Chinese New Year Visitations

It is Chinese New Year again--the Year of the Monkey.  A very important part of Chinese New Year is the visitations.  Families gather, especially the first two days of the new year celebrations, for reunion dinners.  This is a time when they see all their family, including extended relation and those they may not see at any other time of the year.  Church families may also gather in each other's homes at this time of the year.  We spent the second day of Chinese New Year going from one house to another to visit people.

Our family with Roy & Poh Choo and their children, Elena, Ezra, and Elias

 

Oranges are a big part of Chinese New Year, along with many snacks.

These lion and dragon dancers were all over the roads that day, going 

from one home or business to another to bring good luck for another year.

With Felix & Angela Chan at their home

Emily with Noah at Kong Wee & Dorcas's home

Two Bible study groups from church take turns planning a church Chinese New Year visitation each year also.  A few homes are opened up for people to visit together, as well as sing and have an exhortation.  This year our family went to the new home of Joshua & Beverly.

Playing some games

Many Chinese New Year snacks again!

(Jim VanOverloop from Faith Church was with us.)

Ready for singing

Exhortation by Ezra

Presenting Joshua & Beverly with a gift of thanks for hosting the visitation

Group photo

Xin nian kuai le!  Happy new year! :-)

Kolkata, India

My husband and Elder Leong just returned to Singapore after working again for six days in Kolkata, India, with Pastor Emmanuel Singh and the group of believers there.  This time they had three extra people accompany them:  Ishu Mahtani, Claudia Leong, and our 9-year-old daughter Emily.  And Emily has agreed to write this blog post for us!  So here she is...

Dad, Uncle Fai Chong, Uncle Ishu, Claudia, and I went to Kolkata, India, to meet with Emmanuel and help with the work there. We stayed in India for 6 days.

Mantu, Sonali, Emmanuel, and me 

Dad, Uncle Fai Chong, and Emmanuel had a couple of meetings together on the 2nd story of their house.  

                                                 
There were a few Bible studies at Covenant Evangelical Reformed Fellowship, the church Emmanuel goes to. Emmanuel preaches in India.

We got to meet some of the people in India. 

                                                        Emmanuel, Abhijit, Uncle Ishu                                                                      

Uncle Ishu and Sonali's twin brother

I went to India to meet Mantu. She is an 11-year-old niece of Emmanuel & Sonali.

                                                                   

Mantu and me

On Saturday we went to the zoo and Nicco Park. Nicco Park has a lot of rides there. 

This is at Nicco Park.

                                                           

Uncle Ishu, Claudia, Uncle Fai Chong, Sonali

Emmanuel took me around on his motorcycle.

We took an auto once there. 

We went to a market. Markets are along the road. The roads are very busy!

We saw a few cows there. We saw 1 in the grass and 4 on the road. 

The food in India was very nice. We ate at Emmanuel & Sonali's house most of the time, but once we ate at a restaurant. 

  

Uncle Fai Chong, Claudia, Dad, Emmanuel, Uncle Ishu

They had a lot of rice. 

We went to a small bakery near Emmanuel's house. They baked cakes.    

A guy sticking a large pole into the oven. 

There were a few monkeys right outside Emmanuel's window. 

Here are a few more things we saw.

Please pray for Emmanuel and the church in India. 

Psalm 22:27

"All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee."