a relaxing thursday!
an enjoyable day for me :)
spent some time with sis pat's parents and christy by the poolside at amari rincome hotel. it was wonderful having a "deeper than just a-on-the-surface" conversation with sis pat's mom. haa, and playing with christy by the pool, dipping her feet in and playing spot-the-dragonflies probably helped me win her heart a little more. haha :b
went to campus crusade hall this evening for the wedding rehearsal. this is my first time playing the piano for a wedding but i realised that a thai church wedding is so different from one in singapore...and it ain't easy and was rather confusing for me.
aof was really nice to have dinner with me this evening. we had chicken rice by the roadside and i got to recite john 3:16 in thai to the stall owner, haha :)
while she was sending me back to bro nat's home on her bike, aof suddenly said she felt like drinking ovaltine and so we ended up at the snackhouse a stone's throw away from bro nat's home. i thank God for the time with aof...we laughed so much, my stomach muscles hurt. and of cos, we ate so much, i felt like puking!
geoff's 5th birthday
had an interesting time going to geoff's sch to celebrate his birthday, followed by a birthday dinner with pastor and mrs heng, mr and mrs ngoh and bro michael's family. i shall let the pictures speak for themselves :)
at geoff's school
at a cantonese restaurant
thank God for aof who was so sweet and came to pick me up to spend some time at the ERC. it was fun hanging out there...doing my precept homework, chilling out with anyone who came by, and call me a late-adopter, but...i got myself a hi5 account today! hahaha...
i helped cook!
i know this doesn't look too yummy, but because like what sis pat said - "sometimes the best way to learn is to actually do it" - she gave me an opportunity to fry this evening's vegetables on my own. haa...well, i passed, apparently - since the entire bowl was empty after dinner :) heh
daddy and mommy, if you see this, prepare yourselves for a home-cooked meal by me when m back in singapore! :)
sunday in chiangmai :)
thank God for the opportunity to worship and fellowship with the believers of lighthouse bpc once again. it was God-glorifying, heart-warming and definitely, encouraging :) even though i couldn't completely understand all the songs/hymns they sang, i was encouraged and moved by how they worshipped God with all their hearts, souls and minds. i long for such worship in Galilee...where all sing, praise and worship our Lord with joy and love for Him.
had a nice time chilling out at country cafe after worship service and lunch with the thai believers :)
with koi at country cafe :) - the rest were having bible study/discipleship
bro nat and family are finally back from their short holiday in bangkok! very thankful to them for allowing me to put up at their home even before they return...and how they arranged for koi to stay with me so i wouldn't be alone. God has been taking care of me through them! :)
anyway...koi went back to her hostel yesterday. like bro nat said, it's probably not a mistake that i arrived in chiangmai earlier than scheduled. while they were away, it was an opportunity for me to spend time with koi to share, listen, pray with and encourage her. i thank God for a meaningful time we had, esp one fri evening at the coffee house in front of our soi (lane). pray with me, that koi would continue to grow in her walk with God and live with Him as her priority, as she waits on Him for a clear direction at this stage of her life.
a day in bangkok
i guess, as a result of the missed flight saga, i didn't have the opportunity to share about my short but wonderful day trip in bangkok.wonderful not because of the things i saw, heard or ate...but rather, i thank God for the opportunity to meet up with a bro-in-Christ after not seeing him for abt 3 years. m grateful to God, and to A - probably my 1st thai friend - for taking time off work to spend the afternoon with me, and even waiting for me at the airport for more than 2 hours! m really encouraged, seeing how good the Lord has been to him...and how thankful he is to God for seeing him thru the difficult times. i must say, God is really taking care of this friend. He must be.anyway, i didn't do much, just went around the city a while. A (a.k.a. issaya) took me there for lunch and brought me to Siam Paragon - where he said i must tell my friends back in singapore and chiangmai that i've been there cos it's the new hot spot? :)
Hebrews 8:1
"now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens" Hebrews 8:1
under the roman rule, the sanhedrin was allowed considerable power, as evidenced by its role in Jesus' final arrest and crucifixion. it was a kind of supreme court and when the members sat in judgment, a scribe (or secretary) sat on either side of the presiding judge. the scribe on the left side was responsible for writing condemnations, while the one on the right was responsible for writing acquittals.
the book of hebrews repeatedly reminds us that Jesus is at the right hand of God. Jesus said that He came into the world not to condemn but to save (john 3:17). as High Priest, He now sits not only in the place of honour and power, but of mercy. what a great assurance for us to know that He sits there making intercession for us!
flood
it's 11.15pm and it's been raining since 9.30pm. drum had taken me out on his bike to airport plaza for me to get a local sim card. we not only didn't get it because the mall had closed, but it started raining and i really thank God for taking us safely back to bro nat's home. i was praying so hard, worried that drum's vision might be affected by particles (and objects) flying into us.
i just got back in from having to get sugar and jelly back into their cage because it's flooding on our porch. honestly i was really afraid to even put my feet into the water...it's black and i couldn't see what was in there. koi finally got home after getting her clothes from her room and braving the heavy rain on her bike. i thought it was enough i had to get sugar and jelly into the cage...and then, we remembered we had to go over to p'michael and p'ruth's home to check if all's well cos the family's away. some of you know this couple and their kids. please uphold this missionary family in prayer. i hear p'michael has been unwell for abt 3 months but not sure abt the details.it's only my 2nd night and i once again got a taste of life in chiangmai - not just the flood, but i got back in hoping to wash my legs but realised there's no water! talk about cultural immersion - i just dived right in! "it's normal in chiangmai na" so says p'o =S
drum thinks this is really funny -_-"
"eeewwww!"
missed flight
it was an eventful evening for me over at bangkok. i missed my flight to chiangmai, but thankfully, A was with me. he was very calm and i thank God he was there to help.
my flight to chiangmai was rescheduled from 7.10pm to 8.40pm but i was to call to confirm. however, when A called twice at 4ish pm to confirm, the system was down. my dad checked the internet for me and told me that it was neither timing. so, A and i decided to be at the airport by 5ish pm just in case it was at 7.10pm.
however, at the airport, the digital board kept showing that the flight was "DELAYED" and check-in was not opened yet. we checked the counter, it wasn't opened too. we kept returning to check the board 3-4 times...till 7.10pm but the counter was still not opened. so, we went for dinner and when we checked the board at 8pm, it showed "check-in closed". we rushed to the counter (D17) and was told the flight had not taken off. i asked if she could help put me on the flight but she said only if i went w/o my luggage. that was not possible, so i pleaded with her to help me call up the gate counter to ask if anything could be done. i suggested that i bring my luggage on and leave it in the care of the air crew. she refused and told me to choose, bag or me. she picked up the phone and spoke in thai, i thought she was helping me, but A said she was not talking abt my situation at all. she was talking to other ppl abt other matters. at 8.20pm, the man on the next counter realised A was thai, and "tried" helping. but in short, he told me to get to the ticketing counter.
when i got to the ticketing counter, anor lady checked for me and told me my flight had JUST taken off. i asked if she could put me on the next flight, she said i would have to buy anor ticket. i had no choice and booked the next flight and was told to check-in. but the person at the check-in counter (D17 lady) told me i can't check in again. she said i had to remove my liquids (toiletries) and bring my luggage on board. i was really upset cos that was what she refused to do when i suggested that for the original flight. so, i left my toiletries bag with A, who said he'll send it to me by Friday. i ran a really really long way to get to my plane.
at the gate, i got acquainted with a thai lady who really empathised with me and on board, she moved her mom to sit with her kids so i could sit with her. when i got on board, the steward took my luggage and said he has communicated with ground crew and told me to leave my luggage in his care. i mentioned in passing that after paying for anor flight, i still had to do that. he came to me when i was in my seat and asked me for my flight details, saying that i shouldn't be made to pay for this flight. he said that since my flight had not taken off, they ought to have tried to put me on. and when they failed to, they should have put me on the next flight (his flight) w/o having to pay for anor ticket. he told me to write my account of what happened and he'd attach it to his report cos he felt (the airline company) ought to refund me for the 2nd ticket i was made to pay at 2,095baht.
thankfully, koi and p'o (who drove his car to get me) was really kind to wait for me at the airport tho i was late. we had a drink and went home close to 12am.
this morning has been rather alrite. i spent some time doing my quiet time using the titus materials. waited for the washing machine repairman to come before koi came back to get me for lunch. but when koi returned, i told her the man hadn't come. to my disbelief, she told me the new helper (no longer p'prani) said that the repairman came and left alr! (prolly was i was bathing...) haha...
m now sitting on the couch at koi's office. we had lunch by the roadside and m trying to be good and work on my hebrews assignment. we'll be meeting drum for dinner later when koi knocks off.
in summary, although it's been an eventful and rather frightful but adventurous night for me, i thank God for taking care of me all the way.
Lesson 48
just a couple of days ago i wondered if it was worth putting in extra effort to prepare a worksheet to help my sun sch kids develop some note-taking skills and more imptly, listening skills.
i think it's really a privilege that the Lord has granted me, to be able to be the one (out of 5 teachers) delivering the most important lesson of this entire firm foundations programme, and more significantly, the heart of God's letter to each one of us - the Bible. and i believe those of us who are Christians, know that it is the account of Christ's suffering and death on the cross for us and how He paid sin's penalty for us, that m referring to.
at the end of the worksheet, i decided to ask that the kids write down their thoughts and feelings after today's lesson. reading their individual response, i conclude, with much certainty, that the effort put in - every bit of it - for this worksheet, is worth it all. as i read, i recalled how the Lord led me (it wasn't part of my plan at all) to spend some moments asking them to consider whether they truly have Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour. truly, the Lord hears and answers when we cry out to Him for help and show dependence on Him in all that we endeavour. He heard my plea to be able to affect the hearts of these children through today's lesson.
i was touched, grateful to the Lord for how He moved their hearts to respond with such gratitude to what His Son Jesus has done for them on Calvary's tree...amazed and overwhelmed by how their response reflected maturity emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
"I'm not worthy of His sacrifice. He shouldn't have died for me. However, I'm thankful He did so."
"I am thankful that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and I would let Jesus come into my heart and so that I can feel happy."
"I am very thankful, and now I will accept Jesus as my Saviour."
"I feel touched and thankful that Jesus took my place and died on the cross for our sins. I want to spread the gospel to other people so they will be saved just like me."
"I am very grateful to Jesus. In order to show my gratefulness I will learn to forgive people more."
just thought i'd share a few of their responses...may anyone who reads this be encouraged, just as i was! :]
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