Circle of friends

This year is the 5th anniversary for living in Punggol. This year is also the 5th anniversary of a group of buddies. Here's the photo of our recent July get-together. From L-R is Melvyn, Henry, me, Boon Hup & Danny. This was the first time Danny joins. Vincent couldn't make it.

It started in 2002 when several pastors including me were at a lunch briefing for the first Fire Conference with Reinhard Bonke in March '03. Among others I met Vincent Lun of RiverLife church. He asked if I had pastor friends who would be keen to get together. I thought of Boon Hup of Paya Lebar Methodist and Henry Tan of Full Gospel Assembly. I asked them. They both agreed. So the four of us had our first pastors' breakfast at Upper Serangoon.

Since that session in Oct '02 (I think), we got together every 2 months. We take turns to host breakfast. In 2004, Vincent asked if he could bring Melvyn Mak, Faith Community Baptist Church. He also said let's call this "a circle of friends". In Jul 07, Melvyn got Danny Han, Victory Family Centre to join. He's the newest buddy.

What keeps us together for 5 years & counting? 2 are in their mid 50s, 2 in early 50s, 1 in late 40s & I'm almost 40. Well, we've become buddies. It was Melvyn who first started calling us "buddies". Besides breakfast we call & talk on the phone. Dinah has met Jenny (Vincent's wife), Pansy (Henry's wife), Catherine (Boon Hup's wife) & Linda (Melvyn's wife) at various events. Hope to meet Danny's wife soon. Second, there is commonality as senior pastors. We are peers. Well Melvyn is Deputy SP of a very large church, Henry has since moved to become an itinerant & Boon Hup is now at TRAC (like a denominational office) but we still love them. Third, we often share ideas & tips. Several of us have ministered at each other's churches.

There are many positives. I joined Melvyn to minister in the prisons. That was a first for both of us. Once Henry took me for lunch at this awesome duck place. He knows his food. There was 1 evening when Vincent called. He said he's got durians & if I could come collect some. It happens that Dinah, the twins & I were nearby so we swung by to his place. It was our first time there. That night Lawrence & Jeff got blessed as we dropped some off at their place on the way home. Indeed, the blessing overflows.

Our friends

This is the 10th anniversary of a unique group of friends. Here's how it started. In 1997, Dinah signed up for a 10-week course on marital counselling at the Counseling & Care Centre. When the course ended, a course mate Swee Tin organised a breakfast at her place. 8 course participants & Anthony (instructor) came. The breakfast continued every 3 months. It's been 10 years now.

I would drop Dinah off for these get-togethers. Dinah introduced me to Paul from Geylang Church of Christ. I met the whole group with their spouses at Swee Tin's daughter's wedding.

In 1999, Kevin & Siew Choo from the circle relocated overseas for his theological studies. They are now Brethren missionaries in the US. In 2000, Dinah asked if I was keen to join . I said "yes". The group agreed. Sometimes Anthony reminds me that I'm adopted.

This recent photo, from L to R, shows Swee Tin (Trinity Christian Centre), Paul, Glen (Elim church), Anthony (MustardSeed Community Church off-shoot of Yio Chu Kang Chapel), Dinah, me, Andrew (New Hope Family Church). Denis isn't in the photo. He's an itinerant minister with AG & isn't in town too much.

What sustains the group for 10 years? One reason is that we have become friends. We get together in smaller groups in-between the quarterly breakfasts. Another reason is candid discussion over current issues. There hasn't always been agreement but we continue to dialogue & sharpen each other. A third reason is that we're quite different. In a strange way we're fascinated by what the rest are doing or thinking. 2 are heavily involved in counseling & therapy, 1 heavily in social work, 1 itinerant & 4 in church work. 2 are in their early 60s one being a grandparent, 4 in their early 50s whilst Dinah & I are just under 40.

It's going to be interesting to see how this bunch of friends will develop as we walk through transitions in the seasons of life.

Preparing for 2008

Tuesday starts with an appointment with our lawyer over our overseas community work. I go to the International Plaza instead of City House. So I have to run down the Central Business District on this hot day to get to the appointment.

Next stop is office to complete my handouts and Powerpoont slides for our planning retreat, which is from Tue noon to Wed evening. Here are the photos.

This is the first of two planning retreats we have every year. Our first planning retreat was back in 1997. This year's retreat is different because there is no overnight stay.

There is a dramatic incident. I arrive back in the office on Wed evening and realised I did not have my digicam.

Thankfully Hong Teck was in Funan so he walked back to the function room. He could not find the camera. It is my birthday gift from the staff and it is only 6 months old. My heart sank.

Fenny called the banquets staff to look out for it. She told us the staff would look out for it. I was disappointed.

About 7 pm, Fenny called and said they found it. Thank God for honest hotel staff!

She even collects it on Thur morning. Thank God for Fenny.

Later Wan Leng said, "Thank God you didn’t lose the Fujifilm F20. It’s a very good point & shoot camera. They stopped selling this model in Singapore. Hong Teck and I have the same model."

16th Anniversary

Sep 15th was the day of our church anniversary celebrations. In fact Dinah and I just came back from sending our guest speaker Pastor PN to the airport. There we met Yean Shien and Mabel who just sent Vivien off. Even in the airport, our hearts are still filled with thanksgiving from yesterday's celebration. Here's a photo from SiewQin taken in between the 2 anniversary services.

Here are memories and thanksgiving (all mixed up together). The anniversary logo is eye-catching, bright and contemporary. Our celebration itself was at the d'Marquee @ Downtown East. Our first time at the place was the night before for rehearsal. It's nice but smaller than last year's. Overall this year's set up is less elaborate. For example we had to assemble 1,500 light bulbs last year.

The big day finally came on Saturday. We arrived in the morning for the final rehearsals. We were approached for makeovers almost immediately . The Image team did a good job on Deb and Dan's hair. They applied makeup on the twins especially on Deb, for which Dan was thankful. It took some persuasion why he even needed any stage makeup.

This is our first anniversary to feature a guest speaker and a guest worship team. Both came from Hope Bangkok. The passage Romans 4:16-18 chosen by Pastor PN was appropriate for the event. The Hope Bangkok lifted the worship atmosphere several notches.

The two young hosts almost steal the show with their welcome lines. The mime item was a good intro. Then the remix of "Psalm 78" song was so good and I liked the way we had short video testimonies and Snapshots of Hope incorporated in. It was a challenge to have our worship team lead and then transit to Hope Bangkok team but it went well. The tango item sure got a rapturous welcome.

This year was special also because we served as a family. (Here's a photo sent in from Junming.) The twins hosted the starting segment of the service. And I only found out about this 2 weeks ago. Then Dinah and I did a short dance routine as part of hosting. It was our first time ever doing the tango. Thanks to Kin Wee for giving us two lessons and choreographing our routine.

This year we may have had close to 3,400 people celebrating. The second celebration service ended on a big high with us totally warmed up. This finale was absolutely rousing with stage ministers all excited. The Bangkok leaders enjoyed themselves in God too. Shirley led us in one more praise responding to the congregation. It was a wonderful close to 16 years of wonderful ministry. The celebrations continue today and tomorrow with our JUMP conference and concert. Happy Anniversary!

Durian-deprived

CK and Pei Ching are our church missionaries in Rome. The third team member Annette is from Hope Prague. The first time we spent time with CK and Pei Ching was in Rome back in Aug '06. They are back for summer holidays. We had lunch 2 weeks ago.

We catch up again on Sept 11th. CK and PC offer to cook for us and talk strategy. We meet at Cold Storage to get the right groceries. On the way out, we get a box of creamy, small-seed durians for them.

This is their first time to our place. We show them around. Then they cook pasta and salad in our kitchen. We enjoy this lunch with friends. Yes we talk church planting strategy in Rome. They also refresh our memory how to do Expresso the Italian way.

We enjoy the durians except Dinah who is recovering from illness. At this point PC and CK admit that they haven't eaten durians for over 2 years. That's what you call a durian-deprived missionary. Later Dinah bring out a box of American chocolates. Then PC and CK admit they both actually have sore throat... The four of us wrap up the strategy part and I bring them to the MRT station. PC has another appointment in town.

We haven't cooked a proper meal for 2 years. They haven't had durians for 2 years. Guess you could say that this is a day we ministered to each other.

More on Travel

It's school holidays this week. Here are more reflections on travel.

In our last long-haul flight, Dinah slept well. She often sleeps well. But I had difficulty sleeping. I did try to sleep. Well one clear solution is to fly business class. We'll discuss this in the next life.

Thankfully God provides. There is a tap on my shoulder as I pace up and down the aircraft. It is Esther. She is on the same flight going home from a business trip. She recommends I try a relaxing peppermint essence. I apply it just like she tells me to. After all she is a registered nurse. It is quite pleasant. Later I see Esther asleep in her seat. Well at least I feel more relaxed. A few hours later I sleep too. I must ask her where to get this...

There are other solutions for people who can't sleep on planes. While on holiday in June, I read a very short but interesting article in Newsweek June 11, 2007 issue. The article was titled 'VIAGRA helps jet lag'. University tests conducted on rats in Argentina shows that Viagra helps relieve jet lag. (source www.Slate.com ). No I haven't tried it yet. Why haven't I? Let's put it this way... I might sleep well but there might be other effects.

The good news is that I am able to work while traveling. My last sermon (based on Micah 7:1-7) was developed almost entirely while traveling. I began on it while on transit at LAX from South America to Singapore, continued on it in LAX while on transit from US to Singapore and some more while on the plane to Singapore. I stopped working on it when Esther's peppermint took full effect.

One final note on travel. I have noticed my wife going to the dry cleaners more. Then a dry cleaning place springs up on the same street as the church office. I notice that my colleague Kam goes there. Now my pullovers and warm jackets also goes there after coming back from ministry in cold places. Yes Dinah and I have invested in winter clothing. We got to keep warm in cold places. Yes we are doing our part for the Singapore economy.

Berachah & Bellevue

After arriving in Seattle, we have regional meetings on Wed night to Thu evening. The camp at Berachah in Auburn starts Thu night and I preach. Its an unusual cloudy summer with rain & temperatures between 12-21 degrees.

Camp worship includes the use of a harp. Fri sees sports in the afternoon. Here are key results: Soccer (M) - NA pastors 1 - 1 International pastors. Captain ball (F) - Members 6 - 1 Leaders. Captain ball (M) - NA pastors 6 - 5 International pastors. Then we sit on grass, rest and chat. After shower, I feel the aches.

Camp has 150 people. There is experiential learning on Saturday. Its loads of fun. This is followed by water baptism at the heated pool. Our camp ends with lunch on Sunday. There is a massive tear-down and long good byes.

Our NA Pastors' Retreat goes from 3 pm to 1 am at Berachah. On Mon we drive to have brunch at Top Gun in Bellevue. Folks begin to leave, we adjourn to Vern's place in Bellevue. We talk with David and Ann till 3 pm, then David, Malay, Moses & I take a walk as Dinah catches up with Warinda. Finally Warinda drives home at 8 pm, David and Malay leaves at 11 pm, then Dinah and I speak with Vern and Eureka till 1 am.

Its raining and its 21 degrees on Tue morning. This is a real cool summer. Dinah and I chat with Eureka over breakfast. My wife has to get luggage today. We get a call. David and Malay missed their flight. They will stay with us tonight. I suspect they are quite happy about this too.

It's time for a personal disclosure. I'm into extreme sports - I'm an extreme traveler. My travel luggages have been damaged, misplaced and spotted. My wife has bought so many check-in luggages. We've learnt that carry-on luggages are not so critical. We've helped the luggage industry. So invest in stocks that do luggage manufacturing.

Dinah and I enjoy this breakfast with Eureka. Then its off to go the mall to get luggage. Afterwards Dinah and I have lunch with Eureka and Connie. Then I catch up on e-mails. Next Dinah and I go out with JR, Warinda & Jada for dinner. Then Dinah and I talk church with Lan, William then Eureka and Malay till 1 am.

Wed morning breakfast is with Dinah. We talk with Ian and Daisy from Melbourne. Next is extended lunch with Dan & Dee. We come back and I speak with Bill in Virginia then David in Portland. Then we join special service in Hope Seattle where I preach and we pray for people. Then we visit the children's hospital to pray for Jada who is being treated for breathing difficulties. Then Tab brings us back and I get dinner. We talk to Vern, Eureka, Ian and Daisy till 1 am.

Manly Mondays

Impact magazine in Singapore invited us to write an article in February this year. Manly Mondays is the article I managed to write in April. This is a perspective on men's ministry. I believe its the first time we are featured in Impact. The amazing thing is this particular issue is out 5 days before our church's men event. I got hold of this issue just before leaving for US. You can read it on their website http://www.impact.com.sg/Monthly_Article.asp

Springfield Visit

Ann drives Dinah, baby Faith and I to the airport on Mon morn. I fly to the Denver airport. Pastor Simon arrives & we fly to Springfield in Missouri. Its both our first time to Springfield.

We arrive in the small town of Springfield. Its 37 degrees. Somehow a lady & I miss our luggage. And the United Airlines counter is closed. Thankfully two United staff just fly in from Chicago and help us. They locate our luggage in the airline office.

Relieved, Simon and I have dinner at the only restaurant in the airport which closes at 7:30 pm. Our hotel has no restaurant. We call the hotel for the car to our hotel. The driver tells us this town has 153,000 people. We check in and Robert at the front office says he remembers Limei calling him.

We settle down and shower. The TV forecast for tomorrow is 38 C with a "Heat Warning". We reply e-mails and plan for tomorrow. Dinah and I communicate on Skype. She just finished meeting Portland church team - David, Ann, Preaw, Chris, Davene, Autumn and Lekorn. David's sister Iris join in too.

It's Tuesday. Simon and I have breakfast at the hotel. We get on a taxi to US Assembly of God Headquarters downtown. We spend the morning with Cary Tidwell (Administrator World Missions) & Russ Turney (Asia Pac Director). We get lunch & check out the Gospel Publishing House bookstore. We join the AG HQ tour with three other persons. Two are AG pastors from Chesapeake, Virginia. One was a AG HQ staff on her day off.

Later we buy gifts at the Battlefield Mall, the largest mall in town. We grab dinnner here and go back to the hotel. Simon and I evaluate our day. Then I think of my wife at the PSU care group. Then we pack. This is quite a short visit.

Portland Commissioning

Dinah and I fly off on Friday and arrive in LA on Friday night to sleepover at the airport hotel. We check out and Lee takes us for lunch on Sat then we check in for our flight. We arrive Portland on Sat night quite jetlagged.

There are 13 adults and 6 kids excluding us at the worship service. There are 2 first time visitors from another church. David leads worship, I preach then Dinah and I commission David and Ann as the new coordinator of Hope Portland church.

After lunch with church folks, David suggest we visit PSU. The view as we drive through Portland city is breathtaking. The Willamette River separates the river into East and West. Our church service is currently in the south east part of the city. The north east section is a red light area.

After this, we drive home and talk about the strategy to reach Oregon. There are 7 counties in Oregon. We go out for dinner. After dinner we continue to talk till midnight.

Last Day in Santiago

It is 1 degree cold today. Despite this, 15 local people come for our self-management seminar. Five are first timers. They all give good feedback. We enjoy hot tea after the seminar.
As I pack, Cindy offers to wrap my gifts. The team presents gifts to Dinah & I. I shower before my long flight to LA, Tokyo then Singapore.
We have a long dinner at the airport. The team asks for feedback and for advice. In between David and I walk over to check in. Thankfully my bag is checked to Singapore direct though I will take different airlines home. We rejoin the dinner table. Pui See asks for prayer. Its time to say good byes and go in.
The flight leaves at 10:55pm for LA. As the plane takes off I thank God because we have such good people in South America.

Friday in Santiago

It is 3 degrees cold today. I start the day on Skype with Dinah and the twins. Today my notebook computer isn't working properly. It's only 8.5 months old and the battery has conked out. It must be the cold? I discover later that the warranty for the battery is only for 6 months.
Next is breakfast with Ee Lee. She briefs me on the people coming for tonight's service. Then I try to do e-check in for tomorrow's flight. But I have to resort to the phone. Apparently all I can do on this leg is to book my seat. We have a quick takeaway lunch. I answer emails then start packing. We take an early dinner.

For our Fri night service, we have 12 local adults & 1 child joining. There is a first-time commitment to Christ, a healing and re-commitments to Christ. We have a short evaluation afterwards.

Shopping & Preparing in Santiago

I call my family on Skype. Then Ee Lee & I discuss potential tentmakers from Singapore church over breakfast. Next I talk on Skype with Wee Leng and several US church leaders.
Then Cindy brings me shopping for gifts at an artisan market. Thank God for Cindy who helps me shop. We have a local lunch & catch up.
In the evening all of us prepare for tomorrow and Saturday. David and Ee Lee are rehearsing the worship. Pui See is translating my sermon in Spanish. Cindy is preparing for the Saturday seminar. Later David, Pui See and Ee Lee and I talk about previous and future short-term missions to Santiago. I read http://www.tcgnews.com/santiagotimes/

Wednesday in Santiago

I make a Skype call to Dinah and the twins in the morning. Next is breakfast with Pui See. Then Ee Lee is so nice help me work the washing machine to do laundry.

We go out to meet Gonzalo. He takes us to a local place for lunch. Chile food seems distinct from Ecuador and Peru. After lunch, Pui See goes back to work. Ee lee & I spend time with him in his office. He is a marine biologist.

We come back and I update my blog on Quito. Then I spend time with David and Pui See. Later the team has extended group intercession. We end with a late dinner at a restaurant. Its a beef place. The atmosphere is positive and mood is upbeat.

Tuesday in USACH

I cannot sleep for hours on Mon night. After putting on socks I manage to get some sleep. Groggy and cold in the morning, I have breakfast with David. Later I clear e-mails and communicate on Skype. Then Ee Lee does a quick lunch.

We spend most of the day in the University of Santiago Chile (USACH). There are 10 key universities in Santiago. This is the biggest with 18,000 students here. Cindy meets us there. We spend time with Paula & Walter who are both studying here. They show us around. They also ask many questions about God and the Bible. We notice there are a lot of stray dogs.

In the night Ee Lee take me out for dinner. Later I chat more with David. I really need to get used to the cold in Chile.

Hangover in Santiago

I am so exhausted that I sleep till noon. Ee Lee is at home and she cooks instant noodles for lunch.
Later I chat with Pui See and then with David. David briefs me that the nation of Chile has 16.2 million people in 14 regions, 51 provinces & 346 municipalities.
Later five potential members & leaders join us on Monday night.
I get to meet Gonzalo, Estela, Monica, Belen and Walter. Paula can't make it tonight. The team asks that I pray for each of our local friends.
Later we debrief and celebrate Ee Lee’s birthday again with the cake Estela brought. I sleep at 2 am.

Mendoza not Santiago

Our flight is meant to arrive 5 am Sunday. Then we are supposed to join a local church service. Ee Lee & Cindy were at airport at 5 am. But Santiago airport was closed to aircraft due to heavy fog. Our plane was diverted to the closest airport. This is my first time in Argentina. I don't even have a visa! After touching down for 15 min, the captain announced we have to wait 1 more hour because Mendoza airport services are not open yet. I spend 4 hours on transit. It's a small airport and we could have walked out and no one would have known. It's also cold.

We arrive in Santiago 7 hours later. David is present and he tells me the girls waited from 5 right up to 9 am. Now it is 7 degrees C. He says this is the coldest winter in 70 years. He's also coughing. The airport taxi brings us to their apartment in the city. Pui See comes out after having quiet time in the waiting room. Later Ee Lee and Cindy join us. We catch up and then go for a late lunch at the Central Market. It's very cold and my tired body is adjusting. We walk into the Cathedral of Santiago briefly. I am very tired walking in the cold. We join the evening service of Tempo de Dios church (Church of God’s Time).
Finally we get home to rest and I shower. I hear stray cats meowing in the cold. We catch up further and spring a surprise birthday for Ee Lee. I bring out her birthday gifts from Singapore.

Last Day in Quito

The worship service starts with ice breakers. Lennin co-leads the service with Sharon. Sharon leads worship with Ricky and Alehandro on the guitars. Then I preach with Wee Leng translating. Today there are over 20 local adults with one first timer. This first-time law student commits his life to Christ. It is a good time.

Luis and Lennin organise the barbeque. This barbeque has a unique local touch. Overall its a really fun day out in the garden .

The members hang out long after the barbeque. Some ask me to pray for them. Then I spend some time with Sharon. Its good to have extended time with old friends.

Four members wait till evening to say very touching good byes. Lennin and family stays to drive us to the airport. I feel sad on the way to the airport. We say long goodbyes. The airport is also strange - once you go to check in, you cannot come out.

Then I am so tired I actually fall asleep at the boarding gate. The plane flies to Guayaquil then to Santiago.

Friday in Quito

We gear up for today's full day seminar. People come still excited though a little tired from a long night. Some come about half hour later.

In total 13 locals came for the four sessions of church Vision and Philosophy. 2 university students came later. Later I realise 1 of them actually has exams tonight. There is a lot of good discussion going.

Wee Leng and I challenge the people to have a vision for Ecuador. Ecuador has a population of 13 million people is in 22 provinces, 219 cantons and 1472 parishes. There are 4 million Ecuadorians overseas. We also challenge the 4 students from Central University to have a vision for their campus. They are excited.

We have take away dinner together. After dinner , Wan Phing leads us in corporate worship. Then I do the fourth and final session. It has been one and half days of teaching, worship and bonding. It has been a good time.

Thursday in Quito

I have breakfast with Wan Phing before she goes to work. Then the Lima team arrives. Today we have lunch with Lennin and his son. He is part of the local leadership. We discover over lunch that Wee Leng’s version of ‘light’ lunch is dubious.

Next Serene conducts a music workshop for Alehandro, Ricky and Sharon in the afternoon. The rest of us prepare for the night session.

In total 15 local adults join in the night session. Wan Phing takes care of 3 kids, Serene lead worship, Delia shares her testimony, I teach with Delia translating. I ask for response.

Julian and Sharon lay hands on one group whilst Wee Leng and Ai Lay lay hands on another group. I take the third group.

Two locals present have already been baptised in the Spirit previously. Tonight five persons are baptised in the Spirit and manifest in tongues almost instantaneously.

We end at 10 pm. People are excited. Some people only leave at 11:45 pm. The Lima team leaves at 12 am. We say long goodbyes to each other. It is sad.

Then Wee Leng, Sharon and I have dinner and debrief at the same time. I go to bed at 1 am.

More Indian food & birthday celebrations

Wednesday starts with breakfast with Sharon before she goes to work. The Lima team arrives soon after. I manage to catch up with Delia and with Ailay. Later we discuss Thursday ministry events.

Wee Leng brings us for Indian food again as per Lima team's request. Then Sharon brings the girls shopping as Julian, Wee Leng and I have a drink. The girls come back and persuade me to get a new leather jacket. They including Wee Leng argue that the one I am wearing is 18 years old. I talk about something called sentimental value! The girls volunteer to help choose one then Wee Leng bargains shamelessly. We get it for USD75 with their guarantee that it would cost USD130 in Singapore.

After parting with my money, we go for dinner. We meet with the Hope Quito local leaders. Here is a picture of Alejandro snapping a picture. Yes, we celebrate Julian's birthday again. They call him "hulian" in Spanish. Hulian is the one smiling broadly...

Return to Quito

The visa application process to Ecuador was like a bad dream. That's an entire story in itself...

Dinah and the twins sent me off to the airport on Sunday afternoon. I fly to LA, Miami and finally arrive in Quito on a Monday night. It was the 23rd of July. I am very happy to reunite with Wee Leng, Wan Phing and Sharon. We have a very long dinner on Monday. This is my second visit to Quito. Its colder this time. They have a much bigger place now.

Team Lima arrived on a Tuesday noon. Wee Leng brings Julian,

Serene, Ailay and Delia to the house. We greet then go out and spend the whole day together. Its great to be able to catch up with our people individually. For lunch, Team Lima asked for Indian food. Wee Leng bring us to a nice Indian place downtown. Later I suggest they try the local handmade fruity gelato-equivalent at the Andean artisan market. The Lima team took an instant liking to thist just like my wife when we were first here in Dec 2005.

It is such a joy to reunite for the eight of us, half way around the world. At dinner time Sharon arranges an early surprise for Julian. His actual birthday is this coming Saturday. He will be 36 soon.