A S O N G I N T H E DAR K
Persevering In the Frontiers
sat with Sara (pseudonym) at the
corner of a drink shop, eager to hear
her story.
In 2015, Sara left Singapore to live and
serve in a nation, ‘Elbonia’ (pseudonym),
that was ravaged by war and terror. After
an attack in the compound she was living
in, which left her fellow housemate shot
dead and another kidnapped, Sara briefl y
returned to Singapore.
As we talked, there was no sense of self-
pity or pride in her ‘adventures’ abroad.
What I saw was a young woman who
deeply loved the Lord and knew His love,
even in suffering. Her joy was simply
unshakeable.
“What led you to Elbonia?” I asked.
“I was part of a Christian group in
university that went on a summer trip to
Central Asia in 2009. I had no idea where
that place was. But it sounded like it’d
be an exotic holiday so I decided to go
for two months to teach English.” Sara
laughed as she recounted this.
“During that trip, fi ve people received
Christ. I was shocked! God opened my
eyes to see that He loves this people
group and they were willing to receive
Him.”
A year later, Sara returned to Central
Asia. One day, as she was washing dishes,
the wife of her host family invited Sara to
visit Elbonia with them on a vision trip.
“I thought she was out of her mind. There
6
was an ongoing war and I’d never heard of
any Singaporean going there. I told her I
would pray about it, but I was pretty sure
the answer was no.”
Three days later, on a short trip
elsewhere, Sara found herself sitting next
to a man from Elbonia.
“That was the fi rst person from Elbonia
I’d ever met. I could fi nally put a face to
this nation. He knew I was a Christian
and was very interested to fi nd out more.
I shared the whole Gospel with him and
he was asking all these questions and
listening intently. I was blown away.
Here’s an Elbonian man; he’s not scary,
he’s not shooting me, and he wants to
know more about Jesus.”
This man wrote a few lines in his native
language into her notebook, which he
later translated. It reads, “Elbonia is a
beautiful country. Please come to my
beautiful country.”
So six years later, after seeking God’s
direction for her life, working as a social
worker in Singapore and receiving
missions training in YWAM, Sara fi nally
began her time in Elbonia. She works
as a technical advisor for an NGO
that advocates inclusive education for
disabled children.
“My offi cial role is an NGO worker. But
I’ve always felt like my role, fi rstly, is to
BE and to SING and to WORSHIP. It’s
such a spiritually dark and oppressive
place, but I remember saying to God,
‘If I’m the only Christian in this place,
then I want to sing to You so that You will
receive praise from this place as well.’
I do this in the compound or when I’m
travelling in the car, praying underneath
my traditional veil. Everywhere we go we
carry the presence of God. I’ve picked up
babies, simply whispered songs into their
ears to bless them, and I immediately see
the difference!”
With childlike faith, Sara showed me
the power of worship and thankfulness
in the midst of darkness. She continued
to recall the amazing miracles that God
performed in Elbonia.
“One day in the offi ce, a young lady was
crouched over in a lot of pain. There was
no one else in the room and I summoned
the courage and said, ‘I’m going to pray in
Jesus’ name for you.’ As soon as I fi nished
a simple prayer, I opened my eyes and
saw her staring at me in amazement.
The pain was gone! She held onto me as
though I was responsible for her healing,
but I said, ‘No, it was Jesus who healed
you.’ I then told her to call on the name
of Jesus whenever she, or anyone else in
her family or community, was sick or in
pain. The next thing I knew, she got up
and testifi ed to everyone in the offi ce!”
I listened in shock and amazement.
This is a nation where anyone found to
preach Jesus is condemned to death. And
here, Sara was led boldly by the Spirit to
minister to this young lady.