Category Archives: The Greatest Gift
The greatest gift one could ever give to a young person is to believe in him or her; may you and I give generously then.
Introducing Olea Tan // 陈昱…
“DEAR, I THINK MY WATER BAG JUST BROKE.”
The first time I heard those words was in March 2014. I thought the last time would be June 2017. Yet on 5 February 2026, at 1:45 a.m., we found ourselves driving to Thomson Medical Centre to celebrate a special birthday.
We praise God for blessing us with this beautiful gift, our precious baby girl, Olea (pronounced OH-LEE-UH) Tan. She was born just after 6:30 p.m., and weighed in at 2.74kg. She has the earliest arrival in the pregnancy (eager girl!) and is the lightest of our three children! The labour was long, but the pregnancy and delivery were relatively smooth—praise God for His hand of protection on Mama and the baby! Olea completes our family in the most wonderful way.
Our third-born arrives with a wide age gap from her siblings: 12 years younger than Eden, nine years younger than Judah. Common sense said, “Stop at two.” Others told us, “Why restart? Your kids are so much older already.” But when God gently spoke of having one more, we did stop, then we listened and surrendered to Him, and eventually obeyed Him. And He prepared us for a new adventure.
[Long story ahead. Grab tea.]
For Eden and Judah, thoughts of a new sibling began when we asked whether they wanted a brother or sister. Both chose a 妹妹, each for their own reasons. Eden remains 姐姐 while Judah steps up from 弟弟 to 哥哥. After so long without an infant’s cries and chuckles in the house, our youngest almost feels like a firstborn again. Our hearts are so full.
The story of Olea begins back in October 2024. God first stirred my heart about a third child through a dream: I was holding a baby. That same week, my mum and a colleague each told me—independently—that they had dreamed that we had a baby too. Three signs in one weekend. And Huiyi’s period was late…
Huiyi was not thrilled about the delay. I, however, had already thought of possible English and Chinese names within a day. She liked the names I suggested, even if the idea itself felt overwhelming. We hid those names in our hearts. Yes, I was clearly more ready for number three than my wife.
We take naming seriously. The English name speaks to identity and destiny; the Chinese name captures the lesson God taught us through the pregnancy. Eden is a paradise and garden of delight. Judah is the kingdom of praise that produced the line of King Jesus. With already a garden and a kingdom, our family’s next chapter called for a mountain.
We looked no further than the Mount of Olives. There, Jesus made His triumphant entry, prayed in Gethsemane before going to the cross, ascended after rising from the grave, and will return to rule as King. What a place of surrender, victory and glory.
Thus, we considered Oliver or Olivia. When we learned we were having a girl, Olivia charmed us, but it felt too popular for our liking. Coincidentally, this year, I bought an olive plant and noticed its Latin name: Olea Europaea. The very ancient tree that has covered the slopes of the Mount of Olives for thousands of years. Those groves witnessed the crowds shouting “Hosanna!”, Jesus’ anguished prayers of submission, the wonder of His ascension, and one day they will see the glory of His return.
The olive branch, tree, fruit and oil speak of peace (Genesis 8:11), anointing (Exodus 27:20) and steadfastness (Psalm 52:8). Olea grew on us. It is short, elegant and timeless. Olea Tan flows beautifully off the tongue. Best of all, we know no other Olea. Like her conception story, her name is unique from the start.
Back to October 2024. Huiyi’s period arrived a few days later. Relief for her. But confusion for me. Did I hear God wrongly? Yet those three dreams remained vivid.
Huiyi was honest: “God gave you three signs, but He hasn’t given me any. I need my own three signs.” She would follow if God spoke clearly to her too.
In mid-2024, we thought we were content being a family of four, and traded our seven-seater MPV for a five-seater sedan. We even discussed ligation or vasectomy, but felt no peace about anything so permanent. Even a temporary IUD felt too final. That hesitation made us wonder: were we actually open to one more?
Huiyi felt the reluctance more deeply. Her body would bear the greater cost, and after a demanding year she hoped for a promotion. A pregnancy might delay that. Still, she remained open. Before her work trip to San Francisco in October 2024, she prayed that God would show her ‘Oliver’ or ‘Olivia’ on a name tag, road sign or shop name. Nothing came.
In March 2025, her pre-appraisal meeting with her supervisor brought disappointment: no promotion that year, standard bonus. It seemed a third child would stay a distant thought.
Then came our trip to Japan with neighbours in March 2025. We felt that if God truly wanted to speak to us, He might do it in unlikely Tokyo, where so little is in English.
In Yotsuya, while our neighbours queued for taiyaki, Huiyi and I strolled a quiet neighbourhood, holding hands and praying silently. At the end of the street, Huiyi murmured, “Dear, wouldn’t it be nice to see a sign now?”
I tapped her shoulder. “Turn around.”
ON THE BALCONY BEHIND HER STOOD 16 POTS OF OLEA EUROPAEA.
She began to tear up. 16 pots—on hindsight, it was one for each month since October 2024 until Olea’s birthday in February 2026.
I exclaimed, “Tonight! Made in Japan!”
“I asked God for three signs,” she replied.
On the second day, in Omotesando, we passed by many billboards in Japanese after getting out of the subway, until we saw the one and only billboard in English: “Only by Oliver Peoples.”
We looked at each other, stunned. But Huiyi insisted it didn’t quite match her requested format.
Later, needing the restroom, we stepped into a random building in Aoyama. On our way out, WE WALKED PAST THE OLIVER PEOPLES SHOP ITSELF.
Sign two.
That evening, crossing the famous Shibuya scramble on our way to dinner, a huge signboard across the pedestrian crossing caught our eyes together: OLIVE LOUNGE. We both felt God was shouting silently to grab our attention.
Three signs, seen together, in as many days. It became clear for me. But as Huiyi insisted on waiting for a sign of provision, I resigned to how number three would not be Nippon-made.
When Huiyi returned to work, her director called her in. “Krystal, we fought for you at moderation. You will be promoted, with a good bonus.”
Huyit was overwhelmed. She was last promoted in 2023, so this took her by surprise. For a non-scholar to get promoted on the two-year mark is nothing short of a public service miracle. What a way for God to answer our prayer about provision!
Still cautious about timing, she asked God for more assurance. At a team bonding event, a colleague on maternity leave brought her two-month-old. Only Huiyi could soothe the baby to sleep. Her director smiled and said, “Krystal, motherhood looks good on you. I give you my blessings; you should go for number three!”
Those words came out of nowhere. Huiyi took it as the assurance she asked God for.
Therefore, we began trying for a baby in March 2025. As Eden came on the first try and Judah on the second, I had this quiet confidence that number three might happen on our third try. Indeed, we conceived her in June—by God’s grace! Hallelujah!
When Huiyi told her director about it in July, her delight was matched with giving Huiyi the freedom to step out of meetings and to work from home whenever needed. Since the new year, her assistant chief executive has called her time at home “nation building.” We are floored by God’s favour through her colleagues.
We journalled 60 signs over those 16 months. Each sign reminded us that God was with us, guiding us through each month.
Olea’s Chinese name is 陈昱 (pronounced yù). 昱 combines 日 (sun) over 立 (stand), meaning a bright and radiant sunlight—a dazzling brilliance standing strong. Like her siblings’ Chinese names, 昱 is a single character, unchanged between the traditional and simplified forms (so that no meaning is lost), pronounced with a “y-“ starting sound, and in the firm fourth tone. It links beautifully to Eden’s 晏, both in form (日) and substance (shalom at dawn/dusk and shalom at midday); these sisters were meant to grow up together.
As with Eden and Judah, we desire that our children would bear fruit of the Spirit not just through their names, but in their lives: love and grace (in my surname 陈, echoing Hebrew חֵן), joy (Eden), peace (晏), faithfulness and goodness (Judah and 毅). With Olea and 昱 we see gentleness, patience, and quiet self-control—reflected in the steadfast olea europaea and its shining fruit.
Through this pregnancy God taught us about His sustaining light: steady and golden like olive oil in ancient lamps, burning through the night without flickering. Olea’s oil brings peace and anointing; 昱 is the radiant dawn that heralds the brilliant light to come.
Eden brings the delight of paradise, Judah the bold praise of the lion, and Olea the peaceful light of the olive grove—three siblings, one beautiful story of God’s paradise, praise and now, peace.
Sweetie, Papa and Mama love you before we met you. You’re the embodiment of a promise kept, a surrender offered, an obedience rewarded and a miracle received. Like an olea europaea on the Mount of Olives, may you stand firm, bear fruit of peace, and shine with gentle, enduring radiance to everyone around you.
What an unspeakable joy to partner with God to write the first chapter of your life story. Our breakthrough was fulfilled when your water bag broke.
Olea, ILYTTE.
Introducing Eden Tan // 陈晏…
On 18 March 2014 just after 5pm, I received the greatest gift in the world — my precious baby girl. I’ll chronicle the epic labour process in another entry but today, I want to record a memoir of how my princess’ English and Chinese names came about.
Names mean a lot to me. A name carries identity, prophecy and destiny. And sometimes, it does feel like if you pick a good name, you’ve got half the battle won. You see, I selected “Asher” as my baptism name because it means “blessed, joyful and happy”, as well as “the most favoured one”.
As for our children, we’ve already shortlisted a number of English and Chinese names. The plan was to pick one that described the pregnancy journey. We’ve decided in the second trimester that our firstborn would be named “Eden”, because like her name suggests, she has brought us and others around us so much joy and delight. In Hebrew, it means “paradise” (she’s our utopia after all). And practically speaking, Eden is a simple, two-syllable, and easy-to-remember name.
Some years ago, I discovered the meaning of my surname, Chen (陈). While its most obvious meaning represents the sun (阳) that rises from the east (东), it’s actually also pronounced like a Hebrew word (חֵן) that means “loveliness, grace, and favour with God and men”. Not too shabby for one of the most common surnames in the world!
We’ve always wanted to name our offsprings after the fruit of the Spirit and since we had “love” and “joy” already working in Eden’s favour, we wanted to select a Chinese name that either described love or joy, or another of the remaining seven parts of the fruit of the Spirit.
As a typical ACS boy, I knew I needed some help with picking the right Chinese name for my daughter. So I approached a church friend, Charles, who’s studying for his PhD in Chinese history, who had very kindly agreed to help Huiyi and I pick a Chinese name for Eden. We met for coffee one afternoon and went through a few possibilities. I mentioned to him that I wanted Eden to have a single character (单名) in her Chinese name. So instead of the typical three characters, all my children’s Chinese names will only have two.
It’s not easy find a name that fits with the dialect and English “Tan” as well as the hanyupinyin “Chen” so we decided that Eden’s given name on her birth certificate will simply show “Eden Tan”, without her Chinese hanyupinyin name. After all, when you do introduce yourself, you don’t say, “My name is Joey Tan Chong Yi” or “你好, 我是Joey陈崇仪 but simply, “My name is Joey Tan” or, “我是陈晏”.
After an hour of tossing up possibilities of his initial suggestions and the Chinese names that I preferred, Charles and I went off topic and shared about the respective journeys we’ve each gone through watching our wives get pregnant. Many of which are very private so I’ll leave it that way. But as with several seasons of my life, God has always been teaching me about what it means to surrender… And everyone knows surrendering (to God) isn’t always the most pleasant or easy thing to do. I told Charles that through this process of surrendering, God has really taught me about His peace that surpasses all understanding — that assuring knowledge that He is with me and His presence is all I need.
That little sharing seemed to have ignited something in Charles’ eyes. He began sharing with me a little of his own journey into parenthood and how he’s learnt to trust God for all outcomes. Then he paused, and it was as if he rummaged through the virtual annuls of thousands of Chinese characters in his mind, then keyed one in on his cellphone. With aplomb, he made a suggestion…
“How about this character — 晏?”
Unsurprisingly, I did not recognise that Chinese character at all. And I’m confident that unless I’ve explained it to you before, or if you’re also studying for your Chinese history doctorate, chances are that this is the first time you’re seeing this character and you, like the rest of the modern world, have no idea how to pronounce “晏”.
“It’s pronounced as ‘yàn'”, he explained, “and it means ‘peace'”, he continued.
Upon seeing “晏” and perceiving its meaning, it became one of those moments for me. You know, those moments where you kind of know, this is it. I think Charles must have saw it in my eyes too. Like “Eden”, “晏” had a nice ring to it and immediately resonated with my heart. There was a certain sense of conviction about it. I knew there and then (barring consultation with my wife) that “晏” would be Eden’s (only) Chinese name. “Eden Tan” and “陈晏” — what a perfect combination of love, joy and peace.
Charles went on to explain that 晏 in one character, carries the same meaning as 平安 (peace) in two characters. Not only that, but it’s “peace that comes with day” because it’s “日” (day) + “安” (peace). To help me understand this, he explained that we sing “Silent Night, Holy Night” because we are looking forward to the peace that comes in the morning, knowing that we have survived yet another unknown night; that’s why we chorus “All is calm, all is bright” in the following line. It was like a double Eureka moment for me — new understanding of that Christmas carol and new knowledge to appreciate the profound meaning of this Chinese character. Another way of looking at 晏 is that everyday (日) Eden will be filled with peace (安) — 每日平安.
Charles also explained that 晏 is one of those rare Chinese characters that has not simplified its strokes over the centuries; 晏 in written the same way in both traditional (繁体字) and simplified (简体字) Chinese. So that means that it’s meaning has not changed through time! In addition, what I also liked about this character is how feminine it looks — don’t you think it looks really pretty?
And finally, I also saw a pictograph in 晏 — it looks like the sun (日) is forming a protection (宀) over my little girl (女)! And if I may stretch it and “Christianise” its meaning, it kind of looks like the Son is watching over my daughter! In summary, looking at 晏 was like marvelling at Eden for the first time — love at first sight.
Through bringing our baby girl to full-term, God has indeed brought us joy and delight, allowed us to experience His grace and love, and taught us the precious lesson of knowing His peace that surpasses all understanding.
Eden Tan, Mummy and Papa love you very much — beyond what you can imagine. Thank you for teaching us love, joy and peace even before you’ve met us. You’re going to be an awesome, and very precious daughter. What a privilege it is for Huiyi and I to be your parents.
陈晏, ILYTTE.
“I don’t think I’m interested, but can I pray for you?”
As I work in a church, my opportunities to meet non-believers are limited. I asked God to show me new ways to evangelise and I was inspired to redeem telemarketing for His glory. So I told myself that instead of rudely and curtly putting down the phone whenever I get a sales call, I will ask if I could pray for the person on the line with me instead. After all, this idea had been on my mind for a while now.
My maiden attempt took place a couple of weeks ago. I was on the way to pick up my wife from work and I got a call from a dude wanting to sell me insurance. I told the Lord that morning that I’d definitely step out in faith to do it. So I put him on speaker, listened to him make that sales pitch then I asked him for his name, and went for it.
“Hi Sam, could I ask you if I could do something crazy? Can I pray for you?” I tried to sound as natural as I could.
“Oh… Sure…”, he said politely, probably not wanting to offend a potential client.
I went ahead and prayed a generic, unscripted and spontaneous prayer of blessing over Sam. And that one day, he would come to know God for himself. When we put down the phone, he actually signed off with, “God bless you, Sir”. To which I said, “God loves you, Sam!”
I was so fired up by that random four-minute conversation that I decided to pen down different types of prayers for different types of phone calls. So I composed word-for-word prayers for insurance, recruitment and credit cards sales calls. And boy was I excited to use it!
Two weeks passed and I, surprisingly, didn’t get any calls. For the first time, I was actually disappointed nobody wanted to sell me anything or recruit me to join their company!
Until this evening.
I received a sales call from a telemarketer called Catherine. She wanted me to buy a savings plan from her bank. When I politely refused her offer and asked if I could pray for her, she was surprised. She said she wasn’t a Christian but I said I could still pray for her to bless her.
She must have been surprised when I began to pray out loud. “Heavenly Father, I may not have purchased a savings plan from Catherine but I pray one day she will come to see that You’re the only savings plan she needs. May you give her success in her next sales call and help her to know the only one who can save her. In Jesus’ name, amen!”
It was almost as if I had caught her off-guard!
Then I told her that since she has my number, she could call me anytime if she ever wanted to know my kind of savings plan.
Now, I’m looking forward to the next call I receive. I am praying that these small acts of randomness will open the large doors of redemption. Since they’re stuck on the phone with me, I might as well stick something in their minds for them to remember. I’m believing by faith that these two to four minute conversations will one day change destinies. Join me as I redeem telemarketers one by one!
glory > burden > fear.
Ps Julie Khoo gave an altar call last night and I responded to it – my first time at the altar since AIYS 2012 started. I asked God to confirm the things He had been putting in my heart because the weight was too heavy to bear by myself. I shared this burden with Brian, Jamie and a couple of others whom I shared meals with. I needed the Lord to give me strength, courage and wisdom.
In that 15 minutes kneeling down, two people came to pray for me; I recognised Ps Julie’s voice and I caught sight of a pair of red sneakers and realised it belonged to her assistant, Ps Danny Tan. Both of them had only arrived the day before and had no idea what God was doing and stirring in my heart the past week.
As I stepped forward, I wasn’t emotional at all, as expected – that’s just how I am. But I had faith; I knew God would speak to me. So I asked the Lord to help me remember this altar call experience.
Ps Julie and Ps Danny won’t know this until I tell them – both of them prayed identical things over me. And along with what the Lord had already revealed in my heart, I saw a complete picture of what’s next for me and what’s stopping me from getting there. Ps Julie prophesied over me almost immediately and described the vision she saw. When she laid her hands on me moments later, I broke down; I will never forget how the Lord broke my heart for R-AGE, its leaders and the campuses in Singapore. I had faith that God would speak, but I didn’t expect myself to weep this way.
With a new found confidence, I returned to my seat to record what I had received from the Lord. Amidst the seven things God revealed through Ps Julie and Ps Danny, I remember receiving this personal revelation as I walked back to my row:
“My burden is greater than my fear.
Your glory is greater than my burden.”
I skipped the after-service fellowship and retreated to my room. And as I wanted to remember that God gave this to me when I was in the Philippines, I opened up Google to translate that line into Tagalog, and posted it as my Facebook status:
“Aking pasanin ay mas malaki kaysa sa aking takot.
Ang iyong kaluwalhatian aymas malaki kaysa sa aking pasanin.”
The next morning, just before the second session began, I read aloud the Tagalog translation to my Filipino friend, Ps Welfert, just to share with him what God had done with me last night.
With tears welling up in his eyes, he told me that what I’ve read to him were actually lyrics from a Filipino worship song called, “Salamat Panginoon”! The essence of the song is about how God’s presence is bigger than my struggles, pains and worries, and how great favour will come with the Lord because He is control of what’s going on.
I WAS BLOWN AWAY.
It was a powerful moment for the both of us. Welfert got emotional as he shared the meaning of the song with me. God ministered to the two of us there and then – what a divine revelation and confirmation!
God is good, so good. And He is faithful – I know He will go before me. My confidence in the Lord for the task ahead is rising! Praise the Lord for the spiritual monument that He’s building in my life through AIYS 2012.
new season, same reason.
Joey, man of God, as you take on the mantle to lead the R-AGE ministry that God has established through the hands of Pastor Douglas Frederick, which was then handed to me and Pastor Cuixian, always remember that the man is more important than the mantle. Your pursuit is first to be the man that God wants you to be in order that you can fulfill the mantle on your life.
Therefore, watch your life and doctrine closely. Flee from all kinds of evil. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight a good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Devote yourself to this generation of youths. With all your heart, proclaim the Gospel passionately, preach the Word diligently, teach and guide lovingly. Guard what has been entrusted to your care – the vision, mission and values of the ministry. Love and feed the young people like that of our Good Shepherd who loves and cares for us to a point of laying down His life for us.
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Use the gift that was given to you by the Lord Himself through the laying of hands on you, to build the ministry from strength to strength, glory to glory!
In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who gave His life for the church, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. To Him be honour and might forever. Amen!
— Reverend Ronald Yow
Outgoing Youth Pastor
@ R-AGE Handover Service
10-11 December 2011
What a privilege and honour.
This is it – LET’S GO!
top ten ways to encourage someone.
I know that “A pat on the back pushes out the chest”. And I’ve also learnt (and taught) that to “En-courage” someone is to “Put courage into” him. Sometimes, all we need is for someone to believe in us and to be our cheerleader; the older I get, the more I want to be someone else’s cheerleader. Don’t underestimate the power of speaking life into someone else’s life – you might just help him to realise his potential and help him to unlock his capacity to do things beyond what he’s normally capable of doing.
As such, in no order of importance, here are my top ten practical ways to encourage someone:
1. Listen to him intently and be genuinely interested in his life. Learn to draw insights out of him and provide a platform for him to share his heart. Don’t patronise him or brush off what he says but take him seriously. A good encourager listens.
2. Give him feedback whenever you see him in action. Every teachable person would want to learn where he did well and where he could improve in; you could be the difference between his future success and failure. A good encourager coaches.
3. Pray for him whenever you get an opportunity to, whether you’re with him or not. God is more powerful and loves him more than you do and so it’s comforting when you direct his reliance above. A good encourager intercedes.
4. Spend time together because giving him your time is giving him a part of your life. Time is an irreplaceable and irreversible entity, so when you take time to hang out with him, it tells him that he’s important to you. A good encourager avails himself.
5. Find out what he’s been up to (and stalk him online). Subscribe to his blog and read it regularly; whenever possible, check out his activity on social media platforms and leave your comments. A good encourager validates.
6. Message him periodically and randomly. It’s always nice to know that you’re on someone else’s mind; whenever the Holy Spirit brings someone to my mind, I will pray for him and tell him that I’ve done so. A good encourager remembers.
7. Rebuke him whenever necessary, in private. It’s better to tell the truth that hurts rather than the lie that kills. This risk you take may just forge a deeper relationship, and to establish your spiritual authority in his life. A good encourager corrects.
8. Praise him verbally and audibly in front of others. Everyone needs recognition; when you acknowledge his good work publicly, he will be motivated to grow because someone took note of his effort. A good encourager acknowledges effort.
9. Remember what he shared with you from the last session. Those without good memories must learn to make mental notes. If it’s important to him, it should be remembered by you. A good encourager recalls.
10. Bless him with a meal or a gift. It’s about the gesture – be it coffee, a pen, a book, a meal or just a pack of chocolates. People like to receive (but it is better to give than to receive). I tell my youths to pay it forward. A good encourager blesses.
That said, I think one of the most powerful ways to encourage someone is to remind him of his potential – tell him that he can do so much more, and have so much more room for improvement. Inspire him to develop his gifts and talents. Plant an insatiable hunger and thirst in him to grow. Remind him (in a loving manner, of course) that he’s nowhere near his final product. I’ve learnt that this is one of the best ways to stamp out complacency and infuse humility into someone.
But some of you might say, “I always encourage people but nobody encourages me!” It’s true and I shall not deny that there’s not enough encouragement to go around the world. But let me be the first to declare that I encourage people more than I am encouraged, and it has done me a world of wonders. Contrary to popular belief, encouraging others is to our benefit.
Perhaps we can take a paradigm shift and think of it this way instead: 1) our job is to encourage others and 2) our prayer is that God will send someone to encourage us. You see, if enough people achieve part 1, then part 2 will naturally be accomplished. Don’t worry about what you cannot control; instead, focus on what is within your control.
The Greek for Holy Spirit is “Parakletos” and the Greek for Encourage is “Parakaleo”. Para means to be “Called alongside” (someone). And that’s what the Holy Spirit does – to walk beside us. So I’m inclined to think when we encourage someone, we are most like the Holy Spirit.
Yes, it’s that simple if you want to mimic the Holy Spirit – you simply need to encourage someone today. (Do it now!)
joey asher | misunderstoodsunshinekid 