We had just made it to the mall the morning of “Good Friday” we were sweaty and had slept on the street. We only had a few hours of sleep and we were feeling it, with grumbling stomachs we dispersed. Most of us paired off to get coffee or McDonald’s. Once we indulged on the scrunches goodies, we headed up to the top of the mall with the help of the locals along the way. Soon we found the “Kingdom City” church and had about 15 minutes to go to the bathroom to get ready for church which included changing clothes (shoes as well), washing face, brushing teeth, hair, makeup, and the whole shebang. If you have never been to Singapore you wouldn’t know but it’s one of the most beautiful, most clean cut, elegant places I’ve even been in my whole life. My black denim shorts and ninja turtle shirt was not going to cut it for good Friday service, not with this crowd. I changed and met my team in the crowd that had gathered to take their seats.
As I sat in the service I couldn’t help but to get into it. It’s an amazing feeling to just sit and listen to the word without having a translator or having to listen to a message done in a completely different language. I was able to focus more on the message and what the Lord wanted to show me. Through my time there I repeated the prayer Molly had prayed earlier for the “women of peace” that we were looking for. I heard the Lord directly tell me that it was someone in the church. We finished up church and headed straight to the refreshment table to meet with people. As we started to talk to some people half the team broke off and decided to find a hostel to stay. It started to slow down and the chance to meet the one we had prayed for was closing. That’s when it happened….
This sweet girl around our age walks up with a huge smile on her face and introduced herself. She started with a “Hi, I’m Roseanne”. From there we talked and as we did we told her about what the past few hours had looked like for us. Seeing her shocked faced she said “no, no, no, let me help you find a hostel.” She began to look online but soon realized the weekend of “Good Friday” was not ideal for booking. Even if we did have the money for the hostels, there wouldn’t have been space for us. She proceeds to ask us if we would want to stay with a church member and she would find someone to open their home to us. After hearing about what we were doing for the past 4 months she wanted to make sure we would have a bed to sleep in. She came back smiling cheek to cheek and said that her parents had given her permission for us to come and stay with them. Not only did her parents say “yes” but they said it without hesitation. Roseanne comes from a Buddhist family. In fact she is the first generation and only Christian in her family. Disclaimer: In Singapore it is very countercultural to invite people to stay with you. They are even hesitant to let her best friends stay the night. It was confirmation from the Lord that we where were we were supposed to be.
She had us load up our stuff and ushered us to her house. Before opening her door, she warned about her dogs. One thing about “Thundercats” (our team name) is that we have loved dogs from the very beginning in Mozambique. Roseanne had us get settled and told us to take naps if we needed them. When I woke up, she was in the living room messing around with her playful pups. I joined her and started planning the weekend. She is normally alone on Easter because her family doesn’t celebrate it. I was amped to be able to be with and celebrate Christ rising with her! Before that could happen we still had basically two whole days. We still had to tackle dinner. She took us out to a Singapore food market and picked some traditional dishes. Over dinner we talked about her testimony, the culture, as well as what it was like growing up in Singapore, including all their many laws.
The next day we headed out to site see which included: a “botanical gardens”, we got lunch in “little India”, and then started our journey back to Rosanne’s house to help her start preparing for a small group get together she was hosting. As people started to arrive I quickly introduced myself and started making friends. It was then that we ate together, played “codenames” together, and shared our stories together. I thought for a brief second, I was at home, this is what my small group does. That night I got to know a lot of Roseanne’s friends and fellowship as well as share our testimonies. The good food mixed with the good company made for a great night which would prepare us for what Easter day would have in store.
I still must raise 4,200 dollars to stay out on the field. Please partner in prayer with me as I’m still in the process of support raising. No amount is too small, and no prayer goes unnoticed by the Lord.
