Genesis 22:1-14: July 2006

Monday, July 31, 2006

rain, rain, go away...

was back to being "miss van" for today. stayed home in the morning to teach the kids...but only john could get down to doing work cos geoff was a bit off. poor boy came down with a fever and threw up during dinner. pls pray for him to be well soon.

experienced my first flood in chiangmai. the whole porch was flooded up to the first step...i had to pull my jeans up to my knees to get to the car this evening. was telling sis pat, "when i see koi, i should tell her there's no need for us to go to the sch's lake to canoe. we can do it here on the porch of bro nat's home".

had planned to canoe with koi but m glad i went to see the nav team off at the train stn this evening. looking at the no. of payap students who turned up to say their goodbyes, i tot to myself, 'you reap wat you sow'. this team of nav team who went to payap really went the extra mile to build rapport with the thai students, meeting them after sch to teach them english, gng out during the weekends for karaoke, etc. it was a stark contrast. the team to chiangmai uni had only 1 student turn up to see them off. not saying tt they didn't put in as much effort. perhaps it was becos they met many more students and couldn't afford to build stronger ties (the team to payap stuck to 2 of bro nat's eng classes).

tmr will be my first attempt at teaching (no, not kids...but uni students) during the english conversation club meeting. if anyone reads this in time, pls say a word of prayer for me...to teach the right stuff -with confidence - and tt i'd use this opportunity to build bridges. it seems difficult, esp when m alone, but again, m reminded of what i learned during camp while looking at the lighthouse. it is when m out alone in the dark, tt all the more, i need to stand strong and shine for Him...so others may see the Light. see Him in me.

Saturday, July 29, 2006

elephant, elephant...

much to john & geoff's delight, we went to the maesa elephant camp - home to 78 elephants - today. i didn't get to ride an elephant cos tickets were pretty expensive & they were sold out anyway. but it was an enjoyable trip and my, i was so impressed by the elephants! they seem to have a mind of their own. these maesa elephants can play the harmonica & dance, play football, tease one anor & their mahouts, cheer for themselves when they score a goal, etc...but most impressive of all, they can paint! and i mean, really paint beautifully! my...these elephants sure make our elephants back home look real dumb.

the entire nav team went as well...and george brought us to a really nice place - kangsadarn spa & waterfall resort - for lunch. got to dip my feet in the cool waterfall and woo...it was really refreshing. maybe....the to-be yafers could consider this place as campsite? haa... ;)

said our goodbyes to the nav team cos they'll be leaving on mon...sis pat wished they were here longer. well, i wished i had been here earlier...well, God-willing, we'll meet again...if not here, up in our glorious Home. tt's for sure : )

this team of navigators were made up mainly of ppl my age or younger. their zeal & willingness to serve God has made me decide to start praying for myself & galilee youths too...maybe someday, galilee will send its very own team to somewhere out there, if not chiangmai, to reach out for Christ, too : )

Friday, July 28, 2006

thanksgivings

just want to thank God for a couple of things:
1. mom's out of the hospital & on mc till 3rd aug
2. alex got his haversack back

still feels weird tt shelia & alex aren't around, esp when m back so early...cos we'll usually go out, take a walk with the dogs or have coffee around this time. attended a dinner party hosted by the navigators for the thai students from payap & chiangmai universities this evening. as i sat at the table, i just wished i had the 2 of them to talk to...o well~

tmr will be a trip to the elephant camp with the nav ppl...i pray it'll turn out fine.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

i'll miss...

well, m glad i held back my tears at the airport as i saw shelia & alex off this evening. honestly, i've been kinda dreading this day - when they both leave - cos i'd be all alone...and m feeling quite afraid and lonely now. i'll miss sharing this big bed with my dear friend shelia, i'll miss the talking & laughing just before we fall asleep, i'll miss watching dvds late into the night with them, waiting for our turns to use the bathroom each night, taking the 2 dogs out for a walk, coffee, or a bite...looking really stupid & laughing at ourselves as we command the dogs to sit, come back, or struggle with them (the dogs) as we cross the roads, eating at the pasta cafe just 1min's walk away, the 'squabblings'...hais. altho i didn't want to admit it...i really wished (pretty badly) tt they'd extend their stay here...a whole lot of other things i'll miss doing with them, but it wouldn't bring them back.

much has happened too. good and bad. got news yesterday tt mom's in hospital with a lung infection, dad got mad at me becos he couldn't get me on my hp, cos i left it up on the 3rd floor while i was baking downstairs & helping sis pat prepare for dinner to thank the americans from navigators. but thank God mom's fine, just needs to rest in hospital so she'll recover well. was really hurt when dad scolded me becos i didn't expect anybody to call & i wasn't given a chance to explain...but again, i guess i'll try to be understanding and tell myself tt he got worked up becos he was anxious over mommy.

anyway, thank God for a meaningful dinner with the americans from navigators last night. bro nat & sis pat had invited them over for dinner to thank them for the time they've invested in helping bro nat with his eng classes & building bridges with the thai students. it was a blessed time of fellowship as we sang songs of praises to the same God tt we worship, and as they shared what they learnt, their thoughts and thanksgivings...well, thank God for a day well-spent.

also...thank God for journeying mercies upon alex & shelia. just got smses from the both of them tt they've arrived safely. pls pray for alex, who left his haversack at the airport just now. for shelia, to spend her last week wisely before sch starts...and for me too...tt God would give me courage as i stay here alone (well, without my friends) for the next month or so...

Monday, July 24, 2006

splash!

started our day with a longgg ride on a songthaew becos the driver got lost while on our way to pick up the americans from their hostel. didn't help tt the weather was really hot...we were supposed to shop around ban tawai but after walking abt for only a short while, we decided to leave tt place becos of the weather.

was really encouraged over lunch tho. you know, i really marvel at how much courage these young ppl my age have, esp rebecca who has been here for 3 months on her own, just to find out if she has a calling to be a missionary. and then there's amber & jamie, who know each other even before their trip, but each signed up for this trip without expecting or knowing tt the other would go along. turned out tt amber was praying for a partner and by God's grace, jamie was His answer to prayer. really, wat a plunge of faith they've taken! and c'mon...it takes them what, 22 hours by plane to get here?! and tt's not even including the train ride...

anyway, guess wat? after 6 days here, i finally see a swimming pool! before we left the home today, sis pat actually told us to bring an extra set of clothes and towel each, cos george (or uncle george - feels weird just calling him by name actually.) might be taking us to a waterfall for a dip. but anyway...we ended up at a resort and honestly, as much as i wanted to swim, i was really scared i'd be asked to get out of the water becos i hadn't had my swiming costume on. and well, this is prolly the first time i swam in a pool with my clothes...and the first time i got thrown in.

well, just very thankful to God for the company of these wonderful ppl. it's been a pretty enjoyable day with them. and of cos...thank God for safety (and strong arms, heeheehee), esp when i stood on the outside of the songthaew on one ride up the mountain :D wonder what mommy will say if she hears of this...lol

Sunday, July 23, 2006

God glorified, us edified.

thank God for a really well-spent sunday. went to payap church today. didn't attend the service to help sis pat with her sunday sch class. i suppose it's like wat we call the creche at galilee, cept tt there are a lot fewer kids and the class is held in thai. and if the missionary kids don't understand thai, they can get pretty restless - at least tt's wat shelia & i noticed today.

ever woken up with a tune you've never heard but find so familiar, ringing in your mind? tt's wat happened after i got up from a short nap this afternoon. talk abt tt nap, shelia & i felt really idiotic this afternoon. we were taking an afternoon nap before we were to follow bro nat to anor worship service. we were told to be ready by 2.45pm but becos neither of us changed the timing on our watches/ hps to chiangmai time, we forgot and got ourselves ready by 2.30pm SINGAPORE time. got laughed at by sis pat cos it was only 1.30pm. -.-"

we got to attend the service at the chiangmai community church - the first church in chiangmai. was told this service is attended mostly by missionaries who have to minister to their own churches in the morning, so it's held in the afternoon. was really encouraged by this service...and truth be told, this is prolly the first time i felt comfortable worshipping with a worship team made up of 1 song leader, 2 backup singers, 2 guitarists, 2 flutists, 1 keyboardist, 1 violinist & a drummer. i couldn't help but notice tt the worship team was made up of ppl from different countries like myanmar, singapore, korean, uk, maybe us...this must be something like how worship will be like in heaven - regardless of styles of worship and denominations. beautiful. wat can be better than a church tt glorifies God, and edifies His ppl...

we didn't plan for it, but m sure it wasn't by chance either, tt we met dn chiam & his wife at the church. we all had a really great dinner at the black canyon. nice place, nice food, affordable price. there's one in singapore but m sure the price won't be the same...haa.

bumped into quite a no. of ppl this evening, esp at walking street - a night market tt's only around on sundays. anyway, tt's abt it for today. just wanna thank God for safety -which we always take for granted - whenever we travel, and for the wonderful ppl we meet.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

give me a title pls

3 days since we arrived in chiangmai. we've been meeting quite a no. of ppl at the ERC (English Resource Centre) at payap uni - the americans from navigators, koreans from campus crusade, and of cos the thai students. it's been wonderful meeting them and, friends we made from our trip here 2 years ago (actually only 2 of them so far - apple & tian lin).

attended our (and their) 1st YFC meeting after classes today. tho i could barely understand anything (cept when ppl interpreted for us), it was a blessed time of fellowship. it's really encouraging to see ppl of different parts of the world come together as one body of Christ - possible only because we share the same God, same faith, same hope.

had lunch at p'geng's wat-they-call-a restaurant, after missing the food for 2 years! okay, gonna do a lil advertisement for her. if any of you come to chiangmai, you must must must try her food. it's really delicious and don't you worry, it's really cheap too! but again, i don't know her address or how to give directions to tt place...so...erm...but i can tell you it's near payap uni! heh...o well~

before i left for chiangmai, i had been too busy to catch 'pirates of the caribbean' when it came out and thought i'd miss it for good since i was coming to chiangmai. pardon me, but i had also thought tt it wouldn't get here even when m leaving (thanks to erica!)...but no, according to some thai students, it's been here for 2 weeks! and so, shelia, alex and i caught our very 1st movie together in Thailand - at only 90 bahts, and i emphasize, BAHTS! (tt's less than S$4 btw, heehee).

on a more serious note, tot i'd share how i was just asking shelia last nite, "dear, wat if God calls me?"...and this morning at the ERC, bro nat shared with the 3 of us how he felt the calling to Thailand and asked me if i'd be willing to teach kindergarten in a place like here...and the most scary thing was, this sharing was impromptu...and it all began with shelia asking a qn totally NOT related to this - whether it was okay to consume alcohol. (!!!)

Thursday, July 20, 2006

greetings from chiangmai!

thank God for His mercies and protection on us as the 3 of us, shelia, alex and I, traveled to chiangmai on our own via tiger airways - our first time on a budget flight. the motion sickness pill wasn't enough to prevent me from getting sick. I must have scared the 2 of them, esp alex, who's on a plane with me for the first time. It didn't help tt the bag the flight attendant gave me smelled like meat floss - not exactly appealing when your lunch is halfway up your throat - and when I looked in, my, there were some brown stuff and it looked like it really had been used to hold something (yes, prolly meat floss. Hmm)

it's been n a pretty interesting start to our trip. It took us a long time to get past the checkpoint and we were the last few. We waited for alex's luggage till there was only one left on the belt, but it wasn't his...and so we figured someone had mistaken his luggage for his and left his behind. But anyway, God answered our prayers really quickly. after dinner, we got a call from the airport saying tt his bag had been returned and we could go claim it. Praise the Lord : )

anor good news is the return of one of the dogs, spice, who had went missing days ago. Well, bro nat said spice didn't return, he had to go pick him up from some factory. apparently, the dog has been out having fun...to tink that we were worried tt he might have been dog-napped, or worse, knocked down. God is really marvelous. I had prayed back in Singapore tt, somehow, God would bring spice back home by the time we got to chiangmai. indeed, God is sovereign and nothing is beyond Him...

attended prayer meeting this evening...and well, tt's it for now...still feeling sick from this afternoon's bumpy flight (due to turbulence and of cos, the size of the plane contributed to it)...but m looking forward to a really fulfilling trip : )

Friday, July 14, 2006

goodbye "miss van"

today's been a very memorable day for me at sch. it was my last day as "miss van"...as i type this, my mind's full of things to say/ thank God for...but m just so unable to put them into words. so i shall just start by giving thanks to God and i guess it'll all flow...

i thank God for blessing me over the past 1 year & 3 months as a teacher at galilee. i've seen God's hand at work. despite all the trials & temptations i've gone thru, m glad God allowed me to walk this path to mould me more into the person He wants me to be. if there is something i badly need to learn in life, it's patience. today, i thank God m able to give thanks to Him for making me a more patient - tho not 100% perfect - person.

i thank God for giving me wonderful colleagues who never fail to encourage me and stand up for me. thank you, beloved teachers...you know who you are : )

thank God, too, for giving me very lovely students with parents who are very understanding and supportive of me...esp the parents of the kids i've had with me since i taught them in pre-nursery! they've been a blessing to me thru their actions & words of encouragement. parents who knew tt today was my last day have been very sweet and even showered me with their concern, well-wishes, words of gratitude, hugs and gifts...very special thanks to debbie's nanny, france's mommy, declan's mommy, megan's mommy and qinyi's parents...qinyi's parents even went all the way out to get a t-shirt specially printed for me, on top of a portrait of me with my class. no wonder auntie joyce wanted to take my measurements few days ago. they had called the office to get her help and to keep it confidential. i was so touched by the love shown by these parents, and how they've always been teaching their children to appreciate their teacher...i told myself not to cry today but i failed to hold back the flood gates.

one great blessing is seeing how God can change the lives of ppl, even little children. it's been a great joy seeing one family coming to the Lord, and m very grateful to God, too, for using me to lead one little soul to Christ. wat makes it even better is his sincerity and his salvation being so real, despite his age.

i must say i've been truly blessed by my Heavenly Father. i was sharing with auntie joyce how grateful i am to God tt m leaving the kindergarten happily without any unhappiness or grudges...and she agreed, sharing with me tt she's never seen parents so personal and told me tt they even bothered to call to initiate the t-shirt thing...

auntie maureen a.ka. mrs teo and the teachers held a really wonderful farewell (with really good food!) for me today. but m most thankful for their words of encouragement they wrote, in a study bible they got as a gift for me...as i read what they each wrote...i couldn't help but tear again...

this evening, as i was showing mommy what the parents and teachers did for me, i asked her for the 2nd time "so mom, do you regret allowing me to work at the kindergarten?" and also..." are you proud of me?" well, i guess most of you should know her response (tt vey same smile i got last nite)...she actually even added tt it was becos of God's goodness ;) indeed, all these little achievements wouldn't have come to pass without the grace of my Almighty God, my Jehovah-Jireh...may all praise and credit i got today, go to Him, and Him alone...

tt's it for now. should anything come to mind, i'll just edit this post...so don't be too surprised if you see changes like little additions here and there...and yes, i'll miss all the "miss vaaaan!"s...