Forwarding Agent:

DELMER RHODEBECK
1429 Norwood
Granite City, IL 62040
Phone: 618-877-7120
Dear Ones in Christ;
Wesend our hue to you from Singapore and our prayer that
this Christmas Season will be filled withjoy for you as we all are
reminded of the birth of Jesus our savior.
OFFICE NEEDS!
in the picture below you will see Bob at work with a com
puter. Yes, computers are a very useful tool on the mission
field. This computer helps conserve time in writing lesson
material and assisting withsermon preparation, since English is
the main language of Singapore. Your help in providing funds
for this tool would be greatly appreciated. The time that it saves
us is worth every penny it costs. Please earmark your extra of
ferings for the computer.
THE WORK IN SRI LANKA
The Christians in Sri Lanka are holding on despite the civil
unrest. They now have furniture for their church building. Bro.
George Teo has been instrumental in this work, along with
Bro. R, K. Wilson who is pictured here with his family and Bob.
The building is the church building which is located in the town
of Ella.'You will notice they remove their shoes when they en
ter the^uilding. Bob has recently returned from a trip to Sri
Lanka help strengthen and encourage the work there.
I
/
. 4\
y/
/ 33 /
Overseas Address:
ROBERT SIGAFOOSE
21 Toh Drive
Singapore 1543
Phone: 11-65-542-4414
THE WORK IN SINGAPORE
The work inSingapore continues to progress slowly. Peoples
of differing nationalities come to Singapore regularly and ^we
are quick to use every opportunity to teach Christ to "the
nations". An Ethopian family that we met on a visit to Malaysia
recently came toSingapore. They spent two weeks with usand
are intent on keeping a friendship with us. They are Moslems
who work in Saudia Arabia. The two-year old loved Bob im
mediately and never let go of him. The little girl could not
speak more than three words of English even though her
parents speak English fluently, it is always amazing when the
Lord sends us people like this.
The other picture that you see is our regular Wednesday
night study group. Please continue your prayers for us in this
effort that many souls may be reached.
*
'"HI
if
RELIGIOUS GROWTH SEEN IN SINGAPORE .
Recent newspapers have carried several articles depicting
the growth of religion in Singapore. In one article, Mr. Yusof
Rawa claimed that there are about 66,000 Malasian people
living in Singapore who have renounced Islam and have
become atheists or followers of other religions. In another ar
ticle published October 13, a lively debate ensued on whether
or not there was a "Chinese religion" in Singapore. The article
went on to say that Chinese Buddhism and Taoism were not
the same religion and should not be referred to collectively as
'Chinese religion.' A third article interviewed a number of
scholars who had picked Singapore as their research base. One
chose Singapore as a base to do his research on Buddhism and
democracy in Thailand. Others have Chinese, Vietnamese, or
other oriental heritage and wanted to use Singapore as a means
of learning about their ancestorial past, including religion.
Singapore is truly a gateway to other countries in Asia.
Singapore truly needs a saving knowledge of the one true and
living god and His Son, Jesus Christ.
God bless you all.
Bob and Diane
Robert and Diane Sigafoose
50 Monk's Hill Road
#04-50
Singapore 0922
Republic of Singapore
I S5C-S!i3E
} 3
Forwarding Agent:
Delmer Rhodebeck
1429 Norward
Granite City, IL 62040
(618) 877-7120
?
4STLAN MISSION
P.O. Box67, Goiiinsville, IL 62234
REFLECTIONS OF A FURLOUGH
Ue returned to Singapore on July 17, 1988
atter a mere 31 hours ot air trauel time,
beginning in Dallas, Texas.
We were eagerly awaiting the time when we
could be pointed to the nearest resting
place in which to start the old jet lag
scenario. Much to our excited amazement,
we were met at the airport- by a group of
about twentyflue to welcome us home.
Diane''s Sunday school class was a special
surpr i se!
We were presently in-formed that a STRESS
Seminar (scheduled to take place during our
absence), was put of-f until our return.
Not only that, but pre-seminar meetings
(which included us) needed to be conducted
with the sponsoring group. The Stress
Seminar began an exhausting week o-f
meetings; morning, noon, and night. Along
with this terribly exhausting time, we
tried to juggle extra minutes to meet and
see people we had not seen for the few
months we were on furlough. Our telephone
was also working overtime until the wee
hours of the morning. Talk about stress I
One thing was for certain. At that pace,
we discovered a SURE CURE for jet-lag!
One short three-and-one-half month's
furlough in the States was just that:
SHORT! We were so blessed at being able to
see our dear children again, plus the added
blessing of being introduced to Amber, our
granddaughter. She tolerated the
grandmother, so it seems, but dearly loved
the grandfather! She insisted PaPa do
everyt i ng for her.
Every furlough brings a greater heartache
of separation from the family, but this
last one was the worst. We can only trust
God that He keeps a vision before us so
that we may "run and not faint' as we
pursue this awesome task of reaching the
1 ost.
The time spent with the churches was sheer
joy. We appreciate the exceptionally warm
welcome we received this time. We know
that it was a great effort for some of them
to change their schedules just for us, plus
the extra preparation in planning our visit
with them. We managed to visit every
supporting church during our short furlough
with one exception - the First Christian
Church in Brookport, Illinois. Our car
broke down in South Dakota and there was no
way we could make it to southern Illinois
in time for their Faith Promise rally,
which had been scheduled especially for us
at that time.
Our furlough car was provided for us by our
forwarding agent who took pity on our lack
of travel funds. Most forwarding agents
are a unique bunch. They continually
accept responsibilities which take
exhaustive man hours. This includes
keeping financial records for the churches,
and records for the government. Also, many
hours In correspondence with churches and
individuals who are interested in mission
work. Much time is spent in planning tor
the Missionary Convention, newsletters, and
telephone contacts. Many times these
accepted responsibilities have been at
their own -financial expense. This
-furlough, our -forwarding agent even
arranged a loan to enable us to purchase
our airline tickets -for returning to
Singapore. Uie believe our task here could
not continue without those at home sharing
the same vision. We are truly blessed!
OUR IMMEDIATE PLAf>IS
Bob has been invited to speak to the
Australian Church o-f Christ Convention in
Brisbane. We are seeking God^s will and
direction In making this trip. In
December, we will be making another
teaching and preaching trip into Sri Lanka
visiting our three churches there. We ask
for your prayers -for the safety of this
trip and that many will come to know Christ
as their personal Saviour.
RICHARD AND JOSEPHINE WONG
Richard and Josephine Wong left their
_home]anrl of Sinoapore on August l!?th. ..bound,
for St. Louis, Missouri, where they entered
St. Louis Christian College a week later.
It was a sad day for those they left
behind; the church family at Boscombe Road
Church of Christ and their immediate
fam i 1 y,
We are praying there will be others in the
Boscombe Road Church of Christ who will
come forward and assume the duties and
responsibilities of this congregation. We
are looking forward to Richard and
Josephine's return upon graduation. We
praise the Lord for the corwnittment and
dedication of this couple. We pray the
Lord will help them during their time of
adjustment to the climate and to the
culture. They need help financially as
well. If any would like to send a love
gift, I'm sure that It would be greatly
mmm
appreciated. Please send these gifts to
Good News Christian Mission - Wong fund.
A NEW ADDRESS
Upon our return to Singapore, we were
informed of an apartment for rent near the
downtown area. At the time we laughed,
having no plans to move from our quiet
neighborhood thirty minutes from the city.
Well, the Lord moves faster than many of us
at times. After several weeks of prayer
and deliberation, we found ourselves
preparing to move Into the apartment. It
is owned by the government, which makes it
more affordable for us, although more
restrictive in many ways. HcMever, we have
realized the location is exceptionally good
in which to start a Bible study and later
develop a church. It will also be an open
home for the MANY young, non-Christian,
people who work in the area and need help
in every area of their lives. Our new home
will continue, as always, to be a hostel
for those many missionaries visiting
Singapore.
Our new address is:
Robert and Diane Sigafoose
50 Monk's Hill Road
tt04-50
Singapore G922
Republic of Singapore
The writer of Hebrews says: "Let us draw
near to God with a sincere heart in full
assurance of faith,, having our haar-ts.
sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty
conscience and having our bodies washed
with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly
to the hope we profess for he who premised
is faithful. And let us consider how we
may spur one another on toward love and
good deeds. Let us not give up meeting
together, as some are in the habit of
do I ng us encourage
anotherand all the more as you see the
Day approaching <Heb. 10:22-25).
God Bless You ALL!
Non-Profit
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Permit No. 8
Collinsvllle, IL 62234
Good News
Christian Mission
Box 67
Collinsville, Illinois 62234
OLETA MONIGER
MISSION SERVICES, BOX 2427
KNOXVILLE TN 37901
Address Correction Requested
Robert and Diane Sigafoose
50 Monk's Hill Road
#04-05
Singapore 0922
Republic of Singapore
A a-js
NEW ADDRESS
13^1
Forwarding Agent:
Delmer Rhodebeck
1429 Norwood
Granite City, IL 62040
(618) 877-7120
1429 Norwood, Granite City, IL 62040
Greetings- -from Singapore!
M1 ss i on-ar t es DO make a d 1-t + erence (
others are making a dit-ference!
We, as indiylduals, sharing the gospel message with
"Brothers, loyed by God, we know that he has chosen you because our gospel came to you not
simply with words, but also with power with the Holy Spirit and with deep cony let ion. You
know how we liyed among you -for your sake. You became imitators o+ us and the Lord; in
spite of seyere su-ftering, you welcomed the message with the joy giyen by the Holy Spirit".
(] Thessalonians 1:4-6)
At the beginning o-f this year, some new statistics concerning religion were revealed by the
government. During the last eight years, Christianity has jumped -from 10.3 percent to 18.7
percent, an increase o-f 8.4 percent! What is nearly as exciting Is that those o-f no
religion have gone from 13.2 percent to 17.6 percent, and increase of 4.4 percent. (This
means that this group of free-thinkers has an open heart to hear the Gospel.) Another
revelation from this report: 38 percent of all teachers were Christian as well as 50
percent of doctors and as large a percentage of lawyers. This is also to say many leaders
of the country have chosen to follow Christ. Unofficial statistics put the figures even
higher. The following excerpt from news sources will provide you with more information.
Religious orientation
of Singaporeans
Christianity
No reilQlon
56% 41.7%
10.3% 18.7%
13.2% 17.6%
Not*: PercentBOSot pofHriaOon who are Mualms
and Hndus remained saWe Irom tseosa
Christianity and education
Christiang No rePgion
A-lev9l 303% 28%
University 41% 23%
25% of Englleh-oductrtod aroChrMIWM
Catholics. 10%
Protestants ...15%
73% of China aducated ara Chrlatiana
Catholics. 2%
Protestants 5.5%
Secular outlook
of Government
In Singapore, the last
thiw elections had, with
each election, brought into
Parliament more MPs and
ministers who are more
active Christians, or more
orthodox Muslims, less
MPs who are Buddhists, or
traditional religionists,
and more MPs with no re
ligion.
This,has not changed the
secular outlook of the Gov
ernment. However, it does
require ministers and
MPs, of whatever religion,
to be extra-awaro of the
need to be secular in deal
ing with their constituents,
for they represent voters
of many (Wferent religions
or no religion.
There were long periods
in Mediterranean history
when different religions
co-existed peacefully. At
the time of the Spanish In
quisition, the Jews peace-
fuUy practised their faith
in Muslim countries of
North Africa. .So also there
were long periods when
Christians lived peacefully
with Muslims and were not
engaged in wars of the
Crusades.
However, the present
phase in Singapore tends
more towards intensely-
held exclusive beliefs fhan
towards tolerant co-exis
tence.
At a time when Islam is
resurgent and thrusting,
Christians, especially
charismatics, are in a dy
namic, evangelising phase.
This has sometimes led to
friction, and requires sen
sitive handling.
In recent years, the Bud
dhists and traditional Chi
nese religionists have also
become active. Traditional
Chinese religions are revis
ing and updating their rit
uals and explanations so
that young Chinese Singa
poreans will accept them
as rational and reasonable.
Singapore Buddhist or
ganisations have started to
make Buddhism more rele
vant to contemporary Sin
gapore. They are
separating Buddhist teach
ings from superstition. En
glish is used in Dharma
classes, talks and meet
ings. The Buddhist Sutras
have been and are being
translated into English by
academics in America and
the United Kingdom. For a
long time, Hokkien and
Cantonese have been used
instead of Pali or SarLskrit.
Buddhist societies have
sprung up in the Universi
ty and Polytechnics. They
are also reaching out to
students in schools. Bud
dhist songs are being com
posed and are sung in
English to guitar and per
cussion music. In other
words. Buddhism is adapt
ing its practices to be ef
fective and to keep its
followers. The fact is no
religious leadership can be
tolerant and passive when
its following is being erod
ed by other religions.
THE STRAITS TIMES,
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1988
The Stngapore-an Christian is committed, working and productive. Years ago, they were
schooled and taught by missionaries, encouraged by brothers and sisters in Christ, and
moved by the Holy Spirit. In a nation which is to become the most important In all o-f
Southeast Asia (and perhaps all o-f Asia itsel-f), our God has been working.
The task be-fore us is an awsome one! With the revelation o-f these -figures, our freedom to
worship will certainly be curtailed, We anticipate some pressure down the road and the
future is uncertain. We are so wonder-fully blessed to be a part o-f this expansion o-f the
Lord = Church. We pray our ef-forts to love and -fill the hearts o-f the Singaporean will
continue to be blessed by God.
One of our main goals in Singapore, outside of reaching the Singaporean, has been to teach
and encourage them to reach out to those neighboring countries in Asia. They are doing it!
For tho-=.e of you who continually pray for us and our work here, and who give so generously
of your hard-earned money, please know that it has not been in vain. You, too, can reap
from the harvest of our Lord.
FOCUS ON INDIMIDUAL SINGAPOREANS:
Edmund Au Joined Richard and Joaephtne Wong at St. Louis. Christian College, the -first part
o-f January. Edmund le-ft a good government job in Singapore, -feeling the need to -follow the
Lord's leading. Please pray for him as well as the Wong's that they will be able to make
the adjustment to the American environment. We are looking forward to their return to work
along side us in the spreading of the Gospel in Singapore.
FOCUS ON SRI LANKA:
The situation in Sri Lanka is not any better than the last time we wrote to you. The
government has held an election and the results are well known to you by this time. We're
not sure that is going to make a great deal of difference in the political situation,
regardless of who is elected. The church is still very much affected by the civil war.
Our church in Ella, in the mountains and on the edge of the Jungle where guerillas train,
is made up of both Singhalese and Tamils. They are afraid to meet together for fear of an
attack from both sides. Please keep them in your prayers as they hold on for an end to the
turmoil. We will be planning to return as soon as the situation is stabilized.
FOCUS ON BANGLADESH:
Bob was able to Join Lew Cass in Bangladesh beginning January ist, staying until January
l?th. There is a national there who was schooled in our Bible college in Cincinnati.
Efforts by him to be registered and recognized is a major obstacle in getting on with the
task of our Lord. The government Is an11-Christian everything (except money, of course).
Lew and Bob were able to distribute money collected by our churches via IDES to a local
organization run by Christians. The money was enough to build nineteen houses and three
fresh water ponds. You may remember Bangladesh has suffered severly in the past several
months from floods and a cyclone. It's such a terrible situaion...but MANY hearts are open
to hear the "Good News". As you know, Lew Cass and Bob have been trying to find a way to
enter Bangladesh as missionaries for more than ten years. Several trips have been made to
try to establish a mission there. The pictures below show some of the destruction.
Homes destroyed, families dead School children safe, school blown away
THE "GIRLS"
In our last newsletter, you were introduced to our granddaughter Amber. We wanted to
include pictures of our daughters as well, but space would not permit. So, here they are.
Laurie is shown at left. She is currently working and living in Waco, TX. At the right,
is Debbie, her husband Damon Bartscher, and daughter Amber. They are living in Mitchell,
SD. It was very difficult to leave our family in the States.
Good News
Christian Mission
1429 Norwood
Granite City, IL 62040
Address Correction Requested
MISSION SERiJICE
BOX 2427
KNOXVILLE
TN 37901