God's Plans for Baba

About a month ago, little Baba and I headed back to Spore to surprise mum for her birthday. We had an extremely long weekend. It was really hard to pull off a stunt like this. I speak to mum almost every day and it's hard to pretend that we're not heading home. Anyway, we pulled it off and mum was majorly excited and beyond happy! Anyway, I digress as usual. This is post not about mum's birthday but to a certain extend, it's kinda related.

So after surprising mum, I drove Jacqui's car with Jacqui at the back with little Baba to my mother in law's place for little Baba to hang out with her. While in the car, Jacqui and I were just chatting and talking nonsense as usual and Jacqui turned to little Baba and asked, 'So Didi, do you want to be a economist when you grow up?' And I said, 'No, he's going to a missionary doctor going to Africa!' And what happened next kinda changed some things. Jacqui kinda exclaimed something like, 'Do you know what Didi has in his hands?' And I was like, no, why? And that's when she pulled it out from his hands and showed it to me when I parked. It was a bulletin insert from our home church in Spore. And the bulletin insert was announcing the upcoming mission trip to Kenya. And I'm like, okay God, this is going to be kinda interesting.

I thought that was the end of it. The next morning at church, there was another bulletin insert that little Baba was grabbing onto, this time, a talk on missions in African nations. I'm like, ok God, this is really going to be very interesting. And then, the chairman at the service talked about giving our first fruit. And then it sort of hit me. I'm thinking, God is this what you want for little Baba? God, seriously? Not that I'm reluctant but rather I'm really glad and flattered that you have chose Baba.

And in thinking about that what has happened, I started to ask myself, will I be really willing to give up Baba to God? Will I be able to be like Abraham? We prayed for forever for little Baba to arrive and he's really cute, adorable, fun to be with and every single positive adjectives that you can find, it's him. Will I be able to lay Baba down on the alter for God. And that led me to think and wonder, obedience. Yes, obedience is not obeying with it convenient and it's works in our favour but rather obedience is doing what God wants us to do. With that in mind, my attitude changed. And this has been our prayers for little Baba. God, if this is what you want Baba to do, we will guide, support and educate him to be what God wants him to be.

The reality is that I can't tell or know what God really wants for little Baba but rather we can try our very best to raise him to be a man after God's heart. We understand the journey ahead might be hard but we have to trust that our Father in heaven knows the best. In my last post, I wrote about having dinner with old friends, and at dinner, we were joking that little Baba might marry our friend's daughter and then both of us have to go all the way to Africa to visit our children. Well, a joke but who knows, it might become a reality.

Anyway, enjoy the photos of little Baba.

 I honestly have not since mum so surprised and happy before. Guess she really didn't expect that we would be home. I told her that we would be in Bangkok and she bought it!

Little Baba and his possible future wife!

Friends for Life

I know over the years, I've blogged quite a bit about friends. And once again, the topic of friends came to mind recently. And I've been thinking about it and realized that God really has blessed me with friends when my extended family is not around and even with my extended family around, God still blessed with with wonderful friends.

On 28th of September, little Baba and I flew back to Singapore for a long weekend. It was a surprise for my mum for her birthday too. Well, actually Mum and Dad's birthdays, their birthdays are just a few days apart. Mum was beyond shocked and of course she was superbly happy!

Anyway, fast forward, a night before we left Singapore, we had dinner with a couple of our friends. We had dinner with Stanley and Dorcas, who are Baba's godparents (Eve is also Baba's godma), Adrian and Cindy and Mum and Joanne. And the kids, Victoria, Joanne and Baba. While having dinner, it hit me, the guys that were at dinner, I've known them for more than three decades. That's a long time and what makes it even better, I'm friends with their wives too. There's no awkwardness between their wives and me, we get along fine. Cindy and I plan playdates all the time. Dorcas comes along for all the meal meetups. 

When I sat there, I reflected and thought how God has brought these wonderful friends into my life. I've know Stanley for a long time. Seriously long! And he was one of the first people to know that we were matched with a child and without me asking, he volunteered himself to be little Baba's godfather! Well, not sure if he knew what he was getting into! When I was studying in Gold Coast, God placed Stanley in Brisbane knowing that I probably would need to call out to him quite often. And am glad that over the years, we've managed to maintain this beautiful friendship and he and his wife have become family. Little Baba love his godparents! 

With Adrian and Cindy, like I've mentioned, I know Adrian almost as long as I've known Stanley. I met the two guys in church and when I moved to HK, Adrian was here. Adrian has been a great brother. There were points of my life when Babe was not in HK and living in Spore and Adrian and Cindy would remember to get me out for meals once in a while. And when little Baba arrived, Adrian and Cindy were one of our first friends that met little Baba when he arrived. Even after they moved back to Singapore, we would still plan playdates with the kids. And yet again, God has placed this couple in my life with a purpose. 

But when I look at our 'nomadic' lifestyle at this point, I wonder if little Baba would have lifelong friends like me. Would he meet nice friends in church and then make lifelong friends that span over decades just like Babe and me? Oh would us moving back to Spore or to wherever that he won't make friends that know him for forever? At the same time, I wonder if us living in HK would drive a wedge or rather distance between our lifelong friends that over time, he would not know my lifelong friends.

And that brings me to the next point. I admit that we would and could and can save heaps more money if we didn't go back to Spore as often as at least four times a year. But to me, it's money well spent. I want little Baba to know my family and to know some of my really close friends and to understand Singapore's culture. I don't want little Baba to grow up not knowing and understanding where I come from. And sure there are times and moments that I wonder if it's time to pack up and head back to Spore but am always reminded that maybe God doesn't want us to move back to Spore yet. Sorry, too many random thoughts running at the same time and therefore my post is beginning to sound like senseless ramblings. I'm always constantly reminded that it's not where I want to be but where God wants me to be. And increasingly I am seeing why God wanted me to be in the school where I am now and His purposes but that's another post.

Before we got married, I had this image of Babe and me having kids and our kids would hang out with our close friends like Stanley and Adrian and others and have playdates with their kids and in time when our kids grow up, they would always know our friends as their family friends and maybe even date their children and yes, keeping it in the family, marry their kids. But now when we have little Baba and living overseas, I wonder if we're able to keep up with this momentum that Baba would know our close friends. But then again maybe I worry too much. I want to surround little Baba with our close friends so that in the event that if he runs into issues and problems and he doesn't want to turn to us, he will always have family uncles and aunties to turn to and would give him Godly counsel.

But does this mean that the friends that we make in HK are not good enough for him? NO! Definitely not! That's where I see that we're really blessed! I'm so thankful that God has bless us with wonderful friends in HK. These are friends that have become family. Yes, family, these are friends that I'm able to call when I need help especially when Babe is away and things happen at home. I'm even more grateful that God has place some of these wonderful friends just a few blocks away from us. What more can I ask for? 

So that night and the next day on the flight, I see God really working in my life. He has placed Christian brothers and sisters and non Christian friends in my life. And these are the people that have made such differences in my life. He has given me friends that I may not see for a couple of years and am able to pick up where we have left. H has given me friends that I know that if something does happen to Babe and me, they will step up and fill the void that we have left. In short, yes, God has brought these wonderful people to me and I'm eternally grateful to Him. 

And as taken from 
Michael W. Smith's Friends

And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
Cause the welcome will not end
Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long to live as friends.

That's right, friends are friends forever, these are true friends that love, respect and never judge. A friend will not say never, that reminds me of Eve, who welcomed me with open arms when I asked her if I could move in with her towards the end of my masters as I was running low and she didn't hesitate to let me move in. And yes, it's always hard to let go. It's especially hard for me to say bye to Eve because she lives so far away and I never really know when will I see her next and that's always hard for me. But I know that somewhere down the road, I'll see her again and that's next summer! With the guys, more than three decades of friendship, and with Eve, it's coming up to two decades of friendship. Yes, a lifetime is not too long to live as friends.

Thanks friends for loving, respecting and not judging me. I'm truly humbled to have met wonderful people like you. For the other people not mentioned in this post, I'm very thankful that God has placed you in my life. Thanks for making a difference. You never know what a difference that you have made to me!

And enjoy the two pics that was taken at the last trip back to Spore.

Super happy grandma! And super happy grandkids!

Updates

Yes, the blog is still kinda alive....Been caught up with life and well, been busy too. Been at the new school for about a month and love it so far. Learning lots from the kids and there are days that I walk away feeling a little sad knowing that some of the kids do not have much but most of the time, I walk away from work feeling glad that I've made the right decision.

I've been thinking about the haves and the have nots. As a child, I've never really been part of the haves but over the years, the family got into the middle of the haves. But we're still not really the haves. I wouldn't say that we're the haves now but rather we're in the category that we can be the haves if we want and be happy as the have nots. It wouldn't kill me that I can't have the designer bag that I like or the nice watch. My basic needs are met and I'm happy.

But as I work with some of the have nots, it pains me at times. Some of the kids that I work with live in sub divided units, do not have complete families, dysfunctional families and all sorts. There are times that I've to remind myself not to get really mad with some of these kids because they are already having such a hard time at home and cut them some slack. While discussing about the school trip, I have to be constantly reminded that most of the kids that I work with will not be able to afford the school trip. But these kids, are some of the most real, humble and yes, well behave kids. Some of the kids that I work are really grateful but they lack the motivation. They are used to the fact that they are at the bottom of the rung. It's sad.

When I look at my life, God has blessed me so much and I believe that this is why He put me where I am now. He taps into the soul and reminds me that He loves His children and I'm there to serve Him by helping the kids. Truth be told, I would have much as easier life if I stayed on at my old school but now, I'm really busy. I don't stop planning my worksheets, lessons, marking and replying letters from the time I step into the school till the time that I leave school. Yes, it's tiring. And I'm even conscious of not bringing my designer bags to work so that the kids would not feel that I'm being a snob. Yes, I'm carrying a backpack to work these days. But the reality of it all, I'm happy. I know that I'm really making a difference to some of the kids that I work with.