Storytelling

25 Sept 2012
I am looking forward to WEC International's two new books which will be released as part of their centenary celebrations in 2013 which will include a Congo Prayer Walk to trace the journey their founder, CT Stubb took and will include a visit to Nebobongo Hospital which Dr Helen Roseveare set up at great personal cost but nothing compared to the price Christ paid to redeem all of us,
I am praying whether to pay the USD250 deposit to secure a place on the March trip because it will cost several thousands of dollars to travel to Entebbe from Singapore to join the team and I will have to see many patients to earn the money unless God blesses us with an inheritance.

"Two new books 

Storytelling rekindles passion. It fans the flames of our awareness of Christ's incredible love for us and deepens our passionate love for Him. So we tell stories and we corporately and personally open our hearts to be renewed by His love.

Storytelling reminds us of God's passion. It recalls Jesus' desire for us to be a part of that passion. In response we renew our focus for the unreached. We recommit ourselves to seeing multiplying communities of faith among those who have never heard. It's a daunting task and we are weak vessels, but we can count on our faithful God who has been writing his story in WEC for 100 years.
For the centennial year WEC will publish two new books, both aiming to tell these stories.

Beyond the Edge is a book of 100 tales of trusting God.

The Golden Chariot is aimed at a younger readership and has 33 stories from 11 nationalities about 20 different countries."

Loughborough

25 Sept 2012

Brian and I returned from England two days ago after settling Melissa in Loughborough University for a seven-week attachment at The School of Arts. I felt as if I had left a part of me behind. The Lord who doesn't slumber nor sleep will watch over her coming and going, both now and forevermore (Psalm 121).

Lest We Forget

5 Sept 2012 Loyang

2002

Back to Medicine 5 Apr 2002

GoForth

2003

Cambodia and Toul Sleng Prison and The Killing Fields of Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge

Condensed World Missions Course

2004

Brussells with SY, southern France to visit Ulla and Yorgen

2005

Aceh and the 2004 Post-Christmas Earthquake and Tsunami which killed more than 200,000 across the shores of Asia

Pattaya and its slums and flesh trade

Pakistan and the 2005 Kashmiri Earthquake

2006

Hysterectomy Jan 2006

Brian's enlistment

Oikos small group

Jogjakarta and the 2006 quake that affected villagers living in the highlands

2007

Pattaya slums, Victoria's WFM

Myanmar and Cyclone Nargis in May 2008 and the long wait for foreign aid workers to be given visas to enter that closed land of the Junta

Sichuan's earthquake shortly after on 12 May 2008

Bangladesh and its annual flooding and Koligram village

Grandma

2009

Padang and the Sumatran Highlands with its elusive white tigers

Sri Lanka and the end of the decades-long Tamil Tiger War and post-tsunami Batticaloa

Disaster Relief and Community Development for Kingdom Growth with BRGi at BTS

Manila's Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) in 2009 - with BWAR24

Padang's earthquake shortly after

Lubo

2010

Taiwan

Bangkok

Haiti's earthquake in Jan 2010

Yushu's earthquake in Apr 2010

Pakistan's Great Flood

Down the Musi River in Palembang

Uncle Enrico

Labuan and Kota Kinabalu with Kheng - long lost Sim relatives

Lam Duong in the central highlands of Vietnam

2011

Pakistan's WCH in Multan

Tagaytay for chess

Labuan with Melissa

Visit of Grand Uncle Yeo Kok Peng

England with SY after Cochrane in Madrid, Spain - Imperial War Museum, Aunty Evelyn, National Archives

Rakhine in western Myanmar

Maesot at the border between Thailand and Myanmar where Karen refugees seek safety from the civil war

2012

Labuan for wake of Uncle Poh - Siew Cheng's brother

Kranji War Memorial 15 Feb 2012 - to commemorate the Fall of Singapore to the Japanese in 1942

Batam's fishing village at Air Lingka

SY Interim CEO of SCRI

Beijing's red roses in spring - China's political capital

Mongolia's slum people, street kids, peacekeepers serving under the UN and prisoners at Avdrant

Hue City, Vietnam - ancient political capital

Mindoro Island and the Aetas tribal people of Zambales

Penang coach trip with Melissa to trace date of birth of Grandfather Yeo Kok Hoe

Brian's MCAT

WEC International - Dr Helen Roseveare's autobiographical books; 100th annivesary Congo Prayer Walk in 2013?

Return to Cambodia after nine years - in memory of Lucy Leow, Shelter of Love orphanage, Mercy Medical Centre

 Melissa to Loughborough

60th Anniversary of the CPIB with book launch

Blessings in the Silence

5 Sept 2012 Loyang

Where is God in the silence?

"Be strong in the Lord"

1 Cor 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

1 Cor 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,  to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

1 Cor 2:9 No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.

Romans 8:28  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Return to Cambodia 2012

4 Sept 2012 Loyang

After nine years, God gave me the opportunity and the courage to travel to Phnom Penh for a third time. It was the first mission trip of our Oikos Small Group. SY had an important meeting he couldn't miss so Brian came in his place together with Joseph and Jannie Sin, Noreen and Peter Barrett, Richard and Siew Ying Tan. I was sorry that Julia and Tom Miller-Wong and Wai Keong and Ida Kwok couldn't join us.

We travelled by van to Kampong Thom about four hours' drive north-west from the capital to the Shelter of Love orphanage started by Sue Singleton in about 2005 after my second trip in 2003. Lucy Leow had invited me to visit with her several times but I couldn't. I felt led to visit after she was called home by the Lord earlier this year to meet the youth at the orphanage that she told me about include Pou, a gifted artist. I also purchased bead and crochet handiwork that she had taught the girls to make. We also benefited from a recent teaching session by an American lady who spent a month showing the girls how to machine-quilt and make patchwork bookmarks, cushion covers and table runners as well as more ambitious quilts.

Back in Phnom Penh on 1 Sept we visited Mercy Medical Centre which has asked for help from strategic partners like IBC in the form of doctors to help run the hospital and see the patients while their expat staff members travel to Thailand for their annual medical, nursing and dental updates as part of their continuing education like our CME in Singapore. Brian was very impressed by the American-style hospital and is praying to return as a medical student or as an intern if God opens a door for him into Duke-NUS postgraduate medicine. His MCAT results are expected tomorrow, 5 Sept. Pray God's mercy for a score of 33 in order for him to be able to submit his application this year and not have to re-take it again in Jan 2013.

We didn't have the time for Brian to visit Toul Sleng prison but Richard shared Cambodia's dark history with him and I bought him a book on the Khmer Rouge Regime of Pol Pot at the airport.

Neither was there time to look for another bunny quilt for Melissa which I think we bought from Habitat in 2003.

Graduation Photoshoot

4 Sept 2012 Loyang

I was thankful for God's divine intervention in preventing Kong from going for Brian and Melissa's graduation photoshoot at King George's Avenue on 26 Aug 2012 because we had a to climb two and a half flights of stairs to reach the photo studio inside the photoshop. Papa scolded me most of the way up and down because of Mummy's OA knees but she accomplished the feat by the power of God and His enabling grace.

Coroner's Hearing

4 Sept 2012 Loyang

Thanks be to God that I received an email from AE while at Cambodia to confirm that the long-awaited and prayed for Coroner's Hearing on UE's death from his operation to insert a stent for his abdominal aortic aneurysm in 2010.

Praying for a God-honouring verdict.

Thankful to God for the way He used this time of waiting to provide scans of old Labuan family photos and a scan of Grandfather Yeo's school leaving certificate with his date of birth.

Be Spiritually Prepared

4 Sept 2012 Loyang

Today's ODB email devotional reminds us to be well-prepared.

The Bible tells us we must prepare ourselves spiritually as well. We do that by putting on spiritual armor to protect ourselves from spiritual attack (Eph. 6:10-20); by preparing our minds for holy living (1 Peter 1:13); by making sure we’re always prepared to answer questions about the reason for the hope we possess (3:15); and by ensuring that we are ready for the promised return of Jesus (Matt. 24:44).

Thanksgiving for Life's Journey Companions

4 Sept 2012

" .. give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

At Loyang today, already 10.15am and still clearing the first morning wave since 8.30am. Thankful for the cheerfulness experienced professionalism of clinic assistants, Mdm Koh, Jennifer and Jolene.

Thankful for Jannie during last week's Cambodia trip.

Thankful for Lydia at Bukit Merah and Theresa when she is in a good mood and managing the work load.

Thankful for a hardworking husband to provide for the family and teach the Bible in small group and at Sunday school

Thankful for the children and pets in the silence at home.

Thankful for Grandma and Kong

Thankful for a childhood at 494

Thankful for Papa and Mummy's continuing supportive presence at the age of 52 years

Thankful for father-in-law, Dad to help with the children

Thankful for prayer partners, Ida, Julia, Su Yuen, Shini

Destined to Die Once

 3 Sept 2012

"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" Hebrews 9:27

God in His wisdom gave us each only one life to live because He knew that if we had another chance we might not make the same life choices and decisions.