Alumni: We came to the right place
When Baatarsuren “Baataraa” Buyanmandakh (Mongolia), came to Singapore in Dec 2012, he was “heart-broken.” His younger son, Munhuul, three and a half, had passed away the year before. He and his wife Zulaa have another son, Odko, 12. Before the tragedy, the former Mongolia Campus Crusade campus leader had already planned to go for theological training. “We want to build future church-planters for the 200 unreached villages and towns in my country,” he says.
At first, the Buyanmandakhs were offered places, with free housing, to study in the USA. “But after visiting two schools there, we felt that their teaching contexts may not be relevant to our future ministries,” says Baataraa. “So we came to EAST. As soon as we settled down, we knew we’d come to the right place.”
At EAST, Your Marriage Matters
Yes, especially for people in ministry, the health of our marriages matter. We must make the time and put in the effort to build up our spouses, and sow into our relationship with one another. This is how married couples continue growing as healthy partners in ministry.
Our faculty, Jacob and Josephine Li, are teaching the Christian Marriage course online where our married students and other couples in ministry enroll for a season of marriage-building. This course has recently been offered with the Free8Online promotion. As a result, we have a dozen couples from Canada and Singapore who have joined the course for an intentional season of building their marriage.
We praise God that the reach of this important course is now expanded through online means. Truly COVID-19 is not just a disruptor but also a teaching ministry accelerator!
#EASTChristianMarriage
Alumni Get Together (July 2020)
Recently, at an EAST Alumni Get Together in July 2020, we heard from the outgoing EAST Alumni Chaplain, Mr William Lim Aik Ghee, who gave us his farewell sharing and encouragement to press on. Hosted on Zoom by Ms Esther Tan, EAST Alumni Coordinator, those present then broke into small breakout groups for sharing and prayer.
See the Goodness of God
Photo: Matheo JBT; Design: Jonathan Yao
“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14, NAS)
In Psalm 27, verses 1 through 6, King David expressed his confidence in a God of whom he has had deep communion with. Then in verses 7 through 14, he turned from praise to plaintiff prayer of dependence and hope in a redemptive God. This Psalm has been known as one of “composites” with extreme high of joy and jubilance in the first half and thence sinking to the depth of sadness and near despair in the latter part (Pulpit Commentary).
Read how verse 13, as part of the ending verses, unify these extremes to produce hope in us.
Above all else, Guard your heart
This week, we are showcasing a devotional clip from Cru Singapore, narrated by the National Director Lam Kok Hiang who is also on the Board of Directors at East Asia School of Theology. He reminds us to, “Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). View his short devotional on video below or click here.
#SaturdayGoodClip this week is about Heart Renovation which can be messy and inconvenient. Clutter like distractions in life can choke our hearts. Take time this weekend to remove clutter, rest, reflect on everything excellent, praiseworthy and noble (Philippians 4:8), and renovate your heart.
EAST Library Catalogue
EAST Populi
National Library Board eResources
The Digital Theological Library
