Testimony 27/05/06: Winter Camp '05

Just came back from OCF Winter Camp! It was surely awesome! I like the messages. They were about the crossing of the Jordan River from the book of Joshua. And man… I love the cell! We bonded very well, we learned hard and played hard. We made the book of Job as a movie-trailer in the talent night with the OHP projector as the lighting! So cool! So novel! I acted as the devil, hahaha!! With two horns and stuff.

This might be my last Winter Camp in OCF. After 6 years seeing people come and go, I can’t believe it is my turn to leave! It is surely hard. But this camp has left me with such a high note on OCF. It is the place for me to celebrate and cry, to fall and grow. Will miss OCF so dearly. But well… friends are friends forever if the Lord’s the Lord of them! “May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.” (Genesis 31:49).

Testimony 24/06/05: God Has A Plan

Ever wonder why we are where we are? Surrounded by selected people? At this time and age? Well… I do. Esther did too.

She was orphaned. From the comfort of her family, she was removed to live with her uncle, Mordecai. She didn’t understand why. Then she was called to live in a palace as the king looked for a bride. Again she was plucked out of her comfort zone and lived in a secluded tower, alone with her attendants. She didn’t know why.

But even as though she didn’t understand, it doesn’t mean that God did not have a plan for her. For God used her to save the Jew from massacre! “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14).

When I was in high school, I planned to live back home in Indonesia. But my country went to turmoil and I moved to Singapore. I didn’t understand why. When I couldn’t get into the local school because of the system, I moved to Australia. I didn’t get why. I thought I wanted to settle down in Australia, but now I am moving to China.

Even though I don’t understand why, I learn to know that it doesn’t mean God does not have a plan for me. I don’t know what’s ahead of me, I don’t even know what is after China. But one thing for sure, His plan is to prosper me, to give me hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Testimony 20/06/05: Soon I'll Be Praising Again

It has been a difficult 9 months for me and especially taxing emotionally for the past week. But God is good and I find comfort in Him. Indeed His grace is sufficient for me, His strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9).

Psalm 42 (MSG)
8Then GOD promises to love me all day,
sing songs all through the night!
My life is God's prayer.

9Sometimes I ask God, my rock-solid God,
"Why did you let me down?
Why am I walking around in tears,
harassed by enemies?"
10They're out for the kill, these
tormentors with their obscenities,
Taunting day after day,
"Where is this God of yours?"

11Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God--
soon I'll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face.
He's my God.

Testimony 17/06/05: He's Big Yet So Tender

When things don't go the way we wanted them to be, sometimes we wonder if God knows what we are going through. Sometimes I wonder if God is mighty enough too save me... or is He too BIG to notice this small human being living in the universe. Well... this is what God showed me in the Bible.

Job 38 (MSG)
8And who took charge of the ocean
when it gushed forth like a baby from the womb?
9That was me! I wrapped it in soft clouds,
and tucked it in safely at night.
10Then I made a playpen for it,
a strong playpen so it couldn't run loose,
11And said, "Stay here, this is your place.
Your wild tantrums are confined to this place.'

Job 39 (MSG)
1Do you know the month when mountain goats give birth?
Have you ever watched a doe bear her fawn?
2Do you know how many months she is pregnant?
Do you know the season of her delivery,
3when she crouches down and drops her offspring?
4Her young ones flourish and are soon on their own;
they leave and don't come back.

My God is BIG enough to carry the ocean when it was born and craddled it in His arms. Yet He is tender enough to attend the delivery of a fawn in the dark and quiet forest. Blessed be the name of the LORD!

Facts 12/06/05: Do You Know?

Few tricky questions I got from the lifetrax at church... Try to answer them yourself before you see the answer, okay?

01) How long did the Hundred Years War last?
02) Which country makes Panama hats?
03) From whih animal do we get catgut?
04) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
05) What is the camel's hair brush made off?

06) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?
07) What was King George VI's first name?
08) What colour is a purple finch?
09) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
10) What is the colour of the black box in a commercial airplane?


Answers...
01) 116 years
02) Equador
03) Horse and sheep
04) November
05) Squirel
06) Dog
07) Albert
08) Crimson
09) New Zealand
10) Orange

Facts 30/05/05: Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum

Spent a few hours in this extraordinary place in Surfers Paradise! These were some interesting facts I learned.

In the past, Chinese women who have small feet were considered pretty. Do you know what is the ideal size? A mere 8 cm!

In the past, camel bladder is used to transport spices in the middle east because it is resilient, durable and withstand excessive heat.

The longest nose? 7.5 inch! Owned by Thomas Wedders.

What about heaviest man? 1400 pounds! By Walter Hudson (1987).

Do you know that a shark has several brains? One to control the nose, one for the eyes, one for mouth...

Shark's eyes are so similar to human's that they can be used for cornea transplant!

The jaw is the only bone in a shark. The rest of the structure is made of cartilage.

Even it was though the greatest creature ever lived on earth, a mamoth only have 4 teeth!

Serious maths:
*Multiply the number of your brothers by two
*Add three
*Multiply by five
*Add the number of your sister
*Multiply by ten
*Add the number of living grandparents
*Substract 150
And...
*The 1st digit is the number of your brothers
*The 2nd digit is the number of your sister
*The 3rd digit is the number of your living grandparents

Testimony 30/05 - 8/06/05: Gold Coast

I went to Gold Coast from 30 May to 8 June. It was AWESOME!! The beach is very clean, the water is as clear as glass and the food is yummy! I swam in the ocean, I learned how to surf, went Sea World and Movie World! I shared room with great people: Akiko and Mama Jo! At the end of my 10-day holiday, I didn't want to go home! Hahaha!

God is so good. I remembered calling Daniel Kong about the weather forecast while in Gold Coast. He told me the weather for the next 5 days and it was like cloudy, shower, shower, sunny, cloudy. And I was like... "What? God, I come to Gold Coast because Melbourne is getting cold. I come here to get some warmth and just to be with You." And I prayed for God to give me good weather while I was there and let the rain just pour in the sea. And hey! God heard my prayer day by day. The weather was good all the way! It was hot by 9 or 10 AM! I remembered particularly, that on Sunday it was cloudy. I continued praying in my heart for good weather. We were going for boat riding. And guess what! The sky cleared! I could see clouds in front of me, behind me and on the sides. The clouds encircled us.. but never closed in! Above us was nothing! It really just rained in the ocean. It didn't rain at all except at night while I was sleeping (to help me sleep better I supposed) and on my last evening which did not affect my activities at all! Praise God! He cares even about li'l things in life... all the more about the BIG things in our life! Amen!