3 Mois au Benin

I’ve been in Cotonou, Benin for 3 months now, and want to share with you some impressions of this country. Benin was a former French colony, and is considered to be the most stable country in West Africa. It is definitely more developed than Liberia. The roads are in much better conditions, goods and supplies are much more readily available. The traffic, however, is insane. The main mode of public transportation in the cities is motorcycles/mopeds called zemidjahns. There are estimated 80,000 zemis in Cotonou alone. Not only is the air heavily polluted, these zemis drivers are aggressive. They would pass on the left, on the right, on the pavement, on the wrong side of the road. As long as there’s an opening, they’ll take it. I much rather deal with potholes in Liberia than the zemis here, because potholes don’t move!

I had the chance to go on a few trips around the country. Click on each location to see more pictures.

Ganvie – a village built on stilts in the middle of a shallow lake. I have mixed feelings about visiting this place. It is interesting to see a completely different way of life, but I feel we’re invading their community. Boatloads of yovos (white people) going up to the front of their houses, taking pictures like they are animals in a zoo. I think it can be done with more sensitivity and respect.



Ouidah – a former slave port, point of no return for many Africans. I find it ironic there’s a chapel in the slave fort. How can the slave traders have peace with God in their hearts? There are also many voodoo statues in the town and along the roads.



Nikki – a friend and I attended the annual festival of Nikki, which honours the King of Nikki and features horses of Benin and neighbouring Nigeria. It was a stunning visual smorgasbord of colour. Never being someone who cares much about clothes, I was completely absorbed by the amazing display of costumes, make-up, jewelleries, and colours of the different tribes. It was a fascinating experience, much worth the equally unforgettable journey to and from Nikki. 6 hours of cheesy African music videos and soap operas in a partially air conditioned bus, followed by 2 1/2 hours of bumpy ride in a dilapidated 5 seat sedan with 10 of my newest friends. Granted there were a few kids there, but still, 4 adults in the front row. I was just glad I wasn’t the guy who has to straddle the stick shift. The car’s transmission isn’t the smoothest, especially going from 3rd to 4th. I cringe everytime I see the driver forcing the stick into 4th, his hand inches (probably less than an inch) from my neighbour’s most sensitive part. Aiya! The amazing pictures were all taken by my professional photographer friend.



Possotome – A quaint village on the shore of a beautiful lake, it is also the site of several natural springs and a water bottling plant of the same name. Reminds me a little of Evian on Lac Geneve. I took a boat tour on the lake and learnt how to cast fishing net. That was a fun time.

Rite of Passage

2 weeks ago, I began to develop flu-like symptoms. 2 days later, to my horror, I discovered red spots all over my body. I had chickenpox. For the next 2 weeks, I was in isolation. I was in a very nice guest cabin, with 4 big windows overlooking the harbour. I spent a lot of time with God, reading the Bible, praying, listening to sermons. It was a sweet time of fellowship. I also enjoyed watching the cargo ships coming in and out of the port, and did some sudoku. It was an unexpected but much needed 2 weeks of spiritual revival, my one and only Polka Dot Spiritual Retreat.

Happy 3rd Birthday to Me

This past Thursday marked my 3rd year as a Christian. I never thought I would become a Christian, and I am amazed at what God has done with my life thus far. I am excited at what God has in store for me in the future.

Filling in the Gap

It's been a while since I last updated this blog. A lot has happened since then . . .



Baked almost 20,000 loaves of sandwich bread, plus rolls, specialty breads, cakes, cookies, truffles, pastries, and the occasional showpieces.



Ministered at Monrovia Central Prison, and later at Victory Outreach Halfway House for Men. This had been a powerful spiritual experience for me. God was ministering to me as much as I was ministering to the men. I will always remember the razor wire fences, the cramped and dark cells, the chalkboard in the warden's office with an ever increasing prisoner count, the smiles on their faces when they see us coming, the desperate cries to God for deliverance and the joyful shouts of praise.





Explored parts of Liberia, Tenerife, mainland Spain, and now, Benin.

Failed to climb the highest mountain in Liberia. Climbed the highest mountain in Spain.

Slept in an army camp, gave baking classes at an embassy.



Through all my adventures and misadventures, I am learning more and more about myself and the God I serve. I am excited to see where God will lead me in Benin and beyond.

Beginning of a New Outreach - Benin 2009

Nous sommes arrivés! We are now in Cotonou, Benin, in West Africa.

3 months mark

I can't believe I've been on the ship for almost 3 months now. Time really flew by. I enjoy my time here tremendously. I am definitely experiencing God, and am growing closer to Him. I met a lot of people, and it's fascinating hearing their stories. I've made almost 3,000 loaves of bread thus far, plus a wide variety of desserts, and have been met with compliments. Life on the ship is not always easy though. There were times when I became frustrated, confused, or angry. However, when I remind myself that God called me here and that I am working for God, I feel much better.

I'm keeping myself busy with activities on and off the ship. In particular, I've been involved with prison fellowship. Every Saturday morning, for the past two months, I've been going to Monrovia Central Prison with 10 or so other Mercy Shippers visiting prisoners. I have never been in a prison before, and have never done anything like this. I was really nervous the first time crossing the threshold into the prison compound, wondering what would happen, and what I should say. However, as I met and spoke with the prisoners, I felt the presence of God. I was able to share scriptures with them, and speak words of encouragement and comfort to them. It was an amazing experience. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to share hope to some of the least fortunate people in this impoverished country.

"Two boiled eggs dot blogspot dot com?"

I interrupt my infrequent blog update on my new life in Liberia for this comic relief.

Last night, I was having dinner with several people, one of whom I just met. The topic turned to my blog. The new person asked what is my blog address.

"tuborgx dot blogspot dot com", I replied with a mouthful of cucumbers. Tuborgx is pronounced too-borg-x.

"Two boiled eggs dot blogspot dot com?"


On a more serious note, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was in Liberia yesterday and today.

Liberia Living – Home Sweet Home

Some of you are probably wondering what my cabin looks like onboard the Africa Mercy. In this post, I will give you a glimpse into my humble abode.

There is a wide variety of cabins on the ship, family cabins, couple cabins, and cabins for 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10 persons. Based on my gender, age, length of commitment, position, and previous Mercy Ships service, using an undisclosed formula and points system, HR assigned me to a 4 berth cabin. This means that I share a cabin with 2 bunk beds with 3 other guys.

There is a tiny bathroom called the wet unit, and due to limited water supply, when we shower, we can only use 2 minutes worth of water.



A narrow hallway leads to the 2 sleeping compartments, each has a bunk bed, closets and cupboards. I have the top bunk in the 2nd compartment.





At the far end of the cabin is the lounge area, where we can supposingly chill and relax. However, given the minuscule size of the room (lounge can just fit 3 chairs, so where does the 4th guy sit?), I rather hang elsewhere on the ship.



In the beginning, I found my cabin inhumanely small and the bunk an accident waiting to happen. I used to live by myself and had lots of space. There is hardly any storage space in my cabin. After many days of agonizing, I was finally able to fit all my worldly belongings in my one closet and cupboard. I never slept in a top bunk in my life, and remember how sick I was when I first arrived? Climbing up that ladder on the first night felt like climbing a mini-Kilimanjaro. Climbing down was worse. There is a horizontal bar on the top bunk designed to prevent people from falling off while sleeping. However, the bar is flush with the mattress, so it offers no protections whatsoever. The only good it does is when I roll around in bed, and my knee bangs against the top of that bar, I am painfully reminded of the threshold.

One night, I rolled around in my sleep and all of a sudden, WOOSH! I felt cool air all around me, and a weight was lifted off me. Then I heard a soft THUD. Fortunately, it was my duvet, not my body, that fell on the ground. I got out of bed, climbed down, picked up my duvet, put it back on the bed, climbed back up, and went back to sleep. That was annoying, embarrassing, and funny at the same time. However, I was too sleepy to laugh.

After living in the cabin for a month, I am getting used to it. I appreciate its easy-to-reach-ness. Once I was already in bed when I realized my alarm clock (aka cell phone) was in the cupboard. Instead of having to climb down, get the phone, and climb back up, I simply leaned over, opened the cupboard, and retrieved the phone. I also developed a method to safely climb up and down the ladder in low light environment while half awake. This is not the best cabin on the ship, but also definitely not the worst. I suppose this is all a matter of perspectives, and I think I am beginning to gain some.

Soon, I will introduce you to the rest of the ship. A la prochaine!

Liberia Living - Month #1

Finally, a post on life in Liberia.

I've been living on the ship for a month now. There have been ups and downs, moments of assurance and anxiety, fun and frustration. I am settling in nicely, getting accustomed to ship life.

In upcoming posts, I will describe, in words and kilo-words, the ship I live on, the people I live with, and the city I see, hear, and smell everyday.

Accounts of Dominican Republic by a missionary newbie - Part 3 of 3

In short, this trip exceeded my expectations.

During the first few days, after witnessing the poverty and the disheartening living conditions, I became very negative and skeptical about our efforts. What can we possibly do in 2.5 weeks to have any long term impacts in these people's lives? We may be able to provide short term fixes, but they will not be sustainable after we leave. So why are we here?



After much prayers and sharing my struggles with others, I came to the realization that although we may not have the perfect solution for the situation, our Father in heaven does. He has the perfect plan for the Haitian refugees, and I was simply called to do my part in His plan. I needed to trust Him more. With this new perspective, I took on a different attitude towards the mission. I was energized and eagerly took on new roles and challenges. I participated in different activities and reached out to a wide range of people, both in Villa Ascencion and in the surrounding communities. In addition to being a lesson and opportunity to strengthen my faith, DR also offered a good transition from living in the 4th most developed country in the world, to a country that did not even make it onto the UN’s Human Development Index ranking. I now feel better prepared physically, mentally, and spiritually for the challenges and adventures that lie ahead in Liberia.