SPEAKER: LING ZI
Angela Goh:
I confess this was not my first choice of workshop, but I attended as I had to introduce the speaker. That said, I learnt much from Ling Zi. She opened my eyes to the breadth of creative arts that can be used to share the gospel. We do not have to be naturally gifted to pick up skills for mission trips. Even as she spoke, I heard people whispering excitedly about new ideas they had for their next outreach project.
As a self-declared non-creative attendee, I found I could use her faux calligraphy to write a word of encouragement to my co-labourers at the Outreach Conference. The many who flocked to Ling Zi after the talk to ask questions and get her contact details are a testimony to the impact she had on all who attended. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring workshop.
Eleanor Seah:
The workshop opened my eyes to how art is such a natural expression—everyone can do it, young and old, and anyone can receive it, young and old too. It’s a free form of expressing God’s love that transcends language, religious barriers and borders. It goes beyond words and opens doors to communication.
The faux calligraphy segment, which uses different kinds of upstrokes and downstrokes to creatively write words of blessing such as Faith, Hope and Love, showed me a simple yet powerful way to reach out to others—to encourage, build up, affirm and motivate. This is an activity I will try with children and youths on my next mission trip.
We also worked on several scripture verses, as simple as “The Lord is my Shepherd”, each of us decorating and beautifying the verse. Art can be so edifying and it’s incredibly versatile, as shared by the workshop leader who showed us videos and photos of the many places and communities around the world where she has shared her art—it was impressive and amazing!
Sarah Thong:
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” — Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
This verse formed the heartbeat of the entire workshop, with particular emphasis on humans as God’s workmanship. Sarah Thong shared how she deeply appreciated the imagery of God as a masterfully meticulous artisan—intentional, creative and loving. Yet the workshop did not stop at being God’s creation; it encouraged us to think of ourselves as creators—to reflect and amplify God’s beauty across cultures and languages.
Through heartfelt stories from her artistic ministry, Ling Zi shared about God’s faithfulness in her journey, even amidst times of doubt and certainty. Years later, clients continue to find comfort in the verses she shared, and her portraits have given others a refreshed sense of how they are seen by a God who loves them. Her testimony revealed art as a powerful cross-cultural medium for spreading the gospel.
The session flowed naturally into a hands-on practice. With gentle guidance, Ling Zi introduced attendees to calligraphy—encouraging each participant to pray for one person and write out a verse using creative hand lettering techniques as a personal blessing. Rather than striving for perfection, she invited us to pour sincerity into our work, trusting God to speak through every imperfect stroke.
