OLPS Mission Outreach

Farewell Fr Henri! We love you and we'll miss you!!!

2009-09-15T00:26:00.000-07:00

Today is the feast day of Our Lady of Sorrows and one year after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Today is also the day that Fr Henri leaves for France after having spent almost 50 years in Asia, of which 32 years in Indonesia.

With a sorrowful and grateful heart, we wish him goodbye. He is a true missionary. Getting to know Fr Henri and his works was like getting to know Jesus We thank God for Fr Henri. He has touched many of us, just by being a disciple of Jesus We entrust Fr Henri's health to our Lord Jesus We ask that if it is His will, Fr Henri will be able to come back here to visit us We ask that if it is His will, we can visit Fr Henri in his retirement home in south west of France, about 500km from Paris

Thank you Fr Henri. We and many others will miss you. In His time, we will meet again.
With love and prayers,

Your OLPS Mission Outreach Family
P.S. Please recite the rosary today for our Mother to intercede for us.

November 2008 - Rempang Update by Alex

2009-08-03T19:10:00.000-07:00
All:
I went to Rempang and Shalom resort today with Alvin, Pheck Choo and 10 other people who were part of the group invited by Andrew Kang to stay in Shalom. We had a great trip! The highlight was relaxing and exchanging ideas in Shalom. We also visited Rempang. I got lots of insights from the group who includes farming experts and importer/distributor of crops in Singapore. One thing we all had in common was the desire to do mission work.
Here are my notes from the trip:
Rempang:
- Fish farm is going well. The first harvest was consumed by the kids and asrama members. The 2nd group is almost ready for harvesting. Lots of catfish! They are working to be self sufficient with creating the starters. They plan to start selling the catfish in the future. It takes about 4 weeks to reach the stage where they can sell them in the market. The potential is promising.
- They are planning to raise chickens in the area behind the pond. They received donation of chicks from Surabaya but unfortunately they all died because the infrastructure was not ready. The chicken huts are almost complete. It is unclear how they plan to get the chicks. Andrew offered assistance with the chicks. I will discuss this with William. The agriculture experts pointed out that the droppings would be excellent source of fertilizers for the plantation. I relayed the tips to Gerardus on how to utilize them.
- Boys dorm almost complete. Need to install doors and finish the wing adjacent to the existing dorm. They expect to move in by the end of the month.
- There is a training plot for farming by the teachers' quarters! This is a government sponsored project. We were impressed by the set up! It looks like a real farm, neatly arranged and separated. This project only got started in the past month but the progress is really impressive. Different crops are being planted: chili, long beans, melons, even durian! It is very obvious the project is led by someone who knows farming. The government put a banner in front of the plot indicating this was a government (dept iof agriculture) nitiative to assist the local community to be more self sufficient. The farmers under Fr Yance' CU scheme are being trained there. The goal is to scale up the farm and utilize the Agrilindo land. I was in disbelief how much progress they made in so short time.
- I learned from Gerardus that the CU was going well. There 30 farmers split in several groups. They got the first harvest done and were successful in selling the crops. The demand for the crops was strong which was encouraging. If this is indeed true, the farmers will be motivated to take on the Agrilindo land. They did mostly corn.
- Another surprise: the government is building 3 classrooms. The structure is about 50% done. The plan is to move the classrooms from the wooden structure to these. The budget as indicated in the project board is Rp.3,850,000 or over $50k. It is clearly stated that the owner is St Ignacius school. I found it to be uncommon for the government to finance the construction of a private (and Catholic) school but let's praise the Lord!
- Myo is leaving in January. They are expecting a French married couple to replace her.
- The Agrilindo land is not exactly adjacent to the Asrama. It is about 200 meters and through challenging terrains. I am not sure we are better off taking this plot or the original plot by the front entrance (by the road). The plot behind the asrama will be tough to clear. I told Gerardus and the Agrilindo team that we needed to think about this. I would like to discuss with William and Fr Yance.
Shalom:
- Not much progress on the boarding home. They have funding to sponsor the kids but have not hired any teachers.
- The agriculture expert decided not to stay.
- They have planted 12k tapioca plants in 2 hectares. The first group will be harvested soon. They plan to use for self consumption and chicken feeds.
- The chicken farming is going well. The group would be having ayam kampung goreng for dinner! I think they can help Asrama with the chicken farming.
- They have cleared another 1 hectare by slash and burn. Andrew was asking the experts for what to plant. The suggestions were: seedless guava, sweet corn, sweet potato and tomatoe.
Andrew and I discussed the potential synergy in crop selection, purchasing seeds and selling the crops. He is also interested in the CU model. We agreed to continue the discussion and possibly meet with Fr Yance.
I still need to contact Fr Yance about the MOU. I will keep you posted.
I had to return back tonight but wished could stay with everyone else in Shalom.
Thanks to Pheck Choo for the trip.
Regards,
Alex

Boys Dorm Rebuilding Update

2008-07-29T21:55:00.001-07:00
We were introduced to a Christian group doing mission outreach in Batamand a few of us met them last week to find out more out their outreachwork.

In the course of our conversation, we brought up our intendedtrip to Rempang and we were informed that they currently have a team ofconstruction workers in Galang who is looking for work ... and yes, forthose who remember, Galang is just 10 minutes from the Asrama.

I put them in touch with William Candra and he confirmed just now thatthe workers are available to work on the dormitory rebuilding.Praise the Lord, and as we now do not need to send manpower to assist, afew of us will still be taking a day trip to Rempang this coming weekendto see the progress of the dormitory and the work of the Christianmission team.

Pse continue to pray for the rebuilding of the dormitory.

Thank you.

PC Recycling Project

2008-07-29T20:04:00.000-07:00
To-date we have recycled a total of 44 sets of PCs of various configuration not less than a Pentium 3 and 7 monitors on a stand alone basis to students looked after by the Society of St Vincent de Paul in OLPS, Church of St Stephen, Holy Trinity Church, the Catholic boys boarding home Asrama Santa Tarsisius in Tanjung Pinang and religious from various orders in the Diocese.

With the lower demand and supply, and our busy work schedules, we are stepping down our efforts and will continue to do the PC recycling adhoc on demand and availability basis.

Thank you for signing up and being part of this project.God bless.Edmund

MISSION PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION IN CONJUNCTION WITH WORLD MISSION SUNDAY 2008

2008-07-17T01:55:00.000-07:00
This year ACMA is organizing a photography competition - “What Mission in our Catholic Church means to You?” - which is open to all members of the Catholic Church of Singapore, including those from religious communities.

We hope this competition will encourage more Catholics to be involved in missionary activities of the Church. The photograph(s) should be of any missionary activity that they have been involved in or that they have encountered – whether in Singapore or abroad.

There will be two categories, a Youth and an Open category. The competition starts from June 1 to July 31, 2008, 5pm. There will be attractive cash prizes and one year's subscription of World Mission Magazine awarded to the first three winners of both categories.

For more details email to: acmasg@singnet.com.sg or call 64749184 (Mon-Fri, 1-5pm). Download the Registration Rules and Form here.

Unfortunate News About Asrama

2008-06-03T00:03:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

(Translated in English:)

On June 2 at 3 am, the boys dorm caught on fire. One of the boys hadwoken up at 2:30 am and read a book using an oil lamp. He fell asleep and the book must have fallen on the lamp which subsequently could have knocked it off against the mattress. The mattress and the book caught on fire. He and other boys woke up.

The people who live in the community helped to put the fire out. The dorm where the boys sleep (sleeping room) has been damaged heavily. We are going to need to tear it down because the foundation is not strong and the elevation is too low causing it to be flooded frequently.

Today, Chandra and I are going to estimate the cost to rebuild the dorm.See attached for pictures that I took yesterday.

Thank you. Please pray for us.

Shalom,
Fr. Yance

Teaser Photos of Rempang May 2008

2008-05-14T22:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters

35 of us from various Parishes and religious denominations, made it to Rempang this trip together with 14 from the Singapore Catholic Medical Guild on the first day and 12 Medical students from the Duke-NUS Medical School on the 3rd day who provided medical care and health education, respectively, to the children and the local community in Rempang.

The members in our team comprised the young and the eldest at 67.

The parents of the children and local community showed up in numbers to work alongside with us digging drainage, land filling and river clearing among other works.

We all experienced the same warm hospitality and kindness from the community and children accorded to us in previous visits.

Many of us went with the primary objective of helping Rempang but realized at the end of the trip that the friendship we built and the love we experienced during our 4 days there were more important.

Meanwhile, Happy Pentecost and remember it’s back to the Angelus Prayer from now.
Edmund

Reply from Asrama Rempang

2008-05-13T22:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Edmund and Carol,
Thank you for your beautifull and touching email. Idon't know how to express my feeling in good English. Your team make a good impact for our community and forour children.
I hope that our living God will give your team andyour families His loving grace.
Best regards,Fr. Yance.
Hi!

Thanks a lot for your help. As Father Yance told us during his homily it was great to see people who not just give money but who also spend time with us.

As you know it's more easier to give money than to take time to help and live understand the way of life of these children and people. We were also happy because we can work together as a big family to improve the conditions of life in this village, habitants, staff of the dormitory teachers, farmers, your team, everyone come and work in the same spirit.

Even if we are from different countries, different cultures with different language we are all the children of God, during this four days we speak the same language which can be understand by all: the language of heart.

Thanks to everyone of you.

Take care and see you soon.
Myo

Letter to Asrama, Rempang

2008-05-11T22:01:00.000-07:00
A week has passed since our trip to Rempang and some of our team members are still talking about it. We are all grateful to have had the opportunity to work at the Asrama together with the local community and to get to know everyone and the children better.

It was really great to see everyone extending a hand to improve the living conditions for the children at the Asrama.

We were wonderfully surprised by the ceremony of the tree planting and release of the fish on the last day. It was indeed the highlight of our trip which all of us will remember for a long time as it marks the friendship we all share with everyone at Rempang over the years.

On behalf of the Team, we wish to convey our sincere thanks and gratitude for allowing us to come to Rempang and the warm hospitality shown to each one of us during our 4 days there.
Everyone in our team was indeed touched by our experience and as one of the team members put it, “it has been a privilege to be a small part of the children’s lives”.

With Love and Gratitude
Carol & Edmund
Rempang Mission Outreach Team

May 2008 Rempang Trip through the eyes of Gerry

2008-05-08T00:05:00.000-07:00
We needed "man-power" for our May 2008 trip. We had land filling to do, drains to build, etc., so I set out in search for "victims" amongst my friends to get them to come help us out. I had expected loads of resistance, but was pleasantly "shocked" by their willingness to aid.

During a gathering at the Harley dealership, I sat across from Colin, noticed his muscles and was thinking to myself, "umm we could use his help, but chances of him coming would be slim" Without much enthusiasm or my normal "sales pitch", I casually told him that I was going to Rempang to help with a children's home that needed a drainage system cause it floods the home when it rains heavily. "Sure" came the steady reply. "Let me know the details". I was taken aback. I stupidly replied, "err....you'd have to pay for your own fare and lodging..is that o.k?" He smiled and said "Yup, sure...you've got my email address right?"

All I can say now is WOW. It was so easy for him to say "Yes", it took me ages to mull over whether I could make it, should make it or even for that matter wanted to make it for the trip. I wonder if he knew how his answer impacted me. We are so often called, but how often do we give a simple "Yes" Yes, I will be there, yes, what do you want me to do.

My second "victim" or should I say volunteer was found at the oddest place one would think of. A funeral. I had just been introduced to Mark and we started talking and I was telling him of my involvement with OLPS MOT. It was just about a week before the trip, and I figured, maybe I could get him interested in the next trip that we make. He was in the midst of his exams at SMU and said that he would consider it. I smiled. Yes, that was me a few years back. I understood, we all needed time to be "touched" to do mission.

A couple of days later, I received his details to confirm that he would be making the trip. Well, there was no backing out from it now. I had considered not going for this trip, my funds as well as my spirits were low, but I guess looking back now, God works in mysterious ways and He always has a plan for us.

Early Labour Day morning at 5.30am!!!!! (sorry just had to emphasize), I had a pleasant wake-up call from my cousin Denise, telling me to "rise and shine" and if I wanted to come over for bacon and eggs she was cooking for her mom, my Aunt Thelma who was going for the trip with me. I thanked her but declined, quickly getting ready and headed down stairs for my much needed caffeine fix.

I was greeted like a celebrity by the hawkers. They all readily cheered "Good Morning!!!" grinning from ear to ear. Obviously, this would be the first time they've seen me before noon. I managed to get my Kopi 'O' and 6 small cheese buns for $3.20, chuckling to myself, that when I was younger, I could have gotten 2 roti pratas and my coffee for under a dollar (roti prata with egg, if I had brought my own egg). As my fellow "knights" drove their chariot to pick me up, it was soon off to do our MISSION.

I dreaded the ferry ride to Batam, recalling the countless times my sea-sickness made me so violently ill. But lo and behold...the trip turned out to be smooth sailing all the way. I made it ashore without ever feeling the slightest bit off. Thank you God! You have no idea how grateful I am!

There were 34 of us who were to stay throughout the 4 days and 19 medical personnel only for the day. The medical personnel would have to see an estimated 130 odd children in less than half a day. There was a flood drain to be dug up and bricked, a landfill to be taken care of, a reinforcement of the riverbank to be done, the river to be cleared (based on past experience, not an easy task), dormitories had to be cleaned, beds to be aired, health talks to be given, 130 odd children to be de-loused. The enormous workload ahead of us seemed insurmountable.

As the first bus rolled into the compound, the crew so hyped-up and ready, rolled up their sleeves and attacked the "mountain" head on. By lunch time, the majority of the children had been seen by the medical group and were awaiting for the pharmacist for their prescription. The majority of the children, had the de-lousing solution in their heads, waiting for the next day where their hairs would be combed through. Each and every carefully laid-out plan that our "fearless leaders" had, was executed with gusto by the crew.

Soon day 1 was over. The medical crew headed home while, the other weary bodies headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

The next morning, after mass, with a re-newed spirit, we tackled that "mountain" once again. The intense heat from the sun burnt down upon us, causing fatigue to set in early, but with team spirit and a joy that came from within, while we worked hand-in-hand with the villagers who had come together as a community, we were able to surmount the insurmountable!

On the last day, as we strolled around to look at what was accomplished, we were filled with a sense of awe and gratitude ;

a) the flood drain was up - most parts of the way
b) the back drainage done up, worked well
c) the well area cemented
d) river cleared
e) fruit trees planted
f) tapioca plants planted
g) pond nets erected
h) fishes rearing
i) dormitories cleaned and smelling fresh

Highlights of the trip included

i) celebrating Fr Henri's 80th birthday!
ii) children remembering some of us and talking more readily
iii) children looking healthier and happier
iv) everyone in the team getting to know each other better
v) laughter and cheers throughout the days we were there
vi) the community working together as one unit

As I am writing this, I am asking myself, what did I take back from this experience? I have taken back so much from this trip that I cannot adequately convey.

Just for starters, the comforting knowledge that God knows me all too well. He knew I needed this trip to re-evaluate my growing closer to Him and not wandering too far off.

The support of those who did not come for this trip. Denise who woke up so early to prepare breakfast for her mom, Jill who stayed up all night so she could see me off, the prayers and well wishes of the various groups.

The indescribable feeling of the children and the villagers asking after the volunteers who had come before, that they remember us and appreciate us.

It is beyond my comprehension, the ways that I as one person was able to touch not only the lives of the children and villagers there, but also the people who I sought out to help us on this trip, the people who were with me on this trip and vice versa. How all of these people have touched my life and transformed me as a person. The wonder of the Holy Spirit flowing amongst us!

I am in awe!

Sacrifice-Bob Fitts- With lyrics.

2008-04-01T23:27:00.001-07:00

Wonder what she is saying?

2008-04-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

Upcoming Mission Trip to Rempang 1st to 4th May 2008

2008-03-12T23:09:00.000-07:00
We will plan for the following the work to be accomplished:

1. Drainage
2. Reinforcement of the river banks to prevent erosion
3. Set up perimeter fence around the Asrama
4. Medical treatment - Head lice, follow-up on scabies and skin problems, dental and general health screening.
5. Establishing a health supplement formula for the children at the home to battle under nutrition

Those interested in assisting, please email us at olpsmission@yahoo.com.sg

Write up in Emirates In-house magazine

2008-02-26T22:41:00.000-08:00

Emirates Airline Foundation brings cheer to the less fortunate in Asia

The Emirates Airline Foundation has been bringing smiles to disadvantaged children, youths, elderly and hospital patients in various parts of Asia, including Indonesia.

Indonesia
Children and youths in neighbouring Indonesia were similarly delighted with a donation of 100 blankets and 200 activity books.

The colourful and comfortable blankets were donated to the Asrama Putra Santo Tarsisius, a boarding house located in Batu Kuching, Tanjung Pinang on the Island of Bintan, Indonesia. Built by a French priest, Friar Henri Jourdain, to provide accommodation for economically disadvantaged students aged 13 to 18 years old who studied in schools in Tanjung Pinang, the boarding house relies on boarding fees, donations from benefactors and frugal expense management to run itself, as the local parish is not able to contribute financially to support the running of Asrama.

Meals are typically a modest affair, comprising rice, vegetables and fish. Chicken is served once a week in place of fish, while recreational activities are usually a trip to the nearby Trikora Beach on a Sunday afternoon.

The fun and educational activity books went to the children of Santa Ignatius Lolyola Elementary School in Rempang, south of Indonesia’s Batam Island. A school set up by the Catholic Diocese for the children of low-income families in the area, the school is managed by nuns and professional school teachers. Living conditions at the school’s dormitory and facilities are modest – their source of water is from an open well, while electricity from a diesel generator operates for a limited period at night. Cooking is done using firewood collected from the surroundings.

Rempang Update

2008-02-17T21:20:00.000-08:00
Dear Brothers and Sisters

As your work, effort and contributions have brought about the completion of another phase in the lives of the children at Rempang, I thought you may want to see what the Asrama Rempang now looks like after the addition of the new dormitory and completion of the land fill.

There was some cost savings from the construction so they were able to add a fish pond which will rear fish to put food on the table for better nourishment of the children and partly finance the setting up of a perimeter fence around the compound.

There is now another reason for the children to look forward coming back to school after the holidays.

God bless and have a Chinese Lunar New Year filled with joy, love, and blessings.

Jesus Loves You.

Pictures of blankets donated to Tanjung Pinang from Emirates Airlines

2008-02-17T20:42:00.000-08:00

A Different Approach To Fasting

2008-02-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

A note from the Sisters of Carmel for us to start the New Year.

2008-01-03T18:55:00.000-08:00
My dear Edmund & Carol Lee, Adeline Ng, Joshua Symons, Alex & Ann Budiman, Karen Ho, Alicia Chu, Keith Chu, Andrina Saverias, Leonard Omar, Audrey Heyzer, Linda Lim, Bernice Conceicao, Lynette Chow, Clement, Melissa, Felicia, Zachary, Marion Thien, Danny, Virginia, Tiffany Khoo, Maurice Lim, Darren Ee, Mike Shelley, Dudley Ryan, Natalie Yap, Eddie & Winnie Choo, Nicholas Chua, Edward Tham, Paul Ng, Eric & Elizabeth Boon, Patrick Chua, Elwyn Lee, Regina Lim , Esther Chua, Sabrina Lee, Ethan Ong, Stephen Poh, Gabriel & Naomi & Joshua Gan, Steven Lau, Gerry Tan, Sylvia Especkerman, Heather Seow, Terry & Tammy Chia, Imelda Suryadarma, Thelma Sequeira, James & Scmichael & Schnell, Ugene Teo, Janice Rodrigues, Vicu Ralphs, John Chua, Zachary Chew,

A Big THANK YOU for each and everyone for during our renovation! We are thankful and touched by your staying at our side during such an ‘unusual period’ of time for your help in many ways and I also want to thank you profusely for your prayers and concern for Sr Agnes and myself during our treatments. Only God knows how much you have helped us and how grateful we are for all the good works you had done for us. “I thank my God, each time I think of you, and I will pray for you, I pray with joy!”

May the Lord bless you abundantly and shower you with His peace, love and joy for the coming Year! May you walk with Jesus daily with faith, trust and hope!

You are always in our hearts and prayers.

A Merry Christmas and a happy and blessed New Year 2008!

United in prayers,
Sr Francisca, OCD and all the sisters

Catholic News 23 December 2007

2007-12-23T21:53:00.000-08:00

Carmel Sisters Humour

2007-12-10T21:46:00.000-08:00
I just loved the cover of the mass booklet. Realised that during the quick slide show, many might miss it. Take a look at the wheel barrow! LOL

Inauguration Mass Of Carmel Of Christ The King

2007-12-09T01:33:00.000-08:00

There were showers of blessings through out the whole morning as people made their way to celebrate the inaugural mass at the chapel of Carmel Of Christ The King. There was a long line of cars of eager Catholics, parked along the small slip road leading up to the Monastery. I have to say, we Catholics have very skilled drivers amongst us!

The congregation, despite the weather, were in high spirits as they waited patiently for mass to start. Young, old, families, single, all cheerful and all helping one another to available seats. Seats that were wet from the rain, some helpers took out rags and hankies to wipe for each other.

As the mass began, the rain started to pour a little harder and started to beat through openings in the tentage put up. Some used initiative "protection" against the rain. (See picture..lady with file on head)

It is quite something to celebrate Mass out in the gardens of the Carmalite Monastery. The air was perfumed with a mixture of the rain and flowers. The air was cool and the gentle sprays of the rain felt like little kisses on the skin.

Seated next to me was a family that touched me so much, I felt my heart glow. When it came time to exchange offerings of peace, the youngest girl, probably about 3, turned to look up to her father and her eyes filled with love called out "Peace be with you daddy" and she lifted her head to kiss her father gently on the lips. She followed the same with her mother, her sister and her brother.

After mass ended, the sisters through the windows of their private chapel, said a few words of thanks to all those who came for mass and for all who had helped in the whole process of the renovations. Our very own Joan Lee was one of the architects involved and our Mark Foo's father, Mr Paul Foo, headed the overall renovations!

We were all invited to stay for some refreshments (the mee siam was shiok!!!) and say a few words to the sisters.

All I can say, I left the premises with joy in my heart!

P.S. Sorry about the unsteady video footage...but at least got a little snippet la!

Carmel Sisters Mass on 9th December

2007-11-25T21:26:00.001-08:00
A Mass and blessing of the Monastery will be held in the week following on 9 Dec at 10.00 am. It will be celebrated by the Archbishop Nicholas Chia in the Carmel Chapel located outside the cloistered area of the Monastery. This occasion is open to all so you may bring your family, relatives and friends.

After the Mass, the Sisters will return to their life of solitude and prayer behind the closed doors of the Monastery.

Carmalites Move

2007-11-17T03:49:00.000-08:00
This morning saw a few privileged parishioners helping with the move. It was an awesome experience. The few sister that were there to help with the directions were friendly and so sweet.

One of the sisters explained their daily routines throughout the week, and as we sat there, we were in awe.

The sisters' home is set in a beautiful compound, where the main garden area (which is huge) is tended by one of the sister herself. Loads of pictures were taken so please do take a look. It is self explanatory.

We were in high spirits as we started our work, which lasted throughout the day. There were very slight showers of blessings, I think God knew we were doing His work, hence He cooled down the atmosphere for us!

We had a little fun poked at the guys. They were told that they needed to collect a 2 door refrigerator, so 5 strong men took off in the van to help bring it over. Here is the picture of the fridge that took 5 men to carry it.

Carmalite Sisters Moving Back In

2007-10-22T01:47:00.000-07:00
HELP NEEDED!!!!

We have the main responsibility to help the Carmelite Sisters move back to their Bukit Teresa Home, expected to be ready mid-November 2007.

Help is need, please leave name, email and contact number and we will be in touch once the contractor can confirm the move dates!

Request for Prayers

2007-10-01T00:35:00.001-07:00
Dear All

Pse offer up your prayers for the healing of Sr Agnes of the Carmel Sisters who went for an operation last week to remove a tumor in her ovary. The operation was successful but the tumor was malignant and in its third stage. She is discharging from the hospital today.

Since this year when the Carmel Sisters heard of our mission outreach, they have been with us in their prayers in every one of our activities.

Thank you.

Has anyone told you....

2007-09-25T00:42:00.000-07:00
that you are truly loved?

PC Recycling Project is on the way...woo hooo!

2007-09-21T00:56:00.000-07:00
taken from an internal email :

As you requested for your accounting records ....Thanks for helping me with the delivery & setting up of the PCs for the following two families on Fri nite.

1. *************** Blk *** Chai Chee Road #0*-****
2. *************** Blk ** Chai Chee Road #0*-***.

The names of the children are those you met that night & whom you gave your mobile number to. Again, you & I saw how much they appreciated this. Thanks again - this project HELPS families.

God Bless

of course I've blocked the names and addresses la, for obvious reasons

Winning Team

2007-09-15T05:30:00.000-07:00
Dear all,

I want to share good news to all of you. Our Children in Rempang won the competition, recently. They will represent Rempang for the competition in Batam......

Well, they surely make us very proud.

God bless....
William

PC Recyle Project

2007-09-05T00:26:00.000-07:00

Dear PC Recycle Team, Brothers and Sisters

The Canossaville Children's Home has requested assistance set up at their premises, the 20 PCs they will collect from Singapore Polytechnic.
Details of the work to be done will come later but I would like to know the availability of volunteers from among us. It will likely be on a Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon since we all have our own personal schedule to attend to.

If there are among us who are available on a weekday, arrangements can also be made.

If you wish to find out more about the Home, here is the link,

http://www.catholic.org.sg/canossaville/home.htm

Let me know soon. I think the teens will be excited and waiting to get working on the PCs!

Edmund

Rempang Construction update June 2007

2007-08-13T22:10:00.000-07:00

Letter from Father Yance June 2007

2007-08-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

OLPS PC Recycling Project Announcement

2007-08-13T00:55:00.000-07:00
If you have a used PC of at least Pentium 3 (purchased no earlier than 2003)and would like a Friend of SVDP benefit from it, please let us know via email or SMS and we will arrange for you to send it to the PC Recycling Team@OLPS

Que Pasa Event

2007-08-12T22:37:00.001-07:00

OLPS Kid's Carinval

2007-08-12T20:15:00.000-07:00
Dear all,

I was there yesterday at the Kid's Carnival and I can tell you that the FiNs that I met there were all having a ball of a time. The children (some were teens) were all lugging with them the prizes that they won - bow & arrow sets, hula hoops, toy, mini game sets and lots of bags of munchies. But more importantly, they were all there having fun as a family together.

The 3 tickets per child / accompanying adult made it a luxury for them to enjoy themselves there. This is something they don't usually have the priviledge of having. I would like to echo what Yvonne said to you guys in ther email message .... thank you for initiating this, spending time selling tickets and thinking of Bethany & SSVP.

God Bless you all & Thank you once again!
Stan

OLPS Kid's Carnival Thank You Note

2007-08-08T10:20:00.000-07:00
On behalf of the kids at Bethany we want to say a great big Thank You to all parishioners who have contributed so generously thus allowing us to participate and enjoy ourselves at the Kids Carnival.

A great big thank you also to those who initiated this idea.

May God shower His blessings on you all abundantly.

Much much love
Yvonne Yeo

Kid's Carnival Ticket Selling Fast!

2007-08-06T00:24:00.000-07:00

OLPS Kid's Carnival is coming soon! Just four days away! Yipee!

How cool is Fr Greg!

Forgotten Children of Providence

2007-08-06T00:22:00.000-07:00
They study at St. Ignatius Lolyola Elementary School and 60% of them live at the St. Theresia Dormitory run by the Catholic Diocese of Pangkal Pinang responsible for the Riau Islands. They are children from low income families living in the surrounding remote islands, wanting a basic education, in the hope of a better life. Without the school and dormitory, these children will not have access to primary education because of distance and the lack of finance, as their families are predominantly farmers and casual workers who cannot afford to send them to the government schools in Batam.

With limited resources, the Catholic Diocese can only provide one class for each grade from Grade 1 to Grade 6 (ages 6 to 12). There are 124 students attending the school, 74 of which stay at the dormitory.

The living conditions at the dormitory are modest. Water is from an open well and a manual water pump. Electricity is from a diesel generator which operates for a limited period at night. Cooking is with firewood collected from around the location. Food is simply rice with tapioca leaves supplemented by the occasional chicken.

The existing Girls Dormitory was built for 20 but they now have 29 living in it. The Boys Dormitory built for 34 has 45 currently. 30 more are expected in June. A double-decker bed is shared by 4 children. They sleep on mattresses without sheets or pillow cases. They also share towels and in so doing, share the skin diseases that plagued them due to poor hygiene, nutrition and their environment.

We are raising funds to improve the children’s living conditions. Priority is the building of a new dormitory, bedding and sanitation. Their scabies, head lice, malnutrition, infestation of tape and round worms, and other skin conditions were treated by a team of medical professionals in April this year, and it needs continued attention with medication.

We are also extending an invitation to anyone interested in experiencing mission work. Briefly, we are a group of Catholics from different churches inSingapore, who have come together to form a ‘Mission Outreach’.

Although itwas started by a priest in OLPS church, it is not limited to parishioners from that church or to Christians only. There is a core group and a larger secondary group made up of couples and singles especially young adults, as well as families, who come on mission together because they want to expose their kids to outreach and values of the faith such as compassion, service with special focus on the concept of a living faith, hence the Mission's emphasis on being "God's Love in Action". We are all created for that.

OLPS Kid's Carnival Project

2007-07-31T21:51:00.001-07:00
On behalf of all SSVP Members and or FiNs (Friends-in-Need), THANK YOU for all your time spent and the energy that you all expanded over the past weekends to push the sale of these tickets for us.

We have not informed our FiNs yet of this Carnival that they will be invited to but I can assure all of you that the children and their parents will have a great time and will be grateful to you guys for this opportunity to enjoy, makan and spend time as a family at OLPS this coming National Day.

ALL tickets will be given to our FiNs & their children. Should I have any excess - these will go to FiNs who are old & parishioners or Catholics or just our older FiNs - in that order.

Again, we are all grateful for this event and we Praise the Lord also for the generosity of our parishioners in making this happen.

God Bless
Stanley Lim President,
SSVP Conference of OLPS

Fund Raising for Batam

2007-07-29T23:55:00.000-07:00
We are organising several fund raising projects for St Ignatius Home - Batam for the following purposes :

1) Building of new dormitories (shortfall)
2) Buying of new beds (current ones are lice invested)
3) Landfill (site is next to a river, which floods and damages the buildings)

For those who have not been following up on St Ignatius Home, after two trips to wash, disinfect and paint the dormitories, they are now an improvement over the previously dingy and dilapidated state. However, the overcrowding has put the building of a new dormitory a priority, a challenge we have taken up for the Asrama.

Same goes for the beds and mattresses, we have de-loused and sunned the mattresses, painted the beds, but most of them are badly broken down and the mattresses badly soiled. The skin infections some of the children have are so bad, one of the doctors who went on the "Medical Trip" commented "it's the worst I've seen so far".

Landfill, is self explanatory.

We are fortunate that we have generous organisations who have donated their wares and space for this event, namely,

We have 200 JOOT straw bags, generously donated by JOOT to sell. And Que Pasa has generously allowed us to use their premises on the 18th of August between 6pm to 9pm to sell these bags!

We will be sending out an email blast soon...so stay tuned. But since you already know the date and time, please do come down and support this good cause or just come down and fill up with "spirits". Either way, we'll be glad you came, and we'd bet you'll be too....*wink*
Please click on the above link to get a sneak preview of the bags available for sale on that day. All proceeds from the sale will go to the building of the dormitories, land fill and new bedding. If you are unable to attend this event but would like to buy a bag or make a love offering, please email us.

Cheerio
Gerry
P.S. Que Pasa is located at No 7 Emerald Hill

Update : Tickets for SVDP & Bethany children for Kids Carnival on Aug 9 -

2007-07-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

To date we manage to purchase 105 booklets for the of SVDP and Bethany. We are in the midst of making a decision as to how to allocate these booklets. Thank you to all of you for assistance and we will keep you updated on this shortly.

Tickets for SVDP & Bethany children for Kids Carnival on Aug 9 -

2007-07-16T22:33:00.000-07:00
Dear Brothers and Sisters

You may already know that OLPS is organizing its 2nd Kids Carnival on Aug 9 on the Church grounds.

The kids and youths had a great time last year, especially at the games stalls, and so did some of the adults.

As the Church will be selling the tickets to the Carnival next week, we are also reaching out to you to give your support to this event. Not just in the invitation to come with your family but also to think about making a love offering to pool our resources to purchase tickets for the kids under the care of St Vincent de Paul and Bethany at OLPS. The tickets to be sold are $10 per booklet but if 10 of us give $2 each, at least two children can come to the Carnival, have a good time and meet friends on that day. And if we extend this outreach to the rest of the Parish, we can begin to count how many children can benefit from this little act of kindness.

However, to make this happen, we need to spread the word around and to set up a collection point for the love offering to come in. The most appropriate time will be during the Mass times in the coming two Sundays of 22 and 29 July. We can call this Project “Buy a Carnival ticket for SVDP & Bethany”

If you are able to help set up the collection point for the love offering either by preparing the posters or just being there to receive the offerings, pse let us know by return email or SMS to 98635329 and we will contact you.

If you want to purchase the Carnival Tickets for yourself and family or make a love offering to the Project, you may also let us know by return email or SMS to 98635329 and we will let you know where to collect your tickets or make the offering.

In the meantime, do pass the word around about the Project so that many more who are blessed can come forward to be a blessing to others and be God’s Love in Action!

Mission Outreach@OLPS

NASA and the BIBLE

2007-07-16T22:20:00.001-07:00
(got it off an email..ldon't know if it is true...but an interesting read)

Mr. Harold Hill, President of the Curtis Engine Company in Baltimore, and a consultant in the space programmes, relates the following incident:

One of the most amazing things that God has for us today happened recently to our astronauts and space scientists at Green Belt, Maryland. They were checking out the positions of the sun, moon and planets out inspace where they would be 100, and 1000 years from now. We have to know this as we do not want a satellite to collide with any of these in its orbits.

We have to lay out the orbits in terms of the life of the satellite and where the planets will be so the whole project will not bog down. Computer measurements and data were run back and forth over thecenturies when suddenly it came to a halt, displaying a red signal, which meant that either there was something wrong with the information fed into it or with the results as compared to the standards.

They called in the service department to check it out, and the technicians asked what was wrong. The scientists had discovered that somewhere in space in elapsed time a day was missing. Nobody seemed able to come up with a solution to the problem. Finally one of the team, a Christian, said: "You know, when I was still in Sunday School, they spoke about the sunstanding still......."

While his colleagues didn't believe him, they did not have an answer either, so they said: "Show us." He got a Bible and opened it at the book of Joshua where they found apretty ridiculous statement for any one with 'common sense'. There they read about the Lord saying to Joshua: "Fear them not, I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not be a man of them stands beforethee." (Joshua 10:8).

Joshua was concerned because the enemy had surrounded him, and if darkness fell, they would overpower him.So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still! That's right - "And the sun stood still and the moon stayed, until thepeople had avenged themselves upon their enemies. So the sun stood stillin the midst of heaven and hastened not to go down about a whole day."(Joshua 10:13). The astronauts and scientists said: "There is the missing day!"

They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found it, but it was not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua's day was 23 hours and 20 minutes - not a whole day. They read the Bible again and there itwas: "about (approximately) a day." These little words in the Bible were important, but they were still in trouble, because another 40 minuteswere still unaccounted for, and this could mean trouble 1000 years from now.

Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied manytimes over in orbits. As the Christian employee thought about it, he remembered somewhere inthe Bible which said the sun went backwards. The scientists told him he was out of his mind, but once again they opened the Book and read thesewords in 2 Kings.

Hezekiah, on his deathbed, was visited by the prophet, Isaiah, who toldhim he was not going to die. Hezekiah asked for some sign as proof. Isaiahsaid: "Shall the sun go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?" And Hezekiah answered: "It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; nay, but let the shadow return backwards ten degrees." And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz." (2Kings 20:9--11). Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes!

Twenty-three hours and twenty minutes in Joshua, plus 40 minutes in 2 Kings accounted for the missing day in the universe!

ChiangMai Silent Retreat 21st to 25th September

2007-07-12T22:01:00.000-07:00
Please let us know if you are interested to go for this retreat. We are in the process of booking for this trip. For more information, please go to the link under EVENTS.

Best regards,
Gerry

Feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel

2007-07-12T21:44:00.000-07:00
Dear All

The Sisters of Carmel in Singapore has invited the Mission Outreach Team@OLPS to join them in their celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel on Sunday 15 July 2007 (instead of 16 July) in St Teresa Church. There will only be 2 Masses for this celebration and they are at 2.30 pm (Mandarin) and 6.00 pm (English). Do come if you can make it.

Fyi, Sr Francisca will be discharged from the hospital today and she sends her thanks to all for our prayers for her and also God’s blessings in abundance on us all. Do continue to pray for her as she will continue her Chemotherapy until mid-August.

Carol & Edmund

Update on PC Recycling Project

2007-07-11T23:20:00.000-07:00
We are very fortunate to have ready volunteers for this project and a few people have donated some PCs. Unfortunately we are in the midst of finding a suitable "work" area where we can store and repair these PCs. Please stay tuned.

Please pray for Elizabeth's soul

2007-07-11T23:15:00.001-07:00
Fr Greg's mother Elizabeth, was called home to the Lord just over a week ago.

There will be a memorial mass this Thursday 12th July at 6:00 pm at OLPS for her. You are all invited to this memorial service. Please do try and make it.

Eternal rest grant upon Elizabeth, O Lord And let perpetual light shine upon her May she rest in peace.

God Bless, Carol

Please pray for Sr Francisca

2007-07-02T20:31:00.000-07:00
Dear All

If you recall, Sr Francisca, one of 2 regular contacts between our Mission Outreach Team and the Carmel Sisters, recently went through an operation to remove cancer cells in her lymph nodes and is now undergoing chemotherapy.

She was warded last week due to high fever and low white blood cell count. The doctors are still trying to determine the cause and with 2 more cycles of chemo until mid August, I would like to ask for your prayers for her.

Despite her condition, she has informed me that all of us are always in her heart and prayer. She and Sr Angeline continues to pray for our mission outreach work and have invited us to be united in pray with them through the Angelus Prayer – 6 am, 12 noon and 6 pm.

Edmund

Ps: let me know if you have misplaced your copy of the Angelus.

Who says Religion Can't be funny 2

2007-06-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

Who says Religion can't have a sense of humour?

2007-06-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

St Ignatius - Batam Update

2007-06-12T23:45:00.001-07:00
The landfill works is part of the plan which is one of the most important works that we must do in our school and dormitory. The reason why it is important is because our location is quite low, during the rainy season all the water comes onto the site and the river behind our site can not with hold that much of water and it causes flooding. The flood can reach up to the entire kitchen area and water closets.

So, our objectives are :
1. Increase the land elevation at the back
2. Widen the river and dig another channel
3. Eliminate the curve of the river by digging up a straight channel so the water can run smoothly to the sea.

In addition, the excavators to be brought in from Batam across the Batam Bridge , incurs a toll which adds to the cost of the works.

The alternative to lowering the cost is to do it manually, which the first mission outreach team from OLPS in June 2005 has shown it can be done when they dug out the stream to clear the choke. If we can find enough men and women to take this on, the Parishioners of Tembesi and local community are ever ready to work alongside with us, like they did in our trip last year.

I agree that will really put us outside our comfort zone but it allows us to answer the Church’s constant reminder to put our faith into action and to really show God’s Love in Action!

Edmund

Asrama - Tanjung Pinang Update

2007-06-12T23:40:00.000-07:00

1. Placed order for new beds
2. Purchased (second hand) mattresses for the boys
3. Purchase (second hand) sofa set to set up a general office for official work (instead of using the bedrooms of the French Volunteers as is currently the case) and to meet the parents and visitors to the Asrama
4. New refrigerator for the kitchen to replace the existing one that is out of order
Nicholas de Francqueville’s replacement, Olivier Dubois has arrived and will be going through his orientation. Olivier’s stay at the Asrama will be a one year arrangement and he will be working with Laurent Dricot during this time.
Nicholas will be returning to France at the end of August, after 2 years at the Asrama.

Carol & Edmund
for Mission Outreach@OLPS

PC Recyling Outreach

2007-06-12T23:37:00.001-07:00
We are in the process of working out the mechanics of this. So far, about 7 volunteers have stepped up to help in repairing the PCs which we are soon to ask our parishioners who have spare or unused PCs lying around (even some offices who are upgrading may want to donate their PCs...hint hint)

So if you guys want to help, please let us know. More hands make light work!

Revelations unravelled?

2007-06-12T00:34:00.000-07:00

Letter to the Hebrews and the Book of Revelation By Fr Ambrose VazAre we living in the last days? Will we experience the rise of the Antichrist, the mark of the Beast, and The Great Tribulation in our lifetime? What are we to make of these “end-time” predictions?12 Mondays (7.45 pm - 9.45 pm) July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, August 6, 13, 20, 27, September 3, 10, 17.Contribution: $30

All courses will be held at CAEC, Singapore Pastoral Institute,2 Highland Road #02-02, Singapore 549102Tel: 68583011 Email: spi@catholic.org.sgCheck our website www.catholicspi.org

Always wanted to find out more about Revelations, can never understand the book. So maybe this is a good opportunity. Love Fr Ambrose Vaz's talks. He is a Professor of Sacred Scripture (S.S.L-Biblicum, Rome). He has been a priest for 23 years, serving in a number of Parishes in the Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore. Fr Ambrose Vaz is currently lecturing at the Major seminary. I've attended two of his other courses and it has given me a passion to find out more about the Bibile.

Gerry

2007-05-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

PC Recycling Project

As we are already in an I.T age, and most households already have a home pc, however, there are families out there who are not able to afford a pc, and their kids need to be pc savy in this day and age.

Calling the Tech Savvy
Give an hour of your time at your convenience
to refurbish used PCs at OLPS for St Vincent de Paul.

If you are available, pse contact us at olpsmission@yahoo.com.sg
Or call [Carol 96732467] http://olpsmission.blogspot.com

So the idea is to :
Recycle used personal computers, through refurbishing and upgrading with parts from other used computers, for installation in the homes of the families under the care of the OLPS SVDP.

Steps to be taken
Invite Parishioners of OLPS to donate personal computers and modems to access the Internet that they no longer have use for because they are upgrading or have too many in their households. These equipment should be in working condition or at least can be reused as working parts of a recycled PC.

Those PCs of Pentium III and above can be refurbished and recycled in their entirety while those below Pentium III will have their parts (hard disk drives, floppy drive, sound cards, RAMs, etc) recycled.

The PCs will need to be housed at OLPS Parish or some place convenient and Project members, comprising PC enthusiasts, will roster their time to refurbish and recycle these PCs.

Thereafter, arrangements can be made with SVDP for these PCs to be delivered.

Periodically, any PC or parts that cannot be recycled will be sold to the junkyard.

Mission Outreach@OLPS

2007-05-14T00:15:00.000-07:00

Personal Retreat - Chiang Mai September 12 t0 19

What I need is for you to let me know if you are keen on a Personal Retreat in Chiang Mai in September. Looking at Sep 12 to 19. Why those dates?

Coz Tiger Airways has a $1 promotion to Chiang Mai at that time. Please let us know.

The retreat centre is http://www.carefor.org/7fountains/7fountains_en.html.

Looking at 3 days silent retreat, and 2 days of R&R (where we can talk and talk.....)

June Kelong trip - any interest?

We can go for luxury $130 somewhere in Batam (see pdf file attached) or $45 in Malaysia, 2 days 1 night (basic). Either 16/17 June or 23/24 June. Please let us know

Background On Health Problems in Rempang

2007-05-02T19:41:00.000-07:00
Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes that bite from dusk to dawn. Symptoms can develop as early as six days or as late as several months after exposure. Early symptoms are usually "flu-like", characterized by fever, chills, muscle aches, and headache. Cycles of chills, fever, and sweating that recur every 1, 2, or 3 days are typical. There can sometimes be vomiting, diarrhea, coughing and yellowing (jaundice) of the skin and whites of the eyes. For more information go to, http://www.medicinenet.com/malaria/article.htm

Scabies refers to an infestation by the small eight-legged itch mites (in contrast to insects, which have six legs). They are just 1/3 millimeter long and burrow into the skin to produce intense itching which tends to be worse at night. The mites which cause scabies are not visible with the naked eye but can be seen with a magnifying glass or microscope. These mites are very fastidious. They can only live off of a host body for 24 to 36 hours under most conditions. Transmission of the mites involves close person-to-person contact of the skin-to-skin variety. It is hard, if not impossible, to catch scabies by shaking hands, hanging your coat next to someone who has it, or even sharing bedclothes that had mites in them the night before.
Scabies produces small bumps and blisters in the webs between the fingers, on the wrists and the backs of the elbows, in the groin and on the knees, and on the buttocks - not every bump is a bug.

In most cases of scabies in otherwise healthy adults, there are no more than 10 or 15 live mites even if there are hundreds of bumps and pimples. Itching is the most common symptom of scabies and is insidious and relentless. For the first weeks, the itch is subtle. It then gradually becomes more intense until, after a month or two, sleep becomes almost impossible.
The "nocturnal" nature of this itch, emphasized to every doctor and nurse in training, can be misleading. All itching is worse at night, at least in part because there is not much going on to distract people from thinking about it. For more information pse refer to, http://www.medicinenet.com/scabies/article.htm

Note From Our Parish Priest

2007-05-02T19:39:00.000-07:00
Wonderful, Edmund. Send my regards and thanks to all the zealous "missionaries". May God bless you all and your families.
Fr Greg

Medical Outreach

2007-05-01T23:30:00.000-07:00
Dear Rev Fathers, Brothers and Sisters at OLPS, in the Partners in the Gospel and at Asrama Tarsisius in Tanjung Pinang

I wish to let you know that we arrived back at OLPS at around 7.30 pm this evening from our trip to Rempang safely and with a sense of accomplishment.

25 of us went and were given medical support from 15 doctors, dentist, nurses, religious and lay people from the Catholic Medical Guild in Singapore and from the St Elizabeth Hospital in Batam. The Parish of Tembesi, Maria Bunda Pembantu Abadi (Our Lady of Perpetual Help), who has been given the responsibility of the Asrama Santa Theresia in Rempang, extended a very warm welcome to us after Mass on Sunday.

The medical support which enabled us to treat the children at the Asrama and at the Santa Ignatius School, was timely as the skin diseases (mainly scabies) had already begun to spread to many of the children since our last visit in Nov last year, when the problem was first identified. The dental treatment given by the medical team will also arrest the spread of cavities in the children for the time being.

During our stay, our Team served as the hands and feet of the Sisters from the Jesus Mary Joseph Order who arrived in February to manage the Asrama, helping them with the housekeeping, such as clearing the rubbish and choked toilets (a humbling experience), cutting grass, leveling the grounds, all to ensure safety for the children when they run around the Asrama.

There is more work to be done from here on as there are 70 children living in 2 dormitories built for 50 and 30 more children are expected to join in the second half of this year. But our priority now is to pray for the healing and health of the children currently there.

On behalf of the Team I would like to thank you for all your prayers which have made the trip possible.

May God be Praised!

Carol
On behalf of the Rempang Mission Outreach Team 2007

New Beds For The Boys at Tanjung Pinang Within Sight

2007-04-03T01:43:00.000-07:00

The dormitory in an army camp looks better than the onesthe boys sleep in at the moment.

There are some very thougtful benefactors who are looking into sponsoring the beds for the boys. Please pray for this to go smoothly as Jesus will make sure it succeeds.

Water Filtration System for Rempang

2007-04-03T01:32:00.000-07:00
Our Technical Team has been hard at work trying to get the Water Filtration System Project a foot.

They are diligently working with Temasek Poly to make this a reality. The approval process for Temasek Poly to get the stuff together may take awhile, in the meantime, information of Rempang has been put together for them to peruse.

Once the approval is obtained, TP will require our assistance to facilitate a group of the 20 students to make a trip to Rempang and build the system.

Let's pray that this will materalize cause Rempang is badly in need of the Water Filtration System!

A great big THANK YOU to the Technical Team and Temasek Poly for the work you guys are putting in!

Lenten Prayer & Reflection Sessions

2007-02-28T19:34:00.000-08:00

Dear brothers and sisters of MOT

For the season of Lent, we would like to hold a prayer and reflection session every Saturday at 8pm commencing this Saturday 3 March, following the prayer format in the Lenten reflection booklet provided by our Parish.

Please mark your calendars, 3 March, 10 March, 17 March, 24 March and 31 March 2007. We are also looking at the possibility of doing a weekend retreat at Galang (Batam) for the weekend of 31 March to 1 April 2007. Details to be advised.

As our Faith formation is personal yet interpersonal, we need each other to grow together in our faith journey. So please do try and make it.

Jesus Loves You.

Carol & Edmund Lee
on behalf of OLPS Mission Outreach

Sisters Home Is Ready!

2007-01-24T00:45:00.000-08:00

The sister's home is ready, blessed and handed over to the Tembesis parish over the weekend. William Chandra, represented our community, OLPS on this joyous occassion. The Bishop of Pangkalpinang sent his no 2 to officiate the occasion. You'll be pleased to know that there are 2 sisters from the Jesus Mary Joseph Order to manage the boarding home, Santa Theresia already in Rempang!

Our brothers and sisters in Rempang appreciate our support and has invited us to go back.

May God be Praised!
Carol

Naomi Gan's Testimonial

2007-01-19T01:18:00.000-08:00

As usual, our family battled about where to go for our annual vacation. We are confronted with the usual questions – should it be the east or west, a cold or warm destination, theme parks or mountain retreats, the hustle and bustle of the city or a slow and quiet getaway to the countryside. We finally settled on New Zealand.

As the vacation days drew closer, I became more unsettled. It just did not seemed right. I have been telling Gabe that we should either go to a holy site or to a third world country so that our kids get to see the other side of life. Gabe, being the well traveled one, as usual, kept telling me that they are not ready and that the living conditions in India, Cambodia or Vietnam, destinations which I suggested, may be too harsh for us. Basic necessities like water and food would be a challenge in some of these areas.

I prayed that God would direct the way in our choice of a vacation destination. Lo and behold, within a week, I read in the Holy Family bulletin that there is a retreat in Thailand. I called up the organizer and found out that the retreat would not be appropriate for Joshua as he would be too young to participate in the spiritual reflections meant for adults. Just within weeks, there was a road show held at OLPS to recruit youth for a mission in Thailand. This time, only Justin qualifies as he is a youth and the rest of us were either too young or old to join them. I cannot deny that I was disappointed.

As if by divine intervention, Carol sent us an email informing us of the Rempang trip. When I called her, she said yes, the whole family could come along and that there were other families signing up for the mission as well. Immediately I signed up and paid in full before anyone could change their minds after I managed to convince them. I must say it was no easy task and the sense of skepticism was certainly in the air.

Having read through the testimonials of my husband and children, I am indeed thankful to God for giving us this opportunity to be part of this mission. Since our return from the trip, I don’t hear the kids complaining about food too much like they used to. I was amazed that all three of them wanted to go for more of such missions. Joshua wanted to sign up for the next mission immediately – the one at Tanjong Pinang but we were not able to take leave.

After all that is said and done, my thoughts are that every OLPS parishioner should go for a mission at least once. We took away from Rempang more than we put in. I found joy as a family doing God’s work… each in our little ways. The masonry work was back wrecking as we had to carry bricks in the hot sun and I am sure the digging of trenches for drainage was even worse for the guys. My kids and I have never cemented bricks or painted walls and ceilings. Certainly we will all remember the great time we had and of course, our strained and overworked muscles.

The people in Rempang reminded me that it does not take much to be a happy person. Both adults and children alike lived in simplicity yet there is always laughter and sharing of what little they had.

I was quite appalled to see the leaking roof in the children’s dormitories, the damped and sometimes almost hollow mattresses on which the kids slept, the broken doors which barely serve its purpose, the small portion of food each kid received at meal time and the unhygienic conditions there – all thriving on the one water pump which OLPS installed during the last mission trip.

I know the money the parishioners of OLPS donated to this cause has been put to good use. What little we have done has helped improve the lives of those at Rempang. We are certainly blessed. Let us continue to be a blessing to others.

Naomi Gan
OLPS Mission Outreach 2006 - Rempang

Habitat For Humanity Singapore

2007-01-08T21:58:00.000-08:00

Would anybody be interested?

Please register on line with Habitat for Humanity and let them know you are from OLPS Mission Outreach Team.

Last September, Habitat for Humanity Singapore initiated Operation Homeworks to help improve the living conditions of the elderly. The event brought much joy to the elderly as their homes were now cleaner and safer. Some also had beds and cupboards replaced. As we welcome the new year, Habitat is again looking for volunteers to help clean up the homes of another group of elderly.

Project details: Date : 3 Feb 2007 Time : 9am - 6pm Venue : Blk 61 and 62 Geylang Bahru

Volunteers are required to attend a training session prior to the actual event.

For more information about the project, log on to:

http://www.habitat.org.sg/volunteer/homeworks/homeworks.htm

To participate in this project, you can register at: http://www.habitat.org.sg/volunteer/homeworks/ophw.htm

If you are joining as a group of friends and want to be work together as a team, please give yourself a 'team name' so that we can group you together.

Registration closes on the 12 Jan 2007.

If you have other expertise like photography or videography skills, kindly state it in your registration.

Blessings, Habitat for Humanity Singapore

A Letter from The Bishop Of Pangkal Pinang

2007-01-03T23:00:00.000-08:00

Tanjung Pinang Mission Outreach December 2006

2006-12-12T00:12:00.000-08:00
The Mission Outreach Team to Tanjung Pinang arrived at OLPS about 6.30 pm this evening, all exhausted but touched by the Holy Spirit guiding us through the 4 days at the Asrama.

We cleaned their Chapel, the windows on the ground floor, painted the dining, study cum recreational room, the one side of the Asrama’s corridors, washed and painted the kitchen, cleared the choked drains, went to the market to buy food, brought from Singapore and cooked spaghetti for the boys, invited the girls from the boarding home next door to BBQ and a day at the beach, and had an open and frank discussion with the “management team” at the Asrama.

Although we were unable to put in more time for the prayers we had planned, we knew that He had an important task for us on the trip. We needed to spend more time with the boys to understand what we can do for them and the Asrama. And we were nevertheless, able to accomplish much because of the prayer warriors from you, the Partners in the Gospel, our CFC Household, and many individuals who volunteered to pray for this mission outreach trip.

The Asrama has the same challenges managing their teenage boarders as any such institution in Singapore except for the more trying environment. We left something behind to remind the boys of the outreach trip by OLPS and they know we stand ready to help them “fish” for themselves.

As this is an effort we know will require more than the resources available in the team who went, we would like to seek your support in making it work for the Asrama and His children living there. It will be small steps we take but we know it can be done if it is His will.

May God be praised!

Carol
OLPS Mission Outreach Team

Rempang, Batam Mission Outreach November 2006

2006-11-27T23:36:00.000-08:00
The Team arrived safely at OLPS around 7.30 pm this evening with the feeling of having truly answered His call to be God's Love in Action.

We upgraded God's Chapel in time for Sunday Mass with the local parishioners and families of the children, painted and washed the boys' dormitories making them sweet smelling, mended the leaking roof, helped built a rubbish dump, helped dig a new drainage, had time to make merry with the locals and played games with the children on Sunday, and most importantly of all, did all these in the name of Jesus everyday, with Mass in the morning, the Angelus Prayer at 11 am, praise and songs, and prayer reflection in the evenings.

We also had prayers for our mission outreach trip at different times over the past month from the following groups,

1. Catholic Women League
2. Partners in the Gospel
3. Family Life Intercessory

and also Fr Greg, Fr Fred, Monica Fung, Sylvia Especkerman and many individuals who promised they will pray for the trip, without which, we would not have been able to achieve so much in such a short time.We all felt that Jesus was with us and loving us every step of the way. It is when we let others know that we are helping them in God's name that we truly live out our Faith.

May God be praised!

Carol
OLPS Mission Outreach Team