Cherished Memories

During one of our daily devotions, I asked E if he had any prayer requests. He prayed, " Dear God, I pray that daddy and mummy will bring me back to Johannesburg."

The trip must have left such an indelible impression on him for him to be talking about it and wanting to return almost 6 months after. Although E enjoyed Hong Kong (only 2 months ago), that was not the first thing that came to mind when asked to pray.

Well, who knows? Maybe, we'll be back one day (and this time we are not going to miss the safari!) or perhaps E will return as a young man on another missions trip.

Friends (and Chi Chi the dog) who made the trip especially memorable for E

Johannesburg

It has been two weeks since I returned from South Africa.  I'm not sure if I was experiencing jet lag or was simply exhausted from being out and about for the last two weeks. E had no jet lag whatsoever. Time zone made no difference to him as long as he was having fun. His ability to stay awake when he didn't want to miss out on anything remotely exciting (even though he was zonked) and then after having expended every last bit of his energy to totally knock out within seconds; worked to his advantage. No jet lag in South Africa. No jet lag back in Singapore.

Baby C took about a week to adjust back to Singapore time. She took one long nap (4 hours) and a shorter nap (2 hours) every day for about a week. I guess she might have adjusted more quickly if I made a deliberate effort to wake her up but I relished the long naps as I could sleep too! BLISS!

Jet lag, the mountain-load of laundry, unpacking .... I've finally mustered enough motivation and energy to blog with the post trip logistics over and done with. And also having to get over the inertia after not blogging for so long.

It was an AWESOME trip! I've been to a number of missions trips when I was younger and this is the best trip ever! Going with the family and with my all time favourite people (you guys know who you are) are definitely why this trip is the best one ever! And it is best also because of how personal this trip was. We stayed with the pastor and his family and immensely enjoyed relating with them personally. It was not an events or program driven missions trip but one where we visited people's homes, talked to them, shared testimonies, encouraged and prayed for them.

The highlight of the trip was the miraculous healing of a lady's leg. One of her legs was shorter than the other. During the prayer, she felt a "click" in the shorter leg. She was utterly amazed at how different she felt when she took a few steps after the prayer. Her shorter leg was lengthened and both legs were now equal in length. We were amazed too as it was totally unexpected. God surprised us with this miraculous display of His awesome power.

 

I can go on and on. There are many reflections about this trip which I cannot possibly document in one blog entry. So I'll let the photos do the talking for now ...

Baby C slept for about 4 - 5 hours on a 10 hours plus flight. That's her in the bassinet when she's not sleeping.

Kids having fun in the open field after church service

Having fun the South African way ... the kids collected scraps of cardboard to slide down the slope. E loved it!

Buddies

Talented youth choir - Africans just have the voice and groove ... beautiful acapella singing

Icebreakers

One year old toddler who just learnt to walk. Looked really cute waddling around with a drumstick in his hand.

Baby C feeling bored during the long journey in the van and entertained herself by stripping

Baby C with one of the youths

At the home of one of the youths

Praying for healing

First home we visited in the city where our Joberg church is located. This city is a relatively new housing project by the government where slum dwellers are relocated and provided with free housing

E serving food to the kids

Adventures of the God-kind

Surreal. It's almost unbelievable that we are going on this trip. There was much deliberation, discussion, prayers. Then, I decided to give it a miss. Too many concerns. Well, God speaks and God speaks through friends. Wise friends. So here we are, taking a step of faith, ready to embark on our very first family missions trip.

Honestly, I still think it's a little insane bringing a dynamo of a five year old and a nine months old baby to a far-flung continent (ok not that remote but 11 hours on a plane with young kids is like eternity if they decide to stay awake and terrorize us parents and innocent fellow passengers). But sometimes, in life; a little insanity is required. In order to breakthrough the confines of the safe, familiar and comfortable to experience complete dependence on God. Encountering the reality of God as we step out of our comfort zone. Hubby and I are praying and believing that E will encounter God personally on this trip. God-encounters that will whet his appetite for more of the presence of God in his life.

Enough said. Time for the not so insane. Mundane packing. Hmm .... actually, packing for four for a two weeks trip is an insanely overwhelming task! Especially packing for the baby. Tons to bring!! Procrastination will not get the job done and gone are the days when I can pack just a few hours before the flight. Gotta go ... it's adventure time!