Dear friends and family,
How have you been doing? Life has not been normal for most of us and we think of you as we also adjust to a new kind of living in Thailand. It probably has not been easy for many of you to suddenly have to work from home, hold meetings online, and even keep your children engaged all day. We can’t even connect with friends and family over kopi outside anymore! Maybe some of you are affected by a loss of business, income, or jobs. Let’s take heart together in knowing that we have a God who will calm the sea around us and in our hearts.
Thank you for praying for our trip to Singapore! We witnessed a beautiful wedding, enjoyed all the catchups, served at our church’s missions weekend, and had good times of debriefing in the 2 weeks we spent in Singapore. In God’s perfect timing, we were able to travel with minimal issues.
In this turbulent time, many Singaporeans based overseas had to choose between staying put or going home to Singapore. We were also faced with this choice and we considered both options carefully with prayer and counsel from others. We believe that God’s guidance for us is to be based in Thailand at this time. As we trust Him, He has been revealing to us His faithfulness and burdens for such a time as this. This is why we are back in Chiang Mai serving with YWAM Thailand.
Life in Chiang Mai
As much as we joyfully follow God’s leading to stay in Chiang Mai during this time, it has not been too easy for us too. Sheryl has a bad shoulder tendon injury and it was challenging to seek medical help for her. We also have to face the worst haze situation in the world here (the air quality reading averages at 300, compared to 40 in Singapore. It’s considered very hazardous.) On the ministry front, everything had to be closed down temporarily. Old ways of doing ministry have been forced to change but we see God’s light shining brightly in this overcasting darkness.
Serving the vulnerable
While our social media feeds have been filled with news about hoarding at supermarkets, we realised that hoarding is a privilege that many in the low-income population does not have. God put a burden in our hearts for the people around us who are suffering in this crisis.
Many people have lost their jobs. Schools have shut until 1 July and with no other childminding options, adults have to stay at home to take care of their children. With no capacity to work, no income and no job opportunities available, these people are very much at risk. Some do not even have citizenship!
Together with our local pastor, we are beginning to rally Singaporeans in Chiang Mai to come together to be a blessing in this situation. We started off by delivering some basic necessities like rice, dried food, and baby formula milk to the families. God also gave us an idea to engage and educate kids meaningfully through art. Obviously, we will not be able to gather the kids together due to social-distancing precautions, but we will be developing and providing materials for families to have fun learning at home daily. We hope to involve parents in the learning process of their children and facilitate bonding within families.
Support us for the journey ahead
We are almost at the end of our first year in full-time missions! Thank you for cheering us on and supporting us in ways that you could.
We will continue to serve in the mission field and you can read about our ministry direction here. As we trust God to provide the necessary funds for our ministry and living expenses, we would like to invite you to prayerfully consider supporting us financially for the year ahead (June 2020 – May 2021). We praise God that we are currently at 30% of our total budget and you can contribute by giving a monthly or one-time gift. If you would like to give, want more information, or even link us up to someone who may be keen to give, please feel free to contact us.
Pray with us
- Cultural sensitivity and wisdom from God to minister effectively in these unprecedented times
- Financial provision as we raise the necessary funds for the next 1 year
- Healing for Sheryl’s injured shoulder
May this song encourage you in these difficult times! Our hope is only Jesus.