Singapore Six

An American Family of Six Serving in Singapore

You are here: Home / Blog

Blog

Patience and Passes

Foreign mission work requires patience and flexibility; there is no doubt about it. Trent and I have been blessed with different opportunities in different countries, and each and every unique situation requires its own patience and flexibility. Whether Trent is leading a team in Jamaica, we’re taking our family to work in South America for the summer, or we are settling down for long term work in Singapore, maintaining patience and flexibility is key. When Trent trained teams for evangelistic campaigns, he made up a word that most of them could recall, even today, it was some combination of fluid and flexible…

Even something as seemingly simple as obtaining the right to stay in a country can be quite tedious, draining, and downright frustrating at times. Every country’s requirements are different (as you’d expect them to be) based on why you are in the country and how long you want to stay and more. Navigating through whatever information you might be able to find online can be tedious and confusing. It can be quite difficult to read through a foreign country’s government website (if it exists and is in a language you can read) to determine the steps to take to enter (and stay) in that country. I don’t even like looking at the United States’ (or Texas’) government website for information, and I’m familiar with how things work (for the most part, ha!) there. Once again we were reminded, flexibility.

Singapore Ministry of Manpower Employment Pass Office

Singapore has a strict immigration policy keeping close tabs on who they let in the country and how long they can stay. If necessary, they will remove you from the country if you stay beyond your allowed time. In order for our family to stay in Singapore, Trent had to obtain an employment pass (work visa), and the rest of the family had to obtain dependent passes. 

When we entered the country, the immigration officer had the right to grant us either thirty or ninety days in the country without obtaining further approval. Thankfully we were granted 90 days. During these first ninety days, we had to complete the process to obtain our employment and dependent passes. If the college had not began the process before we arrived, we likely would have had to leave the country for a time to renew our visas.

Singapore has serious requirements that must be met to obtain an employment pass. We had to provide copies of many “normal” things such as Trent’s passport and birth certificate. However, we also had to show documentation that Trent was qualified to take the job of teaching at Four Seas by providing things such as his work history, salary history, and copies of his diplomas. Finally, we also had to show that Trent would have sufficient income to provide for a family of six in Singapore (based on data from Singapore’s government). 

After Trent’s employment pass was conditionally approved, we had to apply for the rest of the family’s dependent passes. Obtaining our dependent passes was another tedious process, particularly for the children, because Singapore has vaccination requirements for children staying in the country. Although our children were up to date on their vaccines for a typical U.S. vaccine schedule, Annie was not up to date for Singapore’s vaccine schedule, so she had to receive a vaccine right before we left the U.S. Everything was ultimately approved, and we are thankful to God for that!

Then, we had to appear in person at the Ministry of Manpower’s (an acronym we can all love -MOM) Employment Pass Centre for final approval. Now, we are 100% legal! These passes not only allow us to legally stay in Singapore, but they also allow us to enter into contracts (leasing an apartment, opening a bank account, getting cell phone, etc). Obtaining these passes was a necessary hurdle to working in Singapore. We are so grateful to Sister Chin and the many countless hours (some after our arrival in Singapore) she spent working her way through the necessary paperwork for our family (of six!) to obtain these passes. We also greatly appreciate many prayers offered on our behalf for our family’s transition to Singapore, realizing that going through these legal steps was part of that transition. Once again, we learned patience.

-Lisa

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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

What will the Kids do for School in Singapore?

As far as frequently asked questions go, “What will the kids do for school in Singapore?” is right at the top. It was a big question for us to answer as well! In their few years of school in Texas Ella and Troy have been homeschooled as well as gone to public school. We believe both options have benefits and drawbacks. Our kids have been blessed in both public school and homeschool. Our kids have had difficulties in both public school and homeschool. When it comes to our children’s education, we are open minded to investigate all possible options (even beyond public school and homeschooling) wherever we live, especially knowing that geographic location and even specific schools can have an impact on our decision.

Singapore is known for having an excellent education system, with students who consistently rank at the top across the world. Because of this we were excited to investigate opportunities for our kids to be a part of the Singapore education system. Essentially there are two types of schools our kids had the possibility of attending in Singapore: private (usually international schools) or mainstream (public schools).

International schools, like most private schools, are very, very expensive. These are often the types of schools where companies pay for the tuition of employees’ kids to attend.

Interestingly, the mainstream schools in Singapore are also costly if you are not a Singapore citizen or permanent resident. The cost for our kids to attend the mainstream schools in Singapore is around $1500 per month (three kids in school at approximately $500 each/month). However, when it comes to the mainstream schools in Singapore, there are additional things beyond cost to consider as well. We would have to apply to get our children into the mainstream schools, and as a non-Singaporean and non-permanent resident we are “last in line” to apply. We have been told that the mainstream schools only take a handful of students each year. And, even if our kids were accepted into mainstream schools, there is no guarantee that our kids would be at the same school. In fact, our kids could easily be separated at three different schools by more than an hour across the island (by public transport) from each other and from where we live.

The third option we wanted to investigate was the opportunity to homeschool. When we began looking into working in Singapore, we didn’t know if homeschooling was even an option (legal). Even across the United States, homeschooling regulations vary greatly from state to state (Texas has very little regulation). From some brief googling we had done, it seemed like homeschooling in Singapore might be difficult. According to the Ministry of Education in Singapore, there are many different requirements that must be met to homeschool in Singapore. So, during Trent’s visit to Singapore last August to check out the work, he looked more extensively into the possibility of homeschooling. And, although there are strict requirements for Singaporeans and permanent residents to homeschool their children, as a family here on an employment pass (work visa) we aren’t subject to those requirements.

After looking into these options, we decided that we would homeschool our kids. (I homeschooled Ella and Troy in the year leading up to our move to Singapore.) Please know that cost was far from the only deciding factor when it came to homeschooling our children. I have really enjoyed homeschooling, and I’m very thankful for the opportunity to continue doing it. I love getting to spend time with the kids. I love having freedom to choose curriculums that I think fit the kids, and that teach material that we think is important for them. I love being able to incorporate Bible time into our school routine. I love being able to move quickly past material the kids easily get, and being able to spend more time on material they don’t. Homeschooling also provides a very flexible schedule allowing the family to spend time with Trent and brethren at Four Seas; allowing ease in travel (for furlough as well as travel to areas in the region); and allowing us more time to explore Singapore.

I started homeschooling Ella (5th grade), Troy (3rd grade), and Luke (kindergarten) this past week. We had a great first week! I’ve included their first day of school questionnaires. Ella wrote that her favorite food is something called bao that she first tried in Singapore a year ago, and has had several times since we’ve moved here. She particularly likes pork bao. You might have heard of bao from Disney’s short film Bao. : )

-Lisa

And for those who are interested, here’s some of the curriculum we are using this year:

A Big Move

In the summer of 2017 our family moved from our house in San Marcos. That little yellow house (later painted blue because it needed a fresh face) served as our first home. It was the place where each of our four children were brought home. It was the home that Ella and Troy both left and returned to on their first day of school. It hosted many parties and game nights and bible studies and pmc (pre-marital counseling) sessions over the course of more than ten years. It was a house and home that was worth protecting and sharing. But, two years or so ago we decided to move into a house with another bedroom for our growing family. We moved. Across the street. That move seemed like a big move. We had accumulated a decade worth of stuff that needed to be sorted, packed, and moved. Eventually though, it was just a move. Across the street. 

Then, about a year later, we decided to move. Across the world. Lisa and I knew this would be big move. We knew that the change of location, culture, language – to a degree, weather, worlds, countries, continents, distance, and more would be a big move. We knew that it would shake up our earthly foundations and confuse many people, including our own children. We decided early on that we did not want to ship a container overseas because we had so little stuff that we actually needed or we felt was worth taking. (We did choose to ship my library, and that probably deserves its own post!) In a way, we had decided to take a stab at budget and wisdom enforced minimalism. Now, minimalists would be ashamed of us because we also planned to pack twelve suitcases full of stuff since the airlines allowed us that much with the purchase of our tickets. We knew pairing down ten years worth of family with kids stuff, twelve years worth of San Marcos stuff, twenty years worth of dating stuff, and thirty or so years worth of living stuff would make for a big move; but we had eight or nine months.

In the end, we had no idea just how big of an ordeal, logistically speaking, moving across the world would be! Let me just say that Lisa and I are great at procrastination, and we really slow-played the first six and half months. Pairing down our lives into a few suitcases and plastic tubs (thank you family and friends who are watching our stuff that we couldn’t part with) proved an exacting, humbling, exhausting, trying, patience-building, and faith-building task. We have a few really great friends and family who dropped everything and helped us. They were lifesavers. Lisa went above and beyond and kept things going.

We had too much stuff. We have too much stuff. I hope we are not too tied to any stuff. This move has really helped us see and will help us teach our children the proper place of stuff. We made it to Singapore with twelve suitcases weighing 49 pounds each and our carry on bags. We filled the church van! We probably brought way too much stuff; time will tell.

-Trent

Every Week A Tryout

In the world of preaching as a profession/career, I doubt there are scarier, more anxiety driven, more exciting Sundays than what many call “try out Sunday.” On these days a preacher and his family will make the trek to a new congregation and go through a tryout process, much akin to a job interview in the secular world. 

If I understand correctly, the tryout usually consists of teaching the Sunday morning adult Bible class (usually in the auditorium), and preaching the Sunday morning sermon. Those are the basics. But, very few tryouts are basic. 

A tryout may consist of a weekend full of youth devos, meeting elders and deacons (or committee members), job interview, open question forum with men or all members of the congregation, meals and conversations, discussion, doctrinal questions, nursing homes, head stands, and much much more. Tryout Sundays are nerve-racking. You have to bring your best and be your best. Your auditorium class needs to be the perfect balance of lecture and input/discussion. You cannot let someone take over the class and look like a push-over NOR can you ignore comments or questions from your future (hopefully) employers and co-workers in the Lord. Your sermon must be the best sermon you have ever preached but probably not one you submitted to them in the application process or one they can easily find online. In conversation you and your family must be up to the task of talking school, politics, demographics, hobbies, family, and more. At meals you must be willing to eat everything but not too much. Your children (if you are so blessed) cannot misbehave but also cannot look like they are robots without personality. The must be bathed and combed and clothed in their Sunday best (but not too nice if you haven’t discussed salary). Your wife (if you are so blessed) must be spouse, mother, conversation starter, chief supporter, not too proud, pretty, plain, funny, serious, relatable, distinct, willing but not eager, and more. The man must look the part and sound the part. He must have all the answers and be willing to learn. He must be in his 30s-40s with 20 years experience. He needs a degree but cannot act learned. His shoes must be shined, his pocket square aligned, and his hair (if he is so blessed) sublime. 

Granted, this is how some preachers view tryouts. There may even be a few elders or Christians who view them the same way – like a trial by fire of prospective ministers. But, this is an exaggeration, a caricature. No doubt. But, you get the point, tryouts are high stress!

Now, I’ve only had one “tryout Sunday” in all my life and it was over 12 years ago before Lisa and I moved to San Marcos. So, I am no expert on tryouts. But, I have recently encountered what all supported missionaries have had to face: going from town to town, congregation to congregation, eldership to eldership, pulpit to pulpit, in search of funding for our family to move and work in Singapore. Very early in that process, I felt the great stress of needing to be “on point” every week with every person and in every pulpit. To me, it felt like every week was (and is) a tryout. I present the work we have planned, if the Lord allow us to live and wills, in Singapore. Elders or deacons or committee members discuss with and about us while we hope and pray that they choose some of their mission budget to be directed our way. I usually have the opportunity to preach. We often stay with strangers and eat with them.

As we travel north, south, east, and west, we meet new people and have new experiences and stay in new homes and discuss the same thing. The mission presentation needs to be flawless, but can I use notes? The sermon needs to be spectacular, but it shouldn’t be a sermon that has been posted online in case they check. The children must look sharp, but should they still wear those “we’re looking for support” jeans* with holes? Lisa puts undue pressure on herself wondering what kind of food will be served, what she might be expected to say or do or go without a heads’ up. And more. 

*As an aside: Annie loves shoes that are falling apart. Luke doesn’t really know how to comb his hair, but we usually let him anyway. He also loves to crawl in on his knees in new pants resulting in frays. We think it is normal. Troy is growing so fast most of his pants are “geared for rain” – and we don’t want to buy more and move them 10,000 miles. Ella has the same problem with shirts. So, if they look too small, please know that we are not encouraging immodesty. We just did not get it checked in the chaos of getting out of the house of our gracious host.

Traveling from visiting congregations.

In the last seven crazy months of what has felt like tryouts and tryouts, we have had some awkward meals, misbehaved kids, preaching that was less than flawless, conversations that went dry, and more. Here are a few things I have learned through this “tryout” process:

  1. Supported missionaries have a difficult task long before they reach the mission field. We knew going into this that the fundraising process would be hard work. We knew before getting started that many before us had gone through the support raising process. We just didn’t know what it was like.
  2. Elders have a very difficult job in regards to stewardship of the local treasury. The work of an elder and elderships are difficult. However, I know there are so many good works where they could allocate funds. Most elderships do due diligence, care deeply about ministers and missionaries, and are cautious yet gracious with the Lord’s money.
  3. Christians are hospitable. They will open their homes, hearts, and lives. They will feed you. They will bend over backward for you. They will accommodate you and four children. They will watch dogs. They will offer hotel rooms and whole houses.
  4. Christians are generous. Not only have we been blessed in our support raising, we have also seen first hand the generosity of congregations and individuals. They cover our expenses and milage. They have given us money for the road. They have gone over and beyond to the glory of the Lord.
  5. Christians are gracious. If you misspeak, they forgive. If you look at your notes, they do not judge. If your tie is crooked or a slide has a misspelled word or the children talk or or or, they will give you the benefit of the doubt.
  6. Children are resilient. They can go miles and miles. They complain and want to be home, but so do we. Our kids, Ella, Troy, Luke, and Annie have had remarkably good attitudes about different places, different Bible classes, different beds, long car trips, long lunches, long meetings, and more. They have made new friends and showed model patience and endurance.
  7. My wife is amazing. Staying up late, sharing the driving load, putting together power points, meeting new people, eating new places, keeping her weekends clear because she never knows where we might be going on our “free” Sundays. She left her comfort zone a long time ago. She has been frustrated, but she has loved, parented, helped, and encouraged more than ever before in our marriage. As I tell her often, I am so happy to be doing life with her.
  8. I do not like asking for support, but I love talking about good works. Most of the people I have known in my life did not find asking other people for money a fun or enjoyable task. I understand how the Lord’s church works and supports and shares, but I still have a hard time asking for money. It is not my favorite thing to do. I have found most people do not mind us asking for money because we truly believe in the good work and great opportunities in Singapore and at Four Seas. I love talking about good works. Ask me about McCarty or the Southwest School of Bible Studies or VBS in the park or short-term campaign work or Peach Valley AIM camp or more good works that I’ve been blessed to be involved in, and I would love to tell you about them. I really like talking to people about what is going on and what we hope to do across the ocean.
  9. Our God is an awesome, caring God. We have been praying. We know others have been praying. This support raising process has been extremely humbling as we seek to use the Lord’s money, and it has shown us how our God answers prayers!

-Trent