Banna

ex-leprosy patients..
yummy food! BBQ pork, fish, bamboo shoots etc..
PTL! its out! :)
lovely village ladies n me

finances

was jus doing my record of expenses on my 11 mth trip in China.. tho in the beginning i had been prepared to cover my expenses from my savings, i sensed God telling me He would provide and challenging me.. something like "you watch and see how I will do this.."

and yea, tho i didnt raise funds, frens, aunties and some acquaintances i only met once or didnt even meet contacted me and expressed a desire to support me financially. Some wrote cheques and some transferred straight to my account..

well in the end, all my expenses, (living expenses, setting up costs, flights, insurance etc), were covered. just slightly over a 5-digit figure. and i still have a few thousand left over, which i'll set aside for future trips. For those who'd like to plan a trip, daily expenses came up to about $6000-7000 for the 11 months.

God is so awesome! and His blessings often has a multiplication effect. i was blessed not just by the financial providence, but also by the sense of partnership and relationship by those who supported me in this way, so that it wasn't me doing my own thing, but a whole community of people behind me too, whom i represented, to show His care for those i would meet. Thank you friends, for being part of this.

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
(Mal 3:10-11).

10 for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
(Ps 50:9-12).

i'm also very thankful for those who kept me in prayer. Prayer is so important, in China, we prayed often. to us, who are away from our homes (some fr really far away), it is such a vital way through which He ministers to us and keeps our hearts focused and thankful.

so i encourage you, lift up your eyes, He is so big.. it is a wonderous thing to experience His reality and find that faith can be so real. Real enough to touch.

pics

some pics fr my KM team's previous visits to the leprosy villages!

a resident in the village
XM and a resident trying out toothbrushing

Banna!

i'm gng to Banna!!! so exciting!!! hv been lookin for an excuse to go back for e longest time!! my flight leaves on the 5th Sept n i will be back on the 19th.. will spend a few days in KM too.. :)

programme is to visit leprosy villages and pull teeth.. Sam will onli get bk on 6th so i hv to whirwind fly to office and pack everything and we'll be good to go on the 6th!!!!!!!!

foot note: if ever any of u get to visit a leprosy village, no fear, they have been cured for decades. 2 weeks of medication after diagnosis will render u non-contagious. New patients these days are merely cured in their homes after discovery. perhaps the term 'leprosy village' is a misnomer.. its more like 'physical rehab village' for ex-leprosy patients.

The leprosy village residents only remain there cos in the olden days, they would be rejected by the community if they returned to their home village, and even now, the level of awareness is low in many villages and there is still a stigma attached to these cured patients, which would socially even affect their children and grandchildren. also in the leprosy village, they receive care for their permanent nerve damage that often result in disablities.

example, if the nerves of their eyes had been damaged due to delay in treatment and diagnosis previously, they need to be taught to blink after a lorry passes by, or else they could get eye infection and blindness as they cant feel that some dust has gotten into their eye.

the ironic thing to me is that leprosy, which like tuberculosis, is such a treatable disease in these days, its like nothing, jus take medicine. but the stigma of this disease is so great it is comparable to AIDS. Surely we all need more education.. for the residents need more care and compassion than our ignorant fear.. ignorance is not bliss, it can do a lot of harm.

like the most Wonderful One says.. 'knowledge of the truth will set you free..'

my poem

Do you smell carrot?

i have a snowman.

he sits on my beach..

we wave to each other

maybe one day, if the magic is strong enough..

we will swim in the sea together.

snowgifts dat make me smile :)

back!

*XH, my fav KM fren*

*ice kachang tog*


they say a pic paints a thousand word.. so let me post more pics :)

been running ard since i got back, but so blessed to have a fren come back w me for 2 weeks! we ran ard sg, went to penang, went to underwater world.. it was such a thrill to have her with me and to see sg thru her eyes.. :) great fun.

on the other hand i ate dinner for the first time tonight at home since i got back.. it reflects to me wat busy bees we hv been.. :) oh and i watched 3 movies this week! things in sg are strange yet familiar.. something i learnt fr KM.. it is good to take things slower.. and appreciate more..

Flight

Hi! For all who are asking, I will be back on the 26th July. Transiting from Bangkok, these are my flight details.

Terminal 1
TG 401 Departing Bangkok 1915
Arriving Singapore 2235

Its kinda late and sometimes the flight can get delayed in Bangkok. Thanks for your kind thoughts but its really alright not to come to the airport, will meet up with u in the days to come! Take care! See you soon!

It matters

Sometimes I talk to You and I say.. so what if I feel this way.. so what if I feel that way.. it doesn matter.. it doesn make a difference in the long run.. in the path I choose to take.. it doesn matter if I felt this or that.. makes no difference in the choice I know I will make, that I want to make, that I am willing to make..

And You say.. It matters. Though it may not change the outcome, or the ending to the story. How I feel does matter to You. It is not hidden from Your sight, You validate it. And You understand, and You accept.

And in my own imperfect way, I want to say.. I love You..Thank You.

Home

Will be back in Sg end of July.. maybe on the 26th (last day of my visa).. should not be returning soon, except for short trips, for maybe 2 yrs? 1 yr? And maybe even then not necessarily back here.. I dont know.. do i want it to be back here.. again, im not sure..

Sometimes people ask me how I feel about going back, and I am a bit at a loss for words.

Well, will be glad to see my family and frens.. and SG is a beautiful, reliable city.. better air.. sunny temp.. fast food everywhere.. relatively clean toilets always..

But I will definitely miss China.. I love my frens here, the work we do, the life here.. working tog as a team, hanging out, the endless possibilities.. You never know what He may bring up and lead next.. and its great to sit back and enjoy the ride, cos you know Who is driving..

A consolation He brings. He is the same God in China as He is in Singapore.

Please look after those I love here.. I know You will..

Thought2

here are some things our Father has said to me at certain times since i came to China.. * do not ever think that I am not with you..
* I promise to look after those you love..
* I am near..

yep.. and each time i was touched when He said that to me.. i had a recent thought.. just like animals and children need a stable environment, i too crave one.. and sometimes with people gng in and out continously.. i find it hard.. but maybe though i think i do desire such an env, it may be the one thing that i may have to give up.. looking at the past months, gng to villages, travelling more than i ever have, once or even twice a month.. never quite staying long enough at one place.. maybe this is His way of drawing me to depend only on Him, and not to depend on the comfort of familiarity.. well.. He knows what i need..

Lijiang Orphange :)

Little kiddies

















more little kiddies





















Workin
















Love
















Tourist in Lijiang


















Yi Tribe
















Mosuo tribe



















Little kiddies washing dishes


















My fav gal


















Dentist...whaha

Im back!

Back fr Nujiang training!

Back fr Dali training!

5 weeks of back to back training in total.. phew.. hope to stay at KM home for a while.. just a little while..

Many thanksgiving.. esp for the Dali training.. 3 more SG dentists joined us midway and we had 30 students with 6 teachers. It was a comfortable ratio. And 4 of the students were from previous batches here for revision, so they could help us out too. We chatted with them what they hoped to learn and revise (injection tech., roots, 3rd molars). I am so glad all 4 of them met their objectives.

We also trained the 2 local medical doctors to teach dentistry for the first 3 days. They did extremely well! 3 groups of 10 students each with me and the other dentists just loosely supervising.. PTL! Once again, we experienced the provision of our Father.

Had lots of fun with the team. Some of my favourite friends came, and I got to know other lovable characters. Many tried new things and roles for the first time and all did well. Am especially glad for that. Praise to the Father who helps us grow, in our spirit and in our hearts. Lots of moments, some of us found tears in our eyes after we pr. together.

What touched me especially was to see growth in some of the previous students. not just in their dental skills, but also in their personal life. From softspoken to confident, from brokenness to healing, from uncertainty to courage and perserverance.

Awesomeness!!

Heh

Read Guojuns blog.. he say, he has been staring at the blank for a while..

Which is what im doing now so I am quite amused.. haha

Tired lah.. emotionally, physically.. but its cos been running around and being able to love my students and friends! So its a good kind of tired, and thankful to God, just need to take it easy for a few days..

Admin things to do..

And given something to translate to chinese today..

¡®Increased attention to oral hygiene can help minimize the effects of these metabolic changes. [55, 57, 97] It seems that toxins or other products generated by oral bacteria in the mother may reach the general circulation, cross the placenta, and harm the fetus. In addition, the response of the maternal immune system to the infection elicits the continued release of natural chemical defense mechanisms that can interfere with fetal growth and delivery..¡¯

and this is only a sample..

ahh!!

Brain cell overdrive..!

But I know He will save/help me..

Hee..

I put a greeting on my handphone the other day.. it reads.. Saved and Loved..

What else does one really need..

Training

Theory lessons done, students taking exams tomo!

Den we go mountains tomo nite..

12 students, mostly village doctors. 8 out of 12 are in the Lord, as they come fr a place where 70 % are professing believers. Mostly fr Lisu tribe, and some Nu tribe.

They are a lovely bunch. We went to the zoo last sat, and then to the airport cos they wanted to see aeroplanes. They were fascinated, esp the guys, one of which said he could look at planes all day long and not be tired.

1 has puppy dog eyes, ano has small bear eyes, and the oldest one looks like my father! Haha.

One of the students is a gal fr the leprosy village project, fr the Tibetan tribe. She¡¯s really sweet.

Yeah.. will be off to mountains till 24th March..

Dali training 26th Mar to 2 Apr. The interesting news 2 days ago is there will be 37 students with 2 dentists(one is me) and a dental student. Normally 37 students we need at least 6 dentists so we are understaffed!! *understatement* Pls pray hard for us and for more helpers.

Still.. Blessed be His name in every circumstance. Because He is more than circumstances and ultimately, He is sovereign.. and will always be. Praise the Lord! Amen.

The schedule goes like dis

Ahh! Nujiang training starting on Wednesday.. 10 days here, den 13 days in Nujiang! Mountains, rivers, hope for good toilets and hotels.. den back for 2 days and off to Dali for 5 days for ano training.. its exciting and a bit stress at the same time.! emotional attachment and all aso.. here we go again.. pray for strength of heart and mind. Physical too.

please bless the students, Lord.

WP¡¯s service starting this sat!! like Weiwei would say, CoolNesS!! PTL!!!!

Thought 1

Walkin back to office after lunch.. sun shining.. caught me smiling to myself..

Had a thought..

it doesnt get much better than this..

An American lady living here once told me.. there is something so satisfying about being where God wants you to be.. she said it with such a light in her eyes.. I always remembered that moment..

She was right. I have felt it ever since the plane landed.

There is no one like You.

At service yesterday..

Years ago, 4 prophecies were released concerning the end days.

One of them..

They will praise a God they no longer pray too.

It struck me, as I had just been reflecting that I have not been praying that much. But singing and reading comes easily. Discerned a need to be aware of the warfare, the battle that is ongoing in the heavenly realms. The battle for souls. It cannot be seen with our physical eyes but if your spirit can see, you know it¡¯s there.

The battle is real. It goes on 24 hours a day.

There is a thief. He seeks to steal, kill, and destroy.

There is a God. He wants us to have life.

When we pray, in His authority and power, His kingdom is established on earth.

Swim in the ocean, not in the bathtub.

A timely warning. A reminder to be on guard..

Who does He love.

read this in purpose-driven life yest.. day 37? 38? (yes! am nearing e end..)

God has never made a person He didnt love.

a simple sentence that struck me.

watched Narnia recently..

this struck me.. when Peter faced the battle.. he cried, For Narnia, For Aslan!

and i thought to myself.. For Jesus.

Congrats WP!

Hooray! PTL! Pingping passed drivin!! 8 pts! I¡¯m so proud of u! (I got 18 pts last time)

I look forward to u driving us out for supper in ur van when I get back!