After the success of our country presentation, we spent a lot of time touching base with our Asia-Pacific and International counterparts. Below is a photo of the tireless Caroline Soon (Alpha Catholic Coordinator) and Fr. John, who gave an inspiring roadmap for Alpha in a Catholic Context for the next couple of years in one of the most populous areas on the planet: India.
And here's where the good Lord, in His infinite wisdom and compassion, saw fit to remind us that He also has an appropriately unfathomable sense of humor. Our original itinerary involved leaving KL at around 6 pm, getting to Singapore at around 7 pm, then rousing ourselves for a well-deserved meal the likes of which ministry workers like myself rarely get to indulge in: the world-famous Mandarin Chicken Rice.
Alas, the best-laid plans of mice and men are no match for a divine sense of humor. Our flight was delayed twice. First, our original flight was delayed by an hour, which I didn't mind at all because it gave me a chance to catch up on some work and unwind. However, when our flight did arrive, we were quickly informed (as soon as I had nestled comfortably in my seat) that due to mechanical failure our plane cannot possibly fly that evening. We finally got to leave KLIA at close to midnight, which meant that in order to catch our early morning flight from Singapore to Manila, we would only spend 5 hours at the Meritus Mandarin.
Still, Bobby de Ocampo and I were determined to have our chicken rice. As I was still reeling from his stunning pronouncement hours earlier, when he announced, in his booming baritone, "I want to see if you have balat sa pwet", I let him take the lead in formulating and executing Operation: Chicken Rice. (For non-Filipino readers, here's an account of balat sa pwet that should help you put everything in context.) Finally, at 5:30 am, we enjoyed what is, in my opinion, one of the finest street meals that I have ever enjoyed in the confines of a luxury hotel.
If you're ever in Singapore and you have some time to kill, do pass by the Chatterbox and enjoy their rightfully well-lauded chicken rice. Hopefully, God won't be in as playful a mood as He was in when we visited the Lion City.
2 comments:
You seem to like going to Christian conferences. A friend of ours is a missionary in the Philippines, teaching at a local seminary and preaching the gospel on Sundays. He's holding a seminar in Quezon City. Here's the link:
http://www.twoagespilgrims.com/doctrine/?p=2378
Thanks a lot Len! Will check the link out. :-)
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