We had spate of graduation celebrations. Pas Emmanuel (BDiv) and Keith Lim (MDiv) graduated from Theological College of Asia (TCA) on 7th May. Pas Eliza graduated on 13th May with her BDiv from Trinity Theological College (TTC). Do pray that they will continue to grow in their faith and ministry. I am sure that their training will equip them to serve the MPCC community and her mission better in the years to come.
GRACE & SIMON DECHAN PALJOR
This week I also met Grace and her husband Simon. Grace is Pas Emmanuel’s older sister. They are both originally from Ladakh, which is now a 'Union Territory' within the Republic of India. It was formerly part of Jammu & Kashmir. Geographically it is part of Tibet, linguistically too.
Emmanuel's great-grandfather was Joseph Gergan (1878-1946) who played a major role in the Tibetan translation of the Bible. His paternal grandfather was Eliyah Tsetan Phuntsog who was Gergan's son-in-law and helped revise the New Testament. Emmanuel's parents were cousins and spent most of their working lives in Rajpur, near Dehradun, now Uttarakhand. If you are interested in the history of Christian work in Tibet, this link (https://independent.academia.edu/JohnBray) gets you to some well researched resources.
Both Simon and Grace continue to live their lives to tell the story of the love of Christ under trying circumstances. We must not forget this part of the world which is a cauldron of political and religious ferment. I hope one day, this couple can return and share their stories with us.
This was also a Synod week. We have some guests coming in from the deaneries and we hosted Revd Noppadon and his wife, Nok. They are both ministering in Chiangmai, Thailand. It was a joy to fellowship with them and have many meaningful conversations.
As we celebrate Ascension and Pentecost during this period, we remind ourselves of how far the gospel has been carried by Christians who were faithful to the Great Commission. As some has said, we won’t see Christ fully till we encounter him in believers from other cultures.
May our vision of Christ be always global, extending beyond the limited horizons of our city and culture.