East Timor: The Butterfly
"Where does the butterfly come from? Can anyone tell me the answer?" 
(Condensed from the original article, Cocoon, written by Singaporeans, Ting Siew Lee and Wong Li Shan, and found in the original form on the Web site: Love East Timor)
This was day one of orientation for our English course, COCOON. Thirteen young people, ages 9-25, were present. On the chalkboard was a poster showing the life cycle of a butterfly. "A butterfly comes from a caterpillar," I said, as I carefully removed a piece of paper covering the creature. "But look at how different they are! How does a caterpillar become a butterfly?" Again silence. Off came the paper covering the cocoon. "This is how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, inside a cocoon."
And so we launched into a passionate explanation of why our English course was named COCOON. It symbolized transformation, growth and development, as from poverty to riches—from violence to peace. When I made that point, everyone nodded. Violence has been a part of our students’ lives for far too long. In their neighborhood, rock fights are common, an almost daily occurrence. People traveling by car on certain roads do so with fear and trembling because of potential attacks on their vehicle. Gangs use traditional or homemade weapons, like arrows, to attack gangs in rival neighborhoods. When that happens, some opportunistic elements take advantage of the chaotic situation breaking into homes and shops to steal things.
COCOON is being birthed in such a place, a place that desperately needs transformation, and a place that is ready for change. It is becoming a truly grassroots effort, initiated and owned by the community. A respected community youth leader named Vincente has given our efforts a tremendous boost. "I will do everything to help you because you are helping my people,"he told us. Vincente is not the only local leader who has been moved by the practical steps we are taking to bless his community. In addition, other communities have invited us to share our COCOON project, even communities that are at war with one another.
Our COCOON story reminds us that the Kingdom of Heaven starts off small and insignificant but eventually blossoms into something of beauty, value and worth. Matthew 13:32 describes the potential of a mustard seed: "Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." Our hopes and our prayers are that the COCOON story will lead many East Timorese to end their violent hostilities, and in the process discover abundant life, peace, and joy in the Kingdom.
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked its way all through the dough." Matthew 13:33
Praise and Pray:
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Praise God for practical steps being taken to bless the communities of East Timor
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Pray for the Singapore EFC churches as they lead the way in sharing the gospel holistically in East Timor.
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Pray that ReachGlobal can find ways to come alongside the Singapore EFC to support their initiatives in East Timor.
