In a developed country like Singapore, what does Easter mean?
For a child, it could mean making colorful eggs at an art and craft project in school (I still remember those days I had to bring colorful markers and hard-boiled eggs to class. And I remember my mum’s horrid expression when I suggested I was going to eat those marker-stained pearly eggs because “the marker ink is not posionous”). But for the rest of us, it seems that Easter, simply marks a long weekend during which weekend getaways and stay-cations are best planned.
About a week ago, both Cliff and I both fell sick. It happened right when God had opened the doors for us to visit the slums of Philippines. While Cliff recovered quite well, two days ago, I was stricken with unshakeable lethargy, feverishness and tiredness, and this morning I awoke with joint pains, a bad tummy, and a throat which felt like a fire-razor had bore right into it. Tomorrow, we fly to the slums, and yet one thing I know, is that God is real, and He is not absent. In the past two days when I’ve been at home on medical leave from work, in pain and discomfort, God has touched me in my rest, showing me how earnestly He desires us to trust Him.
Seven days ago, we had no idea we would be doing this. Up until last night, after countless emails and connections, we still were not sure if we would receive the multivitamins and deworming tablets we had prayed for. Then, as you read, doors opened, and last night, a shipload of happy, colorful, animal-shaped multivitamins for children arrived right at our doorstep, delivered by an angel to us. I spent the afternoon packing them into little bags.
There are times I ask myself: why are we doing this? As I worked through packing the supplements in between sniffles this afternoon, I wondered why, after 14 mission trips and counting, why after the mad pre-trip frenzies and post-trip scramble back to work and routine life, we were still back at this. It’s a long Easter weekend- shouldn’t we book a stay-cation? After all, since we went on a mission trip instead of a honeymoon after our wedding, didn’t I promise you a birthday present next month to a nearby and affordable beach holiday? But this came up, and so we changed plans. The beach holiday was scrapped, and we focused our efforts on this instead. (This was, in some way, easier- I have always had a problem spending money and time on vacations.)
Yesterday, I turned quite ill. You forbid me to go to work, you took the morning off to pray with me, and we spent the morning in deep prayer, and giddy worship. When we became tired, we lay on the floor upon a blanket and cushions in our study room. We fell asleep in the crisp cool air snuggled under the folds of our blanket. Your arms wrapped around me, and your legs tucked in between mine, you called us a “Bear and Bunny Sandwich”. Just lying your arms, instilled the most incredible joy and peace in me, and I fell into the deepest, most assuring slumber, with worship music playing in the background. “Go to sleep, my bunny,” you would say. “You will get better soon.” I didn’t know if I would, but I decided it would be best to trust you, and God.
Cliff, the awesome husband, taking stock and account of our donated items
Over the past few days, many people have written to us sharing words of encouragement, prayer and support. Some of you have even lovingly offered donations to support the feeding and now, multivitamin programme we hope to start for 500 children living in the slums. Yet, the letters, though encouraging and uplifting to read, are also peppered with regret and nostalgia, as some share that they wished they could go.
I have learnt, that there is no time better than now. There is always work to be done; there is always a reason to stay; there is always a reason to go on a vacation instead because “life here is so stressful”. But I am seeing, that when one is intentional about prayer, God opens doors in ways we least expected.
You’re going there just to give our multivitamins and deworming liquids? Is that cost-effective? Will that be significantly helpful? How do you see that being sustainable over the long-run?
Yes. Maybe. Perhaps. We don’t know.
The fact is, I think we like comfort. Work here promises returns we can calculate. Work here is fulfilling, stimulating, and rewarding. When you invest time and effort into an endeavor with unknown returns, the risk becomes great. As I packed the pills one packet at a time into ziplock bags, wondering if I would get well in time for tomorrow, I asked myself if all this effort was worthwhile. Why, I should be resting, or back at work, or planning for a vacation. But the encouragement of many made me realize, that it’s not so much the calculated returns that make this endeavor fulfilling, but the journey into the unknown, the risk we are taking, however small, and the call to obedience we are taking.
Cliff is on long-term immunosuppressants- he shouldn’t be anywhere near a slum; I am in the thick of a viral flu, I shouldn’t be travelling; we are newly married, we should not be exposing ourselves to stresses like this, we should be enjoying our honeymoon years and enjoying vacations with each other, creating beautiful memories. But who says this doesn’t strengthen us further? We are looking after each other: he has affectionately termed me “super bunny” while he, to me, is a solid wall of support and encouragement. Yes, we have not gone on an exotic holiday anywhere, but we have found pockets of time like the morning sleeping in each other’s arms knowing that God has called us for a purpose bigger than ourselves, a dream larger than what we can imagine, and a hope more real than we thought.
So we are going. We are spending Easter in the slums of Smokey. We still long for a beach holiday somewhere, sometime, but for now, we are content and happy in the centre of God’s will.
There is no better time than now.
Please keep us in prayer. We covet them greatly and deeply appreciate them.