Our First Week in Singapore

We have finished our first week here “on the ground in Singapore.” I know this is the result of many prayers and encouragement and tremendous support. We want to say thank you to all of those who have prayed, encouraged, and supported us. The week, or now a little over, has been crazy, tiring, humbling, and much more.

We arrived on Thursday, August 1, at about 6:00 am local time to a great reception by local brethren. Amos, an elder at the Jurong church of Christ, as well as Peter and Pooi Fun brought their cars to transport us. The local preacher for the Lim Ah Pin congregation, Ernest, along with his wife, Stephanie, and their sweet baby, Theophilus, brought the church van to carry all our luggage. Before we departed the airport, we had a wonderful breakfast of butter sugar toast, soft boiled eggs, kopi, and Milo.

Remember, this was Lisa’s first time to set foot in Singapore and her first time anywhere in Asia. She and the girls road with the Chins and enjoyed good conversation and a good introduction to life and times in Singapore. The boys and I rode with Amos and received a grand education on the popularity of motorcycles, cobras in Singapore, public and private transportation options, green space, parks, malls, lakes, building projects, and much more. If we were not all so sleepy from the long flight, we probably could have retained all of this wonderful information. When we got to the church building, Chan Yong Yaw was there with the Four Seas to students to help unload and deliver luggage to the third floor of our temporary home.

At lunch, Peter and Pooi Fun introduced the family to the hawker center (think outdoor food court) right behind the church building. We tried a variety of new foods (as well as some Western food). We have made MANY trips to the hawker center since then, and we are learning our favorite foods and stalls. 

Friday evening we enjoyed a Welcome and End of Term dinner with the students as well as Peter and Pooi Fun. The food was wonderful and the fellowship was even better. I was asked to provide a talk to encourage the students in their continued studies. I chose man’s responsibility in the sharing of the gospel as the theme for the night and examined the spread of the gospel in the book of Acts. The students treated us to a welcome presentation, and we were warmly welcomed and appreciated by all. 

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On Saturday we began the process of house hunting. Pooi Fun took us to meet our realtor, Jessie, for the first time. We viewed a few different apartments and settled on one we like about ten minute walk from the church building. Hopefully soon we will be officially signed to live there. The process was overwhelming and confusing, but Jessie was kind and friendly to our family. Of course, Pooi Fun was right by our side. 

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Since Four Seas College was on a one-week term break during our first full week in Singapore, the students had many activities and things to get done during the break week. Therefore, I did not begin teaching until the following week which meant we were able to enjoy a number of social activities throughout the week. We enjoyed a casual pizza dinner with the students and the Chins on Monday evening where we spent time getting to know the students. On Tuesday, we were invited to go with the students to sister Anna’s home (her husband, John, is an elder at Jurong). In her home we fellowshipped, played games (lots of Bible trivia from the first eleven chapters of the book of John), and enjoyed lunch. Several of the students, along with sister Anna, prepared food from their home countries. It was a treat to get to taste a variety of different dishes.

Later Tuesday afternoon and evening we decided to take the kids to see some of Singapore’s famous icons, the Merlion and Marina Bay Sands (from afar). This trip involved our first ride on Singapore’s train/subway system called the MRT. The children really enjoyed experiencing the public transportation system. Luke was especially interested in following the electronic map inside the train as we waited for our stop.

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Our first week in Singapore happened to be doing a national holiday (National Day). This meant that it was a convenient time to get together with some families with kids in school from the Jurong congregation on Thursday afternoon and Friday. On Thursday afternoon we visited the Singapore River Safari with Patrick and Angeling, their daughters, and their nephew. Then, following our adventure at the River Safari we went with their family to visit the Lim Ah Pin church of Christ for their midweek services. On Friday we spent the day with Paul and Anna and their three children. The kids played at a local park, we enjoyed a homemade meal at Paul and Anna’s home, and we visited a Dragon Kiln in the afternoon.

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We were also able to attend Bible classes and worship services with the Jurong congregation which houses the school. Their Sunday morning class and worship times run from 9:00 am until about noon, and they do not meet on Sunday evenings. We have learned that many Sunday afternoons are times for various care groups to fellowship as well. Though some congregations have a midweek service on Thursdays, Jurong gathers together for about an hour and a half each Wednesday evening. We are blessed to be a part of a congregation that worships God in spirit and in truth. The kids have enjoyed all the peers in their classes, and Lisa and I have heard good, strong lessons being faithfully presented. We look forward to growing with and in this congregation of the Lord’s body.

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Our first week was exhausting, exciting, eventful, and educating!