When she was in Primary Three, Pastor Debra scribbled John 10:27-28 on her Good News Bible, a verse that is now her favourite bible verse. ‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.’ She likes it a lot because it tells her that she has a relationship with the Lord and can hear Him in her journey, and also of the great security she has in Him even in difficult moments, of how He never lets go of her!

Neither has she let go of Him! Today, Pastor Debra is the Queen of her 400-strong tribe of princesses. With her ready smile and motherly demeanour, Pastor Debra is a hit with young people (both boys and girls) who very often consider her ‘one of them’ and comfortably share their woes with her. Her vision is to see the 1728. When she started taking the ministry, the Lord gave her a word, Isaiah 60:22- ‘The smallest will become a clan (meaning 1000), and the least one a mighty nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.’ Let’s claim it for 2006! Closer to home and to her heart, Pastor Debra would like to see her 12 become a family. She wishes to see horizontal bonds forming to strengthen the unity of the girls’ side of the tribe and to support Pastor William in whatever the Lord calls him to do. She thanks God for his big heart and great leadership skills!

Pastor Debra’s ministry also encompasses 3 GB companies in Hong Kah Sec, Bukit View Sec and Northbrooks Sec. She feels it is all so worthwhile when she sees moments when they touch a young girl personally, hear her share her struggles, minister to her and see new salvations added! She also finds it particularly encouraging to see the girls grow in discipline and confidence, experiencing the ‘wow, how they’ve risen up’ feeling of pride in the midst of what feels like ‘ahhh…. chasing for consent forms, cannot get our act together’ behind the scenes chaos.

Pastor Debra spends much of her free time reading newspapers, magazines, books, the Bible and talking to the Lord. As a possessor of an active mind, she thinks quite a lot when traveling from place to place. She also enjoys television, in particular ‘the Apprentice’, which she got kind of hooked on after figuring how it works, detective shows like CSI, brainless but ‘oooh so touching’ soaps like Meteor Garden 1 and Korean dramas. Occasionally, she would visit her granny, take her parents to movies (especially to those by famous local producer Jack Neo), do groceries and catch up with good friends. She enjoys time out with youths, whatever ages they may be, and is often awed by their heart felt sharing when they open up to her. She also loves furry pets and window shopping to satisfy her ‘lust’ for these furry friends. At the moment, she is the proud owner of Chin Chin and Goldie, her new rabbits. Once a month, she runs at night to unwind, distress and get some exercise. She also findsholidays to scenic spots such as Pulau Redang therapeutic and important for spiritual de-tox after engaging the ups and downs of ministry. Pastor Debra certainly lives life to the fullest!

Finally, don’t be surprised if you find Pastor Debra washing bananas before she eats them! When she was three, she nearly lost her life for her peculiar habit, almost drowning when washing a banana in her granny’s bathroom. The bathing urn containing water was too shallow and she tipped over! However, the near-death experience has not daunted her in any way as she still rinses her bananas (without their peels of course) before she eats them!

Pastor Debra’s 12…