The Dumpling Community

Yummy Dumplings

Dr Goh (HS chairman) said that we're a "dumpling community" sometime back during CNY, and it's lingered with me till now. Mr Yin and a few other migrant friends treated us to handmade dumplings today. This is significant as Chinese men usually only make these dumplings at home when/where family gathers/at special occassions. At other times (in the villages, or so I hear), it's the women that do the cooking. So when I see the men pitching in to help make dumplings for us, for the community of people gathered here, I'm touched, perhaps we're doing something right. The Dumpling Community... hopefully in time we'll truly live up to the name.

The men pitching in :)

Dim Sum Lunch with the fellas

Am not kidding when I say we like our meals. Went to the Dim Sum restaurant at The Cathay with my colleagues. Food was good and there was a 30% discount for lunch on weekdays. Loved the fried yam balls.. they made them to look like little birdies... so cute I almost couldn't bear to eat them.

The Spread

Too full to be true

Repent and Be Baptised!

Hallelujah! 3 migrant friends just got baptised last Friday - 17th Apr 09. Such joy indeed to see my friends boldly proclaiming to the world that they belong to the Lord.

Mr Xu (top left), HS Family (top middle) Mr Smiley a.k.a. Mr Xu (bottom left), Mr Yin (bottom right)

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. - Gal 3:26-29 -

Dinner last night

A large part of what I do has to do with food.. as you might be able to tell from the numerous posts about it. But more than just food, it's simply an act of being in a community. There's nothing more familiar and inclusive than sharing a meal together. Jesus spent his time & even defied the Pharisees by sharing meals with sinners & common people - fishermen, the tax-collectors, tax-collector's friends & prostitutes. What would you think/how would you feel if you saw your pastor - Ps Mark in Geylang eating at a table with ladies in skimpy tops and gangster-ish looking men? Would you honour him and think that he was hanging with the Jesus crowd, or would you give him the evil eye and wonder what he's up to?

I don't blame the Pharisees.. what is a teacher of righteousness.. a pastor.. a righteous man doing eating with such people in such a seedy place? Just few months back I would have reacted like the Pharisees.. now.. I don't know.. it's not happened yet.

Sarah's Good Friday Event Article - 12th April 09

Update on the event.. came out in the news :) what wasn't reported was that about 70 people gave their lives to the Lord that evening.
What a wonderful testimony!

Chicken ala Carte

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

The waste of affluence, of consumerism. Do we jump onto the bandwagon? Dare we create our own culture?

Choon Ming Bao Dian

This bao-shop is started by this Malaysian lady - Sarah. Food is quite good... the yam cake is yummy and they have a 'kong-long' (dinosaur) bao which is about the size of an A5 sheet of paper.. it's more meat than flour.. enough for a whole day's meal I think.. lol. What she does... she employs Chinese migrants in need to run the shop, she takes care of their lodging, meals everything. In a really short time she already has 8 shops up and running.

Sarah, top left hand corner

Found out that she's coordinating a Good Friday program for tomorrow.. the amazing thing is that a school principal called her up and wanted to organize the event with her, the community centre RC wanted to partner with her and they are allowing them to share the gospel!! John 3:16 and everything.. up till now, 500 coming to 600 people are said to turn up.. people from the schools, needy families that are taking hand-outs from the RC. She's extended the shop premise to the carpark (the space is allowed rent-free by the RC.. normally one parking lot costs about $50-90.. she's taking like 20 lots?) with a tent & 2 stages set-up (1 for adults, 1 for children) Ps Kong's nephew is coming to do the magic show, there's a balloon sculptor coming.. the works!! What's even more amazing about this lady is that she's paying for it all out of her own pocket.. $11k (cost at the moment).

I am in awe of the heart of this lady... I see her testimony, her business, the doors that have been opened for this event to take place.. and know that God is behind all of this. He will not fail to bless her and her business. For her heart is after God's own heart.. the aliens in the land, the poor and oppressed. There is no reason why God will not bless.

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SAJC Booth 3 Apr 09

Had a booth set up at SAJC today. It's the initiative of one of our volunteers - Brandon. He's just finished his A levels and aspiring to be a doctor. Really has a heart for the community in Geylang and passionate about telling others about this work. I'm always encouraged when I see young'uns passionate about doing God's work..

Booth run fully by ex-Saints: Vanessa (also aspiring doctor) & Brandon in action