yoongz

August 17, 2012September 29, 2012

Up, Up It Goes…

…not talking about a balloon or a cloud or even a plane… i’m talking about my little Heath’s and my beloved Heather’s adoption grants!

i’m back from my holidays and the money from the generous donor is in the bank so i can finally make the transfer. So now Heather’s adoption grant is at US$492.50 and Heath’s adoption grant is at US$9471.44. (Read about my church youth group’s fundraising efforts here.)

reecesrainbow_heath20120301 — 11 years old Heath, is a cutie who needs his family asap.

But the good news doesn’t just stop there! Heath has been given a matching grant by some very generous children who are offering their birthday money (US$450) so that a family might reach Heath faster. Which means every cent donated to Heath’s grant will be doubled! He would have at least another US$900 in his grant, if we managed to raise the other US$450 by 1st September, giving Heath just over 10K!

i had felt bad about not being able to transfer the money raised by my church youth group sooner but now i see how wonderfully God is working. He had me hold back the transfer till now because His Plan was to double the money!! See instead of just US$355… Heath is really getting US$710 from the amount the youths raised! God is truly amazing!!

Oh, it keeps getting better… i was told yesterday that some really special people in the US have fallen in love with Heath and are pulling together to help get his grant over the 10K mark and eventually to a full grant (25K). My heart absolutely burst with joy when i read that sooo many are rooting for and practically helping my little Heath! God is indeed answering prayers!! Praise the Lord!

They will be offering to wash cars, having yard sales and taking soccer pledges in the following States: California, Florida, Idaho, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Washington. (i will update this list as more people sign up to do this.) The target date for these activities is September 15th. If you live in the US and would like to contribute at these events, contact me and i’ll put you in touch with these lovely people. Right here, i wanna Thank them for their fantastic efforts.

Even if you don’t live in the US, you can still contribute. Simply click on his name or picture to go to his profile and donate to his adoption grant. Please do donate before September 1st so that the amount you donate can be doubled with the matching grant.

Of course, you can most definitely pray, pray, pray… pray that a family finds Heath asap, pray that his daily needs are met, pray that his health (physical, emotional and spiritual) are well.

Wait! There is still more news to come…

Every year, Reece’s Rainbow has their Christmas Angel Tree project (it runs from Nov 1st to Dec 31st) to pull focus on orphans aged 0-5, with Down Syndrome during the Christmas period. This year they are extending this to older children and children with other special needs as well (They call it My Own Little Starfish). But they can only include 3 from each category and the 3 will be decided via votes from people who support their ministry in one way or another.

And my little Heath was voted in! Thank you to everyone who voted for Heath. So now Heath will get additional exposure this Christmas! Here’s another wonderful person shouting out for Heath – Wholelottalovin.

reecesrainbowHeather-3 — 11 years old in September 2012… she has waited for a family to come for her for so very long…

So much about Heath, does this mean my little Heather has been neglected? No. Of course not. She has a new picture! Doesn’t she look absolutely adorable in that blue dress? With this new picture, i have read and heard people commenting and talking about her. So things are moving for her too… maybe not in as a big a way as Heath but they are moving. And i’m praying and praying that she will be listed for the vote into the Christmas Angel Tree project. (The Angel Tree page seems to be down for updates so i can only link you to Christmas Warrior page which is part of Angel Tree.)

Do continue to pray for her, pray that she will get more notice, her grant will grow, her daily needs met and most of all, pray that a family comes for her asap. Of course, donate to her adoption grant. And if you have ever considered adoption, do consider Heather. She is such a sweetie and has no medical conditions except her DS. Click on her name or picture to go to her profile page. (i will be doing a special focus on Heather in September.)

Thank you so much for your kind attention and for your prayers and contributions.

syc

August 15, 2012August 15, 2012

4 Weeks In SG…

… No, not St Gallen, Switzerland, which is shorten to SG in Switzerland.

SG = Singapore, for me.

Yep, it is time once again for a pictorial summary of our annual trip back to SG. We left exactly one week ago (myself and Tobias that is, Walter came home 10 days before us). This time we spent 4 weeks there – 28 days to be exact.

This year we flew Lufthansa again. They are not a bad airline to fly with and this time i felt that the service was a little better than last year. Maybe because this year we flew in their new A380, non-stop from Frankfurt to Singapore.

Remember my Gush! post? Well, the penguins went on their very first outing 😉 Aren’t they just adorable?!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — On the way to SG…

We landed in the afternoon, unpacked, got a bit of rest and then the next day, we hit to the town! 😀

We did some touristy stuff, such as visit the new Gardens By the Bay. It was nice – the outside was not quite finished and the flowers/plants didn’t seem to be in full bloom yet. But we really liked the 2 indoor conservatories – the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. The plants/flowers were really quite interesting in these cooled areas but my little guy got bored after one conservatory. His interest perked up again at the indoor waterfall and when we were at the video presentation near the end of the visit. The whole place is built to conserve power, it even produces its own solar power which is enough to power the whole attraction. The solar panels are actually mounted on top of these huge “metal trees” – i call them the “Avatar Trees”. There is a skywalk which links a few of these trees – it has quite a nice view. We were told the whole gardens look prettier at night but we chose not to stay into the evening as we already had a whole day out.

Of course, we also did the usual things – mainly eat all the foods we miss ;p And the one thing we always do is our morning walk by the beach, followed by breakfast at MacDonald’s 🙂

Spending time with family and friends is the other main reason we go back each year.

This year we were also faced with a rather unexpected sad event – the passing of a friend from church, Ronald. Our thoughts are with his family.

Tobias had his first taste of seawater – his reaction? “Pah, Ptooie” and a sour expression on his face. Ok i stand corrected, this is not his very first taste of seawater but the first one which he reacted to. His very first exposure to seawater was when he was quite small so he doesn’t remember it. He got over it pretty quickly and was soon having a ball of a time.

We also went to the Jurong Bird Park. Again it was one of the places we had brought him to before but he was too small to remember. He really quite enjoyed this trip.

Universal Studios Singapore was another stop we made. After this second time there (now it has more attractions than our first time there), my advice is to go early and plan to stay till closing to get on as many rides as possible, make it a 2-day event if you can afford it. There are a couple of kiddy rides but most would be entertaining for both adults and children. Do note: the Battlestar ride has size restrictions. Oh, another thing – bring a fan and an umbrella. It was very hot the day we went but towards the early evening it rained for a short while.

Last year we went to a restaurant to celebrate my grandmother’s (Tobias’ great-grandmother) birthday. This year it was a quiet affair at home with just immediate family. i love that i can still celebrate my grandmother’s 98th birthday!

We went, we laughed together with, ate with and spent time with family and friends, we enjoyed. 😉

syc

August 14, 2012August 15, 2012

No More Being Passed Over…

Have you ever been passed over for someone else? Have you ever been the last to be picked for the team? Have you ever been the person no one notices? i have and that feeling is not a good one.

This little sweetheart has been passed over for too long… he has been a wall-flower for too long. He has waited 5 long years for a family to come for him. i introduce to you – Kurt, 5 years old in a couple of weeks and no mummy or daddy to celebrate for and with him.

Kurt-1-257x300 — 5 Years Old in a couple of weeks and in need of a family to love him.

Kurt is such a handsome little guy. i find it hard to believe that his family has not found him yet. Yes he does have a medical condition – he has mild CP (Cerebral Palsy). However, it is a mild case and he can walk and is said to be a delightful boy.

Please help him find a family. Please share his story so he can get the attention he deserves. Please donate to his adoption grant as a larger adoption grant will lessen the burden on the family who comes for him. Please pray for him and his daily needs and most importantly pray that a family finds him asap.

If you have considered adoption, please do consider Kurt who would be a wonderful addition to any family.

Click on his picture or his name to go to his profile page on Reece’s Rainbow to donate and find out more about him.

syc