Mock interview with Jhonny

Jhonny is going to have an interview in English next Monday. He asked us to have a crash course with him so that he can do better in his coming interview. After helping out in the orphanage on Sat morning, both of us sat down and did a mock interview in a cafe. I gave him some tips on how to improve his speaking and told him some of the possible questions the interviewer might ask him. It was a good session as I got to know this brother more in the process.

We had lunch together after that and he told me that his relationship with God is improving because he has more time to read the bible now. I am glad that he is building his relationship with God now because he might work in the Amazon in the future and have less time. He shared to me more about his family and his plans in the future. It was a great time getting to know each other and encouraging each other in the faith. After lunch, I prayed for him to have a good interview next Monday and that God’s peace to be with him. I enjoyed the time very much.

Well done ex-NG6C

Just heard that people from our unit last time are going for STM in Hope Kuching & Hope Samarahan. Glad that people from our unit are still excited about missions after Jiexian, Peiru and I have left for Chile and Ecuador. Continue to grow in God and your missions fervour for Him! Hope that by the time we visit you all in Singapore next year, all of you will have gone for a STM at least once. Prayerfully, in a few years’ time, most of us will be extending God’s kingdom in different countries.

I just got connected with a brother, Ruifeng in United States through facebook and it is amazing that he has started a caregroup on his own. I remember I did 24 hr follow up with him about 5 years ago and he flew off to United States for an exchange programme the next day. He came back to Singapore after that and grew in our church.  Now he is on a programme in Stanford University and God spoke to him to start a Hope caregroup over there. You can read about his experiences in United States Silicon Valley and how he started a caregroup on his own there: http://thehopesiliconvalleyjourney.blogspot.com

Thanksgiving day…

On this thanksgiving day, I will like to thank God for a dear friend and brother – Guoqiang, who is coming to visit me in Ecuador this Sunday.  It is amazing how our friendship is formed. I still remember during one leadership meeting about 2 and a half years ago, we were cracking our head thinking who is a suitable shepherd for Guoqiang and after some time, I volunteered to shepherd him.

Our shepherding started on a good note. I remember our first shepherding was at Punggol Marina where we went to explore a lighthouse. It was fun exploring a new place and we sat down to share at a cafe after that. He shared to me about his family and some struggles in the family. It was a good time of sharing and I got to know him more through that. After the shepherding, he smsed me that he really enjoyed the time and appreciated the friendship. I was touched by his sincerity and thoughtfulness.

After that first shepherding, our friendship kept growing deeper through sharing over meals and exploring different places. Our typical shepherding was something like I go and fetch him at his house and when he hopped into my car, I will ask him where he would like to go, and usually he will tell me a new place and we will go there. Some of the places we visited together are Jalan Kayu, fisherman village at pasir ris, Changi airport terminal 3, Bottletree park, Jewel restaurant at Mount Faber, Equinox, Changi village and many more. We had many sharings and discussed things like what we really want to do with our lives, our core values and beliefs about God, topics on forgiveness etc. and many life issues.

I remember the caregroup used to call him ice mountain because he was a man of few words and he looked very serious when he does not smile. But we witnessed the ice mountain melting and he opened up more in the caregroup. He started smiling more and serving more in the caregroup. We started to change his nickname to generous Guoqiang because he always treats us and buys gifts for the caregroup. Indeed, it is very difficult to outgive him. I still remember that he bought me a one year membership to Raffles club during one of our shepherding sessions. God really changed him a lot! No one would have thought he will become a careleader now. It is simply amazing! The work of God!

While he was preparing to visit me in Ecuador, I emailed and asked him what his objectives for the trip are, and he emailed back saying that that main objective was to bless us. I was again touched by his sincerity and desire to be a blessing to us. I remember that he told me that when his colleagues or friends ask him who his best friend is, he will always say that it is me. I really thank God how He orchestrated our friendship and how our friendship grew from our first shepherding. Pray that he will have a safe and smooth trip to Ecuador. Looking forward to see him on Sunday!

Too short again!

I went for a hair-cut for the 3rd time in Ecuador… it is too short again! I must think of a way to explain in spanish to leave the front part a bit longer next time.

New habit

I always check email the first thing in the morning but today I decided to spend time reading the bible instead.

I realised that I have been having dreams because I work on computers until late at night. Sometimes I dream about the things I read on the internet and wake up tired the next morning.

I have decided to use my pocket PC to help me to be more disciplined. There is a one year bible reading plan which I can just click to read the Old Testament, New Testament, Proverbs and Psalms bit by bit everyday. I want to start the day by reading the bible and end the day by reading the same passages so that I can reflect more. Hopefully I will be more aware of God’s presence throughout the day and have less weird dreams.

Today is Day 1, “God, help me to stay close to you by reading your word. Give me the strength to keep to this discipline.” Verses I read this morning from Psalms 119:97-98: “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.”

Witness a powerful testimony

I am glad that we went…

A brother from our church, Jhonny, invited us to be there at the defense of his thesis. Joshua and I had lessons in the morning but we changed our teaching schedule so that we can make it for this important occasion. After the defense of his thesis, he will graduate from the university with a degree. Jhonny has gone a long way in his studies, he almost gave up halfway because of financial difficulties. It was Joshua and Hannah who helped him financially and encouraged him to continue studying in university.

The defense of thesis was an eye-opener for me. Jhonny presented his thesis and his professors asked him many questions along the way. I was impressed by how Jhonny answered the questions steadily and readily. From the presentation and how he answered his professors, I can see Jhonny put in a lot of effort in the preparation. Jhonny was presenting a technology that detects petroleum and he really knows his stuff! There was a Q & A session at the end of the presentation but there were no questions too difficult for him.

After the defense of thesis, I was surprised that the results were out after 15 min of discussion from the panel. The professors gave very good comments on Jhonny’s thesis and said that he scores a perfect score of 10 for his work. They said that they are going to publish his thesis because it was very well done. After hearing the results, Jhonny gave a speech, thanking God and his family for the thesis. He also made special mention to Joshua who encouraged him to finish his university. God is really glorified during his thanksgiving speech and it was a touching moment. I am so glad to be present. I think all his family members and professors were impacted by his words. I am so proud of Jhonny.

There was a celebration after that and we toast drinks to one another. Joshua told Jhonny’s family that Jhonny used to be a quiet and timid person before he became a Christian. It was the transformation power of God that change Jhonny to someone with more confidence and today he speaks with so much boldness. His mother agreed with Joshua and said that it must be God who change him. Indeed, all of us witness a living testimony of God’s power right in front of us today.

Thank God for Joshua and Hannah who never lose hope in Jhonny and supported him with words and actions. Their 5 years of hard work are never in vain, lives are transformed and hearts are changed. They will always be remembered fondly in the hearts of people like Jhonny for believing in them.

Jhonny (3rd from right)

oops and adding on..

Oops! I made a mistake in the previous post. The town that has only 2 traffic lights is not Latacunga.. it’s another town near the coast where Katty used to live. Haha.. product of my poor spanish. hahahahaa..

And today during our spanish class, we asked our profesora for the names of some of the things in the photos… apparently more mistakes! Heee…

The ‘radish’ is not a radish.. it’s actually a beet root! It’s called “remolacha” en español.

The tamale or dumpling is actually called ‘kimolito’. Kimbolitos are sweet dumplings. Tamales are salty dumplings.

Oh yes, to answer Howjoo’s comment on goreng pisangs…

Hee.. goreng pisang is fried bananas.. but the goreng pisang in Singapore has a layer of flour over it and is crispy? The plate of fried bananas in the picture is without flour, fried fresh! so slightly different. Anyway, our profesora told us that there is a similar banana-fried-with-flour called “emborrajado de bananos” here.. hmm.. haven’t seen it yet.. shall try to see if it’s really same as the goreng pisang in Singapore! hehehe..

By the way, there are many many types of bananas here in Ecuador. In Singapore, we call all of them bananas, but here, they have different names and are cooked in all sorts of ways, including in soup! The bananas we usually eat are called “maduras” meaning “matured”. They also cook green bananas, called “platanos”. Green bananas are huge… hehe.. They also have mini bananas.. like the type we use for goreng pisang, or even smaller… but i forgot the name.. haha.. blog the next time i see it in the supermarket.

Well, we are learning everyday.

A fruitful trip to Latacunga

Yesterday we travelled 2 hours to Latacunga to visit one of the faithful families who attend our church. Yes, they are the ones who travel 2 hours to church and 2 hours back to Latacunga every Sunday. Amazing huh? Lives like this are a shining example that God really exists and is really good in our lives. On the trip there, Katty and I chatted for the entire 2 hours, in 98% spanish and 2% English.. I got to know her much better and we shared different experiences in our lives and her family’s. I really enjoyed the time. And hmm. yeah, it was also a breakthrough for me to hold a decent conversation for such a long time.. hee.. thanks Katty, for your patience and also grateful to you for correcting my spanish and teaching me too! Oh yes, Katty can read English pretty well!

Their house was really pretty and the lunch was yummy-licious! Stewed chicken, fried bananas (taste like goreng pisang!) and fried rice with olives and raisins.. And a fresh salad. Rosa, Katty’s mum, grows her own vegetables and herbs like rosemary and oregano! And she has beautiful flowers in her garden as well! heehee. Rosa was quite surprised I could name many of the flowers in her garden.. haha.. Thanks to my 2 years at FEF.com. haha..  Then for dessert we had a type of tamale (dumpling) that’s sweet and tastes like Malay cake. In the evening we had a bit of coffee and mint tea (mint is homegrown) and this dulce (sweet) that tastes like mai ya tang or honey! Very very dulce.

It was a really healthy meal and trip. Latacunga is a town 2 hours south of Quito. It’s more tranquil and the air is fresher because there are less cars. In fact, there are only 2 traffic lights in the whole town. hahaha.. They also have a beautiful park with a pond where you can row boats.. que romantico! But I didn’t get to take pictures of that. Next time.

We really had a very good time getting to know them. It was a very fruitful time tho the trip back was in a bus that smelt of chickens and had some empty bottles rolling on the floor (which startled me at times) and there was also a fog where we couldn’t really see beyond 10-15m. heehee..

Oh yes and of course I made some spanish mistakes again.. they were talking about eating ‘cangrejo’ (crab) pronounced ‘kung-grey-ho’ which I mistook for ‘conejo’ (rabbit) pronounced ‘co-ney-ho’… and I said “No, we don’t eat cangrejos in Singapore because they are pets!’.. and WL and WP looked at me in surprise.. “cangrejo is crab leh…?” Wahahaha… So all the time that they were talking about eating entire crabs on a plate, eating crabs with their hands, just pulling the limbs out, and eating crabs with a cracker, violent.. and I thought they were talking about eating rabbits… hahahahaha.. really had a good laugh after that. (P.S. they really do eat rabbits here.. in other parts of Ecuador.. )

Here are some pictures!

A bee on a pink rose!

Calla lily or Cartucho

Carnations!

Alstroemerias

Hydrangea!

Oregano!

Mint!

Bai cai!

Homegrown carrots!

homegrown radish!

Beto’s jeep!

Fried bananas tt taste like Goreng Pisang!

Ricissimo meal w salad and raspberry juice

dumpling/Tamale dessert tt tastes like Malay cake with raisins!

Dulce or sweet that tastes like mai ya tang/honey

Rosa, Beto, Katty and us! Tim’s taking the photo!

Thank you ST!

Here are photos of the roses from Timothy!

Fotografias de las rosas de Timothy!

As he blogged, yesterday he went grocery shopping on his own for the first time in his life. First time choosing vegetables and fruits, first time paying for the grocery bill at Megamaxi himself, first time carrying so much vegetables, and first time taking the cab by himself! And he chose quite beautiful vegetables too! Congratulations! We are learning to be more independent each day.

Felicitaciones a Timothy! El compró vegetales y frutas ayer, solo él mismo! Su primera vez escoger los vegetales y frutas y su primera vez llegar tan mucho vegetales y frutas y su primera vez tomar el taxi por el mismo! Muy bien! Estamos aprendiendo ser independiente cada dia. Y su primera vez comprar los rosas para mi en Ecuador! Una demostración de su lado romantico. jejeje…

By the way, we bought so much vegetables yesterday because Wednesday is Vegetables and Fruits day at Supermaxi. Everyone gets 20% off vegetables and fruits on Wednesday. And Friday is Meat Day. All meat at 20% off (I think, or at least 10%)! Excellent marketing strategy.

And first time he bought roses for me in Ecuador. Another example of ST’s romantic side. heehee… (even if it is a homework from last last week’s CG – to bless the pple around you).

Ecuadorian roses are about 1.5 times or twice the size of roses in Singapore (which are usually imported from China or India – Indian roses are the smallest), and they cost US$1.80 for a packet of a dozen. In Singapore, Ecuadorian roses cost about SG$5 PER STALK. Good reason to be romantic in Ecuador yeah? :p

Las rosas ecuadorianas son doble el tamaño de las rosas en Singapur (La mayoria están importados de China o India). Las rosas de India son lo más pequeñas. En Singapur, las rosas Ecuatorianas costan aproximamente SG$5 (US$3.5?).. muy barato aquí! Este es un buen razon para ser romantico en Ecuador, no? jejeje…

Me encanta la naturaleza en Ecuador. Espero visitar Mindo o Amazonas en el futuro..

Anyway I’ve been saying this very often, but for the record in our blog.. “Flowers that are super expensive in Singapore are growing by the roadsides here! Calla lilies, Jade plants, even Hydrangea!” Wow.. I love the nature here.. Look forward to some trips to Mindo or the mountains or the amazons in my stint here..

First time doing grocery alone

Today is the first time I bought grocery alone because the rest of my teammates were giving lessons. This is the first time I bought so much things and took a cab back on my own. Thank God for this experience. I have never bought so much vegetables and fruits in my life. I also bought roses for Peiru for the first time in Ecuador.

Below are the things I bought:

1. Serviettes

2. Eggs

3. Carrots

4. Tomatoes

5. Mushroom

6. Esparagus

7. Long beans

8. Garlic

9. Lettuce

10. Cauliflower

11. Brocoli

12. Pear

13. Prune

14. Pepper

15. Banana

16. Orange Juice

17. Milk

18. Roses (for Peiru)