This Year's Weddings

Our congregation has celebrated two weddings this year.  The first was Ivan & Elisa in May, and the second was Aaron & Iva in August.

Ivan & Elisa's wedding

Couples rent churches, since ours is not big enough to hold a wedding.

Elisa's dad walking her down the aisle

Beginning of the ceremony--After this all the attendants and the bride and groom sit down.

Where U.S. weddings end, here the couple comes back 

into church together for a bit more of the ceremony.

 

At the end of the ceremony there are always photos 

taken with all the guests.  Here is the group from CERC.

 
Parking is very limited at many of the churches we have seen in Singapore.  Each wedding has ushers (with different roles than ushers in the U.S.) who help with the parking, among other things.  It was very difficult getting out of this parking lot--the black car in the center was trying to make its way out among all those other cars, which are parked there.

For Ivan & Elisa's wedding dinner they rented a chalet on the Singapore coast and had an informal buffet dinner with games and fellowship afterwards.  It was a very fun evening.

 

As you may be able to tell, there was a flower theme!

Aaron & Iva were married a couple months later at a different church in Singapore.

Aaron waiting for the bride

Megan was one of the flower girls.

Iva's dad walking her down the aisle

Aaron & Iva

The couple with their flower girls and page boy

Aaron & Iva had a formal Chinese wedding dinner, held at a nice hotel on the Singapore River.  These dinners usually include 8-10 courses of Chinese food, served over a span of a few hours.  

At the dinner

The first course

The dishes are all served on this lazy Susan (not sure that term is used here though!).

As a congregation we are thankful for marriages in the Lord and look forward to at least three more weddings next year, Lord willing.  May God continue to build His Church through these marriages.

Lentings and VanderNoords

Two couples from Crete PRC were just in Singapore for a couple of weeks, with a short trip to the Philippines as well.  (You can read about that trip here.)  Jack & Joyce Lenting and Dewey & Elaine VanderNoord came here for Aaron Lim & Iva Chan's wedding.

Our family was able to spend a bit of time with them one evening.

Mr. VanderNoord and Mrs. Lenting in our dining room

The men by the coffeeshops downstairs

("Coffeeshops" are food stalls with local foods and 

drinks.  They are found all over Singapore.)

At the coffeeshops

They also enjoyed fellowship with many members of church during different activities, as well as during a special dinner for them on Sunday after church.  

Mr. Lenting with Joanne and Cheryl

Elisa talking with Mrs. Lenting

Ivan and Mr. VanderNoord singing together before dinner on Sunday

Bernice and Joanne with Mrs. Lenting and Mrs. VanderNoord on an outing

Group photo at the Sunday dinner

It was wonderful having these couples with us.  Everyone enjoyed their presence, and they said many times also how blessed they were by the fellowship with the saints here.  "So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (Rom. 12:5).

"SG50" and Another Birthday

August 9 is Singapore's National Day, the day Singapore became an independent nation. This year the nation celebrated its 50th year.  This was a huge event in Singapore, as we could see in the decorations and special displays in different places in the months leading up to "SG50."

"50" made out of Singapore flags

Banners like these were up in many places; you can also see flags on 

the building in the background, and a huge tent set up for SG50 celebrations.

Jets practicing for the National Day parade

The library closest to our place had some neat displays of the history of Bishan, the area of Singapore where we live.  Bishan used to be a big cemetery, and one of the displays showed that history.  A display on tomb-sweeping includes "Families then paid their respects to their ancestors by bowing, kneeling, and kowtowing, with joss sticks in their hands. When families believed their ancestors had eaten their fill (of offerings), they packed the offerings, and consumed them near the tombs or at home."  It is always so interesting to hear about the different religious rituals and superstitions here.

The display on tomb-sweeping

A display on kampong living--how Singapore used to be before all the high-rises 

were built.  Most of the villagers "lived in simple attap houses, while the few 

richer inhabitants could afford houses with zinc-tiled roofs."

Singapore's 50th birthday was also Jael Lee's 4th birthday--daughter of Elder Lee Kong Wee and his wife Dorcas.  A few families from church gathered at the Lees' home on Saturday to celebrate with Jael.

Playing a Singapore version of the game Taboo!

We gathered to sing a few Psalter numbers before supper.

The kids

The whole group

In Singapore's history, the government has been all about "nation building."  My husband used that in choosing his text for Sunday morning's service on National Day--Ruth 4:11-12, which mentions Rachel and Leah, "which two did build the house of Israel."  He showed that we in CERC are building another "nation"--God's church here in Singapore.  So we pray that God will continue to bless Jael and the other children here, and the generations to come, as His church continues to be built.

Sports Day

As I mentioned last time, our church gathered for a sports day on July 17, which was a public holiday.  We met at Bishan Active Park and began with singing and an exhortation.

We'd had to sign up earlier for the sports:  captain's ball, volleyball, and soccer.  We could also sign up for a "mystery game."

The mystery game turned out to be Chutes & Ladders.

Instead of rolling dice, one member of the two-person team threw a beanbag 

onto paper plates numbered 1-5.  Their teammate then moved that number of spaces.

Megan and Ee Fong won the first game.

Some of the children had fun doing their own activities in addition to the planned games.

After the games were finished, prizes were awarded.

The outing concluded with lunch.  It was a fun day of games and fellowship with our fellow church members.