Xing Nian Mong Un

Happy Chinese Lunar New Year, my Friends!

(literally, "Be filled with Grace")

Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year, and I pray that the Lord of blessings encourages you through and through for the coming year.

This photo was taken at Dave and Dawn's cell group New Year party...Dawn and I are shown "tossing the fish"- at the beginning of the meal everyone together takes their chopsticks and tosses this colorful mixture complete with raw fish up into the air, the higher the better...all the while exclaiming hope, prayers, and blessings for the coming year (for pre-believers, the words center on good luck and prosperity wishes).

As you can tell, I am safe--praise the LORD! Singapore has been home now for almost a week. MTI Orientation proved to be a wonderful start to the road ahead, with great fellowship and important words to hear and share. Our mission: To be salt and light amonst the poor, ministering to their suffering and oppression. So great to dwell on this mission, to begin to soak it up in context. After a special week of meeting other missionaries on our teams and enjoying sights and sounds of my new home, like "Little India", Sentosa Island - where I walked onto the southernmost tip of Continental Asia-, and China Town (quite extravagant with lights and decorations), it is now time to settle. Goodbyes are everywhere...sending off others to their field countries, back home to raise additional support, away. While I stay. I am thankful to be based in Singapore, 'Singapura' = the "Lion City". Thankful for the weather. Thankful for the provisions. Thankful for the season of learning ahead. Thankful for opportunity to serve. Worshipped at church this morning with believers excited to be a blessing to the nations, for this is their calling as "blessed". We have been shown good news to share good news! Captivated by Jesus' words in John 20:21 - "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." Jesus was a Go-er and a SENDER in world missions! You all who send follow in His footsteps...Thank you!

Last night the Greenfields, my Filipina friend, Cathy, and I enjoyed a traditional Chinese family reunion meal with believers and friends of Dave and Dawn- an honor to be guests at a normally exclusively-family event. We ate "steamboat" - like fish fondue with soup broth. YUM!!! And I love the flavorful spice...everyone's amazed that I can take the heat, but Dawn chalks it up to being from Southern California with the Mexican chili pepper influence. I think my love for hot foods might also have been cultivated by exposure to Sara-Jinny's delicious Indian curry and those special Dad-Daughter dinners at the Thai restaraunt after report-cards went out :-) Anyhow, the food in Singapore is amazing, from traditional Chinese, to Indian, to Thai and Malay, to "Western" w/ lots of tropical fruits and vegetables to boot! And yes, Mike, we do have yogurt here!!! So, I invite all of you to come for a visit and I will take you to eat at the local places.

So many traditions surround Chinese New Year. Bring 2 oranges to the host, give children and single people even-valued monetary gifts in red packets (yes, there are benefits to being single!), don't wear black, do spring cleaning to send out the old dirt from the previous year (we passed by a car wash at 11pm last night, and the queue was out to the street- everyone's car is to be washed before the new year - talk about the 11th hour rush!!!), loud noises to ward off evil monsters (firecrackers are used for this, though since they are outlawed in Singapore people use recordings!), etc.... The sermon today urged the believers to cling to the blessings of a life trusting Christ, not superstitious hope in behavior to gain security that is not real. Materialism vs. Family Values...growing tension everywhere. I was taught so much last night as I observed the 2 sons take care of their elderly mom suffering from dimentia. We sang with her and prayed blessing over her. Ancestor worship is common here. But Christians know hope and can love in Christ's power. What power!

Driving on the left side of the road...steering wheels are on the right side of cars! I keep looking at cars and thinking, "That car has no driver!" Then, I glance to the other side and see him! Wew! That was a close one! I feel very safe here. It is very orderly, clean and green. Beautiful, really. No filth anywhere. No poverty in sight, but knowing that there are many laborers here from India and Malaysia particularly, who do jobs that most Singaporeans wouldn't do. Many around our wharehouse. I pray they receive special comfort as they work. There are not many caucasians...I feel like I can go blocks without seeing one. Yet, I don't feel stared at or intimidated.

Please pray that we will know the best housing arrangement for me. There's a German couple on one of our teams living here until their baby is born (late Feb.). They'll likely take my current flat. Many offers have come for my housing, but Dawn is in no "hurry", for she is praying that we will find the perfect match. She prays that my home will be a haven in which I can rest when I come home at night. This is the type of leadership I am working with- lovingly sensitive and believing that God shows His favor to His children in mighty ways. I hope you are encouraged to see His favor upon you.

"The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous to our eyes." Psalm 118:23