The Ongoing Adventure

Once again, time has a way of getting away from us. In some ways, as I read over our previous blog, nothing much has changed. In another sense, so much has happened. I guess that's the way of life!

Perhentian Island Vacation, East Coast of Malaysia, Aug 2014

The most significant development is family news! We had a great visit and grand tour of Malaysia with Jen and Joel in August 2014, followed by a trip over Christmas to Oregon to visit with Tom's side of the family (with a brief stop visiting Shanghai). Shortly thereafter, Jen announced her engagement to Keith Hartman. So we will have a very busy trip to NY/NJ/PA/DE/MD for Jen and Keith's wedding (Newark, DE) on May 16th, and Joel's graduation from Peabody at Johns Hopkins (Baltimore, MD) on May 21st. After much hard work he has completed his Bachelor's in performance in jazz piano (last year) and will be receiving a Bachelor's in Sound Recording and a Master's in Acoustics.

Oregon Christmas 2014

We look forward to catching up with some of you in Princeton at Princeton Meadow Church on Sunday, May 10th, or at the Wegman's nearby that afternoon, where we will settle ourselves from about 2:30-4:30, hopefully in-between Mother's Day celebrations for brunch or dinner.


As to the ongoing adventure in Malaysia, Tom continues as a lecturer of English at Sunway University. In addition to the various clubs he supports, he has been working on a research project with a fellow lecturer as well as participating in a number of faculty groups working on curriculum development and the use of technology at Sunway.

Sunway University's new building opened March 2015

Sunway University had its grand opening of a new building a few weeks ago, a great step in its development, which Tom has been watching from the balconies of the old building for as long as we've been here. It's a great privilege to be here when something of this magnitude is completed. But far more significant than building development is the continuing involvement in the "building" of students' lives. Because of our role here and our proximity to the school, we continue to be invested in students' lives as they struggle through a stage of life wrought with difficult decisions, relationship challenges, struggles of keeping up with schoolwork, etc. We try to do our part to walk alongside them on the journey.

Friends & Food--A Malaysian Specialty

Janet continues to encourage (and grade) students taking the online counseling courses offered by CCEF. In preparation for our trip to the US, which will include a visit with CCEF, it has been encouraging to conduct some short interviews with former students and be reminded of the impact on students' lives. It is indeed a privilege to watch students grow in their faith and deepen their relationships with God and others as they work through the God-centered curriculum that Janet is helping to spread in Malaysia. Meeting one-on-one with people continues to be a priority as well, whether in a formal counseling arrangement, or more informally through relationships formed through church or other contexts.

Loving One Another Deeply Church Retreat (Kids' Song)

We both continue to be active coming alongside the leadership team of our church, CDPC Puchong. We each led small groups through November 2014, and have joined the leadership team for the small group ministry this year. We look forward to leading a small group together following our trip to the US. We've also helped in some significant steps the young 5-year-old church has taken--a church-wide retreat in October, helping set up a membership program in November, an outreach program that took place January-March, a leadership retreat, and a church-wide interactive Good Friday program most recently. But apart from the "program" side of things, we have enjoyed deepening friendships with the people in our church, which has been an on-going priority church-wide. We are so thankful for all we are learning in the way of loving God and loving others more.

Looking forward to catching up with some of you soon!

Much love,
Tom & Janet