Blood Donation Through the Love of the Passover 2016

Early in the morning of Apr 3, 2016, on a regular Sunday, the Bloodbank@HSA opened its doors to a big and lively group of blood donors. Donors streamed in continuously, with bright smiles on their faces, to partake in the 584th Worldwide Blood Drive.

The World Mission Society Church of God Singapore (SGWMSCOG) held a blood drive to share life and love through the Passover, following the teachings of Christ. In 2016, 157 members of the SGWMSCOG, as well as their families and friends, gathered at the Bloodbank@HSA to participate in this gracious event. Particularly, the presence of His Excellency Manuel Talavera, Peruvian Ambassador to Singapore, as the Guest-of-Honour, added much excitement and anticipation to the event.

In partnership with the Singapore Red Cross Society, the event was made possible due to the generous sponsorship from Pokka, Apex Retail, Cetaphil, Crown Bakery, Balm Kitchen, In the Brickyard, Delcie’s Desserts and Honey House.

Members and the invited guests were treated to a heartwarming and entertaining skit, put up by the students from the International University Bible Academy (IUBA). The skit provided the audience with a better understanding of the importance of donating blood.

“I’d not known how useful a bag of blood was before, and I have always felt that one more donor wouldn’t add much value to the blood supply. But after understanding that Singapore is experiencing a shortage of blood supply, I realize that one person’s contribution can make a lot of difference,” said Patrick Lim, 57, father and invited guest of a youth member.

His Excellency Manuel Talavera also complimented the youth members who participated in the event through the following speech: “When I was young, my father was the Director of a small hospital in Peru. At that time no one wanted to donate blood, so in times of emergency, it was impossible to find blood. Good health is a gift. Everyone can donate money, but not everyone can donate blood. Donating blood helps people and I would like to encourage the young and the healthy to donate now while they can, because we do not know what will happen tomorrow. When God sent His soul to the earth, He sent Him to save us, to give us opportunity to have access to eternal life. He shared with us His blood. I really find that, if we can, we should too try to share our blood with others. I enjoyed my time here a lot. Thank you.”

While visiting the volunteers who were donating blood, he encouraged them by saying that they will receive blessings through this meaningful event, glorifying God through their deeds.

“The fact that I am healthy enough to donate blood is truly a gift from God. Following the example of Christ, I can have the opportunity to share life and love with the people. I am so grateful that I am unable to express it with just mere words. I hope that my act of donating blood can speak louder than words,” exclaimed Chao LuLu, 23, youth member and participant.