Alumni Asung & Nim: Ministry Updates May 2024
Alumni Asung and Nim Pharung from Manipur, Northeast India, has sent their ministry updates below.
I am writing this update after 11 months. Some of you might still remember the last update sent by my nephew last year in place of me as there was no internet in my region. We are slowly getting back to normalcy now after curfews, police sirens, bombings and guns. The Lord is our Shepherd. He led us on a safe path.
Word of Mouth, Internet or Google?
Brandon Chan, 2024 MDiv in Intercultural Studies and Theological Studies; President’s Leadership Award and Academic Excellence Award recipient.
It started with a Google Map
Below is the story of how one of our students stumbled upon EAST, took on a visiting class, and how through his journey of faith, he took on leadership role as a Student Council President. In the recent 30th Commencement, he received not just an Academic Excellence Award but also the President’s Leadership Award for being a servant leader during his time at EAST.
A recent survey showed that most students found EAST through “word of mouth”, “internet search” and “EAST website”; 10% came through “others.”
Brandon Chan’s “others” was ‘Google Maps’.
Newly Arrived Students: Thanawat & Phichanida Wichaphon
L-R: Rev Jonathan Yao (seated), Wong Ee Yuing, Boon-Koh Aitee, Phichanida Wichaphon (Peung), Thanawat Wichaphon (Off)
Thanawat and Phichanida Wichaphons are the first couple to have arrived in Singapore from Thailand for our new semester this June. They are better known by their nicknames Off and Peung. Off has been enrolled in Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies since July 2022 and Peung has been attending online Partners-in-Ministry classes. They are thrilled to finally take the classes at EAST on-site in the upcoming semester and have face to face interactions with faculty, students and staff.
EAST News had the opportunity to ask a few questions to get to know this “cool couple” better (as some have described them) and share their journey to EAST. Read more
PIM Graduate Salaimphy: I finally had the chance to be trained!
Sailamphy Rakhangmi, EAST PIM graduate, India
Here is the story of Sailamphy Rakhangmi who graduated in May 2024 with an EAST Certificate in Partners in Ministry (PIM). PIM is a two-year Certificate Program designed to provide a learning environment to develop wives of seminary students, wives of men in full-time ministry and wives of men in bi-vocational ministry to grow in partnership with their husbands in the Lord’s ministry.
For a long time Sailamphy, 44, who shepherds a church in New Delhi with her husband Rejoyson, hungered for ministry training. Read more
A Small Act of Kindness
Graduate Haimi Horam (right) with his fellow classmate Kim Hak Soo (left) from South Korea.
Haimi Horam (Manipur, North-East India), 46, who completed his last school modules back in India reminisces about the ones who made the difference to his EAST journey.
I still recall how I felt when I first touched down in Singapore in 2018. Everything was fast. New. Confusing.
At my first class, I did not even know how to set up a Word document. But with help from my classmates and teachers, I progressed to creating Powerpoint and videos, and conducting Zoom outreaches (when Covid-19 hit).
India has 1,400 unreached people groups (1.4 billion people); no way we can reach this country without also using online tools and approaches.
EAST Library Catalogue
EAST Populi
National Library Board eResources
The Digital Theological Library
