Letter from a Singaporean Foster Grandparent

Vivienne Ng's FB Post on 19 Feb 2016:

Yesterday, we posted a letter TO foster grandparents. Here is a letter FROM a Singaporean foster grandparent (my father), written back in Sept 2014. My father had written this email to his fellow Board Directors at the International Christian Mission (ICM) where he serves, in response to my heartfelt plea (made in a pool of tears) which I had posted on the FB page of a major church denomination.

"Hi Brethren

While lying in a hospital bed at three this morning, I was reading our elder daughter Vivienne's open letter to the Christian community in Singapore, about fostering of children by Christian families. As I read it, my heart also ached. And I felt led to forward her letter to you all in the hope and prayer that you might want to encourage your children as well as your church members to consider fostering some children.

Most of us ICM directors are grandparents, and as such, it is 'natural' for us to dote on our grandchildren. And hence, we are fearful that the fostering of children may affect the bringing up of our own grandchildren.

To be honest, Theresa and I were initially somewhat "uneasy", "anxious" and even "apprehensive" when Vivienne fostered A, a lovely five-year-old Indian girl. Over time, A has adjusted well to her "new family", and now our five grandchildren enjoy playing with her. At first it sounded a bit "strange" to hear A calling us "Grandpa" and "Grandma" whenever we visited our daughter's home. But now she has become a member of our extended family.

Our daughter's open letter resonates with what I wrote 15 years ago about "The Great Spiritual Divide" - the divide between bible knowledge and it's application in the believer's life; between preaching and practicing; between "talk" and "walk". Christian credibility, according to Francis Schaffer, requires that truth not be merely defended, but practiced; not just debated, but done. The convincibility and receptivity of our gospel message hinges upon the narrowing down, if not the elimination, of this great spiritual divide.

Togetherness in glorifying God
Kwee Choo" 

https://issuu.com/methodist.message/docs/mm_jun16/12

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