Initially, I contemplated on whether to share this but decided to, not because I desire to garner an emotional support club or pity, but so that many more fellow brothers and sisters can join in prayer for these beautiful children. There's a particular class I teach that I've barely shared anything, yet, they admittedly bring the most disappointment and hardships to my weeks. There were multiple times when I honestly felt like I couldn't do this anymore. One of the highest needs classes, they include students with Down syndrome, autism, and ADHD, all on top of being deaf. I often feel like I'm gearing up for a battle moments before I enter their classroom. It's also this class that really opened my eyes to seeing the ingrained sinful nature of all human beings. Despite their disabilities, some of them know all too well about pornography and sex. I'm also always on 'alert' mode to safeguard myself. Nonetheless, I praise the Lord for the opportunity to shape their worldview from the Bible's perspective. There was once when one of the boys constantly drew sexual pictures on his worksheet and wrote the word 'sex' over and over again, only bursting into laughter every time I signed 'bad' or 'wrong.' Yet, by God's grace, He slowly changed my approach to one that desires to instill in them Biblical truths. And so the next day, I asked him questions instead to understand where and why he watches porn, coupled with how he feels when he watches them. It hit me that sex is a beautiful thing that God has intentionally created in the sacred marriage covenant, and so gently, I signed to him that "when two people are married, sex is good, but when they are not married, then it's bad." He nodded solemnly. Once again, I share all these not to garner pity, but to invite each one of you to join me in prayer- oh how I pray that each one of these precious children will come to know the Lord. Despite all the hardships, this same group of students has taught me ordinary glory and a cup overflowing. Each small improvements, each quirky and cheeky behaviour, and each act of kindness to win my heart are all moments that bring an unexplainable sense of joy, as I come to realize that God's glory can be displayed in the ordinary.
I'm incredibly thankful for yet another opportunity to share the gospel with my P4 boys, especially after hearing about the incident where A scratched K. It opened a door for meaningful conversation, and I was heartened to see A asking thoughtful questions like, “What is sin?”—a sign that he’s beginning to reflect deeply. I took time to gently understand A’s reaction, helping him see that while he acted out of impulse over something he cherished (just a bag), there may have been a part of him that wished he had responded differently. I shared my own journey, how before knowing the gospel of grace, I too reacted out of anger, and that any self-control I now show isn’t from my own strength, but from the transforming power of the gospel. I emphasized the beautiful truth of a clean slate—that God now sees me through the lens of Christ’s righteousness. We also talked about the weight of sin and its consequence—death—and I illustrated God’s radical love using the example of their form teacher, Ms. P. I asked them to imagine if she completely forgave A and removed all consequences after reprimanding him, and their shocked reaction, especially K’s sense of unfairness, became the perfect bridge to show them the astonishing reality of what Jesus did for us. At that moment, they truly listened. Oh Lord, may I never grow weary or ashamed of the gospel—help me to seize every opportunity to live it out and reflect it to them.
Finally mustered the courage to chat with the uncle that cleans our school. I'm always encouraged by his hardworking and servant spirit. I learned that he's a dad of 4 and loves fishing! He mentioned that he chose not to retire because he gets sluggish at home and working at the school provides a great form of exercise for him! Thankful for the small chats I get to have with him whenever he pops by the classroom. Praying for gospel boldness, as well as the perseverance to keep improving my Mandarin!
I also had this realization of how, as afflicted saints, I should be pondering over what my hardships are on this side of Eden doing to me- are they hardening my heart, or are they breaking me before the Lord? One of John Piper's sermons served as a sober reminder that the key difference between humans versus everything else is that we are able to Feel! Even AI is able to generate a powerful and touching prayer, but it cannot feel. We as humans, are beautifully created in the image of God with the privilege to feel. We can actually come before the Lord with a broken and contrite spirit, with real praise and worship and joy!
Whimsical Interlude
My family had the privilege of attending my dad's distant cousin's wedding in China. We were instantly greeted by a sea of unfamiliar faces that were eager to welcome us. Learning about our roots, tracing back generations of family trees resembled the unfolding of a movie scene before my eyes. But above all, I was truly overwhelmed by the countless acts of undeserving love they showed to my family. Despite the busy wedding preparations, they sacrificed time and energy to pour love on us- greeted us with a bouquet of flowers, took time to intentionally know us, unexpected treats and surprises. They were eager to seize every moment to shower us with undeserving love and warmth. Oh to be deeply loved by family we would have never met if not for this trip gave me a beautiful glimpse of Christ adopting us while we were completely dead, and making us his very own sons and daughters. Thankful for the opportunities we had to build relationships and plant gospel seeds. My family got to sing Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me and Jesus, Strong, and Kind in Chinese. This trip also instilled in me a deeper yearning to really refine my Mandarin, especially after feeling a wave of disappointment at a missed opportunity to share the Gospel.
"The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful people who will be able to teach others also." - 2 Tim 2:2
Words can never do justice to my deep gratitude for having the privilege to sit under the faithful preaching of the whole counsel of God's Word. Over the past four years, I've grown to deeply treasure my campus pastor and his wife. Their faithfulness to the Lord, their unselfish and un-self-exalting love for the lost, and their goal to magnify Christ and not waste their lives on this side of eternity have truly shaped the way I view life. Because they faithfully shared God's Word without diluting the message, I've been humbled by just how little I actually know my God. Oh how I'm filled with gratefulness and praise to the Lord for placing them in my life. Something I'll truly miss is seeing how real Christ is every single time my campus pastor sheds tears. Seeing how much God's truth grips his heart, convicts his soul, and moves him into a deeper yearning to cling to Jesus and run the race marked out with perseverance tugs my heartstrings. Oh how I'm so far from grasping the costly grace my Lord lavished on me, how I yearn to come to that state of humility and awe before My Savior and King as well. My only sincere prayer is that I will continue to consider what I've been taught, to cling to the truths as I grow in Gospel urgency and a compelling desire to entrust His precious Word hidden in jars of clay to the people He places in my life.
These are my homeschooling friends, some I haven't seen in at least 8 years! My heart was so full after getting the opportunity to reconnect with them and witness the Lord's faithfulness in each of our lives.
She might be full of life and embody joy in all her words and actions, but she also ponders deeply. The way she considers Christ in her decisions and actions has been a huge source of encouragement and reminder for me to realize the centrality of Jesus in my life. Such a joy and privilege getting to know this sweet gal who radiates the love of Jesus in seemingly unnoticed environments.
I met Usva when she came to SG from Finland for an exchange a few years back. Oh what a beautiful surprise it was to learn that she was coming back to visit, this time with her husband! She is such a safe refuge! Throughout our short time together, I was encouraged by her growing desire to cling to her First love that she grew to treasure as she leaned on truths from Scripture. Her intentionality and vulnerability reminded me of what a God we serve- one that frees us from shame so that we can be unashamed of Him. Continue to allow Christ to work in your weaknesses. (P.S. She claims that she's the biggest supporter of my newsletter so if you're reading this, you're so so precious to me!)
As you can probably tell by now, my CU community is an absolute gem that I constantly thank the Lord for. May Hebrews 10:24-25 be our prayer, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
The children are officially on holiday, but one of my students, sweet R, was specially nominated to attend an art workshop at Gardens by the Bay, and I had the joy of accompanying her. The entire experience stirred something profound in me—an overwhelming surge of love and tenderness for my my lil girl. Even with all the moments she’s tried my patience in the past, this day reminded me how deeply I cherish her and my other form students. On the car ride there, she nestled close to me, and in that quiet moment of closeness, I was overcome with an ineffable sense of devotion—a love that words can hardly capture.
During the workshop, I had a conversation with a well-known interpreter in SG, which deeply moved and inspired me. He saw such remarkable potential in R—not just as a child navigating a world not built for her, but as a capable communicator who deserves to be truly heard. He observed that her receptive signing skills were astonishing; she was able to follow his signs simply through her gaze. Contrary to assumptions about short attention spans, he noted how intently focused she was during her art session. He suggested that perhaps the issue lies not in her, but in the environment around her—an environment where sign language has not been fully embraced, either at home or even within our broken school community. If everyone around her communicates primarily through speech, then of course she would retreat into her own world. There’s truth in that realization that pierced my heart—but it also sparked a deep resolve in me to become more fluent in sign and to intentionally connect with her in her native visual language.
Daniel offered invaluable advice—such as asking genuine, open-ended questions that invite her to engage and express herself, rather than questions where I already know the answer. For example, when she was drawing a playground, instead of simply assuming, he asked her what she was illustrating. She didn’t reply at first but then signed “blue.” He followed up, asking, “Is that a blue sky or a blue floor?” He explained how even when she doesn’t respond right away, consistently reinforcing vocabulary through real-life moments will eventually build her language understanding.
Perhaps most beautifully, he encouraged us not to see signing and English as interchangeable translations, but rather as parts of a bilingual, bicultural identity. Sign language is not merely a bridge to spoken language—it is a rich, expressive culture in its own right. The goal, he shared, is not to ‘convert’ language, but to celebrate it—to empower deaf individuals to tell stories with vivid detail in sign, to be interpreted vocally by hearing people if needed, and to eventually develop the ability to label vocabulary in both languages.
Having someone else recognize Raelynn’s capacity and beauty in communication brought so much comfort and affirmation. It reignited in me a renewed passion to invest deeply in their journey—to help them thrive in expressing themselves through their beautiful first language, Singapore Sign Language (SgSL). I pray for the grace and strength to walk this path with my students. Oh Lord, please help me.
Partner Me In Prayer
- Would you partner me in earnestly praying that I will use my June holidays wisely, and continue working hard to brainstorm ways I can invest in my students, and provide them a solid foundation of Sgsl for not just the purpose of identity, but also that the gospel message can eventually be brought forth to these precious children I've grown to cherish (and can't imagine how I'll survive without seeing them for a month)!
- Please pray for strength and courage to reach out to 3 of my teacher friends during the June holidays. One of them is the teacher that I got to share the gospel with. Pray that I would be able to initiate the opportunity to read Luke with her and that God will soften her heart towards who He has kindly revealed himself to be. The second teacher is the form teacher of the primary 4 boys I teach. The last teacher is the teacher I mentioned that I got to have a conversation with her about her past with her broken family and how it has since shaped her view of life. Would you pray that God will remind me of my weakness and limitations, that I'm really just a fragile jar of clay and that the real treasure is hidden in it, that all glory will be reflected back to Him throughout the conversations?
- Lastly, would you pray that God will renew my strength and love as I serve in two upcoming camps, VBS (Vacation Bible School) and Larkhill (a Christian camp by teachers for students). Being in university this time last year, it was refreshing to serve children. Admittedly, my flesh desires rest during the June holiday (from children), and I'm shocked that my plate is already filled again. Pray that our Heavenly Father will continue to bring me low to see the brokenness and seriousness of my sins so that I may grow to behold the beauty of the Gospel and grow in my conviction and desire to fulfill the great commission, for what a privilege it is to count all things- my comforts, my desire for rest and recharge, my yearning for a holiday- as lost because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.