to be blogging again..

a whirlwind of events over the past week left so much emotions within me that i found it easier not to blog about these things. keeping them hidden from the public's eye seemed to be a preferred choice.

but time to break the silence i guess =) i see how much i can share...

1)

Flight  Date   Destination  ETD      ETA

NH1051  15MAY   HNL-NRT     1040hrs  1410hrs on 16MAY

NH 901  16MAY   NRT-SIN     1730hrs  2340hrs

Yes, I have booked my return ticket! I am leaving one day after my exams. The decision to return early was a hard one even though necessary. It came after Grace and the current vcf exco fixed the dates for the exco retreat on 19 - 22 May.

Yes that implied I have decided to serve again in vcf exco for my 4th year. I will share more about why I decide to do so in another post. After I return to Singapore, there will be Exco Retreat, LPC (Leadership Planning Camp), Church Camp, Teaching Attachment... possibly a Japan trip? (highly unlikely...)

My time in Hawaii suddenly felt really short after I booked the return ticket. 5 weeks and counting down! My chapter here is ending... What is left undone? I am actually content with what I have already accomplished and experienced here. recently there was the submarine trip which was really COOL!~

Looking ahead, there might be a Maui trip over a weekend, a 3day 2 night retreat at north shore, possibly hand gliding, a Farewell Party for all my exchange friends, a evangelistic BBQ by IV next Friday and studying for exams!

2)
I had been skyping with my friend who went back to Japan. Each time we talked, we shared rather deep things. I guess it is the trust we have built between us especially after what happened to her. It is really cool to have a Japanese older sister haha!

For a person who don't have counseling training, i just shared honestly and share the wisdom I gained from the bible. What do you tell a person who lost her sister and is still finding it difficult to move on?

I pointed to hope in Christ. many ppl try to occupy themselves with work, friends, activities as part of the healing. so that seemed a great option to tell her. but i told her to be honest with herself and to find God for comfort instead... Please pray for divine peace and revelation for her.

3)
She is one of the 3 japanese non-Christians that I feel are so close knowing the Lord (even though the Lord is not far from anyone so u can't compare). They have the gospel shared. They understood the bible studies I presented. They have seen the lives of Christians and fellowship around them. Yet, it is difficult for them to believe because of their Japanese background (i am not putting them down in anyway). they grew up having their understanding of deities shaped by the nature around them. the idea of one Almighty Sovereign God is foreign and tied to western missionaries and colonialism.

I was greatly humbled. my first time encountering this. which one of us in Singapore holds on so tightly to our cultural roots? not so in the younger generation.. this culture thing is a big issue here in Hawaii and Japan. there are mixed views on the approach too and that's driving me nuts to realise things can be SO COMPLICATED as I read stuff online.

May God's light shine through the darkness and illuminate our path to Him.. beyond theology and understanding, what makes God so real is our daily encounter with Him. keep praying...