Sing a New Tongue – Experiencing Breakthrough

Shawn Oui shares how God came through during a mission trip to Marikina, Philippines.

“Praise the Lord, all you nations. Praise Him, all you people of the earth.”

— Psalm 117:1 (NLT)

Three months before our team’s mission trip to Marikina, Philippines, I had a dream in which Pastor Kathy, one of the pastors at Cornerstone Marikina, encouraged me to “learn a new tongue”. I shared this with my team members, and we began learning Tagalog songs – unaware of just how prophetic that word would be apprehended by our team amid the spiritual warfare we experienced, and we saw God bring forth a breakthrough.

Two weeks before departure, several team members began experiencing nightmares. One of the most vivid was of a slum and a chained witch who wore a smirk. This prompted one team member to buy anointing oil and bring it along for the trip.

During the trip, the spiritual challenges intensified: several team members, including our two worship leaders, fell ill while three others experienced nosebleeds in succession. I initially blamed the hot weather, but when someone mentioned it was their first time having this issue, I started to suspect there was more to this.

We remembered a passing joke that a local church member had made previously: “Why don’t you want to speak in English? Afraid of a nosebleed?” When we checked up this phrase, we discovered it was a common Filipino expression – a humorous way of describing the mental strain of speaking in English. But as we reflected, we also discerned a spiritual pattern: the enemy was trying to silence us.

It reminded us of what a team member’s parent had prayed over the group. “The anointing of Singapore is to sing in the nations.”

We had been preparing to sing in Tagalog – a new tongue – but now our worship leaders were being spiritually attacked.

During a team debrief, one member shared that she had sensed we should anoint our doors, but dismissed the thought, thinking to herself, “Who would’ve brought anointing oil?” She even considered using cooking oil, but to her surprise, the team member who brought anointing oil confirmed the same prompting.

We turned our Bibles to James 5 as we decided to anoint the sick among us and consecrate

our lodging place. That night, we sang with a fresh authority; fear lifted, boldness manifested. God brought deliverance, and we needed that breakthrough for what was coming next.

The next morning, the spiritual atmosphere at the homeless shelter where we ministered was heavy. People sat silently, many staring blankly into space. As worship began, demonic manifestations surfaced, but this time, the team stood firm and pressed in.

The day’s programme opened with a vibrant dance that brought joy and energy to the room. After this, our young worship team led us in a children’s praise song, and a team member shared a testimony about how God brought joy amid depression.

The message that followed – unplanned and given by another team member – was also about the joy of the Lord. We had not coordinated for the meeting, but everything flowed in perfect unity.

Dance by dance, song by song, word by word – the Spirit was weaving a message of joy. Smiles appeared on faces. People engaged. During the altar call, many responded, and healing and deliverance flowed freely.

As lunch was served, our team broke out in spontaneous Tagalog praise. People clapped, danced, and sang with us. Joy overflowed in the room, and the atmosphere shifted completely.

What we glimpsed that day was a foretaste of heaven. A moment where language, culture, and age didn’t matter because Jesus was lifted up.

On this trip, our team – many as young as 14 – learnt what it meant to be a light in the darkness. We learnt to worship in a new tongue, not just in Tagalog, but in faith, obedience, and spiritual boldness.

Through all of this, we saw God’s faithfulness. From a dream three months ago to a moment of spontaneous praise in a shelter, the Lord had gone before us. He was teaching us not just to sing, but to sing in a new tongue. Because every tribe, every nation, every tongue will one day declare: Salvation belongs to our God. And we, the young and willing, got to be a small part of that eternal song.

“After this, I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb... And they were shouting with a great roar, ‘Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!’”