Learning The Virtue of Patience

I was reminded me of this experiment from the 1960s where 4-year-olds were given a marshmallow and told they could either eat it or wait for the adult to return and get another marshmallow. 

(I absolutely love the kids' expressions! :D)

Have you every had a marshmallow moment? I have. Today was one of them.
Another installment in the classic traveling misadventures series.

So, I have been chasing the latest Asia typhoon around. I swear that if the typhoon was a person, it would accuse me of stalking. It came to Manila. I came to Manila. It went to Taiwan. I was flying out to Taiwan. Until it decided that it had enough and cancelled my flight.

I call to rebook my flight to the next earliest date and this lady picks up the phone:

Airline: ... the next earliest flight is tomorrow night at 10:40PM
Me:       Ok, please book me on that flight and if I need to find an earlier flight out, I'll just cancel this one.
Airline: Sorry ma'am you cannot cancel your flight.
Me:       Oh, it's okay, I don't mind forfeiting the ticket cost
Airline: No ma'am. I cannot book you if you aren't confirmed to be flying.
Me:       (Wants to attempt to explain but then gives up)Airline: So, are you confirmed for this flight?
Me:       Yes...
Airline: Ok, please give me 2-3 minutes to process your flight; I will put you on hold.  

Advert comes on... 2-3 minutes later.. 

Airline: Hi ma'am, you have checked in through the web right?
Me:       Yes, through the email you sent
Airline: Then I cannot book you on this flight first. I need to off-board you from the previous flight first.
Me:       But the previous flight is cancelled...?
Airline: I have forwarded your request to the relevant department.
Me:       Isn't there any other way around this? The web-check-in is your internal process. It shouldn't affect whether I can confirm on another flight. Otherwise, what if I don't get the seat, how will I get another flight then?
Airline: I have noted your comments and will forward them to the relevant department.
Me:       I have an important meeting on Friday morning and I need to be in Taiwan. Can you get me a confirmation?
Airline: I have noted your comments and will forward them to the relevant department.
Me:       (Exasperated) When can I find out if I am confirmed to be booked on this flight?
Airline: Before 10PM (It is 6:15PM) 

At 9:15PM... 

Me:       Can I confirm if there is any progress with my flight confirmation?
Airline: Please give me 2-3 minutes to find out; I will put you on hold.
Me:       Sure... 

Advert comes on... 2-3 minutes later.. 

Airline: I am sorry ma'am you are not yet booked on the flight, please check back tomorrow morning. 

Talk about testing my patience. O.o

At the end of the day, I managed to get confirmed on the flight (I had to speak to the supervisor to press my point) and will be on the way to Taiwan for a crazy day. I'll be landing at 1-2AM and departing for Singapore at 8PM. On the same day. O.o

But that's not my point.

In P&G they used to have this term called "bias for action". It was supposedly a positive trait. I think I overdosed on it.
But the good thing is, in all of this, I managed to temper my nature with a little more patience.  I was reminded of a lesson God has been trying to teach me this season of my life - that it's all about attitude.

A bad attitude turns even a good situation into a bad experience;
A good attitude turns even a bad situation into a great opportunity. 

I managed to spend some quality time with the folks because of the 1 day delay and I have a plan to maximize my time here. I helped mom download the Bible App to her iPhone (she was previously searching for verses on google... =.=) and had a good dinner.

All in all, I'm pretty stoked.
Perspective and patience.

Unpacking My Bags

I was recently reminded of a piece / note I wrote a few years back just before I left P&G. I had entitled that reflection "Unpacking My Bags" -- a symbol, really, of an intention to stay in a place for more than a moment. I started the piece by saying:

If you know me, you know I’m an all or nothing person. I live life and do things to the best of my ability or not at all. And if I’m somewhere, I behave as if I’ll stay there forever. P&G for me was no different.

I travel quite often. And, truth is, I don't really unpack my bags when I hit a hotel room. To me it's too troublesome and time consuming. But in life and in the things I do, I am-thankfully-quite the opposite.

Just yesterday someone asked me whether I saw myself still working in church in a few years or whether I would go back to the corporate world to find something more challenging.

I still smile to myself when I hear questions like this. Given the current climate in Singapore, I think the church probably has more challenge than the corporate world haha...

But seriously, the truth is, I have never been more challenged than where I am right now. I am not just challenged in the area of task or achievement, which I am; but I am challenged to be a better person not just when people are looking and to change my character and not just external behaviors.

Someone once said:

"The crime of youth is passion.  The crime of middle age is pride.   The crime of old age is prejudice."

While I am slowly growing out of youth into middle age, I guess you can say that I am still a pretty passionate person.

5 years after I unpacked my bags, I am glad to say that some things have not changed. I am glad that there is a part of me that is as child-like and faith-filled as when I started on this journey. I am glad that I am still as in love with the things of God and that the troubles of this life have not taken away the idealism of my teenage years. I am glad that I am still here.

That's not to say I have not changed at all - that would be... an abnormality--almost like the stunted growth of a child. (I have nothing against short or little people!)

But I am quite happy that I have shed some of my immature thoughts and I no longer just live by feeling, but amidst that, I have also found a balance that keeps the fiery passion that makes me, me.

No regrets. No returns.
The future is still amazing.

Happy to Find Kindred Spirit

My church posted this video on YouTube recently.
It is a video that was show on our Academic Excellence weekend.

Truth is I feel strongly when I hear these stories even though I came to Singapore to work and not to study. This is something that resounded in my heart even when I was studying back in the Philippines. I always believed, as Pastor How says, that we can do well and do good at the same time. I may not have put it in those words... but, well, I guess living it out is more important than using the same lingo.

My days in school are ones that I look back on fondly.
Doing well in school was always something I valued. I really did believe that doing well would glorify God. But I didn't want to go back on serving God. So, throughout my schooling days, I would be serving, organizing youth camps, heading youth fellowships, singing and acting in my church group. On top of that I joined Christian choral and theater groups to do outreach programs. Throughout my University days, I remember how packed my week was. Monday and Friday nights were were for choral group rehearsals. Tuesday to Thursday was for theater rehearsals. Saturdays and Sundays were spent for church activities. But true to HOGC beliefs, I always made time for family too - every Saturday morning was for breakfast/brunch with the parents and Sunday lunch and dinner was always with family. After school I would maximize the hours by either studying or going out with my mum. I guess... that's why when I came to Heart of God Church I felt such and affinity to what was being preached. The tripod of family, church and school is something that was lived out in my own life.

Oh, and sure enough, I graduated summa cum laude, overall 4th in my whole University, which was the top Uni in the country. I will share my misadventures of choosing a University one day - but let's just say... I didn't enter the Uni as a likely candidate for the top spot.

I believe in Academic Excellence.
Sure glad my church teaches it.

Love my life.

P.S. I haven't been blogging in a while, so I promise to get my blogging brevity back soon. :)

To find out more about Heart of God Church's Academic Excellence, you can visit www.heartofgodchurch.org or see some of the YouTube videos by Pastor Tan Seow How. These are the links: http://youtu.be/-VwbwUG7ohg ; http://youtu.be/wi5CZxj9o-s

Revival - Blog Revival

I stumbled upon this old blog that I had.
I realized that it has been 3 years since I blogged.
Truth is I got reignited to start again after reading the old stuff I blogged about.
The comments (albeit Anonymous) were encouraging too.
But I have decided to restart the blogging thing.

I was thinking whether to start a totally new blog, but I realized I still believe in changing my world.
Probably won't be creative enough to come up with another blog title (or maybe i'm just too lazy *grin*)

So... this isn't the virgin voyage back into the blogging world, but it's a written commitment that I will start again. No turning back, no turning back!

Inspired to Blog

Today, 2 miracles happened. One was less exciting than the other. Both were miracles nonetheless.

First miracle was actually more than a miracle it was just a mind-blowing experience and just totally topped all expectations I had. I went down for the Zone F Praise & Worship to support Winifred and Weihong, the 2 new worship leaders being released today. I ended up deep in the thick presence of God, worshipping along with the rest! The team was totally awesome! They were a team! They were carrying each other from glory to glory. They really brought people into the presence of God and it was fresh and pure worship emanating from fresh and pure hearts. Totally amazing!

They really reminded me of David worshipping God bringing the ark back into Jerusalem. They took upon themselves the responsibility to really worship God and carry the presence of God on their shoulders! They worshipped with all their strength and led the people into the Holy of Holies. Awesome!

So proud of both of them... Then Charleston pointed out something that Roy pointed out to him... all the worship leaders are from C Zone... hehehe... :) Happy to be in C Zone. :) We rock! We will produce the people who will lead people into the presence of God in the house of God. :)

Second miracle was not so exciting... I exercised (really!) for the first time in ages today! Haha... :P I played a friendly 3-on-3 basketball with the other female leaders and even scored 2 baskets! :P It was fun though being the Summer program finals, we were kinda the lousiest game of the day? More like entertainment tee hee... :) *grin* Well, at least we ended of in a draw and had a good game. (I was panting like mad for a 7 minute game though)

Third miracle will be when I play soccer tomorrow in the finals for Soccer Summer Programmes... I have never played soccer ever. The Philippines doesn't play soccer. :S

Expectation

Just finished B&C Zone Camp! What a way to start the week! I cannot believe it is only Monday! Pheno really brought down the house and we had awesome worship then Pastor Troy preached an amazing word on the prophetic gift. The ministry time that followed after was a great way to end the night. Growth is gonna come! I can just feel it! Tonight was a confirmation of all that's been on my heart the last few weeks. There was such an air of expectation tonight and because God is a God who meets faith and is able to do above we can ask or think -- He truly went past all our expectations!

Something that really struck me tonight is the fact that there were over 260 people in the auditorium today! B&C Zone rocks! That's the true strength of the zone, that we are mobilizable! AND that is considering there were no C3 people in the audi (coz they're going for the G Zone camp tomorrow). We are really quite an amazing zone! Woohoo! :)

So, the week started out well and I am going to remain with an expectant spirit for the rest of the week...

Never Satisfied

Yesterday I had a powerful session with some of the people from C1 & C3 CEGs. It all started because Bong (Tingli not the lights one) and I kept trying to arrange to meet up--this has been going on since she finished follow-up like a month ago. Then there was Clement who I discovered to be very talkative online! :) So, after a month or so of not meeting up to pray, we met up to do something different--listen to sermons by powerful men and women of God.

The meeting we just had was on the Holy Spirit and basically we listened to the sermon "Why Tongues?" by Pastor Kong. After we just spent time praying and talking and I was totally blown away by how everyone prayed! Everyone just went up another level! The best part was that it was just me, Randy, Zhiyu, Bong, Lix, and Clement. None of your usual people were there! But we prayed loud and we prayed strong!! Woohoo! It was powerful! Something really broke in the spirit and everyone just overpowered my normally loudspeaker-like voice! hahaha :P

All of this just reminded me that although we reach another level we can always grow further. I am feeling happy but not satisfied with where I am and with where Operations and the CGs are. A holy dissatisfaction and desire for more... Not willing to settle for anything less than the promise, the best. I had a powerful revelation on this just last Tuesday but I will write about that another time.... :)

I'm Not a Very Good Blogger...

I realize it's been more than a month since I've blogged...

I think I'm not a very good blogger... haha... :P

I shall try not to make it verbal diarrhea... *grin*

The thing is I have been busy... Things have been quite busy with Mother's Day and Red Rain over the last few weeks! Mother's Day was awesome because a lot of us got to invite our moms (and even our dads!) I got to meet Seetoh's mom who is exactly as cool as her (!) and Wini's mom came with her godparents! There was Aggie's mom, Li Xuan's mom, Weien's parents, Pan's mom (who is gorgeous! looks like his sister!), Henry's mom and even Hong Bin brought his mom and sis! It was super cool!

As if that wasn't enough, Red Rain came rolling happily along 2 weeks later!

We are really a very exciting church!

Some interesting facts about this year's Red Rain...

... This was the first year we did not rent any moving heads or lights, but the Ops team is fantastic! It was as good if not better than the previous years! Kudos and hats off to Dawn, Bong, Colin, Soo Yee and the whole team that put this together! (The team is truly innovative!)

... We had to put 14 sandbags on the LCD truss because we are in true Singaporean style KIASI hahaha :) (thank you to Colin and the army boys for filling the sand with fresh sand from East Coast Park!)

... We had a record breaking youth attendance over the 2 days of Red Rain!!!! WOOOOHH!! :)

On top of all of that, I met a lot of awesome new friends like Linh! She's this super fun girl studying at OPSS and she's Alex's friend! :) 

Stella, Linh and Alex at the hangout after Red Rain!

I didn't get to talk to everyone, but I had fun with C1, C10 and C3 during the Hangout. On Saturday, Zac and Kai Xiang stayed behind and I think we all just ate and ate and ate and then after stuffing ourselves, we celebrated Ming Jian's birthday complete with poppers and guy groupies holding up signs on cardboard saying "Happy Birthday Ming Jian" So, Ming Jian, although you're not that happy to be 20, at least you had a fun birthday... and if you really are depressed... think of Desmond (!) LOL hahaha... :) It pays not to be the oldest in the CG :)

Overall, C1 & C10 & C3 had an attendance of 80! But it's more than just a number because every number is a person; every person is a life; every life is a destiny. God is good! :)

Happenings

Okay, so my idea of writing here more often didn't exactly happen... but I guess this is due for an update... what's been happening?

Mong went to army today and it feels totally weird to have him have to go to bed at 10PM and wake up as I am about to go to sleep... Mong, C1 & C3 misses you! Come out soon!

I went bowling with some of the staff today! I must say, for someone who lugged 2 bowling balls to Kallang Leisure Park and back I think I should have scored higher hahaha! I will seriously not try that again... especially the carrying two 13 lb. bowling balls up an overhead bridge.... :S

Greatest ever Easter service! Pastor How preached an awesome message... 7 Things I Hate About Christianity! Haha... that was so different to hear -- refreshing! Heart of God Church Rocks! Do not believe in Christianity, believe in Christ. Do not become a Christian, become like Christ! Heart of God Church will never be hypocitical, judgmental, irrelevant or any of those things that everyone hates about Christians!

Oh! C1 & C3 hit 85 this Easter!!!! :) Plus the 10 parents and adults we brought we were 95 all in all! The best thing is not the number though, we had tons of fun! Met some really cool people like Zac, Jordan, Diane, Gwan Yong, and everybody's friends :) Was good to see people like Alex and Mei Jun too! And of course the crazy C1 & C3 people are the best to hang around with on Easter! :) hehe... :)

Let's not leave G Zone out of this G1 had 15 new friends! Who says the University people can't be happening?! Haha... Oh, I must make a comment... Jeremy Wong does look like Kung Fu Panda! haha *peace man*

So... much has been happening but more is to come! :) I'll sign out for now, but I promise to be back soon... :)

I love praying with the C1C3 peeps

On Thursday, we had an awesome time praying in the C1 & C3 weekly meeting... It was great to see JO finally POC-d! Yeah! (they say it's POC because he's not fit to march (?!?!) and so for him it's a Passing Out Ceremony not a Parade) Then Ruo'En and Joshua looked adorable (?) in their matching AJC uniforms. Mong says uniform colors are chosen by going to the cloth shop and choosing the cloth with the most quantity being sold at the cheapest cost haha :) But yesterday's group was BIG--so big we couldn't fit inside the tent!

We talked about prayer. Actually we prayed! And many people really broke through in their prayer! :) It's really different to pray strong from the Spirit... I would compare it to going to the gym? Kinda like when you want to get rid of the tricep flab under your arm (hidden frustrations haha!) you do tricep pulls and other exercises that focus on those muscles. When you want to get slimmer inner thighs you get onto the weird looking torture machine that isolates that muscle and causes you not to be able to walk the next day. It's also kinda like studying for A-Level Maths... the reason you do the tutorials and the exercises is to get your brain used to doing that kind of question. That way, when you take the exam you will be able to do it in the allotted time. When we pray in the Spirit, we bypass our limited language and the limits of our mind and it isolates our spirit building it up.

Jude 20       But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.

Of course, we don't just pray in the Spirit, after all Paul says that it's about praying with understanding and praying with the Spirit but it does help because sometimes when we pray we're just distracted and can't focus. The Spirit is always willing but the flesh is weak so it was just great praying in the Spirit.

In any case, I am looking forward to our next adventure of praying together. :)

Always Believe in People

I came across this story, not surprisingly, from a video a friend posted on Facebook. It's about a young autistic boy named Jason McElwain... I won't talk so much, watch the video yourself... :)

Can you imagine if the coach didn't put Jason on? I think more than not being able to witness such an awesome feat, more importantly, Jason never would have known what he was capable of doing. 

As I watched the video, I am reminded of Heart of God Church and how Pastor How and Pastor Lia really believe in young people. I think back to the past more than 3 years I have been in Heart of God Church and it is so obvious that without Pastors willing to take a "risk" on people who may not seem the most capable or experienced. They gave so many of us a platform and an environment to do things we never thought we could.


There are the famous stories of people like Charleston who started leading at 13 or 14 and how now, at just 20, he is a Senior Zone Leader overseeing so many cell groups, preaching in services and representing young people in the Festival of Praise. There's Daniel and his love for music and how Pastor Lia raised so many musicians and singers by giving the worship team an encouraging platform and believing in them. Today, Daniel is... hot! hahahaha... at least on his guitar. :) (peace, Dan!) There's Jian Ming who used to be a naughty school boy sawing tables during D&T but Pastors really just taught him, discipled him, trained him and now he's the head of all the Customer Operations in HoGC! And these are just the famous stories... there are so many more lives in HoGC that have been brought to a higher level because someone chose to believe in them. 

I love Heart of God Church... 

A Shrinking World

Today, we just had quite a time with Pastor Josh and Georgie Kelsey from C3. I must say, talking to them makes me feel like the world is getting smaller and smaller. They introduced us to this thing called Twitter... which basically allows people to know what their friends are doing. You can even receive messages on your phone if your network allows it.

First it was Friendster--now hardly anyone goes on there. I heard someone comment that only the "ah-bengs" and "ah-lians" still stay in touch with Friendster... now I don't really know whether that is true or not, but surely Friendster is no longer the in-thing.

Next, it was Facebook--now, I am not saying I am giving up Facebook. How could I? After Ming Jian and Mong got me stuck on Mousehunt I can barely leave my computer alone... Hmmm.... maybe I should take a facebook fast so that I can practice not being distracted every 15 minutes by the temptation to make a horn call...

But, okay, so now it seems like Twitter is getting wired... So, if it really does take off I think it will be interesting to be able to follow what certain people are doing... like the people in the CG or the leaders... 

Well, let's wait and see the fate of Twitter in Heart of God Church.... :)

P.S. Have you guys checked out the Heart of God Church facebook? :)

post-CNY thoughts

I haven't written in ages and I guess being too excited to be back in Singapore has had its effect on disappearing from the written electronic world...

Anyway, just wanted to say my first ever CNY in a country that actually celebrates it has been a blast! It's true, I've never actually celebrated Chinese New Year before... Yes, I've missed out on many of the great CNY traditions that you guys have such as:

1. Lor He (did I spell it right?): I honestly have never heard of this outside of Singapore but basically, I have grown to like the taste of this Chinese salad... I do however pity whoever has to clean the tables after haha

2. Reunion Dinners: the perfect excuse to stuff yourself with delicious food night after night after night with the same people! :)

3. Ang Paos: Yes, I have never received red packets for CNY and didn't even know that married people were supposed to give them out before I came to Singapore. I always thought the old people gave out red packets on birthdays and weddings because they couldn't think of anything else to give or were too tight on time to shop. My only question -- if you never received red packets as a single person do you still have to give them when you get married? haha :P

This CNY was quite awesome - starting off with a great G Zone CNY service and ending with a G Zone reunion dinner on the 1st of Feb (we are like China, we celebrate for 1 whole week) and a lot of exciting stuff in between, it was a year to remember! :) I must say that I have not watched so many movies in the span of 2 weeks as I did these last 2! 

One thing that I didn't expect to do this year was go bowling for the 1st time since I reached Singapore! I must admit, I thought that the 2 13-pounders (bowling balls) would never see the light out of the bag in the store room again haha :P But the best part of it all was more than just putting on the familiar white and red shoes again, but it was the company that made it all special. In fact, the great part about CNY is really the company kept. Cheers to holidays that bring families and friends together! Hip-hip-hurrah! :)

So, as the CNY period comes officially to an end and 2009 is in full-swing whether you're Chinese or English, I'm off to new adventures--most of them not having to do with physically leaving Singapore. Excited... :)

Ciao!

A Fish Out of Water

Have you ever heard the expression a "fish out of water"? Well, no one really understands that more than a Heart of God Church person not at Heart of God Church. It seems absolutely unbelievable that I am not spending New Year's Eve with everyone at church, counting down to the first hours of 2009 enjoying the home and family that we know best. Well, since I've had time to myself to think and reflect, I took time to write down this fish out of water's thoughts on the year that has passed.

We started the year no different on the outside to maybe any other year, but it's ended with so much more. And I'm not just talking about the great experiences we've all had as a church, but the people who have made it special.

To C1 & C3, you guys have been amazing! We really broke through this year not because of all the strategies and brilliance we had, but simply because we stuck it out, prayed and trusted God. Like we've always talked about, though there is a lot of natural talent and ability in the CG, God has brought us through a year where we cannot claim any glory for the things that have come our way... I have a feeling it will stay that way... :) 2009 will be amazing! :)

To G1 & G10, there's a lot of ground to break and take in what we're doing... I am so happy to see 2008 bring in a lot of new faces as well as see the growth in some not so new faces... I think the year has proven itself not to be the easiest, but the end of the year is only a sign of the harvest to come in 2009. :) You guys are tenacious. :)

To the Ops team, 2008 was a year of setting our basics right... It was fun, but just the tip of the iceberg... :) We see such a great team in place, with different people operating in their strengths but at the same time supporting each other. :) 2009 is building up to be an even more exciting year :)

To the leaders in HoGC, serving is a joy when done beside friends.. :) Let's build the best church ever; let's grow old together. :) There has never been a dull or boring moment... sitting in the Philipppines doing the things that most people would probably want to do, I can't sit still because there's such passion and vision that doing or being anything less is shortchanging myself. Thanks for the great year!

It is a privilege to be serving in Heart of God Church... I can't believe the year has passed so fast with so many things happening all at the same time... Looking forward to a new year :)

Signing off... fish outta water.

Hope to be back soon. 

A Month's Worth of Updates

Well, we've travelled the world and back and like I said a week ago to everyone who could hear, I am happy to be back home! :) London was great fun, but there's nothing like home and Heart of God Church...

I know I owe people updates on what's happened over the last few weeks, so I think it's time to start blogging. :) (Yes, Aggie, I am referring to you hahaha) Forgive me for the lack of pictures, which I will try to get up soon, 

but since I have a bit of time, let me ramble a bit about everything. :)

Let's start with last week -- which was totally awesome! Nick Vujicic came on Tuesday and Wednesday and everything completely blew our minds away! Firstly, Nick is like in himself a miracle - as Pastor How puts it, he's turned a life without limbs into a life without limits!

The 2 nights were fully packed with 1700 people on the first night and about 1550 on the second! We've never had so many people come in and out of our doors! But I'd just like to say Heart of God Church is just awesome! :) In fact, everyone was so awesome the people were raving about our ushers and how great the whole set-up was! :) This was despite an early morning prayer meeting everyday with the CHC people at our premises! You guys rock! :)

In fact, after Tuesday night, ushering 1,000 people early in the morning in and out of the hall was absolute chicken feet. To imagine, just a year ago we were stressing about combined service for 600 - 800 people. Haha! With our existing 3 services, we actually have the operational capacity for 3,000 people, no sweat! :) That's totally amazing! :) Way to go guys! :)

If you count the 3 service with Pastor Kong over the last 3 days, we've had a total of 10 services in 1 week! It also means that we've had over 10,000 people move in and out of our premises! Come to think about it, we've done more in one week than some people I know do in a year... life sure is productive in God... especially if you're from Heart of God Church :)

Okay, moving on... backwards... to London... haha... :) Time flew by so fast while we were there and it was quite amazing to see how the story of Heart of God Church once again touched hearts in Europe. Pastor How preached powerfully at a leaders' session where not a dry eye was found in a room full of Ang-Mos... Pastor shared about the Journey of a Dream and I found myself with my eyes welling up in tears too as I thought of how far God has brought us and all the scars we have that will cause the world to understand why we are radical for God... The main session was no different - the anointing was so strong, you could feel a difference in the atmosphere... 

Europe is hungry... and out of this trip is birthed forth our very first HoGC London CG! *cheers* * claps* :) If anyone wants to go overseas to study, I recommend London! haha :) Of course, Singapore is still the best :)

I have got to get some pictures up here soon -- aside from the conference, we went around London and went to John Wesley's (the founder of the Methodist movement) house, the Tower of London, Hamleys (London's largest toy shop with 7 floors!!), among other things. We also discovered the joy of Primark where everything was ridiculously cheap haha :P. As for food, we had the trusty healthy cafe called EAT -- the pork, stuffing and apple hot wrap was delicious! 

We realized 2 things about London's food (1) Londoners don't quite find sitting down a necessity and (2) Good Chinese is hard to find haha :) So, we were very happy to find the famous roast duck at the Four Seasons Chinese Restaurant at the Bayswater... otherwise you would have lost a couple of Singaporeans hahaha :)

On a different note, we also had a chance to watch "We Will Rock You" the musical LIVE at the Dominion Theater! The musical was great in general but being an Ops person, I couldn't help but notice the awesome effects (with 8 movable LED Screens) and the crystal clear sound and the whole aesthetic of it. I also couldn't help but think that one day we'll be able to incorporate such excellent world-class standards for the glory of God in His church. After all, that's where the best of the best is supposed to to be, the house of God... One day... soon... :)

On Sunday, we returned to the Dominion theater but this time at 10:30AM for the Hillsong London service. The glitz and the lights and the glamour strangely familiar, I couldn't help but think to the service in Singapore that had just finished (London is 8 hours behind so our 5PM service finished at 9AM London time) and wishing I was there back home soaking in the great atmosphere on the great service that just happened. Truly, nothing is like Heart of God Church, and I think once you've been away you really, really, REALLY feel what you miss...

Well, last but not least, before we headed home to sunny Singapore (London was freezing and temperatures went as low as -2, colder than most Autumns) we made one final fantastic stop... a couple of us had the privilege of watching an Arsenal vs. Tottenham Spurs game LIVE at the Emirates Stadium! :) 

That night I officially became a soccer fan! haha :o) I even bought myself a shirt for Strike It! this coming weekend! :) I finally understood why people watched soccer! :) It was madness! The weather was freezing (and I had to sit on my hands to keep them warm) but everyone was screaming! And we were sitting right above the Tottenham fans, so when we were about to leave the guards even had to tell us to keep all our Arsenal stuff to make sure we don't get into a fight! Haha! :) Madness! But it was tons of fun! :) I soaked in the atmosphere and tuning out the swearing thought that it would be great to one day have a stadium of our own filled with 60,000 people as energetic and passionate praising God... 

I was cheering for Arsenal and was considering to support them but I want to be clear that I do not consider my team because I can't believe they got so complacent and allowed the Spurs to catch up from a 4-2 lead!!! :(

So that's what's been happening over the last few weeks! It's been exciting and fun, tiring and stressful, but at the end of the day all worth it :) I just love being a part of Heart of God Church, I love God, I love my Pastors and I love my life. :)

time flies by... but it's not over yet.

It's been more than a month since I've posted, so I just wanted to review what's been happening because time flies by so fast and things can just go by in a jiffy...

First of all, I can't believe Ivan's in army already. See you in 2 weeks man...

School's started for everyone and to those taking major exams, I know you guys are studying hard, so wishing you well. To JO, Mong, Megan, Lauren, Shihan, Henry, Eugene, Gwen, Yijin and all those who are still as committed as ever to God, I know that God is honoring you putting Him first. I am wishing you all the best in your exams.

The church has hit pass 1,100. On to 1,400. It will happen. It's going to be awesome. As each day passes, we are making history.

The year is almost coming to a close. A lot of things we were thinking about in terms of church calendar are unbelievably over already. AE, AI, School Seminar, June Holidays, countless speakers and even the South African Ambassador to Singapore, H.E. Zanele Makina has come already. Yet, somehow I get the feeling that the best is still to come for this year.

In terms of growing, it's the same. Looking back at the year, I asked God to grow me in wisdom, faith, and love. He has undoubtedly done that, but somehow I know it isn't over yet, that the last stretch will be the most exciting. But the biggest things do not lie in the events that are coming up. The biggest things have come in the unexpected days, and so they will continue to do so for the rest of 2008. 

It's going to be exciting. I can't wait.

What a Week

It is quite amazing what can happen in a short amount of time.

FOP was great - Friday night in particular. It felt so much like home. But yet, it was really the beginnings of leadership. Hail to the ushers who took the whole East section by themselves!

It's really amazing how the vision for the year is coming to pass so vividly in every aspect of the church. All this was God. All this was Him opening doors. Grow in Stature. Favour with God and favour with men.

One thing... the Indoor Stadium didn't really seem that big. It wasn't intimidating or daunting like I thought it would be. In fact, not with any arrogance, it felt quite small. We could definitely do a hall like that. We could run it but more than that, I feel we could fill it - with an atmosphere of worship and prayer that will fill the halls of our church for years to come.

Lastly, had the privilege of meeting Parachute Band. They were absolutely anointed and amazing at FOP, but more than that, they're very nice people. Omega, Al, Sam, Simon, Reese, Jeff, Matt, and Mark - I will be looking forward to seeing you again sometime.

Sam (Drums), Simon (Electric), Omega (Vocals / Acoustic), Al (Keys), Reese (Bass)

A lot has happened. And that's just one week.

There's much more to come.

Love God, Love People, Love Life.

meet my sis

Since we're in the season of spiritual adoption, this is a good a time as any to introduce you to my sis... meet Yonina.

I don't think we look much alike (though some people have said we do - ?? :S )  She 2 years and 9 months older than me and stands towering above me at 5'11" (1.80 meters) and sports orange-pink-purple hair (she says she might change it to blue in a month or two).

Aside from the striking physical differences, we're also quite different in many other ways. Though we have our fair share of what we are capable of doing, she is known for her writing and her creative side. She's a writer, layout artist, editor, animator, and many other things. Despite the fact that you can hear her a mile away (she is louder than me if you can imagine that) she likes to sit at Starbucks for hours devouring books of all sorts.

She's stopping by Singapore on Friday before she heads back to Manila. There's a chance she might come to church. I think it'll be quite amazing if she does. We used to attend church together when we were little and we even went to a Christian school, but she has not experienced anything like Heart of God Church. She'll definitely be blown away. 

Seeing in the 4th Dimension... :)

Time Passes Fast

I just had to post about this.

I got a message from a friend in the Philippines that she just got engaged to another friend. Two things - they're getting married on the 21st of November 2009, one day before my 25th birthday, AND I've known Charles since I was like 13! Time passes so quickly. (Congratulations Charles & Kaye)

It's not just that, I was looking at some people's blogs and friendster accounts and I realized, the kids I used to teach Vacation Bible School to when they were Primary 1 are now in university!

I also, realize, that it's been more than 3 years since I've been in Singapore and almost 3 years since I've been in Heart of God Church! That's almost the length of my secondary school life, which at the time felt like it was taking forever to finish. 

It really is true that time flies by. Before you know it the things that you once talked about as current affairs become part of history (the airplanes crashing into the Twin Towers happened 7 years ago!), the people you thought you knew so intimately have grown up and changed, and the decisions that we made have led us down a path we never imagined we'd be in.

Time passes quickly so the little things in life matter. Every choice made, every word spoken, every moment spent.

I Am Under Authority

Yesterday's service was great.

Authority, Order, Function, Blessing.

It all made sense.

We must first be people under the right authority established by God for our lives. That brings order which allows for function. Only after that does blessing come.

That affirms what we've been doing all these years.

That affirms HoGC 2.0.

No one will refuse blessing, but yet so many people refuse authority.

No one will refuse blessing, but yet they do not like order and processes.

In order to be a person of authority, one must first be under authority.

Make me and the things that I do a channel of blessing.

It's Been a While

I realized how long I haven't blogged when Hong Bin told me at dinner today that my blog hasn't been updated in ages. Considering Hong Bin's been in C1 for like a few weeks, that's definitely not a good sign. hahaha... :)

By the way... this is Hong Bin (thank you Henry for having all the pics on your blog for easy access) He is known for the tail at the back of his head. *grin* and the fact that his favorite color is pink. :o)

In case you didn't know... he's also a very good chef. He cooked for Roy's birthday! Unfortunately, I wasn't upstairs for the celebration and I didn't get to taste the food because I was helping out with Academic Excellence.

Okay, C1 & C3 seems to have a lot of good chefs. I knew long ago that if we wanted to bond, we gotta just keep on eating. Haha. :) But seriously, I still can't get over Charite's award-wining prawns with cheese! And today, Agnetta showed baking prowess with an Oreo Cheesecake that is hands down better than the one at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf! Happy Birthday Roy!

On Saturday it was Shihan's birthday and today it's Si Hui's so Happy Birthday guys! :o)

AE was just awesome today. Felicia blogged about study rule and Henry blogged about Pastor How's whole message on how going to school is about the training of our mind. We are different because we have the ability to progress and because of that we can be all that we want to be. This is true freedom.

John 8:32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

In any case, this week was awesome. Right guys?

I love my God.

I love my Pastors. 

I love HoGC.

I love my life.

Happy Birthdays, etc.

Okay, so I just realized a gazillion people just had their birthdays or are about to!

  Belated happy birthday Winifred! Cherie! Fedora! Sabrina! K'Matt!

  Happy birthday Cheryl Ng!

  Advanced happy birthday to Vanessa Han! Noni! Weihao! Jiaxin! Isabel! Denise!

Other than that, just had some things on my mind...

  Alvin, come out of confinement soon! Saw your email, we will never pang-seh you!

  Mong, have a great next 2 days of exams! 4th Dimension! 

  Yong Hui & Koon Yew, get some sleep before school starts...

  Garrett, may reservist pass by quickly!

  Yilun, enjoy one last week before reservist :)

  Darren, time to go back to camp... don't worry, just a little bit more

  Fifi, praying for your surveys :) Faith & Success!

  Dawn... come for LONDON! It's going to be absolutely fantastic! :)

I think random rambling tends to come alive at this time of the night...