Enroute to Toronto - The Yeoh Family

Richard and Yuet Mei Yeoh recently shared how they came about making one of the biggest decisions in their lives. They are the parents of Isaac aged 7 & Isaiah aged 3.

1) What motivated us to pioneer in Toronto?

It was in Hope Singapore that we first heard of the Great Commission (GC). Over the years, we have personally experienced the truth and power of this commandment. Doing mission in an inter-cultural setting is, to us, a continuation of obeying God’s call in our lives. We believe Canada has not fully experienced the GC yet, and is in need of God badly. On a more personal side, we look forward to a new and different perspective of serving God. Singapore is considered “done” and we figure we need to move on to greater things that God has for us and our family (Jer 29:11).

2) What are our greatest challenges in relocating to North America?

Financial stability has to top the list. We do not much savings to start with. And we have 2 young boys and our aging parents to take care of. Searching for a job without Canadian work experience will be a big challenge. Secondly, our parents object to us relocating to a foreign land. “Why become second class citizens?” they queried. Although Richard’s parents and Yuet Mei’s mom are Christians, it has not been smooth sailing so far whenever this topic is brought up.

3) How are we preparing to go overseas?

Richard is communicating with Reno/Sharon (who are in Toronto already) on a regular basis to understand ministry in Toronto better. He has just returned from an extension trip to Toronto. He is planning to enrol in courses on inter-cultural church planting. Yuet Mei has just completed her driving refresher course and is now driving. This is to facilitate mobility in Toronto in the near future. Next, we plan to storm the library to inform ourselves on whatever we can get hold on about Canada - its people, culture, history and mission works. We have also been communicating with Yuet Mei’s aunt (who has lived in Toronto for over 30 years) to help us in our research. Along with our 2 boys, we have been praying for our relocation plans and the work in Toronto since early 2008.

4) What do we look forward to as we serve in overseas missions?

We look forward to more family time together. In time-crunch Singapore, we find it increasingly hard to balance ministry, work and family. Work and children’s education take a large part of our time and effort here. It is easy to become “self-absorbed Christians” which we are mindful of. We yearn for the day where we serve God together as a family and contributing to the GC in a significant way. We want to make our lives count.