Growing Closer - Eunice Chua

In the month of April, we caught up with sis Eunice to find out more about how she is juggling between her work, parenting a young one, church work and life.

Michelle:

Tell me more about yourself. 

Eunice:

I'm the second child of 4 kids (my parents are bro Kian Hong and sis Kia Sang) and grew up in church as my parents attended church since they were youth. I've been happily married since 2020 to bro Kelvin Kuan and we had our son Joseph in August 2022. God willing, we will welcome our second son in a few months’ time! I'm currently working part-time as a consultant in the Department of General Medicine at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. I've been working in TTSH since I graduated in 2011. 

Michelle:

What is one little known fact about you?

Eunice:

I cannot stomach horror and slasher movies despite seeing blood and gory things fairly regularly at work.

Michelle:

Thanks Eunice!! I think that's perfectly understandable - those are pretty scary to most people, myself included.

I have heard from multiple people that being in the medical line tends to be fast-paced and stressful. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Eunice:

There are good and bad days, just like any job. I'm really thankful for the support I have from my family, especially my parents, in seeing me thru various stressful periods of my medical career - the many exams, dealing with challenging cases, the COVID-19 pandemic. To destress, I enjoy visiting the library and borrowing books to read. Kelvin and I also enjoy exploring new libraries. Playing with Joseph and going for walks in the park with him is also something that helps me to decompress after work. I also find doing housework kind of enjoyable and helps me in destressing too. 

Michelle:

When did you get baptized and how did you come to this decision?

Eunice:

I think I got baptized at the age of 10. Looking back, I think there was some peer pressure as well, although I did have the head-knowledge of why I needed to get baptized and how to be saved. I do think my faith was definitely quite immature, and I'm not sure if I really made any changes to my life immediately after baptism, but I'm glad that I had the guidance from the church uncles/aunties and my parents to strengthen and deepen my faith later on over the years as I grew up.

Michelle:

What was it like for you growing up in the church? Any significant memory?

Eunice:

It was definitely a blessing to grow up with church family, knowing that beyond blood ties there are also uncles and aunties who genuinely care for you. I remember all the fun June camps we had in Malaysia, and also playing after bible class with the other kids on the old swing we had. It's heartwarming now to see my kid playing with the children of those whom I grew up with 😊

Michelle:

Was it tough to juggle school with church? How did you manage this back then?

Eunice:

I must admit that during JC and Uni days, my faith was at my weakest point because I was too caught up with studies and school activities, especially hall life in my undergrad days. I don't think I was very active in church during those years. But I'm thankful for my parents' insistence to not miss church as well as the good relationships I had with some of the ladies at church, especially my cousin Tingwei who kept me from backsliding. Later on, I realised that I needed God as challenges from work increased, and I knew that I needed to cultivate my relationship with Him.

Michelle:

What areas of church work are you involved in, and how did you come to be involved in them? 

Eunice:

I'm currently involved in the ladies fellowship (LF) committee and also help in teaching some of the children's bible classes. I also enjoy teaching in the ladies class because preparing the lesson itself is a great learning opportunity for me as well. Since 2018, I've also helped to organise the annual health seminar together with the other healthcare professionals in our congregation. I can't really remember how I got involved though 😅 I guess through people asking/arrowing. Now that my hands are a bit full with my little boy, it can be quite challenging at times. But I'm glad for the support especially from the other ladies in the LF committee who step in to fill the gaps, and also for my husband who takes care of Joseph when I need to hunker down and prepare my lessons.

Michelle:

What has been rewarding/challenging for you in your Christian journey thus far? Any words of encouragement/advice for those who may be in a similar situation?

Eunice:

The rewards of being part of God's family is indescribable. Apart from the love and support you get from church family, I love the feeling of visiting congregations in other countries and feeling immediately like you belong even though you're meeting them for the first time. Knowing that there are faithful brethren praying for you when faced with challenges, or whom you can approach to get godly advice from, is also something priceless. Special mention to auntie Pooi Fun who has provided much needed godly wisdom during many challenging periods of my life 😊

My current challenges would probably be to find the time to continue to grow my own faith and stay active in church during this season when my energy, attention and time is largely taken away by my little one. 

What has encouraged me so far are the many examples of amazing mummies in the church who continue to serve God actively through their different stages of motherhood. The hope to cultivate a strong Christian faith in my family is also a driving factor. 

I don't think I'm suitable to give advice since I'm just new to this parenting journey, but I would encourage the mummies of little ones to continue nurturing their faith in whatever way they can, be it in terms of daily 5-minute devotions, or watching the livestream later on if they had to miss the sermon/lesson due to a cranky baby. It's definitely not easy, but keep on at it. 

I would encourage all young Christians, especially those who may not have other family members in the congregation, to be willing to take the time and effort to develop closer bonds with the older uncles/aunties in church. It could be through taking the first step to ask one or two of them out for a meal, or getting involved in a church activity regularly. Having spiritual mentors who truly care for you and your eternal soul is precious!