The ONG family Homeschool

Happy New Year!!!!

What an exciting year of homeschooling life it has been for us!

Now, as we all look forward into 2011......Happy New Year,  everybody!

May we all cling to God's word and His promises for whatever will happen in the coming year ahead.

 

Philippians 4:19  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Shin Min Daily News mangles our Large Families feature

新明日报 Shin Min Daily News, and reporter Ong Yi Zhen (o[email protected]) in particular, I have somethings to say to you.

 Theresa Tan of the Straits Times took pains to personally interview each family so that she could paint a well-rounded account of large families with graduate moms, and even including mentioning these famiies' religious convictions that spur them to making these pro-life, pro-family choices. Prime, Special Report, Saturday, dec 25 2010, Pg A18 More Grad Mums having big families

I recognise this is somewhat unusual for the usually very safely "non-religious" secular newspaper.  It was a bold step she took but that's why I commend her for doing an honest job of it! She told it like it is.

Hubby and I were horrified to read a horribly edited version of Theresa Tan's original article in Straits Times. (I found out from Theresa that this was done without her knowledge.)

The day after it was published in the ST, Ms Ong of Shin Min Daily News (26dec 2010, pg 8一家养四个小孩，每月开销万五元) carelessly chose to lob off almost all religious context, shrink a whole page special report to a mere few paragraphs, worst of all, choosing depict these large families as financially struggling.

I was horrifed to read how my husband earns $8 OOO a month (not true, by the way), yet I seldom buy new dresses for myself and my children, likewise, wear old clothes, (because we can't afford to, as the context of her article implied!) This is a horrible horrible "translation" completely removed from the original context of what was spoken! See the original article for yourself. You will not get the idea that we are poor and struggling. But that was the implict slant of Ms Ong's crafty editing: large families have grave financial constraints.

The outrage!!! For shame! Not only is Ms Ong too lazy to do her own footwork, she irresponsibly character assassinates an entire demographic group! How does she have the cheek to put her name to that kind of work and publish it for the whole country to read? And I cannot help but wonder, too, how her employer can let such sloppy reporting work pass for print?

Oh Ms Ong, you do a great injustice for our Singapore baby drought crisis. MCYS ought to come knocking at your door for helping reinforce skeptics' perceptions that it is financial suicide to have (more) children. More work for them! You might have set them back another 10 years or so and couple 10 thousands of babies.

I got email, SMS, facebook responses of how encouraged people were for what we are doing as a family after the ST article. However, if one only read Ms Ong's article, one would come to the perception that one needs to be prepared for a life of misery and serious belt tightening if they were to have many children in Singapore. 

I only hope that people would dig around for the truth. This blog will be testament of all the love and sound family/ parenting philosohies we hold to, despite some struggles. It is only sad that damage has been done.

 

 

ST article

Prime, Special Report, Saturday, dec 25 2010, Pg A18

More Grad Mums having big families (These women tend to be religious and to enjoy children, say gynaecologists)

*hint, if you can't read the text because the pic is too small on your screen, press and hold the ctrl button while scrolling up with your mouse. It should enlarge. 

   

What a Christmas present! We're in the Straits Times today!!!

We were given a Christmas present from the Straits Times today... haha! Theresa Tan wrote an honest and articulate article about graduate moms in Singapore who have 5 children more. Many thanks to her for her good work in writing an article which did not shy away from adressing our Christian philosophies in our family choices. Or should I say "religious" philosophies, as Muslim families were featured too. :)

Interesting factoid: 55 women of the 625 who gave birth to their 5th or subsequent child last year were graduates, many of whom are either Christian or Muslim. So I fit into that category and she came and interviewed us!

(kudos also to Desmond Foo who took that nice pic!)

We talked about our beliefs in God and His promises to provide for His people... The article records honestly that we love bargain hunting and garage sales, we love receiving hand-me-down clothes! :) Now, I know that some (silly) people who read the article might be feeling sorry for us and our lifestyle choices (big family= financial sacrifices, lifestyle changes) but hubby and I are the ones laughing with great joy for the many blessings God has endowed us with, through the precious children He has given to us.

I had to laugh out loud at the quote by pastor Henson Lim (father of 7) that once an old lady looked at their family and said "kia si lang". Hokkien literally "scare people to death" (in this case, for having so many children) I could not help but laugh. It's like this:

Matthew 13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

Those who don't know the treasure within the field will call that man a fool. 

I love that pic of the Lim Family, with all the girls wearing same same mama sewed skirts! Actually, my two were also in jiejie meimei skirts but the photo only showed our top halves. :) And one day, if and when I have 2 more children, we will get our own tribal T-shirts. ;)

All praise and glory to God who gives us light and wisdom for our journey on this earth. I am happy to have made my Heavenly Papa proud today, and all included in that article: the journalist, the families featured and even not featured but are living for the glory of God in this manner.

I will eandeavour to post the pics and the article some time later.

 

Happy Memories of Church Camp 2010

Busy preparing for the Christmas activities- carolling, evangelistic service. Baking!!! Help!

We do not "celebrate" Christmas (google for Pagan Origins of Christmas and you'll know why) but we do use the occasion to tell folks that Jesus Christ indeed came to earth 200 years ago. In fact there are only two significant events that Jesus told His Disciples to remember, His Death and Resurrection and His eminent return. Pictured in the two ordinances of the New Testament Church: the Lord's Supper (1Cor 11) and Baptism (Romans 6). 

Not His birth! No where in the Bible does Jesus tell His disciples to remember (commemorate) His birth.

Anyway....on to this post...

We're recently home from church camp in Malaysia, Mt. Ophir/ Gunung Ledang. We didn't climb but stayed at the resort at the foot of Mt. Ophir. We did a short 30min climb to the upstream of the waterfall there. God's creation is beautiful and powerful! Sadly, the rest of the surrounding place was badly littered and infested with flies. You know, the big, fat, shiny green radioactive ones. 

Just before making our way down from the waterfall, I discovered that baby had left us a little present in her diaper. The moment we took it off to change...... more than 20 flies swarmed us... urgh....I threw the diaper a little farther off so as to distract them so that we could carry on with the business of cleaning her up. :p What a hair raising sight....

Anyway.....Happy memories. Think Happy memories....

Here's some happy memories of the trip (other than the wonderful messages about the life of Joesph  and crazy, zany games that we played together). Especially uploaded for my friend who says stuff our family does never fails to put a smile on his face. ;) And hope the friends freezing in the further reaches of the Northern Hemishpere do not get too jealous.

Our kids and their church friends playing in the resort pool. The first three are them (might be hard to see who's who.) It was no. 2 (the girl)'s idea to do this flip into the pool game. 

Domino Flip!

 

A Pleasant Surprise!

Now, this is something that I certainly never imagined when I started this family and homeschooling blog 3 yrs ago: Many have written to tell me that this blog has been an encouragement to them and for that I am so glad and grateful that God can use this blog! It had only been my purpose to let folks out there know what (Christian) homeschooling in Singapore is like for this family, it never crossed my mind that I might be so blessed in return!

But the Lord is so good! Through this blog, I have come to know dear people and this month, I was even materially blessed by one such reader turned friend!

My dear bloggy friend came across this Little House on the Prairie series and she remembered that we had been reading the book. Indeed, we thoroughly enjoyed it. (And yes, sometimes, through the course of the day, online friends also pop into my head and I often turn these thoughts into prayers for them.) She was so generous to acquire the whole set and send it to us! and.... she's in California!!!

!!!

So you can imagine my great surprise when I returned home from church camp last week to see a box sitting on the table waiting for me? I was close to tears. I ask myself, what did I ever do to have such lovely people shower us with such kindnesses?

Thank you so much!

Oh, and here are the children enjoying their other gifts also from the box....

John 13:34-35  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

I do not wish for more such gifts, that is not the reason for my posting this, but I just want to thank the Lord for all He has done and blessed us with (material but more so spiritual encouragement). May the Lord richly bless you YW (and all my other blog friends!) as only He can for the love you have shown to us.