| Background
Family: Teilang comes form a strong Christian family heritage. His parents
Taylor and Ripor has five boys Meshullam Patki, Teilang Patki, Darry Cooper,
Donhilari, and Manbit. He is second from the lot. Influenced by his mother's
sacrifice to leave the Shillong Commerce College (although was invited to
rejoin) as faculty in the Department of English to teach at the local mission
school, Teilang saw the genuine call of God to serve in Missions full time.
Encouraged to experience trials and hardships ahead, he is challenged by
his Christian faith and his personal venture into the unknown. Educational:
- B. A. (St Edmunds College, Shillong, India) - M.A ICS (Fuller Theological
Seminary, Pasadena, California) - Dip. Com (Asian Institute of Christian
Communication, Chiangmai, Thailand) Ministerial: - Serves as Coordinator,
March for Jesus, Shillong, India - Served as Associate Youth Director, Open
Bible, Hardin, MT - Served as Worship Secretary then General Secretary Student
Christian Movement, Shillong, India - Served in various Boards and Committes
of local churches' activities, Shilong, India -Taught and lectured Christian
Communication subjects at various national and international organisations
-Lectured a course in Communications at the Council for World Mission South
Asia Region Session, Delhi, India - Served as Counsellor for a short time
at the San Ker Nursing Home and Rehab Center, Shillong, India. - Associated
with the International Students Concerns Committee, Fuller Theological Seminary
as an Executive Member Besides all the service, Teilang also visits the
DTS(YWAM)Lad Nongkrem, Meghalaya India, as a lecturer in Cross-Cultural
Missiology Secular: - Served as volunteered Adjunct Faculty, Department
of Humanities/Communications, LBH College. Crow Agency, MT - Founding Member,
Meghalaya United Nations Association, India - Chairman Alumni Association,
Seven Set Higher Secondary School, Shillong, India Testimonial Personal
Vision: Not till when 1 was 15 years old did 1 realise how important it
is to be called into God's special service. Since then onwards, my aim in
life has always been 'this one preacher' preaching aloud of God's Word.
Kids in school would often a tinies teased and bugged me for my ambition.
To them, 'a preacher' is not welcomed in their group of friendship. Lonely
as 1 was then, never in a shadow of a doubt, God still brought me out of
lonliness by introducing me His awesome presence and chose to be more than
my closest buddies. My goal to become a preacher has never been out of my
mind. After all those school formalities as you know, high school, college
and so on... God brought me into this new realm of understanding "preacher"
more than 1 usually thought of when 1 was a kid. There is so much to know
and learn. He opened up doors to venture out into this new search of knowledge,
which ultimately led to equipping myself to become a better servant in His
Kingdom. 1 owe it all to,niy grand mother "mei-mei" whom we all love to
call her. So inspiring and instrumental to my personal spiritual journey.
Without her prayers and intercessions daily, 1 can never become the person
1 am today. She is now gone, but her spiritual presence is still there in
me. It was such a struggle to give up my entire self but to serve God in
His majestic Kingdom here on earth. Tempest after tempest, storm after the
other storm, I felt as if this Titanic wall cracking down to its lowest
state and sank. At those moments, God did prepare people to lift me up,
encourage and strengthen my journey onward. Amongst them, my mother, my
buddy Jim Mozley and his wife Kayoko(now serving as missionaries in Seattle,Washington),
my friend and colleague Lambok, my collea , gue and friend Marshall for
all his guidance to ministry hardships and all the advices as per my youth
life is concern, the Rev Dr RR Cunville who has been inspiring to teach
me the tough ways in doing evangelism through constant crusade travels within
Meghalaya, the Rev Richard(Dick) and Judy Morissette(my personal spiritual
guide while 1 was in Hardin), Lorraine and August Lachen-der my adopted
folks in Hardin who continued to lift me up before God at all times, the
Rev Pateng Makdoh(Bahduh) Sr Pastor of the First Baptist Church, Ha,rdin,
Montana, my sister Dolcy who continued to challenge me, my . pal Mark Slemmons,
the Associate Pastor Open Bible at Gillete Wyoming, his wife Ginger who
do remember my spiritual needs many a times and challenge me to ministry,
m), close friend Rich Stiff and his wife Dj,,inne who loves to encourage
me during my tough times itid good oile,s too. My close friend Van and his
Teressa Hagestad who challenges me in so many tliings. 1 have learned so
much from their Clitistian lifesyle and Van has been such a freind when
1 really do need one. Above all, 1 cannot ignore how God prepared a man
of dignity and humility to influence myjourney. 1 have often spent times
discussing and praying for one another with him while in the United States
and back here in Shillong. The Rev Dr MJ Hynniewta and his wife Koiig Kor
has guided me through my pains and struggles here in India. I believe people
like these, still contribute more to His Kingdom than any body would. Just
don't know how to thank you all enough! Call to minister to kids and the
young: Since after graduation, 1 know then that my call to serve God is
through constant preaching and teaching to our young people - the youth
of our society needless to say which society. 1 believe now that there is
only one world, one earth and one society - that is before God Hmself! There
is so much that this world could offer to the youth be it good or bad. As
time goes on, our young people are more and more involved with the bad influences.
Are they to be blamed or what have we done? How are we to help them back?
My activities with a number of youth groups and individuals have paved way
to a better understanding of how challenging it is is to evangelise the
young people all around us. A feia, of iliciii are going through spiritual
struggles, be it their faith confusion, the influences of cults and the
ocelilts. Another lot are going through psychological stress of not knowingwiiat
to decide as far as their personal self is concern. Some amongst them are
confused with their sexu@l identity. We are dealing with young people who
are struggling in their personal relationship problems, drug addiction,
alcoholism, gambling, prostitution, militancy and deception. How about young
people at large who do not know Christ at all? The burden in us is getting
heavier and we cannot stay put but do something. That something turned out
to be the Children and Youth Evangelistic Association. The primary aim and
goal is to do evangelism directly dealing with the inner core grass root
level of preaching the Word in action. Our voung people needed to see more
of doers of the Word than speakers of the Word. CYEA therfore deals with
preaching by doing it. Yearning: Nearly 35-40% of our young people are involved
in either one of the social vices. Militancy as many would term it is merely
a "Spiritual Need. " We are not for militancy or any activity of that kind,
but we are here to help our young people identify their strong relationship
with God, Christ and the Holy Spirit. Our yearning therefore caters to their
need for spiritual upliftment, renewal, transformation and rejuvination.
My heart cries out to them ... there is so much we could do to bring Christ's
power to reality once again. "We need God in our comnii_inity," says Carinan
the singer, is prec:isel.@, (lie need of the hour in our society. 1 yearn
to see young people get l@ogetiler worshipping God and seek His guidance
for a peaceful comminity. CYEA's vision to help young people open up for
God to work in them, in their family, the community, and the entire society
is the primary goal. Worldwide statistics recently researched found out
that in the approximate years 1999-2001, young people under the age of 18
are most likely to accept Jesus as their personal Saviour. That becomes
our challenge to even work a little harder. Children for that matter are
the vulnerable subjects. We cannot forget how the devil inculcated in the
minds of young children to kill, steal, and deceive our generations. Kids
carrying guns to school is only too common to certain countries of the world,
whereas out here in India, kids were given the potential to initiate murder
plots. Prominent amongst them was the brutal murder of a missionary not
long ago. How about child labor? Have we forgotten of our young children
who is currently right now serving a master only because their parents or
somebody in the family could not pay back debts owed. Kids in and around
us daily, working hard to earn by any means, be it car workshops, newpaper
selling, cigarrette selling, construction and others. Have we often asked
if these kids do need to be like the other kids having the freedom to go
to school or do things which kids normally would do and feel free doing
it? Or do they belong to bonded labor, earn for their family or even, be
subjects to the vices around them? Do we want kids in this society of ours
live a peaceful, happy and wonderful life, with a loving family, and a caring
societv.? Personally 1 do and so does CYEA. Do we have a call? Yes we do
have a call. Kids and the young people of our society today needed Christ
more than ever. CYEA is challenged to propagate the Gospel of Salvation
to them in any which way we can. Approach to Mission: optimistic plans in
the coming years CYEA's vision will not subside in its aim to reach the
Gospel of Salavation to the unreached. A number of our children and young
people have been misguided by the efforts of the devil's multi-faceted agents.
There is an urgent need to become a voice on behalf of the "marginalised,"
"underpriveleged," "left-outs," "poor," and "exploited" kids and young members
of our society. CYEA's long term vision is to be with them, help them in
any which way we can within our means, reach out to them physically, emotionally
and above all the goal to inculcate in them the meaning of a Merciful-Loving
God who yearns to include even them to be a part and parcel of His Kingdom
whether it's here on earth or to eternity. James 1: 18 says that amongst
all of His creations, He chooses us(people) to become His choised possessions.
My dream is envisioned through the works of the Children and Youth Evangelistic
Asssociation who will continue to diversify the methods of preaching God's
Word. We look forward to initiating a Child Care Center where'kids and other
young people can regularly have medical check-ups and other medical help
and assistance to the most needy, exploited and left outs. This will eventually
take it's stand in establishing a full-fledge Children's Hospital. We thank
God for the donors and sponsors who shared this same vision who through
them we are ain-dng at a possible materialisation of this project. Too many
a times 1 have often envision ministry towards more of a different approach.
Having gone through trainings and education in Missiology and Christian
Communication, 1 stongly feel that the electronic media has more to contribute
to the wider aspect of evangelism at large. God has never taken that vision
still. Together with my friend Laiiibok, we prayed over and have often struggle
on this issue. He is rather been more inclined to the Radio ministry while
1 was into Telivision. Ultimately when CYEA came into its existence on Septeniber
the 22, 2000 we were trying our level best to initiate a radio ministry.
But I believe God is not ready with this project yet, although we do and
will continue seeking His will. Our long term plan is to see people knowing
and receiving Christ as their personal Savior through this medium. There
is nothing like it l Our vision to assist and help kids who cannot afford
going to school or gain any form of educational medium. We have already
started this project but since our means is not expanded to more than one
student at this point of time, we do look forward to expand our help in
the years to come. One of the important work tli@it CYEA extends is to assist
Christian Schools as per their need is concerned. At the moment c s@'ere
able to provide 10 sets of schools desks and benches to a Christian Lower
Primary school here i i @ 1 eglialaya, in a village called Kdong Hulu(Ri-Bhoi
District). We intend to provide help to as many schools as we can in the
coming years of ministry. Opening a camp and retreat cciiter is yet another
possible n-tinistry as far as our youth is concerned. Our young people do
need a special place where they can spend atleast a week end full of spiritual
revival, counselling, Bible lessons and instructions on practical Christian
living. Confused young men and women do need guidance as far as their physical
and spiritual life is concerned. The cultural system as such has been a
huge stumbling block as far as revealing their innermost problems to either
their parents o(church leaders. The only best way to help them and free
their innermost fears, problems, confusions and others, is to establish
a secured camp site. We intend to employ full time staff and Directors to
oversee its functions and goals. This will open up doors to other churches
in and around the region of the country. Our goal is also to establish relationships
with other partner organisations and churches. We do Reed their input and
assistance as well. By establishing relationships we could do more to children
and youth of our society. We thank God for a possible partnership in ministry
with Youth With A Mission and India Every Home Crusade-North East India.
This has done so much in contribution to kids and young people in their
physical and spiritual lives. |
