Calvin College Alumni Choir

Calvin Alumni Choir Tour to Asia, July 27 - August 14

Photos are now available from the tour:
Page 1 (8/4, 8/6)
Page 2 (8/6, con't)
[ Page 3 ] [ Page 4 ] [ Page 5 ] [ Page 6 ] [ Page 7 ]

Read the emails sent to the listserve.

8/13/00
Dear Friends,
This is our last day of the tour. We have just completed the worship service at the Teipai International Church, had a short pizza lunch with some of the congregation, and then rushed back to our hotel to load all the luggage, and make our way to the final concert site. A couple of people have experienced some stomach troubles, but we trust no more will be affected. This is probably the final message I'll be sending from overseas.

After the concert, we have a meal with the sponsors, and then begin the process of checking in to the airport, getting on our plane, and enjoying the flight across the Pacific. If all goes as smoothing returning as it did coming here, we should be home right on schedule.
Pray for us.
Bob Meyering

8/11/00
Greetings,
Despite the change of schedule in leaving Manila, we have arrived in Taiwan easily and on time. Mechanical difficulties with a plan caused the cancellation of our schedule flight from Manila to Singapore. So, we were rescheduled for a flight on Philippine Airlines which turned out to be a comfortable experience also. This new flight forced us to cancel the inland Singapore tour we had arranged. We spent a little extra time in the Singapore Airport which is truely luxurious for an airport, and then took our next scheduled flight to Taiwan.

Yesterday was a day of sight seeing, visiting the National Palace Museum and Garden, Chaing Kai Shek Memorial, and the National Music Hall, along with some shopping at a Tawianese Handicraft market.

A good time is being had by all, although we are also beginnnig to turn our sights to home in another day.

Pray for our final concerts, church service, and flight across the Pacific to home.
Bob Meyering

Wednesday, August 9:
Another busy day for the choir. This morning we traveled northeast of Manila to Faith Academy, one of the largest schools for missionary children and children of others living in the Philippines. The choir performed at their chapel service and made contacts with many students.

Then on to the southwest of Manila to Las Pinas City, where we did some shopping, and then performed the concert at the Bread from Heaven Christian Fellowship.

Tomorrow, unfortunately, we need to leave at 5:00 am to catch our plane to Singapore, enjoy an inland tour of the island, and then catch our plan to Taiwan.

Keep us in your prayers.
Bob Meyering, 8/9/00

Greetings,
The choir spend Monday, August 7, sight-seeing around Manila, taking a look at the inner walled city of Manila, the American/Filipino cemetery for the dead of WW II, seeing the elaborate mausoleums in the Chinese area of town, and shopping in souvenir shops and shopping malls. Tonight we enjoyed a wonderful feast put on for us at the United Evangelical Church by Pearl Shankuan's family. The choir remained at the church to take part in a church choir workshop, while several of us spouses returned to the hotel.

Last night the choir gave another wonderful concert in the Philam auditorium for a very musically sophisticated audience. They appeared to be very appreciative. One of the high points of the concert was the choir singing a Filipino folk song in the native language. The choir had sung this at other concerts, but here was singing the folksong for the "home crowd," you might say. They absolutely loved it. No sooner did the choir begin singing, than we began to hear giggles throughout the audience. This is a song most Filipino children learn in kindergarten. By the time the song was midway through, the audience was laughing and clapping with great enjoyment.

In Manila the choir was also joined by a friendship choir made of up people from various area choirs. They did three numbers together, which made a magnificent sound since the entire group was practically double the number of the Alumni Choir.

One of the most moving moments was to have several students from a school for the deaf located nearby take part by signing the words for Many Colors Make a Rainbow. They did not simply sign the song, but actually had choreographed movements so that they were themselves a separate choir "singing" the song with they hands, the faces, and their bodies, but with no audible words. Together, the Alumni Choir, the Friendship choir, and the hearing-impaired choir offered up a beautiful testimony of God's love.

We have had excellent concerts throughout the tour. In Japan at our first worship service, the church was filled to capacity.

We had an audience of 500 people at the Amway Auditorium, 200 at the Reformed Church of Japan Retreat. In Johor Bahru, Malaysia we estimate between 800-900 people, and 300-400 people at St. Andrews in Singapore. For our concert last night, I believe someone said there was close to 600 people present, but I could be off a little on that. Also, we've sold over 500 CDs at our various stops. We had some cooler weather in Singapore, and in Manila it seems to vary during the day as to heat and humidity, with a couple of rain showers cooling things off a little.

All continues to go well, no serious stomach troubles, and no illness or injuries. Thank God for that, and continue to support us with your prayers. Tomorrow will be a busy day as the choir visits several schools in the area.

Bob Meyering, 8/7/00