Above all else

As readers of this blog know, my friends and I distribute bread every month to the residents in a rental block.   We know the residents reasonably well by now, as we have doing this for several years.  About two years ago,  I visited one of the residents and found a stranger sitting in his house.  It turned out to be his sister, and she told me that he had suffered a stroke and was in hospital.   As I chatted with her, it dawned upon me that I knew so much about this uncle.  That he loved to eat pork knuckles.  That his cure for everything was garlic boiled in rice.  That he loved visitors and had, just recently, generously opened his tiny home to host a dozen relatives who had come from Indonesia to Singapore on holiday.  That he had one son in Singapore and another in Melbourne.  I even knew about this sister, on whom he had spent his little savings to visit in Sydney, when her husband passed away.  In short, Uncle and I had become friends. A few days later, I went to the hosp

Several weeks ago, several colleagues and I were waiting for a meeting to start, and one of them asked me, "Hey Glenn, why do you smile so much?" I thought for a second or two, and replied, "Because I know I am where I am supposed to be.  I follow God, and where He leads me is always the best place I can be.  I am held in the palm of His hand.  Sometimes it rains, sometimes it shines, but safe in His hands I am." That colleague then remarked, "Ah you've found inner peace.  Like Kungfu Panda." :) To which I replied, "Well, it's more like this.  Late one night, I saw my daughter sitting at her desk and reading.  At first I thought she was studying, and I felt happy, because of course studying hard helps her to do well.  Then I walked closer and realised she was reading her Bible.  And then I felt even happier, because when she follows after God, then whatever the result, she is always in the best place she can be." Anothe

When we last left off on Sign No. 3 and our mission adventures in BBB, I was recounting how God led us to a school where the principal had providentially been compelled to halt teaching for the day.  So when we arrived, we had, much to the surprise of the principal and ourselves, the opportunity to go into all the classrooms and spend the day with the students.  Amazing! Two years later, my wife and I were back in BBB.  Having apparently learned nothing about over-planning, this time I was ready and armed - I had prepared an entire lesson, with books and maps.  I had rehearsed in the native language.  I even had some magic tricks to engage the students and break the ice.  I was ready! So when we arrived in BBB, we headed to the school, and this time the principal, teachers and students were ready for us, and I was ready for them.  I proudly lugged my books, maps and magic tricks to the classroom, stood in front of the class and dived straight into the ice-breakers.  So far, so