Celebrate Christmas In Orchard Event

Dear all, some of u have heard about some of us helping out with this event CCIS 2008 Celebrate Christmas In Singapore. We would like to share with you our incredible experience.

First of all, I would want to honor my sister Joy and my brothers, Roy and Tom for their passion in sharing the Christmas story to the public. These guys and girls are incredible! I mean 12 hours of "street evangelism" and giving out flyers to promote the event, walking around orchard road with a keen focus on honoring our Father this Christmas, is something that makes my eyes well in tears, cos I'm really proud of them. They can do anything with their time you know, hang out with friends, rest at home, eat, sleep, play games, esp Joy who came back to help out right after 5 days of Leader Advance, and her unwavering presence of encouragement on the 22nd even though she is too sick to come, but she kept her presence KNOWN to us by her unfailing trail of sms-es, to motivate us and keep us going.

Tom and Roy's NO SWEAT, ALL FOR JESUS attitude was something that I can really really honor on Monday 22nd. They decided not to crowd around the area where most of the CCIS helpers were there. The three of us walked around orchard, looking for 'easy target', tough thugs and youngters around Orchard most notorious smoking corner. My brothers reach out to them with so much love and gentleness. The smokers looked up and nodded at us, instead of driving us away, they listened to us (though some really funny and incongruent responses, ASK ROY TO SHARE haha) . No matter how much rejection we faced, it didn't waver us from our passion. The Christmas in Orchard Road this year had so much hope. I was so amazed that even during this time of economic downturn (it could be our generation of The Great Depression), the Holy Spirit is working so much in our heart of Singapore. Orchard is PRACTICALLY lined with God honoring and Worthy Offering of simple worship of little children singing My Redeemer Lives, women dancing to Still (When the ocean rise and thunder roars, i will soar with you above the storm), these little acts of worship made our heart tougher even to brace the rejection of some public to our message, and trudge forward to the remaining people who needed to hear this message of hope this Christmas. I never felt this sort of spiritual atmosphere in the air in Orchard. (I always felt that Orchard was too much of Consumerism) But God, changed the entire picture to reflect his glory even on the face of the shopaholic sphere. God set the spiritual climate RIGHT for us to preach his love! It was such a perfect combination that day. The entire event was really supported by the POWER OF PRAYERS. I never felt God so moved Singapore in such an awesome way in this time of Christmas.

I felt the one person we impacted the most yesterday was this tissue paper auntie, sitting outside the Hyatt Hotel. Roy said to me, eh, 'Why Don't You Share It With The Auntie Over There?" Roy didnt over looked the less priviledged member of our society, in fact he took notice of them. Then the three of us, Tom, Roy and me, sat down and just talked and listen to the auntie. At first the auntie coyly wanted to drive us away, because she knew we had the intention of sharing the gospel. Then Tom, being as intuition as he is, took the softer approach. He begun to ask questions about the Auntie's family, and the auntie, begun to open up to us. She was telling us how she didn't understand why her 4 children abandoned her after her husband died, and how hard it was to finally lived alone. She was sharing with us her physical illness- her leg. Her leg was so pain that she had so much difficulty standing up. She had to slowly walked to her selling spot everyday from her house in Outram. Which old lady would inconvenient herself with the acute pain in her legs, and come to Orchard, this mad chaotic place, just because she needed to earn her living? Half the time, she was talking in Hokkien so I couldn't understand what she was saying. My brothers really amazed me by their initiative to even go to the extra mile, helping her to pack up her stall, walking her to the taxi stand, waiting for her taxi and paying for her cab fare. And, being her friends. We prayed for her legs. It was probably the first prayer for her legs. I believed, when the next morning comes, if she feels something different, she knows, it's the Lord's doing. I always believe in offering our simple prayer to heal people. After all, healing speaks a million words. I guess my brothers really inspire the many people in orchard to help the unprivileged member of our society like the Tissue Auntie. Many people at the taxi stand was staring at us, as Roy asked a few people in line if they mind giving up their taxi spot for the Auntie. Well done Roy. I believed Tissue Auntie had so much hope inside of her, despite her dire circumstances, is precisely because of people like you. Roy told her something which I felt was something that Tissue Auntie will always remember,

"Auntie, you can take your time, but i hope that you remember that whenever you need help desperately, and we are not here for you, but you can call on Jesus's name, and he will help you. One day, auntie, remember, one day."

I have learnt that we do not need to preach with intelligence. We may be slow in speech, and not quick to react, and sensitive to criticism and rejection, but however, our God is most glorified in our weaknesses. I can really see that as the 4 of us, Joy, Roy, Tom and me, working in a team, as a body, we support one another, complement each strengths and weaknesses in order to do His will. And there was soo much joy and satisfaction of it.

I encourage you to share our gospel of hope to strangers, scary looking as they may seem, but it is God who is working inside of them, not us. We must be willing instrument who, do not focus on ourselves, but put our focus on Jesus!! AMEN?

And for those who are not present, I don't want to disappoint you. But you can still share this gospel of hope to the people around you this Christmas. The spiritual climate is very apt, so make use of this opportunity! Hope to see you all there next year.

Merry Christmas.

HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

or,

Hello?

I can't decide which tone of a hello i should use. :-P

But anyway, here's wishing everyone a pat on the back while chionging towards the end of this semester and to those who are working: Ready to be called out to hang out during the holidays? :-D

sermon

Ciocolanti's sermon cleared the fogs of my understanding of "being saved". Prior to this, for years I wondered whether it meant being saved from God's wrath (because in revelations it talks about the ending of the world) or saved from hell. That's why Jesus had to be offered as a sacrafice as an offering to God. When I look at my crucifix, I do not have personal feelings for the God-man who died on the cross, rather I see it as a Holy Sacrifice.

I used to have an idea that we were condemned from the moment we were born, and God was our saviour who would take over ourselves before we would eventually lose our lives through deadly sins. Heaven was a place you'll head to if you've kept your faith till the end.

Two nights ago at TCC, we were having a discussion of two cases. A person who does attrorious things in his life, on his death bed annouces he wishes to believe in Jesus Christ. The Second person who is not a worshipper, does things which reveals the qualities of the person: Cleans up after some stranger's dog poo on the staircase, looking after some teenagers whose mother has just passesd away, and they're not really related. The argument was about who was to go to Hell or Heaven.

Ciocalanti solved this misconception of "Believe in Jesus otherwise you will go to hell". He says "
We need Jesus to save us from our sins." His blood frees us from the karmic cycle.

My next question is, can brain damaged and autistic people get saved?I don't think they have much power to even make their own decisions, for the first one none at all.

A note from the working world

Dropping a note from work. :)Thought give you all a glimpse of work-life. Which like most things, is not all bad or all good.

I'm having a challenging time, as I've taken on new portfolio. I think told some of you before, but in a nutshell, my job function has been changing from publicity/communications to more policy based work. Which is not something I exactly learnt in school. Everything is so cheem I hardly know what I'm doing.

Lesson 1: Don't worry about what content you are studying in school, but what skills you can learn. What you're worrying about, you'll forget once you step into work. Heh. A matter of perspective.

This couple of weeks I felt very demoralised and many times, plain stupid and incompetent. But this morning, objectively thinking it through, I realise that in preparing for some presentation and working out some details, I'm getting a bit more familiar and seeing how I could process the info similar to how I have for another project. Remember my first response to the other project was also 'I can't do it'. But I did.

Lesson 2: The unknown is always terrifying, but when you get accquainted with it, you can only feel better. Give yourself time to try before deciding you can't do it.

I have the weirdest intern, that thinks she can come in as and when she likes. I know she doesn't do it on purpose, and her reasons are half-valid. But to oversleep and wake up at 1.30pm and text me to tell me that you slept late??? Tell me that you 'work from home'? oops. I'm not sure how to respond. Have a 2.30pm chat scheduled with her. I am not good at conflicts and I have been avoiding this talk with her. But I need to; and learn how to deal with people. In this case, I have the 'right' to talk to her but still I;m scared. Amazing huh.

Lesson 3: Avoiding problems doesn't make them go away....learning to bring the best out in people is more important then just doing my own work well. You will have to learn how to take responsiblity for people soonner or later.

thank you

The answer may seem obvious. But i don't know HOW my friends can tell. I mean, i almost always wear a poker straight face when i walk around but when they saw me in church yesterday, they instinctively knew that something was wrong.

I'm sorry to have to put up names here... but i hope you don't mind because otherwise you won't ever know who you are...

Alina, Nat, Joy, Kenny, Jess, Roy, Weirong. I don't know how, but your concern shown really blew me away. To you who noticed and asked, to you who bothered to stay and listen to me and offer counsel, to you who gave me wordless encouraging hugs and pats with a knowing look in your eyes, to you who messaged me even when i was out of sight, listening to me over the phone during the wee hours, to you who despite your own problems offered to pray for me, to the one who even FORCED me to talk, thank you.

You might not know it, but it sure meant something special and felt good for the soul of someone who never thought that she was worth anybody's attention and love.

(I can't shake off the feeling that i might have missed out on someone... I'm pretty sure it's all covered but hey, maybe it's because i felt so well taken care of by so many! :-) )

all paid for

"i'll pay for you la," the angel said.
then the second angel said, "i'll halve that,"

it started with a small dinner at the usual place.
where we have fun, laughter and casual suaning.
i told the group that i want to go for the school of worship and arts, but i am running low in cash.
that was when God spoke through the two angels.
at first i thought they were kidding cos i could ask my parents for money (which i won't and don't by the way, haha, i have backbones one kayyy, the things i want, i will get it on my own), until the cash was placed on my laps.

i don't know if you guys understand what i was trying to say, and i don't know if the two angels want to be named but yea, thank you. i will pay it forward.

Human body in motion

hey, just for entertainment, hope you like this. =)