Learning The Laws Of The Harvest

PHOTO: POH YANGZHENG

Chinese New Year gets members off to a prosperous start with a timely message on how to sow and reap a great harvest.

Chinese New Year came early on Feb. 12. At City Harvest, two services were held on Friday evening in lieu of the weekend services, as the weekend marked the start of the festivities.

Both services kicked off with praise and worship that included Chinese New Year tunes with Christian lyrics. Each congregant received a small gift pack containing two mandarin oranges and a pack of specially-designed CHC red packets.

Senior pastor Kong Hee shared a message on the 10 “laws of the harvest”, which was particularly apt as it emphasized the principle of prosperity during this auspicious season.

Contrary to what some think, “harvest is not a natural phenomenon,” he said, explaining that some rules must be followed in order to get a harvest of thirty-fold, sixty-fold or a hundredfold.

These rules constitute the 10 laws, including basics such as the simple fact thatyour seed must be planted. “God moves by faith, not by need,” said the senior pastor, hence it is not biblical to think that if one had a need, one should expect a harvest. As written in Genesis 8:22, without seedtime, there is no harvest. Also, one has to render his seed useless to him. “You can’t sow a seed and keep digging it up to look at whether it’s growing,” he describes. “When you give, don’t have strings attached to your giving.”

Kong expounded on some key points on sowing which were an eye-opener for the church. “Your harvest size is decided when your seed is sown,” said Kong. “When you don’t know how big a harvest you’ll need, always sow extra to get more than enough!” It is important to sow in bad times, so that when the harvest comes, it spells the end of bad times.

He also explained the importance of sowing in good ground. “Farmers look for good ground to sow seeds to get a harvest,”he described. “Would you put your money in a small bank that’s on the verge of going under? Be harvest-minded. Don’t go for the need of the ground; go for the harvest it can bring!”

Finally, Kong drove home the most important two points: Part of every harvest is for sowing again, so that one enters into a continual cycle of sowing and reaping; and never forget that God is part of every harvest. “Pray and bathe your giving in prayer,” was his timely reminder. It was a great word to help church members start the year auspiciously and on the right foot for prosperity.

Kong Hee’s sermon will be available on CD soon at Attributes bookstore or at www.attributes.com.sg.

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10 Laws Of The Harvest

1. Your seed must be planted.
2. You must render your seed useless  to you.
3. You must plant what you expect to harvest.
4. Your harvest size is decided when your seed is sown.
5. Your seed must be planted in good ground.
6. The harvest always takes time.
7. Maintain your crops for a proper harvest.
8. Always sow to your harvest size.
9. A part of every harvest is for sowing again.
10. God is a part of every harvest.

Little Big Soldier

There was a time when it was practically mandatory to watch a Jackie Chan movie every Chinese New Year period. Then, as he ventured into “I’m-breaking-into-Hollywood” mode, we saw Chan move out of that genre that was so comfortingly familiar into works such as Rush Hour and Around The World In 80 Days. Fans will be glad to know that they get their CNY Jackie fix—he is back and is now even better, as originator, producer, executive producer, action director and star of Little Big Soldier.

This is a story about an old soldier (Chan) taking a young General (played by Wang Lee Hom) captive, hoping to exchange him for a reward which will fulfill his simple dream of becoming a farmer, in a land with no more fighting. Captor and captive are pursued by the General’s power-hungry brother (played by Korean rap star Yoo Seung-jun), and as they run, they begin to develop a reluctant respect for each other.

Movie-goers expecting full-blown war scenes will be disappointed as the story focuses on the journey of the two men. It opens during a war that’s already ended. However, the simple and quiet story-telling style gives the growing friendship credibility and draws due attention to the characters— Chan’s older war-weary optimist versus Wang’s young war veteran. That it’s set against the magnificent landscape of China is another plus.

Although fans will enjoy Chan’s signature bumbling kung fu style, the movie also displays an understated maturity not seen in other Jackie Chan movies. Particularly enjoyable is the subtle irony that Chan injects at the end of the movie. In a seamless twist, he and Wang exchanged the lines they said at the beginning of the movie—signifying that they have come a full circle in their friendship.

Definitely one of Jackie Chan’s better productions. I would rank it alongside New Police Story.

Rating:

Bone Up On Love

Jared Lim signed up to be a bone marrow donor five years ago and received a call last year informing him of a match. He tells City News his story.

Jared Lim, a credit analyst, was initially unsure about signing up as a bone marrow donor in 2005. He had gone to a blood donation drive organized by City Harvest Community Services Association, with the intention to donate blood. While there, a bone marrow donor program that was being held concurrently drew his interest.

In spite of the uncertainty he faced about the entire procedure and what it entailed, he went ahead and signed up as a donor. Five years later, Lim received a call informing him that his bone marrow was found to be a match for a young lady who was dying.

“I was surprised to be the only match in the registry, especially since the patient and I are unrelated. The probability [for an unrelated match] is a 1-in-20,000 chance,” says Lim, 30.

The Bone Marrow Donor Programme website (www.bmdp.org) reports that every year, thousands of children and adults with fatal bone marrow diseases, like leukemia, lymphoma and other blood related disorders reach a stage when their only hope of survival is a blood stem cell transplant from a bone marrow donor who shares the same “tissue type.”

In a family, siblings have a one-in-four chance of being a match. However, with small families, this is not always an option. Patients are often reliant on an unrelated donor to offer them a second chance at life.

Lim personally witnessed a friend battle with leukemia before passing away at the tender age of 20. “I recalled visiting him and seeing him go through numerous rounds of chemotherapy.

“My friend could have been here today, with his whole life ahead of him, if there had been a donor who was a match. This thought spurred me on.”

So when Lim was informed of the match, he promptly went for a series of three tests. The first round required three vials of blood to be drawn for a high resolution test. This was followed by the second round, requiring 12 vials of blood after Lim was identified as a very suitable donor. After a series of X-rays, ECGs and physical examinations, and another drawing of four vials of blood, Lim was ready.

He opted for the less invasive procedure, a method known as the PBSC (peripheral blood stem cell) harvest. This
involves several injections to encourage blood stem cells to move into the circulating blood stream. The stem cells are then collected as an outpatient procedure and drawn from the blood via a blood separator machine.

The entire procedure lasted over five days. Lim had to travel down to the Singapore General Hospital every morning for three days to receive injections to boost his stem cell production. The stem cell harvest procedure began on the fourth day at the Haemotogy Centre—both of Lim’s arms were hooked to a machine from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The fifth and final day involved only one arm.

The entire procedure may sound complex and frightening, but Lim assures that it is not so.

He says, “The pain throughout the whole process is minimal. The only side effects were prior to the procedure due to the injection of G-CSF for four consecutive days. I developed flu-like symptoms and backaches but all these can be treated with painkillers.”

He adds, “The pain suffered by the patients is much worse.”

Lim says it took him only two days to recover from the entire procedure. Apart from feeling tired and weak, Lim says he was fine. He was also told not to lift heavy loads for a few days.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JARED LIM

His wife and boss both echoed their support for him. His wife, Jer Blinn, encouraged him to go for it, while his boss gave him a few days off for the procedure and subsequent rest, saying, “It’s great to be able to help save someone’s life.”

When asked if he would go through the procedure all over again, Lim answers without hesitation, “Yes, of course!

“By signing up as a bone marrow donor, you are the potential lifeline for someone out there! Don’t deny someone’s desire to live. He or she has dreams and aspirations to fulfill in life, just like you and I,” he says.

To date, the Bone Marrow Donor Programme has 44,000 donors in the register and they are constantly looking for more. For additional queries, please visit www.bmdp.org.

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The Bone Marrow Donor Programme

To locate an unrelated volunteer donor, the odds are one in 20,000—that person must first be on a register such as the BMDP. The BMDP is a nonprofit group set up in Singapore since 1993, with the aim of building a register of Singaporeans who are willing to donate bone marrow to those with blood diseases such as leukemia.

To significantly improve the chances of finding compatible unrelated donors, the BMDP is targeting to recruit 5,000 donors in Singapore each year.

Who may register as a bone marrow donor?
• Individuals in good health
• Between the ages of 17 and 49
• With no past histories of blood disorders or cancers

How do you register as a bone marrow donor?
• You can register with the BMDP at one of their donor drives, or walk-in at the BMDP office from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays to Fridays.
• Simply fill in a registration form
• Through a simple finger-prick, they obtain a drop of blood. Blood samples are then sent for tissue-typing and added to the BMDP register of potential donors.

Haiti: A New Phase Of Aid

CityCare’s Team 5 water purifiers, tents to Carrefour.

Contributed By Stephen Pok

CityCare’s fifth medical aid team to go into Haiti brought with them a new phase of help for the earthquake-stricken land. Team 5 left for Haiti right after the third day of the Lunar New Year celebrations, on Feb. 17.

Why the hurry? Late February is the rainy season in Haiti—thunderstorms can happen for week-long periods. After the Jan. 12 earthquake and the destruction of most homes, the onslaught of continual rain would make matters much worse than they already are, heightening the chances of disease and illness, and contaminating what little available drinking water there is.

The earlier teams to Carrefour had dealt mostly with medical emergencies. As these came under control, the priority of the new team shifted towards helping the Haitians to deal with harsh living conditions. Urgent needs included water systems to enable them to have drinking and bathing water, tents for shelter, and hand-wound lamps to provide light. These were the items Team 5 brought with them to Haiti.

“Team 5’s objective and intention was to provide water for basic sustenance, and shelter to the victims who had lost their homes during the earthquake,” explained Kenneth Sim, the City- Care personnel in charge of the Haiti relief efforts.

While previous teams comprised mostly medical personnel like doctors and nurses, this team included an engineer who was tasked with setting up the water purification system for the town. The system is made by Singapore company Hyflux. Team 5 also brought up more than 1,000 units of a filtration system that will clean up any kind of water, filter out dirt, and purify the filtered water to a level that is perfectly safe for drinking. The team also brought 111 wind-up dynamo lamps.

Shelter remains the most urgent need. “With the rainy season approaching, there is a need to house them within a safe shelter. We shipped over 551 tents for the community.”

Having previously sourced for tents after the Sichuan earthquake in 2007, Sim remembered that the China-made tents CityCare had procured before were less hardy than they ought to have been. The team hunted for a Singapore supplier and eventually found tents that were sturdier and met their needs.

“We saw the Haitians using bedsheets and banners for shelter. [Our] tents are made from waterproof canvas, and will be especially useful when the rains come.

“The Haitians have progressed beyond the earthquake, and right now their urgent need is for proper shelter that keeps them and their families safe.” At press time, the tents had just arrived by freight to Carrefour. “We expect many families to be able to move into a more conducive and safe lodging very soon,” said Sim.

While these new needs were being met, the medical professionals on Team 5 were also hard at work seeing patients.

“Our primary role is still to provide medical assistance to the community,” said Sim. “We’ve had former patients come back to have their dressing cleaned and changed. The conditions of those who come to us are not as severe as a month ago, because many have recovered after receiving their treatment from us over the last few weeks.”

While in other parts of Haiti, there have been reports of child kidnappers and traffickers already at work, selling Haitian babies and children, Sim said he has not heard of such cases in Carrefour.

“The new problems we have really seen are the need for proper housing and clean water for the community. We are working with a very reputable and reliable partner in Haiti. Every donation, medical, food or shelter, has been properly accounted for thus far. In fact, we have plans to set up an orphanage and we are discussing that with our partners here.”

While the tents are a triumph for City- Care and Carrefour, they are but a temporary solution. “We have to look into a more permanent place for these people. Thus plans are in the pipeline to build pre-fabricated housing which are easy and fast to erect, and can house whole families. We are also looking at rebuilding schools as many were destroyed in the earthquake.”

CN PHOTOS: Remond Delon Poh

Sim says that the Haitians in Carrefour have been effusive in showing their gratitude for Singapore’s help. “I believe the presence of the Singapore team has been a blessing and a source of hope to the community in Haiti. Many people there are now able to resume their normal lives and start working again. With the help rendered to them, they now express a positive hope and change for a ‘new Haiti.’”

One Haitian victim told Sim, “We are very blessed to have the Singaporean team to be here with us; we are able to have a proper home for our children.”

After Team 5, CityCare will send one final team to Haiti for this phase. For Sim and the volunteers who have gone into Haiti from the start, “this trip has shown us how humanity, courage and resilience can help one to come back from setbacks and difficult times. Our biggest wish for Haiti is that the country can rebuild itself quickly, and the lives of those affected by the disaster can resume soon.”

For more news on further aid efforts in Haiti, e-mail haitirelief@citycare.org.sg

Artists At Work

Chinese Church members display their talents during a cultural festival held in January.

Contributed By Low Shan Min

Over two Sundays on Jan. 17 and 24, members of CM2, a zone led by Leong Yan Chee, organized a Creative Cultural Festival. On each weekend, activities were held that catered to different age groups. The first Sunday was for youth, and the following Sunday for the adults.

Held in one of the function halls in Jurong West Stadium, the whole event saw more than 300 people thronging the venue to take part in the competitions and visit the exhibition booths. A plethora of services and products were offered and on display, from fashion consultancy to hair styling, even temporary tattoo drawing. There were booths that showcased floral arrangement, jewelry-making, handicrafts, as well as a health and fitness section which featured Chinese medicine.

PHOTO: Vinc Ma and Alex Ho

On the first weekend, there was much buzz and excitement as a group of young adults performed a hip-hop number for the opening act, followed by a newlyformed band from the Chinese Church, that played popular Chinese tunes as well as their original compositions. There was a short skit and a “30-second” talent search—where many undiscovered talents performed magic tricks, danced, played an instrument, sang, and performed an impersonation of Michael Jackson. Each performer only had 30 seconds to impress the judges. The organizers also selected individuals for a special makeover package, which included a catwalk down the fashion runway. There was also costume play—visitors could dress up as popular comic book and cartoon characters. In the second Sunday, the festival opened with a line dance performance, which many adult couples participated in, togged up in cowboy hats, jeans and scarves. The band then performed songs that were familiar with the older generation,
which included tunes from Teresa Teng. The program included a magic show, a beauty talk, a karaoke competition, a makeover fashion show and a cooking competition. The Chairman of Fei Yue Community Services, Lin Zhan Hui, was also present to give a talk. Special guest, Zhao Jing, a former comedian was there to host a program. He said, “I’ve never seen such an excited crowd; their friendly responses caught me by surprise!”

Joann Tan, chairperson of the organizing committee for the event said, “Many people may not be aware of their giftings, so we want to create a platform for them to recognize where their talents lie and use them to serve others.”

Christina Chow, one of the winners of the cooking competition, said, “I didn’t expect to win as I don’t normally cook a lot, so winning this competition was a pleasant surprise and a great encouragement!”

A New Path For Nanz

2010 looks like an exciting year for entrepreneur Nanz Chong-Komo. Discharged from bankruptcy, she is back in business with Nanzinc.Com, a website that helps women “do life better.”

Contributed By Wayne Chan

One of Nanz Chong-Komo’s most distinct features is her big, dazzling smile. The other is her height. The woman is tall. She’s a lighthouse on legs. It is impossible to miss her.

Chong-Komo shared her story, one that’s been written about in countless newspapers and magazines, about how she came back from rock bottom after her ONE.99 retail chain went bust in 2003. The magnetic business woman and former model said “everything happens for a reason.”

Born in Hong Kong to a jewel trader father (her mother is Singaporean), Chong-Komo moved to Singapore during her primary
school years. She had watched her parents work hard all their lives as business people, and grew up with their work ethics and business savvy.

“I always wanted to work hard and give my parents a good life,” she said. “I had never wanted to be famous or conquer the world.”

Chong-Komo made it big as a model, entering into the glamour industry at the age of 16. Her first dream was to marry a millionaire by the age of 28. Her early modeling days were spent partying at Zouk, during the crazy ‘80s. “I was enjoying the high life, working hard, getting famous, and growing my finances,” she said.

Although she was having a ball, Chong-Komo felt she could not be modeling forever and decided to open a 200-square-foot fashion boutique in 1992, called Klis. It sold beautifully-tailored office apparel for women.

The strong merchandising, coupled with Chong-Komo’s dedication to hard work and personalized service paid off—the business boomed and was sold for a profit of S$84,000 after 11 months. She was 24 years old then.

In 1997, Chong-Komo founded ONE.99shop, a trend-setting retail chain pegged on the concept of a “single-price store.” “I thought people needed something that’s value for money. In the ‘90s, one-price shopping was very in.”

This “value-for-money” concept took off in a big way in Singapore. ONE.99Shop grew to 12 outlets in three years, with a tripling of sales over this same period, from S$3.5 million to more than S$12 million.

Her chain eventually grew to 14 stores in 2000, making an annual turnover of S$14 million. Featured in the news every other week, and in 2000, married to a dashing Japanese - American banker (who is taller than her), it seemed Chong-Komo lived a fairytale.

But it was in that same year, in 2000, that her outlook on life suddenly began to change.

“People I hired were telling me about the Bible day in and day out,” she recalled. “This guy I hired talked so much about Pastor Kong, I sometimes had to tell him to stop.”

Unlike many who turn to God in their darkest moments, it was during the height of her success that Chong-Komo found God and became a faithful churchgoing believer.

People who inspired her to make church a key part of her lifestyle included the late Dr. Diana Young, the first woman President of the Association for Small and Medium Enterprises, who talked about Jesus everyday, said Chong-Komo.

Never a half-hearted person, Chong-Komo plunged straight into her new life as a Christian with the same verve and aplomb that she dedicated to her business.

“I never thought twice, even with my busy schedule,” she said. “I really got involved in cell group and even sent everybody home— one to Ang Mo Kio, one to Clementi, one to Causeway Point. ”

In 2003, along with many other businesses in Asia, ONE.99Shop was wiped out by the economic downturn triggered by the SARS crisis. Once touted as a high-flying business guru, Chong-Komo suddenly found herself a high-profile bankrupt.

“God probably already knew that I was going to be bankrupt,” she said. “I didn’t.” Crediting her resilience and quick recovery to her faith, Chong-Komo likened having God during difficult times to “walking through fire and not getting burned.”

“I was cushioned by the sermons, week after week, by Pastor Kong,” she said. “So I could get up and run again.”

Romans 8:28 is her personal life mantra: all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called to His purpose. “Every step of the way, out of bankruptcy till now, every bad thing that happened prepared me for today,” she said.

It was her early failures that contributed to her present success.

Armed with an arsenal of tough lessons, she hit the motivational speaking circuit throughout Asia, where she shared what she had learned from the fallout of ONE.99Shop. In 2006, she compiled all that she learned into One Business, 99 Lessons, a bestselling book that acts as a case study for entrepreneurs. The book has sold over 17,000 copies to date.

Not wanting to let her experience go to waste, Chong-Komo felt that by sharing what she had learned, others could steer clear of some of the spots she ended up in.

PHOTO: Jeffery Tan

Now, after spending six years producing three healthy children, and volunteering as District Councillor for Northeast CDC, she has decided to combine her business acumen with a woman’s touch, launching Nanzinc.com (www.nanzinc.com), an online self-help site for women.

A partnership between herself and the editor for her book, Theresa Tan, the website, which also offers an “online talk show,” is like an Asian version of the Oprah Winfrey Show, but much more interactive to suit increasingly net-savvy women in today’s fast-paced digital world.

Chong-Komo hopes that the site’s content inspire women and spur them to take on business, motherhood and other challenges with a renewed mindset.

“So we’re spreading a positive message that life can be good, at any stage of a woman’s life.” So far, the six-month-old venture is doing well, with advertising sales and sponsorships amounting to a quarter of a million dollars.

Chong-Komo said that apart from reaching out to women, the site has also won some male fans who drop by to understand more about the opposite sex.

The “online talk show” hosted by Chong-Komo—whose last major hosting gig was for the Seoul Olympics in 1988 for Hong Kong’s ATV network—features real people whom she personally knows and who are role models, such as retail business guru, Elim Chew, who used to be Chong- Komo’s hairdresser at Far East Plaza, before she quit the hairstyling business and opened the very successful 77th Street chain of stores.

Recognizing that expectations of Asian women are different from their Western counterparts, Chong-Komo hopes to address some of these delicate issues that are inherent in Asian culture, such as overbearing mother-in-laws and the glass ceiling that women in the region hit after becoming mothers.

Asked what the ideal Asian woman should be, Chong-Komo says that while she should invest in personal development, the ideal Asian woman should also be self-accepting, loving oneself and caring for others.

“We should be gentle-spirited. Don’t be too fast to react to people, have an ear that listens. And know that money is not everything.”

Log on to Nanz Chong-Komo’s website at www.Nanzinc.com.

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