32 Things

1. Jesus Christ--The Savior who is always loving, always faithful, always patient, and always leading me closer to Him.

2. Joshua Redin--my amazing husband who serves our family and loves God wholeheartedly

3. Caleb Redin--the most loving, kind-hearted three-year-old I've ever met

4. Annabelle Redin--the silliest, joy-filled, most playful girl on this planet

5. Jonah Redin--for his sweet smiles, snuggles and expressive eyes

6. RHC--our church here in Singapore that passionately loves Christ and teaches Truth

7. Extended Family (if I listed everyone that would take up the rest of the 32 items)--so thankful that nearly everyone in our extended family is a brother/sister/father/mother/grandmother not just in this passing world, but a brother/sister in the shining world to come.

8. Friends--For long-time friends and new ones. For best friends that trek across the world to share our experiences in Singapore, and for neighbor friends who trek down the hall to say hello. For friends that I talk to every day, and for friends who send an email out of the blue every few months.

9. Health--For the last year which has been relatively sick-less. A minor cold here and there but no major battles.

10. Daily bread--For the daily food and water we have in abundance. . . in a time when many around the world are suffering for lack of food and drinkable water.

--Okay, done with the serious stuff. . . from here on out, there is no particular order and no particular depth =)

11. Banana Muffins and a cold glass of milk

12. Packages from home

13. My Canon

14. Photoshop

15. Legos (what else could keep Caleb occupied for hours on end!?)

16. Air conditioning

17. Al Azhar's Indian restaurant

18. Baby carriers that free up my hands

19. Naps

20. Skype

21. Kaya Toast

22. Singapore Zoo

23. The pool

24. Grocery delivery

25. Taxis

26. My iPod and it's player

27. Hair bows for Annabelle

28. Pink nail polish

29. The Mini-mart!

30. 20-cent popsicles

31. Free refills (since most places here DON'T have them, I am really thankful for them when I do get them)

32. Tortillas

A Well-Spent $20

Last Sunday, after church, Josh and I went to Starbucks and each got a coffee drink and split a muffin. My jaw dropped when the cash register rang up over $17 (Singapore dollars, but still!). It was a nice treat, since we don't do it often, but I couldn't help but think that there was probably a better way to spend $17.

Later that day, I came across this post on Yvette's blog which was a challenge to fight the consumerism of the season by giving one day's worth of Starbucks money to Dustin's ministry in Haiti. (For those of you who haven't been following Dustin's blog, I cannot recommend it highly enough. He is with a very small team of missionaries meeting the physical and spiritual needs of a village in Haiti.) Yvette suggested $5, but since we had just spent over three times that, I thought $20 was more in order.

(photo taken from Haititrip.blogspot.com)

Yesterday, I received an email from Dustin that read:
Thanks for the donation, it will go to the John Little project. He is a little guy who had malnutrition pretty bad, we want to help him get back on his feet.

Could there possibly be a better way to spend $20?

Some send, some go. We all have a part. What's yours?

To donate to Dustin in Haiti, please click HERE.

Fight FOCA

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
. . . a time to keep silence, and a time to speak
Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 7b

Remember the story of Esther? There was that guy, Haman, who tricked Ahasuerus into signing into law a death order for the Jews. The law said that any citizen could annihilate and plunder a Jew without any consequence or restrictions whatsoever. But, God used the voice of Mordecai to spur Esther into action. Esther was committing political suicide to stand up for the defenseless, but she knew that God had called her to her position of power for exactly that purpose and to keep silent would be wrong.

There is a peice of legislation right now called the Fredom of Choice Act (FOCA) that bears an uncanny resemblence to Haman's decree. It is calling for the permanent and broad-sweeping stamp of approval on abortion, including the end of all bans on partial birth abortion, all requirements that women be informed about the risks of abortion, that only licensed physicians perform abortions, and that parents be informed and give consent to their minor daughter's abortions. In a word, it is stating that any citizen can annihilate a baby without any consequence or restrictions whatsoever.

In addition to the annihilation of the unborn, this legislation also removes legal protections for individual healthcare providers who decline to participate in abortions, and for Catholic and other religiously-affiliated hospitals who, while providing care to millions of poor and uninsured Americans, refuse to allow abortions within their facilities.

It has not yet been signed into law, but President-Elect Obama has made a promise to sign this piece of legislation. Now is the time to speak. Please consider signing the petition linked below. And, prayerfully consider spreading the word about this to your friends and family. And, most of all, please pray.

A Prayer for the New President

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Rom 13:1

It's 3pm, November 5th, here in Singapore (making it 11pm on election day in California). I just finished reading the headlines that McCain conceded the election to Obama, making Obama our new President-elect. Barring any extraordinary circumstances, Mr. Obama will take office in January to become the next leader of the United States.

Whether or not I would have chosen Obama for this position is irrelevant. The Bible is clear that God is absolutely sovereign over the affairs of men, including political affairs, which means Obama is God's ordained leader over our nation. Mr. Obama is the man GOD chose for the job and ultimately, Obama must seek to please God, not the American public.

God cares about justice. He calls us to defend the defenseless and to care for those who cannot care for themselves. There are many, many people who fall into this category, and though we may debate the best way to accomplish our goal, as Christians, I believe we are (or at least ought to be) striving for the same end. Mr. Obama has expressed great concern for the poor and needy of our nation and of the world. In fact, that is the reason given me by several of my Christian friends who chose to support Obama. While I disagree with his solution, I admire his compassion for these often overlooked groups.

Unfortunately, while helping some, he has waged war on others--the very least of the "least of these". If you've ever held a newborn baby, you know who absolutely helpless newborns are. How much more so those that are not yet born! While there are, perhaps, many others who are equally in need of our protection, there is no one, no one, in need of it more. We must be in fervant prayer that God would change Obama's heart in regards to the "least of these" among us--the unborn children who are being annihilated by the thousands each day. Let us be persistent and not grow weary in praying for this!

Father in Heaven, thank you for establishing government to rule over us. Thank you for placing Mr. Obama in the position of President-Elect. Be with him and bless him. Fill him with wisdom and understanding. Give him a passion for righteousness and justice. Use him to carry out your will in our nation. Father, we know that it is your will that we protect and care for the weak. I ask that you change Mr. Obama's heart in regards to the heineous practice of abortion. Give Mr. Obama the humility needed to change course and come to the defense of the unborn children. Most of all, Father, give us the heart we ought to have, for the lost and suffering. Have mercy on our nation. Forgive us of our manifold sins. Help us to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly before you.

Our Little One

(In case you can't decipher this picture: the baby's elbow is on the left with his/her upper arm heading upward to the right. The little hand is in front of his/her face. You can see the thumb pointing outward and the four little fingers behind.)

This little one is exactly that. . . little. The doctor has been monitoring his/her growth with bi-weekly sonograms for the last 2 months because the baby is slightly below average on weight (thus the reason my mom thinks it is a girl). Thankfully, the baby has been growing steadily and is very active (thus the reason I think it is a boy) and so even though he/she is small, the doctor said she is not concerned.

If you think of it, please pray that the baby will continue to put on weight these last few weeks. The "average" baby weighs about 6.5 pounds by now. . . as of this morning, ours was about one pound below average. I'm hoping to have this baby pack on at least another pound (since bigger babies tend to be happier and sleepier) before birth.

Little Joe

Some dear family friends rushed their 7-week old son, Joe, to the hospital yesterday. Please keep him in your prayers.

You can read the updates here, on Kendra's blog.

These are a few of my favorite things. . .

In keeping with a tradition I started in college, every year on (or in this case, near) my birthday, I like to jot down a list of things that capture my life at that moment--the number of things corresponding with the number of years. Here is this year's list:

(Disclaimer: the list is random and definitely NOT comprehensive!)

Rebecca's Favorite 30
1. Listening to the squeal of excitement and the motorcycle sound effects that Caleb invariably makes when Josh comes through the front door after being gone at work all day.
2. 7:30 PM (Caleb's bedtime)
3. Playing Lost Cities with Josh in the evenings
4. Traveling
5. Ceyenne Pepper
6. Chair Time
7. Little hello kicks from Baby #2
8. Comfortable walking shoes
9. Bloglines
10. Blooies' Mushroom Bacon Burger (the best burger in Singapore)
11. Gmail
12. The mini-mart in our condo
13. Truth for Life podcast
14. Board books
15. Letters or packages from CA =)
16. Cheese (a long-time favorite made even more beloved due to the scarcity here!)
17. Tomato soup and grilled cheese
18. Seeing the bus I need come into sight, just as I arrive to the bus stop.
19. Homemade Pizza Margherita (recipe soon to follow)
20. Saturday adventures with Josh and Caleb around Singapore
21. Listening to Caleb and Josh sing Jesus Loves Me together before bed.
22. Seeing monkeys out our window
23. Deciphering Caleb's toddler talk
24. Finding my toothbrush ready and waiting for me
25. Cards and notes from Josh
26. Clean sheets that smell like Bounce
27. Saturday morning breakfasts
28. Lemonade
29. Friends who come all the way across the world to visit us
30. Skype

Sometimes words don't come.

Eric went home to be with his beloved Christ this morning. This happy greeting meant a very sad parting here, however. I have no words to express the sorrow I feel. I love this family very much and I cannot bear to think of the pain this loss brings them. Please be in earnest prayer for his wife, Heather, and their six children.

Oh Lord, we don't understand why, but we trust You.

Love someone so much it made you cry?

I recently received one of those "friend survey" emails. You know, the kind where you answer a bunch of random questions about yourself and send it to all your friends, including the person that sent it to you. (Just for the record, I don't usually do those, so if you forward one to me, don't take offense if I don't complete it. ) Since this was sent to me by a new friend I just met at Bible Study and since everyone else on the list were other ladies from the small group, I thought it might be a good way to get to know random tidbits about each other, like favorite ice-cream, number of pets, regular bedtime, etc.

There were a few "deeper" questions on the survey.
Q3: What are you most afraid of?
Q10: Love someone so much it made you cry?
Q33: What do you want to do before you die?

My answer to Q10 was yes, but since I sent the survey off two days ago, I have been thinking more about the depth of that question. My quick response was in regards to being a wife and mother. I have cried many times because of the overwhelming love I have for my husband, Joshua, and son, Caleb. The amazing joy these two have brought to my life is inexpressible. Sometimes, tears are the only words that come close to capturing it.

But, as I started pondering the question, I began thinking of other loves that have brought me to tears.

The deepest and most intense love, the one that most often brings me to tears, especially in prayer or in worship, is my love for Christ. Or rather, I should say, His love for me! (We love Him because He first loved us. I John 4:19) Not that tears of love are a prerequisite for true faith, but I do imagine that every true Christian has had a heart so full of love for Christ that tears were the only possible release!

Just this weekend, I learned of a difficult situation some very dear friends are facing. I have mentioned the Davis family before, when Eric was in the hospital just before Christmas. Unexpectedly, he collapsed again just a few days ago, suffered multiple cardiac arrests and is now in critical condition. When I heard the news, tears of love poured forth. I love this family, even though I do not get to see them often. My love for them caused me to feel their burden as if it were my own. Sometimes the tears of love are painful.

Coming Soon. . .

Another baby will be joining the Redin family the end of this summer. The ETA for Baby R2, according to the sonogram, is August 28th. (For those of you who think in weeks, that puts me at around 7.5 weeks). We were able to hear the heartbeat and see our baby, little arm and leg nubs and all, in live action just yesterday.

Feel free to guess the gender. . . we don't plan on finding out until the big day arrives, but I'd love to hear your guesses.

Please keep this little one in your prayers. He/She still has a lot of growing to do!

Please pray.

Some dear family friends are currently going through a very difficult time. Eric, father of six children (two of whom were recently adopted from Africa), is in the hospital in a forced coma due to severe respiratory problems. If you would like to read more, please check out their blog. Even if you don't have time to read the whole story, please do keep them in your prayers.

We're Home. . . whatever that means.

After a two week stint in Mississippi at a training seminar/commissioning service with NICS (the Missionary organization with which we are working), Caleb and I are back in California, staying at my parents' house. Josh is en route to Haiti to visit his best friend, Dustin, who is doing missionary work with the Haitians. I am anxiously awaiting an email from Josh, letting me know he's arrived safely. . . I am a notorious worrier and it doesn't help that my husband is a continent away in a dangerous, third-world country. So, if you think of it, pray for him and for me, too!

It's nice to be home, but in the back of my mind, I know that we're not really HOME. We are in the middle of hard-core transition--not yet "there", but not fully "here" either. It's a good place to be, although not exactly fun. These feelings of not belonging anywhere does stir in me a more definite longing for the day when I will finally settle into my heavenly home with Christ, where moving boxes and goodbyes will be a thing of the past =)

The NICS training we attended was excellent and I can't wait to share more of what we learned. I will post my musings soon, but for now, I'm going to go take care of my jet-lagged, ear-ached, sleepy-eyed boy.

Things to be praying about

We are running into a little difficulty locating housing in Singapore. The difficulty is twofold. First, the cost. The school Josh will be working for is run as a ministry, and although they do charge a tuition, it is significantly lower than every other international school in Singapore. Not only that, but over half the students are missionary kids and receive a significant discount off the regular tuition price. We are excited to be working for an organization that is focused on serving Christ and loving the students rather than making a profit, but that does translate into a very modest living stipend for us. In years past, the stipend allowance has been just enough to live on. However, in the last year, real estate in Singapore has gone up 70%, which makes the once barely-livable stipend no longer livable. We know that the Lord will provide what is lacking, whether it be through contract work that Josh may be able to find or through some other yet-unseen means. Please pray firstly that God would meet our financial needs and secondly, that a suitable flat (as they call apartments there) would open up in our price range.

The second difficulty we are facing is discrimination. Asia is not like America (DUH!). Landlords can deny a renter for any reason. Last week, we were working with a rental agent who had located us a clean 2-bedroom flat that was a "good deal" (albeit, still $300 more than we are currently paying!). We submitted some information that the agent requested but we received news this morning that the landlord was unwilling to rent to a family with an infant. I talked with our contact at the school and asked if that is a normal practice. He said, "Asia overall has practices that are much different. You see ads in the paper: Wanted female worker – age 30-35 only, Chinese Male security officer needed--under 40 years of age. You are asked you age, religion, husband’s job, etc. Things that would not be legal in the US are the norm here." (I replied that obviously the landlord hadn't seen pictures of Caleb, or they would have known that he is the cutest boy in the world and would have loved to rent to us!) So the third thing that we would ask that you be praying about with us is for a landlord who would be willing to rent to our family, infant and all.

We'll keep you updated. =)

The Land of Eternal Summer

After I posted this, I was encourage by notes from many of you saying that you were praying for us. Living as a leaf in God's wind is. . .well, how shall I put this. . . unpredictable. If you had told me in January that we would be living in an apartment right now, I would have laughed at your imagination. But, here we are. If you had told me a month ago that we would be moving out of the apartment in just a few short weeks, I would have laughed at the joke. But, here we are!

After our house sold in only two days, an unheard of thing in the current housing market, we began earnestly seeking God's face about where He was leading us. After making application to a few places, we interviewed and were offered a position in Singapore. For the next two school years, Joshua will be teaching computers at a Christian International School. It is hard to believe, but we will be leaving the US and flying to Singapore the latter part of July! We are excited about this opportunity. God opened the door before us and all obstacles were removed. It has been reassuring to see His hand in our lives.

A little about Singapore. . . I have affectionately dubbed it "The Land of Eternal Summer." The lowest recorded temperature is only 65-degrees (for those of you who need a break from the snow and sleet of Colorado, Washington and Texas, feel free to come visit us next winter). Singapore is an island city-state on the southern tip of Malaysia. It lies very close to the equator and is only a little over 200 square miles. That isn't a very large amount of space in which to squeeze a population of 4.5 million people--thus the high rise apartments and office buildings that dominate the urbanized area of the island. Everyone who has been to Singapore comments on how clean it is. . . so clean that even chewing gum is not allowed in the country (my guess is that although there are no chewing gum stains on the sidewalk, there are 4.8 million people with less-than-fresh breath!) Not only is Singapore one of the cleanest counties in the world, but it is also very serious about obedience to the law (perhaps you remember the incident that made national television a few years ago regarding the caning of an American hoodlum who will now think twice about spray painting BMW's in Singapore) and has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. I'm sure I'll have a lot more to tell you about Singapore once we arrive there, but that's a good start for now.

Although we are excited to GO, we are not excited to LEAVE. It is difficult to say goodbye to friends and family and all things familiar. I cannot emphasize enough how grateful I am to be living in a day and age when technology gaps the miles and even the farthest reaches of the earth are as close as your computer screen. That makes the leaving less difficult.

Please be praying for us as we coordinate our move. Specifically, pray that I would not become bogged down with the details and physical exhaustion of an international move and that I would keep my eyes on the goal of glorifying Christ even in the littlest things. Pray, also, that Josh would be able to utilize these last few months at his current job to shine Christ's light. Pray for an easy adjustment for Caleb (it's a 15 hour time change and a 21 hour flight. . . not exactly a fun prospect with a baby!)

I will be writing more soon, but I wanted to update everyone. This has been an extremely busy couple of weeks and I know the next few will even more hectic.

Going Once, Going Twice. . .

SOLD!

This morning, after only two days on the market, we signed the contract and entered the 30-day escrow period. Wow. . .God didn't waste any time.

Next step: Figure out where to live as of April 21st. Please be praying.

For Sale

Know anyone that is looking for a nice house in a quiet neighborhood? If so, send them my way.

I hate moving, but sometimes, you know it's time. Josh and I have been praying about this for several months and agree that God is leading us in a new direction. The first step: sell our house. We are waiting on God to see what the next step is. Exciting but scary. Believe me. . . we will keep you updated! In the meantime, please be praying that God would bring along just the right buyer.

New Links--New Prayer Request

You'll notice two new friends under my links--Haiti Trip and Live from London. These are links to the blogs of two of Josh's and my good friends.

D.V. is going to be serving Christ in Haiti for the next several months, perhaps longer depending on how long it takes to complete the work there. He is helping with the concrete, tile work and construction of a hospital, which will be used to minister to the Hatians by the long-term missionaries who are currently serving that area.

Luke is serving in London for a year, working with international students at an outreach center called Lee Abbey. He will have direct contact with hundreds of students as they pass through the facility.

Please keep them both in your prayers. They are committed to seeing the Gospel of Christ spread throughout the world and have willingly given up their time and resources to actively pursue that end.

Please pray. . .

Please pray for my friend, Jen. After a very long (3 full days) and arduous labor, she delivered her first child, a little girl, by emergency c-section early Tuesday morning. Katherine Marie is doing well, but Jen was moved to ICU due to liver failure, hypertension, and loss of blood. Last I heard, she had stabilized and had returned to postpartum. However, the doctors have not been able to get to the root of the problem and she is still ill. Pray that the doctors will have wisdom. Pray also that she will heal quickly so that she and her husband can thoroughly enjoy this wonderful time!

UPDATE 12/1/06 evening: Praise the Lord! Jen is now home and on the mend. God was very merciful. She was in very serious condition at one point, but is now doing quite well. There are pictures of their beautiful daughter on their site. Check it out.

Any Day Now. . .

Josh and I went for a check-up with Doctor this morning.

First of all, let me say that I really like my doctor. She is very matter-of-fact and down to earth. I had several questions for her this morning; instead of rushing out of the room, she sat down and talked with Josh and me for at least 10 minutes, answering my questions and going over a few things that I hadn't even thought to ask her about. I appreciate her perspective that childbirth is a normal and natural event, that a woman's body was designed for labor and delivery, and that interventions should only be used in instances of true emergencies. If anyone is looking for an OBGYN in our area, let me know and I'll give you her name.

So. . . according to Doctor, Baby Redin could now come any day! I'm dialated to almost 4cm and am over 60% effaced. The doctor had me make an appointment for next week but said, "I won't be surprised if I see you before then. Your body is definitely gearing up and you may not last the week." Hip hip hooray!

Please keep us in your prayers. We are so excited to meet our little son or daughter. It's hard to believe it could be any day now. . .

Heading the Right Direction

Josh and I went to my 36-week check up this morning. This visit was with my regular OB doctor and was much more pleasant than my last check-up with one of her colleagues.

Praise the Lord. . . after examining me, the Doctor reported that the baby turned and has assumed the right position for delivery! Sometime in the last month, God gently turned this baby, without my even noticing it. Thank you to all of you who were praying.

Josh and I are so grateful that the God we serve is an expert in this childbirthing process from start to finish. Not only did He create the womb, He lived one for 9-months.

the word became flesh

a swirl of sound, soft and thick,
the music of a human metronome,
embraces the tiny life.
darkness swaddles the infinite one
knees to chin,
as his half-formed fingers feel
for the intangible rhythm.

seconds, perhaps eternities ago,
the skillful weaver spun silken sinews
around the spindle of himself,
measuring off the immeasurable,
defining the indefinable,
hiding the omnipresent
in the hollow of his own handiwork.

a slow dance,
a swaying from side to side,
soothes the one who never slumbers,
drowning him in the silent song of sleep.