The Wallah's Space

Blog Relocation

2007-07-23T00:01:00.000+02:00

I've moved my blog.

Click The Wallah's Space to be redirected.

Thank you for your support.

MALAYSIA IS NOT AN ISLAMIC STATE!!!

2007-07-20T12:05:00.000+02:00

CHRISTIAN FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA

PRESS STATEMENT

Malaysia is a Constitutional Democracy

and Not an Islamic State

The Christian Federation of Malaysia wishes to express its concern at the following remarks of Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak on 17^th July 2007 in response to questions from reporters:

“Islam is the official religion and Malaysia is an Islamic State, an Islamic

State that respects the rights of the non-Muslims and we protect them.”

As he is the Deputy Prime Minister of the country and for all Malaysians, he should not have made those remarks. The use of the term “Islamic State” is unacceptable to Malaysians of other faiths, on three grounds.

Firstly, the term “Islamic State” is not used in our Federal Constitution to describe the country. By citing Art. 3(1) of our Federal Constitution to infer that Malaysia was meant to be an Islamic State runs contrary to the original intention of the Constitution. The Constitution does not provide for a theocratic state.

Secondly, it was never the intention of the social contract entered into at the independence of Malaysia that Malaysia would be an Islamic State. The Constitution was structured to guarantee the right of all religious communities to co-exist and relate with each other on an equal basis as citizens of one and a united country.

Thirdly, to-date, the non-Muslim coalition parties that make up the Barisan National Government had never consented nor officially endorsed the use of the term “Islamic State” to describe the country. The Deputy Prime Minister’s statement must therefore be viewed as lacking official endorsement by the government of the day.

The Christian Federation of Malaysia appeals to the Deputy Prime Minister to retract his aforesaid remarks and to the government to refrain from the use of the term “Islamic State” in the description of Malaysia and instead to vigorously advocate the description of Malaysia as a secular constitutional democracy.

Bishop Dr. Paul Tan Chee Ing, SJ

Chairman, Christian Federation of Malaysia

Dated: 19^th July 2007

Are You A Giant Killer?

2007-07-20T00:01:00.000+02:00

¹⁵ Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. ¹⁶ And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels ^[b] and who was armed with a new sword , said he would kill David. ¹⁷ But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David's rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, saying, "Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished."

¹⁸ In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.

¹⁹ In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim ^[c] the Bethlehemite killed Goliath ^[d] the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver's rod.

²⁰ In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. ²¹ When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David's brother, killed him.

²² These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.

(The New International Version)

There are no known records of giant killers in King Saul's army. David on the other hand, had four - Abishai, Sibbecai, Elhanan and Jonathan. To speak of giants, one quickly recalls the oft told tale of David & Goliath.

Some lessons I've learnt from this passage:

If you are a giant killer, expect and encourage your followers to exceed you.
To be a giant killer, you must follow a giant killer.
You become the company you keep. Choose you companions wisely.
There is no giant-slaying in the comforts of home. Go to war.
Don't be complacent or dwell on past successes, there is always more than 1 giant to face.

Just For Laughs Again

2007-07-19T22:14:00.000+02:00

If the enemy is in range, so are you.

I always take life with a grain of salt ... and a slice of lemon ... and a shot of tequila.

The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.

Taken from Coast to Coast: The Definitive Backpackers Guide To South Africa

Yet Another Just For Laughs

2007-07-18T01:25:00.000+02:00

Justice: A decision in your favour.

How do you get holy water? You boil the hell out of it.

I don't work here. I'm a consultant.

Taken from Coast to Coast: The Definitive Backpackers Guide To South Africa

Another Just For Laughs

2007-07-17T19:13:00.000+02:00

What do sea monsters eat for lunch? Fish and ships.

How does Paris Hilton change a lightbulb? She says, "Daddy I want a new apartment."

What goes faster than a rabbit in a field? A rabbit in a blender.

Taken from Coast to Coast: The Definitive Backpackers Guide To South Africa

Titanium Breaks

2007-07-16T21:07:00.000+02:00

Last night I accidentally (duh, obviously it can't be on purpose) snapped the left ear-piece of my glasses. Groan!

Well, I'm just thankful that I have a spare pair.

Now, my mind is on overdrive deciphering the next step ...

Just For Laughs: The Sequel

2007-07-16T21:06:00.000+02:00

Honk if you love peace and quiet!

A politician is someone who will double-cross a bridge when he comes to it.

If at first you don't success, you'll get a lot of advice from folks who didn't succeed either.

Taken from Coast to Coast: The Definitive Backpackers Guide To South Africa

Prequel: Just For Laughs

2007-07-15T10:13:00.000+02:00

Why do men die before their wives? Because they want to!

I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.

What do you call it when worms take over the world? Global Worming.

Taken from Coast to Coast: The Definitive Backpackers Guide To South Africa

Just For Laughs

2007-07-12T11:27:00.000+02:00

A mouse is an animal that, if killed in sufficiently many and creative ways, will generate a PhD.

The one thing that money cannot buy is poverty.

He who laughs last thinks slowest.

Taken from Coast to Coast: The Definitive Backpackers Guide To South Africa

I'm Optimus Prime

2007-07-11T11:46:00.000+02:00

I saw this survey on Kenny's blog.

Against my better judgment, and also because I'm a huge Transformers fan I decided to give it a try. To be honest, I would not have posted this if I had been anything other than Optimus Prime.

You scored as Optimus Prime, You are Optimus Prime!

The greatest Autobot to ever live. Fighting to uphold your beliefs is important to you. You are a genuine person that cares a lot about the people around you. You rock!!

Optimus Prime

81%

Kup

75%

Soundwave

69%

Hotrod

69%

Bumblebee

63%

Omega Supreme

50%

Starscream

50%

Galvatron

25%

Which Transformers character Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

JYWY Dispatch (July 07)

2007-07-09T13:24:00.000+02:00

In the space of 3 weeks, thieves almost got away with stealing 2 cars from our hosts family's driveway (WY & I use one of the cars); and there was a potential break-in to our little flat. Fortunately, one car had a flat battery and couldn't start, whereas the other had a gear lock which dissuaded the thieves from persisting with the theft. Both cars suffered some damage to the door lock, car alarm system and ignition during the incident. On Sunday early morning (3:45am), John heard some men speaking around the driveway/roadside. To his horror, the voices approached our flat and then he heard a loud creak (insufficient grease) as the front door handle was turned. The door was locked so they left.

Welcome to Africa??!! The South African newspapers reported that petty crime has dropped but aggravated robbery and murder has increased by over 2% this year. In the townships of Gugulethu, Nyanga and Khayelitsha alone (Cape Town area), 662 people were murdered last year. Even now, there is a war going on in the townships where rival taxi gangs are assasinating each other on the roads and at home.

So why are we sharing all this? (I can just imagine how large our parents eyes will grow when they read this) Sure, Malaysia is much safer but we are convinced that God has placed us here so we can pour our sweat, tears and heart into Africa's transformation. Africa needs leaders. Men/women with deep unswaying moral character and practical competence accorded by mentoring, life skills development & formal education. The sooner we begin the process, the better our chances of success. Our window is small and growing smaller, the World Cup begins
in less than 36 months. We need to create a structure-movement-network-momentum that has to prevail long after the World Cup has become a distant memory.

Sometimes when we allow ourselves to think about the enormity of the task, Wan Yi & I just feel choked up. We catch ourselves doubting what 2 foreigners can do for/in Africa? "God, please help us! We can't do this alone." has now become our mantra. "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. If it is the Lord's will, we will live ..." (James 4:14-15) If this is God's will, Ubabalo will succeed irrespective of what we can do. But with God's strength we will press on. Thank you for your support (prayer, fellowship & financial).

By the way, we have one Hub Church in Gugulethu and two Hub Churches in Khayelitsha. We have both visited Khayelitsha and last Friday, we met with the Hub Church Champion for Gugulethu. One step at a time ... one step at a time.

As continual equipping for our work here, both of us will start language classes at the Stellenbosch University for one semester beginning end-July. At this juncture of the project, Wan Yi interacts with mainly Afrikaans speaking nationals. During the Apartheid years, South Africa had 2 official languages: Afrikaans and English. After Apartheid officially ended in 1994, the new constitution gave official status to 11 languages: English, Afrikaans and 9 indigenous African languages.

Francophone Africa consists of 29 of the 54 countries - 18 where French is the official language, 6 where it is one of two official languages, and 5 where it is not an official language but still has a powerful presence. Almost half (400million) of the population of Africa (8xx million) speak French. No prizes for guessing which course John will apply for ...

Finally, John's sister and bro-in-law has relocated to Melbourne, Australia. With his parents staying put in Malaysia, we now have to deal with 9 hours time difference & communication challenges spanning 3 continents.

Prayer:

For our personal safety & alertness to danger.
For John's family as we learn to handle the distance separating us.
For Wan Yi's grandma. Her health status remains unchanged, which is good.
For our friend Rene (main organizer of the 3-month International Sports Leadership School) who was involved in a car accident. She is suffering from whiplash and various physical pains due to the accident. Further, pray that she will find good admin support during this period of convalescence as ISLS begins end-July.
Thanksgiving for great health.

Filmloop's Demise

2007-07-09T01:29:00.000+02:00

I infinitely prefer Filmloop's downloadable app to web-based photo upload, e.g. Slide, Flickr, Photobucket. Another feature I liked was the huge amount of space available to write captions. It was an extremely useful and simple method to keep my blog going.

Sigh! Unfortunately Filmloop is dead.

A Day At The Aquarium

2007-06-08T14:58:00.000+02:00

Last year, 358 people killed by kites and 9 by sharks.

Scouring the Land

2007-06-08T14:34:00.000+02:00

Khayelitsha, 3rd Largest Township in South Africa

2007-06-06T00:57:00.000+02:00

JYWY Dispatch (June 2007)

2007-06-05T19:28:00.001+02:00

John returned safely from Orlando (6 May), just in time to celebrate his birthday (7 May) with Wan Yi. It was a momentous day as John has finally turned 30. He looks forward to the decade ahead with much surety of God’s grace, good friends, a supportive wife and very grateful to the few key mentors who have walked with him through his 20’s.

In mid-May, John had to take a 1 week sabbatical from his IBM laptop as the AC Adaptor failed completely. He finally found a tiny shop which repaired it. The repaired charged ended up being 40% cheaper than buying a brand new one.

Here’s more good news! Jia Ling, our first Malaysian visitor arrived on 14 May to join the Ubabalo team for 3-months. She is a young and brilliant media technologist (currently freelancing) who is helping Ubabalo to design, direct, produce and publish a series of promo and training videos. The amount of work she is doing so far has been phenomenal!

Khayelitsha (‘Our New Home’ in Xhosa), a black township established in 1985 today houses between 800,000 – 1,000,000 people, and some say even more! In 1994, many came from the Eastern Cape to urban Cape Town in the Western Cape to look for work, putting up shacks made of tin, plywood, plastic and cardboard. That legacy of shacks remains, though there are improvements led by governmental efforts to reform the township. Today, one can find (small) brick houses, clean water taps at every street (yes, you read correctly – the taps are shared by a few dozen houses surrounding it), electricity and new schools.

Wan Yi, John & a team member (Henko) conducted a vision-casting session in Khayelitsha. We were invited by Walk of Hope, a Xhosa-speaking church. There were 5-6 different churches represented by pastors and lay leaders. It was very pleasing to see their enthusiasm for Ubabalo, especially when they realized that this was a very practical way to bring the church and biblical values into the community. More importantly, it is a viable way to connect with youths and develop them (w)holistically. At the end of the session, the pastor took us for a tour of Khayelitsha in his Volkswagen Kombi. We have many pictures which we will post on our blog.

The Ubabalo website is finally up at www.ubabalo2010.com. The web design team is now progressing to the next phase of the website’s development – from a mainly static site to an interactive one which will allow life skills and soccer specific content submission (think YouTube & Blogger), as well as platform creation for a community of developers & users.

Finally, Wan Yi (supported by the Ubabalo team) was instrumental in pulling together the first ever Hub Church training. There 29 pastors and ministry leaders who braved the chilling winter night. Praise God that the training went well and it was indeed obvious that the seeds were sown. Now it’s time for all hands on the plow!

Thanksgiving:

Praise God for John’s safe return from his meetings in USA.
Praise God that we now have a small and sturdy car for our day-to-day use. It has been lent to us by Cassie & Jenny Carstens.
That John had the opportunity to co-train a Leadership & Management module for 20 leaders from 3 different cultures, at the Level 1 International Sports Leadership Training (ISLT) in Stellenbosch. The laptop charger failed the night before he was to teach, taking with it the training powerpoint he had prepared.
Praise God for very kind, helpful and sacrificial cell members, who came to rescue us when our car battery died. It was a rainy and cold night too.
Praise God that Jia Ling has her visitor’s visa approved and extended for the whole 3 months. The South African High Commission in Malaysia told her she had 90 days. However, the officer at the Cape Town International Airport only gave her 30 days.

Prayer Points:

Pray for the Hub-Church pastors and champions as they begin to roll-out Ubabalo in their communities, as well as recruit 33 Partnering Churches which will do the same. So far we have 18 Hub Churches across South Africa.
Latest medical report on Wan Yi’s grandmother shows that her stomach cancer has spread, even to the bone marrow. Depending on developments in the next few months & finances permitting, Wan Yi would like to return to Malaysia in October to visit her grandmother.
Pray for Trevor Goddard (over 70 years), a very dear spiritual (grand)father of ours who has been suffering severe pains in the lower left back all the way to the knee. Two bones in his spine have partially collapsed thereby affecting his sciatic nerve. He has done all the necessary scans and the doctor will present a solution on 8 June. Pray for healing, release from pain, and wisdom on how to proceed.
Pray against any further computer or vehicular failures.
Pray for Wan Yi as she seeks to understand and build rapport with the various pastors and champions. Pray for wisdom and sensitivity as she manages the Ubabalo office.

A Blow For Religious Freedom in Malaysia

2007-05-30T21:42:00.000+02:00

Lina Joy lost her appeal.

http://www.aliran.com/content/view/245/11/
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1626300,00.html
http://www.necf.org.my/newsmaster.cfm?&menuid=43&action=view&retrieveid=874

This is a sad day. I have this horrid, dreadful, sinking feeling in my gut.

Shall I decide once and for all to live in ignorant bliss (not read any online news, blogs, articles, etc.) and ignore the disquieting rumblings from my homeland?

Sigh!

In moments like this, the one attitude-action that rises to my consciousness is this ... to stand in the gap.

"I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so that I wouldn't have to destroy it. I couldn't find anyone. Not one. So I'll empty out my wrath on them, burn them to a crisp with my hot anger, serve them with the consequences of all they've done. Decree of God, the Master." (Ezekiel 22:30-31, The Message)

To stand in the gap ... you/I need to find out what this means right now if we are to obey His Word. For me, I'm going to start with centering and praying.

p.s. Let us not be found wanting on the day of accounting!

A Smile To My Face

2007-05-24T23:56:00.000+02:00

Batteries ... They Fail

2007-05-23T23:32:00.000+02:00

My wife is suspicious ... she says that something is not right.

Incident 1:
Last week, my laptop charger failed. The laptop battery was also empty.

"Mr Murphy('s Law) is hard at work", I said to myself.

This happened on the eve of a 3-hour training session that I had to conduct with 20 sports ministry & community leaders. I have not been able to access my laptop's data or get online for what seems like years. Horrifyingly, my wife thinks I have an addiction to my laptop, but I beg to differ! :-) It's fortunate that I could work on some important matters using the wife's pretty white iBook. Ah! This reminds me that I need to perform my monthly backup. Happy Ending: A technician I stumbled upon in Paarl fixed, i.e. cracked open the power supply and replace electronic components on the board, my laptop's AC Adaptor today for R250 (RM125) so I'M BACK!

Incident 2:
And then over the weekend, the car we've been driving here in SA failed to start. I've learned that forty-five measly minutes with your headlights accidentally switched on can do that to an arthritic car battery. To make matters worse, this was after the anguish of watching Man Utd lose the FA Cup Final - I had to catch the final 35 mins of the game in Cape Town after dropping my boss off at the airport. Fortunately, the weather was nice ... fog, drizzling rain, some wind and evening temperatures of 6-9 degrees Celsius. Well, that explains why I had the headlights switched on in the first place. Happy Ending: Thanks to our new friends from the church cell group; Mieke the wife rescued the girls (JL & WY) from the cold rain, Cornel the husband & his company mechanic got the car battery sorted out for me, and we all ended up in their lovely home for a warm supper.

Incident 3:
Yesterday evening during dinner, the wife discovered that her watch battery gave up its ghost - 6:15pm to be exact. Happy Ending: Yet to be discovered.

Summary Thesis:
Three sequential battery-related failures. Is there a pattern? Is there a metaphysical / spiritual explanation? What does it all mean? Why does red wine not stay fresh after 2 days, despite being refrigerated? Can someone explain Daylight Savings Time to me?

p.s. If you've actually read through the whole post ... bless you, bless you!

n.b. On the subject of batteries / fuel, the petrol price in SA is currently R6.80 (RM3.40) per litre. Another increase is expected next week. When I first arrived in March, the petrol price was about R5.70 (RM2.85) per litre. Economists say that cost of living (food, transportation & energy) will increase by 15-30% at least. I can't begin to imagine what this is going to do to the hardcore poor and unemployed in the townships.

Long Overdue ...

2007-05-11T13:59:00.000+02:00

I've so much to share. So much to say.

So many pictures to post. So little time.

Where shall I begin?

When shall I begin?

Errr ... hmmmm ... maybe tomorrow.

Demolition Men

2007-04-11T00:05:00.000+02:00

My blood vessels are popping! My joy overwhelming! Absolute raptures! Pure ecstasy! What a majestic display of football ...

vs.

Or read about it here.

One great thing about being here in South Africa is not having to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to catch European football games on satellite. South Africa (GMT+2) is only 2 hours behind UK (GMT), and now with Daylight Savings Time in use, only an hour different.

IM Reservoir Empty

2007-04-05T23:45:00.000+02:00

A new landmark in my life.

17 hours of near continuous instant messaging (IM) on Yahoo Messenger.

One may ask what happens after 17 hours ... blurry eyesight, droopy eyes, aching neck, tight shoulders, weakened back, cramped fingers, distended belly from gorging on chips & cookies &amp; coffee & pizza, dry & chapped lips, general tiredness!

But why? Why the foolishness?

Cassie & Rene had to facilitate a chat with sports ministry trainers spanning the globe. This is an annual online jamboree to present strategic & curriculum updates as well as receive training plan & reports . Due to time zone differences, we had to begin at 6am to catch those from the South Pacific; followed by North Central Asia; South, South-East & East Asia, then Africa; North Africa & Middle-East; South America and finally the Caribbean & North America. Each chat lasted about 1.5 - 2 hours with some breaks in between.

It was fortunate that I had a gem of an idea to project the chat using a LCD Projector. This saved us the need to sit hunched over our laptops squinting at the small text scrolling across the 14-15" screens. Rather, the 3 of us spent the next 17 hours staring at a 60" screen!

It'll be a long while before I turn on Yahoo Messenger again.

- End of rant -

Despite the tiredness, it was really exciting to see how God is working through the trainings conducted by these regional sports ministry leaders. Some of the stuff they are doing is mind-blowing and making such a huge impact in the Kingdom of God. For certain specific reasons, I won't elaborate any further here.

Right now, in the midst of my lethargy, I am so inebriated with pleasure. Pleasure that comes from knowing that I am where I'm supposed to be. I'm humbled for being given a role to play in this global family of sports ministry. Such a blessing! Such a wonderful blessing! I'm overjoyed.

In 15 minutes, it will be Good Friday. 17 hours on chat and I moan. I think Jesus spent the same amount of time (from Last Supper to Crucifixion) before He gave up His spirit. Many hours of physical, emotional and spiritual torture.

He never complained.

He did it because of me.

Because of my sins.

I nailed Him to that cruel cross.

My sins.

I did it.

Sorry Lord.

I love You.

R2.45 = RM1.20

2007-04-04T15:55:00.000+02:00

A few days ago, my better half decided to buy 2 packets of instant noodles (tomyam & chicken flavour) at the supermarket. I remember giving her a disappointing look as I nodded in empathy at her weakness :-)

Today, I couldn't bear any longer the persistent and insulting insinuations of my manliness. The cries of 'John you are a chicken!', ironically from a packet of chicken flavoured instant noodles was decidedly distracting. The accuser of the brethren was to be silenced, and silenced promptly. The punishment was quick. Justice was poetic, and tasty. Evil was devoured and mayhem averted.

Peace is restored and for only RM1.20 per packet. How cheap it is to dispense justice.

p.s. Cost of living in South Africa is higher. Correspondingly, promoting justice is costlier too!

JYWY Dispatch (April 2007)

2007-04-01T01:30:00.000+02:00

There are some similarities that can be drawn between the Ubabalo model to that of multi-level / network marketing. Our goal for 2007 is to identify and train 30 Hub Churches from previously disadvantaged areas across South Africa. Each Hub Church is then supported by an Associate Church (typically rich and white) to identify and train 33 Partnering Churches; with all churches having a minimum of 3 football teams. As of 31 March 2007, we have 15 Hub Churches recruited … and the work now begins in earnest.

Wan Yi’s immediate challenge is to complete the set up of the Ubabalo international office (to support the Hub Churches) and Leadership Research office – rental lease, telephone lines, broadband, office equipment, security services, etc. The present location is approximately 800m from home. In the Ubabalo (South Africa) team, we currently have Henko, a hardworking and dedicated young man who handles all the web & graphic design work, as well as Eric, a weathered leader in sports ministry who serves as our Hub Church liaison person for the Cape Town area.

As Wan Yi is administratively gifted, she is currently handling the finances and setting up systems and processes for smooth-running of the office. She is further tasked to prepare for and host all international visitors. Our first visitor from the USA arrived on 12 Mac for a week. He came to explore potential partnership links with Ubabalo with the intent of connecting interested enterprises from corporate America to our transformational work.

Well, it does look like Wan Yi is the busy bee eh? So what does John do? Besides drinking Rooibos Tea and taking out the thrash; he is laying the foundation to roll-out Ubabalo from South Africa to the rest of Africa from 2008 onwards. For instance, there is an international partner from USA that has just confirmed supply of 100,000 footballs with a multilingual Scripture book and/or lifeskills coaching booklet, to be distributed in Africa and India in 2008. What an answer to prayers! Imagine how many football coaches & teams we can immediately supply with a ball and lifeskills coaching manual … and now just for a minute visualize the numbers of man days required to manage the distribution of all the balls effectively.

So to prepare for the Africa roll-out, John’s job is to learn all that he can, obtain pioneering experience through the Ubabalo (South Africa) process, and receive mentoring from key South African leaders.

Both of us are learning precious lessons as we work out our faith and callings ‘with fear and trembling’. Everyday we gain added clarity on our roles and responsibilities. Please pray that we will continue to be open and sensitive to the way things are done in this culture, but more importantly exhibit the redemptive characteristics of Christ.

“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Thank you for thinking of us, praying for us and/or supporting us financially. We really appreciate you. Don’t hesitate to write to us! Our eyes ravish through the inbox for news from home. We want to hear from you and be kept abreast on your life – both joyful and sad moments.

Prayer Points:

We shipped some personal stuff (clothes, foodstuff, books, etc.) from Malaysia. Pray for smooth custom clearance and no pilferage. It arrives in Cape Town on 9 April.
John travels to USA for a series of strategic planning meetings from 29 Apr – 6 May. Pray for John’s traveling mercies, and Wan Yi’s well-being as she is home alone.
Pray for wisdom, discernment & sensitivity as we immerse ourselves in this new culture.
Pray for continued good health and personal safety.

Notes:

Both our Malaysian mobile phone no. has been suspended, but will be reactivated upon our return home in the future.
Due to unsolvable problems with John’s Streamyx email account - fault lies with Telekom Malaysia - he has decided to switch to Gmail.
Please do not post our email addresses on any blogs/websites because there are computer bots which trawl the internet to ‘harvest’ email addresses. This is one reason why one receives unsolicited spam mail in the Inbox.
We plan to send our newsletter monthly. Alternatively, you can check this blog regularly as John tries very hard (and usually struggles, haha!) to keep it updated.