| Closure |
[Jan. 6th, 2010|08:34 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  hopeful | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Seek Ye First - Don Moen | ] |
Finally found time and the right mood to start blogging. In fact I was contemplating if I should close down this blog. And find another avenue to slot my thoughts. But I have yet to find the apt place/thing, so meanwhile it shall still be here.
So, yes, it's been long and many things have come and go. First off, Camp Koinonia from the 15th to 19th of December. My first camp since Ordinary teen, EXTRAordinary God. Indeed it was an eye-opener for me. The first day, excited yet afraid, how will I grow spiritually from the camp. Found myself in group ESTHER with like-minded Christians. Through the 5days of camp, we learnt far too much for me to pen down. For those who do not know, Koinonia means 'Fellowship' in Greek. The 4 messages ( by Rev Jack Sin, Rev Tan Eng Boo & Rev Robert Chew ) revealed to us what true fellowship is, and what it should be about. The discussion after every message left us with more insights, and made me ponder on how I've been treating certain people, and also how I should look at things with different perspectives. True fellowship requires a relationship with God, and requires us to put others before self. Instantly I thought of how self-centered and selfish I was, never really considering what others think or feel. I really thank God for the camp - especially for the special group of people in ESTHER - that taught me how winning is not always the best way out, that as long as we all enjoyed, we all bonded, we can still be proud of our achievements. The most memorable thing during camp this year, for most of us, was the fellowship dinner. The best test to see whether we could put what we have learnt into action - to give our dinner to someone else. Initially all of us were complaining, but slowly we understood the real meaning behind it. After leaving camp Koinonia 2009, I reflected and turned to thank God for so many things I previously overlooked. Thank God for the friends I got even closer to after camp, for the good weather during games, for the countless things He has blessed me with, for the good things as well as the bad, for moulding me into the person I am right now, for family and friends who stay by me, but most importantly, I thank God for being the pillar of strength, and for that assurance when I feel like crashing. 1 John 1:5b-7 says "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
On the 20th December 2009, I celebrated my 16th birthday with a few close friends. And I'm glad they could come. It was pretty memorable. Thank you Shermaine, Leexin, Small Sarah, Huishan, Gabriel, Ruijie, Wenya. And thank you Jezreel even though you couldn't make it in the end. A big thank you to Khoo Huishan for the birthday email, it means so much to me to have a friend like you.
I was officially 16 on the 23rd December 2009! To celebrate my special day, Magdalene the awesome best friend came to stayover. Well it was quite imprompto considering I asked a few days before. But I'm really happy you could make it, and make my birthday as long as it could last. Ala Carte buffet birthday dinner @ Tung lok with Mag & my family was smashing cos' she ate more than she usually did! And shopping at Parkway Parade altogether to digest our food was great as well. Rushing Christmas cards and watching John Tucker Must Die together, having a good laugh until 12am, tiptoeing down the stairs, not daring to go down to the kitchen to get food even though we were hungry cos' we were both afraid of crawlies, spamming pictures at 1am, personal heart talks until 3am until my sister fell asleep ( that sleeeepy girl ), taking pictures & trying to keep silent under the dim light at 4am, and finally falling asleep at 4+ made me a happy girl. Thank you for making my 16th so unforgettable. Like we said the other day, we can say things to one another we know we'd never dare to tell people cos people might think we're crazy, I guess that's what makes us truly best friends :)
And now, for the Japan trip! Far too many things to summarize, so I'll just leave you with a few things. It wasn't a time of shopping or indulging in the festive mood, but a time for our family to take a breather and bond. And that's exactly what we did. Experiencing snow together, jittering in the freezing weather, had more than enough of Mt Fuji, the beautiful snow-capped mountain, had our fair share of Disneyland, gasping at the all too beautiful Tokyo Tower, definitely too much good food, and so I'll miss the place. Spent New Year's day there and on the plane while pondering on my resolutions. I don't think I'll type it here, but I'll try to keep them. I ended my year on a happy note in Nagoya, Japan, experiencing snow. And I believe 2010 will be better than anything else, because God will watch me through every little thing I choose to do. For that, I'm eternally grateful.
What I thank God for in Year 2009
1) Watching and keeping me safe.
2) Guiding me through O levels.
3) Helping me be consistent in Quiet Time.
4) Good memories and the bad.
5) Forgiving the times when I choose to look away.
6) Never giving up on me.
7) Guiding me back on track at times when I feel so lost and discouraged.
.. And so many more. Sometimes when we all feel we're so discouraged and there's no hope, let's all look to God and thank Him for putting us in this predicament, for if He puts you there, He knows that's best for you, and He knows the remedy to the problem. God never put problems too hard for us to solve, so let's not give up hope! |
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peppermintdays's journal
thankful
