If you are familiar with the backdrop in this photo on the left, you would know that we were at OMF Singapore! We are applying to the missions organisation for our future missions work in Thailand! We were at OMF Singapore in March for a 3-day Candidate Course to learn more about the organisation and the support that they can extend to us when we are in the missions field. It was an inspiring and refreshing time and we look forward to joining them in fulfilling God’s commission.
In our last email update, we shared a prayer request on finding an appropriate time for our vision trip to Thailand. That prayer has been answered! We are planning a 6-week vision trip from late October to early December, to explore different ministries, visit some farms, and reconnect with families and friends who are there. Jon is excited to return to Thailand after a long hiatus due to COVID-19 travel restriction; while Phoebe is refreshing her driving skills. We will be driving a lot across different provinces so we appreciate your prayers for journey mercies! Most of all, pray that God will grant us clarity on the ministry that we can be involved in when we eventually move to Thailand (projected to be July 2023).
As we draw closer to the day when we depart for Thailand, we are thankful for the Lord’s sustaining grace upon us. Both of us survived the COVID-19 virus in July, which was a busy and hectic month for us. We count it a privilege and a reminder of the land of Thailand, since it was likely that we caught the virus from a Thai youth team whom we were hosting in our church. It was a necessary forced break and we took the opportunity to sleep, rest and recuperate our bodies before we reenter back into the busy rhythm of life in Singapore.
We are also thankful for this time in Singapore when we can spend more time with our families. We enjoy the meals, chitchats and outings that we can have with our loved ones on both sides of the family. It was memorable going on a trip to Penang with Phoebe’s family in August! It was patience-testing and physically-trying with different travel expectations and dietary preferences, but we are thankful for the time of family bonding.
Left photo: Us on a couple chair in the Penang Peranakan Mansion. We took a photo on the same chair before we got married and nostalgia brought us back to take a second photo on the recent family trip. The shape and design of the chair allow two persons to face each other when seated, reminding us of the need to constantly focus on and communicate with each other in the marriage 🙂
Jon is in his final semester of his Diploma in Urban Agriculture Technology! How did 2.5 years pass by so fast? We always recall how Jon was inspired to sign up for this course after Phoebe randomly watched a webinar on food sustainability in Singapore during lockdown. Seems like God worked and is still working even when things seemed to be halted due to COVID-19. Pray that Jon will have the strength and focus to finish up this last leg of studies well! We thank God for putting us on this journey to learn more about farming and we hope that it can somehow be useful for His ministry in the field.
Phoebe is almost reaching the 2-year mark of serving in church! She gives thanks to the Lord for the opportunities that she has serving such a diverse group of people, from the young to the old. She mostly enjoys playing with the kids and chitchatting with the elderly, but there are many other administrative and managerial work that she needs to attend to. Pray that God will use the rest of her time in church meaningfully and that she can end her season well.
Jon and Phoebe's thetomyumkongs journey. 