“EAST is a very family-oriented seminary!” – Alumna Jessie Suciati

Alumna Jessie Suciati has recently relocated back to Singapore with her three children, daughter Shannah (14), and twin boys Reuel (10) which means “friend of God” in Hebrew, and Leeron (10) which means “my song”, after being away in Jarkarta for the past four years. Her husband Gene Tan serves as a Colonel in the Singapore Armed Forces and since their early days of marriage, they have moved from places to places due to different military assignments received.

Jessie started her journey with EAST back in 2006 when she was still a Cru Singapore staff in the Human Resource department. She had signed up for the Master of Arts in Biblical Studies (MABS) program as a part-time student. As the journey progressed, her first baby Shannah was born in 2008. She had to juggle between caring for a new born and completing the demands of graduate studies. According to her, “EAST is a very family-oriented seminary! I could not have completed my program without all the support.” Her husband was also very supportive in her roles as a mother and student.

She recalled with gratitude the baby-sitting help provided by EAST professors like Dr Mah Yeow Beng and Dr Roland Tan while she had to sit for exams. Other professors like Dr Keith Shubert and Dr Lewis Winkler graciously allowed her to bring along baby Shannah for classes as she had no other available caregivers at that time. It was under this family-oriented environment that enabled her to complete her MABS degree in May 2011.

Fast forward to 2021 which saw her ministry involvement as a volunteer in ACS International School in Jakarta. She was able to set-up a teenager ministry with a core group of other mums, and later on even recruited two fathers. Along with the ministry to teenagers, these parents also cared for and reached out to the younger children, who are often the younger siblings of the teenagers. Jessie was also involved with a mums outreach where she still conducts workshops and seminars over Zoom. Back in Singapore, Jessie also preaches at her home church, the Church of Malaya, when given the opportunity.

Her family is currently still in a state of transition adjusting to life in Singapore. Below are her prayer requests:

1. Adjustment for the children to new schools and friends after being away from Singapore for 4 years.
2. God’s guidance in her next ministry season in Singapore.