CERC's 29th Anniversary

On September 18, between church services, Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church celebrated its 29th anniversary.  Thanks to Daniel Tang for the following pictures of this event!

Robert Lee leading the celebration

The kids ages 12 and under sang two songs.

The youth also sang a special number.

View of some of the congregation

Regular cake-cutting by the Session, minus one deacon

Noelene, Nichelle, and Wan Teng (mother and daughters) made the cake.

During the celebration there was also a slideshow put together by one of the young men here, Marcus Wee.  It included pictures of events from the past year and some of the church classes and Bible study groups.  Marcus gave me a few of those pictures to share with you also.

Chinese Bible study that meets between services on Sundays

Singing with the youngest Sunday School class 

Class for the youth on Sundays

Some of the members of the pre-confession class that meets on Sunday afternoons

One of the weekday Bible study groups

After the anniversary celebration we had our lunch, which included some special Asian fruits and the carrot cake shown above.

Mangosteen, lanzones, and rambutan (clockwise from back left)

Jason loves cake!

Right after my husband accepted the call here, CERC celebrated its 25th anniversary, and we joined them over Skype.  Now we have celebrated four more years with them.  As the exhortation during the celebration reminded us, may we "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen" (II Pet. 3:18).

Sports Day 2016

Last week Monday was a public holiday (the Muslim holiday Hari Raya Haji), so our church took the opportunity to have its annual Sports Day.  We met at Bishan Active Park for singing, an exhortation, sports, and lunch.

Beginning with an exhortation by Joshua

Captain's Ball

Soccer

Basketball

Volleyball

Some people used the time to visit with each other.

Tze Yan led the young ones in a game of Red Light, Green Light.

After all the games, the winners or participants had their pictures taken.

Soccer winners

Kickball participants

Captain's Ball winners (first game)

Captain's Ball winners (second game)

Volleyball winners

The day concluded with lunch.

Jessica and Zi Hui had made a birthday cake for Nichelle.

Since Arriving Back...

A couple of years ago a German family spent some time in Singapore and with our church while the husband/father was here on business.  In August they came back for a few weeks of vacation, and our family spent an evening with them at Gardens by the Bay.

With Marc & Irina and their daughter; Dorcas and her kids joined us for a while too.

Megan and Jason playing on a grassy area with Celine and Fabian

In August we also celebrated Jael's fifth birthday at an indoor playground.

Emily, Noah, and Elijah

Elijah and Megan

All the kids

Our monthly homeschool outing was held at a brand new playground at East Coast Park.

Fai Chong with his grandson Noah

Jason, Megan, and Jael

Jessica helping Josef climb

Jason, Elijah, Jotham, and Shang Yi

Suppertime

The moms--me, Annie, Dorcas, Wan Teng

Megan and Jason were very warmly welcomed back to Singapore by all the neighborhood kids who gather on the playground in the late afternoon each day.  And during the girls' piano lessons on Friday we take some time to swim at the condo where they have their lessons.

View from our sixth-story flat of the playground right off our elevator

Part of the pool with some beautiful trees by it

Jason relaxing!

The youth had an outing at Tampines Eco Park one Saturday.

On a cultural note, we arrived back in Singapore just in time for Ghost Month.  This involves a lot of extra offerings by Buddhists and Taoists--either food offerings or offerings of joss paper or incense burned--to keep the ghosts of their ancestors satisfied as they supposedly come back to the earth during that month.

Offerings set out near our elevator

Joss papers that have blown around, a burn barrel where those papers are burned,

and joss sticks burning--in the same location as the previous picture.  For some

reason that spot right off our elevator is a very popular place to make offerings!

A food offering that was left out, crawling with ants since the ghost never ate it!

My husband took this video at the wet market by our place during Ghost Month.  Those who receive these blog posts via email may have to go directly to the blog site to watch it.

On our furlough several of you asked about durian.  Since Emily is outside enjoying some right now, I thought I'd post a few pictures!

An old photo that gives some idea of what a durian looks like (cut in half)

How you buy it in a store

Emily and Yang Zhi eating durian together

Emily with one seed of durian (You eat the flesh off the seed.)

(You see Megan and Jason riding scooters in the background.  

This is right outside the door of our flat--the elevator we take

to get downstairs is just to the left of this picture.)