With fond memories of our previous visit with our Singapore brethren, my wife Sari and I arrived in Singapore two days before Passover. After we had settled into our accommodation, I received a telephone call from Mr. Samuthiran. We agreed to meet for lunch so he could inform us about the services and activities that had been scheduled for Passover, the Night Much to be Remembered, the First Day of Unleavened Bread and the following Sabbath. But first on the agenda was the baptism of Matthew Almonte, which was scheduled for the next day. Following counseling, Matthew had made this deeply personal decision before God and expressed his desire to be baptized. He had selected a private beach area where he made his public profession of commitment to Jesus Christ, after which he was baptized.

The Passover service was attended by all baptized members, including a number of visiting brethren from Malaysia and Indonesia. The following evening, we met in a small restaurant that had been selected for The Night Much to Be Remembered. As we had the restaurant to ourselves, the proprietor allowed us to join tables to form one long table under the able supervision of Anita Ng Lay Sang which greatly added to the ambience of this joyful occasion. The variety of the many delectable dishes coupled with the wonderful fellowship made this evening akin to an important family event.

On the first Day of Unleavened Bread we all met for lunch at a Turkish restaurant before attending services. The sermon, which was titled “Remorse, Repentance and Removal”, covered the meaning, purpose and significance of the Days of Unleavened Bread and provoked some lively discussion during a period of wonderful Christian fellowship after the service.

The following day Rosalind Yong and her husband took us for a tour through Singapore, including Chinatown where Sari had a little rubber stamp made showing her name in Chinese characters, achieved by means of the linguistic skills of the Yongs. It is her intention to use the impression of the little stamp as a ‘trademark’ for her card-making hobby.

Sabbath services comprised of a morning service followed by lunch and an interactive Bible study in the afternoon. The interactivity was generated by questions to which multiple choice answers were given, some of which developed into a lively discussion that included many biblical references relating to the various topics. After the service the discussions were continued in a more informal fashion until the time had arrived for us to say our farewells.

—Reported by Art Verschoor

In Hong Kong

We had a very enjoyable and inspiring Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread here in Hong Kong. Five baptized members participated in the Passover service at the home of Peter and Corin Forester. The following evening 13 gathered for the Night to Be Much Observed at the China Club and enjoyed a magnificent dinner and wonderful fellowship. Eight people attended the First Day of Unleavened Bread and six people attended the Last Day of Unleavened Bread. We were very pleased to have Stephen De Campos and Aaron Blue join us for the NTBMO and the First Day of Unleavened Bread. We also enjoyed special offertory music performed by Sophia and Richard Ma.

—Reported by Peter Forester

© 2009 United Church of God, AIA - Pilipinas