Mum's back!

Finally after a short month, my mum's back from China, and delayed be a day too! (the China Airline plane couldn't take off and she had to stay in Xiamen for a night to return back to Singapore)

Besides herself, she brought back tonnes of exotic fruits, like pipa, yangmei, those minicsule peaches, and the white round bean( i shall call it lotus bean until I find out its true name ) and the fantastically fragrant beef balls that is unparallel. She really brought back a tonne, paying S$400 for excess luggage. Now, thats a staggering amount.

Thank God she's alright. The news about the Sichuan Earthquake didn't really scare me, I felt peace in my heart that my mum would be safe, and indeed she is. It was quite nerve wrecking when your relatives call you and interogate you how is your mum, where she is... and to reply that you don't know how to contact her. (Since my mum is travelling with my relatives across the whole of China, I can't track down the international calling code across the provinces, it shocked me to know that China had so many codes that I immediately gave up trying to call her on her phone.) I had to vouch for her safety and I daresay I wasn't convincing enough, they were rather insistent in pressing me for more details and I had to assuage their fears, instead of the other way around. :p

Another spectacle happened. When my mum came out of the belt with her luggage, the putrid smell emanating from the luggage was too palpable, and many heads were turned to my relatives and mum's company. You see, due to the delay in takeoff, the frozen stuff my relatives brought back home had dethawed and supposedly gone bad. It was thousand times worse than the wet market. Even I couldn't stand it. A few sniffs of it triggered an impulse to simulate the act of vomitting. When told to carry some of the luggage to the car boot, I was quite reluctant but still did it. (The luggage were wet and slimy cold, mind you) Even from the back of the car, I could smell the sickening smell of things gone bad.

I was in deep anguish as the food that was brought back cannot be consumed anymore and it was made worse when my mum recounted how much food she brought back; 20 packets of the lotus bean, a huge bunch of bouncing beef balls, fruits, foie gras(too bad she didn't get it) and how these perishable food would have to be thrown away. Being the passionate food lover I am, I couldn't bear the thought of such good food gone to waste.

I prayed that God will do a miracle and preserve the food, turn it from bad to good, after all Jesus could turn water to wine. What I asked was just a reverse chemical reaction. I didn't tell my family explicitly that I have prayed for the food as I was fearful that if the bad food remained bad, it would have a dampening effect on my parents' and siblings' perception of God being a Passive God, one that cannot answer prayers or do miracles.

As it turned out the food was fine! Despite the insanely vomit-inducing smell, the food was fine and eatable! I declared how God answered my prayers and such, but they didn't really believe it. This brought me to reflect my lack of faith then, to declare there and then on the car that I will be praying that the food will be ok. Had I have done it, it would really bolster our faith! Oh well next time I won't hesitate and miss out such great opportunities to share with them the power of God.

Nonetheless, I really praised God for the miracle, and the good food that ensued that night (28th) . I ate more than 5 beef balls, and had a bowl of the lotus bean soup(the beans were overcooked I think), close to midnight. I shall see what I can bring to share with you all the little things she brought back.

Tribute to my leaders

All of us have role models to look up to, and I am really glad that God has placed so many people in my life to guide me along, influence me, encourage me, care for me, love me, although I am not much lovable nor excitable.

I am very inspired by my leaders in church, by their faithfulness and commitment to serving God and for their passion for God. Even as I begin to be involved in Ministry, and rise up the ranks to be a leader as well, in Petra as a core group member(youth ministry life group) and in Cephas as an assistant leader(sunday school ministry life group) Assistant leader for Cephas, I am constantly amazed at the people shepherding me.

There are a few very important people whom have really made a great impact in my life, and really propelled me to want to serve God and to love Him wholeheartedly. There are many of them, and thank God for placing me in Church of Singapore, where they can be a blessing in my life.

They are none other than Justin, Doreen, Ee Ling, Estella, Serene, John, Kevin, Priscilla and so many more, like Matthew Chern, maybe the current youth director.

Week after week, as I see them serve God, my heart yearns to be like them as well, and I am thankful that we are all running the same race, to become more like Christ, and that I can partake it alongside them.

I find that my sentences to have very tenuous linkages, haha don't know what happened to me, but I am brimming with joy now! I shared with my sister about Jesus after I came back from church and though she didn't seem to register anything, I know a seed has been planted in her. I will continue to sow and water the soil, and pray that God will do the rest.

Rest well dear friends!

Cabal management

These days I am spending too much of my sleeping time playing Cabal, pulverising monsters till 5am since last Sunday. I wonder what is the motivation behind it, perhaps my heart is pining for my dear parents to reconcile and to return back home. It is actually scary that you feel so accustomed to them not being there that they no longer have any bearing on your life.

I would like to thank God for really refreshing my spirit everyday, for He restores me when I am weary. I've had less than 10 hours of sleep in 4 days but apparently I can't seem to fall asleep during lessons, till as incisive as ever.

Yet all this cannot continue indefinitely, my studies I have neglected. My teachers are raising their eyebrows at all the missing assignments, late tutorials and shoddy pieces of work.

All I can say is that things will get better. Finally a post, sigh...