Photo Blog

We're BACK!!!!
It is really nice to be home, but I can probably speak for most of the team when I say that it was hard to pack up and leave Singapore. The trip felt so much shorter when it came time to leave.
Sunday morning we got to sleep in a little (thank goodness) and Roy and Amy Low met up with us at the Y and went with us to the airport. We got our bags checked in and prayed for safe travels before we said goodbye. We got through more security and customs and then had a couple hours to relax before boarding the plane. Some people went shopping, some watched the Olympics, and well, even though we were in Singapore, Brett and I found the Giants vs. Dodger game. Sweet!! They won!We boarded the plane and had a 5 hour flight to Taiwan, and the coolest part about that was, each person has their own individual tv, and they were playing movies that aren't out on DVD yet! Ironman, Kung Fu Panda, The Chronicles of Narnia:Prince Caspian, and others. That was pretty cool! Once landing in Taiwan, we knew we would be in for quite a fun time. We had a 6 hour layover, and there's not a whole lot to do at that airport. There were a few shops, but after the first hour, they became a little repetitive. They weren't playing the olympics, and we couldn't really sleep, since we knew we needed to be able to sleep once we got home. After a couple hours, we would just walk back and forth between the 3 terminals. There were some pretty nice massage chairs, so we occupied some time with those. Finally, our layover was over, and we boarded the plane for home. However, it left 45 minutes late, so once we got on board, we were on the plane for a good 13 hours...not fun. But, we arrived home safely and that's what matters. We got back to the church around 11:30pm and had people there to greet us, and then we all left for home to get some sleep.

Sleepiness is starting to settle in
You can really tell how tired we are
Beautiful orchids at the Botanical Garden
The brand-new building of Covenant EV Free Church
Singapore at night

The Merlion-Singapore means "Land of the Lion" and "Land by the sea"

Singapore from the Flyer

Team picture! With John Griffith, Rick and Susan Griffith's son-missionaries we worked with

The largest manmade fountain in the world

Sentosa Island

Temple in Chinatown Chinatown!

We went to the zoo. This lion was behind glass, but not that far away Watching the National Day Festivities, from a friend of the Low's office window

Team picture (minus me) with the Low's and Griffith's

Look what we found in Singapore!!

Flying into Taiwan

Well, I hope you enjoyed some of the pictures here! Once I have the rest of the team's pictures, I'm sure I'll post more!

Goodnight all!
~Caitlyn

This really is the last blog from Singpore....

Good evening everyone!
I know I lied about how there wouldn't be another blog coming from Singapore and I'm sorry. But hopefully you're enjoying the blog and can get past the fact that I lied.
Today was SO MUCH FUN!!!! Oh my goodness! We all went to the Singapore zoo and it was a blast! There were so many things to see and we didn't even see everything. And we were even there for over 4 hours!! Good gravy. There were so many different types of animals and they were super close, they were enclosed, but most were behind shorter fences and such. It was really cool. The monkeys didn't even have enclosures, they can go wherever they want in the zoo. Alex even got her picture with a group of orangutans, which was the highlight of her life. (So she said) Despite the fact that it was unbearably hot (we missed the humidity), we all had a blast and were glad that we had decided to go to the zoo instead of splitting up and doing whatever we all wanted.
After the zoo, we met up with the Griffith's, Low's, and another family that was friends of theirs and went and had Sautay for dinner. Basically, it was similar to kabobs. It was really good, but we had to pack up everything for 20 people and take it inside because it started raining. The sautay was part of these street vendors, so we were in the middle of the street. Oh well.
After that, one of the friends of the Low's and Griffith's invited us to the 46th floor of the building where he works, so we could watch the fireworks for National Day (their 4th of July). We could even see the stage where there were so many performances, which is the largest stage in the world, and over 9,000 people could go and sit in the stands to watch. There were many fly-overs by jets (honestly, I have no idea what kind they were) and 4 very large helicopters flew over the stage with a very large Singaporean flag hanging from them. It was AMAZING! I had goosebumps almost the entire 2 hours we were there watching everything. When I get back to the states, I'll make a photo blog so you can actually see what I am talking about. :)
It was a fantastic night, and after the fireworks, we gathered around the table and prayed with everyone and Roy debriefed us about the week and how he could see God working in us and that this trip will change us completely, and we'll be changed people when we get home. Then he, Rick and Brett prayed for safe travels home, as well as the amazing time we've had here this week. It was hard saying "bye" to the friends we've made here this week, but the impact we've had on each other's lives will always stick with us.
Now, we're all packing up and getting ready to go. Our flight leaves a little after 1pm tomorrow (so for all of you back home, we'll be leaving around 11pm tonight 8/9). Please pray for safe travels home and praise the Lord that none of us got sick from food! I can't say none of us got sick, because people had motion sickness, headaches, among other minor things, but the fact is no one was so sick that they couldn't participate in things. That is a huge praise in itself because that is something we were all worried about.
Goodnight and we'll see you tomorrow!!!

Until we're back in the states, and I can show you pictures! Goodnight from Singapore for the last time,
~Caitlyn

We're almost done?

Hi everyone!
So, this might be the last blog while we're here in Singapore. Of course, I cannot guarantee that, but I'm guessing it might. I'll probably blog once we get back and put up a bunch of pictures for you all. :)
I'm going to make this a quick blog, because it's after midnight here. I need my sleep, especially since tomorrow is our last day and we're going to go have fun celebrating National Day (like our 4th of July). Tomorrow is the 43rd anniversary of when Singapore gained their independence. That's really cool that we'll be here for it.
Anywho, yesterday we were gone the entire day. We started off at SBC and went to a Bilingual chapel which was amazing! It's was neat to see the Chinese language and English language used together. After chapel, we mingled with students and went to Pastor Rick Griffiths class, which was very interesting for us all. After class, a group of us went to Chinatown and had Dim Sum for lunch, and went to the Chinatown history museum, and of course, did some shopping. We aren't bad barterers I must say. ;)
Once we were done in Chinatown, we went back to the college where we were a part of a presentation and we shared about life as a Christian College student in America. While we also got to hear about 7 other Asian countries. It was cool to see so many cultures merged together in such a short amount of time.
Today, we traveled to Malaysia, and it was so incredibly different from Singapore. It was a Third World country and very underdeveloped in comparison to Singapore. While we were only there for a few short hours, we really wanted to go back to Singapore, because it felt so much safer and we knew it better. The experience was well worth it though, because we saw a part of the world that is so different from the way we live in the U.S. It was truly eye-opening for us all.
We came back from Malaysia and we had a free night ahead of us. Well, that hadn't happened yet and so the guys did their own thing, and the girls went back to Chinatown to go shopping. Before Chinatown though, Amanda, Alex, and Carissa wanted to do this fish pedicure, which they stick their feet in an aquarium and had little fish come up and eat the dead skin off their feet and legs. (I'm sitting here laughing right now because I know that those of you reading are going "ewww gross!" or gagging. The thought is really making me laugh). I gladly opted out of this excursion, and gladly was the photographer and videographer. I'll make sure some of that goes up here..shhh the girls don't need to know ;) I wasn't going to pay $18 to have my feet tickled for 15 solid minutes.
After our excursions, we met up with everyone at the Griffiths house where we watched the opening of the Olympics. It is so cool so I highly recommend watching it tonight. But once they get to the listing of the different countries, don't even bother. It took over an hour and a half. Trust me, I've already watched it all so I'm giving you valuable advice here! It can be beneficial to have someone half way across the world giving you advice on something that you'll see later.
Well, it's almost 12:30am here, and I hear a pillow calling my name. So goodnight everyone, and if I do end up blogging tomorrow, be surprised. I might surprise myself.
If I do not end up blogging, then, we'll see you back in the states!

Until I'm not sure when,
~Caitlyn

Go, Go, GO!!!!

Hello again!
Let me just tell you right now that I really want to upload pictures, and I am having the hardest time getting it to work, so hopefully I will be able to post a picture or two. Or three :)
Since I last blogged, we have done A LOT!! It's insane how much we haven't stopped doing things. Sleep is pretty much non-existent, o.k. that might be accurate, but 6 or 7 hours of sleep sure doesn't feel like much when you are Go, Go, Going for 14 or 15 hours out of the day. On Monday, we went to the Bible College and listened to a couple of professors talk about the Singaporean culture, and about the history of Singapore. It was all very interesting, a little draining, but in the end, we learned a lot. After that we went and got lunch and took a Duck Tour! We all had so much fun, and we all got off wanting to do them back in the States. If you don't know what a Duck tour is, it's a truck with a boat on top, so it can go on land and water. We saw a lot of Singapore in only an hour on the tour. After that, we went aboard the Singapore Flyer, which is a giant ferris wheel, the largest in the world. 200 meters to be exact (I don't know how many feet that is, to be honest, but it's still pretty tall). It is actually bigger than the London Eye. It was really cool, because we had such an amazing view of Singapore, you could even see to Indonesia. After those adventures, we went to a local mall, and then had dinner and headed back to the YMCA we're staying at for a meeting, and sleep. YAY SLEEP!!

Yesterday, Tuesday, we were at the SBC for the first half of the day and we went to 3 classes and a chapel. We also had lunch with the students, and it was really cool to be able to interact with them, for many of us, it was really easy to converse and we felt like we blended in really well. After being at the college, we went to Sentosa Island, which was similar to an Amusement park, but mostly beaches and resort-type things to do. We were there for a short amount of time because we then had to go to another college NTU (Which I have no idea what it stands for) and we went to a Navigators meeting, which is similar to Campus Crusade. We interacted with the students there and even though it was very brief, it was very cool.
Our evening ended with many more adventures in riding buses and the subway. Let's just say, we're all pretty much sick of public transportation right now, and we still have a few more days to go.
Today, we did some manual labor! We went to ICS (International Community School, part of ACSI) and did some community service. 6 hours of washing chairs and cleaning tables. We're all sick of soap, tables and chairs as well. But we actually made it super fun, despite the fact we were all dripping in sweat because it was so unbelievably hot. Let's just say, Disney tunes were busted out throughout most of the day, and it made the day go by so much quicker. Once we finished there, we went back to the Y to shower, since we were disgusting, and then we were surprised and taken to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. Some of us haven't been doing so well with the food here, so it was nice to have a little bit of a reminder of home. This was kind of a replacement because we were originally supposed to go on a night safari, but we knew we'd be exhausted and opted for a more relaxing evening instead.

Yeah, we've done a lot, and guess what? I got pictures to work! So here you go! Enjoy
Our first group picture, on the Singapore Flyer with Singapore in the back
The Singapore Flyer
Completely sweaty and gross after our long day of labor (today)
Singapore at night-so beautiful!!

Alright, well it's after 11pm here. I'll update tomorrow (hopefully). We'll be going to the bible college again for part of the day, and spending time with some of the students, going to coffee and lunch, Chinatown and Little India. And, we're also giving a presentation tomorrow night to the students at SBC. It'll be another long day.
Please continue to be praying for us, our trip may be more than half over, but we still have 4 more days before we come home. There is still a lot we have going on, and we really need stamina to get through the next couple days.
Thank you for reading and supporting us! We all really appreciate it!

Until next time,
~Caitlyn

Adventures in Singapore

Good morning!!
Well, it's morning here, about 8:30 am. We have done so much since I last blogged, and Singapore is amazing!! On Saturday, we headed off the the Botanical Gardens, and it was so lush and green and absolutely gorgeous!! There was also this amazing orchid garden that was full of vibrant colors! (pictures will come later). Saturday night, we went to Orchard Road, which is shopping mall after shopping mall. Actually I think that's what the entire street is made up of. We had a little bit of an adventure, when one of the taxis carrying Alex, Brett and Carissa, got lost and dropped them off a mile away from where the rest of us were, and they ended up walking to meet us. It changed plans around a little and we just decided to go someplace close for dinner and then head back to the YMCA that we're staying at so we could get some sleep.

Yesterday (Sunday), we went to a church service with Covenant Evangelical Free Church. This was their first service in their new building and it was HUGE!! The place was packed-1800 people! It was an amazing service, and it was so vibrant and moving. We were even recognized and had to stand up in front of the entire congregation. Needless to say, we were all a little embarrassed. After that service, we went and got lunch and toured around SBC (Singapore Bible College) with Pastor Rick Griffith, who works at the college and is one of the missionaries were are working with this week. We also went to his church later that evening, where Pastor Bob Thomas (from Calvary) spoke. It was kind of funny, because he said that he didn't want the college group to miss a Sunday of his speaking, so he flew all the way out to Singapore. He was out there with Pastor Jon Olson, and they are going around some of the different countries in Asia right now. Afterward, we were invited to a dinner at the church with the congregation, and it was absolutely delicious! It was a BBQ! You'd think we came to Singapore to experience new things, well we are, but Singapore reminds us a lot of home.

We also went and got ice cream, Haagen Dazz, which was a "please wait to be seated and we'll take your order" type place. Kind of weird. But cool. We also got to see Singapore, the city in all of it's beauty (looks exactly like the picture to the right of this blog)------>
We were all exhausted and came back to the Y and had a group meeting, and then went to bed. Now it's morning and we're going to SBC and then taking a Duck tour....stay tuned, I'll explain later.

Goodnight everyone, seeing how it almost 6pm there!

Until next time,

Caitlyn

We're Here!!

Greetings from Singapore!
Just like I promised, this blog really is coming from Singapore. We arrived here a couple hours ago after what seemed like 2 flights that would never end. But, let's go back to right before we left. Thank you to everyone who came to the commissioning on Thursday night to send us off. It was great to have you there and we all really appreciated it. We headed up to the San Francisco Airport and our flight was at 1:40 am. I think we all were asleep before the plane even took off. That flight to us to Taipei, and lasted for 12 hours. To be honest, that is just way too long to sit in a seat and not be able to walk around. Landing in Taipei was fantastic, because all we wanted to do was stand up and stretch. Then we flew here to Singapore!! It was so exciting to fly in and see that the city is very lush and green. But that also means it's very hot and sticky here too. Not so fun, but we'll manage ;) As of now, we are having a little bit of downtime before we have our orientation with Roy Low (our missionary that we are working with) and he will explain to us what the week will hold. After that, we're heading off to dinner and get to soak in many of the amazing things that Singapore has to offer, both culturally and geographically.

Thanks for staying updated with us! I know that in California, you're probably all in bed or going to bed, and it's only 3 pm here! In case if you wanted to know, it's a 16 hour time difference between here and Cali. So please, if you're going to call, make sure you know what time it is so you aren't waking us at 3am :) And be prepared, it might cost you $3.50 a minute!

We'll update later!
~Caitlyn