On Wednesday, May 31st Tom Kirkpatrick and I departed the US for a visit to Singapore, India and Sri Lanka.  We arrived in Singapore on Friday morning, June 2nd after traveling more than 28 hours.  The purpose of the trip was to visit the brethren in Singapore for the Pentecost weekend as well as conduct several seminars from the Christian Leadership Training Program.  In addition to the Singaporean brethren we were joined by Eugene Kumar and Tarun Ghosh from India and Edward, Lilik and Bellinda Simanjuntak from Indonesia.  Friday, June 2nd was spent trying to cope with jetlag.  Since we arrived very early morning in the morning, we slept for a few hours and then spent the remainder of the day visiting Fort Canning and the Changi Chapel Museum.  By staying on the go we were able to stay awake during the day and then get a reasonable nights rest Friday evening.

On the Sabbath we held Sabbath services at the Mayo Inn.  The sermon was given by Tom Kirkpatrick.  After the service I gave a seminar on Mastering the Tools of Christian Growth.  After the Sabbath service and seminar the group traveled to a nearby restaurant for a meal and continued fellowship.  On Sunday we gathered once again at the Mayo Inn for Pentecost services.  It was a wonderful day of Biblical instruction and fellowship.

On Monday and Tuesday we regrouped at the Mayo Inn for two days of seminars.  We had eight participants for the seminars.  Most of the handouts and a brief outline of each lecture was reproduced and collated in two ring binders.  Each participant was given a binder containing the material.  This allowed them to take notes during the presentations using the outline as a guide.

Eugene Kumar from Moradabad, India wrote…"The Leadership Seminar was awesome.  Excellent classes and study material.  A big thanks to the Church and our pastor for giving me such a great opportunity. "

Tarun Ghosh of Kolkata, India wrote…”Thank you both very much for conducting the Leadership Seminar. I am sure it will be of great use while serving the church in this part of the world. We are also thankful to the Ministerial Board for organizing this kind of training facility which is very much essential for us here in India. We are looking forward to your continued prayers for further training to build up the church here in India. It was a wonderful experience to fellowship with our Singapore brothers and sisters. May God bless us all as we strive hard to serve Him to the best of our abilities.  Let us pray for each other as we prepare ourselves for the coming Kingdom of God.”

Edward Simanjuntak from Indonesia wrote…”Thank you very much for making it possible for all of us - for me personally - to have the opportunity to attend the Christian Leadership Training Program.  It was truly a privilege to be able to attend it and I must say that the materials are high "quality products" and very well presented setting a very high goal in terms of Godly character building.  The Scripture quotes which are put together for references really make God's wonderful truth come alive and full of inspiration. The elaborations and illustrations presented were truly refreshing, enlightening and uplifting.  My family and I are very happy to also use it as our helpful guide in our regular morning's Bible study together.  Thank you so much again and I wonder if you could possibly extend our appreciation to those who have helped make it possible for us to taste and enjoy it."

Ling Eng Chew from Singapore wrote…"The 2-day leadership seminar covered serious biblical material, principles and real-life applications.  The sessions were intensive, invigorating, encouraging yet sobering at the same time, when we all realize and become more acutely aware of the very, very high standards of conduct and behavior that are expected of those who have been called, the ultimate benchmark of which was set by Jesus Christ.  The quality of teaching and instruction was superb. What is also helpful was that all of us were provided with written materials; we have a valuable resource that we can read, recall and review to help us be able to apply and strive to live according to the timeless principles of the Bible.  The seminar also provided the opportunity for some of the members to meet in person for the very first time."