City Harvest Children’s Church plays host to a Korean family.
Contributed By Carol Loi
The Korean children and their newfound Singapore friends. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CAROL LOI
From Feb. 18 to 22, the City Harvest Children’s Church organized a home stay program for five Korean children from Yoido Full Gospel Church, South Korea. Two Children’s Church teachers and the director of Children’s Church, Michelle Kang accompanied the children.
The purpose of the short trip was to facilitate a cultural exchange between the staff and members of the two churches, explained Fang Xinwei, 30, a zone supervisor in CCH who coordinated the entire trip for the visitors. CHC members, Vincent and Mindy Chang, as well as Albert and Carol Soh, hosted the Korean visitors.
Over the five-day stopover in Singapore, the Singaporean hosts brought their guests to local attractions such as the Singapore Flyer, Night Safari, Chinatown and Little India. They also attended the weekend’s Children’s Church services at both Jurong West and Singapore Expo. These activities allowed the opportunity for both the Singaporean and Korean counterparts to share their experiences and exchange ideas on how to conduct effective children’s programs.
Kang also had plans to educate the Korean children more about Singapore’s culture with regards to religious diversity and food. With help from her Singaporean hosts, she brought the children to different places of worship and encouraged them to try different local dishes such as satay, fried rice (which the guests thoroughly enjoyed), and local fruits such as mango and durian.
Although the humid weather posed a challenge to the visitors, they all agreed that they thoroughly enjoyed the island-nation of Singapore.
All too soon, the trip came to an end. New friendships were formed and closer bonds were fostered between the two cultures, especially among the children who had decided to remain connected over Facebook and email.
To Soh and her family, this home stay was definitely an eye opener to positive cultural exchanges and everyone from both countries benefitted greatly from the overall experience.
PHOTO: Alvin Tang
Onboard The Legends Of The Seas
City Harvest Church’s Aircrew Fellowship sailed onboard the Royal Carribean Cruise to Malacca on Jan. 8 for their annual AF retreat. The group had a great time of fun and fellowship, as well as spiritual input from the head of the fellowship, Susan Dunn. By the end of the two-day cruise, the aircrew returned to Singapore, recharged and refreshed.
