photos~

a view in Christchurch

Kaikoura

seals in Kaikoura

Kaikoura

another Kaikoura shot

a hint of glory

faint glimpse of the moon

TGIF~

I dun think I've done more than what I've done before. It's puzzling how drained I've become over small little things. Time to slow down? It's so hard to watch everyone around u keep going. Time and tide waits for no one. It's been feeling like "nothing waits for anyone", and I seemed to have been left behind. Perhaps it's time to withdraw and detach.

I wonder if it's because i "forgot" Sabbath. After a good 2 days of rest after getting back from Welly last week, I mindlessly, unconsciously, arranged for a meeting on Sunday. When homegroup ppl asked, what happened to sabbath? My jaw dropped. I forgot! How could I? and for that, I dragged 5 other ppl into this with me. I did feel convicted abt it, asked for forgiveness and promised never to do this again; but lurking at the back of my mind, i wondered why wasn't I convicted enough to call it off?

Isaiah 56:1-2
"This is what the Lord says:
'Maintain justice and do what is right,
for my salvation is close at hand
and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
Blessed is the man who does this,
the man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil."

Isaiah 58:13 -14
"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you pleases
or speaking idle words,
then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the Lord has spoken."

I've been longing for the weekend since Monday~

I am seeing more clearly that it's no longer about how I survive but it's about how my gracious God pulls me through. 2 assignments thus far, the new people, the cooking for today... It's been an awesome night really~ God was really faithful in providing enough food and there was good mingling between the different people that came. We're not sure how many will come back, how many will come to know Christ through us, but we pray that for each of them that we've been given an opportunity to serve in His love, that God will continue to work in their hearts wherever they go.

My flat still smells like Kimchi~ *inhale* really thank God for the awesome lovely team of people He's put alongside me to serve Him together. Makes everything enjoyable! U guys rock!

thank God for weekends!!!! =) =) =)

last "1st day" in Otago

i am very good at tiring myself out.

it's only the first day back at uni and i'm already quite drained. and i'm not even officially enrolled in any papers!

hmmmm.

had an interesting conversation with a friend. i'm amazed by his drivenness just from a desire to have an established career so that he can build a family. we talked abt being tired from studying... yet his goal is good enough motivation for him to press on and reach out for the stars. me? longing for a simpler life, a smaller community reaching out to those that knows Him not. my bunch of stars are different i guess.

am i ready to give up the world?

perhaps. perhaps not.

i can't have both eh?

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." -Colossians 3:1-2

what is in a room?

"what is in a name? a rose by any other name would smell as sweet..."

i've been approached to give up Evison Lounge for OCF's Friday meetings.

1.5 yrs ago, I wouldn't think it would have made too much of a difference. In fact, I had asked for a smaller room, we're only abt 6-7 ppl anyway.

But now...

I can't bear the thought of giving it up.

It's not my decision to make anyway.

Or is it?

Sigh.

in transition

As I took new international students ard town and campus these couple of days, I realised I've forgotten what it's like to be in a totally foreign place, not knowing anyone. Then it dawned upon me that I'm gonna be in that situation in less than 3 mths' time, and my stomach churned. The unfamiliarity, the differences, and not knowing much abt the way things are in the new environment... I'm not sure I'm ready for all that. I'm amazed at how Dunedin has grown on me without me realizing it. I couldn't imagine spending more than a year in Dunedin when I first arrived. 3.5 yrs later, this chilly, small student city has become my comfort zone. No doubt staying here can still potentially stretch me quite a bit, but seems like God is wanting to stretch me exponentially.

transition. I have an idea that life is never gonna be the same again, but I don't think I have begun to grasp the magnitude of how it's gonna change. 2 mths ain't very long. Time to wrap up and move forward.

I guess part of the reluctance to leave one's comfort zone is not knowing where one's headed to. Uncertainty causes anxiety. When God called Abraham to go, He didn't give him a destination. God's call was to God himself. It's not abt where he's headed to, it's abt following the One that has called, trusting that He will lead and guide ("Student power in world missions" by David M. Howard).

Nick said to me during conference that I need to repent of my idolatry of thinking that I'm holding it all together. I was slightly stunned. It's a rather subtle idolatry, but now that he's mentioned it, I recognize it. I can't hold it all together, only God can. I won't pretend I'm holding it all together, though often times I seem to be trying to. My feeble attempts could hardly hold anything together if God is not largely supporting me.

the longer i walked in this journey, the more i recognize this is not meant to be a solo journey. Even though i may be heading off alone physically, the importance of partnership in prayers can't be emphasized enough.

walk with me?

airport hiccups

I can't help thinking abt the airport hiccups yest. Someone suggested maybe I'm not meant to be back in Dud so early. it's tempting. I could have caught "Woman in Black" in Welly if i stayed just one more day. and possibly another bubble tea. the green tea one wasn't very satisfying. better stick to taro, d all time favourite.

but i did start to reflect on all the airport hiccups i've had. even the ones i didn't have. Stacy (I hope I got her name right) was flown to London, and then back to LA before she finally came over to Auckland. She's from Michigan. I rmb the long long trip just to get to Taiwan. Very adrenaline filled journey, being "stranded" alone in Bangkok overnight, and then stucked in a bad traffic jam the morn I was gonna fly. and there was yest. Looking back, I realised how I haven't been as calm as I would have liked myself to be. Things are gonna turn out alright anyway. Trust God, why worry? Mrs Lee's sentence still pops up every now and then like a magic phrase: "What's the worse thing that can happen?". And it is only through all the hiccups that I'm learning to be more and more reliant on my God. If He wants me there, He will get me there.

It's never gonna be easy-sailing. Life is too boring that way. But of course, it's more than just that. It's a spiritual war we're in, there's lots going on in the unseen. Whatever it is, dun let it crush ur spirit, dun let it get u down.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7

This is another stepping stone in preparation for the Japanese adventure that awaits! =)

Home Sweet Home~

yay! so thankful to be back in Dunedin. never thought that cold freezing Dud would be so welcoming. sans bags even. My God is awesome! =) they're sending my lost bags right to my doorstep tmr.

it was supposed to be a holiday before conference. I'm not sure if it was a real holiday, but then again, I doubt I understand what "holiday" really means anymore. Anyhow, it's through the roller coaster ride I had that I knew God was right there holding my hand, and indeed He's watching over me.

2.5 weeks. I can't believe how much had happened in these 2.5 weeks. Often we drag our feet through the mundane, for days, weeks, months and we wonder when life will take a sharp turn and we're on the exciting ride with God we all hear so much abt. Perhaps our naked eyes can't detect the unseen work of God day by day, but maybe all we need is to trust in the God who has called us into this partnership with Him, knowing by faith that He is at work?

You must be wondering what happened in the past 2.5 weeks? I dunno where to start. How abt a good cuppa? ;p