Strangers In This World.
Have been really occupied with various events so I haven't been able to update for a while. :/ I've had YF camp as well as Cherith Cambodia mission trip over the last two weeks, and they have been such amazing experiences. :)
YF camp was themed "Strangers in this World", about how Christians ought to behave in this world, towards the community. One lesson that I will definitely remember for a while is about perseverance and endurance. As Christians, we will face persecution because we are set apart from the rest. Trials are inevitable. It is during such difficult times that we must persevere for God, and to stay strong in our faith in Him to the very end. Endurance is what is commendable in God's eyes.
"For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God." - 1 Peter 2:19 Our actions will reflect the God which we worship. Different religions have different ideas of "holiness", and these are all reflected in their behaviour. Do we reflect the God that we worship? Jesus has been given to us as the perfect example, suffering under persecution and physical pain, even to the point of death, and still remaining blameless and faithful. Being our example, we should follow in Jesus' footsteps, that we should persevere and endure even through hardships, if it is for God. Then when we meet our Maker again will He say, "Well done, my faithful servant."
Of course, this is easier said than done. Anyone can say that they'll persevere, but when times of hardship really do come, that is when our true colours will appear, and no one truly knows what these colours are. In other words:
it is what fills that spills. During times of hardship, do we and our actions still reflect that God is in our heart? Or do we instead turn to other worldly things to get support? Hence it is always important to self-reflect, and to make sure that our walk with God remains strong, and our faith in Him never weakens. Only when we lead a consistent life with God, will we be able to remain steadfast in Him in times of darkness and trouble.
A couple of photos from the YF camp:
The snail we almost stepped on haha.
Morning devotion :)
Chalet cat! The cutest thing. :)
Crazy Austin pretending to be Thor hahaha.
Internal boy band!
My two favourite girls :)
Group photo!
Moving on, Cambodia mission trip was from 11-16 Dec, and it was truly an eye-opening experience. What really struck me most was the standard of living there, and how even though their community was so backward, all the children there were so satisfied and happy with whatever little they have. They're so bright, always smiling and playing their simple games (such as jumping over a string of rubber bands without touching it), and also really self-disciplined, willing and eager to learn. It struck me how so many of us are so dissatisfied with all that we have, even though what we have is so much more than these Cambodians. I realised that "satisfaction" and "happiness" are a matter of perspective. If we can accept all the blessings we have and be thankful for them, we can truly be satisfied even when we lack something which many others may have.
The facilities that we used in Cambodia were much better than most of us expected. The hotel was lovely, and the food we ate was amazing. Ate so much while we were there (rather than having much less to eat as expected) that even my mum said I grew fatter when we arrived back in Singapore. The people in Cambodia were so hospitable and took care of us so well and with so much sincerity. :) It really warms my heart to see all of them caring for us - strangers. All the lessons and parties we planned also turned out to be very smooth and without many hiccups, and it was such a strong reminder that God is with us even when things are uncertain. So many of us were panicking about what would happen because so many things were unconfirmed even on the day of departure. But God was for us, and who then can be against us? He guided us through every single step, and brought us through the whole mission trip smoothly. It was great meeting Pastor Chin Ho, Pastor Pak Soon, and even Sarah, a girl who came to Cherith a decade ago! The atmosphere throughout the whole trip was so amazing and strong, together with the whole group of brothers and sisters in Christ.
This was my very first mission trip, and I am really thankful that I got to spend it with this bunch of people, and also for the amazing experience. One of the main things I learnt: we may not see the good that we're doing, but God has planned everything out, and what we are doing will definitely lead to something even greater in His time. I'm glad that Team Cherith was able to set a foundation in the two schools we went to for Shalom to reach out to in the future. :)
Came back to Singapore yesterday, only to learn the devastating news about the Connecticut school shootings. Such an ugly world this is, with people killing the innocent, and even children. It isn't the first time that something like this has happened, and I pray that the American government will take action against all these happenings, to change and tighten the firearms laws so that less of these incidents will occur in the future. And I pray that the families of the 20 children and 6 teachers will have His peace in their hearts, and be rest assured that the overall Judge will bring divine justice upon them in due time.
VOTD:
"Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:13 (ESV)
Strangers In This World.
Have been really occupied with various events so I haven't been able to update for a while. :/ I've had YF camp as well as Cherith Cambodia mission trip over the last two weeks, and they have been such amazing experiences. :)
YF camp was themed "Strangers in this World", about how Christians ought to behave in this world, towards the community. One lesson that I will definitely remember for a while is about perseverance and endurance. As Christians, we will face persecution because we are set apart from the rest. Trials are inevitable. It is during such difficult times that we must persevere for God, and to stay strong in our faith in Him to the very end. Endurance is what is commendable in God's eyes.
"For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God." - 1 Peter 2:19 Our actions will reflect the God which we worship. Different religions have different ideas of "holiness", and these are all reflected in their behaviour. Do we reflect the God that we worship? Jesus has been given to us as the perfect example, suffering under persecution and physical pain, even to the point of death, and still remaining blameless and faithful. Being our example, we should follow in Jesus' footsteps, that we should persevere and endure even through hardships, if it is for God. Then when we meet our Maker again will He say, "Well done, my faithful servant."
Of course, this is easier said than done. Anyone can say that they'll persevere, but when times of hardship really do come, that is when our true colours will appear, and no one truly knows what these colours are. In other words:
it is what fills that spills. During times of hardship, do we and our actions still reflect that God is in our heart? Or do we instead turn to other worldly things to get support? Hence it is always important to self-reflect, and to make sure that our walk with God remains strong, and our faith in Him never weakens. Only when we lead a consistent life with God, will we be able to remain steadfast in Him in times of darkness and trouble.
A couple of photos from the YF camp:
The snail we almost stepped on haha.
Morning devotion :)
Chalet cat! The cutest thing. :)
Crazy Austin pretending to be Thor hahaha.
Internal boy band!
My two favourite girls :)
Group photo!
Moving on, Cambodia mission trip was from 11-16 Dec, and it was truly an eye-opening experience. What really struck me most was the standard of living there, and how even though their community was so backward, all the children there were so satisfied and happy with whatever little they have. They're so bright, always smiling and playing their simple games (such as jumping over a string of rubber bands without touching it), and also really self-disciplined, willing and eager to learn. It struck me how so many of us are so dissatisfied with all that we have, even though what we have is so much more than these Cambodians. I realised that "satisfaction" and "happiness" are a matter of perspective. If we can accept all the blessings we have and be thankful for them, we can truly be satisfied even when we lack something which many others may have.
The facilities that we used in Cambodia were much better than most of us expected. The hotel was lovely, and the food we ate was amazing. Ate so much while we were there (rather than having much less to eat as expected) that even my mum said I grew fatter when we arrived back in Singapore. The people in Cambodia were so hospitable and took care of us so well and with so much sincerity. :) It really warms my heart to see all of them caring for us - strangers. All the lessons and parties we planned also turned out to be very smooth and without many hiccups, and it was such a strong reminder that God is with us even when things are uncertain. So many of us were panicking about what would happen because so many things were unconfirmed even on the day of departure. But God was for us, and who then can be against us? He guided us through every single step, and brought us through the whole mission trip smoothly. It was great meeting Pastor Chin Ho, Pastor Pak Soon, and even Sarah, a girl who came to Cherith a decade ago! The atmosphere throughout the whole trip was so amazing and strong, together with the whole group of brothers and sisters in Christ.
This was my very first mission trip, and I am really thankful that I got to spend it with this bunch of people, and also for the amazing experience. One of the main things I learnt: we may not see the good that we're doing, but God has planned everything out, and what we are doing will definitely lead to something even greater in His time. I'm glad that Team Cherith was able to set a foundation in the two schools we went to for Shalom to reach out to in the future. :)
Came back to Singapore yesterday, only to learn the devastating news about the Connecticut school shootings. Such an ugly world this is, with people killing the innocent, and even children. It isn't the first time that something like this has happened, and I pray that the American government will take action against all these happenings, to change and tighten the firearms laws so that less of these incidents will occur in the future. And I pray that the families of the 20 children and 6 teachers will have His peace in their hearts, and be rest assured that the overall Judge will bring divine justice upon them in due time.
VOTD:
"Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:13 (ESV)
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