a wonderful meet-up :)
it was wonderful seeing lydia fong & her family here in chiangmai. we were hoping to somehow meet up here since her family & her are serving in mae sai, but i had thought tt by the time she comes to chiangmai, i would have been back in s'pore. few days ago, when i heard tt she was coming to chiangmai for a night before returning to s'pore, we agreed to try meet up for coffee. to cut the long story short, our msn chat on tue (a day before she arrived) resulted in bro nat & sis pat offering to put her family up for a night. so not only did we get to have coffee, we got to spend almost the entire night catching up, chatting till 4am (5am s'pore time)! never expected we'd have so much to talk abt and i really enjoyed last nite. tot it was just...meaningful, and i thank God for it. God-willing, we will meet again in singapore when i return :)
time is fleeting by toooo fast! just abt a week left here in chiangmai...m already starting to miss this place, the toast bread in front of the canteen, the iced thai tea at ufm, eng club meetings, their way of life, many other things...and most of all, the ppl...
sowing seeds
thank God for an opportunity to share the gospel with 4 students today. koi's discipleship session today was to share the gospel with others, so bro nat, p'gade, koi & i went to this coffee stand beside the erc, where some students would hang around in between classes to have a snack or drink. i realised tt the thais can be really polite, even if they might not want to hear wat you have to say. so long as someone approaches them, they would smile and listen. either tt, or they were just trying to be nice becos prior to approaching them, i had given up my table to them. if there's one thing i could ask for today, i really wished i could speak thai, or at least know enough just to share the gospel in their language. it's my first time sharing the gospel on this trip (shared only my testimony of salvation during spiritual revival week)...and boy, it really isn't easy. but thank God for koi who worked with me to share the gospel with the 4 students. thank God for boldness :)
i thank God too, for the ppl who came for eng club today. bro nat pointed out tt it looks like we might be having a different crowd from now. many of those who used to come weren't here today...but by God's grace, 3 or 4 new students have been joining us for the past 2 club meetings :) we had a discussion to see what we could do to bring more ppl to the club. decided tt other than publicity thru posters, each of them could also try inviting a friend. took down hp no.s & email addresses. let's just pray this grp would be consistent...
today's reading from "experiencing God" was abt doing God's will. God is more interested in a love relationship with me than what i can do for Him. His desire is for me to love Him. realised i've been praying for the wrong answer. instead of asking "what's God's will for my life?", i should be asking, "what is God's will?". m i able to follow God one day at a time, even if He does not spell out all the details? will i be able to surrender all & pray: "Lord, I will do anything that Your kingdom requires of me. wherever you want me to be, i'll go. whatever the circumstances, i'm willing to follow. if You want to meet a need through my life, i am Your servant; and i will do whatever is required."..? o God, help me...
i drove!!!
saturdays in chiangmai are always well-spent and enjoyable. went to the lake for the 3rd time today. still remember the 1st time i went there, shelia & alex were still here. p'gade went with us today to teach sis pat & me driving :) it was quite scary at first. i mean, i've never had any theory lessons and i know nuts abt how a car functions, much less how to drive it. when it was my turn, i must say p'gade was really brave to ask me to start driving immediately. he just explained a few things, told me what to do, and off we went!!! i was really really scared, but at the same time, really excited! c'mon, how many ppl in singapore get to drive immediately (without passing theory!) haaaa...after abt 3 or 4 rounds of driving around the round-about beside the lake, we moved on to a road outside...and my, it was sure different with all the cars and bikes zooming past! anyway, thank God for safety, and for a very good teacher, p'gade. we had prayed before he started teaching me.
thank God for a wonderful evening over dinner with koi & her 3 friends. had bbq-steamboat. altho it was difficult communicating, these girls really tried their best to make me feel the least left-out :)
hmm. been here for 33 days. time sure flies when you don't want it to...
patriotism or over-zealousness?
just caught "you, me and dupree" with koi at airport plaza. m really impressed and i marvel at how the thais can be so patriotic to their nation. well, i admit i was shocked & slightly amused when everyone in the cinema suddenly stood up at attention when a song was played. trying not to laugh, i asked koi "oh my...what's this song for this time?" then the king's picture appeared at the end & i figured it was for him...to commemorate his 60th year of reign.
tt's not all...when i was at central shopping centre one evening at 6, they played the national anthem & everyone stood still. the most impressive one tho, was when i went to the night bazaar at walking street with yanzhen, koi & p'gade on sunday. a song was played & everyone and everything on tt street just stopped moving. it felt like i was in a movie & suddenly someone pressed "pause". well, then here's the funny part. when it ended, everyone started moving again, but less than 10 secs, anor song was played, this time a different one. some ppl stopped, but most carried on with their business until this ultra patriotic guy shouted at ppl who continued walking. a young caucasian lady who walked right into his path was shouted at to stop as well, leaving her embarassed and apologising away. p'gade stood still, yanzhen & i were afraid to move, until koi pleaded with us, "please...can we move? this song very longg ah". haha...but o well...makes me wonder wat is it tt makes the thais so loyal to their country, king, queen, etc...how is it tt singaporeans don't even stand at attn when our national anthem is played, esp when parents drop their kids at school late...? hmm...
brrrrr...
not tt i get to ride on a motorbike very often, cept here in chiangmai...but i've never rode on a motorbike, with the rain hitting against my face, my eyes (because i hadn't had a helmet on)...never felt so cold, teeth chattering away, body trembling so hard i couldn't feel my gastric pains anymore, legs shaking so hard i felt the motorbike shake...i now understand how a motorcyclist feels when he's sitting out there on his bike in the rain, looking at me sitting comfortably in a car back home in singapore.
as i sit here on the bed after a hot bath, m just tinking abt whether p'gade & koi have got home, much less have their baths. m really grateful to these 2 ppl, and of cos to God (for bringing them into my life). we (3 of us & yanzhen) had spent the evening at walking street, but it started drizzling when we were almost done. then it got heavier and so p'gade & koi thought we'd wait a while more before they ride us (yanzhen & i) home. after waiting an hour, we ended up sitting at mike's eating fries...but sadly, the rain never stopped. it was already almost 1am here and so we had to just ride in the rain...and tt's how i had an experience i'd never get in singapore. to begin with, i prolly won't even get to be on a motorbike. although i was feeling really awful on the bike earlier, wanted so badly for tt journey to end, crying out to God tt i was really cold (and still sick)...as i look back now, it was a wonderful experience afterall. say m nuts...cos i don't know why either. maybe because it was...exciting..?
vroom vroom vroooom
almost 4 weeks since i arrived in chiangmai. thank God for a meaningful week at payap. thank God for the many souls who indicated they prayed to recieve Christ this week. m also thankful for the opportunity to share Christ & my testimony of salvation with so many ppl. i really pray that this year, much effort would be put in to ensure this students recieve follow-ups/discipleship. one thing m really glad abt is, altho bro nat, constance & myself were not well & definitely not in our best "shape" physically, God saw us thru the whole of revival week...satan failed to get us down & for tt, m really grateful to God. God is our Sustainer.
God didn't heal me when i asked Him to, but i believe He will, in His own perfect timing. it's not only a reminder to me tt i need rest, but most impt of all, it has reminded me tt He is able. His strength is made perfect in my weakness.
alrite, wondering why the title "vroom, vroom, vroooom"? well, in 15min, p'gade taught me & yanzhen how to ride a motorbike today (11th aug'06). i learnt to switch on the engine, start the bike, and ride - on my own! now, each time i see a motorbike go by, or when i tink abt a motorbike, i can't help feeling a little excited. lol...if mom hears of this, she'll prolly go, "come back to singapore NOW!" but again, i'll be obedient enough not to ask to get a bike license in singapore cos i know it's different. like wat p'gade said, "in thailand, most ppl are on motorcycles so the drivers look out for them. but in singapore, it's very different. very few motorcycles. many cars. the cars don't see the motorcycles. very dangerous." well, papa might just read this, but i just wanna say that altho it's not so safe in singapore, it's still a means of transport for ppl elsewhere. like where i m now. :)
revival week at payap
today's the start of revival week at payap. thank God for the opportunity to go classes with the campus crusade ppl. when i first saw these grp of ppl, i was pretty apprehensive abt joining them because they looked really unapproachable. but all it took was for bro nat to introduce me to the rest and by the end of the day, i had gotten to know 3 of them pretty well. during one-on-one conversations with them, they shared with me how God called them into full-time service with campus crusade, how they faced parental objections at first, etc...i shared how i always feel like God's calling but m uncertain, or maybe unwilling...they encouraged me with God's word, reminded me that if God calls, no matter how much i run, He'll still get me...and one thing tt struck me - it's a privilege to be chosen by God to do His work.
well, it was really wonderful to be used by God at payap today. when i went with the first team to a class of abt 17 students, someone shared her testimony of salvation, anor shared a message on "Love because..." while i shared a story towards the end of our session. the response slips showed 2 ppl prayed to recieve Christ. the 2nd team i went with was to a class of supposedly 58 students...but only abt half turned up. it wasn't a bad thing though, cos at least we know these were the ppl interested or at least bothered to come hear us. this time, i shared the story and my testimony of salvation. truth be told, i was so scared i tried to find excuses to skip my turn...but thank God, i wasn't as afraid as i was during the first session (my hands were trembling as i was folding the paper to demonstrate something during the story!). once again, the response slips showed 2 ppl praying to recieve Christ. i asked bro nat how many students recieve Christ during revival week each year...he said there were 200 last year. sadly tho, not many of them receieve follow-ups. my prayer is, this year, more effort would be put in to follow-up on the students who make a decision to follow Christ.
1 impt thing to thank God for - my voice! yesterday we went out for dinner. john wanted macs but when we got there, there was nothing but fried chicken, fries & drinks. apparently there was an electricity cut the night before and they had to move all their foods to anor outlet (there are only 2 macs in chiangmai btw). fried chicken was already bad for my throat, but to make matters worse, when it came to my turn, there were only spicy ones left! sis pat felt it wasn't a coincidence and tt satan's prolly trying to keep me from testifying at payap. so i said "well, he can't, cos i need an interpreter so i'll type out my testimony anyway". then at the supermarket, a trolley ran over my last toe and it started bleeding! this time, sis pat joked, "looks like satan is gng all out to silence you!" last night, i prayed & trusted God for my voice to 'come back'. it's evident who gained the victory this time : ) although my voice sounds reaaaally hoarse (sis pat commented tt some ppl might just wonder if i were a trans...haa), i thank God i got back 'enoough' voice to last me thru the 2 sessions! : ) praise the Lord!
p.s. pls continue to pray for me (my voice & for me to be courageous) and the various teams gng around payap to share & testify...and for God to prepare the hearts of the students who will hear us share. thanks! (",)
matthew 28:18-20
past few days have been meaningful. first of all, thank God for seeing me thru my first time teaching at the eng conversation club yesterday, and for those wonderful ppl who prayed for me. well, i didn't get to teach on tue becos of a communication breakdown. apparently, the students had gone to the orphanage w/o informing bro nat becos they assumed there was no club meeting on tue. only this guy who leads the yfc meetings, p'nick, turned up to inform us tt the students weren't coming. however, it was all within God's perfect plan & timing. 2 young american ladies, autumn & her sis, angela turned up to offer help as well. p'gade was around too, and so, together, the 6 of us prayed for the club & future plans. and now, bro nat has been wanting to talk to one of his students to check on her salvation. by God's design, she came in right after we were done praying! so p'gade & bro nat got to talk to her tt day : ) praise the Lord!
thank God for the opportunity to share my testimony of salvation with koi, whom i've gotten to know best so far cos i get to see her very often. she's bro nat's disciple and sis pat often invites her & p'gade over for dinner. also, the 2 of them have been very nice to take me to the night markets : )
went to sch cos there was yfc meeting today. although it's in thai, m really thankful i went today. moreover, there were nice ppl there to interpret for me :) it wasn't easy for them, and i really appreciate their effort to remind one anor to "translate for her (me of cos)" so i wouldn't feel left out. as i sat there looking at this grp of youths, i couldn't help but think of my own yf back home & wat it's gng thru...i wanted to cry, while pleading with God to keep our yf gng...
thank God for p'nick's sharing today. seems like i've almost forgotten abt the ppl around me who aren't saved yet, and the burden i had in my heart to reach them with the gospel. the story he shared was a timely reminder...and i sure don't want to go to heaven one day, having to beg God -in vain - to let my loved one in as well...
one impt thing to bring home as well: there are 2 kinds of Christians - one who tells the world he's a Christian but acts otherwise, and one who tells the world he's a Christian through his words AND actions...which kind are we?
"if you don't win the hearts of young people today, they will break your hearts tomorrow..." -YFC
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