A Second Chance

Last Wednesday, the bus I was travelling on passed by the Kaki Bukit Prison School. It is heartening to see the school because it holds hope and restoration for many young offenders who fell at some point in their lives. For some, they may not even be keen to pursue any study because they feel that their life is doomed for sure failure. Bleakness and hopelessness clouded their lives. They do not see any hope let alone the idea of preparing for their future. Yet for some of them, they refuse to give up and hope against all hope. They want to change radically because they knew that they have brought pain not just to themselves but their loved ones. The society needs to make room for them to take another shot in life again. With our support, we can help reintegrate these young people back into society. They deserve a second chance in life. We can show them the light at the end of the tunnel.

I chanced upon an amazing story of the life of Jonathan Tang. His story goes:

“When I was 15, I was expelled from secondary school due to misconduct. My parents decided to send me to Australia to study in a boarding school, which turned out to be a bad move. I got into lots of fights there and was a school terror. When I came back to Singapore for the hols, I ran away from home the day before I was supposed to return to Australia. I bunked at a friend’s place for one month and tried drugs for the first time.

“My friend and I peddled drugs to earn extra cash but we ended up consuming more than we sold. It was so bad that I was snorting drugs more than I was drinking water. One time, I got into a fight and was arrested by the police. They checked my urine which tested positive for drugs and I was sent to the Reformative Training Centre (RTC).

“For the first three months, I had to undergo a reformation programme. The wardens meted out intense physical and mental torture. It was the first time I ever felt fear. Prior to that, I rebelled against all forms of authority — my parents, school and even the police.

“I was given an opportunity to go to Kaki Bukit Prison School but got kicked out soon after for getting into fights. Because of that, I became a condemned inmate and was placed in solitary confinement for nine months. Being locked up 24 hours a day was really hard. I became fearless. Seeing that they were losing me, the wardens adopted drastic measures which involved physical torture. Finally, I broke down.

“Interesting enough, during my isolation, they didn’t give me anything to read except a Bible so I prayed to God and asked Him to save me. I was about to explode. I’d kept a chicken bone and was prepared to fight off the wardens. But when I prayed, suddenly, this peace just overwhelmed me. I threw away the bone and endured the physical torture. When the wardens saw how I humbled myself, obeyed their orders, stayed away from fights and shared my stuff, they set me free from my isolation cell.

“When I was eventually released from RTC after two years, people said that I’ll return within one month ‘cos a leopard never changes its spots. RTC has a very bad record. It’s nicknamed Road to Changi ‘cos nine out of 10 will go back to prison again. It was a big challenge for me to turn over a new leaf. But I started going to church and got enrolled in City Harvest Education Centre (CHEC).

“At first, I was very quiet and anti-social. I was feeling lonely ‘cos I had to cut off contact with all my friends who were still serving time. But one particular teacher who was my mentor actually stepped past the thin red line into a danger zone that was my personal life. She was the first personal friend I had in three years. She’d call me and just be my friend outside school hours. That was how I opened up and started becoming friendly. I even started joking around. In CHEC, I found a whole new place to fall back on. I had something to look forward to for once.

“Once during school camp, I somehow went mad and started getting very angry and violent. But the teachers were so patient. They acceded to my requests, which calmed me down. I was very touched and after that, I became really committed to change my temper.

“I actually got the date for my Principle Of Accounts paper mixed up so I missed the exam last year. I’ll be taking it this year while I serve my National Service. The school’s very supportive, they offered to give me extra classes. I told my principal that it was too troublesome for them but he said, “No, we must see you to the end.” I was so touched.

“My biggest dream in life has nothing to do with monetary gains. I just want to give back what I have received in my life. I’ve a deep passion to help people like myself — boys in RTC and those whom people have given up hope on. If I can change, I believe others can too.””

Loving Each Other Over and Over Again

God infuses His love into our hearts and that is why we are able to love our spouse over and over again. This love that originates from the throne room of heaven saturates our lives powerfully. God is love and He has the power to bind two hearts together. Once we lose focus of His hand on us, we are in deep trouble. The Lord is not just able to hold a couple together but He leads us to love each other more than the day before. He empowers us to journey on as one by His abundant grace and unending mercies.

The Simple Things in Life

On the evening of 6 September, Monte and I were so glad to catch the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) at the Botanic gardens. They played to a large crowd. People were mostly mingling with family and friends. The atmosphere was relaxing and pleasant. When the concert drew an end, the crowd stayed on and the SSO had to indulge us with an encore. It was an awesome performance.

For dinner, we had pita bread with barbecue chicken and stewed tomatoes. And we topped it up with a chocolate bar each. The simple things in life can be enriching and beautiful.

Drawing Closer

A listener called in to a mandarin radio station one day while a counselling programme was airing. Her husband travelled overseas for work regularly and she shared that she felt so relaxed when he was away. She felt guilty about it. The counsellor then attempted to share some thoughts on her problem.

Usually when a couple is in the midst of a bitter quarrel or fight, they detest each other’s presence. When the situation blows out of proportion, hatred, anger and resentment build up.

In a Christian marriage, God is in the centre of the marriage, the couple draws closer as the days go by. The Lord is a master marriage builder and He binds us as one in Him. Husband and wife may still have disagreements or unpleasant situations cropping up from time to time but we must never allow the wounds to fester. We open themselves to the Lord’s intervention and guidance. We grow to love and forebear each other. We learn to make room for each other because we are not perfect. And for that reason, we err and sometimes make blunders that we regret afterwards. God in His mercy has given us His word to guide us in His path. When we walk in His light, we then become a beacon of light shining ever so brightly and bearing His eternal glory.

Incredible Love

Jesus reached out to the outcast and despised people when He walked on this earth. Some of the people that He ministered to did not have a good standing in the society then. A case in point was when He ministered to a tax collector. He did not shun the lepers and the prostitutes because He cared for them. He was not preoccupied in keeping His reputation; His incredible love compelled Him to reach out to these needy people naturally. He ignored the wagging tongues of the Pharisees; He was not afraid to stand up for the marginalized.

The purity of His great love compels us to follow after His footsteps. When we walk in His love, our eyes will not be coloured by what we perceive as acceptable. We will not be afraid to relate to people who are chucked away by society.

One time, the Lord led Monte and I to minister to an aids sufferer who had very time to live. He had since passed on. We knew that the opportunity that fell into our lap was not coincidental and when we responded to Him, He led us to a deeper depth of His love.

By being non inclusive and open to minister to people from every strata of society of every colour and code, we begin to display what the true essence of agape love. The incredible love that our minds can never fully comprehend can only be experienced by people who love the Lord wholeheartedly; a people who love because He first loved us.

Upcoming Vocal Training Workshop on 19 September 2009

Vocal & Singing Techniques Workshop on 19 September 2009

Time: 10.00am – 12.00pm.
Cost: $30 per participant

Topics:

Body posture and breathing
· Voice projection
· Expression
· Tone
· Diction
· Resonance
· Pitching and voice control
· Voice care

Refreshed, Strengthened and Rejuvenated

Monte and I made several trips to Tioman. We never get tired of that wonderful island. The crystal clear water, the multicoloured fishes and exotic sea creatures are just some of the highlights of the beautiful island. In one of our trips there, we happened to stay very close to the beach. It was absolutely amazing when we were lured to sleep by the sound of the beautiful waves.

We have discovered that having intermittent breaks and holidays is beneficial. Last month, we made a trip to Penang with my mother. We are scheduled for a short break in Batam end of this year. Our holidays are times of rest and also time to get away from the hustle and bustle of life to do some reflection and evaluation of things that have transpired in our life. We come away refreshed, strengthened and rejuvenated. As the Chinese saying goes "Xiu Xi Shi Yao Zou Geng Chang De Lu", which means that we need to rest so that we can cover the long road ahead of us.

God is good. We were blessed with trips that fell into our laps on different occasions. They are mostly blessings from our families. He has blessed us above and beyond what our minds and hearts could ever imagine and for that our hearts well up in thanksgiving for His goodness.

Overwhelmed and Encouraged

From January to September 2007, I had the privilege to conduct speech and drama training in a girl’s school in Bukit Timah area. All in all, I taught seven different classes on two separate days for an hour session per week. The girls were then seven or eight years old. They were adorable and fun to be with. When I read through some of the little notes they penned down for me, I am overwhelmed and encouraged by the goodness of the Lord shown through those loving and innocent children.

Fire Fighting Mode

One of the key issues that plague churches today is infighting, be it among members or members with leaders. It grieves the God’s heart to see disunity in His house. His promise to bless still remains but we fall short simply because we have not done our best to build unity in the body of Christ.

When there is endless fighting going on in a church, oftentimes the pastor is constantly on the fire fighting mode. He cannot fully focus to shepherd the flock, to feed the sheep and to pour his heart out to pastoral concerns because his heart is weighed down. He soon gets disillusioned and what hurts most is that sometimes the very people he poured his life into turn around to hurt him.

On the contrary, we want to love and serve our pastor, giving him full support and assistance. We believe in him and honour the call of God upon his life for the Lord has placed him in the particular church at this time and season to fulfill the purposes for God. We release him to do what God has put in his heart to lead the church.

As we pray for our churches today, we want to ask God to make us instruments of peace and love, working with one heart to see the kingdom of God established. God begins to pour His wonderful and bountiful blessings upon us.

A Day to Remember

Some years ago, while shuttling from a primary school to another for training with my fellow trainer friend, Gracy, I experienced one of the most heart-warming incident that left a lasting memory. While we were travelling on the bus with the rain pounding mercilessly outside, suddenly a passenger had an epileptic attack. Within seconds, the rest of us numbering less than ten swung into action. The bus driver got an ambulance and helped too. That day, the caring act came from ordinary people whose actions spoke louder than words. It will remain in my memory for a long time.

Enjoying Work

Basic Drama

Critical Thinking Skills

English

Graduation Preparatory Enrichment Programme

Interactive Mental Wellness Programme*

LAMDA** Exam Preparation Course

Literature

IMotivational Skills Workshop

Oral Communications

Oral Presentations

Personal Etiquette

Personal Grooming

Presentation Skills

Poetry Through Drama

Public Speaking cum Hosting

Servant Leadership & Service Learning

Sound Right***

Speech & drama

Story Telling

Stress & Conflict Management

Study Skills

Thinking Skills

* Interactive Mental Wellness Programme on managing change and progression for Primary 6
** London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts
*** Speech Training Programme

I am thankful to the Lord for opening the door for me to be involved in enrichment training mostly in Primary and Secondary Schools alongside my vocal training. As I listed down some of programmes and courses I have conducted, my heart is overwhelmed by the goodness of the Lord as I have thoroughly enjoyed what I am doing. My life has been enriched by the people that I have worked with these years and I continue to thank the Lord for what He has put into my hands.