Before we met each other, we were individually praying for life partners with whom we can serve with in the mission field. It was indeed a miracle that both of us met in Thailand in 2016, where we were both serving – Jon in a village church in northeast Thailand and Phoebe in a Christian NGO in Bangkok. We are amazed by how God directed us to each other through a chance meeting in Bangkok, and sustained the relationship through to today.
After getting married, we lived in our Singapore home called Sabbath@7, to remind ourselves and our guests to find respite from the busy life in Singapore on the 7th floor of this residential block.
We are currently serving God in Thailand and regularly asking Him to show us how we can be living missionally for Him.
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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.”
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.
Jon and Phoebe's thetomyumkongs journey. 