More angels

Seems like the Lord is sending angels to watch over me.

I got news two days ago that my support was going to be cut off unless I fulfilled certain criteria... Technicalities... It was a real blow to me, not to mention how it sent anxieties running through me.

Anyway, someone got wind of the whole matter -- and praise God, it looks like that angel is going to speak up for me.

So what has the whole incident taught me?
That God is watching over me. He will not let me go hungry.
That I need to work on areas in my life that minimises loop holes for an episode like this to repeat itself.

Needless to say, I am relieved. Thank you Lord.

Oh no!

In my desperate search for photos to use for the newsletter, I realise that I had deleted my entire Indonesia as well as Japan ones. I also can't find the original family archives.

I haven't figure out a good way to organise the data on my computer, especially these days when I take so many photos.

Hmmm... one day, everything I have will be burned away. Only a few things will remain. It's my way to comfort myself in my loss, and to remember to put myself to things that will remain forever.

You learn all the time.

Imitation's good

Been a while since I've been able to find time to blog. I am still sleeping way past my bed time :-( sigh. And, sigh again... I'm still working at crawl speed through my newsletter. Don't know why this issue is especially a challenge.

Some updates...

I started a website for ministry purposes. Ask me if you'd like to have the link.

The doctor reduced my thyroxine replacement medication -- I'm not sure if that's good news (?)
Mama's boy sent his SMS greetings again... declaring himself one of my "best friends." I didn't reply. Sigh.

I replied to the journalist and said that I'm too swamped with work to meet. Anyway, I don't think I'm over the whole chomper episode. So until I can get myself together, this will have to wait. Although, yes, closure would be good.

I picked up Isobel Kuhn's biography, In the Arena, to read yesterday. The last time I read it was more than ten years ago. Easy but very inspiring reading. I am reminded of Steve Green's song,

Find Us Faithful

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

Chorus
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift though all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

The apostle Paul said,
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us... -- Hebrews 12:1

Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. -- Hebrews 13:7

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1)

I pray that my life is worth imitating.

Pizza Heart :-)

Ah yes, one more thing to blog before I go to bed... oops I past my bed time AGAIN!!!

Invited the Yunnan team over on Sunday. 17 of them turned up, plus BL's family of four. I enjoyed having them over. I still never get my estimates right... over catered for the food (made pizza, and got mum to prepare her lovely Nonya curry. JJ made SL's famous potato salad, and others contributed this and that) -- For sure, no one went home hungry!

But wah, my body is still aching -- it was a good two day preparation -- doing the grocery (had to go twice cos the first supermarket I went to didn't have stock of what I needed.) It was HEAVY carrying all the bags of grocery. Then all the chopping and preparing of the pizza ingredients... I'm still aching.

I'd do it again if I had to. It was a meaningful way to celebrate the New Year.

He takes care of His own

I had a lot of errands to run today. Walked a lot. By the time I got to the airport to see Jing off in the evening, my sprained ankle started acting up - swollen and painful.

I was very grateful that DavidK offered to take me home -- he did not know about my ankle. I didn't even ask him for a ride. I didn't know he had the car. He came looking for me and offered to take me home.

At the airport, I was talking to PY (medical student), she looked at my ankle and said that I should get it attended to. Then she told me to talk to another gal who was also at the airport to see JJ off. This gal told me that JH knows a good xinsei (spelling? Chinese Physician). So I went to talk to JH and she gave me the xinsei's contact.

I am very concerned because my trip to see aunty is only a few weeks away. I don't want to go there pai ka (limping). I came home and cancelled my appointment with DavidA later today so that I could go see the xinsei. The clinic is located all the way at Ang Mo Kio! So far!!

Anyway, DavidA instead offered to come to my home to pick me up and and to take me there and home! Wow!!! He said he happened to have the car today.

My Father really takes care of His own.

P.S. Hey! I forgot. Today, I mean yesterday was Valentines Day. I am my Father's Valentine :-)

Wedding photos

Here are photos I took of my friend MG's wedding last Saturday. MG met EC at ChristianCafe.com...

• rehearsal (about 30 photos)
• folder1 (40)
• folder2 (60)
• folder3 (110)

Warning though, the pictures might take a while to load. Comments appreciated :-)

The young and the old

Spent the day visiting the old folks today...

. 80+ year old grandma (mum's second mum)
. 80+ year old aunt
. mum's 95-year-old cousin at the hospital
. took 76-year-old dad to my uncle's place for dinner
. all these I did with mum (hmmm 74 years of age)

The most sobering was seeing mum's 95-year-old cousin. She's deteriorated tremendously since I saw her at Chinese New Year last year. I got rather teary and felt terribly sorry for her. She was always chatty and chirpy, but no more. I prayed for her the most merciful prayer I knew to pray... I'm glad she knows the Lord -- I think this will probably be the last time I'll see her on this side of eternity.

How frail life is.

I also spent time with my 11-year-old nephew... got him pretty interested in photography. While it's important to make time with the old (and dying), I realise too how important it is to make time for the living, especially the children. How quickly they grow. Have already planned to spend personal time with the two boys this year (the girl is still a little too young for that). I love them as my own...

It's been a good CNY.

And I wondered if it ever got through

It's been so many days since I last blogged. I really have so much to write about. So here's my second blog of the day...

I got an email on Tuesday informing us that someone had left the aircon and lights on after leaving tJ. Several emails passed back and forth between TL, JJ, and mostly between SL and myself about how the situation should be dealt with.

In the last email, SL wrote:
"I was once a TNT teen, I understand one thing which we practice every time, to upkeep the place even better then the original state when it was loan to us."

Wow... for years we had tried to teach our teens godly values. Sometimes, we wondered if they ever learned? And here we are more than 10 years later, and she remembered! She got it!

More over, she said,
"The mistake I admit is we overlook that area, and hence forgot/dont know to switch off. I also dont want to pinpoint anyone. After we know each others standing, I will follow what the majority thinks fit to do. okie. This incident brings us to another level of communication.
'Stating each others stand'
Yeah...."

Yeah Indeed!

Once a long while, God lets you see little glimpses of encouragement like that. Thank you Lord indeed.

Talk about angels

A piece of nylon string that someone had discarded got caught in the gears of my bicycle this morning while biking to work. I managed to remove the nylon but the chain got jammed and despite getting my hands all black with grease, the silly thing wouldn't come off.

A kind Malay man who cycled by saw me struggling and stopped to help me. I told him, "it's ok uncle. Your hands will get black."

He said, "it ok." And went right on to fix it.

At that point, the owner of the home where my bike had stalled came rushing out and asked if we needed any tools. The Malay man asked for a screwdriver and in no time, she provided two! At that point, the lady's husband also came out of the house to see how we were doing. The uncle fixed my bike in no time.

The lady seeing our black hands invited us into her home to wash our hands. But the Malay man said he only needed a towel to wipe it off. I wiped my hands with the towel she provided, and still she insisted I come in to wash my hands. She turned on the tap for me, pour soap on my hands.

It was such a nice way to begin my day. There are really kind people around. I met three today :-)