"Teacher Min, I have a surprise for you tomorrow..." says S
"What surprise is that?" I asked
"It's a surprise party!!" says S and smiled...

That was the conversation on Thurs during snack in my daily class... S likes to ask for others' birthdays (cos it's number related) and is really good at remembering them..

This morning, I received an sms from S's mum asking me if it's ok to bring a cake to celebrate with me during snack time cos S requested for it... He wants everyone to celebrate it with me and eat the cake...  Was really touched by the gesture and the fact that S remembered.. When I walked into the waiting area to fetch the children, S came up to me and said "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" with a big smile on his face!! Now everyone who were present at the arrival knows that it's my birthday!! ;)

10.20am- came back to class after gym with the children... as usual everyone's going for toilet before snack... S went to his schedule and wrote "change" on snack.. He remembered that we're going to have a party!!!

So as the children were still taking turns for toileting, I set up the snack area with the cake and also took out the social script to prepare the children... At this moment, S came over and gave me the card that he made and the present that his mummy bought for me.. When everyone's ready, we all sat and the children were all waiting in anticipation to see who's having a birthday party today.... We went through the script and the children started to sing a birthday song for me... both in English and Chinese...after which S told me to make a wish... Just when I was starting to de-escalate from all the excitement of the birthday party, A's mum walked in with roses for me!!! I was really overwhelmed with emotions... felt really loved by the children and the parents... I went on to take individual photos with the children and also managed to get everyone in to take a class photo(s) before we dismissed the class... It was really amazing how long the children could wait while Yoke and S's mum took turns to take the photos for us... and it turned out really really well!!! =) Due to confidentiality issues, I can't post the photos up...however S's mum gave me permission to post his photo, thanks SL! =)


This is by far the most meaningful birthday celebration I had over the past xx years... God is so so good to me... He knows exactly what will make my day... I really thank God that He has given me the privilege to teach this daily class... the children are such darlings in class...  everyone of them have so much to offer and so much to give... Many a times, I go into class thinking about the goals that I've set for them... but at the end of it, I realised that I've learnt more than I've taught...

Thank you children for trusting in me and for giving me your unconditional love... Thank you parents for trusting me with your children and for allowing me to have the chance to love your precious little ones... I've been humbled... and loved by all of you and the children..

Thank You Lord for being the One who have been molding and building me up all these years so that I can be ready to do what I'm doing now... It's Your grace, love and joy in me that made working with the children so enjoyable...and I know that every child will get better and better as they are also being transformed by You..

Like A's mum once told me... despite the autism, she will never trade A for any other child in the world.. likewise, I will not trade what God has placed in my hands for any other profession in the world... for to me, this is more than just a job... it's my passion, my ministry, my life =)

1. Famine will cause people to come to the end of themselves and realise that they need God. Therefore, in a time of famine, it's a time of harvest for the kingdom of God =)
2. At times when we're walking in the ways of God, it may seem like we're worse off than before, but when we are able to persevere in the situation, we will experience the breakthrough in 30, 60 and then a 100 fold! =)
3. There will be a transfer of wealth happening, during the time of famine.. properties.. lands... and houses!!!
   
4. When things are visible, it is temporal, what is invisible are things that are of eternal value.. my confirmation from the Lord that when things are not moving in the natural realm, God is in fact working in the Spiritual realm
5. Even when the trouble in my life is through my own making, God will never leave me nor forsake me.. He will still see me through
6. Sow even when it's in the time of famine, for the Lord's hand of blessings is on me. When I start sowing, I will begin to prosper!
   
7. Sowing and reaping is the #1 system in God's Kingdom.. it's based on full dependence on God
8. Man wants to be respected more than they want to be loved..something that the Lord has shown me two weeks ago...
   
9. When husband and wife comes together, that is the power to get wealth!
   
10. Miracle Sun is on 15 Feb 2009, same day as ministry meeting.. indeed it's gonna be a day of miracles!! =) 

I walked into the service seeking God for directions and confirmations... and God is faithful in all His ways.. He has once again reassured me that I'm moving in the right direction and that He is working in my life... I look forward to the day where I can share all that He has brought to pass! =)

 

Posted this on facebook... thought I should post it here as well, for the benefit of those who don't have FB...

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1. Undeserved Grace, unlimited favour, that's what Christ came to give me

2. There are two very important women in my life- My grandma and my mum.. without them, I will not be where i am today...

3. My work is my passion and my ministry.. so big part of my life that when you love me, you'll have to love my ministry.. they come as a package!

4. Family is very important to me... one of my main driving factor to come back after my studies in Canada.. but i've never regretted that decision, cos if not I might not have come to know God and be in such an awesome church!

5. I'm going to Israel end of this year! (Amen!!)

6. If not by the love and grace of God, I would have been quite a nut case.. searching for love in the wrong places... because of the love and grace of God, I'm now able to channel this love that He has given me to love people that He has placed in my life...

7. My primary language of love is quality time...

8. I'm very thankful to God for giving me a great sister-in-law.. who has been such a blessing to me and my family..

9. As i grow older, I realised that I'm beginning to appreciate spending time alone more and more.. this is what i called, an emerging introvert..

10. I love waking up early in the morning and spend time with God.. starts my day in the right way...

11. God makes all things beautiful in His time and in His season...

12. My greatest regret in my life is not knowing God earlier, which led to my second regret...

13. When I know how much I've been forgiven, I truly understand how much God loves me...

14. One of the things I love to do is to worship God... which is why I'm taking up guitar lessons... even though i do know how to play the piano.. and the keyboard..

15. I thank God for the many friends he brought into my life.. who have seen me through different phases..

16. I love to bake... it's a stress-reliever for me.. makes me happy to see others enjoying the food..Thank God for providing me an avenue to bless others..

17. Spending time at bookshops and groceries stores are my all time favorite past times

18. I know God has indeed called me to this ministry... He has equipped me and has given me the desire to love the kids and to believe that He is indeed the One watching over them for He loves them more than anyone else...

19. Thank God for the many prayer warriors that He has provided for me along the way... they have been a great source of support to me...

20. Thank God for wonderful colleagues who are always there to support, love and care for me... at the same time, allowing me to have space of my own..

21. Thank God for the wonderful man He has made him to be..who serves not only as a source of support, but also as a source of inspiration... the love that he has for God makes me want to draw even closer to God...I thank God for bringing him into my life...

22. Thank God for the friendships He has given me with the parents whose children are/were/will be under my care..

23. My baptism name is Joy...

24. I want grandma to be present at my wedding.. to let her know that God has provided for me and has given me a wonderful man who will love and take care of me...

25. My marriage will be one built on Christ, my Prince and Saviour.. this marriage will glorify God and will also be a ministry that will touch lives, through the love that Christ has given to us... to inspire, to serve and to love...

Kinda of Overdue.. but also a good way to start my year by blogging on this entry, which is what the Lord has given me when I went to the Kelong in Dec to seek His directions for this coming year..

Mon 15 Dec 2008, 6.20pm Singapore Time
Can't believe that my very first attempt to seek solitude became another "getting to know you session"... AS it turned out, in the month that I booked the trip, many more others did the same!!
So here I am, at the Kelong in Batam, with 16 other people.. and cos' I'm the only one who came as one, I'm sharing room with the owner's family!
Well, apart from this slight "set-back", everything else is actually better than what I have expected it to be... AS I'm writing this entry, one other group is singing praises to the Lord..
The Kelong is made up of 6 rooms, with 6 beds each and an attached toilet.. and it's an actual toilet flushing system!! There are sufficient corners and space where I can go and do my own solitude time..
Walked up the hill today (Thank God for the sunny weather in the afternoon) and it was really nice to be able to walk, sing and pray in tongues with no weird looks from people.. It was indeed time well-spent with my Heavenly Prince..
Have also started 2 chapters on the book "The Name of Jesus" and it's amazing how much truth there is to just these 2 chapters.. I'm really hoping to be able to finish the book before I head home..
Looking forward to a new day tomorrow.. to see the wonders of His works.,.. Praying that I'll get to see the sunset tomorrow...

Wed,17 Dec 2008, 7.45am Singapore Time
Matthew 14:22-32

Jesus Walks on the Water

 22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but the boat was already a considerable distance^[a] from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

 25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.

 27But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

 28"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."

 29"Come," he said.

   Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

 31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

 32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.

This is such a familiar story and yet when the Lord brought it to mind, I actually couldn't remember where the account was recorded.
Today's my last day at the retreat and these verses were brought to mind on the very first day when I arrived and was walking on the boardwalk, trying to get to the jetty.. the planks did not seem stable but I started off pretty confident until I saw a hole in between the planks and that led me to seeing what was underneath the planks... when that happened, I started to also see the fact that I was walking on the planks that has NO support whatsoever and that was when fear creep in.. I began to think of all the worst case scenarios that can happen and sort of forgot where my end point was..When I finally got to the jetty, I began to then think about how I'm ever gonna make it back to the kelong... Just as I was still concern about getting back, the Lord brought the above account to mind... As I headed back for the kelong, I tried as hard as possible NOT to look at what was around me and focus on getting back to the kelong.. it was not easy, cos' I could just hear the sound of the waves and the cracking of the planks...
As I spent time with the Lord that day, I tried to look for the account in the bible, but just couldn't find it even after flipping thought the 4 Gospels..
Then night came and I once again braved myself to walk the boardwalk, thinking that it's gonna get better cos it's dark and lighted with street lamps... but it just got worse! Even though this time round,m I couldn't really see and had to depend on the street lamps. I could hear the sounds of the waves and to make matter worse, there were people walking in front of me, so the cracking sound of the plank travelled to me even before I walked on it! This time round, I could really feel my legs getting wobbly... all I could do was to tell the Lord to get me through it...
Day 2 came and I had half a mind of NOT setting my feet onto the platform anymore, but I was not willing to let the Spirit of fear take over and not enjoy the time I have here...
I uttered a prayer to God and told Him that I wanna trust in Him and overcome this fear that I had..
So I attempted the boardwalk once again, praying in tongues most of the time and also keeping my eyes on the jetty,which is my endpoint.. Though I could not help but still worry, I found that I was much calmer this time round.. and to my surprise, I kinda started to enjoy the walk..
As I take my eyes off what was in the natural, I could then place my focus on the beauty of the surroundings and appreciate all that God has made..
And God is so faithful.. cos of the rain on the first day, I could not see the sunset.. but I told the Lord that I really wanna see it.. so despite the rain on the second day as well, God answered my prayer! There was sunset!! It was just like in the song "In the midst of the storm, through the rain and the waves, You'll still be faithful, You'll still be faithful." and cos God loves me so so much, He answered my prayer exceedingly and abundantly and I even got to see the sunrise (right in the midst of writing this entry!) today!
As I looked at how much materials I've actually prepared for the trip (sermons downloaded on ipod, books, bible), nothing beats following the Lord's leading on what He has in store for me..
An account that is so simple have carried so much truth.. looking back on the purpose of the trip; to consolidate and rejuvenate, God has summarised it all up for me..
No matter what the future may hold, regardless of whatever area it is in my life, as long as I continue to fix my eyes on Jesus, He who is faithful will continue to guide me and bring me through.. as long as I continue to focus on His faithfulness, I know that I can always get to the end of His plans for me.. and fear will have NO dominion in my life.. for I know each step that I take has been carefully marked out by my Heavenly Daddy, whose plans for me are things that I might not fully comprehend at th si time, but I know He will never fail me..
Thank You Abba for giving me Jesus, Your Precious Son, the greatest gift of all.. thank You Lord that there is authority in the Name of Jesus and that I have been given the authority to use this Name and speak into every situation in my life.. Thank You Lord that I'm made rich, through Jesus' poverty... and that In Jesus' Name, everything You've planned out in my life, everything that my heart desire, will all come to pass..

Today marks the last sun of the year, and also the last Faith Kidz of the year.. God has been very good and faithful to us and we all know that next year is gonna be even a better year.. even before the year began, we already know there will be new kids and servers... for the Lord will provide as He continues to expand this ministry for His glory.. and for more parents to be able to come and attend church service together..

Had an awesome time with the kids today and also managed to catch up with a few parents along the way.. the kids are simply amazing and never fails to make my day... it's awesome seeing them so happy and enjoying the service.. most importantly of all, every week i see the children grow in the likeness of Jesus.. they grow to learn more and more about Him.. and to experience the love that Jesus has come to give them through the class...

This morning, I was just seeking the Lord for the direction in which I should be heading towards in terms of my training for the teachers in the class next year and the verse that came up to me confirmed the things that He has already placed in my heart when I was told what i need to do... I'm really excited for the things that is to come cos i know God has great plans for this ministry and it's not going to be "just another sunday school" kind of environment... it's one that has been specially crafted out by God Himself, who have planted the seeds into the pioneer batch in setting up this class, teaching the children the ways of the Lord in the way that they can learn and understand best...

This ministry has taught me a lot of things... and has also given me a lot of things... many a times, i recieve much more from the children than what i've set out to give... and it always starts my week in the right way, recharging all my energy that i need to last through the week...

Thank You Lord for equipping me and calling me into this ministry...I'll definitely not trade this for anything else in the world.. for this is indeed the area that the Lord has called me to... one which i proudly call my ministry, my passion..

is probably one of the most memorable Christmas eve that I had in the last 5 years.. cos this year, it's not just about getting together with friends and family, but really celebrating the season with a reason...

We're  carolling at 6 families of our children in Faith Kidz who have graciously opened up their houses to us... We've been practising and preparing ourselves for the occassion and in less than 4 hours we're all gonna gather in two different locations and set off to our first house respectively, and then meeting at the last house where both teams will gather and sing carols to this family..

Up til last nite, I was still practising and pitching the songs with the guitarist... and Helen with Beverly was making the gifts for the families, which turned out to be really nice... Praise God for blessing us with different giftings! =)

It has been a busy morning for me, baking muffins, making egg mayo and the rocky road fudges.. all these coupled with the other things that Helen's preparing is gonna be for our countdown party at Helen's place...

Indeed, this Christmas has posed a different meaning for me, to be able to go and minister to the children and their families, a time of bonding with the servers that have been serving alongside with me these few months... I'm truly blessed with many that God has sent into my life to spend this special season with!!

I had an amazing three days of rest at the Kelong... Saw lots of God's wonderful creations and had a great time just worshipping the Lord, reading and sometimes even just staring blank at the sea...

I came back feeling all charged up and refreshed.. will be post-dating those entries of my trip really soon.. I've been touched once again by my Abba's love for me.. spending quality time with Him filled up my love tank...As i look back on my life this past year, it is indeed all about the Lord's faithfulness and His plans coming to pass for me...

And DADDY is gonna grant my Christmas wish this year... I just know it =)

This is right now one of my favorite song... Thanks to Jason to lent me the CD... makes me feel all emotional now... This song doesn't just speak about a couple's relationship kind of love.. but to me, it also speaks about my Abba's love relationship with me..

We will dance...

In less than 8 hours, I'm gonna be off to a Kelong in Batam for my year end personal retreat... I've been really looking forward to this trip as I seriously need to really take a break from everything else and everyone else, and really spend the few days reflecting on this year that's gonna end really soon and praying for the year that's to come...

Most importantly, this is gonna be a time where I'm gonna spend quality time with myself and God..cos it happens to be my primary love language.. AS much as I love to spend time with people, I realised that as I grow older, that I really yearn to have that time alone, sometimes just doing nothing... and more than anything else, to really be able to fellowship with the ONE that loves me most.. to put aside that time to really get to know God better...

So i'm all packed up for my trip... clothes, bible, good book, notebook and even my worship file!!  Not forgetting my favourite tea satchets and also coffee (just in case they dun serve "real" coffee)..

Kelong here I come!!!! =)