“Been here, done that” chronicles the amazing adventures of Pastor Rodney Hui since he joined Operation Mobilisation in the 1970s when he was in his early twenties.
Above all, it bears testament to God’s constant provision and leading through difficult times and extremely frugal circumstances in the past. Ps Rodney is a wonderful story-teller, and he relates these stories with dynamism with just the right amount of detail so that they are brought to life without the reader being mired in myriad inconsequential minutiae.
From an intrepid journey overland through Holland to Malaysia (across Stuttgart, Thessalonica, Ankara, Tehran, Kabul, Bangalore, Madras and Klang – which would not be possible today as Iran is now a closed country), to making do with extremely spartan conditions in lodging and the simplest of food, these journeys and stories to distribute tracts and spread the gospel were certainly eye-opening.
This was in an age without the internet or the ease of transmitting tracts and communicating the gospel beyond hardcopies and face-to-face meetings, but somehow it also leaves the reader feeling that the gospel was just as effectively, and less complicatedly, spread in those simpler times.
Ps Rodney’s point on having Asians reach out cross-culturally beyond their own kind also resonated with me. Although it might be easier to reach out to Chinese in Europe, why shouldn’t a missionary take the path less travelled to plant a church in Scotland – certainly the questions will open more doors and conversations. In the UK, US and Australia, there tend to be university Christian groups that are wholly Chinese, as well as churches that are so. I was glad that my university Christian fellowship was multi-ethnic, for whilst there are reasons why those in the same ethnicity gravitate towards one another, I have always felt that the beauty of the gospel was in having warm and close communities that transcend ethnicity. What a foretaste of heaven.
What was also interesting and admirable was their second stint on the OM ship when they were in their 50s when they went on the ship a second time, for 4 years this time. Their faithfulness to the work of the Lord till today, where Ps Rodney continues to serve and preach in the church we attend, is inspiring. What a spiritual blessing from the Lord that their children and respective families are also actively serving the Lord – Marianne (watercolour painting print in image is by her!) and family are missionaries, whilst Justin is in seminary and preaches thought-provoking sermons regularly.
This book is certainly an inspiration to young and not-so-young alike, to follow in Ps Rodney’s steps. Perhaps not the exact journeys, but the spirit of availing oneself to the Lord, saying “Send me!” certainly shines through to the heart of each reader. It could be to one’s workplace, for we do need Christians in every workplace to live as salt and light, or it could be for a stint on the latest OM ship – reading this book will encourage you to cut away the inconsequential things of this world, and focus on living out the gospel in all its authentic simplicity so that we can reach one more for Jesus.
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