Notes from Singapore

1. While in Singapore, I am staying with my grandma aka gramma. My grandma took care of me growing up – changed my nappies, bathed me, fed me and made sure I grew up healthy. And now that I am older, I need to wake her up in the morning, prepare meals and care for her. It feels … strange. I am starting to understand now what family means. Just the tip of the iceberg.

2. My gramma’s fridge is always well stocked with chocolate, beer and frozen curry.

3. Even if I make bad Quaker Oats for my gramma she still says it’s very nice.

4. I saw a book on John Sung, one of the pioneers of Christianity in China, at my gramma’s house. I decided to ask my gramma about it and this is what I found out:

When my gramma was 17 and her brother was 16, they went to an evangelistic meeting by John Sung. There, my gramma’s brother gave his life to God. He went to Bible School and became a pastor. He is now 91 years old and a retired Reverend. I met him a few days ago. The first thing he did was to stick out his hand and bless my niece.

My gramma met my granddad in an ‘open-air’ meeting in Penang, Malaysia. My granddad was the one blowing the trumpet and preaching in these ‘open-air’ meetings – as an officer at the Salvation Army, he had to go through 2 years of training to learn how to preach.

My great-grandfather was a minister who did missions in China. Apparently, he lived on $3 a month. He was very poor. This is what my gramma was told when she was little. I don’t think she met him. We don’t know how he became a Christian but somehow he did and I’m sure it changed his life. And I’m sure he never knew that one significant decision he made in China could have impacted the next 6 generations of his family – and my own life. From China, the gospel has been taken to Malaysia, Singapore, England, Australia, Canada and perhaps Cambodia.

This is my family. I come from a long line of pastors, missionaries and social workers. I can only imagine them when they were my age, passionate for a cause greater than themselves. To them it wasn’t about ‘full-time ministry’ or being in the ‘marketplace’. It was about life. And getting the gospel out to the people was of utmost urgency. Going to Cambodia for a year is a luxury compared to those who came before me and laid down their lives.

5. My cousin who starred in Tekken came to visit my gramma the day before I arrived with 3 oranges and 3 apples to give to my gramma. My auntie was amused that an ‘ang moh’ can understand Asian customs.

6. I have been crowned D.A. (Diaper Assistant)to my niece, Hannah Grace. I was made to change her diapers one day but she made a giant poo poo that snuck out a bit to the side. Laura, my sister-in-law, took over because I couldn’t handle squirming legs and side poop at the same time.