"Maybe this is preparing us for Singapore."

Yesterday was a test in patience.

There are no required vaccinations for traveling to Singapore. We were a little surprised by this but we wanted to verify so we e-mailed the Director of ICS. He told us we should consider getting vaccinated against Hepatitis A. We are looking around Singapore to all the places we might visit and wanted to make sure we were covered there so we also decided to get Hepatitis B. And just to be safe we went ahead and got a Tetanus booster.

You take your children in for well baby visits when they are young. The doctors keep poking them with all kinds of needles and it’s easy to forget what it is they are giving them. Apparently all children are immunized for Hepatitis B. Who knew? And our two youngest don’t need to get Tetanus boosters yet. So Luke and Emme just had to get Hep A. Drew is 10–and-a-half and so he got Hep A and Tetanus. Sabrina and I got the brunt of the needles as we received all three.

Trying to get a doctor to just give us the shots was a chore. Sabrina called several different doctors and they all wanted to give a physical before they would give us the vaccines. She even called the Health Department and they could do it but we couldn’t use our insurance there. Finally she found an office that would just give us the shots.

We arrived at the office at 8:45 AM. We were hoping this was going to be a quick visit. It's MLK day and none of us have school. We signed in and then we filled out the necessary paperwork. We had to fill out 5 sets of 4 pages, one set for each person. Up to this point we're doing okay. About an hour later Sabrina goes back up to the desk to ask why we haven't been seen yet. The nurse says it takes an hour to verify insurance and we should have come an hour earlier than our appointment. I’ve already made a run to Racetrac to get Dr. Pepper's for everyone. Another 30 minutes pass by and finally I am called back into the back. Sabrina and the kids follow me and the nurse isn't sure what to make of this. They keep asking if Sabrina and the kids want to wait in the main lobby and we keep saying no. More time passes and we finally see a doctor. He asks me what I need and I explain I just need vaccinations.

Once the doctor realizes we all need shots and nothing else he starts to get the ball really rolling. We all get our shots and as we file out of the office and into my car, we realize we had been in their office for two and a half hours.

Fast forward to the same afternoon. All the kids need teeth cleaning. We head to the dentist's office for their appointments. We find the same kinds of delays. Two hour later we are finished. The only highlight of our trip is my revelation to my wife that "Maybe this is preparing us for Singapore." Of course the rest of the family is laughing because apparently I fell asleep in the lobby and was snoring. I was also horrified to find out while I was sleeping, other people were in the office snickering at my zzzzz's.

Jeremy Erwin

Our Prayer

Take a moment to consider the worse teacher that you have ever had. What about the best teacher? Teachers have the ability to make a profoundly positive or negative influence on a child’s life! God has been working in lives around the world through the Network of International Christian Schools. NICS is founded on the belief that a major thrust for world evangelism and discipleship can happen through the classroom with the impact of committed Christian educators.

Our entire family (Jeremy & Sabrina with children Drew, Luke and Emme) will be leaving for Singapore in July. We will be teaching at ICS Singapore for the next two years. ICS Singapore is an international Christian school with over 400 students in grades K-12. The students are children from Singapore, along with children of missionaries, businessmen and diplomats from countries around the world. Our prayer is that these students and their families would come to know Christ and grow in their walk with Him through the testimony of the teachers at ICS Singapore.

Singapore is a small island (12 miles by 26 miles) in Southeast Asia with over 4 million people. The people are, for the most part, from China, Malaysia and India. Over 85% of the population follows Taoism, Buddhism or Islam. As the city becomes more modern, the people are beginning to look away from their family’s religion and have begun to look for God.

John 4:35 says, “Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”

Through the generous support of Christians, NICS is able to provide the majority of our salary. We have trusted Christ to provide a network of prayer and financial support. We would like to ask you to be involved in our mission to Singapore. We need those who would be willing to pray for our family and our mission in serving those who need Christ in Singapore. We also need those who would be willing to give a financial gift to be used for airfare, relocation expenses and housing. If you would be willing to help fill these needs, please complete the commitment card or go donate online. We, in turn, would like to send you a monthly prayer letter detailing our praises and requests.

“Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1)

In His Name,
Jeremy and Sabrina Erwin