An Enjoyable Holiday I: Receiving Guests At Paya Rumput

Yesterday was a public holiday in Melaka. I had thought of either sending David, Paul and other Calvary Care Home (CCH) children for swimming early in the morning or inviting them to Paya Rumput Tuesday evening. Later I was informed that Sis Fei Gin had already planned to bring the siblings back to her house for a motivational programme. I was very glad that she was willing to mentor these two boys whom she had brought up. To give the workers ease up, I decided to receive the rest of the CCH gang including the home administrator Albert P who also wanted to have a change from his daily routine. Dragging along his foster son Matthew, he was fetching Daniel. John and Luke followed my car.

As soon as my guests reached my residential area, all of them immediately behaved more "Paya Rumputly" than I who had been living there for more than four and a half years--The junior ones played football with other children at the basketball court near my house

or rode on a borrowed bicycle

while the senior one changed into his sportive attire to walk to and fro nearby like some of my back-row neighbours.

I wished I could join them for exercise. But I had to stay in the kitchen to prepare dinner, which was actually a pleasure to me. An hour later, their faces and hair were wet with sweat whereas mine were covered with oil.

When the food was ready, most of us had bathed. This year, it was the second time my dining table was fully occupied since I had hosted one of the cell meetings several months ago.

My guests made themselves at home without I having to tell them. Luke who was eager to see his relatives as soon as possible did not play his Tamil music. Matthew took this opportunity to listen to his favorite Taiwanese singer's pop songs.

Previously I had never succeeded in inviting John to my house because he was always busy with the music practice in the church. Not only he is gifted in playing musical instruments, he is savvy in dealing with electronic gadgets too. I lent him my digital camera to snap pictures everywhere.

After awhile, he happily showed me a slide show of pictures with special effects.

At 9pm, Albert led our devotion in the living room before he sent Luke to his uncle's house at Rembia. Later as I was discussing the next day's activities with him, we realised that our "spirits" of travelling and picking up the tiniest rubbish from the floor had been revived as a result of our acquaintanceship. After the church camp two months ago, he was keen to go somewhere sightseeing again.

He smilingly announced to the children, "Tomorrow morning you'll have to get up by seven o'clock. I'll give you a surprise."

I added, "There are two types of surprise. It can be a good surprise or a bad surprise."