~~grace~~
~ ~ g r a c e ~ ~
Sunday, April 30, 2006
hope family
let me think how to journal this down. i feel so joyfully tired, well one thing for sure is that i feel so much blessed within these few days. first of all the thai trip...
a hope-filled church
fri 21st
met yingfang n went to airport together, it was raining. the new budget terminal was empty, nothing much to see but anyway we didn't really care. met some other hope ppl there as well, everyone looked excited, i was actually feeling tired (and we haven't even started) lolx. i slept all the way on plane..
we reached bangkok quite late and i had an interesting talk with claudia as she asked if it was my first time coming to thai camp. she mentioned this: all hope members should attend thai camp at least once in their lifetime; the first time will be an eye opener but after that you'll start to make lots of international friends from hope. hehe think it's interesting logic.
reached rompo mansion and i saw the youth n tertiary ppl there, apparently they came much earlier to shop first. we boarded the coach to khon kaen (where the camp was held) almost midnight and it was 8 hrs ride, the bus was freezing haha but quite comfy, we all had quite a good sleep.
sat 22nd
reached hotel early in the morning and had a short sleep before we went to the convention hall. the sun was unbelievably hot. we were welcomed by the cheerful ushers as we entered, not sure how many hope ppl gathered there, a few thousands definitely ^^
anyway soon after, the whole camp started with some nice impact tv (their media team) and pnw.. the opening ceremony is in the evening.. haha.. an eye-opener indeed. there were many pnw that i've never heard before and they sang in thai mind you.. but it really didn't matter to all of us, that's the amazing thing! ppl were excited, joy was everywhere... the thai youth were definitely on fire, they loved to do this tu-tu train thingy lolx. the worship leader, the band, the dancers, everyone on stage were greaat. the best part would be the worship.. it was just so spirit-filled.. i had an amazing time of worshipping God. perhaps as i was away from home and daily duties, the feeling of being free and at peace were overwhelming. what an amazing sight in the hall, we were from so many different countries, but united in one heart and worship.. only God could do this.
they had quite an impressive opening as well, these ppl could really sing, dance and act.. not to mention the props. what a group of talented ppl. we all agreed that their spirit of excellence was commendable.
sun 23rd
our hope family in thai hosted spore delegates to a nice lunch at hotel. it was really very nice of them. we had some testimonies exchange as well, so great that we could encourage one another through the short session.
there was mission nite in the evening, once again they gave a very interesting performance.. lots of dancers. but the main would be the powerful testimony given on mission in africa. i was certainly feeling dead tired considering that we haven't really had a good rest since we reached and the camp was really packed with teachings, kinda glad when the night ended and suddenly yf said that pastor david chen invited a few of us to his room for supper.. waaa... hahaa... so we went.
i didn't regret a single bit, who would? he shared to us his experience in africa, how a few countries were 'conquered' only within few days, with not much plan, by faith and God's miracles. it was very powerful, i could feel all my tiredness gone as i listened to his story. we are touching the world.. it was very inspiring.. church planting.. i feel that God was reminding me something. i would love to go, yeah.. send me to africa if i can do something there. but i know for now that my faith is not that strong yet haha.. one day!
ps david said that tips for church planting is we shouldn't think too much, just think enough, take the first step, go and God will open up the way. interesting.he shared for almost 2 hrs and we returned to our room very very late, but anyway as what he said, we can always sleep when we're back in spore. must make full use of every second in thai =p
mon 24th
hope games.
hahaa this one is errm something that you don't see everyday. international delegates (including us) started practising our aerobics presentation and cheering a few hrs before the event, amazing =p
we went to this big field somewhere around, the place was quite deserted and dirty but seriously who cares? due to my height (sigh) i had to stand on the first row for the aerobics, but i got to know 3 hope JB sisters there haha.. friendly ppl as well. anyway we did a messy job on the aerobics haha... but it was really fun, with all the kickboxing and stuff.. and yes we did perspire!
the event was done quite well, there's opening ceremony with the torch and performances, interesting games in between, a good soccer match where ps PN did a good job in goalkeeping lolx. each team really impressed me, they prepared their props for cheering very very well, i found my mouth opened wide for a few times hahaa.. last but not least they had fireworks for the opening n closing.. beautiful.
a few things came to my mind. there were lots of ppl (outsiders) saw us from the road etc, they must be wondering who we were and why was it so happening there. it's amazing how we could make an impact from this hope games. once again, thousands of ppl are united through games but the difference is all of us have the same vision and love for God.. and that sight is priceless.
the day didn't end there, we went to a night market (boundless energy haha) anyway we did a short shopping cos the stuff were just sooo cheap.
tue 25th
that's the end of the camp. they showed us a media clip on the camp before the closing ceremony, it was really well done. i found myself almost tearing when i saw it, this family of God is just wonderful. God is.
as we took the coach back to bangkok (another 8 hrs ride) i did a lot of reflection. it was great, really great. i felt truly blessed with this trip, God spoke to me on a few areas specifically, i was definitely strengthened inside out and i made a few promises with Him as well. i did not come home empty.
we reached bangkok quite late but as usual we had supper again (all of us had 4 meals a day there by the way) but it's ok! the food is nice! haha we ate tom yum..
wed 26th
that was the only day that we could wake up late.. a good nite sleep indeed. i was telling yf that i never had such a tiring camp before. as we extended our stay in bangkok for a day, we went for shopping. it was tough looking for gifts, the place was big and there were so many things, anyway i managed to fulfil my 'obligations' and bought myself a pair of shoes as well lolx..
think the best part is when i met a guy who wore the same 'hope family' t-shirt that i bought from the camp, we were just walking at the mall and we were like.. hey! hope family!.. so we smiled and bowed to one another, he's a stranger and i have no idea which hope he came from.. but it's good that we can meet family member everywhere we go =)
took an evening flight back to spore. unlike the previous flight, i felt so alive on the way back, was reading book, doing some reflections and stuff. was praying that the checkpoint would be smooth (i had many problems before) but i had this peace and assurance, in fact was quite joyful haha.. and yah it was really smooth! praise God =)
it's finally time for me, yf, ys, elaine n sarah to part ways, it's great knowing them and deeper thru this trip.
to be continued.
*livi* 9:28 PM• • • • •
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
my, that was a fantastic AI that i've just watched. never really enjoyed it that much, the music's great, the idol's great.. what a classic jazz night.. love it to the core ><
suddenly i remember what ps jeff said, ppl sing because they are in love.
thank God for jazz hahaha... ok ok let me rephrase it, thank God for music and songs.. i shall sing all nite =p
something happened yesterday. i was happily using the pc and doing my things when shirls got back home and she insisted on using the pc. the time was 330 pm.
shirls: "i will return it to you at 430!"
me: "hmmm.... oook..."
after 1 hour
me: "hey, it's 430 already!"
shirls: "didn't i mention 430 AM?"
me: ......................................
ok we didn't end up fighting just in case you are wondering. lolx.. tsk.. so crafty.
anyway my dad dropped by for a night, had a belated bday celebration for him. it's amazing yet scary at the same time thinking that he has turned.. well.. not so young anymore this year. time has passed very fast, i cannot imagine when both my parents finally reach 60 or 70.. and when it's time for them to go.. life is so unpredicatable. how to make them believe in God too?
thinking >> the promised land.
*livi* 9:36 PM• • • • •
Sunday, April 16, 2006
easter. it's great that we focused on experiencing God this year, though there wasn't any special programme like drama or dance, to me the sermon was more than enough.
i was really reminded on security in God and also being a conqueror in Jesus.
i have a person in mind that i really want to bring back to God but alas she did not come. was quite disappointed but oh well.. easter is not the one and only day.. sowing and sharing are done continuously, all the time.
we had a wonderful ecg on friday as well.. it was hard going to salvation army, kinda got lost.. not to mention the heavy rain. when we finally reached there, we were welcomed with comfortable room and osim massage chairs haha.. the place was very homely. weiling and ys did well for the song presentation and yeah overall the event was short and sweet.
we went to great world city after that, i realized that many ppl have never been there before. anyway, we managed to get good seats for 'take the lead' there and spent a wonderful time as a cg. could see that shufen loved the movie very much.. she couldn't sit back and relax..lolx.
i paid alex a visit again today! just love to go there..
first thing that i said when i saw him : i know that i'm too early, i'm supposed to visit you in june and now is still april.. but... i have important event tmw and i need my hair to be tidy.. so can you do something about it, please? *blinkblink
but as usual he doesn't want to make money... he said that there's no point in trimming my hair now and no point in rebonding.. asked me to go back in june.. -_-
well he suggested me to buy clipper to straighten my hair temporarily or to blow my hair nicely but anyway at the end he did it for me.. a nice wash and clipped my hair sooo straight that it really looks rebonded now. gosh i luv it.. extremely neat and smells good. it will only last for 2 days though but he did settle my problem in a very cheap price.
i came out feeling really good~
thanks to weiling for bringing me to trim my eyebrow at bishan too.. it was so cheap and good.
we're gonna help one another and pray for one another hard this week man.. then we can celebrate and share testimony together too ^^
thinking >> a story on wonderful friendship between 2 guys who love basketball.. aaww so nice to be such good buddies.. everlasting.
$4.90 for 14 books and 150 min of comfortable sofa and air con.. worth it.
*livi* 11:20 PM• • • • •
Thursday, April 13, 2006
another trip to dentist.
given no choice since one of my fillings dropped yesterday, i dragged my feet down to the nearest one from my house. funny how much i dislike the feeling of lying down there even after i endured all those trips to dentist during my braces days.. you just can't get used to it no matter what.
decided to do some scaling and polishing as well, we all should do it at least once every 6 months.. kinda basic thing to do. i think it's 20 min of torture, not to mention expensive.. but then we just have to do what we have to do.
5 brothers from hope bangkok came to stay for a few days, they arrived at RC very late last nite, so both me n shirls tried to be good host.. haha.. very hard to remember their names. they woke up early (even earlier than me) to have some worship this morning.. that's really nice. think again i've been rushing to work almost every morning, hardly can take time for it.. that seems so wrong..
showed them the way to mrt before i left, had a short conversation with their leader mee (wonder if it's correct spelling), they are here now and next week will be my turn to go there.. so interesting.
hope that their days here will be fruitful and exciting. maybe i'll teach them dota.. in return they can teach me guitar since they're good at it... lolx.
almost 630 pm... this is it... this is the time.. phew..
*livi* 6:10 PM• • • • •
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
yesterday must have been one of the worst day in my life (as long as i can remember).. it was terrible.. feeling crap to the core. anyway it's over, i had a good sleep, a good shower and a good time with God so i am moving on.
am i being proud thinking that i'm a very nice person that it's so easy to bully me, to step on me? cos i won't say a thing and i will swallow it.
words can hurt the heart much more than fist can hurt the body, read that somewhere and somehow it's true. but i don't blame anyone, i guess when someone's angry, all the unreasonableness can just come out. ugly.. it's just ugly..
spent the whole day in office rushing things out, the mental and emotional pressure was overwhelming so by the time i finished, i went straight to toilet and cried myself out for at least a quarter of an hour, making full use of the toilet roll. so.. not only that i felt crap, at the end of the day i looked like crap as well. had terrible headache so i went home straight to sleep without dinner without bathing lolx.. oh well.. i missed tbk's bday celebration..
at this time i'm so glad that there are ppl put by God around me.
yingfang has been very helpful and i really thank her for the valuable advice and guidance, not to mention how she reminded me of not to compromise on certain things.
nic was very sick but she still showed deep concern and wanted me to call her anytime i need to (which i didn't cos i slept my whole nite oops)
susi has been accompanying me for lunch everyday, always available and making sure that i'm okay.. which i am.. so no more worries for her ^^
feeling grateful also for the short but comforting talk with dave and yeah for the cheesecake of course lolx.. you have no idea that cheesecake can really do wonders.
roy is like a walking bible, never failed to shower me with verses everytime i'm down and this time was no exception..
bao and his prayer link idea is a good one, i need it, i believe we all do.
weiling gave me a practical help and i will heed her advice - dress to kill!
oh well gotta mention shirls also.. for letting me sleep peacefully last nite, i needed it. and for the movie treat today! hehe.. we watched 'inside man'.. very interesting movie! went to the new cathay building, it's new.. nice.. empty.. should go there more for movies.
anyway my point is i am really blessed so i do not want to be down.. besides as how i remind myself too - God loves me and He's always by my side rite?
gonna do my best these few last days and i shall enjoy my bangkok camp to the fullest next week! feeling like a new chapter is opening up, i will survive.
listening >> there is none like you - shane & shane
Your mercy flows like a river wide and healing comes from Your hands
*livi* 11:25 PM• • • • •
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
i want to scream! I CAN DO THIS!!!
just received one of the biggest challenge in my life from yingfang and i took it.. simply cos i still trust God. the next few weeks or months gonna be super tough for me and i know that there may be times that i cannot take it but i will do it.. i will do it.
let Your will be done.
fri was the day that i felt so lost and confused, sat was the day that i tried to forget everything and finally i made up my mind today! i'm gonna eat cheesecake to celebrate this later lolx.
oh well.. it's been a fateful weekend.
by the way the mcg on sat was really great, i really thank God for weihong, it's a good experience to be part of the team. many ppl came, heard that it's even more than what we expected. i played 3 games in total and managed to get to know a few new 'friends'. not sure about the rest but i did enjoy the day much. hope that many can flow to the upcoming ecg or easter ss.
i forced myself to sleep before 12 and woke up at 6 plus this morning, reached nexus very early for the worship time and briefing. felt very refreshed.
spent some quality time with susi in the afternoon, she gave me a nice treat ^^
really enjoyed talking and going out with her....
huur i'm dread of tomorrow, but without it i cannot advance. Lord, be here with me...
*livi* 7:48 PM• • • • •
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Did Jesus walk on water - or ice?
Jesus may not have walked on water as the Bible claims but rather skated on ice formed through a freak cold spell, a scientific study has found.
Rare atmospheric and water conditions could have caused ice to form on the freshwater Sea of Galilee.
The research shows a period of cooler weather swept what is now northern Israel from 1,500 to 2,600 years ago. Sub-zero temperatures could have caused the formation of ice thick enough to support the weight of a man.
The story of Jesus walking on water is recorded in three of the four Gospels, but Professor Doron Nof, an oceanographer from Florida State University insists his research points to a scientific rather than miraculous explanation.
"If you ask me if I believe someone walked on water, no, I don't," Prof Nof told Reuters. "I believe something natural was there that explains it."
The research involved a study of the surface temperatures of the Sea of Galilee along with air temperature and wind records. Partially submerged in water, the ice patches, known as "springs ice", may not have been noticed by observers standing at a distance.
"Because the size of the springs ice, a person standing or walking on it would appear to a distant observer to be 'walking on water'," Prof Nof wrote in the report's conclusion.
"Our springs ice calculation may or may not be related to the origin of the account of Christ walking on water," he concluded."It is hoped, however, that archaeologists, religious scholars, anthropologists and believers will examine such implications in detail."
-_-
read this article today (bbc) .... what a rubbish...
suddenly i remember how my dad mentioned before that Jesus did not resurrect, His body was stolen by some wild animals, maybe a yeti.. considering that the big boulder could be removed. lolx.
oh well.. i guess people are entitled to comment and having their own stand and belief, just as how i am. i've been walking on water and most of the time my faith is inspired by Peter and the walking.. can't possibly be ice.. not a chance.
my parents are here for a few days and i was reminded once again how patient my dad is towards all my mom's unreasonableness =p well i'm speaking in general actually, women are unreasonable. but the key thing is my dad just gave way and knew how to make her happy and stop nagging, it's not out of fear.. just.. give way.. and that's how they can avoid all the unnecessary quarrels.
all it takes is for one party to give way, there's no point in stubbornly banging heads to one another.
it's not hard to say i'm sorry and it's not hard to forgive, only if you're willing to. swallow your pride when you have to.
an advice from my dad to me: don't marry a jap.
according to him, they are domineering and abusive, don't ask me why. that's stereotyping.
but anyway i don't know any jap, so i think his worry is unduly. besides, i still have long way to go. so pearline my dear, if you're reading this.. please please give me a break.. hahaa..
*livi* 10:56 AM• • • • •
Monday, April 03, 2006
i hate rainy days.. or to be more precise.. rainy nights.
got myself a $10 voucher from coffee club and decided to spend it with mandy yesterday. feeling quite bad due to the mud pie so i went home straight after that.. wanted to jog, alas it rained again. sigh. well at least i managed to go for one just now, each step felt so heavy.. the track's wet.. suddenly i remember ippo, he surely inspired me to do beyond what i can do, the will and determination to go for one more round and one more round and one more round hahaa... so satisfied with myself today =p
(note: ippo is my fave boxer from hajime no ippo)
anyway i had one of my most relaxing afternoon yesterday.. i just love being at home nowadays. dark room.. comfy pillow.. immersing myself in the likes of diana krall, norah jones, eva cassidy and friends... just lack of a nice drink.. a glass of rum >< oops.. hahaa...
guess the only bad thing is.. these songs make me feel so mel.. and i hate myself for being mel.. thinking of things that i don't want to be reminded of.
listening >> time after time - eva cassidy
*livi* 11:48 PM• • • • •
Saturday, April 01, 2006
He soared like an eagle.. He could run a long way..
but when it came time to take the road to Calvary, He walked.
sometimes walking is all we can do. but in those times, walking is enough. maybe it is when life is the hardest, when we want so badly to quit, but we say to God,"I won't quit. I'll keep putting one foot in front of the other. I'll follow Jesus even on this road."
so you keep walking, because what we wait for is not more important than what happens to us while we are waiting.
now it is just a matter of time.
feels like there are a lot of things to blog but hard to start.
i was reminded again that when things do not go right, occupy your mind with God.
read the words, bible or books, meditate on the verses in your mind, think about His goodness etc.. anything.. so that you will not start having negative thoughts and feeling fearful.
it really works.
up to now, i am still amazed with how God can make the impossible possible.
it has been one week, let's see.. hmm we had a 'special' cg lunch last sunday. went to this chinese restaurant at centrepoint for dim sum and such. ronnie was very generous indeed and yeah we certainly enjoyed the meal. samuel brought a friend, it's funny that i couldn't bring myself to start a conversation with him.
we went to tcc after that, bao 'forced' us to play munchkins with him, well mainly because he's leading that game in our upcoming easter event. the game was surprisingly fun, but some of them (especially junhuang -_-) totally bullied me.. wenjun and hendra came shortly to join us as well.
ended the day with dinner at marche, gerald's early bday celebration. i think he's very touched lolx.
had mm meeting on tue, at last i got to see the rest of the members, surprisingly all girls. well apparently no guys are interested in this ministry! anyway, it doesn't matter.. we talked about some stuff and i kinda have a cold feet again.. man.. what if i make mistakes?
as junhuang couldn't make it to cg at quite last min, i had to lead pnw and play the guitar at the same time.. wahaa a challenge indeed. but i think i gotta thank him actually.. it's good to challenge oneself.
oh i managed to ask one of my high school friend out yesterday, sowing sowing ><
we went to eat jap food (i can never run away from it) and it's enjoyable. she tried to recommend some korean series to me which i declined politely.. haha.. don't want to spend sleepless nights crying over the drama..
i just came back from cafe @ kembangan, the place was surprisingly cosy, well at least better than what i expected. i'm quite excited with next week's sub-d easter event, really pray that we can bring more visitors.. yeah have we all done our best?
listening >> seven years - norah jones
*livi* 10:05 PM• • • • •
about me~
livi grace melinda
14/02/82
love everything but durian
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** hope singapore **
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we went to this big field somewhere around, the place was quite deserted and dirty but seriously who cares? due to my height (sigh) i had to stand on the first row for the aerobics, but i got to know 3 hope JB sisters there haha.. friendly ppl as well. anyway we did a messy job on the aerobics haha... but it was really fun, with all the kickboxing and stuff.. and yes we did perspire!
