Church Visitors (1)

Every year the PRC sends church visitors at the request of CERC, to conduct the same church visitation that is done yearly in the PRC.  This year's church visitors were my dad (Rev. Key) and Rev. Eriks, both of whom brought their wives along!  They arrived early in the morning on March 20 and plan to head home early Monday morning, March 30, Lord willing.

Before they even went to church for their first Sunday here, they were able to visit with many of the members of CERC.  My parents renewed acquaintances, and the Eriks met many of the people for the first time.  The first morning they were here there was a Sunday School outing at the zoo, as it was a break week for Singapore schools.

Thanks to Bee Hua for this collage--She set up a game for

the kids to find different things throughout the zoo.

KFC lunch

 

The kids spent quite a bit of time in the water play area.

The next day, Saturday, there was a youth outing at Bishan Park.

Yang Zhi giving an exhortation before the games

Exhortation and singing

Warmups before the kickball game, which was played in pouring rain!

The fellowship with members of the congregation continued throughout this week as well. On Monday we enjoyed a trip to Pulau Ubin, although the day was very hot!

Yoon Chuan explaining to Jen Eriks some of the 

offerings and worship in a temple on Pulau Ubin

That evening we visited over dinner in the home of Chee Choong and Wan Teng.

On Friday we went to the Jurong Bird Park with Kong Wee & Dorcas's family.

The kids even got to feed the penguins!

Rev. Eriks feeding a penguin too

Megan and me among the flamingos after a show

Jen finding out how aggressive some of the birds can be!

Eric and Emily

Heading out of the park

I will post more later!  We have been really enjoying our time with my parents and the Eriks.

Jim VanOverloop

We were so glad that Jim VanOverloop could make his second trip to Singapore last month to visit our family and renew friendships with the people of CERC as well.  I already wrote about a couple parts of his visit, but here are some more:

We enjoyed a morning at the Jurong Bird Park with Kong Wee & Dorcas's family.

Waiting for a show with hawks, eagles, vultures, owls, etc.

Eric, Jason, Jael, Megan, and Jessica walking through the park

Six-year-old Elijah pushing the three-year-olds in the stroller

Peacock

Feeding birds

With Kong Wee

Two of the following pictures are from a trip to Malaysia in December but are included here with these pictures from the bird park so you can see that creatures of all kinds seem to find their way to my husband! :-)

One beautiful evening we spent a bit of time at Gardens by the Bay.

On a Sunday night a few families from church got together.

Jason, Jael, Megan, and Emily

Angela

Jim and Fai Chong

Isa, Bernice, and Jessica

Eric, Kong Wee, and Isaac

Finally, a few more random pictures:

Sunset on Sentosa

Visiting Ishu Mahtani's silk shop

Last evening with Megan and Emily

We had a great time with Jim and are now eagerly awaiting the arrival of my dad (Rev. Key) and Rev. & Jen Eriks for this year's church visitation!

Chinese New Year 2015

This year's Chinese New Year (CNY) began on February 19.  That put Chinese New Year's Eve on February 18, and already then the shops started shutting down and the customary reunion dinners began.  Some of us went to the mall the evening of February 18.

The parking garage is usually very full.  This evening, many 

people were visiting in homes as part of CNY tradition.

Malls in Singapore are usually packed with people.

We are still learning how much we need to stock up on groceries around Chinese New Year! Not only are shops closed, but when they reopen, the shelves are empty because no one is making any deliveries.  It is amazing how much this holiday shuts down the island.  But it is a very important holiday for the people here in part because of the amount of visits with family and friends that they may not see that often throughout the year.

Jim VanOverloop was able to get a good taste of CNY and all the traditions that surround it. He and a few others were invited to the home of Felix & Angela Chan on CNY Eve, and afterwards they all went downtown for the festivities there.  (Thanks to Bernice for these pictures!)

Dinner at the Chans'

Tightrope walker with the Singapore Flyer in the distance

Bernice and Jessica

Isaac and Eric

Fireworks over the bay

There was another large celebration in Chinatown.

One of the interesting cultural things related to Chinese New Year is lion dancers.  Lion dance troupes travel from place to place throughout Chinese New Year, with two people dressing up as a lion (one the head and one the body), and others along to play instruments. They are hired by shops to come and dance for them, thus bringing good luck and wealth to the shops in the new year.  One website said there is a mirror on the head of the lion where evil spirits will see themselves and be scared away by their own reflections.  There is so much superstition involved in these customs!

Passing a lion dance troupe on the road today

A lion dancer performing near our place a few days ago

Today a lion dance troupe came back to our neighborhood and went around to all of the shops, performing their rituals at each one.  A few of the kids and I went down there to watch and observed something very interesting at the place where the girls get their hair cut.  The woman who cuts their hair came out of her shop to grab some joss sticks, then went back in and kneeled down before an altar that is always set up in there.  After a minute the lion dancers followed her in and kneeled before that altar for a minute too.  I was able to get a video of part of the ritual:

But among all the worldly customs and superstitions, God's people here can celebrate Chinese New Year in their own way.  Besides spending time with family and friends, CERC has its own CNY Visitation each year.  This year three homes were opened for people to go today for fellowship, an exhortation, singing, and lunch.

Lunch

Fellowship after lunch

This year is the Year of the Goat or the Year of the Sheep/Ram.  (The Chinese character for goat can also refer to sheep or rams.)  How fitting that Daniel 8 talks about both a ram and a goat, and so that was the text for the Sunday morning sermon the week Chinese New Year began.  We were reminded that in all the rises and falls of nations, and in the coming persecution for the church, Christ is working out His counsel. We trust in Him to guide us by that counsel in this new lunar new year.