.. A Tough Season ..

This season has been really tough..

Church. It's been really tough.. though something to rejoice about is the unity & love that has emerged. :) But like what Ps A shared in one of the devotion... We are like walking, yet a dark cloud is hovering over us. But it's ok. We need to keep walking. We need to keep doing what God has called us to do.

Family. Since dad fell sick, things started to change as well. The way we live our lives got to adjust & change. Though I really thank God for the good things that has happened since then - dad stopped smoking, stopped drinking, stopped offering joss-sticks to idols since he got discharged from hospital - he went to church twice so far. Once was during our recent 23rd Anniversary, which all of us teared in the service during the worship that day. Cos we knew it was such a great breakthrough. The 2nd time was last Sunday, where he attended the Dialect Church svc with Mad & Mum.

My prayer is that I really hope Dad will open his heart to receive Jesus Christ into his life. Cos I believe Jesus will heal him.

It's really draining to the body, soul & spirit when things are, 一波未平，一波又起。

I hope to prepare a good word of encouragement for my zone meeting next Friday... With all that is happening, I know God is doing something.

I trust in His goodness, His sovereignty, His will, His grace, His thoughts & ways.

God will answer the prayers we make, in His timing. Let me have the faith & patience to see His glorious ways unfold.

Faith with patience will indeed inherit the promises of God.

.. Debt-Free Life ..

Wow it has been..... a looooooong while since my last update!! :P

It's 1.46am now... But decided to blog about this, because I want to testify, and give all glory & praise to God! :)

I am really grateful to God, that I am now living a debt-free life. The compensation for the late TOP of the private property was finally made available to us, and my share of compensation was about $20k. 

Last week I met up my ex-Citibank colleague cum good friend, whom had really helped me through financially when I went to Adelaide from 2009-2010. I passed her a cheque, and cleared the 'debt' I owed to her. It was a great relief for me, of course, our friendship will always remain.. :) She is really God's gift to me, helped me through during my toughest period of life. :)

The debt I incurred when I went for my overseas education was about S$62k. But now it is totally cleared, and I still have some extra I can put as savings. :) This is indeed exceedingly, abundantly above all that I can think or ask.

I wrote an email to Pastor Aries recently... Really, I am blessed with such a great Pastor & mentor over my life.  More than just him giving me the opportunity & chance to come into full time ministry, he reminded me that serving God sometimes requires sacrifice, which helped me to step into full time ministry in faith. I remembered that very night when I was pondering through, when I knew HR couldn't 'meet' my expected salary, I felt God assuring me that I do not have to worry about clearing the debt, and it will be a time where I will see Him moving mightily in the area of my finances. I never thought I could clear the debt so quickly, my education loan was supposed to be cleared in 5 years, till 2016. God is faithful indeed. :)

When I was in Adelaide, it was really tough. I remembered how I wished we could sell the property earlier, so that I can go back to Adelaide with a sum of money, living 'comfortably'. But today, as I looked back, I am thankful for the extra $20k compensation instead. His ways and thoughts are indeed higher and greater than ours. :)

God is amazing.... God is so awesome. I stopped school when I was 17, worked for about 2 years, felt life was so without purpose & meaning then. Thank God I came to know Him when I was 19, and life took a change. I found purpose, I found hope, in God. Dream was re-ignited. Not only my degree dream was fulfilled, I had the opportunity to do it overseas, as a full-time student. The overseas education experience was one that I treasured a lot. The friendships built with the different ones, I am really grateful. :)

S$62k debt. Totally cleared. It's really the grace of God. 

If people ask me, Elaine, why are you so blessed? I think I would say, it's the total abandonment of my life to God. No, I'm not saying that it's because of my "works", because grace is free, it's sovereignly given by God. But apart from my life, which is one that I reckon it's given by God, there is nothing else, that I know I can offer to Him.

God is good. He is a compassionate and a merciful God. 

Indeed this verse is always true:

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.

Today's CG sermon was on, Making Space on Relationship. We learnt about Abraham, the 3 things that are of great value to Him:

#1: He valued his faith in God.
~ He kept trusting God and clinging on to His promises.

#2: He valued his righteousness in God.
~ Though righteousness was a gift obtained through faith, he was not casual in his walk with God.

#3: He valued his friendship with God.
~ The greatest honor for him, was that he was called "the friend of God".

My Adelaide experience was awesome, because it was one that I had a renewed mind about who God is. I have a much better understanding of the width, the length, the depth and the height of His love...

Let us live our lives trusting God, clinging to His promises...

Let us take our walk with God seriously, and not be casual about it...

And, let us experience God, personally, as our Abba Father, and our Friend.

We are blessed. God is good. And He shows no favoritism. :)

.. EC Appreciation ..

Had our inaugural EC Thanksgiving/Appreciation tonight!

It was really... a heart-warming night for me!

Thanks my dearest leaders + helpers in Christ!

I can go on because of you. :)

.. I LOVE Adelaide! ..

Really really thankful that I can have the opportunity to re-visit Adelaide!

If not for the financial breakthrough that came with the sale of the Mountbatten Suite, this wouldn't be possible. :)

God is good, and I am just so thankful that He granted the desire of my heart, once again...

Had a great great time catching up with many of the friends...  Many of them will be graduating this year.  Beside those who are rooted there, and a few who will be graduating in another year, I guess it will be very different feel if I visit Adelaide again the next time, with so many people not around any more!

Hmmm.  Maybe the next time when I visit Adelaide...  will be April 2013?  Haha..  For Janice Chiang's graduation!!  Janice, if you are reading this, hope this will bring a BIG WIDE smile to you! :D

Also had the opportunity to visit Sydney for the 1st time!  It's a.... HUGE city!  Everything is....... SO expensive there!  HAHA.  After visiting Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne & Sydney, actually I feel living in Adelaide is the BEST of all.  I really love the peace, the serenity of the place...  :)  Maybe because as I aged, slower pace is more lovable for me...  Wahaha...

But of course... Sydney trip would not be great, if not for EVA!  Appreciate her hosting me, bringing me around...  Taking care of me, even though I am so many years her senior.  Hee hee...  Had a great time catching up with her!  EVA!  I will keep you in prayers!  Don't give up trying!  God will surely provide...  A great job opportunity for you & Derrick!

It has been a great year thus far!  Though it was challenging, God has brought me through day by day.  His goodness & faithfulness has never failed indeed.

I am looking forward to 2012...  Believing it will be a year of greater breakthroughs!  It's so exciting!  Life is so exciting!  So fulfilling!  Really feel I'm living in the prime years of my life right now!

:) :) :) :) :)

.. The Last Quarter ..

Time flies, really flies this year!

It's already... 20th Oct! 6 more mins to 12 midnight..

I am getting ready... to hit back the office this coming Tues! :)

Feeling much better... and much stronger.

Gonna end the year well! The latter shall be better than the beginning indeed!

AMEN! :D

.. No more sorrow, No more pain ..

Yesterday I was startled, and very much saddened by a piece of news that I heard from a sister very dear to me. Her mum who was suffering from depression, committed suicide & died on Wed. This sister was holidaying in Taiwan, reached Taiwan on Tues and supposed to come back on Sunday. But she flew back on Wed late night.

When I saw her SMS and returned her call, I knew something must be wrong. Her mum's death was really something that I could not expect...

I teared. I asked God to strengthen her. And me. It was at that very immediate moment, I was reminded of this song by Chris Tomlin. I will rise. I wasn't even very familiar with the song.. But the few sentences just ministered to my heart...

I will rise.. when He calls my name.
No more sorrow, no more pain.

I am really looking forward to the day of His return.

In heaven. No more sorrow, no more pain, no more tears.

I happened to chance upon this short video posted in FB. CNN Heroes. Never heard about it before. But when I watched the clip, it blew me away. I went to the website & watched the various nominees, their lives are so so so inspiring.

While it disgusts me to see & hear about how the world is suffering because of evil-ness & sin, it is comforting to see & hear of the different creative ways that people are doing so that they can be a blessing & an impact to the world & society.

I can see Jesus in the works of their hands. I am really really stirred, comforted, inspired, encouraged. These people are indeed demonstrations of His hands, His feet, His love.

The work of Christ must be done, ONLY by His grace & through His grace.  It can never be by human effort.

I am seeking for an even greater significance to my life. Life should not be enslaved by the culture of the society that we are in.

Let us be people... who will be a blessing to the people who are suffering today. Be His hands, His feet and His love. And I am really looking forward to the day of His return, so that the promise of no more sorrow & no more pain come to pass.

The Love of Christ - Hope of Eternity.  Let it be in every heart......

.. Jehovah Rapha: He's our Healer ..

Went back to SGH for follow up over the last 2 days...  Praise God my blood count is recovering well! He is indeed our Healer! :)

Met Prof Tan on Thurs.. He was the one who operated on me. The first statement he made when he saw me was, "So you are the one who made many people so worried that night"..

Basically he explained to me what happened that evening in the operating theatre... When they made the abdominal incision, and upon removing the fibroid, they were shocked to see lots of blood inside. They need to extend the length of the cut so that they can check the source of bleeding. Prof Tan was initially worried it could be liver rupture or something like that, but thankfully it was not so. So after checking, they could not determine the source of bleeding. And since the bleeding already stopped, they decided to just close up the incision, put a tube in my stomach to drain out the blood.

I lost about 1/3 of the total blood count in my body.. The bleeding most prob should be from the fibroid, could be some vessels burst or something like that. Prof Tan extended 3 more weeks of my hosp leave.. I was actually looking forward to go back to the office!.. Felt really bad that I have to be away for soooo long....

Drew some blood again to check on the blood count. Today when I met Dr Ong, the general surgeon, he told me that my blood count is recovering very well. :) Thank God for the tonics & fish essence & DOM I have been feeding on.. HAHA..

What an..... experience indeed.

Looking forward to be back, jumping & full of energy, to serve God and the people..

Indeed, 休息是为了走更长的路。。。