Hi friends!
This is our first family email update – we have now ‘combined forces’ as a family unit to update our contacts about our lives and journey to missions. Thanks for journeying with us thus far, and for wanting to continue this journey with us.
Both of us are now based in Singapore – Jon as a church youth ministry staff and Phoebe as a student at Singapore Bible College (SBC). This is a season for us to build our marriage (yes, we got married 8 months ago!) and to prepare for long-term mission work. We hope to be in touch with you through quarterly updates via this email. Do write back to us to update about your lives so that we can be praying for you too!
From the Kongs, Jon and Phoebe
Why “Tom Yum Kongs“? Besides the playful pun on the famous and beloved Thai dish (kudos to those who caught the pun 🙂 ), the reason we chose this name for our newsletter and blog comes from a particular memory of Jon in Thailand.
Unlike in Singapore where Tom Yum soup is clear and contains only yummy edible bits like seafood, chicken or mushroom; authentic Tom Yum in Thailand is usually served with the herbs that the soup is boiled in.
When Jon was in Thailand, he hosted a mission team who was quite astonished when they were served the authentic Thai Tom Yum. As they realized that the herbs in the soup were inedible, one of the kids in the team asked:
“Why are the herbs in the soup if we cannot eat it?”
The answer Jon gave was more instinctual than anything:
“The herbs add aroma to the soup you drink, even if you cannot eat it.”
Adding aroma
Recalling this memory, we think that our lives are very much like Tom Yum soup. We all like the enjoyable memories and exciting bits, but bitter or hard experiences often throw us off and we question why it is even in our lives.
Romans 5:4 is a reminder to us for the reason of challenges in our lives, that they produce perseverance, character and hope. And perhaps it is only by going through both the unpleasant and pleasant parts of life with the assurance that it will all work out for the purposes of God that the aroma of these experiences can be diffused into our lives. Our journey into marriage has not been all smooth-sailing due to Jon’s adjustment of serving full-time in church and Phoebe’s transition from Bangkok to Singapore. While in Singapore, God has also given us opportunities to enter into the world of those in need and suffering, to persevere on as we minister to them.
So even as we start this combined life together, it is our hope that with the grace of God we will able to embrace both the good and bad in our lives and that the aroma of Christ (2 Cor 2:15) will dwell richly and emit from our lives.
We thank God for His sustaining grace in our lives thus far! Jon is nearing one year of service at Youth Ministry, and Phoebe completed her first semester at SBC. Continue to pray for His grace and wisdom upon us during this season. May His abounding love also bind us together in this marriage.
Remember us in your prayers for the following:
- At the family front, we recently opened up our home to a youth from a broken family who was sent to stay with his grandmother. Due to some reasons, he is finding it hard to stay with his grandmother for the long-term. Pray for us to have love, wisdom and grace as we minister to him on his journey of restoration.
- Phoebe’s father recently had a heart attack. Thank God that he went to the hospital in time to receive timely treatment. Due to a blockage of 3 of his arteries, he has been scheduled to go through a bypass surgery on 11 June. Pray for a smooth surgery and recovery. May this also be an opportunity for him to experience Christ and His salvation.
Jon and Phoebe's thetomyumkongs journey. 