This is Anne – a dear friend and one of our GOV advocates in Singapore.
Dates: February 19th – March 18th (plus a few other days here and there from January – April)
Where to even start with Singapore? This nation is starting to feel like our team’s third home! The friends we have in Singapore have become some of our dearest and closest. And opportunities to minister in this nation are opening up for us like never before. We are very much looking forward to all the things God has planned here.
Rose: The International Baptist Church in Singapore generously donated the use of a guesthouse for a big chunk of our time there. Because of their generosity, we were able to save a huge amount in lodging expenses. It was an incredible answer to prayer – as it is quite difficult to find housing for a large group in Singapore. We also had more ministry opportunities in Singapore than we have had in previous years. There was even one weekend where we facilitated 5 different events in 2 days. When we weren’t ministering, we were meeting with pastors and other ministry leaders to organize events for the future. The best rose in Singapore is all our friends – new and old – who have supported Generations of Virtue either through hosting or feeding our team members, helping us organize events, and just generally being a help to the work God is doing there.
The food in Singapore is incredible – even if it is a little more expensive!
Thorn: The price of food in Singapore is relatively high – it’s especially hard to find affordable healthy food there!
Spaghetti: We had quite a few entertaining taxi drivers. Including one who explained that Americans have wide, fat lips, which makes it possible for them to eat more than other people!
Testimony: A lady we met at a small group meeting had a God-story to share with us. She had started to see the need of parents to train their children to guard against all the pitfalls of culture and felt overwhelmed at the thought of where to start with that. She began praying for a ministry or resource that could help parents do this. A couple weeks later, she met the Generations of Virtue team at a small group meeting a friend invited her to. Excited, she realized this was the answer God was giving to her request. We were able to meet with this lady to talk about ways we can partner with her church in the future. She is also going to start a Raising a Pure Generation group at her church, using our DVD curriculum for parents. This is just one example of people God is bringing our way who have a heart for purity and equipping parents.
One of our entertaining taxi drivers. This gentleman was rather gracious as we maxed out his taxi with suitcases and books.
Surrounded by Christmas trees and nativity scenes, it is difficult to imagine that America has just experienced one of the worst acts of violence ever. Now as we grieve with Newtown and try to assemble our families for Christmas, we need to begin the process of healing. Especially for our children, this is imperative. When we look at our precious kids, our hearts break for what this Connecticut community must be going through. But for the sake of our kids and the families in Connecticut, we need to walk the road of healing this wound.
For children younger than 7, it is so important for them to know that God is our great protector and only in trusting in Him is there safety. There will always be situations that are far beyond our ability to control, and this is where God our protector shields us. Verses from Psalm 91 are reassuring for this young age. They help children see that God is someone they can turn to and is a very present help in trouble. When my kids were younger, we read Psalm 91 everyday for a season, and with that they easily memorized it. We need to help them focus on God’s breadth and depth of love to come to their aid, whatever may happen, and assure them that they can never be separated from God’s love. (Romans 8:38-39)
This is a season of the celebration of Christ’s birth. Jesus was born in a very unlikely and inconceivable place for a King – a stable. Taking God’s example, let’s invite Jesus Christ to invade our hearts with hope and promise in the inconceivable situations we face with our families.
Tweens’ abstract thought is not fully developed yet either. When it comes to evil and violence this news has a tremendous impact on them. They understand more fully the reality that this shooting affected their age group, and anxious thoughts arise that this could happen to them. Although as adults we realize that this is highly unusual, tweens will project that something like this could happen on Monday when they go to school. Fear invades their heart. This is true for tweens when it comes to natural disasters or manmade tragedies. Parents, we need to help our tweens understand that this is extremely unusual. Also that fear is a tactic Satan uses to make them doubt God and forget His promises. Remember true love casts out fear so a lot of affirmation of love is essential. Go out of your way to tell your kids they are loved by you and God, and that God has a future and a hopeful destiny for them.
Now for teens this is an event that needs to be discussed. Looking at accurate sources of what happened during this tragedy will be very important. Friends will be blowing the news stories out of proportion and sensationalizing it, so you need to provide accurate information. Another key will be helping them evaluate the situation with a Biblical lens. They need to be aware of the demonic activity that was involved, and that we do not just fight against flesh and blood, but “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 6:12) Teens need to see how a person can be influenced by demonic powers and it can result in insanity. This is a time to discuss how little by little the enemy can take over a person to this degree. This didn’t just happen overnight. Explain to your teen this is why you are careful about media influences and video games they immerse themselves in. It is so subtle how the enemy takes a person from their natural God-given mind to someone who could think up and carry out this atrocity. Guarding their minds and hearts against all the unhealthy influences in the media and violent gaming world is so important at this age.
We parents need to do two things in the face of this tragedy: guard our children against the negative and use the opportunity to communicate God’s truth. In other words, “It doesn’t work to just block the messages of this world unless we are pouring in the real truth and power of the Lord Jesus Christ.”1 Lastly, pray together as a family for those who were the victims of this attack, that God would bring healing and peace in the midst of loss.
I’m talking about sexual abuse. 90% of childhood sexual abuse cases occurred with a trusted adult. So often when I think of teaching my kids about sexual abuse, my first thought is ‘stranger danger’. Yet with the very real statistic of 90% of the time it does not involve a stranger, I’m forced to face reality. So what does this mean for me? This season of throwing and attending holiday gatherings with new and old friends, it means always knowing where your kids are, and who they are with. I’ve pasted a link to an article below that I think all parents should read. It’s easy, not scary, and shows what you as a parent can do to keep your kids safe. For the sake of our children, their health, wholeness, and their innocent childhood memories, let’s keep this season truly merry.