Divine Providence

Monte and I were at the Ministers' Institute cum Retreat (MIR) in Malacca, Malaysia, from 21 - 24 November, 2016. Our stay in Holiday Inn was wonderful. 

Our friends, B and M (a christian couple), have graciously paid for me to attend this retreat. I am deeply indebted to their kind generosity and help.

Time and again, God has shown His goodness and faithfulness to Monte and I. We are humbled and thankful for His providence and grace. The Lord's unending mercy is new every morning. His unfailing love never fails. Our hearts rejoice for He is exceedingly good. God has blessed us beyond our wildest imagination.

An Enchanting Evening at the Botanic Garden

Monte and I had a wonderful time at the Botanic Garden last Saturday. Opera in the Park was the highlight of the day. The powerful vocals and great orchestra astounded us. It was an awesome and enchanting evening. Most beautiful of all was to see many people out with their family and friends picnicking. Above the laughter, chatter, great music and good food, I believe the most important agenda that most people had was to spend quality time with people that meant a lot to them.

Resonance

Last evening, Monte and I spent a lovely evening at the Botanic Garden. We were delighted to attend a concert by Resonance. Resonance is a group of semi-professional sheng players. Though there was a slight drizzle, it was heartening that many stayed on soaking in the music under their umbrellas.

“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.”   Maya Angelou

Lovely Evening at the Beach

Yesterday evening, Monte and I were at the East Coast Park. We have barbecue chicken, button mushrooms, pita bread, baked beans and cherry tomatoes for dinner. Simple pleasure in life. The simple things are the most precious things in life.

After dinner, we laid on the beach and enjoyed the awesome view and the sound of the waves as they hit the shoreline.

Lovely Singapore Quarry

Last Saturday afternoon, Monte and I had a good time at the Singapore Quarry.

His Awesome Presence

The presence of the Lord is the safest place in this whole wide world. For it is a place of tranquility, serenity and peace. In today’s fast-paced living of deadlines, targets and quotas, many are suffocating in stressful environments and conditions. It perpetually leaves very little time for us to rest let alone time for family, friends, hobbies and recreation. Many competing demands require our endless attention. Yet in the midst of all that is happening in and around our lives, we hear the Lord beckoning us to enter into His rest.

His presence drowns out all other competing voices and demands. In His awesome presence, He brings us comfort and strength, hope and joy, restoration and wholeness. Our sole desire is to hear the voice of the Lord, the voice that assures, affirms and builds us up to excellence and greatness. His presence strengthens us to persevere in the face of unimaginable trials and tribulations.

The Lord calls us to deeper commitments in loving and serving Him, He pours Himself into us so that what flows out of us reaches the deepest needs of people. In times of our greatest desperation and need, a miracle takes place and we find grace to love and serve without reservation. The love of God compels us to do the impossible. The love of God motivates us to go another mile all for His glory.

HSBC Tree Top Walk

Yesterday Monte and I went for a long walk. We entered the forest near Thomson Ridge, got through to the Tree Top Walk, went through the Golf Link and ended up at the visitors centre at MacRitchie Reservoir. It took us about three hours. The view was breathtaking. We were exhausted but the exercise surely helped. We often like to take nature walks all over Singapore. Our frequent haunts are Lower Pierce reservoir, MacRitchie Reservoir, Changi Board walk, the Botanic Garden, Pulau Ubin, East Coast Park and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. We just love the great outdoors.

Here is a link for the Tree Top Walk http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/ttw.htm

Splendid Istana

Monte and I spent a wonderful afternoon with a friend at the Istana on 1 May.

“The Istana is the official residence of the President of the Republic of Singapore. It occupies over 40 hectares of land along Orchard Road. It is a precious and important part of Singapore's history and heritage, and has borne witness to Singapore's many historical milestones.

The Istana building was built by the British Colonial government to house its governors. Completed in 1869, it was then known as the Government House. The building was handed over to the Singapore Government when Singapore attained self government in 1959, and renamed Istana (“Palace” in Malay).

The Istana building underwent extensive renovation between 1996 and 1998, to add more space and modern day conveniences. The building today has six function rooms used for ceremonies and to receive guests.”

http://www.istana.gov.sg/content/istana/index.html

A Little Diversion

A few weeks ago, Monte and I hopped onto a ferry at Changi depot and went for dinner at Pulau Ubin. The rustic environment never fails to attract us.

We ate at an eatery near the beach. We had company that day, some dogs which belong to the owner of the eatery were near us. As we ate, they were begging for food with their pitiful eyes.

A little diversion from time to time is refreshing. We are mobile and travel around quite a bit all over Singapore.