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The Temple Of Heaven
2007-08-20 18:05:00
Someone asked me did we see the Tian Tan i.e. the Temp le of Heaven . Yes, sure we did, on our second day in Beijing, and here are over 30 pics. I didn't enjoy that tour very much, though.First, it was a terrible blazing hot afternoon - must be 40 degrees or something, and Uncle Robert laughed at me and said I had turned as red as a boiled crab. Hah, that fellow's always looking for food/thinking about food. We had actually been told the previous day (which was foggy) that it would rain, and so I shot off messages to the home brethren to 'pray for no rain'. Didn't realise all your prayers were so 'powderful'!Secondly, Vivien and I, if you had read the previous post, had been wandering like two lost sheep the whole morning, looking for the Forbidden City, and then looking for a cab, and I would rather preferred a sit-down tour than to walk again in one of the biggest parks in Beijing.And thirdly, I had seen the Tian Tan before, three years ago on my first visit to Beijing with P...
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Getting Around: Taxis In Beijing
2007-08-18 18:05:00
Vivien and I were very lost. We had walked for about twenty minutes from our hotel to the Forbidden City, but there was no Forbidden City to be seen, and we stood at the street corner, wondering where it was. A lady came up to us. One of the things she was carrying was a big bag of peanuts, and I thought she was going to try to sell us some. Instead, when she opened her mouth, it was to ask us for directions to... I think... the subway. We looked at each other... eh, can't you see we're lost tourists but no, the peanut lady looked at us earnestly for answers. And so, in our broken Chinese, we managed to point out the way, because about five minutes earlier, I had my pic taken outside the entrance into the Beijing subway.Outside the Beijing subwaySomewhere in Beijing... looking for the Palace Museumaka the Forbidden CityOpposite Tiananmen... how do we get to the other side??Using the underpassWe finally got directions ourselves to the Forbidden City, and to cut a long story short, ...
More About: Taxi , Jing

Lamb Of God
2007-08-16 15:34:00
I lay my sins on Jesus,the spotless Lamb of God;He bears them all and frees us,from the accursed load.I bring my guilt to Jesus,to wash my crimson stains,White in His blood most precious,till not a spot remains.-- Horatius Bonar
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A Soul Saved
2007-08-14 15:55:00
When we arrived in Baotou City, the largest city of inner Mongolia by air on Friday, the tour bus was waiting for us, and very soon, we were in it, heading for our hotel.Our tour guide, a sweet-looking young lady, introduced herself as J to all of us. She told us that she "is a new guide, please forgive any mistakes" and then she sat down abruptly. Vivien and I were sitting in the two seats right behind the driver, and I noticed for the first time that there was another man seated next to the driver, a tall fellow who gave instructions to J. He was her guide, teaching her the ropes. I also noted J looking at a slip of paper in her hands, and made out some English words. Apparently she was trying to memorise some facts and figures about the city which she was to tell us, the tourists, about.Some Baotou City scenesFamilies out to play in the square after dinnerIf we had been real tourists, coming to inner Mongolia looking for tourist attractions and lots of regurgitated facts and info...
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IM Intro, First Day And Night
2007-08-11 18:05:00
After three whole days of shopping and touring in Beijing, we were ready for the real stuff, i.e. the real reason why we were all on this trip. However, when we flew to Inner Mongolia on Friday, only one person out of the dozen of us had any idea what to do and where to go to find our elusive brothers and sisters. That one person was VG. He informed us that there would be someone waiting for us at the hotel; a sister in the faith who is 100% Mongolian. She's a college student with one more year to go before she graduates, but as it was the school holidays, she had travelled all the way to meet us, to be our tour guide, but more importantly, to introduce us to more of our spiritual siblings in the land.Baotou literally means Dumpling Head, but wewere told it actually referred to the baotou deer.Some city scenesDL was the first Mongolian most of us had ever met in person in our entire lives, but she was certainly not the last! She spoke Mandarin and Mongolian and some Englis...
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Destination Cambodia
2007-08-10 18:43:00
A couple of weeks ago, a team of five visited our missionaries in Koh Kong, Cambodia . I was not with them cos I was in Beijing en route to inner Mongolia on that very same day (Friday 20th July). Daph, one of the team members, shares many blessings plus more than 80 wonderful photos of the four-day trip in her blog, and here are the two links to it.Destination CambodiaDestination Cambodia continuedDo visit and be challenged!

Beijing Intro, First Day And Night
2007-08-08 17:10:00
When Vivien and I arrived in the early morning of 17th July (around 7am), we settled down at the airport's KFC for a very long, leisurely breakfast and waited for our tour manager, VG, to show up. It was a smoggy morning, and these few shots I took from the airport bus were not terribly clear because of the Beijing smog.17th July early morning - KFC at the airportSmoggy view of Tian'anmen Square from the airport shuttle busSmoggy view of the National Grand Theatre fromthe airport shuttle busVG is not an experienced tour manager; this was likely his first (and maybe last?) tour, and we had to keep our eyes peeled for him because he had very poor eyesight and we thought he probably could not see us. In fact, during our tour of Beijing and inner Mongolia, he was often found trailing behind the group instead of taking the lead up in front, and very often too, we found him peering closely at his mobile phone. And he could not see road signs. Strange tour guide, huh?? If we had been a g...
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Sunset
2007-08-06 18:05:00
The day is done,The sun has set,Yet light still tints the sky;My heart stands stillIn reverence,For God is passing by.-- Ruth Alla Wager
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Getting Around: Camels In The Desert
2007-08-05 18:09:00
I think I've heard enough camel jokes in the past few days to last me a lifetime. Since some of you are so interested in those creatures, I guess I am now a bit of an expert and can write a whole article about them, huh?I don't know about the others in our tour group, but Ranie and I had never been in the desert before, since there were none in the Philippines or Singapore.Exploring the desert resort on foot.After arriving at this resort about two hours from Baotou (inner Mongolia) we were kicking the sand and remarking that desert sand looked just like beach sand, when we noticed two queues not far away. One was for "One-hour camel ride", and the other queue was for "Half-hour camel ride". I distinctly remember saying something like "not interested in either of them!" and "why isn't there a five-minute camel ride? Half-hour is still too long!" I saw a fake camel, and asked Vivien to take a pic of me on it cos I'd like to show people back home that I rode one. Hehe! Little did ...
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The Persecuted Church Part 4
2007-08-05 14:58:00
Christian Evangelism Banned? When clearing my hundreds of emails this weekend, I was terribly surprised to see a report about this country from the most recent Voice of the Martyrs newsletter. Do keep the work and our workers in prayer."On July 10, the Ministry of Cults and Religions distributed a directive banning Christian groups from door-to-door evangelism on the grounds that it "disrupts society." The directive also said distribution of religious literature should be confined to church buildings, which can only be built with government approval. Government officials said the ruling was aimed at reducing Christian evangelism thoughout the country. Pray that Christians there will remain steadfast in their faith despite government opposition. Pray the testimony of believers will draw non-believers to Christ. Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 54:14 - VOM 25 July"
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Midpoint
2007-08-04 15:32:00
25 July Wednesday 1245pm - I am writing this in very cramped conditions in the coach as we travel on the highway to the city of everlasting spring. We had a simple lunch of buns and biscuits on the bus, and we are mid-way through our trip - having completed eight days (since Tuesday 17 July) and we have eight days more to go until we fly home on 2 August. There had been so much we have seen, and done, and experienced, that I hardly know where to begin.We spent three days in Beijing just being tourists - visiting places of interests, and we walked and walked for hours each day. Our friends from the States needed more time than we did to adjust to the different time zones, but the rest of us had no problems. I determined before the trip that I was not going to be shopping much in Beijing, because the prices probably do not agree with me, and Vivien agreed as well. We went to the Forbidden City, the Square, the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven and took a hutong tour.19th July - Vivien ...

A Sure Retreat
2007-08-02 12:10:00
From every stormy wind that blows,From every swelling tide of woes,There is a calm, a sure retreat:'Tis found beneath the mercy seat.-- Hugh Stowell
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Trip Updates 30th July
2007-07-30 06:16:00
Hi, did you enjoy the pics so far? I have a thousand more photos plus several video clips, but those you'll have to wait till I get home if you want a glimpse of them. Viv has gone to attend another class at the camp, and I am taking some time to write a bit, cos we have been so busy in the last few days. Maybe this will be my last update till I get home. Well, we'll see.I'm a bit disappointed that not many of you visited the blog after the 17th, cos as soon as I reached the camp and has internet access, I checked the statistics, and... sniff, sniff, only a handful subscribed or were frequent visitors. Squeezing out blog updates on my little hp while jiggling up and down in the bus wasn't very enjoyable, you know!!!!!! We've had too much fun so far, and this is just a brief of what has happened...Today is Monday, and our American friends and Ranie left for the airport early this morning, leaving the rest of us behind. This morning, Viv and I decided to pay a little visit to a n...
More About: Updates , Trip , July

God's Presence
2007-07-27 12:10:00
His tenderness in the springing grass,His beauty in the flowers,His living love in the sun above--All here, and near, and ours.-- Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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Beijing Trip Pictures
2007-07-26 04:09:00
Beijing - 17th to 20th July (10 photos)17th July - Vivien and I toured the grounds of theegg-shaped Beijing National Grand Theatre in the afternoon.A closer look at the egg....and compare it to our durian.In the grounds of the National Grand Theatre, Beijing.18th July - Vivien hurrying down Tian'anmen SquareVivien outside some building near Tian'anmen.Across the road from Qianmen, and we saw these interesting murals.Vivien taking photographs. Apparently, a great dealof construction was going on behind those murals,in preparation for the 2008 Olympics.Me outside the entrance into the Beijing subwaynear Qianmen. Oddly enough, minutes after we wereon our way, a lady carrying bags of peanuts stopped usand asked us for directions to 'the subway'!! We both lookedblur (I mean confused), but she looked blurrer.We stayed at this very nice hotel for 3 nights - 17th to 20th July.18th July - Uncle Robert expertly led us to thisChinese restaurant for dinner on Wed evening.See the little chi...
More About: Pictures , Beijing , Trip , Jing

Mobile blog 25th
2007-07-25 05:21:00
Once again I am sending this while in the bus; we have been on the road for 4 hours & will continue for 8 more hours to our destination - the summer camp! We are also midway in our tour through China & PTL for what He has shown us so far, for health, for provisions.Tue blessings: we checked into our yurt hotel & then trekked up a mountain. I would not have climbed but PP said we will have a pr meeting at the peak & that was incentive enough! Lunch was in the tiny town, then we toured the grasslands & more trekking. Day ended with a nite in the yurt, is a traditional Mongolian tent. Rather like an igloo. Very cold, & a very basic bathroom. Quite an experience.Next few days pr requests: meeting the new teachers, camp participants, the Lims, the local leaders.
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Mobile blog 22nd to 24th
2007-07-24 04:05:00
Sunday blessings: one soul saved on Sat: our tour guide. Spirit-led service, KFC lunch & a 2-hr drive to Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia. Visited book shop, a yurt church & fellowship with many brethren.Monday blessings: Left big city & headed for tiny town 6hr coach trip. sandwich lunch on the coach, upon arrival, we visited a Mongolian family & fellowshipped over fruits & snacks. Had early dinner with more local brethren, then to the grasslands to hobnob with cows & sheep. We stayed in a little hotel with no hot water. The good news was shared to our 2 drivers during the night.Tues pr req: am now in the bus again 2 hours to another tiny town & more grassland activities like horse riding, archery. Has a new tour guide & it looks like our han-speaking friends are waiting for right time to talk.
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He Knows The Way He Taketh
2007-07-23 12:10:00
His wisdom ever waketh,His sight is never dim;He knows the way He taketh,And I will walk with Him.-- Anna Laetitia Waring

Mobile blog 21st (con't)
2007-07-22 14:40:00
Reached hotel at 630pm after touring the Genghis Khan Musoleum. What a long day. Where was I... Oh yes, PP, US friends & Uncle Rob sliding down sand dune... Do let his dear wife know he has been busy eating lamb & beef. Regret I can't put pic via hp to blog, only words. Now at dinner table fellowship.Pr req for Sunday - pr meeting & service after breakfast in a small hotel function room, hope we wont be interrupted. PP told me to give testimony, everyone else eg VG, Ranie has done it in the past few days. We'll leave for a 2-hr bus ride to Hohhot after lunch & some special visits & fellowship will follow. TG the weather here is nice & cool, day is very long, food is always too much, everyone's well. My camel was very well behaved. His blessings are so bountiful.
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Mobile blog 20th and 21st
2007-07-21 10:41:00
20th - If u see Annie please give her a hug for me? Just to let u know, dear, we're not having much fun without u. Am sending this while in the bus heading back after a long day touring. Highlight on Fri was not the flight to Baotou, the Mongolian lunch & dinner of too much food esp lamb or the deer park stroll. 4 nations: SG, PH, CN & USA gathered for SF in a hotel room around the same time as most of u did, but it was still bright & early even at 830pm.21st - hopped on tour bus & taken to a real desert for tourists to play in. Took a hazardous cable car ride and then someone sabo me, bought me ticket for a camel ride. What!! No choice but to get on it for half hour of suffering in the scorching desert! Another activity I didnt try but Uncle Robert did: sliding 60 feet down a sand dune...
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Blessings
2007-07-20 12:10:00
Not mindless of the growing yearsOf care and loss and pain,My eyes are wet with thankful tearsFor blessings that remain.-- John Greenleaf Whittier
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Mobile blog 19th
2007-07-19 15:03:00
Such suffering. Sitting at steamboat dinner with our American friends, watching them wielding chopsticks! Today we headed out early for the Great Wall. In the bus PP & Uncle Robert shared testimony. Once we reached the Great Wall most in the group were ready to go! Uncle Robert & I, the smart ones, sat in the coffee shop. Group was back by 1130am. The bus headed for Wangfujing for lunch & shopping. Boy, these guys shop a lot dont they, and I havent had any of that at all in Beijing. Influenced by my roommate, Viv & I took a hutong tour which included riding a rickshaw, climbing drum tower.Pr Requests: 20th Annie & Ranie fly in to join us. We'll leave for Baotou City in Inner Mongolia 1-hr flight is 11am & more walking, touring & fellowship to follow. We've got a great group.
More About: Mobile , Blog , Bile

Mobile blog 17th and 18th
2007-07-18 01:41:00
17th - Thank the Lord for blessings & for your prayers; good sleep on board plane despite it being a full flight, good weather in Beijing & the rest of group arrived safely as well. Planned to go shopping after lunch but in the cab Viv & I had a sudden change of mind & diverted the cab to the new Beijing opera house, that egg-shaped building. Took lots of pics but ahem, I think our durian is more impressive! The day ended with Pizza Hut dinner with American friends. Pray for Wed visit to Temple of Heaven; weather report says rain.18th - Hey, no need to be too fervent in your interceding; it was blazing hot at the Temple of Heaven & Uncle Robert said I looked like a cooked lobster! We started the morning with fellowship and knee work in PP's room; always good to hear the work He is doing. Then our friends went shopping, Viv & I walked to the Forbidden City but it was way too crowded to get in - long queues for tickets! We had our Chinese lunch while our friends had KFC, then...
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Mobile Blog 16th
2007-07-17 11:46:00
My luggage is exactly 20kg. No wonder my arms are falling off even with the wheels, but thank God the cab driver helped me get it in and out of the boot (Most dont bother to get out of their seats even once). I think I have aged a lot since my last trip. No, not because of my inability to carry 20kg. At the immigration counter at Changi the fellow scratched his head at my passport photo for a while, then asked me for my IC, then compared photo and name, then he told me to go change passport pic b4 1st Sep for free. Huh?? 1st time I was ever told such a thing, & my passport is still valid for 3 more years! Deeply offended already, but still have to agree & smile, else I might be locked up somewhere and miss the flight. I wonder if the same thing will happen at the other side.
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Travelling
2007-07-16 13:28:00
In a few more hours, I'll be on the 6-hour flight from Singapore to Beijing with Vivien. I will be mobile blogging whenever and wherever for the next 3 weeks, so do visit this blog, subscribe, find out what we're up to, and pray for us!
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