a good example of people serving God...

we may have endless lists of not-so-nice people that we have had to work with in church. but its not 100% all bad. there are great servants of God who are very encouraging to work with together. i am grateful for those that i get to work with.

you know you can trust them, that they have no exterior motives or vested interest. they look towards God and care for the community around.

they care to make sure that it is not just talking. they work together and do it together with you. thinking about the impact on others when making decisions, ensuring that no one is too burdened.

it's not about being the most active or having many ministries either. you know that when he can't serve, you know its because of family or things equally (or more) important that the person has to tend to. No doubts. you know he definitely wants to serve but unfortunately can't.

and if the person has to cease, we can let him go to take care of his family. and it does not mean he stops from ministry (notice the word 'cease'). he may not be able to be in the frontline but i always know that i can seek advice and help from him whenever i need to. we can talk things out, discuss and plan.

he serves humbly even though it may be a mistake on my part. fortunately it was only a small mistake about manning a station during station games.

1 Peter 4:10-11 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

a cycle in MBS chapel...

it was agm for MBS chapel just recently on friday. got a little surprise that so many came. it is encouraging. we see a blend of the seniors and the new ones. the interviews were held earlier and the teacher advisor and president had already prayed and discussed over the posts. the posts were shown and there was a time of sharing from the seniors on what they have learned.

it is a cycle. students will come and go. this time round, the amount of people leaving would be significant. praise God that we are able to see how the group have grown together. they have grown and served God faithfully. they have made mistakes but also learned and improved on their mistakes.

different presidents brought about certain improvements. from their own characters and also strengths. the previous president brought her dynamic and proactive-ness into chapel and thought of a good system that encourages balanced teams and good worship sessions for both junior and senior sides. the current president (now ex) brought his wisdom and caring approach to ensure that no one is over burdened or over committed in both CF and chapel committees.

we're not looking for perfect people to serve God now. we're looking for growth, to see what you are now and what you are when you leave MBS. we're not concerned on how you start. we're concerned on how you finish.

the current state of the chapel ministry is good because of the current committee and God's guidance. the seniors have worked hard in getting things going well now. there is a need now for the seniors to be teaching the new ones and mentoring them properly. for the future. the chapel ministry will continue to be in a good (or even better) state because the seniors have planted and prepared and worked for it. they contributed to the future. it is building blocks. not starting from scratch whenever there is someone new.

the ministry of chapel is "planting seeds"; within the committee and externally to all the students who attends chapel service. two words for them to always remember. jon added 2 more; "trust God."

second mother...

celebrated my maid's birthday on friday night. went to a korean bbq place. my sister also made it a point. if some were wondering, she is no ordinary maid. she has been with us for 22 years and is like a second mother to us. she would have watched us grow up from kids to primary school to secondary school to college to uni to working.

trust is built through time. glad she also comes to church with us and serves in church. always nice to hear stories of her village and of her family and stories about her growing up.

so we may ask, does a maid have less position in status or God's work? i just have to say that in as much as i am not home much now due to ministry (and i do feel bad about it), it is because of her that i am able to be more effective in ministry as well. it is because of her support, care and trust that i have less things to worry about.

appreciate my second mother.

recce...

have the privilege of guiding the youths from PJ trinity to go for their missions camp. they too have the vision of turning their youth camps into mission camps. i believe it is a first step to many more.

after much discussion, the only suitable date was sunday and the time to leave is at 10.30a.m. well, it is 3 hours one way (don't forget lunch time and discussion time) and with the calculations, it would be night time by the time we return. by the time we really started our journey it was 11.20 a.m.

the journey to the mission area didn't feel that long compared to previous trips maybe because i was able to talk to their youth counsellor for the whole trip. getting to know him and vice versa. did a little pre-briefing as well. the 4 youths at the back were chatting at first but of course as time passes, sleeping time comes. by the time we reached it was 3pm. and one of the bridges was just taken down except for one trunk because of some rebuilding. they were so nice they had someone to wait for us by the bridge to welcome us because they know that we'd be stuck for a while. parked the van and took a 5 minute walk to the ketua's house.

after a few welcome words and introduction, we got to discussion. i asked a few questions here and there for updates and encouraged the others to ask their questions and concerns. it was their first time and i let them ask because i would be asking q's as an experienced person and forget what its like for first-timer. the q's were informative and useful. i also learn at the type of q's that they ask and also their new ideas. after discussion, we went to see the church and their new block. the kitchen, eating area and toilet. they took photos. went to see the river.

we did reach back late about 9pm because there was a bit of a jam. but i am glad that the youths put the effort for the recce trip. it is so important. even though my most recent trip was in march, there were significant changes. if we didn't go in and i based my preparations on the previous trip, it would not be preparing to the most efficient.

planning meetings coming soon. working with a new group of people.

losing?

many would ask the purpose of having a foosball table in office. obviously we're not playing nonstop. only after office hours. it is a tool for ministry. it's a magnet for youths. and i don't have to walk around and look for them. they come up themselves.

many were wondering what this new table is and immediately are addicted to it. but with that table, many lessons can be taught.

one part of the lessons is in losing. it's a game where fluke shots can happen. the sport can be competitive but this is where lessons in being a good loser comes. i teach them to:

1) learn from mistakes and try again.

2) losing is part of life. nothing is wrong with it.

3) nothing embaressing in losing.

4) don't react angrily in losing. react with sportsmanship.

they have gotten good and now i also start to lose when playing against two of them. and i also have to be watching myself in how i react. its great that they have learned from their mistakes and improved. now i also got to up my game... haha...