God has been gracious to me and some of my needs have already been taken care of. The NGO has decided to provide me with housing, so I will need to raise the rest of my living expenses.

Contact Details
My primary contact will be via e-mail at Hannah.Chiew@gmail.com.

Please pray for:
1) Spiritual discipline in keeping my spiritual health growing. Most of all, please pray against spiritual laziness and to learn to trust Him in all things and not be anxious.
2) To find spiritual buddies for support and accountability
3) Finalization of details – project start date, confirmation of project funding, etc.
4) To be efficient and to be able to do my job to the best of my ability
5) Ability to learn the Khmer language for more effective communication
6) Wisdom and help in sorting out some administrative and logistic details– how to deal with my belongings, insurance, residency status, etc.
7) The right words at the right time to share with whoever God brings into contact with me
8) The ability and opportunity to make good friends and lasting relationships
9) Health – to be able to survive and adapt to the living conditions and to have physical discipline in keeping myself healthy
10) Family – to trust that God will provide for their needs. Pray also that God will give my parents the peace and comfort, and that they will not worry about me too much.