For the second year, The Body Shop partners organizations to petition against trafficking of young persons. Here’s what you can do.

Contributed By Theresa Tan

The Body Shop Singapore and campaign partners celebrate 114,886 petitions collected from Singapore against the iconic city-scape. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE BODY SHOP.

Leila (not her real name) was nine when her mother handed her over to an “aunty” who promised to bring her from Nepal into India to get a job. But she found herself sold into a brothel, where she was gang-raped and beaten, and eventually forced to have sex with men every day and night.

Leila’s story is no horror movie. Across the world, an estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked for sex. Some of them get pregnant and die from complications at birth. Others contract sexually-transmitted diseases, or if they survive, end up trafficking other children.

Traffickers commonly source for children from Third World countries around Singapore: Indonesia, India, China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. Children in Singapore, on the other hand, have a right to education, live in a low-crime environment, and most learn theoretically about sex from sexuality education classes in school—not in practice, on the street. Singapore is what non-profit groups like ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for sexual purposes) and HOME (Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics) refer to as a “destination” country: every weekend, an estimated 400 men take a ferry to Batam to engage prostitutes, many of whom are under the age of 16, though few will admit it.

In June, Singapore was “upgraded” to a Tier 2 ranking in the United States’ Trafficking In Persons report, which means that while Singapore does not fully meet standards of human trafficking, it is making efforts to do so. This report may have ruffled feathers, but it is still encouraging that Singapore is off the human trafficking watchlist. As Pia Bruce, the executive director of the National Committee for UN Women Singapore, noted, “[this] reflects that Singapore is quite fast going forward to tackle this issue.”

Trafficking—a US$36.2 billion business—is a deeply complicated industry: some governments own the brothels that buy these children; and many of those who seek help from the authorities end up in jail for being in a country illegally.

From left: Eleanor Chin, Head of Brands & Values, The Body Shop Singapore; Bridget Tan, founder-president (HOME); Pia Bruce, Executive Director, The National Committee for UN Women, Singapore; Josephine Chow, General Manager, The Body Shop Singapore; and Jo-Anne Aeria, Values Manager, The Body Shop Asia Pacific

The fight is a long one, but one that is being picked up by more parties. HOME, which aids mistreated migrant workers in Singapore, including the occasional young girl smuggled into Singapore to sexually service foreign workers, has been active in rescuing a number of trafficked persons. Its founder, Bridget Tan was named a 2011 TIP Hero by Hillary Clinton for her exemplary work in this field.

The Body Shop has had a long tradition in fighting human trafficking. Its founder, the late Anita Roddick, championed the cause before her death in 2007. The Body Shop Singapore has entered into its second year of its “Stop Sex Trafficking Of Children And Young People” campaign. At a press conference on Aug. 23, general manager Josephine Chow revealed that 114,886 signatures have so far been collected by The Body Shop in Singapore. This petition is part of a 6.9 million-strong global petition signed in more than 65 countries to eradicate sex trafficking.

“The sheer number of signatures clearly demonstrates that people in this country really care,” she said, while Bruce added that a task force now exists in Singapore, made up of representatives from the Singapore Police Force and the Immigrations & Checkpoints Authority and co-chaired by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Manpower.

Eradicating trafficking isn’t going to happen overnight, and it is not the duty of one group but the responsibility of every global citizen. Awareness is the first step in the right direction. You can do your part by heading to any Body Shop in Singapore and signing the petition to stop sex trafficking of children and young persons. The Body Shop, together with HOME and the National Committee for UN Women Singapore, will be presenting the signatures to the United Nations on Sep. 29. Let your signature be counted.

You can sign the Stop Trafficking petition at all Body Shop outlets before Sep. 29.

Depression gets heard in a new book My Voice: Overcoming—A Journey Of Hope.

Contributed By Theresa Tan

Depression is a tough illness to understand—and an even harder one to overcome.

A chronic disease of the mind and body, depression is not just a case of “the blues.” Sufferers describe it as an overwhelming sense of hopelessness, and symptoms include fatigue and low energy, a loss of interest in most activities, suicidal thoughts, significant weight gain or weight loss, sleeping a lot or being unable to sleep.

The suicides of famous depressives like Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, or poet Sylvia Plath, or Hong Kong actor Leslie Cheung, have only further enhanced the “mystery” of clinical depression.

In Singapore, 5.6 percent of people suffer from depression, and in the world over 121 million people are affected by this mental illness. Yet, awareness of depression is still very low. But a recent book published is a good start to getting the word out—and greater understanding of depression.

Chua Seng Lee, who was Chairman of the National Youth Council Mentoring Steering Committee in 2009, has collected honest stories from people suffering from depression in his new book, My Voice: Overcoming—A Journey Of Hope. This is the third volume in the My Voice series, started by Elim Chew in 2004. Each of the My Voice books has served as a voice of an unheard sector of the community.

Sparked off by the shocking suicide of a young man he was mentoring, Chua embarked on a journey to explain what depression sounds and feels like. Among the people whose stories appear in this book are actress and entrepreneur Jacelyn Tay, who shares frankly about her rapid rise to success and just as precipitous fall after a business failure, radio personality Danny Yeo, who describes the harrowing feeling of being drowned by endless work with no hope in sight, and Jen Lee who was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder due to sleep deprivation, which drove her to have hallucinations.

Chua’s journey took him not only to people who experienced depression, but to the ones who have made it their life’s work to help depressives. His interview with Professor Kua Ee Heok, senior consultant psychiatrist at National University Hospital is enjoyably enlightening, revealing that mental health can be managed if the patient can be convinced to tell stories—a good tip for those who have ageing grandfathers at home.

Information and advice from experts like Associate Professor Leslie Lim of Singapore General Hospital, and heads of bodies like the Institute of Mental Health and the Samaritans of Singapore come packaged in narrative format, making understanding the treatment and the problems of the illness an easy task. Many depressives fail to seek proper help and manage their illness because of the stigma attached to mental illness, but active efforts are being made to create greater and more grassroots public awareness in Singapore.

Chua’s book (with a foreword written by President SR Nathan) deals also with caring for caregivers—many end up suffering from depression after looking after a family member with depression. He writes about his personal experience of grieving and finding closure after the death of his friend.

At the tail end of the book is a series of beautiful artworks by young people, much in the style of Chew’s My Voice series. Chua has very thoughtfully also included an index of helplines for people seeking help for depression.

All in, Overcoming is a fairly comprehensive layman’s guide to depression, covering what to look out for, how to deal with it, and where to get help, a sure step in the right direction for helping sufferers and lowering suicide rates.

My Voice: Overcoming—A Journey Of Hope (Write Editions, S$20) is available at all major bookstores.

Contributed By Theresa Tan

It sounds like an interesting enough premise: aliens landing in Arizona in 1873 and facing off with cowboys.

A lone cowboy (Daniel Craig) who cannot remember who he is stumbles into the town of Absolution, wearing a strange device around his wrist that works like a handgun. Before long, he discovers he is Jake Lonergan, a wanted gunslinger who stole gold bullion from the richest (and meanest) man in Absolution: Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). When Dolarhyde’s spoilt brat son Percy (Paul Dano) is captured by the aliens together with half the town, the colonel and Jake forge an uncomfortable alliance to save the captives. Their journey to find the aliens takes them through scuffles with Jake’s old gang of bandits, and a group of native Indians who help Jake regain his memory of having been captured by the aliens and escaped, but not before he watched his woman, Alice, burned to ashes.

Trailing Jake is a mysterious woman, Ella (Olivia Wilde) who turns out to be from another planet that the aliens have destroyed. Together they embark on a quest to find the alien ship, free the people, and destroy the aliens, of course.

Craig’s flinty face and complete lack of humor makes this movie utterly ponderous to watch—even more so when you consider that Robert Downey Jr. was the first choice for this Jon Favreau vehicle. Ford is the show’s saving grace, displaying flashes of his Indiana Jones panache even at the age of 69.

Buy the ticket if you’re desperate to catch a movie this weekend, but if not, just wait and watch it on Mio for S$3.99.

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Founders of City Harvest Church, Kong Hee and Sun Ho share their sentiments about the journey of the church to this point.

Contributed By Theresa Tan

CN FILE PHOTO

CITY NEWS: City Harvest Church is 22! What are your feelings about seeing the church cross this milestone?
KONG HEE: We’re both greatly humbled by what God has done in this church and through this church. Twenty-two years ago, we started out with nothing close to this many people. But God has certainly brought us a long, long way, not just in the number of years we have existed or the number of members we have, but in our strength and tenacity, our compassion to lend a helping hand to the less fortunate, and our spirit of love and unity as a church family.

It’s not been the easiest of journeys. Sun and I and the rest of our pioneering leaders never expected it to be. Any breakthrough from God requires us first to meet face-to-face with a wall of resistance. Although we have our fair share of “walls,” God has always given us the grace to scale over them.

What have you experienced in this past year about the church that surprised you in a pleasant or touching way? Something unexpected that gave you great encouragement?
SUN HO: Kong and I have always been a missions-minded couple. We believe deeply in the call of Christ to reach out to the nations and to give as many people as we possibly can a chance to say “Yes!” to Jesus. So in our growth and vision as a church, we have always encouraged our members to “find a need and meet it” and to build a “church without walls”; never to evangelize through “fire and brimstone” preaching, but rather through living lives that exemplify the possibility of a better life and eternity through Christ. As leaders, Kong and I have always tried to put our own needs aside in order to fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. So this year, after our situation began and the world started to crumble around us, it was very touching for us to see how our needs and emotions mattered so much to our members. Day after day, we would receive emails filled with love and support, with verses that spoke into our lives to edify and encourage us; messages sent through Twitter and Facebook; even text messages from former members that have left the church but expressed that they are still willing to stand with us because they believe in us. These are the simple things that matter the most to us.

What would you count as the highlight of this year, and why?
KONG: I would definitely count the move into Suntec as the turning point moment of the year. It surely brought up some of the most scathing critiques of our church and me from disgruntled bloggers! But putting all that aside, I don’t want any member of CHC to miss out on what the historic move into Suntec means to us as a congregation—which is God’s covenant-keeping faithfulness to us as a church! For years we have heard preachers and ministers prophesy that we will be a church for the city, within the city, and to penetrate the culture of our city. Within us, we always have a deep, burning desire to be a relevant voice for Christ in Singapore. Over 22 years, our members have worked really hard to take our creative arts, our technical expertise and our ministry standards world-class. The move to Suntec marked the culmination of all these efforts. Truly, this is a “New Day” for God to move in a new way among His people. Going forward, I am excited to see what He has in store for us!

Sun, you have been back for a year. Even though it was not under the most ideal circumstances, what have you enjoyed and appreciated about being home, being in the office, being in church this past one year?
HO: I’ve been on the mission field for so many, many years, and not one day passed when I was away that I didn’t miss my church friends and the work of the local church. So it definitely means a lot a lot to me to be able to be back helping out in the church office, worshipping with my closest friends, and being with my family.

You set the theme “Choose Love” for this new year. Can you share with us what this means to you, and what do you hope to see in the church toward this direction?
KONG: Like what Sun has mentioned earlier, we have always been a very missions-minded church. But for this year, we were given the revelation that it is important for us to “take time to smell the roses” too as a congregation—to enjoy our friendship, fellowship and faith together. God brought us together as a church not just to work, work, work but to worship, worship, worship together! CHC has always believed that we should love God wholeheartedly and to love people fervently, and the theme of “Choosing Love” is just to re-emphasize that among us. I pray that it will not just be a slogan for 2011, but will become ingrained into our ethos as a church to always choose Christ and to choose love toward one another.

What is your wish list for CHC this coming year?
HO: The house of God is a place where people find a deeper revelation of the Word of God, where they can encounter the Holy Spirit tangibly and through those encounters develop an intimate personal relationship with Christ. It is also where they find a sense of belonging and identity with others who hold our similar faith and beliefs. My wish for CHC this coming year is simply that our church will continue to be all these things and more to our members.

What would you both like to say to your church on this special occasion?
KONG: We would like to say thank you for choosing love. Your love, together with Christ’s, makes us complete. Let’s “Come Together” and make 2012 our best year yet!

This mother of two discovered blogging as an avenue to encourage others, make a difference, and win an award along the way.

Contributed By Theresa Tan

Daphne Ling with the stars of her blog, Kirsten (left) and Truett

“I started my blog three months after taking the plunge into full-time stay-home motherhood,” says Daphne Ling, 29. “At first, it was meant to chronicle my journey as a mom so I could look back in 10 years and remember all the heart-melting baby moments. But as I started writing, I found that it was a great way to stay connected to the world outside.”

Ling also admits, “While it was fulfilling to stay home with two non-talking babies all day, I was starved for conversation and blogging was a good way to use up some of that 20,000-word-a-day quota I had.”

Ling’s blog Mother, Inc was started in February 2009. In the short two-and-a-half years it has existed, Ling has used the site to not only share her honest views on parenting issues, but galvanize supporters for a good cause, such as a fun day for the beneficiaries of the Children’s Cancer Foundation.

Ling was awarded the Best Parenting Blog award two weeks ago at the Singapore Blog Awards 2011, beating out nine other finalists. Bloggers were judged on how entertaining and inspiring their blogs are, as well as how well they express and present their content. The Blog Awards is organized yearly by OMY, under Singapore Press Holdings. Judges this year included filmmaker Kelvin Tong and fashion designer Keith Png.

Ling with Dr. Tony Tan. PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAPHNE LING.

Kids and Clicks
The stars of Mother, Inc are Truett, 3, and Kirsten, 2. “They’re as different as two kids could possibly be, but they’re each other’s best friends. I’d say that most of the blog posts are inspired by the crazy things they do and say, like this one time when they almost got us into trouble with the police, having made numerous nuisance calls to 999 without my knowledge,” reveals Ling, adding that she received a warning letter. The blog post was wittily titled: “I’ll Remember To Blog When I’m In Jail.”

While every parent feels that their own child is the most adorable/intelligent/funny, Ling captures her offspring’s moments of strengths and weaknesses the way one tries to catch bubbles without bursting them, with all the swirling colors and sentiments intact.

“Truett is a sweet, sensitive soul,” she describes. “He loves his sister as much as he loves trains and gummies, which is an awful lot. Occasionally, he says that he loves trains and gummies more but we suspect that deep down inside, it’s probably the other way around. Kirsten is a free spirit and an attention magnet. She sings at the top of her lungs in the malls and runs up to peer at the uncles sleeping at the void deck. She’s usually the one instigating her big brother to commit random acts of mischief and rushes to comfort him when he’s upset.”

Ling, who used to work in advertising and media relations, and for a season was a volunteer editor for City News, writes well—her heartfelt post on the May general elections struck a chord with many first-time voters, attracting 5,000 Facebook “Likes.” It scored her a recent meeting with Dr. Tony Tan, along with other prominent bloggers like mr brown.

She credits her husband, Kelvin Kao, 31, a senior account manager in a public relations agency, for being her partner and chief cheerleader in Mother, Inc.

“My husband is the biggest fan of the blog, and besides taking care of the technical stuff like adding the Facebook ‘Like’ button, he often gives ideas, both topic- and treatment-wise. It’s definitely one of the reasons why I’m still blogging today, because it’s a commitment to write and edit photos—which I sometimes do late into the night—and I’m glad that he understands what I do. Also, he gives me awesome feedback on my posts. And by that I mean he always says that my posts are awesome, which is extremely encouraging.”

Making A Difference
In October last year, Mother, Inc organized Happee Day for kids from the Children’s Cancer Foundation. “Through the blog, I managed to get the word out and got a lot of support from over 40 bloggers who helped publicize the event,” she says.

“I also used the blog as a platform to get sponsors on board, in exchange for publicity. It was a risk though, as everything from the logistics to the venue to the different booths was entirely sponsor-driven; for example, we only confirmed the catering sponsor for 250 people about two weeks before the event. If that hadn’t worked out, I would have had to fork out over S$3,000 for the food alone! But in the end we got over 30 sponsors, so that was pretty amazing.”

Ling evidently enjoys touching lives in ways big and small. Her blog draws regular emails from readers. “From the onset, I wanted to keep it as real as possible, which meant talking about topics bloggers don’t typically talk about, and sharing difficult personal experiences I’ve gone through, like post natal depression and breastfeeding. And because of that, I often get emails from readers who share how they felt encouraged after reading some of my posts. It helps them to know that they’re not alone and someone else has made it through to the other side,” says Ling.

“My personal take on parenting is that it is a tough enough journey without having others judge you. A lot of parents have commented that they felt better as parents after reading my posts.”

Ling’s blog Mother, Inc is at www.motherinc.org .

Contributed By Theresa Tan

Tan with his eye-opening prize photo. PHOTO COURTESY OF TAN ZEXUN

Tan Zexun’s passion for photography landed him second place in the youth category at Montage 2011.

“I am always on the lookout for ways to improve my skills. Photo competitions such as Montage help me raise the bar as a photographer,” says Tan Zexun, 19, a second-year science student at Saint Andrew’s Junior College, also a photography ministry volunteer at City Harvest Church.

Montage, started in 1999 by the Photographic Society of NUS, is an annual event that encompasses seminars, workshops and a competition. This year’s theme was “What If?”

“This year, there were more than 2,000 entries, and I came in second in the youth category,” explains Tan, whose passion for photography was sparked when his father gave him a DSLR camera for his 16th birthday. “My photograph shows an extreme close-up of my mom’s eye. Using some unconventional methods, I managed to photograph an area of less than 2-by-1 cm without cropping. Because of that, I was able to clearly see all the nitty gritty details of the eye: the fibrous iris muscles and blood capillaries.” Tan’s intepretation of “What If?” was inspired by his fear of losing his eyesight. “What if people didn’t need their eyes in the future? What better way to say all that than with a magnified view of God’s natural creation: the eye?”

Tan won a Canon S95 advanced compact camera for his second placing.  “My mom joked that she had a stake in my win because the photograph was of her eye. She promptly took ownership of the camera right after the prize presentation!”

Award-winning painter Jon Chan creates a literary work that is his comic book, An Assault On Affection.

Contributed By Theresa Tan

John Chan with his comic book. CN PHOTO: Teo Boon Hwee

Jon Chan, 29, is a man of few words, but those few create deep impact. The former Anglo-Chinese School boy and LASALLE College of the Arts Masters degree graduate is no newbie to the arts scene. He was the 2007 recipient of the JCCI Singapore Arts Foundation Award.

Chan, who teaches O-level art at City College and a comics course at LASALLE College of the Arts, recently released a comic book, An Assault On Affection, which tells the tale of a young couple with a doomed love life. City News talks to him about the art of telling a story with not so many words.

How did this comic book come about?

It came out of a project that I did for Tickleart, a display of art works at the underground mall, Citylink. The original idea I had for the comic had to do with mass media and mass hysteria. Eventually, I settled on something simpler, something that I felt could engage people and not distance them. I was inspired by what Anton Chekov once said: “Every story has two poles: he and she.” My work was a way of testing what he was saying.

Why use the medium of comics?

Comics are unlike any medium and comics can do things no other medium can do. It’s not like writing, because in comics, the visuals free up the words so that what is written can afford to be less descriptive. Comics as a medium just feels right for me. Like David in the Bible, all that clunky armor that was offered to him to fight Goliath just felt pretentious. The ideas behind comics also challenge the way I view my paintings, I don’t want to make a monumental statement with them anymore, but to incorporate ideas from comics into painting.

What inspired the story of this couple? They seem to fight a lot.

The story really has little to do with traditional notions of romance. It was an honest attempt to question what is true in a relationship. Seeing many of my friends out of broken relationships, and looking at young people hugging and kissing in the MRT, made me wonder how much of it was true love and how much of it was like a game. So you can see this comic as a search for authenticity.

The other thing I was interested in, is how people struggle with differences in their relationships and how these differences can be so trite, but rub on very personal beliefs. Couples fight about trivial things rather than big events; I wanted to see if I could create tension between two characters, and that that tension could have some kind of universal appeal.

What do you do as a teacher?

I teach O-level art and comics. I try to help my students to be more aware of what is going on around them. I want them to realize that there is a value in making art: it’s difficult when they live in an environment where people view art as a mere commodity, as something easily purchased, but difficult to make—when in truth all great things come with difficulty. All the best clothes, the best video games were made by dedicated artists.  If artists do not recognize their calling the world would suffer for it.

What is your life’s dream?

My dream is tied in to the cultural mandate that Pastor Kong [Hee of City Harvest Church] talks about. I want to make a difference in the lives of people and to do this through art. But for me, art is not another piece of decoration that should sit comfortably next to someone’s sofa. It’s meant to change lives, to wake them from an illusion of a false life into a life where God is the only possibility. The Czech writer Franz Kafka said something that reflects my intentions: “A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us.” And I’m reminded of this everyday as I take the MRT and look at depressed faces, and I’m constantly reminded how important it is for me to make my art.

How has your pursuit of art changed since you came to know God?

I was raised as a Christian, so my faith was something that came to me gradually, but I have to say that coming to CHC really renewed my Christian faith. I feel that God has always been my best encourager. He’s always silently cheering me on, and the times when I am closest to Him are the times when I feel surer about my artwork, when my visions sharpen. I have to admit that a lot of times I have doubts about my work because of the difficult subject matter that I bring up, but He has shown me time and time again that the Bible itself dealt with these same issues. He’s also revealed to me great Christian artists and writers such as Dostoevsky and Caravaggio, and their revelations on difficult themes.

Through Pastor Kong, God has shown me that even Daniel did not shy away from reading the texts of the Babylonians and likewise I should not be fearful of reading books some Christians shy away from, as long as I constantly remind myself that God is my source. But more than any of this, He has often reminded me of His deep love for all people good or bad, and more and more I feel like I’m wanting to understand the world the way He sees it, to look at things objectively and subjectively at the same time.

An Assault On Affection (S$18) is available at Doinky Doodles, 33 Bali Lane (2nd floor) and Absolute Comics, 200 Victoria St, #03-13, Parco Bugis Junction.

Contributed By Theresa Tan

Three words: Ultimate Spielberg tribute.

Super 8 is a lovingly written and directed sci-fi thriller set in the late ‘70s that marries core elements from some of Steven Spielberg’s top-grossing movies: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and The Goonies. One of today’s leading names in film and television, J.J. Abrams (Lost, Star Trek) has stitched together a riveting tale of the sheriff’s adolescent son Joe Lamb (the doe-eyed Joel Courtney), a special effects makeup geek, and his friends who embark on the adventure of a lifetime one night, when they sneak to a deserted railway station to shoot a Super 8 movie for a competition. They inadvertently witness a train crash, but escape before the air force arrives to do a cleanup.

Strange things begin to happen. People disappear one by one, captured by a fearsome unseen creature. Cars are stripped of their engines. Joe’s little town of Lillian is soon beset with military trucks and tight-lipped officers, who start evacuating the townsfolk. Joe and his friends rush back into the town in search of their missing friend Alice (the brilliant Elle Fanning), and along the way, discover an alien that has been imprisoned on earth and is about to make its escape.

Under a lesser director, this movie would have become a spoof. But Abrams’ skilful characterization and powerful suspension of disbelief (both qualities first possessed by Spielberg, who is producer on Super 8) turn an implausible plot into one of the most engrossing films of the year.

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Walking by faith, not by sight—that’s what members under Chew Eng Han did at the recent BBG camp.

Contributed By Theresa Tan

The BBG campers, all refreshed and fired up, with CHC’s senior pastor Kong Hee.

It was a sight to behold: over 100 people at Hard Rock Hotel, Penang, with colored bandanas over their eyes, shuffling to the right and to the left, attempting to sit down without falling over. Printed on their bandanas was the theme for the event: “Walking by faith, not by sight.”

The Business Breakthrough Group camp has been an annual (or bi-annual) event nearly every year since 2003. BBG is one of the business groups in City Harvest Church. Attendees of the camp were members under the pastoral care of Chew Eng Han, and some of their friends and family members.

The venue this year was Hard Rock Hotel in Penang—its beautiful beach and enticing swimming pools beckoned the campers constantly. But the members—mostly busy business people and executives back home in Singapore—were more eager to spend quality time worshiping God and digging deep into His Word.

Chew preached for four sessions on four aspects of faith: the logic, pillars, stories and spirit of faith. He made a case for faith, without which it is impossible to please God. The pillars of faith believers need are God’s love, which bring strength; His Word, which brings vision, and His presence, which brings peace.  After sharing examples from the Bible of people whose faith impressed Jesus, Chew ended with a lesson on the spirit of faith—a child-like belief that God loves us and will keep His promises, and that we must accompany our faith with works.

The organizing committee had colored bandanas printed for all the campers which were used in “faith exercises.” One exercise—demonstrated with much hilarity by couple Larry and Nanz Komo—required the attendees to blindfold themselves and take a step (of faith) to the right or left, and sit down.

Campers blindfolded, walking by faith. PHOTOS: CHRISTOPHER PANG

The second exercise required everyone be blindfolded, and to focus on what God was saying, to attain a rhema word from the Lord. “Remember, whenever you are discouraged by what you see, take this out and put it on, and walk by faith,” said Chew, waving a bandana.

Attendees were further buoyed by the encouraging testimonies. Wendy Ng shared how she had been hit by a lorry and miraculously survived, by the mercy of God. But the accident left her with a chronic stiff shoulder and she could not circle her arm. However, after being prayed for at the camp, Ng felt her shoulder heal, and demonstrated to the room how God had given her back the full use of her arm.

The most highly-anticipated event at the camp was the session by Kong Hee, senior pastor of CHC. Kong shared candidly about the challenges he faced in the past year, and how the Holy Spirit forewarned him of difficult times as well as encouraged him about the future. He carried with him such a great presence of God that every believer dashed to the front of the room when he gave an altar call, each one hungry for a fresh touch from the Holy Spirit.

“For me the highlight was the inspirational and comforting message by Pastor Kong on the Holy Spirit, that He not only gives you visions and dreams but also warns you and looks out for your interest in tough times,” said marketing manager Jamshed Wadia, 37, who nearly did not attend the camp. “My decision to come was a last minute one, but it was so completely worth adjusting my work schedule for!”

The final day of the camp was spent building bonds among the members. Eight teams competed against each other in a series of races and games, culminating in a “BBG Rock Star” segment where each group unleashed their best rocker talents.

The finale of the camp was a barbecue dinner, with entertainment provided by various cell groups, including The Snooze, a video spoof of The Noose, which was by all accounts funnier than the actual TV show.

The evening closed with a birthday celebration and appreciation for Chew and his wife Janet, a fitting end to an uplifting three days.

Upon returning from camp, Dee Teo, 36, a marketing manager put into practice what she learned. “During one of the sessions at BBG camp, I was moved by the Holy Spirit to forgive and extend grace to one of my staff members, whom I thought was totally undeserving. My heart was humbled, and I obeyed God. Now, we have a totally different relationship: she was touched by the second chance given, and has been inspired to perform better.”

“The camp was good for us because it brought us closer to each other and also closer to God,” said Chew, 51, an entrepreneur. “Also, we have been reminded to focus on the theme of the camp, ‘Walking by faith, not by sight’, which is absolutely vital for all of us in the marketplace.”

Business leaders in China join hands with their Taiwanese counterparts to network and explore opportunities for the cause of Christ.

Contributed By Theresa Tan

The Singapore delegation with Zhao Xiao (in blue) and Zhang Jia Ren (in orange), a developer in Hainan, China.

It was a meeting of Asian Christians in the corporate and business worlds; three countries converging in Taiwan.

On May 1, Christian corporate leaders and business people from Singapore’s The Marketplace group traveled to Taipei for a week of exploratory meetings with Cypress Leadership Institute of China, led by renowned China economist Zhao Xiao.

This was the first ever business delegation to go from China to Taiwan. The purpose was the exchange of ideas and exploration of opportunities with fellow Christians in Asia. The delegation included economists, top government officials from China’s central government, property developers, and entrepreneurs from a range of industries: pharmaceuticals, oil, media, manufacturing, consumer products, minerals, mining, construction and more. As this was a historical event, it was covered by major Taiwanese media and press—Zhao, in particular, was a much sought-after interview subject.

Many of the business people from CLI are also pastors—their congregations comprise their employees. CLI was established end 2007, in response to the Chinese gospel movement and also increasing demands and challenges in leadership. CLI received a vision to be “a city on a hill, a nation of integrity, a blessing to the world,” with a clear goal of “empowering servants leaders to be salt and light in China through commerce, culture and education, to renew China and help her to bless the world.” CLI has about 5,000 members. Twenty-five of them were on this trip.

PEACE & PROSPERITY FOR TAIPEI

The Marketplace worked with New Life Church in Taipei to organize two seminars that week. New Life Church, pastored by Abraham Ku, is a 2,300-member church that is popularly known as “the celebrity church” due to the large number of Taiwanese entertainers in its congregation. “The Marketplace was looking for a strong church to partner with for our future collaborations with CLI in China and all over Asia,” explained Goh Yock Kiang, CEO of The Marketplace, who headed the Singapore group of four people.

The seminars centered around how Taiwan and China can create mutually-beneficial ties once they reconcile.

The first session covered the challenges and changes in China’s economy, including the trade collaboration between China and Taiwan. It is a challenge for China but the country is evolving and responding well to the changes. The future looks interesting, with China’s demand and consumption rising to equal that of the US and European Union put together.

Taiwan’s GDP for 2009 was -3.95 but by 2010, it was 14.05. This was largely due to the growth of China’s economy. The economies of China and Taiwan have become intimately bound to one another, particularly with strong investments by the Taiwanese into China.

Beyond pure investments, other sectors in Taiwan have also boomed due to the China connection. In 2010, out of five million tourists that visited Taiwan, 1.63 million were from China, and they brought in close to USD2.1 billion worth of spending.

All these swift and exciting developments present a tremendous opportunity for Christians in Taiwan to embrace and equip the Chinese who come to the faith.

Seminar attendees worshipping God at New Life Church. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE MARKETPLACE.

After the seminars, the delegation visited different companies and organization to network and exchange ideas.

“We met business leaders who are not only successful in their industries, but who use their businesses to glorify God and serve Him,” describes Goh. The group met many heads of big-name organizations.

The delegation heard inspiring testimonies of Christians in business. There was the story of Cher Wang, founder of HTC, who, according to Forbes magazine, is the richest person in Taiwan, together with her husband Wen Chi Chen. Hers was a story of forgiveness, prayers and discipleship; Wang has been unabashed in her profession of her Christian faith to the media. Wang attributed her success to a father who mentored her, a mother who prayed for her six hours a day, and godly counsel from her church leaders.

Following that, there was the testimony of the media tycoon from recording company EMI who spoke of his recent salvation and how being a Christian has brought transformation into his company. He created a new department under the company’s human resources arm, and this department’s main job is to share God’s love with employees through counseling for career issues, interpersonal relationship conflicts and management problems.

The general manager of advertising and public relations company Ogilvy shared on walking in truth in the world of complex public relations. Everlight Group is a listed Christian company that bases its management philosophy, products, mission and values entirely on Biblical principles.

The delegates were also privy to a special session with Pacific Construction. The CEO of the company told the attendees how he listened to God when making business decisions. As he shared, the Holy Spirit came upon the business people present—all were baptized in the Spirit. The evening ended with one of the province governor being water baptized at the hotel.

PRICELESS LESSONS

The Singapore delegation marveled at what they witnessed that week. “What impressed me the most is that the businessmen here in Taiwan really do make a difference,” said Ee Boon Kiat, director of Kianson, the largest composite wood distributor in the Asia Pacific region.

“They are bold in expressing their faith. They are not just businessmen who happened to be Christians; they are Christians who do business for God and use their businesses for God!”

As the saying goes: “God will bring the blessing to you if He knows He can bring the blessing through you.” Francis Kho, Ee’s co-director, was moved by the businessmen’s eagerness to give. “At a meeting with Good TV, the businessmen learned about the station’s commitment to bring the Gospel to China. Right on the spot, one of them made a bank transfer of S$500,000 to Good TV. Some others gave S$50,000 … they all raised money there and then. One guy said, ‘I have made a lot of money for God; now I want to spend it for God.’”

It was an eye-opener for the Singaporeans to see that successful business individuals could be passionate Christians who are eager for God’s will to be done. Said Wang Jiaxuan, of Asia Entrepot (a leading supplier of vehicle seating products in Asia Pacific), “I’m so encouraged that all this big-time business people are not only good in business, but they know the Word so well! They can preach and minister the power of the Holy Spirit. They truly are kingdom-minded—the kingdom of God comes before their business. In fact, many of them are pastors too.”

For Goh, “This trip has been enriching for The Marketplace. Besides the spiritual input, I am glad that the our members have discovered many potential business opportunities, and had the chance to make certain very crucial and significant contacts who can smoothen the process of doing business in China.”

To watch the reality of Christians at work, transforming societies and economies, is sheer inspiration. “The Gospel has its roots in China’s farming community, and then penetrated the intellectual community and the wealthy community, and now it has penetrated into the highest echelons, touching those with tremendous political power and authority,” said Goh.

“I believe we are living in a new day. When I was in China, I received an email from Pastor Pat Francis, who shared how as a pastor she has invested USD1 billion into Ghana and another USD1 billion into Batam through her company Elomax.

“Such investments are for more than just profit—they open a door to bring about transformation in a country. We are seeing servanthood leaders rising to be salt and light in China and across the world through commerce, culture and education.”