Through her time in OM Japan since 2018, Lee Siew Yee has learnt that the team and people are the priority. As an outreach organisation, OM’s emphasis is on relationships.
The first thing that comes to Lee Siew Yee’s mind when she thinks about OM is the word ‘team’. Currently based in a town called Tome in the northeast region of Japan, Siew Yee has been with OM Japan since 2018 doing community outreach, church-planting and discipleship.
“Being an outreach organisation, one may tend to associate OM with structure and so on. However, to me, I see how OM really puts the emphasis on the people, the relationships.
“Being a task-oriented person, I learnt over the years how important to see others more than just for ‘work/ministry purposes’.
Siew Yee, who is from Johor Bahru, remembers her early days in Japan when they had their weekly Tome team meetings.
“I thought that it would just be a business-like meeting time to go through the agenda and with some prayer time for the ministries. However, the team also takes time to ask how each other is doing and to pray together.
“This may sound simple to others, yet to me, this shows the team really cares for each other and as a team, we share our struggles, as well as encourage and support each other, maximising our potential with the different giftings God has given us and celebrating the small wins along the way. This also reminded me that in the Kingdom of God, there is a TEAM, in which God and us are in it together!
Siew Yee, who is currently in the member care team of OM Japan, also learnt more about spiritual formation through OM.
“It started when some leaders shared about the ‘Sabbath’ during our devotion time in our OM Japan online prayer meet.
“After that, I also participated in online spiritual retreats organised by OM East Asia and had exposure to spiritual direction sessions. Learning about spiritual formation built my perspective about self-care and people care.
“In the field of ‘making God known’, this motivates me to recognise the presence of God, to be aware of being in His presence and carrying His presence during my encounter with others and while journeying with them.“
1 Corinthians 3:6-9
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labour. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.