Share My Life

Thanks Victor for loaning me 2 sets of Frames of mind! We have 2 events scheduled for Sunday 20 Dec that would be using this tool! I am also thankful for Mr Lee who provided me some Christmasy snapshots to cater to the occasion and an excellent contact to print it out. It is a relief that things are moving along well for this FOM project.
Reason for the Season CD project had created more stress than I thought. There were obstacles each step of the way that weighs me down and I am not 'out of the woods' yet! No doubt there were great lessons that I could pick up along the way, but ...
Looking forward to our CG's outreach thru caroling at the hospice this Sat, and Children's home on 25 Dec.

Daniel wowed me again!

My son is really concerned about his Chinese paper. Very worried that he cannot do it. When I was sending him to school, there were tears in his eyes. We prayed while waiting for the lift and committed the situation to God.
When he came home from school, he was so excited!
"Mummy, you know what? Jesus was with me when I was taking my exams!"
He just felt the comforting presence of God and was confident about his Chinese exam.
What a difference Jesus can make in one's life! Praise the Lord!

PSLE may be over, but

Wow! Did not realise that I had no time to blog since September! Yes, PSLE may be over but there is a pile of work that I need to attend to and troops of kids showing up in our home after school. My record was baking 6 pizzas, cook 60 fishballs and 1.2 kg of macaroni and cheese for Joycelyn's class party on Wednesday in 2 hours!
Daniel had completed his English and Maths paper. Still need to prepare for Chinese paper on Monday! Really cannot remember the kids studying for exams in P1 but Daniel deligiently followed the teacher's instructions during the PSLE marking days break and flipped thru his files. There seems so much to cover to prepare him for the exams that I cannot believe he is just in P1! It is a different world now.
My ministry in Evangelism Com is enlarging my circle of confidence in doing new stuff. Managed to assemble 6 creative outreach program for Christmas in just one evening! ( Although thoughts and ideas were flying around in my mind for weeks maybe months!) Right now, I am in the process of organising a team to produce a video CD " Reason for the Season" to be used for outreach purposes.
Really excited about that and am looking forward to see God at work!

I found out that my father started smoking on the day that he was discharged. I was really disappointed. Thinking about this matter helped me see that man cannot depend on his own effort no matter what his circumstances are. I hope my father will understand his need for Jesus and choose to trust in His power to set him free!
Thank you also for praying for Joycelyn. We managed to revise quite a fair bit for her prelims. But there is much room for improvement! Pray for stamina to strive on for her PSLE starting 7 Oct!
There is too much schoolwork for this school break! Even Daniel in P1 needs to gear up for oral (English and Chinese)!
Looking forward to our office-family outing on Monday-makan, movie and more!

Updates

My father was discharged on 24 August Mon. The decision to stay with me did not work out. Oh well, this is definitely easier on my family but I am a little disappointed that i lost an opportunity to minister to him. God is gracious!
To encourage him to keep away from smoking, I told him we will throw a party to celebrate after 1 week, 1 month, 3 months... Hope this will motivate him!

Joycelyn is having P6 prelims. Pray for us to enjoy the process and better cooperation!
Thanks for your prayerful involvement in our lives!

Update on my father's condition

Thank God for His mercy! My father responded very well to the op, according to the doctor. They were preparing a more major op on the colon. However, when they were preparing him, they found that it was not necessary and found the 2 polyps on a smaller section of the large intestine! Praise the Lord! Now he is recuperating well except that the system is not fully "operational" . He hasn't eaten so the entire digestive system is shut down. He is coping well without smoking for the past 4 days and I had been telling him to quit totally. My husband and I invited him to stay with us after his discharge from the hospital to take care of him. He seems very open. This will be good to make sure that he don't pick up smoking again and also another opportunity to show him the love of Christ! However, it will be challenging as the family is not accustom to staying with grandparents. This is going to be a big step of faith as I am actually very stressed out with Joycelyn's PSLE! Now, i need to clear up Davy's room and get it ready for him. Would appreciate your prayers. Thanks:P

Health updates 2

Thanks for praying. Daniel had recovered almost completely and should be in school on Friday.
My father's op seems rather complicated. Now they say he has a weak heart and will access if he is fit for the op. Some complication with the coagulating of the blood although the doctor says they have medication to handle that. After the op, he will have a stoma bag for his waste and I really do not know how he would feel about that. Pray that the family would be able to find out more about the situation and make a wise decision and better prepare him for the op. Thanks.

Health Issues

Daniel is running a slight fever with cough n runny nose! Good that he gets the long weekend to recover!
My father is scheduled for an operation on 18 August. He had been diagnose to have colon cancer. At his age, there is a high chance that he'll need an attached bag after the operation. My sister just told him it is an operation but he doesn't know the extend of it. I am not sure if we should tell him?
He had not accepted Christ and I am concern for him! Please remember in prayer. Thanks.

Helped in GMSP NAFA Test

I had a great time watching the students run and counting the number of rounds for them! It was fun cheering them on especially on lap 4; assuring them that they are on the final lap. That never failed to help them pick up speed. And of course on the final lap, we were there to cheer them and they speed up to the finishing line.
In our walk with God, we also need people to cheer us on. Let's see who needs some cheering...

Feeling Stressed!

With the stress of Joycelyn's coming PSLE, I seemed so tied down even though I could not actually sit down with her to study. Had been just waiting for her to get her school work done and hoping to squeeze in some revision but no chance! Maybe I AM worried! The older siblings made it too easy for me last time and now I am feeling the nerve wrecking emotions I had been hearing from other parents when their kids took a mojor exam! I guess I really believe that Joycelyn is capable of doing better and I am committed to help her. Help me Lord to let go and let God...

Pray for Joycelyn as she is not feeling well. Sore throat, running nose, fever. Doctor says she is at low risk for H1N1.Pray that we will handle the situation well and the other kids will not catch the bug from her.

I am now trying out facebook. My blog is linked to it. If you are also on facebook, please send me an invite to be friends. That way whenever I post something here, you will know about it from facebook. I think this is better.

Kids' update

Cannot believe that the school holiday is over! Glad that we can get into school routine again although the kids may not think so. Final push for Joycelyn in her preparation for PSLE! Need God's grace to see us through. Pray for us.
Yeah! Jayne passed her theory test at first try and will start driving lesson on Monday! Cannot imagine my 'baby' behind the wheels!
Ting is adjusting well to JC life and her time schedule is better now that the SYF and concert are over. Happy to see more of her now.
Davy had grown so tall now! 1st kid to over take me! Pray that he will know how to handle his studies well!
Daniel will be having a challenging term 3 with English and Chinese 'show and tell'! He is not looking forward to going back to school although he is doing very well in his work.
We are still going back and forth on his issue of why God created him. The Kid's Day camp had a song about our purpose in life is "to work on our serve". Daniel believes every child of God should do that and he still wants to look for something special that God wants him to do. Recently, we are also talking about Trinity and it is just as challenging if not more!

Grace Vs Faith

Daniel was interested to know the meaning of the names of classes in his school. We started with Grace, his class.
"It means something given that you do not deserve."
" You mean like TV and computer time?" Daniel asked.
" Kind of, but it is more like we do not deserve forgiveness from God but He did."
Then we talked about Faith. This was easy. Believe.
" Mummy, which one is more important?"
" Well, if I must choose, maybe as a Christian, I'll think it is important to be able to believe and trust God each day. But prebelievers might appreciate God's grace."
" Mummy, you are wrong! Prebelievers need Faith to believe in God and we need Grace."
It is interesting that he has his opinion and way of looking at things that challenges my thinking.

Daniel is doing very well in school. He is getting mostly full score for Maths and English. Chinese is a great challenge for him. While he may be getting close to full score for Chinese Spelling, he could not handle oral at all. This June holiday, he needs to prepare for his Chinese show and tell in Term 3! This is really tough!

Daniel made a card for me for Mother's Day. He uses my name as an acronym.
Caring
Angelic
Tea lover
Helpful
Effortful
Respectful
I love you
Nice
Energetic
I really like Effortful! He coin the word to say that I put in effort...

We were watching some TV program on Monday. There was this advertisement about a movie where someone said, " We will grow up to be like our mums."
"How tragic!" was the reply.
I asked 2 of my daughters if it will be tragic if they grow up to be like me. Without any doubt, they answered, "No, it's not tragic!"
I am happy they feel this way!

Our VP office in Singapore had a dedication of our new office today.Since I was helping with the refreshment for this event, my morning was unusually tight. I intended to walked Daniel across the road and rush back to complete my preparation of the refreshment but Daniel had something else on his mind. He had asked this question upteen times:
"Why did God born me into this world?"
My standard answers like, you are really special to God ... could not stop him from asking over and over again. I thought about it briefly and told him,
"You are a caring boy. God sent you here to care for others." He was not impress with my answer. "But there are others who are more caring than me."
To help him understand that it is possible to have several individuals with common contribution, I illustrated using his second sister who is good with the piano.
"There are many people who are good with the piano too besides your sister."
He was upset and told me,
" I am not talking about talent!"
He is seriously thinking why did God put him here on earth; something that only he can do! As I was in quite a big hurry, I had to just assure him that he will know when he gets older.
As I hurried home I could not believe that my 7 year old had reached that stage of self actualisation which is the highest level in our hierarchy of needs.
Later in the evening, I repeated the story to Joycelyn. She shared that God put us here to share the good news! I felt so proud of her. Then Daniel protested and said,
"But that's papa's job. That's why he got so many 'chop' on his passport."
Ha,ha! I sure have a wonderful bunch of kids!

Daniel,7 asked his brother, 14 " Are you a boy? Or are you a man?"
The world of confusion does not lie just in the mind of my teenager. Even my seven year old is puzzled and cannot quite figure how to place his brother in his mind!
It is important as parents of teens to realise though the physical body seems to develop overnight,
other aspects are still maturing! Sometimes it seemed difficult to extend grace because I think 'you are so big already, you should know better...' Next time I am caught in this type of situation again, I will recall Daniel's funny question.

My son (7), was touched by the story his Sunday school teacher shared about Good Friday.
" Mummy, do you know it was really painful when Jesus was nailed on the cross?" he exclaimed.
"Yes."
" Why did He want to do that when it was so painful?" he continued.
It was a teachable moment to emphasize that's just how much He loves us. And Daniel was quick to add that He died on the cross to pay for our sins.
I am happy that he had reached yet another level of appreciation of what God had done for us. Somehow knowing that he died for our sins did not impact him as much as realising that He suffered much in that process... Our conversation had brought me to a refreshing appreciation of His suffering love for me!

I was working on a comment card for an event and discussing the phrasing with my husband.
"I would like to know how to grow in my faith".
Daniel butted in and say,"Aiyah, just read your bible lor..."
I am glad he knows that!

After bathing, Daniel was getting dressed in the bedroom while I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom. He wanted his glasses which was left on the sink. I wanted him to wait outside the bathroom and I can pass the glasses to him. But he stepped right in. I explained that I did not want him to dirty the doormat and he should have just waited for me to pass it to him. He looked at me and say,' but mummy, isn't this mat suppose to take the dirt from my feet?'
I lost again!

I was chatting with Daniel about what he would be getting for his brother on his birthday. He said he had no money to buy anything.I reminded him that he had been saving 20 cents everyday since Term 1 and should have close to $10. He turned around and tell me," Mummy, that is for saving, not for spending!" .
I am astounded! He is better at money management than me!

My youngest is twelve years apart from my eldest, but they have a special bond between them!
Daniel went up to Jayne and wish her all the best for April.Jayne was puzzled and asked why. Somehow Daniel remembered that she will be teaching the K2 Sunday School class in April. We are amazed at his thoughtfulness and excellent memory. Jayne is so touched by his kindness!
Right now we are still praying about her application to NUS. There are so many options, it is difficult to choose. Pray that we will be sensitive to God's leading in her life!

JoyAnn loves anything purple! She is our family's best trained musician; oboe n piano. She did well for her 'O' level and is in a JC of her choice. We are very proud of her. She is very diligent in her work and very compassionate about the needs of people around her. Since young, her primary school teachers had been telling us that she is very special. All the kids would rush up the bus when they were going for some excursion, but she would let others go up first. Her kind character was acknowledged when she was awarded the Singa Award both in Primary and Secondary School .

She was upset with me for getting some pokemon balls for Daniel. She felt that I had double standard. When they were young, I did not allow them to watch pokemon. I search myself to see if I had 'backslided'! My conclusion is that when I stopped my kids from watching, it was out of love for them. When I bought the toy for Daniel, it is also out of love for him. Maintaining uniformity in my expressions of love just cannot be the measure. Honestly, this is from my heart!

My soon-to-be 14 son! Very interested in aeroplanes. He can even update daddy about the different planes used by different countries and all sorts of technical terms associated with planes that I had never heard of!?! Nice to see him develop a passion for something. Hopefully this will help him focus on what he needs to work on in his studies so that he can pursue his passion and dream!

My challenge of 2009: To help Joycelyn discover the motivation to study for her PSLE!
God had been so good to her this year. She is enjoying some positive attention for doing better in some subjects and that encouraged her to seek improvement. I am praying that she will have intrinsic motivation towards her studies and I'll need wisdom and patience to work with her.
Besides being interested in sports like short distance track, football, skates,and badminton, she also likes the drums and latest : guitar! I've registered her for some lessons and she is so looking forward to it. She has a very compassionate heart and is very good at breaking up fights in school. I feel that she is really special!

This is Daniel. He is 7 years old! That's right P1! He thinks school is too long and asked if he could come home after recess! Once before going to school he set a timer before stepping out of the house and warn me not to touch his timer because he wanted to see how long he had been gone.
I enjoy my time with him in the morning, practising piano, reading the bible and prepare for spelling (Chinese and English) read books, play games.... Glad to be able to spend time alone with him. Better enjoy them while they are still young! As they grow older, so busy, no time for mummy! :P

Haven't had time to blog!
Yesterday, 9 of us from SPCCC EXCO 78/79, 79/80 were hosted by Ching Boon Huat at a dinner function held in Sheraton. It was so exciting to meet up after 28 or so YEARS! Time flies!
Those old days were filled with exciting memories! As we revisit the past, I thank God that many are still faithfully walking with Christ and serving Him in various capacities. That warms my heart. There is still a desire to support one another even though we are not together now but with modern technology, we are excited about new avenues of 'getting together ' thru website or facebook. We are also looking forward to another meeting soon....