Issue 21

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Reach Community Church 2/177 Beavers Road Northcote VIC 3070

Tel: (03) 9481 6889 Email: info@reachcc.org Website: reachcc.org Pastor: Victor Soo Church Administrator: Sharon Oen

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CHURCH SERVICE Celebration Service REACH Kids

Sunday Sunday

l 10am - 11:30am

l 11:30am - 12:30pm

PRAYER MEETING

Monthly Ministry & Prayer Intercessory Prayer

1st Friday of the Month l 7.30pm - 9.30pm

Tuesday l 7.30pm - 9.30pm

BIBLE STUDY Young Adults

Chinese Bible Study

University & Youth Groups Family

Wednesday l 7.30pm - 9.30pm Wednesday l 7.30pm - 9.30pm Friday l 7.30pm - 9.30pm Monday l 8pm - 10pm

Friday l 7.30pm - 9.30pm

OTHER ACTIVITIES Praise Dance

MOPS (Mothers of Pre-schoolers)

Ladies’ Meeting Men’s Breakfast

Thursday l 10am - 12pm Every 2nd & 4th Friday l 10am - 12pm Quarterly Quarterly


Welcome to the 21st issue of REACH. In this issue, learn to Practise discernment, and to ponder on this question, “Will you let suffering sever or serve you?” We can all be God’s little warrior, For no particular reason, but simply that He is God, and has given us the skill and privilege in Cultivating hope. And we can also have fun learning to do craft, cook and crack trivia. Hope you enjoy reading this issue. Reach Message

Will you let suffering sever or serve you? Reach Reflection

For no particular reason Reach Character

Practise Discernment Reach Reflection

Cultivating hope Reach Testimony

God’s little warrior Reach Craft

Milk carton elephant Reach Recipe

Beef curry Reach Teaser

Bible Trivia

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WELCOME


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Reach Message

Will you le t s uffe r in g sever or s e rve yo u ?

Reach / Summer 2020

By Pastor Victor Soo

Does the Christian life preclude pain, suffering, grief and hard times? Does God and suffering pose a contradiction? Have we not heard that God shall take away all our pain? The reality is that these emotions occur to all humanity, and no one is exempt from such experiences. Suffering is a universal condition arising from illness, relationships, wrong life choices, events beyond our control, and other reasons. We live in an imperfect world, so we have to contend with suffering. You and I have experienced various degree of suffering, and will continue to do so. God clearly affirms this truth in The Bible from its start to its end. The Book of Job dedicates forty chapters to this subject of suffering. Strengthened by suffering Scriptures have recorded sufferings of many who encountered varying quantum of pain and grief. But everyone testified that God helped them through each and every occasion. Job is a classic man who exemplifies this truth powerfully. This man lost everything from family to possessions, and yet accorded credit to God. Job 5:17-19 Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not

despise the chastening of the Almighty. For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole. He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.


We must understand God does not send suffering our way for it is not in His Nature. But He permits it in order to turn the event into a positive and lifechanging outcome from within. I had my share of horrible experience of pain that traumatised me. People we love often hurt us the most. The moment it happened, it was like the wind was knocked out of me, and my chest tightened as if a python coiled itself around me, snuffing out every bit of air. I suffered occasional nightmares with encounters with the people who were a part of this journey of my life. In the supposedly safe haven of my daily devotion with God, I had flashbacks. I sought for justice as well as prayed for God to release me from my pain and grief. But He reminded me that I needed to personally surrender these if I chose not to bear them. As I laid these down, focused upon worshipping Him and placed myself in His Presence, healing came. This saga took many months before complete healing came upon me. It made me a stronger man who can now understand firsthand about suffering. This episode of my life has in turn brought healing and restoration unto many others who suffered in their lives. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (Passion) All praises belong to the God and Father of our

Lord Jesus Christ. For he is the Father of tender mercy and the God of endless comfort. He always comes alongside us to comfort us in every suffering so that we can come alongside those who are in any painful trial. We can bring them this same comfort that God has poured out upon us. And just as we experience the abundance of Christ’s own sufferings, even more of God’s comfort will cascade upon us through our union with Christ. Romans 5:3-5 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that

tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Saved by His suffering We are fragile yet strong. The pressure from outside the egg can shatter the life inside but if there is a force emanating from within, life begins. The world is never kind but we can have the goodness of divine help to assist us in our times of trouble. Suffering can make us bitter or better. Jesus, the Son of God suffered greatly knowing He did so for a cause. As His Supreme Sacrifice, He took upon Himself the sin of the world. Bill Muhlenberg writes, “The sovereign God came in Jesus Christ to suffer with us and to suffer for us. He descended deeper into the pit than we will ever know. His sovereignty did not protect him from loss. If anything, it led him to suffer loss for our sake. God is therefore not simply some distant being who controls the world by a mysterious power. God came all the way to us and lived among us. The God I know has experienced pain and therefore understands my pain. In Jesus I have felt God’s tears, trembled before his death on the cross, and witnessed the redemptive power of his suffering”.

Reach / Summer 2020

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Reach Message


Reach / Summer 2020

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Reach Message Through our trials and tribulations, suffering is the process we experience but it is not the end. This is an opportunity for change. It depends upon our worldview. The world states it is our bad luck, our karma, and this happen; we just have to go along with it. From the biblical perspective, allow God to guide us through, for He alone knows The Way, The Truth of this challenge, and to offer us The Life we need. God is not only of the past or the present but also the future. His Plan is to give us hope and a future. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not compromise their belief to “kowtow” to the Babylonian deity. For their civil disobedience, they were sentenced to die and placed in a fiery furnace fired up seven times hotter than the usual temperature. God was there with them, and granted them deliverance. This phenomenon resulted in the Babylonian king acknowledging the true God. Their vindication came. Daniel 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach,

Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!” Be reminded that suffering, although not welcomed, is inevitable. It is a part of life where love and suffering work in tandem. Suffering is not something to celebrate when we struggle through it but rest assured that a good outcome is possible. To abandon trust in the human nature or avoid love disqualify us of any opportunity of character building. Through trials, we learn resilience and humility as well as get to transform our fragility into stature. God, who as stated earlier, can identify with us, for He had watched the world from the old rugged cross where He hung. The world abandoned Him but His Father rescued Him, and exalted Him. Jesus was transformed to be the Saviour of the world and is ever ready to walk with you and lift your burdens as you surrender them on the cross. He has been there, done it and knows the Way.


For no particular reason...

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Reach Reflection

Do you believe in angels? Why or why not? And if you do believe in angels, what do you think angels look like? Do they have wings? Dressed in white? I must admit I never gave much thought to angels. I knew there are many Bible references to angels, but I had never encountered one, and did not expect to meet one, one that is visible to my eyes anyway. The Bible refers to angels as physical beings, distinct from human beings: Luke 15:10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels

of God over one sinner who repents.

Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven,

having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth – to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. And that one of the functions of angels is to watch over us and to protect us: Psalms 91:11-12 For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you

in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. Exodus 23:20 (NLT) See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you

on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you.

Maybe this is why people often refer to someone who has touched them in a special way as an angel. A few years ago, like many Christians who go through hills and valleys in life, I found myself in a deep and hollow valley. I was not sure if I was heading the right direction in my life, or whether my life had any significant meaning. I was weary of doing what I thought was the right thing to do in my life. Around that time, I had a catch-up dinner with an amazing lady Stacey. Stacey and I went back a long way. I met Stacey when I was still new to Reach Community Church, and Stacey was a new convert to Christianity. Stacey had a tough, traumatic and troubled life. She was an ex heroin addict, and an ex-convict. However, through her ardent faith, and God’s amazing grace, she transformed into a new leaf, living a new life, blessing many lives through her life testimonies. However, her journey of faith was not free of challenges. There were relapses and regrets. During that catch-up dinner, for no particular reason, as she did not know that I was trudging in a valley, she relayed this story to me:

Reach / Summer 2020

By Lee Chyi Lam


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Reach Reflection

Reach / Spring 2020

Many years ago, during one of her relapses into drugs, she turned up to the church service unexpectedly. Many people came to talk to her before the service started. When the service started, she sat down somewhere; but she felt restless and restive, jumpy and jittery, unsure whether she should stay or leave. Then, for no particular reason, I sat down next to her. Stacey told me during the catch-up dinner that when I sat down next to her, she felt an overwhelming peace within her, she felt a strong sense of God’s presence, and at that moment, she felt that I was an angel sent by God. The truth was, when she told me that particular story, for no particular reason, during that particular dinner, she was in turn an angel sent by God to me. On that particular night, I learnt three important lessons: 1. God works in mysterious ways. When we feel we are all alone, that God has somehow hidden His face from us; when we do not feel His presence in our life, God continues to work for us, and in us. Isaiah 45:15 (NLT) Truly, O God of Israel, our Savior, you work in mysterious ways. John 5:17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I

have been working.”

Philippians 2:13 For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good

pleasure.

2. Every one of us can be an angel (or maybe it is more appropriate to say, a representation of an angel or an “earthly angel”) to someone else. When we are prompted by the Holy Spirit to do something, we need to obey. God works in mysterious ways, and He uses His people to work for Him. Even though I could not recollect much about the incident of sitting next to Stacey, I believe I must have been prompted to do so. When Stacey told me that story during that catch-up dinner, she was also somehow prompted to do so. Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 3. Nothing happens by chance. God is omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (everywhere), and omniscient (all knowing), He works all things according to His purpose. Ephesians 1:11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined

according to the purpose of Him who works ALL things according to the counsel of His will (EMPHASIS added)

So next time, when something happens to you for no particular reason; when someone tells you a story for no particular reason, know that nothing happens for no particular reason, everything happens for a reason.


Practise Discernment

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Reach Character

Practise Discernment In this time and age, when truth had been assassinated and forced to lie

Distinguish between right and

Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours? (1 Kings 3:9, NLT)

Improve our listening skill.

Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the LORD are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But in those paths sinners stumble and fall. (Hosea 14:9, NLT)

Seek knowledge.

The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness. (Proverbs 15:14)

Consider possible underlying causes of problems.

Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly. (John 7:24, NLT)

Exercise our God‐given senses.

But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:14)

Receive the Holy Spirit and remain in Christ.

But you have received the Holy spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true – it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. (1 John 2:27, NLT)

Nurture our mind according to God’s will.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2, ESV)

Meditate on the Word of God.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two‐edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

Evaluate what is being said.

Let two or three people prophesy, and let the others evaluate what is said. (1 Corinthians 14:29, NLT)

Note our fallibility and ask God

Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. (Psalms 51:6)

Test the spirits.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)

wrong.

for wisdom.

Reach / Summer 2020

dormant in the tomb, we need to be more vigilant to awaken our discerning In this time and age, when truth had been assassinated and forced to lie dormant in the spirit. tomb, we need to be more vigilant to awaken our discerning spirit.


10 Reach / Summer 2020

Reach Reflection

Cultivating hope

By Lee Chyi Lam

During the current lockdown, I often hear people say, “I hope this will be over soon.” “I hope we can meet face to face soon.” “Let’s hope it will not get worse than this.” We all have hope even in the midst of trials, griefs and disappointments. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” I love how he described disappointment as “finite” but depicted hope as “infinite”. My favourite author Pastor John Piper wrote, “Hope is like a reservoir of emotional strength.” Those who are hopeful are generally more resilient, and vice versa. How do we cultivate hope in ourselves or in others? I want to share my thoughts here. The premise of our hope What do we base our hope on? The certainty of our hope depends on the basis of the hope. Although hope looks to the future, our hope is based on the past. For example, Christians have full assurance of Heaven and eternal life in the future, which is not based on a future prophecy, but on a past event - the biblical account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the historical account of an empty tomb2. Past events give us ground for our hope. I buy presents for all my nieces and nephews every Christmas, so they are hopeful that they will receive a gift from their favourite auntie this Christmas. If they had never received Christmas gifts from me, they will be less hopeful of receiving one this year. However, unfortunately, our memory often fails us. If, for whatever reasons, my nieces or nephews do not remember receiving any gift from me, they will not hope to receive one this Christmas. Hence our hope is based on our recollection of past events as much as recorded facts. This is why optimistic and grateful people who remember the good things in life are often more hopeful than those who focus on the negative things.

To be hopeful, we need to cultivate the habit of counting our blessings.

1 This article was originally published on blog https://realliferesilience.home.blog/2020/04/28/ cultivating-hope/ 2 If you are interested in reading more on this, go to https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/ historical-evidence-for-the-resurrection


Although hope looks to the future and is based on the past, its perpetuating presence depends on our present action. Hope propels us to act, and action in turn gives us hope. People who suffer from depression are paralysed from taking any action to make positive changes in their life, they do not perceive their action will make any difference; on the other hand, failure to act leads to more hopelessness, creating a vicious cycle. Our perpetuating hope requires us to act today. What we decide to do today will decide our tomorrow.

To be hopeful, we need to cultivate the habit of actively doing something positive today, every day. The projection of our hope

Although hope is based on the past, and depends on the present, it should not be limited by the past nor the present. We should not let our past successes nor our present sights limit the possibility of our hope. During this present lockdown, people often ask, “When is this going to end, so we can return to our normal life?” Really? After all these, do we hope to return to our “normal” past? Why don’t we use this opportunity to reflect and to contemplate a better way of life? It is time to stop dwelling on the past and start dreaming a better future. Our hope should not lie in returning to the past, however good it had been, but to expect something new, something better than the past and the present.

To be hopeful, we need to cultivate the habit of dreaming the unthinkable. Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God. – William Carey

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The perpetuation of our hope

Reach / Summer 2020

Reach Reflection


Reach / Summer 2020

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Reach Testimony

God’s little warrior In God’s hand

By Rachel Kuah

My first pregnancy was not a smooth journey, I had gestational diabetes that was only controlled by insulin injection. Erica was born quite small at 2.4kg. As a result, she struggled to maintain her body temperature, and stayed in the hospital for one week. With my second pregnancy, when I found out that I did not have gestational diabetes, I thought it would be easy. However, at around 28 weeks into the pregnancy, I was told to go back for additional ultrasound scan, to double check something that was not clear on the previous scan. I was not worried and told my husband Reuben that he did not need to accompany me to the hospital that day. The ultrasound took a lot longer than usual. At the end, I was introduced to a cardiologist. I was told that the right side of our son’s heart was severely underdeveloped. He would require immediate surgical intervention after birth and this would impact the quality of his life. The full extent of his heart condition would not be known until he was born, but it was likely that he would be easily out of breath and turned blue due to the lack of oxygenated blood.


At the end, we decided not to proceed with any further tests. The option to terminate was also suggested numerous times by the medical personnel. However, we knew that not everything is in our control and we decided to leave our son’s life in God’s hands. The pregnancy was not easy, closer to the due date I was in hospital almost daily for monitoring. I was initially planned to be induced at 37 weeks gestation, at The Mercy Hospital. Our son Elijah would need to be transferred to The Royal Children’s Hospital soon after birth. However, during the week of planned induction, I went into the hospital twice, only to be turned away as there was no bed available for Elijah at The Royal Children’s Hospital.

The Lord is my God

Elijah (My God is Yah-weh, the Lord is my God) was born on the 7th of August, 2019. When I gave birth, there were 13 people from the medical team, and multiple medical equipment, including a defibrillator, in the delivery room. It was anticipated that he would be blue because of the lack of oxygen when the umbilical cord was cut. But Praise God, Elijah was pink and came out crying. This was the first victory against the prediction of struggling at birth by the medical team. We spent one night at the Mercy Hospital and the next morning Elijah was transferred by ambulance to the Royal Children’s Hospital. Reality sank in and we were so broken to see the medical crew placing one-day-old Elijah into an induced coma, transferring him from the ward into a capsule while keeping all the tubes and breathing apparatus connected for transportation. Walking Elijah with the medical team to the ambulance was the most difficult time for us. While most parents will be taking their newborn home in preparation for a celebration, we were walking our son to the ambulance, not knowing if we would ever see him again. After seeing him off, we both sat in the hospital lobby crying, unsure and fearful of what lies ahead of this difficult journey. Elijah spent 14 days in the intensive care unit waiting for his surgery at the Royal Children’s Hospital. During that time, he received his nutrition through intravenous drip and was only allowed drops of milk in his mouth when he cried. The diagnosis was pulmonary atresia, with intact ventricular septum. We were told that the right side of his heart was about 30% of a normal sized heart; in addition, the tricuspid and pulmonary valves (the two valves of the right side of his heart) were narrow and hardened. Essentially, besides having a severely underdeveloped right heart, the two valves in his heart were also not functioning properly. His cardiologists discussed the different options, including bypassing the entire right side of his heart as they thought it would not develop further. This meant Elijah would only have the left side of his heart functioning.

Reach / Summer 2020

I was shocked, and all I could do was cry. The cardiologist asked about our family history or if I had been sick during the pregnancy. Further tests extracting the embryotic fluid was suggested, to check for genetic disorder such as Down syndrome.

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Reach Testimony


Reach / Summer 2020

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Reach Testimony The Lord is my power

On the 21st of August, at two weeks old, he underwent an open-heart surgery to have a 3mm shunt insertion, to create an atrial septal defect (a hole between the two upper chambers of the heart) and to cut open the valves to increase blood flow. After an 8-hour surgery, the surgeon contacted us and mentioned that the surgery was a success and that his heart and blood flow coped well during the surgery. This was the second miracle as prior to the surgery, the surgeons were unsure if Elijah’s heart and blood flow would cope well to the procedure, especially with the widening of the two valves in his heart. He spent a month in the hospital, and was discharged after he learnt to feed without assistance, a huge miracle as we were previously told to prepare for him to be in the hospital for 3 to 6 months with feeding complications requiring the use of a feeding tube. The medical team were amazed by his post-surgery recovery and ability to feed without a feeding tube which we were told 95% of children requires after going through similar procedure. One month later, we were finally able to take Elijah home. We were visited by a nurse every day for another month to monitor his progress. Soon after that the visit became weekly, followed by monthly visits to the hospital. During each visit, the results and the progress reports from the medical team turned from bleak to positive.


I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. – Psalms 139:14

Due to Elijah’s miraculous progress, his treating team decided to hold off the procedure bypassing the entire right side of his heart, and perform a less invasive procedure which was previously thought not an option. Not knowing how his heart would cope, this procedure only had a 50% chance of success. On the 6th of May, Elijah underwent the second procedure. A balloon catheter was inserted into his heart to stretch open the valves to increase the blood flow in the forward direction. To our amazement we were told Elijah’s heart coped better than expected and the surgical team were very happy with the outcome of the procedure. The surgeon even mentioned that he believes Elijah’s right heart will further develop, eventually allowing him to have a heart with both left and right sides functioning. This was such a great victory and miracle as previously we were told it was unlikely that Elijah would have both sides of his heart functioning. Months after the second procedure and with lots of screaming at home, Elijah’s heart continues to develop. At times as his parents, we forget that he has a heart condition. Elijah’s heart condition continues to improve so much that the cardiologist decided to take him off the three types of anticoagulation medication he was on, just before he turned one year old. Our latest visit to the cardiologist was on the 29th of October, he told us that he was pleased with Elijah’s progress and the right side of his heart had developed from 30% to about 70% of the expected size; and he was confident of a bi-ventricular repair in the future. This means Elijah will likely to have both sides of his heart functioning. What a miracle!

Reach / Summer 2020

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Reach Testimony


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Reach Testimony The Lord is my peace

Reach / Summer 2020

Our next hospital visit will be in five months’ time and we will wait and see how the atrial septal defect can be closed off. In the meantime, we ask for prayers for Elijah’s heart to further develop and for the atrial septal defect to shrink, allowing him to be eligible for catheter procedure instead of an open-heart surgery for this final step. Elijah is now 14 months old and to God be the Glory for this little warrior who has fought his way mightily since the day of his birth. He has been growing from strength to strength and the medical team are amazed with his progress. The journey is not over yet, the tunnel ahead may still be uncertain and dark for this little warrior but we are learning to be grateful. More importantly, learning to take each step and each day with God for He is the God who takes us through the hills and valleys for His Glory. This is a road less travelled by most parents, but we are so grateful for this journey and believe that God has blessed us with Elijah to build up our character, bring us closer as a family, and teach us to trust in His plan for us. We want to also take this opportunity to thank everyone. This journey will not be possible without being surrounded by our family and friends during these uncertain times. We are so touched by all the messages of prayers and encouragement.

My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. – Psalms 73:26


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By Rachel Kuah

Reach / Summer 2020

Milk carton elephants

Reach Craft

Materials: 2L empty milk carton Scissors Marker Craft knife Pipe cleaner or knotted string (optional) Stickers (optional) 1. Clean and dry the milk carton. 2. Cut off the base, approximately an inch from the bottom. 3. Cut arches to form the legs from each of the 4 sides of the milk carton. 4. From the cut-out arches, cut into shapes to form the ears. 5. Cut two narrow slots on either side of the handle of the milk carton to fit the ears (see diagram). 6. Make the tail from the cut-out arch, or a pipe cleaner, or knotted string; use your imagination. 7. Cut a slit at the back of the milk carton to fit the tail. 8. The handle of the milk carton forms the trunk. 9. Draw on eyes and mouth and use markers or stickers to decorate.


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Reach Recipe

Beef curry By Crystal Soo

This delicious curry dish most likely originates from Northern India, given that it is cooked with tomatoes and without coconut milk. Coconut is prevalent only in tropical South India and Sri Lanka. Ingredients: 2 kg ½ cup 1 ½ tbsp 6 cloves 4 4

Stewing Beef Oil Ginger Garlic Large onions Large tomatoes (diced)

5 tbsp 1 1/4 tsp 2 tsp 2 tsp 2 tbsp 2 tsp

Curry powder Tumeric powder Chilli powder Black mustard seeds White vinegar Salt

Method: 1. Cut beef into bite-size pieces. 2. Dice or blend the onion, ginger and garlic; mix together and add black mustard seeds 3. Mix curry powder, turmeric powder, and chilli powder with water to make into paste. 4. Heat oil and fry onion mixture for 2-3 minutes. 5. Add in curry paste mixture and fry over low heat until fragrant. 6. Add in beef and mix well. 7. Add in vinegar, diced tomatoes and salt; bring to boil. 8. Simmer on medium low heat for about 1 ½ hour. Stir occasionally until the meat is tender. Add water if needed. 9. This dish is best served with either Naan roti or rice, along with vegetables. Tip: this can be cooked using pressure cooker, for 15 minutes. If the gravy is too thin when the meat is already tender, cook over medium heat uncovered, until reduced to desired concentration. Overnight curry tastes better.


Bible

The bible trivia in this issue are all from the Book of Genesis. See how well you know the first book of the Bible, where everything begins.

After Noah sent out the dove at the end of the rain, what did it return with in its mouth? (Genesis 8:11) How old was Abraham when Hagar bore him Ishmael? (Genesis 16:16) How old was Abram when God changed his name to Abraham? (Genesis 17:1-5) How many times did Abraham intercede for Sodom with God? (Genesis 18:16-33) What animal did Abraham end up using as a burnt offering instead of his son Isaac? (Genesis 22:13) Apart from being husband and wife, how was Rebekah also related to Isaac? (Genesis 24:15) When Joseph’s brothers conspired to murder him, which brother prevented the bloodshed? (Genesis 37:18-22) How old was Joseph when he entered the service of the Pharaoh? (Genesis 41:46) Which brother did Joseph detain on their first trip to buy grain in Egypt? Genesis 42:24) How old was Joseph when he died? (Genesis 50:22)

Answers: 1. Olive leaf 2. 86 years old 3. 99 years old 4. Six times 5. A ram 6. Rebekah was the daughter of Isaac’s cousin Bethuel 7. Reuben 8. 30 years old

9. Simeon

10. 110 years old

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Reach / Summer 2020

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Reach Teaser



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