Oct 09, 2nd Week... Appreciated!

"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."
(2 Corinthians 3:2,3)

09 Oct 09, Friday

Today is the last day the mission team from China is in our church. After a week with them, I began to appreciate the mission work in China even more and I was so full of gratitude for those who had gone into China much earlier to spread the gospel even before the cultural-revolution. Seeing them today is like seeing the fruit of their hard labour.

It caused me to rethink of my ministry – sometimes when I felt discouraged and felt like telling God "enough is enough". I don’t even have a good reason to continue because I don’t even want to find one. And yet seeing the fruit of those missionaries and pastors who have gone before in China, their fruit bears testimony to their hard labour, testifying of their fervent enthusiasm in the midst of persecution – and yet they were not here to see it for themselves. Have they also complaint in the midst of hardship? Have they ever thinking of giving up? Seeing their fruit, I guess they didn’t.

So thank you Jesus, because these are the cloud of witnesses before us, testifying to us that we could go on IN LOVE!


11 Oct 09, Sunday

Sunday service today is Children’s day and Teachers’ appreciation day. The teachers and children have come up with a number of wonderful and cheerful programs to help us to see the importance of the children ministries.

Sometimes, those who labour quietly in the Sunday School may not be seen but today we deeply appreciate their hard work and their dedication to help the children to grow spiritually. Seeing the children doing ministry warmed my heart… Xu Bin’s scripture reading is so convincing and he is so confident and so impressive. It was not just reading of scripture but it was reading with full conviction. You know, that he has indeed prepared to do it… not just taking the bible out and read but he must have done it a couple of times before he went up to do the reading.

Then Sue Anne, though she was trembling initially but she did such a marvelous job in the worship leading, don’t you think so? Both are 12 yrs old and I can see such potential in their young lives. These are our future leaders and thank you teachers who have dedicated your lives to nurture them to be who they are today.

The service ends with a surprise for me – "Pastor’s appreciation Day!" I didn’t even know that such a day existed until Sis Lee Leang and the sisters took the cake out and announced that the 2nd week in October is proclaimed as “Pastor’s Appreciation Day.” Can you imagine after more than 20 yrs in the ministry, I was not even aware of such a day. But it was such a pleasant surprise that I was totally overwhelmed.

Thanks to all of you who have learned to appreciate the pastor. I have to say this, “Today I felt that for all that I have done in the church (I may not be perfect in my words and deeds) but my giving was affirmed and you have made it special for me. Though times could be difficult but times like this will stay as sweet memory forever."

Thanks to all those who have made this day special – for me… love you all in Peace Charis!!!