Biblical Exemplary Contextualised Disciples M.

Visitation to BPQ, Jacob & Paula, Xuemei's house during CNY

2007-02-21T10:06:00.000+08:00

Delicious local chinese food of dumplings and noodle!

Wow! The food prepared by Xuemei and her husband! Come let us all say grace before enjoying the food!

Michelle smiling at the camera!

A photo of Michelle together with Li Zi and a plate of noodle prepared by Xuemei & her husband!

The food finally ready for us to makan!

Say cheessssse! everyone! Let us thank Xuemei & her husband for preparing us dinner at her home as well as the poker card game-the killer & the judge which all of us had an enjoyable time & fellowship there!

Come on! Let us smile and wish everyone a prosperous piggy Chinese New Year!

Photo of all of us, Jacob & Paula, Xuemei & her husband, Lizi, Michelle, Fook Wah, Tze Wei & Hillary, PJ, last but not least, Shawn & Christine.

Photos contributed by Rebecca

2007-01-15T17:41:00.000+08:00

Hillary Birthday at Redhill

2007-01-15T16:05:00.000+08:00

A lovely couple, Tze Wei & Hillary together
Today is our usual care group gathering as well as the occasion to celebrate Hillary's birthday at their house.

Come on NG2C1! Makan time ! Let us tuck in!

Fried Hokkien mee, Xing Zhou Beehoon, Xiang Gang mee, Hor Fun & Yang Zhou Fried rice all in one plate! Yummy! let us not waste any more time! Let us start makan!

Finally now is the time to sing Hillary a Birthday song! Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to Hillary..............

Tze Wei & Hillary taken a photo together, Happy Birthday to Hillary!

Now is the time to sing Hillary a 'Happy Birthday' song! Let us get Visoth to lead us to get start singing!

Hillary making her birthday wish with the lighted birthday cake in front of her. Come on! NG2C1, can you guess what she wish for this coming year?

After blowing the candles and singing 'Happy Birthday' song to Hillary, now is the time to cut the birthday cake! Yummy! It is a chocolate cake with strawberrys on top of it!

A photo of Hillary, together with a slice of the chocolate cake, I wonder who will be the lucky person to have the first slice of the cake............

After cutting the birthday cake, Hillary starts to distribute each slice to each individual of us..........

Kar Leong is the first person in the care group to start sharing about Hillary, how he finds her as a person........

Fook Wah sharing his views about Hillary, that she can play very professionally with her piano after he went with us to Raffles Hotel to listen to her playing in the concert with so many audiences around

Paula sharing her affirmation about Hillary..........

Taken a photo together are Hillary, Paula & Michelle! Three Cheers to them!

While waiting for her turn to eat the birthday cake, Rebecca share about her affirmation about Hillary

Michelle's turn to share her views & opinions about Hillary, how she finds her as a person.......... You can see that Hillary is busy writing down her affirmation about herself

Pei Zhen sharing her affirmation about Hillary, all of us are listening attentively about Hillary's affirmation

Pei Zhen sharing about Hillary.......

Tze Wei sharing his affirmation about his wife, how these years she had been a great wife & friend to him

Hillary playing her piano, you can see how professional she can play, like an expert musician with years of experiences

Hillary playing her favourite chinese song for us to enjoy listening to.....

Hillary & Yi Tse taken a photo together

Michelle Birthday at Snack World

2006-12-26T11:06:00.000+08:00

Today is the day where we celebrate Michelle's birthday at Snack World at Cuppage Plaza. Her birthday also falls on 25th of Dec which is the same as Christmas where millions of people are celebrating also on that day! Let us wish her a blessed Happy Birthday as well as a Merry Christmas! May you continue to shine for Christ and be a living testimony for the Lord! May you continue to bring more friends to church! May the Lord bless you with a richly blessed life with plenty of great friends in your life! God bless you!

A photo of all of us, NG2C1, coming together to celebrate Michelle's birthday!

A picture of Michelle with her fried rice and drink, let's wish her a Happy Birthday to her! If you see closer in this photo, behind is the advertisement of the restaurant popular & favourite dish of crocodile meat on hot plate!

A photo of NG2C1 with Michelle and her drawn picture inside!

A drawn picture of 'Christine'! Hey! the picture resembles her! It looks just like her!

Michelle with her birthday cake inside the box, waiting to take out the cake and sing her a 'Happy Birthday' song to her...........

A photo of Michelle Birthday cake! It was a chocolate cake with cream and cherry on top with a 'Happy Birthday' sign and a single lighted candle on top of the cake

A photo of Michelle with her birthday cake, come! let us sing her a 'Happy Birthday' song to her........ happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Michelle........

Michelle making her wish with the lighted birthday cake! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, MICHELLE!

Michelle get started to cut her chocolate with cream and cherry birthday cake

Hillary helping Michelle to cut the birthday cake and also giving her a slice of the cake

Fook Wah and Pei Zhen eating their own slice of cake, while Rebecca was looking at her picture of herself inside............

A photo of Li Zi with a slice of the Michelle's birthday cake

Michelle with her slice of birthday cake, cut and given to her by Hillary

Paula sharing her relationship with Michelle, how she started to knew her a few years ago............

Christine was the first to get started to share her affirmation about Michelle...........

A photo of Tze Wei sharing his affirmation about Michelle with BPQ and Hillary inside the picture

Visoth, his turn of sharing his affirmation about Michelle, recalling that he first knew her was at Shawn's house at Duku road for a care group gathering to watch 'Anger management'............

Pei Zhen sharing her affirmation about Michelle with Hillary and Tze Wei inside the photo

Rebecca sharing her affirmation about Michelle while the others are listening intently about her affirmation......

Shawn sharing his opinions and views about Michelle while Christine was quietly listening to his sharing

Shawn sharing his affirmation about Michelle, how he find her different from other chinese ladies............

Michelle with her birthday present, present to her by my shepherd, Shawn

Michelle showing her birthday 'Romans' T-shirt to us

Michelle with the dry beef meat, product of China given by Paula

Michelle with her green T-shirt, smiling happily!

Christmas Event at Lasalle-16/12/2006

2006-12-17T06:43:00.000+08:00

Today is a great day for us to act in the skit of Moses parting the red sea for our Christmas outreach event at Lasalle SIA college at Mountbatten road where Qianni is currently working in and surprisingly also BPQ's cousin is also staying in a semi-detached house there. I thank God for providing us with good weather as well as the place for us to perform the skit. I pray that after watching the skit, the visitors will enjoyed it and also touched their hearts of God's love and grace for them. I thank God for a successful performances by all of us acting in this skit. BPQ, together with BengEu. Behind them is the pyramid and camel pictures.

Me, together with BengEu (act as Moses), Patrick (act as Israelite) and TH (act as Pharaoh)
and his firstborn baby, curious George.

Me and my shepherd, Shawn taking a photo together. I act as an Egyptian soldier in the skit of Moses parting the red sea.

Cycling @ East Coast Park-25/11/06

2006-11-26T03:37:00.000+08:00

Today is a great day for us NG2C1 and our invited friends to join us for cycling! I thank God for providing us the rain before we go for cycling as the weather will be much more cooling and the sun will not be too heatly for us! I thank God for giving us windy weather to cool us down and also our invited friends, Melvin, Leong & Max who are so excited in joining us for the bicycle ride @ East Coast Park!

The Korean guys, Leong & Max together with us @ the MacDonald at Marine Cove in East Coast Park... We were having some light snacks & drinks, waiting for the rain to stop.........

Me, PJ and Fook Wah cycling in a two seat bicycle, it is going to be a challenge for me as I have no experience in cycling a 'two person' bicycle!

Lizi and Hillary together! Smile both of you ! Say cheeeeeeese!!!!!!!!

Melvin, Shawn and Fook Wah together for a photo shot.........

The four handsome guys! Melvin, Shawn, Fook Wah & Visoth

Come on ! all of you, smile! Say Cheese! I am going to take photo of all of you.......

A group photo of NG2C1 and our Korean friends, Leong & Max as well as Shawn's friend, Melvin
Three Cheers for them of coming to join us for the cycling event! Hope to see you all guys more often!

A group photo of all of us including me inside!

Lizi trying to ride a bicycle using Hillary's bicycle to try riding.......

Shawn together with Hillary trying to help Lizi balancing in her bicycle

Lizi practising to ride a bicycle with the help of Hillary

Come on! Lizi! You can do it! Keep on trying.......

Band of brothers having their dinner..... yummy time!

The sisters in Christ having their dinner at East Coast Park Hawker Centre

Three Cheers for Lizi, Michelle & Hillary!

PJ Birthday at Pizza Hut-12/11/06

2006-11-12T17:30:00.000+08:00

Today is a great day to celebrate my birthday at Pizza Hut Centre Point, First of all, I want to thank everyone of you present here to celebrate my birthday! May the Lord bless each individual one of us greatly for this day! May I continue to be a strong workmanship for the Lord! Thank you Jesus for his love and mercy for me too!

A photo of me holding a cup of ice water with Fook Wah beside me too.......

A photo of Christine with her husband, Shawn beside her and also her friend Xue Mei

A photo of NG2C1 taken personally by me, PJ

Finally! The Hawaliian Pizza, one for Fook Wah to eat first.......

Michelle together with Paula, also with the two Hawaliian and seafood pizza......

Another NG2C1 group photo!!!!!!!

Come on everyone! Smile in front of the camera!

I was reading the note on whether we agreed to replace CG for prayer meeting on 17th Nov....

Rebecca taking a photo of Paula, BPQ and Tze Wei! Smile everyone!

A group photo of NG2C1 taken by Rebecca!

Taking a photo with me is Xue Mei, I am about to take out the cake from the box.......

Rebecca taking a photo of me with my Birthday cake

Now is the final moment to sing Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to PJ!!!!!!!

I will make a wish and then blow the candle! God bless me!

A present and a Birthday card from my shepherd, Shawn! On the front cover of the card wrote: Blessed is the one who finds out which way God is moving and then gets going in the same direction.

Let me take a look at the present, wow! It's a T-shirt! Thanks Shawn!

T-shirt given as a gift from my shepherd, Shawn

On the T-shirt wrote: Christian by the grace of God
Ephesians 1:7-8
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

I shall cut the Birthday cake into three pieces, one for Fook Wah, Kar Leong and myself

Cutting a slice of my Birthday cake to give to Fook Wah to eat

Badminton at Kreta Ayer CC-11/11/2006

2006-11-12T03:40:00.000+08:00

Today is a great day to play badminton with our CG members and also our invited friends at Kreta Ayer Community Club. Although it is raining heavily outside, but this does not dampen our spirit of playing badminton here together also with a moment of fellowship with our invited friends. I am sure that all of us have a enjoyable and relaxing time together!

Me, Peng Juay taking a photo of Rebecca, Li Zi and Tze Wei

Now is the time to start playing! come on guys and ladies! Let us all get started!!!!!!!!!!

Waiting patiently for the other side to serve.......

Christine going to serve the shuttercock to the other side fo the badminton court

A four people badminton playing session (at the far end side of the court are Shawn & Wendy while in front of me is Christine and her friend)

Me, Bingrui holding with me my Yonex badminton racket and also my yellow colour transparent plastic water bottle.

A photo of me, PJ together with Li Zi & our CG leader Visoth

Rebecca taking a picture with her friend Wendy and together with their badminton racket

Rebecca smiling happily at the camera which Li Zi is taking a photo of her

Li Zi taking a photo of me, PJ with Rebecca behind at the stage taking a picture of the whole badminton hall

Christine trying hard to smack back the shuttercock back to the other side of the badminton court, while at the far end side is Visoth playing with another person in another court

A side view of Shawn with the badminton court which we are playing at

Shawn going to serve the game with his right hand

While waiting, Visoth is cleaning his sweatly face with his hands, you can see that he is perspiring a lot as his T-shirt and his bemunda is getting wetter after playing a long time of badminton

Tze Wei waiting for the shuttercock to come to him

Wendy trying to smack the shuttercock coming towards her

Christine and Shawn playing together for the last minute of the game before our time is up

Smile everyone! I am going to take a shot for all of you!

Now it is a time of resting and taking a group photo after a two hour of non-stop playing of badminton

The six type of korean dishes with the stainless steel chopstick which Tze Wei is holding with

Hillary and Rebecca taken together with the korean dishes and korean tea

The waiteress mixing a hot bowl of rice with the ingredients inside

Come, it is makan time and also take picture time! Smile everybody and cheers!!!!!

This is the korean resturant where we had our dinner after a 2 hour play of badminton

Unit Retreat at Johor Bahru-13/10/06

2006-11-01T18:56:00.000+08:00

Here is the 2 unit retreat photos taken by Hillary's camera at Shawn house in Johor Bahru. We all really enjoyed ourselves to the fullest and have sufficient rest at JB. We really want to thank Shawn for his hospitality and Rosyl, Tze Wei and Shawn for planning all the activities for us.

Everyone smiles!!!!

Steamboat at RedHill-24/10/06

2006-10-25T22:43:00.000+08:00

Today is Hari Raya Puasa! It is a great occasion for our NG2C1 to gather together for steamboat
at Tze Wei and Hillary home. Meanwhile we also took this opportunity to wish all muslims a "Selamat Hari Raya"

Here is the steamed crabs waiting for us to tuck it into our stomach...yummy time........

The food is being thrown into the steamboat, waiting for it to be cooked.........

Now let us get started!!!!! All the food is really to be eaten.....

BPQ with Tze Wei who is preparing to put the tao pao into the steamboat..........

LiZi our model from China, posing in front of the camera........

Hi! Friends and sisters! Smiling in front of the camera!

Fook Wah sitting together with Visoth and Hillary for a picture

Yeh, guys! smile! Shawn & Patrick together for a photo

Shawn helping to put the chicken broth into the steamboat

Me, PJ taken a photo with Fook Wah

Christine smiling happily with her hands holding something, I think is the serviette.......

Celebration of Mid-Autumn Festival-4/10/06

2006-10-05T14:06:00.000+08:00

Smile!!! Fook Wah and Kar Leong! I am going to take a shot!

Today the NG2C1 together with Christine and Michelle's friends, come together to celebrate Mooncake Festival as well as having care group discussion together.We had ice -breaker led by Michelle as well as having praise and worship. Later stage, questions are being discussed during the care group for Christians as well as for Pre-believers and we also enjoyed ourselves with mooncakes, Wu Loong tea, pomela as well having fun with the candle lighted lanterns at the children playground at Hillary and Visoth flat in Redhill.

The pretty ladies holding their cute lanterns for a camera shot

Come on ladies! It is time to take pictures! Smile!!!!!

Shawn and Christine preparing the lanterns for us! So nice of them!

Don't scratch your nose, Rebecca! I am going to take a shot!!!!!

Li Zi holding her lantern, taking a photo together with Rebecca

Two pretty ladies of NG2C1 together for a photo shot

Patrick and KL smiling happily for the camera shot!

Kar Leong and BPQ together for a photo shot, smile!!!!!!!!

The ladies of NG2C1 and their friends

NG2C1 and friends holding their lanterns together to celebrate Mid-Autumn festival.

NG2C1 and friends! Three cheers for their friendships!!!!!!!

My shepherd, Shawn and his sheep, PJ as well as Jia Liang who is the shepherd of Fook Wah and BPQ celebrate their Mid Autumn Festival at Visoth and Hillary house at the playground below their flat.

Three cheers for the NG2C1 brothers in Christ!

Two pretty women, Christine and Michelle

Christine and Michelle's friends holding their lanterns smiling happily.

The couple Hillary and Visoth celebrate their Mid-Autumn Festival at the children playground at their house in Redhill.

Hillary & Tze Wei with their lanterns, smiling happily! Three cheers for them!

Kar Leong, Fook Wah & Patrick holding their lanterns to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival

Jia Liang with his two sheeps, Fook Wah & Bradley

Michelle holding two lanterns- very impressive

Li Zi & Fook Wah Birthday at Seoul Garden

2006-09-17T09:49:00.000+08:00

Fook Wah with his birthday present bought by Rebecca!

Fook Wah with his birthday present, together with his Shepherd Jia Liang, Tze Wei, Rebecca and Shawn as well.

Patrick, Li Zi and Christine

Pei Zhen, Hillary and our birthday girl Li Zi!

Fook Wah with his mug cup (Pooh the Bear-Walt Disney) specially bought by Rebecca for his birthday

Fook Wah holding in his hands, the Polo T-shirt bought by NG2C1 and his Shepherd Kar Leong, together with Visoth in the picture

A photo of the birthday fruit cake brought by Bradley. There is a Happy Birthday sign on top of the cake and also strawberry, kiwi as well as blue berry.

Fook Wah and Li Zi together with the birthday fruit cake! Happy Birthday to them !!!!!

NG2C1- Tze Wei, Hillary, Bradley, Pei Zhen, Kar Leong, PJ, Rebecca, Shawn and Christine together to celebrate Fook Wah and Li Zi birthday!

A group photo of NG2C1 together with the birthday cake at Seoul Garden restaurant

Li Zi taking a photo together with her birthday cake. Smile ! Li Zi !

Rebecca helping Fook Wah and Li Zi to cut the birthday cake and distribute to the rest of us to eat.

A picture of our sister in Christ, Li Zi smiling happily

Another photo of our birthday girl, Li Zi! Happy Birthday to you !!!!!!!

A picture of Fook Wah ( He seems to be enjoying the cake)

Visoth, Fook Wah and Li Zi smiling cheerfully and also enjoying the birthday cake bought by BPQ. Three cheers for Fook Wah and Li Zi!

Stop taking photos for me! (Kar Leong putting his hand up). You should take more pictures for Fook Wah and Li Zi instead of me (Kar Leong) as today is the celebration for their birthday!

Jia Liang sharing his thoughts about Fook Wah and Li Zi.

Kar Leong sharing about Li Zi, our treasurer. Li Zi was smiling happily about KL's affirmation about her.

Jia Liang sharing about his sheep Fook Wah

Hillary sharing her affirmation about Fook Wah and Li Zi. All of us were listening intently at her affirmation for Fook Wah.

Shawn sharing his affirmation about Fook Wah and Li Zi. Fook Wah was listening at his affirmation, forgetting to eat his cake.

We NG2C1 gathered together at Seoul Garden in Bugis Junction to celebrate Li Zi and Fook Wah Birthday. May the LORD bless these two brother and sister in Christ richly in whatever things that they do and may they continue in their good works for the LORD and shine for Jesus!

Rebecca Birthday at Thai Express in the Esplanade

2006-09-03T06:54:00.000+08:00

Today is a special occasion, that is Rebecca Birthday! We NG2C1 are now here at Thai Express in the Esplanade to celebrate her birthday! We wish her all the best for her career and her future and may she continue to strengthen her faith and had a even closer relationship with the LORD, Jesus Christ! May she be a shining star for the LORD! Amen!!!

Are you all ready to play the game? Now let us all get ready.......

NG2C1 relaxing themselves after a heavy meal

Hillary and Rebecca chatting with each other........

Rebecca waiting to play the game created by Tze Wei

Let me tell you, it is actually a very simple game, just try to figure the items inside this bag and write it down! The group who get the most correct wins!!!!

I will be the Game Master! Let us get started now.....

Now is the time to crack our head in order to play this game!

Fook Wah with his bag

Wendy looking at the camera

Rebecca's friends

I think I know what is inside this bag!

Kar Leong trying to guess what is inside the bag.......

Fook Wah! It is now your turn to guess and figure out what is inside this bag!

Rosyline laughing, I think she knows what is inside this bag........

Rosyline and Cynthia trying hard to figure out the items inside the bag........

Hillary, Can you guess what is inside this bag?

I tell you a secret! I think I know what is inside this bag! Shsss! Don't tell anyone else!

Li Zi trying to figure out the items inside the bag

Let me try to figure out what is inside this bag!

Wendy putting her hands inside the bag, figuring out the shape of the items.....

Rebecca, can you guess what are the items? I will write it down for our group!

Let us think deeper, trying to figure out the items.....

I bet one of the items must be a thumb drive! The shape seems quite right to me, don't you think so? Fook Wah......

Come on! Let us put our brains together to guess what are the items inside the bag! The more heads the better, I guess......

I will be the judge! Each group will be given ten minutes to write down the items inside the bag. The group with the most items correct is the winner of this game!

Rosyline and Cynthia thinking and figuring what is inside the bag

Come on! Let me guess what items are inside the bag........ I better write it down in case I forget!

Rebecca opening the plastic cover of the cake

What a beautiful cake for Rebecca Birthday!

Rebecca! Smile! Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to Rebecca!!!

Rebecca making a wish for her birthday. " Hmmm..... My wish for this year will be....."

What a beautiful cake bought by Pei Zhen!Rebecca preparing to cut the cake.....

"I wonder how I shall cut the cake so that everyone of us can have a slice of it?"

Tze Wei looking at Rebecca on how she cut the cake.......

"Come, I will help you to cut the cake......"

Hillary preparing to cut the cake

Rebecca asking Hillary how to cut the cake so that everyone of us can have a slice of it

"One thing I want to share about Rebecca is........"

Cynthia sharing her affirmation about Rebecca

Rebecca smiling happily about the affirmation given by us

Rebecca looking shying at her cake......

"Hmm... One thing I want to share about Rebecca is........"

Rosyline sharing her affirmation about Rebecca.......

Hillary helping Rebecca to cut and distribute the cake

Tze Wei listening intently at Rebecca's affirmation

Rebecca thinking about her affirmation

Rebecca listening at her affirmation given by us.......

Li Zi smiling broadly while eating the cake.....

Visoth listening intently while Hillary sharing her affirmation about Rebecca

Tze Wei and his wife Hillary giving their affirmation about Rebecca........

A photo of Rebecca with Cynthia behind the scene...

Rebecca deep in thoughts, thinking about her affirmation

Rebecca listening intently at her affirmation

Rebecca scratching her head while Cynthia laughing away......

Rebecca looking elsewhere while Cynthia smiling happily

Rebecca eating the cake deliciously

Li Zi smiling gentling......

Li Zi with a serious look, looking intently at the camera......

Jia Liang, Fook Wah and Visoth

Another group photo.......

Everyone smile....

NG2C1 & Rebecca's friends

Cynthia and Rebecca holding hands together

Rebecca talking to Rosyline

Rebecca and Rosyline taken together outside of the Thai Express

Our group photo taken from Hillary camera outside of the Esplanade.

National Day BBQ (9/8/2006)

2006-08-12T10:19:00.000+08:00

Today is Singapore 41st National Day and also our unit outing barbeque event! I pray that the LORD will bless this day! Today the weather is fine and also not so windy, suitable for us to start the barbeque! Let us thanks God for giving us such fine weather! Amen!

Now it the moment to start the fire......

The inital stage of starting up the charcoal for barbequeing.....

Rebecca in action ! Fanning the charcoal........

The charcoal is ready finally!
Putting magarine on the satay......

Barbequeing the beef satay......
Barbequeing the chicken Satay........

The food waiting to be barbeque.....

Cynthia & Li Zhi putting magarine on top of the food......

Tze Wei & Li Zhi barbequeing the food.....

Shawn preparing the fish ball to barbeque it.....

Barbequeing the beef and chicken satay as well as the fish ball..........

Makan time !

Let us tuck in! Time for us to enjoy the delicious food.......

A moment of fellowship with one another....

Barbequeing the Satay and the marinated chicken wings......

Let us thanks Kar Leong for marinating such delicious chicken wings for us to enjoy!

Li Zhi, Jie Bing & Jenny watching the jet fighter F-16 soaring in the sky! How excited they are.......

Chocolate Birthday cake for Shawn, Christine & Wanqi!!!!

All of us waiting for the moment to celebrate Wanqi, Shawn and Christine Birthday! Come! Let us take pictures of them.....

Shawn, Christine & Wanqi obviously delighted..... Happy Birthday to them!

Let us sing a Birthday song for Wanqi, Shawn & Christine! Happy Birthday to you ! Happy Birthday to you !....

Happy Birthday to Wanqi!
Happy Birthday to Shawn and Christine! Happy Birthday to you.....

All of us waiting for them to blow the candles & cut the cake.....

Come! Let us get together to pray for our Birthday babies- Shawn, Christine & Wan Qi!

Come! Let us see what type of design of T-shirt that you all bought for me for my Birthday present.....

A"O2" T-shirt for Shawn as a Birthday present! Shawn admiring and showing his T-shirt to us, very delighting......

Li Zhi bought a "I love New York" T-shirt for Christine as a Birthday present after she came back from United States of America.

Our new friend Yew Fai helping with the BBQ

Our mystery ladies Lizi, Gwenda and Christine!

Happy Birthday to Shawn, Christine and Wanqi!

Prayer time for our birthday babies.....

The add-on for Xue Yun Birthday-26/7/06

2006-07-31T10:59:00.000+08:00

Yeah! A moment of laughter & fun together! Cheers !!!

Zhu Ni Sheng Ri Guai Le!! Xue Yun!!!

Oops!! The candle flame is so strong! Quite hard for me to blow it out! Xue Yun, jiayou!!

Come, let me cut the cake, no, let me do it..no, let me do it.....

Celebration of Xue Yun Birthday at Prima Taste-CenterPoint

2006-07-28T23:17:00.000+08:00

Prima Taste located at basement of CenterPoint shopping Centre-True Singapore Cusine

This is the place where we will be celebrating Xue Yun birthday

NG2C1, brothers & sisters in Christ coming together to celebrate a special occasion, that is Xue Yun birthday

Now is the moment to light up the birthday candle
and wish our dear sister Xue Yun, a very Happy Birthday to her!!!

Finally the birthday cake! Yummy! Yummy! Beautiful, isn't it?

Xue Yun together with her beautiful cake bought by Hillary and Rebecca, Don't know whether she like the favour or not.....

Xue Yun and her chocolate birthday cake, I wonder how old is she, want to make a guess? Let me see.......

Come on! NG2C1, now is the moment to sing Xue Yun a Happy Birthday song to her !!! One , Two, Three.....

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to Xue Yun! Happy Birthday to you.....

Xue Yun waiting to blow the candle and make a wish

Michelle thinking of what to write and encourage for Xue Yun

Xue Yun holding with her the flower, together with Rebecca and the cake......

Now it's yummy time! First must take away the candle and the decorations...

Xue Yun asking advice from Rebecca how to cut the cake

A photo of Fook Wah and Tze Wei together.....

Pei Zhen writing some encouragments & well wishes for Xue Yun birthday, while Cynthia is looking and waiting for her turn....

Rebecca helping Xue Yun to prepare to cut the cake

Kar Leong sharing her affirmation intensely about Xue Yun, not realising that he is being sabotaged by our young and cute brother Bradley!!!!

BPQ and Shawn (not inside the picture), making fun of Kar Keong, they seems to be having a good time!!!

Lizi and Rebecca together

Rebecca sharing her affirmation about Xue Yun.......

Fook Wah, together with Tze Wei and his wife, Hillary taking a picture together, smiling broadly and happily!

Shawn and his wife, Christine listening intently about Xue Yun affirmation.....

Bradley Pratick Quek & Jia Liang our big brother

Prima Taste signboard with Cynthia & Pei Zhen

Cynthia smiling happily, together with Pei Zhen

Lizi and Xue Yun

Lizi giggling and sharing her affirmation of her shepherd, Xue Yun

Michelle helping Xue Yun to cut the cake and distribute it.....

Xue Yun busy herself eating her birthday cake

Smile Bradley... Smile wider! BPQ...

Bradley and Shawn teasing & making fun of each other

Xue Yun making her birthday wishes, can I know what you wish for, come on, tell me quick plsss......

Tze Wei & Hillary together sharing about Yue Xun, while Fook Wah is busy eating the chocolate cake.....

Jia Liang writting some encouragments & well wishes for Xue Yun

Cynthia & Xue Yun enjoying a moment together......

Cynthia & Xue Yun
Xue Yun listening intently of Cynthia affirmation about her, holding in her hands, the flower bought to her by Rebecca....

Xue Yun together with Michelle....

Cynthia sharing her views & thoughts about our sister Xue Yun... You can see that Xue Yun is smiling quietly......

Xue Yun listening intently about the affirmation about herself.....

Fook Wah, Visoth, Pei Zhen having a good time....

Tze Wei & Pei Zhen listening at the affirmation about Xue Yun...

Fook Wah and Christine both enjoying and listening attentively to the affirmation about Xue Yun....

Kar Leong our big brother sharing about Xue Yun... He seems to say that she is a quiet girl and thus encouraging her to speak up more.....

Michelle affirming and sharing about Xue Yun ........

Michelle & Xue Yun laughing & hugging together, celebrating her birthday......

Fook Wah sharing his affirmation about Xue Yun... He seem to say that although Xue Yun is a bit quiet and shy, she can still able to be Lizi shepherd.....

Hillary and Xue Yun

Smile Pretty Lizi, I am going to take a photo for you! Lizi looking a bit shock & blur songtong....

Surprised for Michelle !!! Michelle looking at the picture of the big card....

Michelle getting her baptism encouragement and well wishes card from NG2C1

Xue Yun busy reading the well wishes by NG2C1 inside her birthday card while Rebecca & Lizi are busy chatting non-stop......

Michelle reading the words inside the card encouraged by NG2C1 brothers & sisters for her recent baptism at Big Spash....

The appeatiser at Prima Taste is delicious, isn't it?

Left Over Prawn by PJ because of its high cholestoral level

Added Photos of Kar Leong Birthday

2006-07-25T17:43:00.000+08:00

Our NG2C1 Family!

Yummy Yummy Yum Yum Yum......

Lai Ba! Anything I can also answer..er..except...

Rebecca affirming his sacrificial spirit...Thank You Kar Leong!

Lizi affirming Kar Leong...

Hee hee..Hillary taking a picture of Peng Juay!

Um um.. Kar Leong zai wo xin mu zong....

Ooh.. what a delicious looking cake bought by Peng Juay......

When you wish upon a star...

Wow, what a wonderful CD of my baptism! Thanks, Peng Juay!

Mmm... admire admire........

Let's thanks Hillary for contributing the photos! Now we can enjoy watching more of the birthday photos of Jia Liang! Enjoy watching and God bless you with another great day ahead!!!

Soh Kar Leong 32nd Birthday (20-7-2006)

2006-07-20T04:01:00.000+08:00

Now Kar Leong! Be prepare to answer questions about yourself personally so that all of us will get to know you even better as a person in future! Are you ready? Here are the questions.....

KL resting on BPQ, both listening to the questions post by the brothers & sisters that ask KL about himself personally.....

Hillary asking Kar Leong a question with Tze Wei smiling, thinking of how he is going to answer this question post to him personally....
KL listening intently to the questions that Hillary is asking him about... I wonder what is the question she ask? I think I know, she seem to ask him what is his greatest fear in his life?

BPQ and Kar Leong taking a break after having their dinner...

Band of brothers enjoying their conversations with one another. You can see that they are smiling broadly... What's so funny? come on, tell me quick....

Rebecca and Cynthia enjoying a moment of fellowship with our brother Kar Leong......

Our four sisters in Christ, Pei Zhen, Li Zi, Rebecca and Cynthia relaxing themselves after having their dinner.....

Visoth talking and smiling at Kar Leong while Bradley relaxing himself after a heavy dinner of paper steamboat and a cup of ice lemon tea with added sugar syrup into it....

Fook Wah listening at our conversations with Kar Leong, thinking also about questions to ask him about....

Shawn and his wife, Christine are pondering on what questions to ask Kar Leong about

Tze Wei, Pei Zhen and Li Zi thinking of what questions to ask Kar Leong.... Hillary smiling, I think she got a tough and sensitive question to ask him...... Don't know whether or how Kar Leong will answer her question.....

Jia Liang listening intently to the questions given to him, figuring how to tackle and answering them wisely and correctly.....

Fook Wah, Patrick, Kar Leong, Tze Wei resting themselves after enjoying their dinner and Hillary, behind, who is taking a photo of Kar Leong

I wonder what makes them laugh so happily? Let me guess...... What's so funny.... Got to crack my brain a bit......

PJ, BPQ and Kar Leong- The Three Mustereers!Three Cheers for them! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Cheers for their friendships!!!

Li Zi and Rebecca discussing what hard questions to ask Kar Leong to answer... pondering hard, deep in thought.....

Cynthia and Rebecca questioning Jia Liang, both of them are having a lot of fun!

Come on, don't be shy! Got any more questions for Kar Leong to answer.... Going once, going twice, come on.....

Let me think... What I shall say about Kar Leong?
I think basically he is a fun loving and cheerful brother, he is also a easy going and can easily get along well with other people, a person deserve to be mix with.....

Chan Shou Kuo (Mushroom Pot restuarant)
located at Orchard Point inside OG at level 4!

Pei Zhen, Li Zi and Rebecca enjoying themselves, sharing their affrimation of our fellow brother Jia Liang....

Kar Leong digging his nose in front of all of us! disgusting!!!

Now let us sing a Happy Birthday song to our dear brother Kar Leong, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you.........

Happy birthday to Kar Leong! Now is the time for me to make a wish... I wonder what Jia Liang wish for? guess? any smart guessing??

I already told you not to buy me any cake, however since you all already had bought it, let's not waste it !

Oh! what a beautiful cake! chocolate some more, my favourite! Yeh ! Yummy time.....

This one and only big red strawberry, who shall I give to? Let me think.... Ah, I know, since Michelle has not join us for dinner, I will let her eat the strawberry... Yes, that will be nice!

Now I am going to cut the cake!

Careful, now is the moment to practise my cutting skill learn from my master in shatec.....

I wonder how I should cut the cake into how many pieces? The cake look a bit small for all of us to eat.... hmmm... got to think harder a bit...
Never mind! I will ask my shepherd Tze Wei for his advise....

The cake will be cut into twelve slices for each of us.... Who will be the first taker to try it?

My favourite favour, chocolate with a big strawberry on top of it! Yummy!! Let us not waste any more time! Mak Kan time!

Finally my water baptism video VCD is done! I wonder how is the video taken ? I am quite curious actually.....

Laughing and smiling happily and broadly, the photos on the label don't really look like me at all!

Looking at the design of the label of the video VCD
of Michelle's water baptism on the 16/7/2006

My birthday present, looking intently at the title and songs of the music CD.....

What a gift! This chinese christian music CD is what I have been waiting to lay my hands on... This must be God's planning for me to enjoy listening to the songs so that I can practise my singing! lah! laaaaaa!!!

My sheep Fook Wah and me, sharing a moment of silence and laughter together.....

I really enjoy the chocolate cake ! Yummy ! Can I have one more ?

Today, the brothers & sisters of NG2C1 had come together to the Mushroom
Pot Restuarant to celebrate a special occasion, that is our 32nd year of birthday for our fellow brother Kar Leong. We pray that God will bless his life richly, strengthen his relationship with Christ and also the brothers and sisters in the church, may he be a awesome workmanship and a big tree with deep roots planted deeply so that he can do great things for the Kingdom of God and may he continue to shine brightly and also soar like a eagle so that people will look to him whenever they face problems. We also pray that he will have a fruitful and good year ahead and whatever he do, may the Lord send his angels to keep watch every single steps that he make, so that he will not fall into temptations, and also whatever trials and difficulties that he is facing now, may the Lord protect him and bless him with good health and also with a good income so that in return he can also bless the people around him.

Michelle Zhang Water Baptism 16/7/2006

2006-07-17T00:06:00.000+08:00

Water Baptism, 16 July 2006

Pastor Ben teaching on Water Baptism

Hi Michelle! Among 84 baptisees...
Peekaboo! Christine and Qianni
Let us pray for our baptisees.
NG2C1 supporters for Michelle!

Michelle and Christine
Michelle and Hillary
Hmm.. I need to share the good news to my pals.

Michelle reading congratulatory sms from friends

This is hot hot hot...
Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?

Have you received Jesus into your life...
Are you willing to fully commit to Him ...
Yes Yes Yes !
Burial of old self...
Oo, the water is a bit salty...
A New Life Ahead!

Rebecca Mickey Mouse & Maggie Mouse!

Intently listening to well wishes...

I would like to thank my father, my mother....

Hmm.. what's inside...
Jesus is alive today...
Heh, heh, filming time...
Two great friends together in a tender moment...

Our CL Tze Wei ending the video clip with blessings for Michelle.

Taking a breather at refreshment time...

Yeah! My baptism certificate!

Yes, the original certificate!

Roseline, Tze Wei & Michelle

Congraulations to Michelle !!!
Three Cheers to her !
Michelle getting her water baptism cert
We NG2C1 welcome her into the Kingdom of God
Really glad to see you getting water baptised!

:::::Farewell is a Word Never Easy to Say & Sing a La-La Happy Birthday Song to Visoth!! ::::

2006-06-16T23:59:00.000+08:00

First a swordfish dish to represent that we have being there (Fish & Co) ... touched the food, chairs and tables... and left our footprints.... esta gets into a crappy mood again...

Visoth and the two big bowls of ice cream.... yum yum....
you think i cant finish them.........

let me show you......

wow...... a birthday cake as well ...... no worries.... remember im a shark..... muhahhahaha

i wanna bring this cake home and eat it with my 愛人
a foto with my barnabes and errr.... shawn's pointy thumb..

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
oh ya, that day i couldnt really do my affirmation for everyone..

Visoth: Thanks for your leadership, prayers, teachings, support, love, care and concern and being a leader, big brother, friends to us.... had been very blessed under your guidance all these years.... ever since i joined church.... May God continues to bless you and your family and lead you to serve in Cambodia...

Bradley: Thanks for being a supporting brother too..... whom is very friendly and always very helpful and open to share about your life.... continue to grow under the Lord and may He prosper you.....

Pam: Thanks for being such a supportive role in the caregroup.... you are like a big sister to many of the sisters and you are caring, sensitive to the needs of everyone..... you are also a joyful, enthusiastic and positive sister, very on and serving for Christ..... i will always love ya and the times we spent knowing each other..... May the Lord keeps you and answers the desire of you heart and may you be the Musician for Christ...

Lian: Thanks for being such a joyful sista....... its has been great and fun spending the night preparing the materials for joy factory, acting as mother and daughter with you.... you seems to be very flexible and highly adaptable when you came over from youth group...... always being willing and okok spirit to accept, blend in with us, easy going gal and you have take good care of the caregroup's finances.... its not easy to have long working hours and doing a degree but im sure by God's grace and guidance... you can be the salt and light wherever you go........ i hope we can continue to be great friends although not in the same cg very soon.... :(

Kar leong: With you around, it is always a very light hearted atmosphere........filled with laughter, tears that are happy and hmming of really nice songs sang by you or lian..... You have been a very joyful brother....... you handled a not easy job, extraordinary working hours and have to take care of family but i always thank God for your willingness to serve in the caregroup roles and you always take good care of the needs of the sisters and brothers..... Continue to desire and seek after God's heart amen? And may he bless you a Proverbs 31 wife.....heeeheee..... jia you brother! =)

PJ: Thanks for preparing the script on what to share during the affirmation time..... you appear to be a very introverted, shy, quiet brother..... but you are so always willing to help, to serve, to share about your job and your life...... Really thank you and appreciate each and every effort that you have made for all of us...... i didnt get to talk much to you but i can really see that you have a heart for God.... continue to seek after His heart, okay? because that is then.... that He will reveal more and more of His great plans for you..... Thank you for being my brother in christ!

Xueyun: haha.... although i koe you wont read this as you hardly access and you have a computer at home... still wanna write down and hope someday you will came by this site..... i have knew you for about three years... always find ya very quiet and soft spoken.... you are improving, getting louder.... and im sooo glad that i knew you so much better after we served togther in this caregroup...... you are always very encouraging.... i learnt from the spirit of interceding and evangelising and it has been great doing life with you in this caregroup....... Thanks for the friendship and enjoys every outing/shopping trip with you...... Cheers! We still have good years ahead with our Lord! Let's trust Him!

Rebecca: You are a gentle sister.... looks small but hit people real hard..... can be very playful and naughty sometimes..... You are always looking out and attending to people's needs..... very caring and sensitive person... thanks for love, care and concern..... Let's try to stay over at each other's houses for long chats okie.... we try to do that....

Christine: You are a very smiley sister...... always see you easily smiling.....giggling over some stuffs..... a sister whom is very sweet spirited, very nice to talk with, very wise and fun to be with.... we get along quite well.... hope to know you better in the long run......

Lizi: My dearest Rou rou.... thanks for being my very close friend in church....... we had knew each other for also a three years...... together growing from new believers to the not so new believers in the Lord ...... it has been great serving life and growing together with you..... you are a crazy sister, whom likes to eat, shop and talk like me..... and perhaps so, we are always so close to each other...... continue to have the spirit of "Never say die" be it in your studies, family or work life later on.... God will brings salvation in ur family.....

Shawn: A very funny brother..... always has quite a lot to share ......... think you are a Sanguine right...... one of the trait is chatty....... you have been a very good guide and host to us during the JB trip.... thanks for everything and i am really sorry that i didnt off the air con...... SORRY!! SORRY!! you have also been a very supporting person in the caregroup/unit...... thanks for being very adaptable to our cg!

Fook Wah: I knew you since Centralwest....hmm... you have always being a brother very nice to talk to and thanks for always tolerating me when i tease / disturb you...... you are also a very sweet brother..... thanks for sending me the birthday wishes during my last birthday........ its such a great thing to be in the same caregroup with you! Continue to have the simple faith for Jesus!

The Adds OnFriends_Forever_@ Melaka Church Camp.Com

2006-06-16T23:02:00.000+08:00

dearest Cg, i have specially uploaded the bigger pic so that you can just saved it directly by clicking on the picture..... if you wanna keep a personal copy .... just let me know .... i will email you individually.....

where we stayed....

the room with the best sea view.... hehe... which room uh?

our very cute looking UL holding the three monkeys

errr.... our CL is admiring a flower.....

Shawn also joined in to admire the flower.... hehe..... who says only girls like flowers.....diaoz.....
lizi , me and the lao ren....

PJ representing our unit holding the banner that he has specially made/designed....
unit foto.... so sad... a few are not in it.... noticed wanqi.... i thot she's talking on a hp...?!?!?

a proper caregroup picture... but wait...there are a few pple acting cute....hehe
act cute but all act cute together mah....amen..... wat is ah lian, the youngest member looking @ uh? maybe thinking she is by nature very cute already.... dont need to act liao.... hehe....

yo~ yo~..... now doing the hip hop jap style.... some other sisters put on their sweetest smile...

------------------------------------------------------------------------
The girls power..... pple whom like to take fotos after fotos....

esta trying to act stupid again...

Adult Getaway in Malacca (8/6-11/6/2006)

2006-06-12T22:07:00.000+08:00

Hurray! Kawan Go Melaka ! Let set off!!! Cheers!
Lawrence, Kar Leong, Esther & Pamela
Me, PJ Yeo & Pamela Ho
Smile Ladies!!!
Li Zi & Esther
Pretty Faces! Smile ! We are going to Malacca!
Xiao Yun & Esther
3 Cheers for Mak Kan Time !!!
Lunch time at Yong Peng !
Yeh ! That is me ! TH relaxing loh ! Very Suai lah !
Hi! That is me, PJ ! Smile 1 2 3 !!!
Jia Liang relaxing in his room. Don't be lazy lah !
View Shot taken from the balcony
Another angle of viewing
High Top View Scenery
A gust wind blowing towards the trees
Resort swimming pool
Pretty woman on balcony!
Model Soh Kar Leong!
Deep blue sea
Top view Scenery
Hi ! I am now at balcony! Look at my muscles!
Esther in her own room resting
Blue Star & Qian Ni
Come on! Let us Mak Kan!!!
Cynthia, Maggie, Rebecca, Canis & Xiao Yun
3 Cheers to their friendships!!!
Many blessings to our friendships!
friendships forever! (Hawaiian Night)
Dearest friends!
Visoth admiring the flower!
Hey Sisters! What are you staring at?
Christ-Centered friendships
Don't take picture of me! I am shy lah!
Come on ! stop arguing! cool down brothers!!
Two are better than one !
Me in Hawaiian T-shirt smiling broadly!
Tze Wei in Hawaiian T-shirt, very handsome neh!!!
Smile! I going to take a shot!
very windy with clear sanding beach
Band of Brothers

TH, Bingrui & Soh Kar Leong
PJ at the bridge relaxing
What a view! This is where we stay!
Entrance
Riviera Bay Resort
The Pavillion
Jia Liang, Shawn, Visoth & Hillary
Our luggages packed together returning back to Singapore

Kar Leong acting like a big boss!
Esther putting a funny face!

Hi, Brothers & Sisters in Christ, here are the photos which are taken in the Malacca June Camp!
Enjoy watching!!! God Bless !!!

8 -11 June
Riviera Bay Resort
10km Jalan Tanjung Kling
76400 Melaka Malaysia

Kawan Go Melaka
Adults Getaway

NG2C for June Camp Opening Ceremony

2006-06-03T16:23:00.000+08:00

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Matthew 18:10-14 (NIV)
"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

Shepherd & Sheep
Jesus and the cross

Luke 9:23-24 (NIV)

Then he said to them all:" If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

Jesus Christ- Hope for all mankind

These are the 8 pictures that are attached to the NG2C card

NG2C Opening Ceremony Card for June Camp

Happy Easter Day

2006-04-15T19:32:00.000+08:00

Can read here, my version on Easter Day.

Well, a brief summary here, we went to Shawn and Christine's house at Joo Chiat for our Easter event.
Then, for dinner, we head to The Imperial Wok for dinner. Enjoy viewing the pictures!

Welcome Shawn and Christine (new members) in our caregroup NG2C1 !

Happy Birthday Pam Pam

2006-01-02T21:46:00.000+08:00

Group Fotos

2005-12-12T16:23:00.000+08:00

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Happy Birthday to Ah Lian!!!! =)

2005-12-12T15:50:00.000+08:00

12th december 2005 - Happy 21st Birthday to our sweetest little sister, ah Lian!!

i know i know u are the youngest in our family..... so dont repeat that liao .... nags leh... hehe....
no doubt, our CL - Mr Visoth said that our CG members like to fellowship n eats alot..
after our recent steamboat, yesterday we celebrated ah lian's birthday at Pizza Hut, Centrepoint...
no sabotage hor.... becoz u have nice and sweet brothers and sisters..... :P

cant help showing all the food photos i took again...

just wanna affirm ah lian again here...

get to know ah lian last year but was in diff cgs..

think she is a nice sister, sweet and friendly

i get to know her better since i joined this cg

still rem we stayed back tgt to do the decoration thingy for joy factory

she has been sweet spirited, helpful, fun loving to be with in the cg...

njoy the small chats with her

and she seems to have her own unqiue ways to bless her others

and she does desire to know God better

by seeing how faithfully she has been serving in the core team and our CG treasurer...

thank God for you!

study hard and may God's blessings be overflowing in ur life and guides u in ur path of searching direction...

Settler's cafe photos!!

2005-12-04T20:48:00.000+08:00

hehe.. these are the photos taken at the settler's cafe.. hmm.. we went there abt 3 wks ago??

Cambodia Mission Trip

2005-11-04T20:41:00.000+08:00

(Esther)

Sept sch holiday 4/9 - 10/9

Umm...this is a very delayed post..

Let me introduce the team members for this Cambodia mission trip:
TW, Hill, Ros, Esther, JB, Anna, TH, Leong

Dunno how to start too...coz its being too long it seems...

let's start with all the adorable children first!

i cant let go of the opportunity to take photos with the kids... hee hee.....

Lizi's Graduation Ceremony

2005-11-04T20:10:00.000+08:00

(Esther)

Lizi and Lawrence's bachelor graduation ceremony

~ Swissotel,

Raffles Convention Centre

2005-11-04T19:49:00.000+08:00

oh! food is ready! (keke!) We are HUNGRY oredi!
Must say grace first, children! Thank You Lao ban niang, Rosaline!

this is me and my friend, ah yan

lizi and her friend - Max

Theresa, Rebecca, BPQ, Bing Rui
(sori, the pic is abit blurred)

Come PPle, Join Us for the Next Activity! Stay Tune ; >

Happy DeepaRaya!!!! - Steamboat at TW's hse

2005-11-04T11:39:00.000+08:00

(Esther's post)

1st Nov 2004 Deepavali holidae!

Pai sey hor! My antique pc down again. Now using my bro's pc to upload the pics lor.

this is ang suar (hokkien) market hor

esta n tw went market shopping at 0830 am

our TW choosing for us the crabs for tonight dinner

3 for $10/-

BPQ trying his go at holding a crab too! *Careful* It bites!

How to Kill a Crab - TW demonstrate to the sistas
1. 2. 3.
why are we waiting!! (sistas) - xueyun, pam, lian, yan,rebecca,lizi,theresa,esta (from left to right)

esta n lizi serving the food! who wants it raw?
the brothers - BPQ, TW, BingRui, Leong

esther's birthday pics (part 2)

2005-11-03T09:47:00.000+08:00

(Ah Lian):

now a few more photos of esther's birthday pics, cos i couldn't upload them in the previous post:

Esther's birthday pics!!

2005-11-03T09:39:00.000+08:00

(Ah Lian):

i know this is late.. very late.. but below are the pictures taken of esther's birthday celebration.. on 25-sept at swensen's PS:

a new blog template!!

2005-10-15T20:54:00.000+08:00

(Ah Lian)

hey everyone!! i have created this new blog template.. tink it's time to revive our cg blog!! & make some changes!! any comments?? nice or not?? if still dissatisfied, can still look for new template.. cos i din want to choose a too girlish kind of template, so as to suit the brothers in the gp also..

anyway, i added our birthdays also.. hmm.. but i can't rmb some of our pple's b'day.. so if u know how to log in & add into the template, then u just add in loh.. if not, can just tag at the tagboard, then i can add in also..

anyway, we want to warmly welcome PJ!! a new bro brought into our cg by kar leong!

Testimony by Sista Anna

2005-09-17T13:18:00.000+08:00

Testimony from a sista

Testimony of God’s transformation and testing of faith (by Neo Wan Che, Anna)

Good morning church, my name is Wanqi. Otherwise known as Anna from NG2C2. Presently I am teaching children with autism at a special school. Today, I am here to testify about God’s transformation in my life. Christian life is about the constant testing of faith. Just like Abraham who was challenged to give up Isaac, his only son, I was also challenged to give up the “Isaac” of my life - my family.

On the 6^th of August last year, my mum was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor located somewhere between the chest and stomach. I remember that day vividly because my school was having National Day celebrations.

God is a good God. He knows what is happening in my life and He meets my needs. Strangely, a brother (Eugene Chong, my ex-sheep in Youth) who seldom keeps in contact suddenly messaged me that day to ask how I was. Stifling my feelings of confusion and devastation, I only told him that something had happened to my family. To my amazement, he replied that as he was spending time with God that day, God suddenly prompted him that something had happened to me. Upon hearing that, I divulged my mum’s condition and requested that he pray for us.

Since the hospital only gave us a computer print out of the report on my mum’s diagnosis, we decided to seek a second opinion from our family doctor. Our family doctor helped us to make an appointment with a cancer specialist at a private hospital on 10/8/04 (which happened to be my birthday). The specialist looked at the report from the hospital and told us it showed terminal cancer. He then did a biopsy and asked us to come back on 12/8/04 for the biopsy results to confirm the stage of my mum’s cancer. Surgery was not advised as it would be complicated and considered high-risk.

As my family had never experienced anyone contracting cancer before, it was a new thing to me. I was really troubled by the result and did not know what to do. As I prayed and sought God, He prompted me to listen to a sermon preached by Rev. Glen. The message of the day was John 11:40, “If I believe, I will see the glory of God.” On 12/8/04, the biopsy result confirmed my mum’s cancer was terminal. The specialist estimated my mum had only 9 months left on this earth…

That day, after asking God for direction, I was convicted to embark on a fast just like Esther (meaning 3 days without food) because it was three days from 12/8/04 to 14/8/04 before we went for the healing service at Trinity Christian Centre. It was really a great challenge to me because I had never tried fasting from food for 3 days. But out of desperation and love for my mum, I went ahead and fasted with my sister. I also mobilized other Christians to fast and pray for my mum’s salvation and healing.

As I fasted and prayed, God reassured me two more times that “If I believe, I will see the glory of God.” Once was through a book I felt prompted to buy on 13/08/04 and the other time was at the healing service. Initially, I thought the glory of God was that my mum would be healed at the first healing service and then my whole family will be saved. That did not happen for God’s had a higher plan and purpose than what I had in mind. My parents did accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior at the first healing service but my mum was yet to be healed.

As the days went by, my mum had to undergo chemotherapy. Up till now, she has gone through a total of 7 rounds of chemotherapy. Seeing her suffer from the side effects of the treatment, my faith in God wavered and I became depressed. I was just like Peter. He was confidently walking on water until he started focusing on the turbulent waves around him. At which point, his faith was shaken and he sunk. In fact, God is so good that He will never let us go.

In the days to come, I continued to bring my mum to all sort of healing services in the hope that she would be healed. God, in His grace and mercy, slowly revealed my own motive for wanting my mum to be healed. Being the only member of the family who was unmarried, the responsibility of caring for my mum would fall on me and I was hoping to get out of it.

God is not only interested in healing our physical bodies; He is more interested in transforming us totally. I was really tested in every aspect. Emotionally and mentally I was stressed with numerous fears. Fear of losing my mum, of losing my job (as it is a requirement that I pass NIE before I can continue as a special education teacher) as well as the fear of loneliness (as I was still single and very much available) was overwhelming. Physically, a student at school was abusing me. Spiritually, I felt a great distance from God even though I prayed, fasted, and even listened to God’s word during my sleep, but I still my depression did not lift. To add insult to injury, my house was also burgled… Burdened by all these trials, I started having suicidal thoughts. Knowing that I was on the verge of a breakdown, I decided to go for counseling at Agape counseling centre where I was diagnosed with bi-polar syndrome by the psychiatrist and put on medical therapy. Even though I have been faithless, God is faithful. He knows that the root cause of my depression was not the trials I was facing but a spiritual bondage I had. Before becoming a Christian, I was devoted to a god in a medium house as goddaughter. I was not aware I needed to renounce it when I received Christ. Even as I served God in my new life as a child of God, I harbored bitterness towards people, especially my shepherds and leaders. That was the reason why I could not overcome my depression even though I had tried everything I could. I was also contemplating to leave church and God.

However, God continued to send me help through people. Everyday, I will receive a scripture message from a colleague. There are also friends from other churches who ministered to me. My understanding of the body of Christ was broadened during that period. Even my classmate (Pauline) in NIE is from Hope too. Pauline and my other Christian classmates helped me with my studies and kept me in constant prayer. The final breakthrough came when I responded to an altar call in the “Seasons of life” seminar taught by Charmaine. She and Rosaline (my Unit Leader) took two sessions to go through the bondage breaker, steps to freedom in Christ. In the first session I was told to write down at least 5-10 blessings per day and to meditate on Psalms. At first, I did not believe in my heart that there could be so many blessings in a day. However, I decided to try, as I really wanted to overcome my depression. God is good. After the first round of deliverance, I had truly found 5-10 blessings everyday and all of them were spirit-led…

Spiritually, I finally understood what it meant to rest in the love of Jesus and His love is unconditional. Ten years ago, a prophet who came to our church prophesized that the devil hates me because I had strength and that bothered him. The prophet also asked me to pray for the gift of healing. I did not understand then, but now it is crystal clear. My parents’ salvation had a tremendous impact on my family, relatives and friends. For many years, it had been my desire to reach out to all the people I know, especially my family and relatives. Cancer’s effect on my mum has also been minimum. Even though she had been through seven rounds of chemotherapy, she still has her hair. She is thinner though. Now, my parents are committed to the mandarin church and they have started to serve God. They have even started tithing and contributing to the building fund too. They are even willing to open up our house for care group and even to international brothers and sisters that they may have a place to stay. Personally, because I had triumphed over depression, I am able to minister to people who are depressed. Not only that, God has used me to pray for their deliverance from depression. Right now, I can even intercede and inspire the rest of the intercessors to pray for the church to have more breakthroughs. Thank God for using me to pray for people who are sick. I am also seeing these people getting healed progressively. I also came to understand that Jesus came not only to save us from our sins but also to heal us. There is healing power in taking the Holy Communion.

Recently, I just graduated from NIE. I was pleasantly surprised that I had managed to get the best results for my last semester of studies even though I had to repeat one module on top of the depression I was suffering having been through so many trials. I even got credit in my studies. Financially, God also provided a future business opportunity for me and I can be anointed to teach these autistic children. I am also seeing my mum progressively healed and the relationship in my family getting stronger and closer. God has also revealed to me the root cause of my mum’s cancer: a generation curse. I have also built many stronger friendships with the people around me.

I am just overwhelmed with the number of blessings I have received. I know that I would not be who I am today without God. His grace is sufficient for me. I just want to encourage people who are going through trials and temptations to continue to believe God for breakthroughs and persevere on.

For the shepherds and leaders who are ministering to depressed people, please continue to believe God will deliver them and to love these people unconditionally. I really thank God for providing friends e.g. Pauline, Fiona, Nicky, Jane, intercessory friends like Limei (who consistently prayed for me), Siew Fong (who gave me the book and VCD on Victory over cancer and many more), care group brothers and sisters (e.g. Canis, Esther, Hillary, John, Lawrence, Jiebing etc.), and last but not least, family members, especially my younger sister, Peijin who supported me throughout my depression.

Freely I receive from God and others, freely I give to others. To end off my testimony, Psalms 30: 5, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime.”

Hope that this will encourage you. Thank you.

Shared by Brother Visoth

2005-09-17T13:16:00.000+08:00

MISSION TRIP TO CAMBODIA 2005 – NARRATION OF EVENTS

The Inception Stage

It was on 28 February, when the new structure for Adults Region was about to kick off. Our new sub-district leader, Wendy Tiu, decided to have a meeting with all the care leaders and unit leaders of the new NG2 sub-district. One of the topics of discussion was for each unit to organize its own short-term mission trip, and the list of countries that we could choose from included Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Having been on numerous short-term mission trips to different countries, I wasn’t terribly excited at that point of time. My unit leader, Rosaline, suggested to me that we organize a mission trip to Cambodia, since that is the country that I have a burden for. “But it is not in the list of countries we can go to” I objected. Then I added “Why don’t you ask Wendy?”. She did, and Wendy was all right with having a mission trip to Cambodia. Her only concern was that Cambodia was full of landmines. This time, I was excited. Finally, we can organize a mission trip to Cambodia, and it is officially recognized by the church. It was a simple suggestion that Rosaline made, but this simple suggestion would lead to significant events during the trip.

The Planning Stage

After the annual church camp in June 2005, I got to work planning for the mission trip. It was not a mundane responsibility but a great challenge, especially since it was the first time I was planning for a mission trip and leading it, rather than being a passive participant.

The Date of the Trip

First, I had to think of a date to go. I chose the school holiday period from 4 to 10 September because it was then that the school teachers in my unit would be able to make it.

Making Contact with People

Next, I had to make contact with people doing ministry in Cambodia. Unlike the other mission trips I had been involved in, I knew of no contacts from Hope churches who were in Cambodia. I had to therefore try to find people whom I could liaise with while I was there. Hillary and I have a friend named Linda, who was doing humanitarian work in Takeo province in Cambodia, and we easily made contact with her through email. But for pastoral ministry, things were a bit more difficult. In Bible school, I have a classmate named James who used to pastor Victory Family Centre in Phnom Penh, and another classmate named Jimmy, who is the current pastor. Jimmy told me that the church did not have many activities during the weekdays which I could participate in. But both of them gave me the contact details of their friends who were doing pastoral and humanitarian ministry there. I made contact with the friends of Jimmy and James, and I also contacted Campus Crusade, inquiring about ministry opportunities in Cambodia in the short term. Some of James and Jimmy’s friends were busy hosting other mission groups during the same period of time that we would be in Cambodia, and I did not receive any reply from Campus Crusade in Cambodia. The only positive reply came from a friend of James and Jimmy named Joko. Joko is an Indonesian missionary sent by his church to Phnom Penh, where he rents a large house for US$300 a month and sublets it to young Cambodian guys who come to Phnom Penh from the provinces to either work or study, and are in need of accommodation. He would share the gospel with them through lifestyle evangelism and quite a number of them have become Christians.

Travel arrangements

At the same time, how we would travel to Cambodia proved to be another big headache for me. Only Silkair has direct flights from Singapore to Phnom Penh. But at almost S$700, the price was beyond the reach of most of us. Even at S$580, an indirect flight using Malaysian Airlines was too high. There was news that Tiger Airways (a budget airline) intended to start direct flights to Cambodia, but I heard nothing else about it for a very long time. I spent plenty of time on the Internet searching for the most economical and time-efficient way to travel to Phnom Penh. Flying to Ho Chi Minh City and then traveling 200km overland to Phnom Penh seemed a good option, but the cost of two Vietnamese visas per person would escalate the cost. I almost concluded that the best way to travel was by budget airlines to Bangkok, and then endure almost one day of traveling on bumpy roads to Phnom Penh. It was at that point of time that I made a great discovery – Vietnam no longer required entry visas for Singaporean and Malaysian citizens! We can save time and money traveling via Ho Chi Minh City. I quickly booked six air tickets on Vietnam Airlines for six of our team members. The travel agent informed me that only four seats were available for the flight on 4 September, but there were some seats available on 3 September. I decided to travel with Hillary on 3 September and let the other four travel on 4 September. There were also two other team members who were unable to go for as long a time as us, and they had to travel direct to Phnom Penh on 7 September. But one had plenty of frequent flyer points and he used this to get discounted tickets for himself and for the other team member. Thus, the mission team would be traveling in three separate groups.

Accommodation

I needed to look for suitable accommodation in both Vietnam and Cambodia, and what I did was to look into the Internet. After looking at the details of several budget hotels and guesthouses in Phnom Penh, I conferred with Hillary and decided that at US$15 per night, Asia Hotel (http://www.cambodia-phnompenh-asiahotel.com/) would be most suitable. So I made a booking with the hotel for a few rooms via email. I have to commend Asia Hotel for their service; both the general manager and the assistant manager replied me very promptly.

As I had been to Vietnam before, I thought that the best place to stay would be Pham Ngu Lao street (http://www.saigonnet.vn/english/travel/backpackers/), an area with many budget hotels and frequented by backpackers. I have a care group member named Bradley Quek whose father works in Ho Chi Minh City. Bradley told his father about our brief stay in Vietnam, and about the area we intended to stay. Mr Quek felt that Pham Ngu Lao wasn’t a very safe area, so he booked rooms for us at Bong Sen Annex Hotel (http://www.channels.nl/71017b.html) and even paid the bill for us! That was God’s provision from a non-Christian! An even more exciting piece of news was that Mr Quek came back to Singapore to settle some business matters on 2 September, and was scheduled to fly back to Ho Chi Minh City on 4 September. He would be on the same flight as the four members of our mission team who were going on the same day!

Visas

Malaysian citizens do not require visas when they enter Cambodia, but Singapore citizens do. Having seven Singaporean team members meant that I had to apply for seven Cambodian tourist visas at S$38 each. It is possible to get Cambodian visas at the border checkpoints, but I was reluctant to do so because I knew that corruption was rampant.

When it comes to visas, the Royal Embassy of Cambodia in Singapore has a very peculiar system that is deliberately designed to be inflexible in order to maximize extra income. Monday to Friday mornings from 10am to 12 noon are strictly for the submission of visa applications; collections can only be done in the afternoon from 2 to 4pm. But that’s not all. They also provide “express service” where you can collect your visa within five minutes, but at an additional cost of S$5 per person. They even have this information printed out and stuck on their notice board in full view of all visa applicants! Anybody who could not adhere to the strict timetable would have to either pay for express service, or go through the inconvenience of coming again at the “right” time. Since most people in Singapore cannot afford to be inconvenienced in terms of their time, and also cannot tolerate inefficiency, they are willing to pay for “express service”.

I collected each person’s passport, visa application forms, passport-sized photos, and visa fee, and then proceeded to the Cambodian Embassy at Gateway East on the morning of 23 August. The visas were due for collection on the afternoon of 25 August. When I came to collect the visas, it was 3pm. There were a few people waiting at the reception area of the embassy; they had been there since 2pm. Meanwhile, the poor receptionist was more than apologetic. She explained that Mr Vorng Ky, the person in charge of doing the visas, had the key to the drawer where the passports were kept, but he was nowhere in sight since lunch time, which started at 12 noon. “Maybe he is having a 3-hour siesta like what people do in Cambodia” I thought to myself. When Mr Vorng Ky finally arrived, one man was fuming at him, but Mr Vorng Ky simply said that he did not know that he would be “held up by certain matters”. Perhaps this is cultural, but Singaporeans who are used to efficiency find it hard to swallow. The lesson that I was reminded of was that in Cambodia and surrounding nations, getting angry brings you nowhere, but causes embarrassment for everybody.

Preparing my Heart

One night, Hillary asked me whether or not I thought that I had pride in my knowledge of Cambodia and the Khmer language. I replied very generally that pride is everybody’s problem, and that we will still not be rid of it by the time we die. Still, for some inexplicable reason, her question made me feel uncomfortable. From experience, I knew that she asked questions like this, it was something that she felt strongly about. So I asked her to tell me very honestly whether or not I had pride. She said that she felt I had, and that it would affect my heart for the trip. So I decided to repent of pride there and then.

Preparing the Team

Whereas most of the communication with the team prior to the trip was done through email and text messaging, I did arrange a few sessions to brief the team about the trip, their objectives, and the rules and regulations we were to observe:

General:

- We are representatives of Christ, representatives of Hope Church and representatives of Singapore (Matthew 5:13-16). Therefore, we are to do our utmost to uphold the name and honour of the various parties that we represent. We are to conduct ourselves in terms of thoughts, attitudes, speech and actions in such a way as not to bring dishonour to these various parties.

- God created all mankind in His image (Genesis 1:27), and He loved them enough to send Jesus to die for them (John 3:16). We are to therefore treat the people whom we come into contact with in Vietnam and Cambodia with the greatest honour and respect, regardless of race, religion or nationality. We are to do our best not to cause any offence to them, but respect and appreciate their culture, even though it may be very different from what we are used to.

- As a mission team, we are one temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells (1 Corinthians 3:16). Therefore, we are to respect the sacredness of this temple, no matter how imperfect the members may be. We are to do our utmost to uphold the unity of the team. Anything that causes fragmentation within the team constitutes an attack against the sacred temple of God.

- As lifelong learners, we want to learn as much as possible about the things that we experience in Vietnam and Cambodia, including the culture, people, and fellow servants of Christ (Psalm 119:73).

Things that team members are encouraged to do:

- Maintain unity within the team.

- Be quick to apologise and to forgive.

- Be submissive to authority.

- Maintain a strong personal relationship with God.

Things that team members are not to do:

- Complain.

- Make negative comparisons.

- Look down on people.

- Bear grudges and be unforgiving.

- Have an independent spirit and deviate from group consensus.

- Give people a hard time.

The Pre-Trip Stage

3 September

The Journey to Ho Chi Minh City

Hillary and I were rushing throughout the morning as we made our last-minute preparations. As we were slightly behind schedule in our preparation and packing, and it was raining heavily, we decided to catch a taxi to the airport, and we arrived within thirty minutes. Check-in wasn’t a big problem, and our little backpacks did not contain much, thanks to our numerous experiences on mission trips.

Our flight was delayed for half-an-hour because it arrived late. Since we still had some time, we shopped for a present to give to Mr Quek on behalf of the mission team. The salesperson helped us to select a pen for him, and she even gift-wrapped it for us. At the departure lounge, we spent some time surfing the Internet for free, and I gave some instructions to the other team members via Internet text messaging.

The flight itself was uneventful, and the food was nothing out of the ordinary. The flight attendants spoke to me in Vietnamese; they assumed that I was Vietnamese! Upon approaching the coast of Southern Vietnam, I looked out of the window and saw a huge maze of rivers and streams; it was the fertile Mekong Delta. Shortly after, we approached Ho Chi Minh City. The houses were narrow and tall, and they looked like toy houses from the air. Touchdown was smooth, and we saw military bunkers at the airport compound; they were used by the Vietnamese Air Force to store their helicopters.

It was a good thing that we were seated near the front of the plane because that made disembarkation easier. Although we disembarked quickly, we still had to line up in order to pass through the long and tedious immigration process. Then we cleared customs and exchanged some money for Dong. A transport company had set up a booth at the airport, and it was located just next to the money changer. We decided to use their service, and paid them up front for a taxi to Bong Sen Annex Hotel. After reaching the hotel, we were amused that the taxi driver said “Arigato” to us, assuming that we were Japanese tourists. The hotel reception needed verification that we had indeed been assigned rooms under Mr Quek’s name. So they asked for our passports, air tickets, and immigration forms. Only then did they check us in and let us have a room.

Preparation Work

Once in the room, my mind started racing once again as I thought about the preparation work that we needed to do. I wanted to find out how I could get a pre-paid phone card for my mobile phone, suitable places to shop (mainly for the team members arriving on 4 September) and how to get to Phnom Penh. I went down to the reception to make my inquiries. Pre-paid phone cards can be obtained from the post office, which closes at 9pm, the shopping area was further down the street, and the bus tickets to Phnom Penh can be bought at the hotel reception for $7 per person. After discussing with Hillary, I decided that it was not worthwhile getting a pre-paid card for such a short stay, and that we should explore other options for transport to Phnom Penh.

Using the room phone, I tried calling Spenser, a friend of some our members in the Vietnam missions team, but his phone was always engaged. So we could not arrange a dinner appointment with him. We instead decided to go on our own to a vegetarian restaurant at Pham Ngu Lao street. We had frequented this restaurant during our first visit to Vietnam in 1999, and the owner was very nice. However, the restaurant was no longer there when we arrived. It may have relocated or closed down, so we had dinner at another restaurant instead. Then we went to a travel agency nearby and made inquiries about transportation to Phnom Penh. The counter staff told us that we could either travel by bus with other travelers, or arrange for a private minivan at US$65. At that point in time, I should have asked about whether the minivan would bring us all the way to Phnom Penh, or only to the border, but I did not think of this important question.

A Free Concert

Since we didn’t want to spend money on transport, we decided to walk back to the hotel. We soon passed by a large stage set up at a park, with people doing microphone testing. We remembered that the day before was Vietnam’s national day, so this would probably be a concert. A large crowd of people sat on the floor, and since Hillary liked watching music concerts, I obliged and we sat down with the people. I noticed that most of the people took off their shoes and sat on them, and I also did the same. A female singer came on stage and sang a few modern Vietnamese pop songs. Then another came and sang some more songs. I felt that the second singer had a better voice. Since we were getting tired, we got up and left after listening to about five songs.

In the dark, we were not so certain about the way back to the hotel, and we did not bring any map with us either. I sensed that we were nearing the hotel, but still felt uncertain because all the roads and buildings looked the same. Finally, we reached Hai Ba Trung street and the hotel. Thank God for His protection and that we were not lost at night in an unfamiliar city.

4 September

Attending Church

At the hotel, we had a sumptuous buffet breakfast, and we particularly enjoyed the fresh, natural and unsweetened papaya, pineapple and tomato juices.

It was Sunday, and the other team members would have been able to attend the 9am service in Singapore. But it was a different story for Hillary and I, since we arrived the day before. We though of attending a church service in Ho Chi Minh City, so we looked up a telephone directory for the addresses of churches. I copied down an address and showed it to a taxi driver. He tried to find the place with much difficulty. When we finally got off, we couldn’t find any church. But there was a Roman Catholic church, so we went there to take a look. The sanctuary was filled with school-age children sitting on the pews, with a priest teaching them in an interactive manner. It was a traditional mass, and the adults were all waiting outside. We didn’t understand what was being spoken, or the significance of the rituals. But we decided that since God’s people were gathering in His name, there was value in remaining. So we remained until the end of the mass, and then took a taxi back to the hotel. It was a good thing that we attended the City Harvest Friday night service back in Singapore because that gave us a chance to be involved in corporate worship for the week.

Purchasing the Bus Tickets

Hillary wanted to stay in the room to catch up on sleep while I, being the more adventurous one, decided to buy tickets for the bus to Phnom Penh. When I inquired at the reception, the female receptionist (different person from the one whom I spoke to the day before), told me that I had to go to Sinh Café (http://www.sinhcafevn.com/AboutUs.asp) to buy the tickets. I noticed that what she told me was different from what the previous day’s receptionist told me. But I did not want to dispute with her because I could see from her body language that she did not seem to like talking to me, even though I had asked very nicely. Still, I thought that since the hotel had recommended Sinh Café to me, the transport that it provides to Cambodia should be smooth, economical and reliable. I tried calling Sinh Café, but could not really understand the lady who answered the phone, although she spoke in English.

Feeling frustrated at the way the receptionist treated me and at not being able to understand the staff at Sinh Cafe, I decided to go to go there myself. I had originally decided to walk there, but after walking a few blocks, I changed my mind when I saw a cyclo driver at the side of the road. I showed him the address and he agreed to bring me there. The big mistake was that I didn’t ask about the price beforehand and simply assumed that he would charge cheaper than the taxis. Along the way, it started to pour, and the cyclo driver pulled the hood of the cyclo over me. He also used his raincoat to cover my legs so that they would not be wetted by the rain. This gesture of kindness really touched me, especially when he had no covering against the soaking rain. We stopped at Sinh Café and the cyclo driver said that he would bring me back to the hotel after I’m done.

Being physically present at Sinh Café made the communication much easier because I could now communicate not only through words, but also through writing and through the use of hand gestures. I made the necessary arrangements and paid the bus fare. Then I realized that maybe I had not made such a good choice after all – The lady told me that the journey to Phnom Penh would take eight hours, and that all the passengers needed to transfer to another bus at the border, and this bus would bring us to Capitol Guesthouse (http://www.bigpond.com.kh/users/capitol/) in Phnom Penh. My heart sank when I hear the words “Capitol Guesthouse”. I remembered reading in an Internet article about a tourist complaining about the transport provided by Capitol Guesthouse, calling it “The bus from hell” because it took an extremely long time to travel and went into every pothole on the road (http://www.pattayacity.com/pattaya/news-1.html). But it was now too late to regret because I had already paid. With a heavy heart, I returned to the cyclo, and the driver brought me back to Bong Sen Annex Hotel, charging me US$6. For being so nice to me, I didn’t have any qualms about paying him that amount. But I learnt from that experience that it is always better to travel by metered taxi.

Hillary met me at the hotel lobby; she was worried for me because of the rain. We had lunch next door at a Vietnamese traditional noodle restaurant, where I poured out my regrets about booking a trip on “the bus from hell” and she comforted me. I thank God for giving me such a caring wife!

Meeting the Team at the Airport

It was about the time that the flight for the four other team members and Mr Quek arrived, and we took a taxi to the airport. I gave Mr Quek a call from the airport’s telephone service and spoke to him briefly. He told me that he had just disembarked from the plane and that he had met the other four team members. I met Mr Quek first, and he arranged dinner with us at 7pm. He would come to our hotel lobby to meet with us.

After a very long wait, the rest of the team arrived. We found a large taxi that could fit in six people, and all of us went in and back to the hotel. Checking in was a long process as we had to explain that they were registered under Mr Quek’s name, and the hotel staff wanted to check their air tickets, passports and immigration papers. After settling in our rooms, I gave the team a briefing and we prayed. Then we went down to the lobby to meet Mr Quek.

Dinner with Mr Quek

Mr Quek met us at the hotel lobby slightly after 7pm, and with him was a Singaporean friend named Henry, who was also working in Ho Chi Minh City. They brought us to Rex Hotel, where we enjoyed a traditional Vietnamese dinner and cultural show. Through the dinner, it was very obvious to us that Mr Quek wasn’t really enjoying his stay in Vietnam. He had been in the hotel line in Vietnam since 1992, and felt that it was like a prison. He also told us that he does not enjoy Vietnamese food, and that he can’t speak any Vietnamese. Whenever he had a chance to go back in Singapore, he would go, no matter how short the time was. And once he was back in Singapore, he would enjoy the Singapore food and even bring some back to Vietnam. It was interesting listening to his experiences. On the other hand, I sensed that he was happy that his son Bradley had church friends in Singapore who were a positive influence on him. Perhaps the paid accommodation and the dinner treat were his expressions of appreciation. Mr Quek also gave us the contact number of his friend in Cambodia, who would be able to help us arrange for the fastest land transportation back to Vietnam on our return journey. On the whole, we were greatly blessed by our time with Mr Quek, and especially by his generosity and hospitality.

The Actual Trip

5 September

Journey to the Border

We had devotion and breakfast at the hotel, then we checked out. We were concerned that the hotel would make us pay for our stay, even when Mr Quek had already paid for us. But they verified that he had indeed paid for us, and we only needed to pay for telephone and Internet charges. The hotel staff helped us to call for a large taxi, and we set off for Sinh Café. Once there, our travel documents and tickets were checked, then we were bundled into a large car and transported to a bus in another part of the city. This bus had more passengers, mainly foreign tourists, who were also going to Cambodia. The bus traveled through the city and soon hit the national road leading to the border. The journey was smooth and within two hours, we reached the border checkpoint at Moc Bai. Once the bus stopped, I saw some people unloading the luggage from the luggage compartment of the bus and placing them into a handcart. Touts also flocked to the passengers, asking whether they could help in things like changing currency, helping to obtain visas, helping to get passports stamped etc. I instructed the team not to pay any attention to the touts. Then we lines up for a long time to get our passports stamped and checked. As we walked towards the border, the people who transported our luggage demanded 5,000 dong per piece. We since learnt that we should transport our own luggage in order to avoid paying them. Immigration procedures took a long time at both sides of the border. At both the Vietnamese and Cambodian sides, I noticed that some people could cut queue in order to get their passports stamped. What they did was to place some cash into their passports, cut the queue and hand it to the immigration officer, who would quickly put the money aside and give them priority. Some people enlisted the help of touts, who would charge an amount for their service, and also give a portion to the immigration officers. People really have creative ways of earning extra money.

“The Bus from Hell”

After the immigration formalities were completed at the Cambodian side, we were herded to a bus from Capitol Guesthouse. This was “the bus from hell”, and it certainly felt like hell in the beginning. A Cambodian guide employed by Capitol Guesthouse stepped into the bus and collected everyone’s tickets. It was when he approached an Italian tourist that all hell broke loose. The tourist could not produce a ticket, and the guide told him that he would have to either pay US$4 to continue traveling on the bus, or get off and find alternative transport. This made the tourist angry, and he argued with the guide and also with a coffee shop tout who was also on the same bus. Finally, the tourist searched his bags and found his ticket, and this was when the coffee shop tout taunted him and the incident almost led to a fight. The guide intervened and things calmed down. Then he apologized to the tourist for the problem caused and explained that if the number of tickets collected does not tally with the number of passengers on the bus, then his boss would cut his salary. The mission team felt that the guide had handled matters professionally.

We reached a coffee shop, and the tour guide told everyone that it was a lunch stop. The tout got to work handing out menus to everyone, and it was obvious that he had made arrangements with Capitol Guesthouse to stop at his coffee shop for lunch everyday, and in return he would pay a commission to Capitol Guesthouse. Once in Cambodian soil, I felt very much at home because I could speak some Khmer. I ordered food on behalf of the mission team, speaking to the coffee shop assistants in Khmer.

After some more traveling, we reached the town of Neak Loeung, located at the banks of the Mekong River. There was no bridge, and the bus had to go into a ferry in order to get to the opposite bank to continue on its journey. As we waited under the sweltering heat for the ferry, many locals flocked to the bus. There were children, beggars, and vendors selling things like drinks, cooked prawns and pomelos. Whoever they were, the one thing that was on their mind was money for survival.

Asia Hotel

We finally reached Capitol Guesthouse in Phnom Penh at 5pm in the evening, after traveling for eight hours. It was a long journey, but at least there were no potholes. The mission team members were relieved. But we faced another problem – many motorcycle-taxi drivers were waiting for passengers at Capitol Guesthouse, and they were aggressively trying to get business. I knew that Asia Hotel provided free transport, so I called Peter Xing, the assistant manager, and asked for transport to the hotel. While waiting for the transport from Asia Hotel, having to face a mob of motorcycle-taxi drivers hungry for business was quite an unnerving experience for me. A 4-wheel drive finally arrived and brought us to Asia Hotel. There, we checked in and were shown our rooms at the third floor. The facilities were acceptable, but I soon discovered that the hotel also offered prostitution services under the guise of “massage”.

Dinner with Linda and Matthew

I called Linda from the hotel lobby and we fixed a time for dinner. She soon arrived with her 13-year old grandson Matthew, who had grown a little taller but otherwise still looked boyish. We walked quite a long distance along Monivong Boulevard in order to get to a restaurant. Halfway down the road, Wan Che felt tired, and Matthew accompanied her on a cyclo to the restaurant.

While Linda talked to Hillary and I about her involvement in humanitarian work in Cambodia, Matthew was entertaining the other team members. It seemed that they enjoyed playing with him. We noticed that the food came in small portions and that the chicken was very scrawny. I guess that the chicken was not injected with growth hormones. As a result, the chicken was bad for our tongues but good for our health. Two touts came into the restaurant to sell additional food to us. One sold cooked prawns and fried spiders, while the other sold pomelos. We bought a pomelo to substitute the meager portions. After dinner, we were too tired to walk back, so we took a tuk tuk back to the hotel. I knew that the team was tired after traveling for the whole day, so I allowed them to rest until 9am the next day.

6 September

A Relaxing Morning

I had announced to the team that devotion would be at 9am, but I was already up before that time, and doing my Bible study and journaling. Then Kar Leong woke up and we decided to do some exploration. We inquired about the laundry service, and brought some of our clothes down for washing. Then we crossed the road and I inquired about mobile phone service for foreigners. The procedures were too troublesome and expensive, and I felt that it was not worthwhile. Then I went to an internet café and checked my email for 20 minutes. It cost me only 800 riels. We went to Rosaline and Hillary’s room for devotion. Since Wan Che needed more sleep, we carried on without her. The passage that I selected for devotion was 2 Samuel 7, where David intended to build a house for God. Although he had good intentions in mind, God did not choose him to directly build the temple. Instead, his son Solomon build the temple while he supplied the raw material and gave Solomon the support. God promised to build a spiritual house for David, and this caused David to respond in worship. I learnt that I may have great plans for God, but He has even greater plans for me.

Kar Leong wanted to try the local fast food, so we went to Lucky Burger. The food was like most other fast food places, and I selected the cheapest items. Since the team wanted to shop, we went to Psar Thmei, the “New Market” as it is known to the Cambodians. We passed by a shop selling guitar strings at a cheaper price along the way, and Hillary and Kar Leong each bought a set. No matter how much bargaining we did at Psar Thmei, we knew that we were being overcharged. But the owner of the cloth shop was very nice to us, and he allowed each of us to have a free item after we made our purchases.

Lunch with Joko

When we got back to the hotel, I called Joko and he came and brought us to an Indonesian restaurant near his house at Toul Tompong. The restaurant served very nice food, and it was owned by an Indonesian missionary. Joko told us about how God had called him to Cambodia, and how his burden for the country gradually increased through the years. He also told us that we should not come with fixed methodology, otherwise we will be disappointed when things do not meet up to our expectations. We are to instead take time to observe first and be open to God’s plans. He identified disunity as the biggest problem plaguing Cambodia. Therefore, if Cambodia were to be won for the Lord, the Christians there have to be united instead of squabbling among themselves. He told us his vision of Christians from Cambodia spreading the gospel to the surrounding nations. He had a weekly prayer meeting at his house every Tuesday, in which Christians from different nations, churches and ministries would meet and pray.

An Impromptu Evangelistic Meeting

Joko told us about his ministry, and that there was still a non-believer staying in his house. He suggested that we run an evangelistic program that night, for the benefit of the people staying in his house. We thought that it was a good idea, so we went to his house and planned for the evangelistic meeting. Kar leong, Hillary and I were involved in a skit, while Wan Che and a Khmer guy named Krissnaq were involved in a song item. Joko helped us to contextualize the skit to the Khmer culture.

Soon, the guys staying at Joko’s house started returning home. A guy named Vuthy brought home with him two jovial, young and beautiful Khmer girls named Deena and Socheata. Although they were non-Christians, they enjoyed our friendship greatly. I found that the Khmer language and Khmer songs (which I like listening to) were two reasons why I could quickly establish rapport with these young Khmer people. Hillary and I introduced ourselves by our Khmer names: Bopha and Visoth respectively. I was gradually able to remember all the guys’ names: Sopheak, Sopheap, Krissnaq, Vuthy, Sothea, and Torn. I would get to meet Lam the next day.

I had to come up with an evangelistic message, and with much prayer, I managed to come up with a message that was simple and contextualized enough for the audience to understand. It was rewarding to see that everybody enjoyed the evangelistic meeting, although nobody received Christ that night. But the seed was planted and the fruit would soon come.

The International Prayer Meeting

By the time the evangelistic meeting ended, many foreigners started coming to Joko’s house. It was the weekly prayer meeting that was open to everybody who wanted to see God’s work done in Cambodia. The leader, Bruce, spoke about the Israelites mourning the loss of the ark, which represented the presence of God. God would only intervene when people value His presence enough to mourn for its loss. Then he asked representatives from every nation to pray for their own nation. Finally, we ended by praying for Cambodia. I was glad to meet Jimmy at the prayer meeting, and we spent some time catching up with each other.

Joko’s Suggestion

When Wan Che asked Joko whether there was any specific area in which we could help out in his ministry, he said that the guys needed to be taught on Spirit Baptism, and he arranged for us to come to his house to teach about it the next day.

The Journey back and the Evaluation

Joko managed to hire a motorcycle taxi to transport some of the team members back to the hotel, while he got some of the guys from his house to transport the others back on their motorcycles. Hillary and I were being transported back on Vuthy’s motorcycle. Rosaline traveled on Krissnaq’s motorcycle, but they arrived later because the motorcycle had some problems. While waiting for them, we heard a loud bang. It was a traffic accident that occurred at night. Vuthy said that he saw a motorcycle turning in one direction and a car turning in the opposite direction, and they collided. Many people ran to the scene of the accident. Perhaps they wanted to help the injured.

When everyone arrived, they were hungry and wanted to have supper because they had not eaten dinner. I was too stressed to think about eating, but still followed along and we had evaluation over supper.

7 September

Breakfast at the Hotel

After devotion, we decided to take a look to see whether the hotel’s restaurant really provided free breakfast. Kar Leong had pointed out to me the day before that breakfast was free for hotel guests. We seated ourselves at a table and I pointed out the “free breakfast” page of the menu to the waitress. She said that I had to collect the breakfast coupons from the reception. We collected our coupons from the counter and had our free breakfast. I was wondering why the receptionists did not automatically hand us the coupons on a daily basis, but instead waited until we asked. It is so unlike the practice of other hotels.

As we went back to our rooms, we saw the cleaners at work replacing the bed sheets and pillow cases. It was interesting to see them using the pulley system to bring the items up and down the different levels.

Picking up our Remaining Team Members

I knew that Esther and Teong Hoo would be arriving direct from Singapore today, and I also knew their time of arrival. While Hillary and I went to fetch them, the other team members did some shopping at Psar Thmei. We asked the hotel reception about airport transfer, and the assistant manager quoted me US$6 for two-way transfer, which I thought was too steep. Instead, we hopped on a motorcycle taxi, which brought us to the airport for US$1.50. Esther and Teong Hoo had arrived earlier than I expected, and had been waiting for us for an hour already. We got on a taxi, and the driver quoted me US$7. When I objected, he said that it was a fixed price from the airport. We went back to the hotel, where the assistant manager was telling me that I should have taken the hotel transport. If I hadn’t been ignorant of the fixed cost of taxis from the airport, I would not have had to pay so much. We checked Esther and Teong Hoo into the hotel, and did some internal swapping of room mates.

Toul Sleng Museum of Genocide (http://www.dccam.org/Archives/)

In Singapore, I had already told the team members that Toul Sleng Museum was a must-see for everyone in order to understand the Cambodia’s tragic recent past. Now, we would see the museum for ourselves. Entrance fee was US$2 per person. For this visit, I acted as the tour guide, bringing the team around the museum compound. It was my third visit to Toul Sleng, but the first visit for most of the other team members. Photos of the victims were displayed all over the museum. Some of them were photographed alive, while others were photographed dead. Also on display were the torture instruments and paintings of the atrocities that took place there. It was a gruesome sight, and Rosaline felt like vomiting. So she stayed outside else while the others continued touring the premises.

Toul Tompong

We had a lunch appointment with pastor Jimmy of Victory Family Centre, and needed to buy some food before going to his house. So we traveled on two tuk tuks from Toul Sleng to Toul Tompong market, where Kar Leong and I looked for newly cooked food, which would be more hygienic. We bought some fruits, Cambodian satay, and a kind of dough cake filled with spring onions. The others shopped around Toul Tompong.

When it was time to go, some people were busy shopping and haggling over prices. Beggars were also coming to us, making me feel especially uncomfortable. There was a hideous-looking man who was particularly persistent in begging for money. In place of one of his eyes was skin, and it looked as if he had suffered from an acid or chemical attack. With difficulty, we got the group going. It was difficult to know the direction to pastor Jimmy’s house, and motorcycle taxi drivers were offering their services, which I felt was unnecessary for such a short distance. Thank God that a French Christian worker whom I met during the previous night’s prayer meeting pointed me in the right direction. We found the street, but it was difficult to find the house because the houses were not numbered sequentially. It was only after I called pastor Jimmy that he came out of his house to meet us.

Lunch with pastor Jimmy

Pastor Jimmy was my classmate in Bible school, and is now pastoring Victory Family Centre in Phnom Penh. He had taken over from James (my other classmate) since May 2005. His house was similar to Joko’s house, and it doubled up as a tuition centre and a church. He had cooked some food for lunch, and Kar Leong helped him to cook some more food.

Pastor Jimmy explained to us that the young leaders of the church gave tuition during the weekdays as a means to attract people to the church. He had also slotted in Bible classes in between the tuition classes, and was surprised that people were still interested in attending. We were encouraged to hear that ever since he took over the church, it had grown from 15 to 40. He felt that Cambodia was very suitable ground for church planting because the people were open to the gospel, it was easy to get an entry vehicle, and there was no persecution from the government. That was the reason why he chose Cambodia over Cyprus. The older generation of Cambodia had gone through the Khmer Rouge regime and as a result, they cannot trust people easily. But the younger generation is open and eager to learn, that is why the key to reaching Cambodia is to reach the younger generation with the gospel. We also noticed that unlike the situation in Singapore, guys dominated the churches in Cambodia. In fact, all the leaders of VFC Cambodia were guys, and they were very good looking. Maybe sisters from Singapore who are looking for a life partner can consider looking for one in Cambodia. We ended our time by praying for pastor Jimmy and his ministry.

Going to the Slums

We had an hour before the guys in Joko’s house were due to return home. Joko came to pastor Jimmy’s house and brought us to slum area so that we could see for ourselves the living conditions of the urban poor in Cambodia. This slum area is located near the Tonle Sap and Bassac Rivers, and is smaller compared to the famous “garbage mountain” at Stoeng Meanchey (http://www.pbase.com/maciekda/stungmeanchey2005), which Esther and Teong Hoo visited on 9 September. Joko told me that the government wanted this piece of prime land for development, and had been trying to get the people to move out. A few years ago, a big fire destroyed many homes there (http://www.talesofasia.com/cambodia-fires.htm). That part of the slum is now a piece of vacant land awaiting development, but another part of the slums still remain. It consists of dilapidated buildings which people settle in, and very muddy, dirty and flooded streets. The people there were involved in gambling, prostitution and drugs, and they had been feeling a sense of hopelessness.

Some people had been ministering among the slum dwellers, among them was an Indonesian girl whom we met the day before. She told us that the children were quite badly behaved when she taught them, but after starting off in worship, they behaved better. In fact, when we walked through the slum area, the children greeted us politely. Joko introduced us to a woman who was the main contact person when they carried out their slum ministry.

Spirit Baptism

We returned to Joko’s house so that we could teach the guys on Spirit baptism. Joko had to leave for a meeting, and left us to run the teaching session. We started off with a very funny game, and Wan Che felt that we should worship before starting on the teaching. But I felt that since the guys are not Spirit baptized, they would not really appreciate deep worship. In fact, they did not understand the songs that she was playing and singing. So we instead sang a very simple Khmer song “Thank you Jesus in my heart”, had a short time of sharing, and then proceeded on to the teaching. We met Lam for the first time, and he was a very shy guy. We also had a Christian visitor named Reaksa, who decided to stay the night in the house. Sothea was also present, and being a non-Christian, he would not be able to understand or appreciate what I was teaching. Wan Che got Teong Hoo’s help, and they led him to another room, where they shared the gospel with him.

Having been trained in a Bible school that emphasizes heavily on teachings about the Holy Spirit, I knew the facts from my mind and could easily teach a lesson without reference to any notes (which I didn’t bring along with me anyway). But, the challenge for me was to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and to do as He directed. I taught the facts in a manner that was understandable to the guys, but I still sensed that they understood only intellectually rather than in the heart and in their spirit. Some of them also had misunderstandings about the necessity of speaking in tongues. The Holy Spirit then directed me into more teaching on initial evidence, vision casting, and making the teaching more interactive. I asked each of them which province they came from, and whether or not they were keen to be used by God to spread His word to their province. This made them excited and eager to receive Spirit baptism. As we prayed for them, nothing seemed to happen. Then Rosaline sensed that disunity could be hindering the move of the Holy Spirit. I referred the guys to Psalm 133 and explained that God cannot bless us when there is no unity. Rosaline directed them to join hands and kneel down before God. We then prayed for them to receive Spirit baptism. Torn and Sopheap received it, then we asked them to help in praying for those who had not yet received it. Soon, Sopheak also received it. I was spending a long time praying for Reaksa and teaching him at the same time, but without any visible results. Just when I thought of giving up, he also spoke in tongues and cried. He told me that it was such a relief being able to surrender his problems to God. God gave me a word regarding Cambodia. In the past, the Khmer empire was very large and powerful, occupying much of Northeastern Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. But it soon shrunk in size due to internal disunity. God wants to do a work in Cambodia to make it great again. But this time, it will be spiritual greatness. Through Khmer Christians, the neighbouring nations would be blessed. And it all starts with unity among the Cambodian Christians.

After a while, Wan Che joined us, along with Teong Hoo and Sothea. They had good news too – Sothea had received Christ! I could see the way everybody in the team found a role to perform and carried it out well. That was a great encouragement to me.

Joko came home and was happy to hear about what happened. He invited us back again for the next night and told us that the guys would be cooking dinner for us. Transportation back to the hotel was arranged for us, and we evaluated the day’s events over supper at another restaurant.

8 September

A Very Early Morning Program

I knew that Linda would be bringing us to Takeo province today, but we had not fixed the time. I told the team that devotion would be at 7am. Before they met together in the room, I gave Linda a call and she told me that she was on the way to the hotel, and we would also be having breakfast along the way. I was shocked because it meant that we would have to change our plans. I quickly informed the team that devotion would be on the bus and that Linda would be arranging breakfast for us along the way. We were bundled into the minibus that Linda had hired, and dropped by to pick up Matthew with his guitar.

We dropped by at a rice mill while Linda went to buy some baguettes for breakfast. Linda joined us later and told us that the rice was to be distributed to the flood victims both in Phnom Penh as well as in Takeo. Devotion was held in the bus, with Teong Hoo leading.

Today, we would have a feel of rural Cambodia and the humanitarian work that is going on there. Along the way, the rural scenery was very beautiful. We passed by emerald colored rice fields dotted with sugar palm trees, wooden houses, water buffalos, pigs, chickens and ducks. We also saw farmers planting rice. Jiebing was taking photos of the rural life.

The Takeo Eye Hospital

The bus stopped at the Takeo eye hospital, and the chief nurse Cheam brought us around. We also met with Sok Chanmol, a trainer for English teachers, and she would join us for the day.

Many people throughout Cambodia would come to this hospital for treatment of eye problems at a low price. It was funded partly by the government and partly by an NGO. The facilities were basic, but adequate and hygienic enough. Matthew had been to this hospital many times, and he spent most of the time catching dragonflies or playing with Wan Che and Esther.

The Village

We stopped at a village, and Linda told us that we would be visiting an old woman who had been injured the week before. At 86 years of age, she had been trying to repair the leaking roof of her house when she fell and broke her ribs. She also hurt her back and was confined to the bed. She also had problems going to the toilet. To make things worse, her house collapsed, but the villagers helped her to build a shelter.

When we came, many villagers, especially the children, gathered around to look at us; they were curious. We visited the old woman and asked her about her condition and people supporting her. Linda told us that aid would only be given to people who had no way of supporting themselves. This meant that if a person owned a motorcycle, water buffalo, or a pig, or had relatives, aid would not be given. Wan Che felt led to pray for the old woman’s healing, and for her to receive Christ into her life. As she prayed, Chanmol translated, even though she was a non-Christian. Meanwhile, we saw Esther holding a child’s hand. The children seemed to like her, and they followed her around. Before we left the village, the girls bought sweets and distributed them to the children. We then had lunch at a roadside coffee shop, and then set off for our next destination.

Partners in Compassion: Wat Opot Project (http://www.synchronicity.bm/projects/detail.php?pn=partners)

Many people in Cambodia have AIDS, and Linda has a burden to work among these people. Next, we went to an AIDS hospice run by Theresa Hudler (http://66.117.48.40/missions/missionaries/hudler_theresa.html), Linda’s American missionary friend. Wat Opot was set up as a hospice for people with AIDS so that they could be cared for, and in turn help to care for others before they die. It is a joint project between Christians and Buddhists, as the help of monks is sought to educate people on AIDS.

Theresa first brought us to the crematorium, where she explained to us that prostitution is not the only reason why people get AIDS. Some women get it because their husbands, who had been having sex with prostitutes, pass it to them. Some have been raped by people with AIDS, some children get it from their parents once they are born, and some get it through blood transfusion, or from contaminated needles when they go to traditional Khmer witch doctors for medical treatment.

This centre houses not only people with AIDS, but also orphans and homeless people who are rejected by their families and by society. Theresa has been relying on external funding, but aims to make the place self-sufficient by teaching the people to be involved in agricultural activities so that they could support themselves. We were glad to be able to meet Theresa because she is one person who really demonstrates the fruit of the Spirit in her life.

Matthew’s Prospects of Studying in Singapore

We returned to our hotel in Phnom Penh, and along the way Linda went to the money changer to get some Singapore dollars. She explained that it was Matthew’s application fees for the certification test at the Academy of Principals in Singapore (http://www.academyofprincipals.edu.sg/). This test would determine how qualified he was to study in a public school in Singapore. Linda had prayed through the matter and she felt that it would be best for Matthew to have an education in Singapore. When I return to Singapore, I would send the application form and enclose a cheque for the application fees. Before we parted ways with Linda, we prayed for her and gave her a love offering.

Arrangements to travel back to Ho Chi Minh City

I had to make arrangements to travel back to Ho Chi Minh City using the fastest possible means, especially since I did not want to travel on the bus from Capitol Guesthouse, which took too long. Referring to the contact number that Mr Quek gave me, I made a phone call to William Tay, who happened to be in Shenzhen when I called. I told him about my need for transport back to Ho Chi Minh City, and he referred me to another friend named Mr Teo, who worked at the bus station in Phnom Penh. I called Mr Teo, and he helped me to book six tickets for the 9am bus. I was thankful to God that the tickets could be booked so easily!

Dinner at Joko’s House

Linda helped us to call for a tuk tuk to Joko’s house. Although the tuk tuk driver took a long time to arrive, he finally came and transported all of us to the house. Along the way, he was not too sure of the direction. I had Torn’s name card with me, and I showed it to the driver, who stopped to call him. Soon, Vuthy and Sopheak arrived on a motorcycle to direct the way to the house. Then we saw Krissnaq on his motorcycle carrying a bag of ice that he had bought.

The cook was Sopheap, and he cooked a delicious dinner of fried fish and sour vegetable soup. We enjoyed the dinner greatly, and then had a great time of praise and worship, singing both English and Khmer songs. Joko joyfully told us that he had noticed the change in the guys after they were Spirit baptized. He was especially glad that Lam was more confident and joyful. Previously, he lacked self-confidence and was often unhappy. Joko prayed for wisdom, and God revealed to him that it was the right time to start a church, with the guys at his house as his congregation. Joko knew that he could not handle everything himself, so he challenged Krissnaq to be in charge of music and worship, and Krissnaq expressed the willingness to do so. We were glad that our humble efforts had encouraged Joko and also contributed to a church being planted in Cambodia.

After returning to the hotel, we evaluated and prepared our hearts to leave Cambodia the next day.

The Post-Trip Stage

9 September

Phnom Penh Bus Station

Due to our tight schedule in the morning, we had to move fast, so we checked out first and then had devotion over breakfast at the hotel. After that, we walked to the bus station near to Psar Thmei. As we still had an hour to spare before departure, the rest of the team decided to go shopping (again) at Psar Thmei while I stayed behind to guard the bags.

As I sat at the bus station, Joko arrived on his motorcycle. He asked me to wait for him while he spoke to a group of people who were also at the bus station. He later introduced them to me. It was pastor Le Quang Son, a Vietnamese pastor and his delegation. Joko met them when he was on the same bus as them from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh earlier in the week. They were from a Nazarene church, and were in Phnom Penh for a conference.

We bade Joko farewell as the bus departed. Our other two team members, Esther and Teong Hoo, would be staying one more day in Phnom Penh before departing direct to Singapore the next day. Later on, Linda would bring them to tour the Royal Palace (http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/seasia/ppenh/rp01.html), the Stoeng Meanchey garbage mountain, and to her house for dinner.

The Fast Trip to Ho Chi Minh City

Unlike the earlier trip, the bus for this trip was larger, newer, more comfortable, and best of all, faster. It also went all the way from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City, and we did not need to change bus at the border. While on the bus, Kar Leong and I struck up a conversation with a young man from China. He told us that he was working in Cambodia because the pay is much better than in China. Now that his visa was expiring, he needed to renew it. So he was heading to the border to get a new visa, and then heading straight back to Phnom Penh again. Kar Leong inquired about business and employment opportunities in Cambodia, and also found the opportunity to share the gospel with him. He said that he heard the gospel before, but did not think that it was relevant to him.

At the Cambodian side of the border, the bus employees carried out the immigration procedures for us, saving us from having to go through the confusing process. Although our friend from China did not respond to the gospel, he commented on how joyful we were, and we knew that a seed had been planted.

As the bus traveled along the better roads of Vietnam, I struck up a conversation with pastor Le Quang Son. When I asked him about the state of Christianity in Vietnam, he said that the government restricted anything that would threaten its power, especially Christianity. He told me that the young people of Vietnam felt a sense of hopelessness, especially the non-Christians. The reason was because there was so much corruption and nepotism. There was no meritocracy, and the privileges often went to those who had connections, like the children of high officials, rather than to those who were deserving. He added that due to the emptiness that many Vietnamese felt inside, they turned increasingly to materialism. I had introduced myself as Bible school teacher, and also a Bible school student at the same time. Pastor Le commented that it was a great privilege to be able to go to Bible school and also to teach the Bible. He told me that in the whole of Vietnam, there are 83 million people, but the government permits only one Bible school to operate, and restricts the annual student intake to 50. It is just like being in a market with many thirsty people, and only one stall is allowed to sell one bottle of water. In the same way, the people of Vietnam are thirsting for the living water that only Jesus can give to them.

The bus came to a stop at Pham Ngu Lao street, and we disembarked. Pastor Le gave me his name card and we arranged for an appointment at night in his house.

The Search for Food and Accommodation

We arrived at Pham Ngu Lao street slightly before 3pm in the afternoon, and the team was hungry. We had to find a place to have late lunch and also a place to stay. We found a restaurant and settled down to order food, which turned out to be quite delicious. As I did not want to inconvenience Mr Quek, I called him and informed him of our intention to search for alternative accommodation. He was quite agreeable to that.

During our first visit to Vietnam in 1999, Hillary and I stayed in Le Le Hotel for around one week after we were robbed of our possessions. We liked the service, and the facilities were adequate. We thought of staying there again, but found the price too steep at US$20 per night. We were considering finding another hotel when the receptionist asked us to take a look at Le Le II hotel (also known as Vinh Guesthouse) located at De Tham street nearby. While the others waited at the lobby of Le Le Hotel, Hillary and I went to take a look at Le Le II. They had a big room that could house the four girls, and a smaller room that could house the two guys. All in all, both rooms would cost us US$25 for a night. We told the others about it and they liked the idea, so we checked into Le Le II. I called pastor Le to confirm our appointment, and also tried calling Spenser, but his phone was off. I tried calling his wife instead and informed her that I had tried unsuccessfully to call him. She explained that he had been very busy at work. Before hanging up, I informed her that the Vietnam mission team would be coming tomorrow on an SIA flight.

Ben Thanh Market

Knowing what the shopping addicts in our team wanted, I brought them to Ben Thanh Market, where they had an hour to shop. Ben Thanh Market looks cleaner, more modern and more commercialized compared to Psar Thmei. I shopped with Kar Leong, but we did not buy much. After we met together again, we took a taxi back to the hotel and waited for pastor Le.

Our Time with Pastor Le

Pastor Le arrived, and arranged for a large taxi to bring us to a coffee shop near his house at District 8, where we had dinner. We all had noodles, but with plenty of vegetables and internal organs. I must admit that I didn’t like eating internal organs, but still ate them anyway so as not to appear picky about food in front of our host. We also tried the canned birds nest drink.

After dinner, pastor Le hired some motorcycle taxis to bring us to his house. For some of the girls, it was their first experience riding on a motorcycle taxi. They were initially afraid, but enjoyed it.

Pastor Le’s house also doubled up as a church. He told us that his son was in national service while his daughter was married and had recently given birth to a child. His church was not licensed, and as a result, faced persecution from the government. The main hall looked like a cosy place for close fellowship. There, pastor Le shared about his conversion story, and also about the hard work he was doing for the Lord, and the persecution that he faced. During the 2003 South East Asian games in Vietnam, he helped to print and distribute evangelistic pamphlets. When the authorities found out about it, they arrested him and locked him in a police station for 24 hours. His church members discovered that he was missing, and they searched for him in all the police stations in the city. When they came to the police station where he was held, the policeman on duty simply said that he did not know where pastor Le was. Pastor Le told us that he had in fact been arrested, interrogated and locked up several times. He showed us his photographs too and said that he was happy to see young people who were enthusiastic for the Lord. Before leaving his house, we prayed for him.

End of Mission Trip Celebration

After returning to the hotel, I decided to have an end of mission trip celebration. We went to the fast food joint next to the hotel and had friend chicken drumsticks and ice cream, evaluating and enjoying ourselves.

10 September

Devotion, Breakfast, and a Rushed Check-Out

We had devotion in the morning, and I shared about the Holy Spirit’s divine leading as we do His work. Le Le II did not provide breakfast, so we went opposite to Kim’s Café for breakfast. While waiting for the food, the shopping addicts were out (again) to do some last-minute shopping. Meanwhile, I went to a nearby hotel to make some international calls to the Vietnam missions team using the internet phone. I could not get through to Joseph or Cara, but managed to speak to Thong Seng. I told him about pastor Le and gave him his contact number, thinking that he may be a useful contact in Vietnam.

As we were behind schedule and had to catch the flight at 10.35am, I was in a panicky mood, but still managed to be in control of things. While the girls were finishing up their food, Kar Leong and I went back to the hotel, brought down the luggage and checked out. I called Mr Quek and pastor Le to bid them farewell. Then the girls joined us.

Traffic jam, Last Minute Check-In and the flight back

We managed to catch a large taxi to bring us all to the airport. I thought that the journey would be fast but unfortunately, there was a traffic jam. We finally reached the airport and went to the check-in counter. Thank God that although we were late, we were still allowed to check in. A “last-minute passenger” sticker was pasted on each of us. At least we were not too late for the most critical stage.

The situation at the airport was confusing. We had to find out where to go in order to pay for our airport tax and also to clear customs. Jie Bing was almost not allowed into the departure lounge because her hand-carry backpack was big enough to be check-in luggage. She was only allowed in when we told the authorities that we were traveling as a group. Clearing immigration was also a painful slow process, with long lines forming at every available counter. The immigration officers were very stringent in their checking. Still, we all managed to clear immigration on time to catch the flight.

With no more aerobridges available, a bus transported us to the Vietnam Airlines plane parked at the far end of the tarmac. The doors closed soon after we entered the plane – talk about being last-minute! The flight back was smooth and uneventful, and all the while, I was reflecting on God’s faithfulness towards us.

Meeting the Vietnam Missions Team at Changi Airport

We touched down at 1.20pm Singapore time. I knew that our missions team to Vietnam would be departing today at around 3pm. So I called them using the free phone at the arrival lounge and successfully contacted Cara and Joseph. Hillary quickly rushed to Terminal 2 of the airport, and spoke to the Vietnam mission team and prayed for them to have a good and fruitful trip, just as we had.

Personal Reflection

What I Thank God for

(1) God’s grace and faithfulness upon us and also His divine appointments

(2) A very balanced trip, with ministry, compassion projects, fellowship, eating and shopping

(3) Team members clicked together quite well, mainly because all are from the same unit

(4) God used us to make an impact on the people whom we came across in Cambodia

Subsequent developments – I subsequently received an email from Linda, with good news that the old woman we prayed for in the village in Takeo province was healed, and that as a result of the miraculous healing, many people are turning to the Lord:

PP Wednesday 14 September

Visoth, thanks for everything and we're pleased to hear of your safe return.
Please could you let all those who visited us know about the following:

Dear Brothers and Sisters

You will remember the 'yiey' (grandmother) we visited in the village, the lady
who had fallen off her roof and had not been able to stand or sit up.  
You prayed for her, for healing for her back and broken ribs and for healing for
her problems with her digestive system, and Chan Mol translated for you about
the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Chan Mol visited the lady again on Monday morning
and she is up and walking around and her digestive problem is healed
(without any medication - Chan Mol was taking something to her for this problem).
Haleluja!  And the effect on the family, neighbours, and very much so on Chan Mol
has been amazing.  They have opened their hearts to Jesus and are letting Him in.
Chan Mol asked me especially to tell you!

Our love to you all.

Linda and Matt

UPdates for the month of September

2005-08-30T21:50:00.000+08:00

Wat's Up?

1st of Sept - Rebecca's birthday / Teachers' Day(i koe put this here abit extra)

Let's keep these group of people in prayer!!

3rd of Sept - TW and Hillary going to Vietnam then tranist to Cambodia

4th of Sept - Jiebing, Rosaline, Wanqi, Kar Leong going Vietnam then to Cambodia

7th of Sept - TH, Esta flying direct to Cambodia

15th of Sept - Lizi, another of our young sista birthday

+++++++++++++

December: Movie (Good for outreach!) Chronicles of Narnia

Mr. Pride

2005-08-30T21:36:00.000+08:00

PRIDE
My name is Pride. I am a cheater.I cheat you of your God-given destiny...because you demand your own way.I cheat you of contentment...because you "deserve better than this."
I cheat you of knowledge...because you already know it all.
I cheat you of healing...because you're too full of me to forgive.
I cheat you of holiness...because you refuse to admit when you're wrong.
I cheat you of vision...because you'd rather look in the mirror than out a window.
I cheat you of a genuine friendship...because nobody's going to know the real you.
I cheat you of love...because real romance demands sacrifice.
I cheat you of greatness in heaven...because you refuse to wash another's feet on earth.
I cheat you of God's glory...because I convince you to seek your own.
My name is Pride. I am a cheater.
You like me because you think I'm always looking out for you. Untrue. I'm looking to make a fool of you.God has so much for you, I admit, but don't worry...If you stick with me You'll never know.

We are a Happy Family even during toilet cleaning!

2005-08-22T01:26:00.000+08:00

Hurray! Our Church Family Day! Here's some shoots to share on that eventful day! You guys can also write something about your experiences

To begin with, here's a very spiritual sista. one of my role model. talented with music. you often see her on stage. sweet and sensitive sista, pam pam.

okay, here's pam pam with her sheep, ah lian. our youngest sista in our CG. still under 21 leh. young but mature in her thinkings. thank God for your life!

actually cross caregroup liao although its supposed to be a caregroup blog..haha ...no lar... this pretty lady is jiebing...her birthday is 26th of august...today leh...happy birthday hor....

now ...a photo of hillary and jiebing in the toilet....esta is also busy working....on her photos...hey...i also take help out hor...i just finished mopping the floor and cleaning up the toilet bowls hor...esta also very hardworking leh.....

aiyo....these two girls....got captured by esta not doing any work..no la...resting rite....coz work too hard already rite.....sama sama.....

okay....this is a picture of some of the sistas in my unit...say Cheese!

Happy 8th Anniversary to Hope Filipino Church!

2005-08-16T00:30:00.000+08:00

Hihi NG2C1 pple....

Wow! This is the first time that i am blogging leh.....have alwiz been very fascinated about this kinda stuff. Never really had a personal blog before, becoz it takes discipline to blog regularly and also, some stuff are just too personal to disclose over the Net (Imagine, anyone with an Internet access can just jolly well read your blog.....kekeke. Ok, AT LEAST that's what i think.) Furthermore, by the time i need to get my stuff done, it's time to knock out. And i need my beauty sleep........*wink wink*

I'm still full of joy and excitement about the Filipino Anniversary that we had yesterday. The atmosphere was electrifying, and the Auditorium was packed! Full-house! Overflowed to the Africa Room. Some of them even flew back from the Philippines specially for this Anniversary.

I have alwiz been very touched and inspired by the lives of our Filipino bros and sis. Many of them work as healthcare professionals, and their sweet spirit and humility never fail to bless me. I see their spirit of excellence as they really rehearsed and prepared for the special item (based on a bro's true story and the choir singing songs as his life story unfolded. Of how God's saving grace and mercy touched him , how his life transformed after knowing Christ and coming to church); the dance item that was so energetic, exuberant, explosive and extravagant with praises unto God!

Yeah, the past few weeks have been busy, hectic and tired for me .... But I experienced a breakthrough! Esp in my musicianship! I was faced with some technically more challenging songs....and in one of those songs, I had to play a 16-bar solo. Initially i was very very apprehensive and scared that i cannot pull the solo off. But by God's grace and guidance, and alot of hard work and practice, the solo took shape. Thank God! So i saw how over a span of 3 weeks......how God helped me progress. Thank God for Gerald's help too in the chords. I would have never imagined that i would be able to do that. So next time when you face challenges that are beyond you, you know that it's time for you to rely on God's strength. Take up those challenges boldly! I feel such a great sense of satisfaction man....... the little that i have.....God chose to use, and multiplied it.....

And everytime when i had to rush down to Nexus for practices on Sat evenings, when i prayed, a cab would just appear somehow. (Usually, it would be easier to walk to the main road to catch one). Plus sensitive nose etc (= flu, sneezing, lethargy). Yes, there were sacrifices to be made, but if i were to choose all over again, I would still choose to be part of this historical event. Seeing the congregation raising their voices to praise God....... dancing with all their hearts before God....seeing all the converts......yes, it's all worth it. It's all about pple ultimately, isn't it? We're making history/ HIS-tory with our lives.

May the Filipino church see many glorious years ahead....... and may we soar high on wings of eagles. Amen!

Love,
Pam

A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words

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WFL (Word For Life) Venues

2005-08-08T16:53:00.000+08:00

Course Title
Venue
Basic Doctrine 1 Nexus Auditorium
Balance Church Asia Room
CLC 1 All lessons in Africa Room (except 15 Aug 05 is at Coleman)
CLC 2 Oceania Room
Contemporary Church Coleman, 6th floor Specialist Centre
Growing Church Coleman, 6th floor Specialist Centre
Learning Church All lessons in Nexus Auditorium
(except 15 Aug 05 is at Coleman)
Loving Church Coleman, 6th floor Specialist Centre
Powerful Praying Church All lessons in Europe Room (except 15 Aug 05 is at Coleman)

Our Caregroup first Blog

2005-08-08T15:19:00.000+08:00

*ahem* testing.....testing....testing...

Im really excited about having and initiating our caregroup first blog here.... we are not just connecting during ECG/MCG (Evangelistic CG/Matthew CG), Church Services, Normal Caregroups, we are also connecting in the Cyberspace.

Okay, here's the rules to this blogging game:

Members: All Caregroup members are encouraged to visit this blog as regularly as possible to find out about updates/information/sermons/caregroups/unit teachings/photos retrieve/etc, shall leave it to you guys creativity.

Please leave your comment and do your blogging here as well!

Ciao and God Bless!