Clay Studio Outing

Monday was Vesak Day, a Buddhist holiday and a public holiday in Singapore.  As usual, we used this holiday for a church outing, this year to Jalan Bahar Clay Studios in western Singapore.

Arriving at the studio

We began with some singing and an exhortation by Elder Chan.

Next we were given a tour of the pottery studio.

Seeing some of the pieces artists have made

The kiln is very long!  It is called a dragon kiln.

Notice the altar on the left--for offerings to the 

pottery gods as artists put their work into the kiln

Walking inside the kiln

Pottery-making demonstration

Working with the potter's wheel

After the tour, we had some time to work with the clay ourselves.

Looking at some of the finished pieces

Next there were games for adults inside and children outside.

I was outside with the kids, but the adult games 

had something to do with working with clay.

Isaac and Joshua explaining their team's piece

The kids lined up in order of height

Jason was supposed to put his hands on Jael's shoulders, 

but why not wrap his arms all the way around her?  :-)

Relay races--Jochebed and Jason starting off

Charis and Jessica

A game of Captain's Ball after the races

The outing concluded with dinner.

Baptisms

In the last six weeks we have had three baptisms in CERC.  The first two (April 12) were adult baptisms, with the young women's confessions of faith.

Baptism of June Ho, with Elder Wong assisting

Baptism of Angela Ng

Angela and June are presented with their certificates of baptism after the service.

A month later we had our first infant baptism in CERC since we moved to Singapore. Jonam Tan was born last June, three months premature.  After a long stay in the hospital and then a few surgeries on his hips, he was able to be baptized on May 17.

Jonam with his parents, Melvin & Vivian; 

Elder Chan assisting with the baptism

We are thankful that the Lord continues to gather the first and second generation of His people in Singapore.  Right now in our church there are two children in the third generation of God's people here, and two more expected to be born by the end of the year, Lord willing.  May He continue to build His church from us and our children, and all that are afar off, even as many as He shall call (Acts 2:39).

Railway Hike

May 1 was a public holiday (Labour Day), and a group of people from church gathered in the afternoon to hike together.  There used to be a train that went from central Singapore into Malaysia.  That train still runs, but now departs from the border of Singapore and Malaysia instead.  Most of the old tracks up to the border were torn out a few years ago, and the old railway, now called the Green Corridor, was what we hiked on.

We started out near the Rail Mall, with a little time at a playground before the monkeys took over while we were having devotions!

The Rail Mall

Monkeys everywhere!

Starting our walk by heading towards the old railway

We spent the next 2 1/2 hours walking, with one break for snacks, cold drinks, and a group photo.

Megan and Dazzire hadn't seen each other for over a year (Dazzire used to 

come to church with relatives), and they were inseparable for the day.  

Megan sounds like such a little Singaporean when she's with her friends

that I couldn't tell which one was talking when they were right behind me!

Philip and Yuh Bin with Joseph

Snack break

Jason and Yoon Chuan heading down the path

We finished the walk with dinner--claypot rice for most.

India (2)

On drives to and from the conference in Kolkata, as well as at other times, the men from Singapore were able to see some of the sights of India.  As they drove, the road was shared with cars, motorcycles, bikes, other forms of transportation, people walking, wild dogs, and bulls.  The following pictures don't show the amount of traffic, but do show some of the scenes along the streets of India.

Fish market on the side of the road

  

You can see a bull coming near the two cars parked on the left side of the road.

The bull closer up--Bulls are sacred to Hindus.

The Monday of their visit, they went to the Ganges River--also sacred to Hindus. (Emmanuel once said the Hindus have so many gods that they could worship a different one every hour of their lives and never get to them all!!)  

They were also able to visit a college established by William Carey, a Baptist missionary known as "the father of modern missions."  The college was established in 1818 in the city of Serampore.  Next door was Carey Baptist Church, founded in 1809.

The church

My husband, Elder Leong, Emmanuel, and Ishu Mahtani outside the college

On their last day in India they went to the village of Pachua Khali for a Bible study.  The home they met in had just gotten electricity a month or two earlier.  The roofs of the houses there were all made of straw and have to be replaced every year.  The village is located near the habitat of Bengal tigers, which sometimes come into the village and steal livestock.

Driving to the village--rice drying on the road

Some of the village houses

Some straw for the roofs

Outside the home where the Bible study was held

Straw in the yard for roofs, and rice drying on the ground behind it

The Bible study group

After the Bible study the men shared a meal together.

Then it was time to leave, and to me the following picture is the most touching photo of all.  One of the men from the Bible study group is urgently requesting that Emmanuel come back and teach them more.  It is not easy for Emmanuel to get to the village, but the people are so thirsty for the Reformed faith.  They were pleading with him to come back soon.

"The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest" (Matt. 9:37-38).