On May 29th, I departed on my first mission trip for this year. Thanks to Thomas Reid for taking me to the airport that morning. I learn something new almost every time I make an overseas trip. This trip was no exception. When I went to get in line for check-in, there was a long line. Someone mentioned they forgot if you have a Silver or Gold Medallion Card, there is a separate check-in which is much faster. Fortunately, I have a Silver Medallion Card, so was checked in quickly.
The first stop on the trip was the Seoul/Incheon Airport in South Korea. We landed safely after the fourteen hour flight. Because of the flu scare, each passenger had to have their temperature taken before leaving the area of the plane. After getting through there, it was just a matter of waiting a couple of hours before the flight to Malaysia. I arrived in Malaysia on Saturday night, May 30th, about 10 PM (local time).
Michael Leong was there to pick me up. Because I had to arrange my luggage to only take part of it to Singapore the next day, it was 1:15 AM before I went to bed. The next day I spoke at the Damansara Utama (DU) congregation. It was good to see the brethren there again. After a potluck lunch at the building, Michael Leong took me back to the International Airport (just 18 hours after arriving there) to head down to Singapore to speak at the Four Seas College lectureship. One of the speakers was unable to attend, so I asked to speak on Thursday morning. This is my 35th overseas mission trip. I am thankful for everyone who made this trip possible who lives on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.
Arrival in Singapore
After a short flight from Kuala Lumpur, I arrived in Singapore. It had been twelve years since I had traveled to Singapore to speak at a function. After arriving at the hotel, I prepared for my first normal night’s sleep. I was able to get a full eight hours sleep and get up in time to get a short walk completed before attending the first day of the Four Seas College Lectureship. It was good to renew many friendships in Singapore. Of course, there were a number of friends from the states, Singapore, Indonesia, Nepal, and the Philippines. There were several in attendance I had not met before. This included Tim Burroughs, Patrick Swayne, and David Quidem. It was good to Alex Daniel and his son from Southern Sumatra Bible Institute located in Lampung. Billy Bland, Peter Chin, Eddy Ee, David Chew, the Kwans, Ken and Clyde Ann Willis, Lee Davis, and Mary and Charlie DiPalma were in attendance as well. Phillip Vanwinkle has been in Singapore for several months now working with the school. It was good to meet him as well. I also had the opportunity to visit with Jerry and Susan Cheong, and Susan Goh from the Lim Ah Pin congregation. The theme of the lectureship was: “The Christian Home.” One of the young men we met in Wuhan back in 2003, Paul Wang, is now a student at Four Seas. There is also a sister Tsai from Hubei province attending the school. I have DVD sets to both of them. Hopefully, they will be able to put them to good use in China. I also gave DVD sets to several brethren who can put them to good use. I still have several sets to distribute at the Chinese Asian Bible Lectureship (CABL).
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