Young Emerging Leaders From Mongolia
July 29, 2008
Zorigt Munkhzul is a young man from Mongolia who recently spent some time in Singapore visiting and learning about the work of Asian Journeys, as well as attending the recently held GoForth Conference 08 at the Suntec Convention Centre as a volunteer. Asian Journeys led in a workshop on Asia’s enviornment and was an active contributor to the organisational work and preparation leading up to the conference.
The Goforth conference ‘08, which was attended by over 1400 participants from numerous Asia-Pacific countries, explored themes related to urbanisation, globalisation and innovation in the 21st century, and was extremely helpful for Zula (as he likes to be called) who aspires to be youth mentor working with young people back home in Ulan Baatar. He has been impresssed with the many outdoor facilities available in Singapore for youths, both in the city and in the HDB estates, for them to hang out and have wholesome activities together, be it basketball, futsal or skateboarding. He enjoys the East Coast beaches the most, since Mongolia is a land-locked country with no access to the sea.
It has been a great time of exposure for Zula as he makes friends and explores the meaning and rhythm of life and work in the busy city of Singapore. He has met young people from the varsity as well as business leaders and community leaders as he attended training workshops, business lunches and small group sessions in campuses, hotels, churches and homes. He has found the pace of life fast and sometimes stressful as he shadows Lawrence Ko, ED of Asian Journeys, in the numerous meetings and training sessions all over town. However, there are also the recreational activities like the Bt Timah and reservoir hikes, visits to Chinatowns, Tekka, and Sentosa. There is 100% work and 100% play as he has learnt to say with a smile.
Nonetheless he has learnt much and benefitted much from the exposure to the scope of work in Asian Journeys, including a glimpse of the inner goings-on in the management process in organsing a big event, the communications and networking so vital to mobilising resources, and more importantly, understanding how to talk to people from various cultural backgrounds and thus appreciating the diverse cultures in Singapore and Asia today.
Zula has learnt to enjoy the variety of Singaporean food, amazed when he first tasted cuttle fish and chilli crabs, and especially the much touted king of fruits, namely our favourite durian. Although he is beginning to like the thorny fruit, he still insists that the pineapple remains for him the undisputed king of fruits and will be taking some Thai pineapples back with him. He has also enjoyed drinking tea with sugar instead of salt. And the Mongolian food which he has missed the most: horse-meat. He will be so hungry for horse-meat when he goes home that he can eat a horse!
While in Singapore, Zula has had opportunities to meet with other Mongolian friends, including two young ladies from a college he has been enrolled to pursue further studies when he gets back to Ulan Baatar. These are the young emerging leaders who are crossing cultures, hungry to learn the English Language and drink in a global worldview to become effective in the new century.
In an age of globalisation, we celebrate the opportunities for global friendship and cross-cultural training where we can learn from one another’s heritage and equip one another for our shared future.
Asian Journeys are glad to be able to sponsor Zula’s learning journey here in Singapore in our small ways. Like a mustard seed, we trust this seeding project has great potential to grow in big ways beyond our imagination as invest in Mongolian young leaders. We truly appreciate those who have partnered with us and contributed to Asian Journeys’ Asian Indigenous Missions programme as we nurture and encourage emerging young Asian leaders in their development.
Dragon Awakes with Elephant Memory
July 27, 2008
A Workshop on Cross-Cultural Understanding of China
In early July, Asian Journeys conducted a 2-day workshop on Cross-Cultural Understanding of China at the Civil Service College. This is the fourth workshop led by Asian Journeys since August 2007 at the CSC.
AJ’s ED Lawrence Ko enthused the 23 participants with interesting stories in their learning of China’s cultural and political history spanning from the ancient Xia dynasty through the fascinating Imperial dynastic periods to the Read more
Asia’s Environmental Challenge
July 26, 2008
Asian Journeys led in an environmental workshop at GoForth 08 conference entitled Asia’s Environmental Challenge, which was facilitated by Lawrence Ko and assisted by Benjamin Lim, Yang Pih Foon, KC Heng and Tan Yeow Khuan.
The workshop participants represented a range of nationalities coming from Malaysia, indonesia, Philippines, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Cameroon and of course Singapore.
Lawrence briefly traced the historical development of the enviromental movement from the first Earth Day in 1970 through to the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 to the present and urged more Christians to get involved in enviromental movement as stewards of God’s creation. He presented the Christian prespective of man’s privilege to be stewards of creation from Adam to Noah, and the covenant and mandate to Abraham’s descendants to care for the land of milk and honey given by God to the Israelites, and highlighted the many instructions to care for the land as examples of God’s concern for the environment.
Benjamin then shared about the inter-relatedness of the macro issues ranging from energy, economics to the environment and gave examples from global climate change to the problem of desertification on how these issues impacted the poor. He also shared how the group of youths who embarked on the environmental youth expedition to northern China last year launched te Green Desert Club as an interest group of Asian Journeys, to encourage environmental awareness among youths in Asia.
Pih Foon, who had helped Singapore Polytechnic win the gold medal for enviromental reporting in June 08, shared about the Millenium Development Goals and introduced the Millenium Assessment template and resources to give participants an overview of the range of issues being discussed with regards to ecosystem resources.
Case studies on northern China’s sandstorm and green desert project as well as tropical rainforests and mangrove swamp conservation projects were given to participants as examples of Asia’s hotspots and environmental challenges, which as the Chinese often put it, are also opportunities for taking in the midst of these crises.
Khuan led the discussions on how we can creatively engage in environmental stewardship programmes in our daily lives, initiating awareness programmes in and beyond Singapore to encourage a bottoms-up approach beyond the top-down governemental initiatives in Singapore.
KC Heng, a gold medalist winner in last year’s garden festival, gave hands on demonstrations on how we can begin sowing seeds and planting palms in our homes and participate in NParks programmes to green the community. Participants were given a pack of soil and seeds in colourful bio-degradable containers as take aways to begin their green journeys.
One of the participants, Pastor Wattanabe from Tokyo Baptist Church, himself an insectologist by training, was very encouraged by the discussions and determined to explore together how churches can begin to participate in environmental awareness programmes in the community, both back home in Japan as well as collaborating with Asian Journeys in joint projects in Asia.
Awareness of Time
July 23, 2008
By Lawrence Ko, Associate Director, ARROWS WITH SOUL
Many of us suffer from time pressure as we experience the compression of time in a rapidly changing world with so many possibilities and so little time to pursue them. Hence the oft-heard lament in Singapore: ‘Not enough time!’
At work, it is commendable that there are a few multi-taskers who seem to excel in doing several things simultaneously.
They remind us of those amazing acrobats balancing a dozen plates on the tip of several sticks ? The challenge is of course, not to keep them balanced but also spinning.
Not many of us do well with all the tasks that are stacked on us, each making a demand on our time like a delicate plate on a stick and appealing to us to keep them spinning above ground. Before long, our heads are in a spin too while our tummies churn relentlessly.
Stephen Rechtschaffen says that most of us suffer from ‘time poverty’ as we are so busy seeking to go faster, do more and buy more so much so that we never get a chance to experience being alive.
In other words, we appear so rich in resources but yet are poor in being able to find time to enjoy life’s blessings. Inevitably time poverty leads to stress and to stress-related ailments like heart disease, diabetes, fatique, insomnia and high blood pressure.
In his writings on timeshifting, Rechtschaffen reminds us that it is important to become aware of time as our resource to be used and enjoyed rather than our master who enslaves us.
We agree that we can become aware of the moments in our life and learn to enjoy each task at hand. In this way we truly develop greater work-life integration and discover greater satisfaction in our lives and work rather than become stressed by the demands on our precious time.
Here are a few suggestions to help us become aware of the moments in our lives…
Do one thing at a time, giving it your full attention rather than trying to rush into several things simultaneously.
As David Lock, founder-director of Arrows with Soul, often says, we have not seen multi-tasking street musicians or buskers cut CDs. Shift into the present moment and relish the task at hand, give it your best shot and do it well.
Pause and become aware of the phone ringing, the fragrance of the morning coffee, the afternoon tea, the photograph on your colleague’s desk, and indeed take time to be inspired by the picture or poem you’ve placed on your own work desk !
Take several 3-5 minute ‘mini breaks’ in the course of your busy day to breathe literally. Take time slowly to inhale and exhale, closing your eyes to relax and refresh your body. Get in touch with your senses again and revitalise your mind.
Honour the mundane. Be aware of the ordinary tasks you are doing, whether you are emptying the waste paper basket, cleaning your desk or sweeping the floor. This is an invaluable advice from Rechtschaffen who does appear to say the commonsensical but we need the reminder. I have learnt to enjoy the task of filling my jug of water and relishing the moment, giving thanks for clean potable water instead of getting flustered and impatient in the process. After all, it is only a minute or two of our time.
Create time boundaries. This could include getting early to meetings and allowing ourselves some time to compose and collect our thoughts without undue rush. It also could mean setting aside undisturbed time daily for ourselves to do nothing… no phone calls, no meetings, no activities. It could be our quiet time where we are not rushed and where we can unwind, journey inwards and shift into our internal rhythms.
The American poet Longfellow, once wrote to remind us that we are not mere animals marching meaninglessly to the muffled drumbeats through time to our graves. If life is precious and has inherent meaning, then we can discover that indeed to everything there is a season and time for everything under heaven.
Be aware of the gift of time today. Enjoy each moment and relish every task at hand and do it well. There is a time for everything on earth.
Asian perspectives on Urbanisation and Globalisation at GoForth 08
July 16, 2008
In 2002, one of Singapore’s leading thinkers, Dr Kishore Mahbubani provocatively posed the question “Can Asians Think?” in the title of his book. His contention was that Asian leaders need to, if the projection is accurate that by 2050, Asia will house 90% of the world’s population and face the attendant challenges ahead.
We are living in very challenging times in rising Asia.
In a recent conference on World Cities held in Singapore, ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda noted that half of Asia’s population will be living in cities by 2020, as some 1.1 billion people move to urban environments over the next 20 years. “Asia’s rapid urbanization is unprecedented,” Kuroda said. “Providing jobs and services while improving the livelihood and quality of life for so many city dwellers is an urban management task of a magnitude never before attempted by humanity.” Asian countries need help to build sustainable cities that can cope with the region’s “unprecedented” urban expansion of more than 100,000 people a day over the next two decades.
We are living in the midst of immense opportunities in Asia… for Christian engagements.
As believers in Singapore seek to participate in the harvest force to fulfil the Great Commission, we have been constantly exhorted and challenged to consider Asia as our primary field of missionary endeavours.
As Archbishop John Chew reminded us recently, it is with sobriety that we should attempt to undertake missions to Asia as many of us know little about the hearts of Asia. The onus is on us as Singaporeans living on an island of modernity amidst a sea of underdevelopment, to be diligently learning more about Asia, with hearts of passion and compassion. This GoForth conference can become an important milestone in our learning journeys as we consider how we can engage Asia more effectively and meaningfully.
It is our conviction that with the growth of mega-urban regions in Asia, along with the advent of the new technologies in a globalised world, Christians in Singapore can leverage on our experience and expertise to initiate and innovate in missions, as we seek to minister the gospel in Asia collectively using the spiritual gifts God has endowed on our tiny nation.
Hence our programme thrust to serve and equip those with a call to missionary service, as well as to enthuse others who may not have considered personal involvement in missions thus far.
With the plenary sessions focussing on Asia’s megatrends, the specialist seminars engaging Christian professionals and afternoon workshops taking us deeper, we hope many church members can be challenged to play a part in missions, whether it is across the street or around the world.
Last but not the least, our evening rally speakers will seek God’s power to rekindle and rouse the fire in our belly, to call Singaporean believers to rise up in obedience and sacrificially respond to Christ’s Great Commission.
We are grateful for our distinguished speakers present here among us, ranging from academics and theologians, to church leaders, business leaders and missions practitioners. We pray that through the conference they will challenge us to think… more strategically and more innovatively, so that we can learn to serve and accomplish God’s purposes in Asia.
By Lawrence Ko
Chairman, GoForth NMC 2008 Programme Committee
Environmental Sabbath Service
July 10, 2008
The United Nations Environmental Sabbath Service
From “Only One Earth,” a United Nations Environment Programme publication for “Environmental Sabbath/Earth Rest Day,” June 1990; UN Environment Programme, DC2-803 United Nations, New York, NY 10017.
A Call to Prayer
We who have lost our sense and our senses – our touch, our smell, our vision of who we are; we who frantically force and press all things, without rest for body or spirit, hurting our earth and injuring ourselves: we call a halt.
We want to rest. We need to rest and allow the earth to rest. We need to reflect and to rediscover the mystery that lives in us, that is the ground of every unique expression of life, the source of the fascination that calls all things to communion.
We declare a Sabbath, a space of quiet: for simple being and letting be; for recovering the great, forgotten truths; for learning how to live again.
A Prayer of Awareness
Today we know of the energy that moves all things: the oneness of existence, the diversity and uniqueness of every moment of creation, every shape and form, the attraction, the allurement, the fascination that all things have for one another.
Humbled by our knowledge, chastened by surprising revelations, with awe and reverence we come before the mystery of life.
A Prayer of Sorrow
Reader: We have forgotten who we are.
We have forgotten who we are
We have alienated ourselves from the unfolding of the cosmos
We have become estranged from the movements of the earth
We have turned our backs on the cycles of life.
We have forgotten who we are.
We have sought only our own security
We have exploited simply for our own ends
We have distorted our knowledge
We have abused our power.
We have forgotten who we are.
Now the land is barren
And the waters are poisoned
And the air is polluted.
We have forgotten who we are.
Now the forests are dying
And the creatures are disappearing
And the humans are despairing.
We have forgotten who we are.
We ask forgiveness
We ask for the gift of remembering
We ask for the strength to change.
Silence
A Prayer of Healing
Reader: We join with the earth and with each other.
To bring new life to the land
To restore the waters
To refresh the air
We join with the earth and with each other.
To renew the forests
To care for the plants
To protect the creatures
We join with the earth and with each other.
To celebrate the seas
To rejoice the sunlight
To sing the song of the stars
We join with the earth and with each other.
To recall our destiny
To renew our spirits
To reinvigorate our bodies
We join with the earth and with each other.
To create the human community
To promote justice and peace
To remember our children
Reader: We join together as many and diverse expressions of one loving mystery: for the healing of the earth and the renewal of all life.
A Prayer of Gratitude
Reader: We rejoice in all life.
We live in all things
All things live in us
We rejoice in all life.
We live by the sun
We move with the stars
We rejoice in all life.
We eat from the earth
We drink from the rain
We breathe from the air
We rejoice in all life.
We share with the creatures
We have strength through their gifts
We rejoice in all life.
We depend on the forests
We have knowledge through their secrets
We rejoice in all life.
We have the privilege of seeing and understanding
We have the responsibility of caring
We have the joy of celebrating.
Reader: We are full of the grace of creation
We are graceful
We are grateful
We rejoice in all life.
DESERTS AND SANDSTORMS OVER NORTH CHINA
July 10, 2008
Case Study : Desertification and Sandstorms in China
By BENJAMIN LIM
Introduction
One third of China’s land is affected by desertification. Damages due to desertification are estimated to be about USD6.5bn every year. Desertification does not just affect the livelihood of people living in the drylands. It also affects cities even neighboring countries in the form of sandstorms[i]. Sandstorms occur in China every year. These sandstorms transport enormous amounts of soil and dust from their source areas in Mongolia and China to the rest of North-East Asia. Though a natural event in North Asia for thousands of years, these sandstorms are increasing in intensity and frequency.
What is causing the increase in frequency and intensity?
Studies have cited increasing desertification as the main reason. The deserts provided sand, dust and unstable states of hot air on the barren soil surfaces. These together with strong wind from the geographic formations of these areas, provided the pre-conditions for strong sandstorms[ii].
Human factors
Careless use of productive land and water resources, which are already scarce in these regions, through activities such as over-grazing, over-cultivation and large scale irrigation of land have contributed to the rate of desertification. Population growth and rapid rate of urbanization also causes people to increase the rate of activities on the land as they seek to improve life. [iii]
Global climate change has also been cited as a factor as temperature changes brings about increasing frequency of drought to the drylands.[iv]
Relationship between vegetation and sandstorms
Research has shown that increased vegetation cover can slow down wind speeds as much as by 40% to 90%[v].
Is it just tree planting?
“The socio-economic aspects (human dimension) of dryland degradation need to be given more attention. The emphasis should be on the people who use the land, not only on the land they use.”[vi]
“Desertification control is not only an environmental improvement initiative but also a local survival and development issue.” [vii]
What has been done?
Measures have been taken to prevent and reverse desertification. These include conversion of rangeland to grassland, croplands to forests/grasslands, relocation and rehabilitation of villagers to prevent their dependence on local ecosystems. Education of villagers, subsidies given for good practices and reforestation projects such as the Three North Shelterbelt Program or the “Green Great Wall”. These measures aim not only to improve the environment but also the livelihood of people.
[i] “Global Alarm: Dust and Sand Storm from the World’s Drylands”, United Nations, from the Foreword by
[ii] Ci Longjun, Disasters of strong sandstorms over large areas and the spread of land desertification in China, in Global Alarm: Dust and Sandstorm from the World’s drylands”, United Nations, pg 216
[iii] Ibid, p220
[iv] Ibid p222
[v] Ibid, p220
[vi] Victor R. Squires,Dust and sandstorms: an early warning of impending disaster, in Global Alarm: Dust and Sandstorm from the World’s drylands”, United Nations, pg 15
[vii] China: The Role of Policies in Combating Desertification,Xiaoxia Jia,National Bureau to Combat Desertification, State Forestry Administration, P.R. China, presented in session 3-National Cases studies, at the Desertification and the International Policy Imperative. 17-19 December 2006, Algiers, <http://www.inweh.unu.edu/inweh/drylands/IYDD.htm>
Awareness of Time
July 8, 2008
Many of us suffer from time pressure as we experience the compression of time in a rapidly changing world with so many possibilities and so little time to pursue them. Hence the oft-heard lament in Singapore: ‘Not enough time!’
At work, it is commendable that there are a few multi-taskers who seem to excel in doing several things simultaneously.
They remind us of those amazing acrobats balancing a dozen plates on the tip of several sticks ? The challenge is of course, not to keep them balanced but also spinning.
Not many of us do well with all the tasks that are stacked on us, each making a demand on our time like a delicate plate on a stick and appealing to us to keep them spinning above ground. Before long, our heads are in a spin too while our tummies churn relentlessly.
Stephen Rechtschaffen says that most of us suffer from ‘time poverty’ as we are so busy seeking to go faster, do more and buy more so much so that we never get a chance to experience being alive.
In other words, we appear so rich in resources but yet are poor in being able to find time to enjoy life’s blessings. Inevitably time poverty leads to stress and to stress-related ailments like heart disease, diabetes, fatique, insomnia and high blood pressure.
In his writings on timeshifting, Rechtschaffen reminds us that it is important to become aware of time as our resource to be used and enjoyed rather than our master who enslaves us.
We agree that we can become aware of the moments in our life and learn to enjoy each task at hand. In this way we truly develop greater work-life integration and discover greater satisfaction in our lives and work rather than become stressed by the demands on our precious time.
Here are a few suggestions to help us become aware of the moments in our lives…
Do one thing at a time, giving it your full attention rather than trying to rush into several things simultaneously. As David Lock, founder-director of Arrows with Soul, often says, it is unlikely to see multi-tasking street musicians or buskers cut CDs and win Grammy awards. Shift into the present moment and relish the task at hand, give it your best shot and do it well.
Pause and become aware of the phone ringing, the fragrance of the morning coffee, the afternoon tea, the photograph on your colleague’s desk, and indeed take time to be inspired by the picture or poem you’ve placed on your own work desk !
Take several 3-5 minute ‘mini breaks’ in the course of your busy day to breathe literally. Take time slowly to inhale and exhale, closing your eyes to relax and refresh your body. Get in touch with your senses again and revitalise your mind.
Honour the mundane. Be aware of the ordinary tasks you are doing, whether you are emptying the waste paper basket, cleaning your desk or sweeping the floor. This is an invaluable advice from Rechtschaffen who does appear to say the commonsensical but we need the reminder.
I have learnt to enjoy the task of filling my jug of water and relishing the moment, giving thanks for clean potable water instead of getting flustered and impatient in the process. After all, it is only a minute or two of our time.
Create time boundaries. This could include getting early to meetings and allowing ourselves some time to compose and collect our thoughts without undue rush. It also could mean setting aside undisturbed time daily for ourselves to do nothing… no phone calls, no meetings, no activities. It could be our quiet time where we are not rushed and where we can unwind, journey inwards and shift into our internal rhythms.
The American poet Longfellow, once wrote to remind us that we are not mere animals marching meaninglessly to the muffled drumbeats through time to our graves. If life is precious and has inherent meaning, then we can discover that indeed to everything there is a season and time for everything under heaven.
Be aware of the gift of time today. Enjoy each moment and relish every task at hand and do it well. There is a time for everything on earth.
by Lawrence Ko
Executive Director, Asian Journeys
Assoc Director, Arrows With Soul Pte Ltd
MILESTONES ON THE GREEN JOURNEY
July 7, 2008
BY JOANNE WONG WEIYAN, NTU student volunteer
Winds Of Change and Windows Of Hope
July 2, 2008
The winds of change are blowing.
Winds of change are welcome these days especially as the world seeks new and renewable sources of energy. Sometimes they come as breath of fresh air which truly can reinvigorate us in the home and workplace and revitalize old relationships and renew our organizations.
As most of us are creatures of habits, we tend to relish the familiar and comfort zone. That is why many of us are averse to change. Change usually brings along too many risks, and frankly speaking, requires too much effort.
However change is a reality as we live in a world of rapid and continuous change. Those who adapt best will thrive and actually enjoy the adventure of new journeys and new ways of living and doing things.
The familiar story of the Chinese old man who lost his horse in the frontier land reminds us that change can be a blessing or a bane depending on our outlook towards life. The runaway horse turns out to be a blessing as it returned with beautiful stallion. Unfortunately the old man’s son fell and broke his hip while riding the new horse and became disabled. Fortunately it turned out to be a blessing as the young man escaped conscription from military service afterwards when war broke out. The old man, ever philosophical, muses as he ponders every change and every new turn of event in his life, saying “Blessing or bane? Who knows?”
The experts tell us that there is a difference between change and transition.
Simply put, change is the external which impacts us. Transition is the internal adjustment we make in our personal lives in response to the external change. The ability to develop our attitudes and outlooks appropriately in response to changes around us will is key to transitioning well.
In other words, the focus during a change process should not be merely external but more importantly, also directed towards the internal, inward and indeed the mental, emotional and spiritual states of a person. Our souls if well nurtured, enable us to face change with positive outcomes. We become better rather than bitter.
The winds of change are blowing fast and furiously… sometimes appearing as cyclones of change. We can become fearful and anxious.
We live in a world which has changed over the past decade. The Internet and numerous new technology has transformed our lives and the way we think, work, live and play. Many are learning to cope and not even adjusting well. But like it or not, the future has arrived and the times, they are a-changing…
Organizations which have been nimble and perceptive to the changing environment have promptly re-organised themselves in anticipation or in response to current pressures or to the challenges ahead.
With the advent of new technology, competition arrives suddenly like a bolt out of the blue and alters (or sometimes destroys) forever some familiar products or concepts in our daily lives. Rapid change in the economic and political landscape can also shake our foundations cruelly. We may experience loss in the wake of change as the familiar is displaced or sometimes lost forever.
Change, like the common cold, is a process which necessarily takes time as it involves an emotional journey. Psycho-emotionally, the process is akin to the grieving process involving shock and denial, then fear and anger, before sadness and finally acceptance takes place. Each person goes through the process differently and some cope with it better than others. As such, we need to give time and space to each other in a sensitive manner as we go through change and transition.
The winds of change are blowing fiercely but we need not be afraid as fear begets fear.
At Arrows With Soul, we encourage everyone going through change to life their heads up high, live like an eagle and look ahead with strategic vision. We can consider envisioning the future and pressing on towards what lies ahead rather than lamenting the worms and grubs we have lost.
Armed with the Arrows With Soul’s Eight Traits, we develop personal mastery and most of all, a spirit of tenacity and creativity which make us a people who dare to dream and see visions even in the valley of shadows. We stare at the mountains before us and remain unafraid because we believe we can confront the cliffs, no matter how steep they appear to be. We are geared up for the challenging future of the New Economy.
Change is always deeply personal but we can learn to transit successfully in our life journeys. We begin to welcome change as refreshing when we believe that a new window of hope and opportunities can indeed open up for us. However, it will take the resilient spirit and the centred soul that will see what may be invisible to the rest of the world.
Enjoy the journey of change and transition in your life!
by Lawrence Ko
Executive Director