Things that I learnt

Some things i have learnt =)

It was a great time exploring new ministries this past couple of months, namely sports and missions. It is a follow-through of what I learnt in sports council for my previous job and carrying on exploring what it can do for God's kingdom. Fantastic. Tot it ties in nicely with mission and youth work that I hope to major in for His kingdom purposes

Abt sports ministry
There is a whole range of spectrum that one can be involved from being a mere spectator to an athlete. A lot of churches worldwide focuses on the organising of events which is effective and is a good outreach tool to get our friends to come as well but there is little work done with athletes whose identity and life is closely associated with their sporting career and achivements. It was encouraging to see bros n sis came all e way from mongolia, east timor and hawaii just to gather here and learn abt how to start sports ministry.

For me personally, it was an eye-opener to see what my bros n sisters in Christ are doing in their churches, heard so many testimonies of faith and sacrifice that they have lived out for Christ, how narrow-minded and humbled I am, will think 'highly' of myself and the previous adult group i was in, think there has been a breakthrough and renewal in understanding. 'Worldly success', 'lofty' n 'compelling' vision might count for something but it is one's life and character, faith in Christ lived out in our own personal and public life that matters most.
God looks at the heart, not the outward appearance.

Abt missions
Commitment to mission work is definitely an extension of what one is already doing in the local church and requires in the long haul, commitment, cultural sensitivity, love and burden for the lost. One interesting eg I learnt from the go forth conference is that it is so easy for us sporeans to go to foreign lands with the mentality of 'impacting lives' and go with 'what we know of' or 'experts', getting ourselves prepared so well but it does not happen that way. The instructor brings out the example that there was this sporean who has prepared five extensive sermons before he goes out into the fields but ended up having to come up with other things in mind becos of wrong context. All one needs is the Bible, a pen and blank pieces of paper and allow the Holy Spirit to give you ideas how to minister to the people. What an interesting anecdote!

I feel a sense of fulfilment running the army half marathon on 24 August despite very little training. It was nice to run a new route, marina barrage and capturing the scenic views of the new spore waterfront. I was reminded much of God's faithfulness in my life all these years, the times of struggles and how He picked me up n spurred me on. my pledge is to run army half n stanchart for many years to come as a testimony to Him. It will be great to get others to run along as well =) For now, it is stanchart 42km and sufficient training leading to 7 Dec! hope to improve on my timing

I find myself stretched in my course of work, direct work with juvenile deliquents, do feel tired, drained but yet deep down, do feel a sense of fulfilment and purpose despite the low pay and limited remuneration benefits. I feel meaningful and doing my part to help in those complicated cases, direct interface work with the juvenile court, other workers, family and school settings. Where to prioritise my efforts and whom I can turn to for help and assistance. Sometimes, I feel like the role of an 'investigator' and a 'parent', spell out clearly the consequences for these youngsters, if not we will take action if they were to break the law. It enriches my life experiences as I hear their own stories and how they ended up here. I will keep going till God calls me elsewhere, the experiences gained here will be of great help in church planting or helping out as a counselor at hope centre next time =)

hope to do my part to make our home here, a place where one belongs, is accepted and it is a state of being marked by safety, calmness, happiness and contentment. It is a major plus in our restorative and rehab efforts in getting the children to change and be equipped to get on with their lives when they are discharged from here.

I rejoice with my peers as we witnessed spore breaks the medal drought at the olympics. It was a hard fought battle won by our 'sporeans' but do hope to see our natives up there at the podium. Having someone who is born here, goes through the system, the taste of success is much more than importing foreign talent and converting them to spore citizenship

I learnt much from the courting couple workshop that was held at jeremy n joel's house. I am a newbie in this area, first time in a relationship =) and there is just so much to learn and grow. One important thing I learnt about is giving each other the space and time to grow. It is so vital that each of us should make the effort to seek for His call in our personal lives. There is no such thing or the need to be the 'same' in everything as a couple cos it is two very unique individuals coming together. I am reminded of how important it is to communicate in the courtship phase, learning to verbalise our expectations and be guided by wisdom and principles from the Word in resolving conflicts. I guess there is only so much textbook knowledge we can learn but at the end of the day, one will need to go through the storms to understand what does it mean. It seems that the key is one's desire and commitment to the relationship, to want to work things out, to improve and grow the r/p. I pray that mine will be in accordance with His Will, not my will, if she is the one for me, that this partnership will turn out fruitful

I hope to continue to serve and give in the new adults group, NG6. It is a time to re-learn everything and grow. Hope to know my other bros n sisters well in other units too. Believe can learn much from their lives. Encouraged by the efforts taken by robert and yuanjie in organising the men's ministry. Thought last sat's outing was a gd time of sharing and catching up with one another's lives, a depart from the dota sessions in the past

Heard that my SDL, jianming, tieing the knots on 27Sep, hope to be there to witness =)

I hope that arsenal can do better, buy more players which is not possible anymore but will support the team!