Cheah’s & Chee’s

"Thanks again for all your prayers and support. God is really blessings us with Joshua, as the kid went thru lots of complications.

But at the end, he is as healthy as he can be. Praise God for that. That's why we named him Joshua, a warrior for God."

- Geng Yi & Grace

Also, for those of you who’re not in the know, a severe earthquake struck Christchurch, NZ on 4 September 2010, Saturday (NZ time). Auntie Jennifer stood up during the open worship on Sunday and shared that the Chee’s were safe, remember? =)

 

Uncle Ivan, Auntie Kim, Marcus, Jerm, Livia – we didn’t forget you, we just didn’t update the blog as soon as we should have. =(

 

Livia wrote a bit about it on her blog, and here’s a concise account of what happened.

 

photo taken from www.bbc.co.uk

 

There’s a video there too. Go check it out.

 

photo taken from www.radionz.co.nz

 

 

Thank God for His grace on the Cheah’s and the Chee’s!

partners in the harvest - youth challenge, mission conference

i only have photos of the after-conference part of the day, cuz i was paying so much attention during the conference. ahem.

i just wanted to see who was taller. *cough*

went to murni's for dinner after the conference. lunch too, for me. since i went right after my LAST PAPER.

super bulging muscles.

not just brawn, but brain as well.
this dude memorized the entire menu.
he should get a law degree.

i don't know about the rest, but i felt challenged by andrew cowell's sharing on his burden for mission. it all boils down to two things - whether you're living

a WASTED life for YOURSELF
(meaning being in the way of mission work)

or

a WORTHWHILE life for CHRIST

i have personally never felt a strong calling to go for mission work. i don't even know what it's like to feel like going on mission trips. all i know is, i'm more affected than the average person when it comes to racial issues, religious issues, injustice, poverty, and the underprivileged.

it was very encouraging when andrew said that not everyone is called to be on the mission field. you don't even need to leave where you are, to serve, and not be in the way of mission work.

he told a story about how an old woman had been praying for him and his family ever since they left for mission work (12 years),

...another story about a man who owns his own business and forwards the profits towards mission work all over the world,

...and yet another story about the same man who bought a house and doesn't live in it, but opens it to our missionary brethren when they return from the field.

i chose to do law because i felt God calling me to be a good lawyer for those who have none.

ever since school started, i have noticed that i am more comfortable around indians and malays than i am with my own race sometimes.

i have been speaking the malay language more often than i did in the past 20 years. am doing my best to learn cantonese and hokkien.

i don't know what His masterplan is for me, but i'm now doing what i can, where i am, while i wait for His next instructions.

what are you doing with your life?

it's not always about you.

it shouldn't be.

on that note.

maybe going for the dmsj camp and learning to kick yourself out of your snuggly comfort zone of non-fellowship with 'strangers' would be a good start.

dmsj is not just about the quiz, it's about fellowship, in every sense of the word.

you may not feel it now, but ten years later, when you're all grown up, or maybe just a few years for those who are yet to enter university - you'll find that you need your brethren. and sometimes just sticking to malaccan brethren doesn't cut it.

some point in your life, you'll start to feel like there's this whole other world out there, outside malacca.

and then you'll find that you don't know it at all.

so.

hurry up and give sharma your names. =)

oh ya. say hello to raymond's girlfriend - cassandra. =D

Attempts to fit into PJGH

Care Group (CG)

Joined the Jeremiah group in former Contracts tutor's house on Friday with Geng Yi and Grace. Ju couldn't go because she had to study for an exam the following day (after which she cabut-ed back to mlc dengan penuh kebahagiaan *sob*).

It was exactly like Bible study back home, except we didn't watch TV while waiting for the rest to arrive, didn't study the Bible (at all. discussion theme was ironically the Bible though. ah hahah.), there was no fish-head noodle soup or jasmine tea for makan, and we didn't watch American Idol or a badminton match or an old Indiana Jones movie on TV after makan.

Yeah, all that basically sums up the Ayer Keroh area Bible study. Dunno about the other Bible study group. Haha.

The CG is based on the discussion questions at the bottom of the previous Sunday's sermon handout in the bulletin. So no reference to any core verses in the Bible. Kinda like what we're trying to start in youth, eh? And also prolly why they don't call it "Bible study group" the way we do in mlc.

I felt quite at home at the CG, maybe cuz it's supposed to be a group that cares for you. Ah ha. Or maybe it's just too early to tell. I'll continue going anyhow (after Raya hols. *yahoo*).


Sunday

One of the issues concerning worship in MGC is that it quite often seems to be a singing session instead of a worship session. After being in PJGH, I think I can see why.

Here, the first part of worship (before sermon) is either equally balanced between song requests and sharing from the Bible, or Bible sharing > songs.

One thing that's quite noticeable, though, is that the PJGH youth don't stand for much of anything except to play the musical instruments. In that sense, I suppose MGC is a guli-roll ahead.

Met Sam, a former GLO-mate in church today. He's back from his uber-long hols. I can see that I'm setting off on the mix-more-with-young-adults-(or-maybe-non-peers)-than-youth route here. I don't know if it's the right route to go along, but right now, the non-peers are seriously more welcoming than the youth. Plus Lin pointed out that I'm not a youth anymore. -_-


Youth

Sam plans to join the youth this time round. So perhaps I'll go to youth with him once in awhile and see how. Don't feel like serving in the youth ministry though. I mean, c'mon la. The churches here in PJ and KL bukannya kurang manpower or what. In fact, I daresay they've excess manpower. I'm going by intuition a lot these days, so please pray that my woman's intuition is accurate.


Music Ministry

Sam very nicely 'let it slip' that I can play the piano, and Geng Yi did the same thing (oh so careless) during CG, so I suppose I might be roped in. Might, because they have a lot of pianists here actually. I also do not feel like being in the music ministry for some reason. Maybe I just want to try something new instead of being stuck in the same ministry my entire life. Not that it's a bad thing. But. Hmm.


Miscellaneous

Was thinking that I should be like the MMU-ians - help out in major events and stuff. PJGH is full of major events, like today's Christianity Explored Conference. Maybe I could volunteer to help in something next time round.

Also, there was a UM visitor today. Was able to kamcheng with her cuz we're both from UM. So I guess maybe I could work with Ms Choong to help welcome UM students.

I think helping people to pour coffee might help too.

Yoh, so desperate for a ministry.

I kept in mind what Uncle Lee Min Choon said last Sunday though:

We always think, "Must come to church and get involved only can do something for God." "Oh! New church! Must faster find ministry to serve in!"

I put this smiley face beside that statement --> =(

True, I'd been fostering that concept ever since I got into PJGH. I shared during CG that after all ties with the Christian world and "church things" have been cut, due to my sudden decrease in church activities, and when my prayer life is in tatters, the Bible has become the only link between me and God. The only reminder to myself that I am a Christian.

No more depending on being crazily involved in every single activity in church to feel like a Christian. No more serving diligently and directly in church to remind me that I am the Lord's servant. No more being involved with church stuff 4 days a week to feel like I'm really attending church. It's ironic to think that I might've even used helping with the dishes to feel like I was doing something in church.

Being in PJGH without a ministry has helped me remember what it is to be a Christian. It's not about serving without end or organizing events or leading Bible studies or nurturing youths. It's about me and God, and me and my Christian family.

Uncle Min Choon helped enforce that in my mind.

All of you back home, I hope that in the midst of all the activities MGC is running, you won't forget why you are a Christian.

You are a Christian because Jesus Christ washed your crimson stains white as snow.

I hope that in the midst of being busy in church on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, you won't forget why you had to be there.

You are there because Jesus Christ set us apart as a family. A family of royal priesthood.


That's all for updates.

Will be coming (like i'm already there hoho) back to Malacca with sis on Friday afternoon.

See you guys!