Interview by sis Janelle
In this feature on Knowing Our members, we have sis Janelle interviewing bro Shaun and sis Tiffany. Bro Shaun and sis Tiffany were baptized on 4th Feb this year and they have 2 lovely children – Jaydia and Gwen.
1. What are you currently working as?
S: I’m currently working in a fashion-retail company, on the engineering and construction side.
T: I’m an executive assistant for the Head of Sales, of a German bio-pharmaceutical company in the Asia region excluding China, that sells lab products. I assist in all kinds of planning. I do events, distributor meetings, etc.
2. Do you enjoy what you do?
S: I think that it is human to wish for better, so if you talk about general happiness, it’s a sense of purpose, a sense of fulfilment, how happy you are with the environment, and if you can have a work life balance. I’m happy in a sense that I’m able to provide for my family. I believe that it is where God wants me to be. I’m happy and satisfied with what it is today. If my job allows me to build my spiritual life up, it’s the best I could ask for and that contributes to being happy.
T: Yeah, I like my job. At work, my boss appreciates all the effort I put in. In my personal life, there’s time for my family and myself as well.
3. What do you like to do during your free time?
S: Other than my roles and responsibilities as a husband, father, and son, I play football weekly. I also exercise on a regular basis to, as Biblical principles would put it, discipline myself.
T: I do this exercise called barre; I also do a little Bible studying when I travel between work, like on the bus or on the train.
4. Would you describe yourself as an indoor or outdoor person?
S: I’m an outdoor person, I enjoy taking a breath of fresh air or just walking around, like seeing the sights of the city. I bring my children outdoors sometimes; I recently brought them to HomeTeamNS, which is a place where children can build up their confidence, because it is quite a high obstacle course.
T: I’m more of an indoor person, so I enjoy reading Chinese books as I am a Chinese student. I usually prefer books like skincare and self-help books or the history of China.
5. How did you come to know Eastside church of Christ? What do you like most about this congregation?
S: We used to go to an Anglican church, then later to a charismatic one, but we wanted to settle into a smaller-scaled local church. We were deciding if we should go back to our old Anglican church, or go to Lim Ah Pin church of Christ, where I knew Paul and Amos were going. We later found out that some of the members in Lim Ah Pin church of Christ moved to form Eastside church of Christ, so we decided to visit late April to early May last year. I like how humble the leaders are, how they are so willing to discuss and clarify on any topic and question that we have about the bible and that the brethren here can accept and listen to us. This humility resonates with us because I think that this is how Jesus would be like if He was among us.
T: I like that the teaching of the Bible is more detailed compared to other churches. I like that the teaching of the Bible starts from scratch.
6. Who is your favourite Bible character?
S: I like the apostle Paul. Paul resonates with me as he used to be a persecutor but he became a follower of Jesus. Paul is an inspiration to me because he used to persecute Christians, and yet, such a sinful man became a major contributor to the New Testament. It resonates with me a lot on how Paul was transformed by the gospel. Paul was not in the accompanying crew of Jesus and only witnessed Him post-crucifixion. I feel like it is a parallel to the world now. We are not able to see Jesus visually, but He has worked providentially in my life since young. I think if God can use Paul, a persecutor of Christians so mightily, it is a great inspiration to all of us.
T: I would say it’s Simon Peter for me. Although he was a believer, he swayed in his belief as life got in the way. Since he met Jesus, his faith got stronger.
7. What is your favourite verse?
S: My favourite verses are: Proverbs 3:5-6 (Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.) Psalm 23:1 (The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.) Isaiah 40:31 (But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.) It tells me that all of us here are created beings and that all of us have a story to tell. No one’s story is a lesser one. It reminds me to not be anxious, and it tells me that we have a God that is above all our problems. We have a God that is infinitely bigger than anything that we can think of. If you believe that everything has a design, that means that the world has a Creator.
T: Mine is 1 Samuel 17:47 (And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.)
For the same reason that Shaun stated. We will face hardships no matter what we go through.
8. What is your biggest weakness?
S: My biggest weakness is that I have a very short patience. I think it is because of my background. I learnt to do things very quickly as time is limited. I realize that having a short temper is very dangerous as love is slow to anger, and if you claim to love God, you must be loving.
T: For me, I think I am the opposite. Slow and indecisive. For example, I wouldn’t know where to go for lunch, so my husband would always have to decide for me.
9. What is your biggest strength?
S: I think I am quite charismatic. I can carry and engage in conversations very well. Maybe it is because of the experiences that God had put me through, and me doing many wrong things and these experiences sort of built me up.
T: I would say mine’s patience with everyone. It helps me build strong and supportive relationships.
10. What’s your secret talent and how has it helped you?
S: I would say mine’s languages. I’m able to pick it up quite fast. If I were to learn Thai in quick speed, for example, I would be able to catch it quite quickly. For my wife, if you were to talk about attributes, I would say she is a very forgiving person.
Comments