To Geylang with love

On my first caroling practice followed by street outreach in Geylang on 16 Dec, I was very heavy-hearted. Most of the pimps were senior citizens, your average uncles and even aunties. The person-in-charge has forged a relationship with them over 5 years such that there is mutual respect and yes, they are friends. One offered us drinks, almost all were friendly to us. We didn't get to really interact with the ladies cos all were not allowed to come out and meet us. At most, we could only see them from outside the brothels. One pimp didn't even know a street lady's name. He knew her as number 12.

I remembered one brothel girl. I was full of pity for her. I was so afraid that she could see my emotion on my face. I'm one who shuns pity. I don't believe in pitying people. What people need is not pity but empathy. That we try to put ourselves in their shoes and think like they do. I see her as a woman, just like me. She's not a commodity, not a transaction. She's not what she wears. She's first and foremost, made in God's image.

Yesterday, Christmas Eve, my most memorable one spent in Geylang from 630pm-1030pm. I sang until I felt soreness in the throat. Outside the first two brothels, I was choked with emotions. What are these women doing here? Why are they not treasuring themselves? Don't they know how sacred and precious their bodies are? No matter how friendly the pimp was, I know, he knows, that this is wrong but why, oh why, for money, they are betraying their souls? 

All these questions may not have the same answers. I can be asking God all the whys in my life, thinking that unless all my whys are being answered to my satisfaction, I will not, I cannot move or start a new thing. But does God reveal all the answers? Or does He say, "Trust me, I will show you how to do it." Many times, I only know why after I have gone through each challenge and I would, "Oh..., thank God You didn't give me what I had wanted!"  

As the night progressed, I learnt to capture the reason of why I was there. There were 77 of us, split into 3 groups, with different songs. No matter the reasons for why the pimps, the prostitutes, the customers were there, we were there to bring Christ to them. By being there, no one is saying that all these are right in God's eyes. Just like how God loves us. He loves us first in spite of all of our wrongs and convicted us of our sins. In my heart, I pray that there would be no more demand and thus no more supply. Man would see prostitution as a heart condition and how its ugliness ruins lives.

We went to 32 brothels altogether, not including open spaces.  We were told not to take any picture or video of the brothels, ladies and customers. Well, in the end we were captured in almost every lady's handphone. My chair made me famous. Two brothel girls specifically took solo pictures with me, one even kissing me on my cheek. I was checking my heart. Did I feel disdain? No, she's just like any woman friend. Just that I don't like lipstick on my face :)

More than half of the brothel girls are from Thailand, followed by China and Vietnam. They were truly happy to receive us. Many were young and pretty, some even sweet and innocent. Really. I can tell. I don't know what I can do, even if I were to go there annually. But I trust that our being there, no strings attached, not looking at the ladies as commodities but treating them as fellow human beings, warm their hearts. Love compels us to first see a person's worth as divorced from his deeds. What we are, is not what we do. What we do is judged by the standards of God. 

We went into this lane where there was illegal gambling. There were 2 areas where many people gathered. We positioned ourselves, facing them. I don't know about others but I sang with all my might cos yes, I wanted to wake them up with the messages of God in the songs, "一件礼物" etc.

In my mind, there was this concern. Were we in danger zone cos we were so loud and they were doing business? Then I saw two foreign workers bringing water and soft drinks to us. They were kind gestures from the illegal gambling owners!

Man has a heart. But many times, it can be focused on the wrong things. Definitely we were having spiritual warfare there. The people saw us as just singing cos it was Christmas. They didn't know that battles were raging in the spiritual realm.

It is easier to love God than to love man. However, to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength also requires us to love man made in His image. If we cannot love man, we cannot love God. Both are linked for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son Jesus, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.   

Eternal life is only meaningful when we love God. 

God's Word is just theory when we don't practise it. Before I joined the caroling, I'm just like you. In theory, I remember. But to be there, to hug the very people that the world despises; the prostitutes, is not dirty when I remember that they are as valuable as you and me. I do not and will not agree with what they do but I will always remember: love can exist in disagreement of opinions, lifestyles...

In fact, if love dissipates when opinions clash, then we must question if love ever existed in the first place. 

Are you lonely?

Before I received Christ, Christmas is one of the holidays that stirred up loneliness in me. 

As if must go out n be with people else I am unpopular...

After I came to Christ, well, Christmas is a time of reflection. 

In fact, all year round, just surround me with books n I can hibernate at home for not too long 😉

What I'm saying is, our worth is not tied to how many activities we are involved in, how many friends we have, how much things or people we are surrounded with.

We are so worthy that Jesus came to earth to be with us for 33 years. 

He loved us so much that He died on the cross for you and me, all written in His love letters to us.

I read news of people having marriage breakdown, divorced, remarried and still have recurring problems. Truly, we cannot see the root of our problems without our Saviour. 

Children suffer because of the mistakes of adults. 

And these children grow up to make the same or worse mistakes than their parents...

If perfect love is found in man, this world would not be in chaos. 

Yet man seek perfect love.

Many of us have found that perfect love in Jesus Christ. 

Some would not believe but those who do and work out their faith, their lives have totally changed.

This Christmas, are you lonely? 

Are you filling up your days to cover up that loneliness? 

You are not alone, when you know that you are worthy to be loved perfectly.

When Merry becomes Mary again

Scene 1:
Merry was a shopaholic. Christmas is the best time to shop. Then she reached a bottomless pit. She owed credit card companies more than $79,000.

Her dad left her when she was a kid on Christmas eve. Her mum left her too, leaving her with her grandfather. Merry changed her named from 'Mary' to 'Merry' cos she truly wants to be happy. She encountered God through an angel and finally realized that all these presents that she bought for herself, she pretended that they were all from her dad. Finally she decided to reconcile with her mum.

Scene 2:
Wife had an abortion because of her ambitions. Husband Gary could not forgive her and they drifted apart and had a breakdown in their communication. Both had a teenage daughter. Husband had an affair and mistress Juliet was pregnant. Both believed that they were in love. When the man's daughter had an accident and was in a coma, Gary was devastated and started to see the folly of his actions. Juliet was heartbroken that her man would leave her so she wanted to commit suicide.

The situations seemed so desperate. To kill oneself seems to be the easy way. Why not end the suffering of oneself?

But our life is not our own. Even if God is not in the picture, what about our family members? Our debts, our sorrows, our mess, we selfishly leave them to those we love.

Because there is Jesus, Merry's eyes were opened to her hurt and could move on.  

Gary realised his mistakes and decided to start all over again with his wife. Juliet was given extraordinary strength and hope to give birth to her child, even as a single mother. 

The world says, "Come on, that baby is a burden. You are still so young and single. You can find another man again."

Conscience says, "This baby is a precious life. Don't make the worst mistake of your life!"

It may be a musical that seems to have a perfect ending. 
But who says life cannot be touched by a perfect God to follow a perfect way?

For all have sinned and fallen short of His glory.
We can fall but we can stand up again.
Just like a toddler learning to walk.
So brave, so real, so beautiful.
That's human beings.
That's you and me.   

Layers and layers I will tear apart, to heal your wounding heart

When I was in school, we liked to wrap our little present with layers of newspapers to trick the receiver that the gift looks bigger than it really was. 

It was also to increase the excitement of opening a gift. 

Then today I thought, ah, that's like our heart.

But our heart is more like a dumpling, wrapped tightly n in knots that can't be untangled easily. 

Hung up there, waiting for someone, that someone to bring the dumpling down, untangle the string with great patience, unwrap the leaves gently and there you are, soft, vulnerable but so real. 

It's you, that child in you, so like me, in need of authentic love, care and concern. 

All you need is for me to love you with truth. 

Truth that's not comfortable to you but you know me. 

We have a relationship.

He said, "Layers and layers I will tear apart, to heal your wounding heart."

Not just for you. 

Also for me.

Every person with a disability can be supported to rise above any challenge

As a woman born with brittle bones, I cringe at the singling out of disabled unborn children to justify abortion (“Value dignity of unborn with disabilities”; Dec 14).

In the Guidelines on Termination of Pregnancy, the “contents of pre-abortion counselling may be adapted for women diagnosed with foetal abnormalities”. Real discrimination happens to unborn children; not every baby is accorded the same value before birth. (The womb has become the most dangerous place for a child to be in. It is there where his life could be legally snuffed out.)

No woman feels empowered when considering abortion, more so for a woman whose unborn child is diagnosed with a disability or health condition. What she and her family need is not a quick fix to get rid of a perceived burden to the family and society, but rather to be linked to the available resources and be supported in the child’s milestone development.

The human spirit should not be underestimated. Every person can be supported to rise above any challenge.

The Prime Minister recently said that the character of individual citizens, rather than blueprints and programmes, decide whether a society is good or bad, a success or a failure (“Push for more inclusive S’pore must continue: PM”; Dec 3).

He added, in his speech at the official launch of the Enabling Village — Singapore’s first community space for people with disabilities — that an inclusive society can be built by valuing everyone and through active citizenship.

Before any person with a disability can be valued, he must be given an equal opportunity to live.

In the 1970s, when ultrasound scans and pre-abortion counselling were unheard of, I was given a chance at life. My mother, the primary carer, had no support group or professional advice on how to care for a special-needs child.

But she had the tenacity and responsibility that come with motherhood. At birth, my bones were breakable at every wrong touch. My childhood was spent in hospitals healing from fractures. Outsiders deemed me a child with no future.

All I had was an extraordinary mother who believed in maximising her child’s potential. I was given education and am now an educator with the ability to impact lives.

As one who was seen as hopeless at birth, not even my parents could have predicted a fruitful life for me. All I needed was that chance.

Even as I celebrate my birthday each year, 8,515 babies last year never got to celebrate theirs here. Every child deserves a birthday.
http://m.todayonline.com/voices/every-person-disability-can-be-supported-rise-above-any-challenge