The church that burned down in KL.

The Metro Tabernacle Church in KL was burned down on 7th January. Although it is not the church involved in overturning a ban on the use of the word "Allah", it was burned down. 

Today's speaker Rev Collin Hurt is from KL, a missionary from the UK to Malaysia. He loves Malaysia. The message was on the Lord of Tsabaoth. I learned much on this name of GOD.

I was very unhappy on Friday afternoon with regard to some matters at work. Mad enough to resign. I didn't sleep well and I was woken up by a message tone at 1am as I slowly drifted off to sleep. The night was spent tossing and turning until the wee hours of the morning. I got up and started thinking about where to go. I have been looking for a church wondering who will eventually bury me should anything happen. I still cannot find one pastor who can bury me. haha.

I decided to go attend BBTC. I felt I needed to sing out my frustrations and this church is good for singing. I met Bonita online and I chatted with her and it was good to be able to catch up. 

The first song was difficult to sing. "Our God is an awesome God!" I just stood and swallow my tears.

Rev Hurt shared about GOD the Lord of host of angels, host of the cosmic and host of humans. He shared how God can use the elements of the weather to win a battle. And how he can use 300 soldiers in Gideon's army to defeat the Assyrians. 

Rev Hurt went on to talk about Metro Tabernacle church. GOD fought for them. The church has for many years bought a piece of property but for some reasons the land authority of KL did not approve and slowed the process of possessing the property. With this incident, the process has expedited. They will be going into this building next Sunday. Not only that the Prime Minister of Malaysia also gave them 500000 ringgit and another authority gave another 100000. The Lord not only gave them the property but also provided them with money to survive. Is not God the Lord of Tsabaoth? 


Indeed the Lord of host will protect us and He will fight for us. So with that I left the service giving God the battle I am to fight. 

I hear anger I hear revenge I hear hatred, tremendous hatred

What does anger sound like? It sounds like this "I am so hurt! I am not remorseful!" Sometimes anger doesn't really shout out loud. Sometimes anger is silence when it is brewing in the inner soul. Then anger turns cold and darkens the countenance. 

Revenge is loud! It is red! It is revolting! And extremely tiring when you have to scheme how to get back, not get even. Revenge is getting back! Never getting even.

Hatred is black. Very dark with explosions of flashing lightning across a very cold wintry night. How stark!

This week, I sat with a student, doing nothing more than listening to a full display of anger, hatred and revenge. 

He got me thinking about spending time with my loved ones. You see, he craves for love from his parents. And all he got was money. He used all the money to buy branded stuff so no one will look down on him because he felt like a nobody. But I did tell him that even so after buying the branded goods and putting on him, he is still not happy! He told me that he knew that. All he wanted was for his parents to spend time with him. Nothing else.

I sat alone last night thinking about my conversation with my student. I prayed for him. I prayed that God will give him the courage to change for the better and the faith to believe that God has never forsaken him. I prayed with him yesterday afternoon in the midst of a very busy lunch crowd. And I prayed that he will know that Jesus has been carrying him on His shoulders even though there is only one set of footprints on the beach. 

After talking to him I called the mother. She didn't believe her son needed her attention. She told me that her son is a drama king. My heart went so cold upon that thought. I told her to take her son seriously. Although I am disappointed with her reply even after meeting her and her husband earlier in the day to discuss about their son, I sure hope she will change her mind soon. If you will, please pray for this family. They badly need to communicate with each other.

Spending time with our loved ones should be of top priority! I am so glad that I have already decided to spend time with my nieces this weekend. So today, we went to mum's grave after I brought a group of students to do service in the National Neuroscience Institute at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. We quickly went shopping for the ingredients to make our chocolate chip cookies. Tiffany and Theodora helped me prepare the dry ingredients and then we started creaming the butter and sugar. And then finally we bake it in the oven. When the first batch of cookies were removed from the oven, we could not wait to sink our teeth into them. And Theodora, like a true chef, approved with a strong nod that the cookies were yummilicious! And Tiffany just quietly chopped away the cookies before her eyes making sure we didn't notice she was reaching for another one. 


We had fun today. My siblings have great parenting skills. They spend time with their children and encouraged them to get to know dad and I. Almost all weekends were spent with my dad. The children also learn to love dad and I over the years. Yes, the children, are more like brothers and sisters than cousins. And this is very heart warming. On occasional holidays, Richard's children will go to Rebecca's for sleepovers. My nephews will also volunteer to stay with dad when I am out of town. I am grateful to my siblings for the willingness to make time for dad and I so we can bond as a family.

I realized that it is important to make time with our children. Therefore I always try to spend time with my own godsons too. No matter how busy I am, I try to eat a meal a week with them if not one of them. I am most grateful that Joshua always makes time for me and always grateful that Melvin will make time despite his busy schedules. So I thank God for my god-family.

If you are guilty of not spending time with your children or your parents today, you should stop what you are doing and just go say Hi! It is better than leaving those we love and those who love us wondering if they knew they ever mater in our lives. 

From next week on, I shall make an attempt to sit and listen to my student. It will zap a lot of energy from me. But if this is going to bring a little light into his very dark and vengeful world, I don't mind listening. 


The week ahead is going to be doubly busy and crazy as I welcome the new Pre U 1 students. And I hope no one takes Geography!


May God bless your week ahead.

Almost a month in the school

It is close to a month at the new school. I am adjusting rather well. The work is more challenging because many things have got to start from zero. I have to plan how I want the CAS program to run and how to monitor who do what and when. So doing the admin part is fun. I sent groups of students out to get acquainted with the community and all of them enjoyed themselves. Some got lost trying to get there, one Korean student left half way and totally caused the organization to be rather upset and some were caught in the rain. Some groups brought flowers, some hand made paper lanterns and cookies. But most of all they brought joy to the residents of the homes they visited. 

I also managed to get a mini exhibition going. I invited World Vision and quite a few signed up to be Young Ambassadors. Beyond services was here too and were just impressed by how sympathetic the students were. 

There was much going on in the school when the results of IGCSE were out. Some did well and some will have to transfer themselves somewhere else. 

Today I had the opportunity to relief a Sec 2 class. And I walked in and found the class rather dirty and with many missing students. I made all of them stand up to wait for the latecomers. Eventually about 5 minutes past eleven forty, 3 boys came in unsuspectingly. I blasted the three. there were 2 Koreans and 1 Thai. The Thai boy was smiling so I told him to remain in that smiling position throughout my time scolding them. He couldn't even smile for long because to maintain a smile for more than 5 minutes will look rather funny. But the other 2 boys got a earful of me talking about Korean culture not teaching time. Of course they apologised. Another 5 minutes later 3 girls came in and walked in nonchalantly. I yelled at them to stop and stand near the door. And then I went to blas each one in their own language. The girl from Hong Kong was scolded in Cantonese. The Korean girl, well, I must thank the Korean Dramas I watched in Korean language.I used Korean to ask her to leave for Seoul and to stay away from Singapore. The Korean girl was very defiant although she is a tiny girl. She was so stumped for words she just bowed and apologized. I could not scold the other girl because she is a Vietnamese. The Hong Kong girl was down in her luck. She also wore purple contact lenses. I asked her in cantonese why here eyes are so different. She apologized in cantonese and promised me she will change her lenses. She did.

The discipline in some classes are really challenging. But both Samuel and I are learning a lot about these kids.

Take for instance a student I spotted in a class. She was really neat and tidy but when she opens her mouth to talk, she can really offend. The behavioural problems escalated over the weeks and I decided to call the mother. After talking to the mother I realized the problems displayed stemmed right from the home. The poor child was crying for some time to spend with a parent, any parent. But all they could give her was money. I felt really sorry for the child.
So one month in the school and I am still walking into the classroom. I am exhausted!But I am having fun.

Living with God's perspective in mind!

Bible study has started for us for two weeks already. This year's Precept class has increased from 26 of us to close to 50. Almost doubled. The new members that joined us was not the only interesting thing for the class every Saturday for the next 2 Saturdays. We have a new trainer Mei. I don't quite enjoy her lesson on the first day because she reminded me that I am in a primary school and she asked rhetorical questions with chorus answers. To the pedagog, this is no no!

The new friends we have are also interesting because they just completed their own series of bible study. The group is called the BSF. I heard that this group of people are very studious and to join the group there is a long queue. As a result, if you don't do your homework for more than a certain number of times, you cannot join the group again. Hahaha. I will not be able to make it and don't intend to.


Mei told us that we have to study this first part of Revelation for 18 months and another 18 months for Revelation 2. Both Bee Yen and I will try our very best to work on the materials. We hope to finish the three years journey learning more about God and His second coming.

Those who read, hear and heed the words in the Book of Revelation will be blessed. So every Saturday we will not just read, hear and do the homework, we will heed. The introduction to the book of Revelation was already good.

Revelation in greek is Apokalupsis. It means to uncover or unveil. This implied something is hidden behind or under the cover or veil. What is God about to uncover? Don't know yet.
But the speed at which God will uncover will be fast. SOON in Rev 1:3 is not about the near future. The original greek text tells us that soon is about speed, it is quick, fast moving. Thus in English we think it is near future, happening any time soon. But SOON here refers to speed. So God will not be coming in the near future but He will come suddenly, without any warning...

To put the whole issue in God's perspective means that the Second Coming is not soon (near future) but suddenly. How will this change how we wait upon the Lord. In the past we look for signs, and say that this is fulfilled and that is fulfilled but...where is Christ and God? Near future? Aha...but it is SOON (greek soon)! Suddenly. It makes me wanna to live even more carefully because it is not about what signs are fulfilled alone but it is about how I should live my life everyday for Him if suddenly is now the issue. Do I make sense? I hope so.

But let's not just look at the when or the signs. Let's look at the author of this book. John the beloved disciple of Jesus who wrote the book of John. He was the only one alive by AD 95. The first to be martryed was Stephen, stoned by Saul who later called Paul. Then there was James who was beheaded, Peter was crucified upside down and Paul was beheaded. John witnessed all these killings and he was spared. Actually he was not spared.


He was on the island of Patmos when he was asked to write the book of Revelation. The ruler of that time (cannot remember, no history student!) dipped John in hot oil before sending him to the prison in Patmos. He must be in so much pain and yet he decided on the Lord's day to worship God. Imagine...blisters all over, pain and discomfort all over and he still worshipped the Lord!

So how come he was in so much joy although so much pain and suffering? What was it that all these disciples hang on to that let them say that "they count it ALL joy to fall into trials and tempations!" 

Because they have God's perspective of things to come. Because they witnessed the reality of Christ their Saviour. 

John knew that Christ will come again. He witnessed it with his own eyes and Jesus appeared to him after He resurrected. Jesus already told John he would not die until Jesus come for him. So John's life was spared. God wants to reveal to John the things to come and He wants John to write them down.

Do you live with God's perspective in mind? Can you see His perspective for you? God and Christ will come suddenly and what will THEY find me doing? 

Three weeks in the new school!

Welcome to the new year and to my HP boys the first week of a new adventure for all of them. I was reminded this morning by a student from my new school that I have not been making any blog entries. I think they are very curious about what I am going to write about them. And I am sure many of my ex students want to know more about what is happening in this new school.

I have been super busy and therefore extremely tired and sometimes too tired to sleep at all. The mind just cannot rest from all the things that are not in placed so I can work. I realized that my previous school has made me kind of like a vegetable. I just don't need to do a lot of things and have been rather complacent in my thinking. It feels so good to be rejuvenated again with a new lease of brain life, if you understand what I mean. My brain jump-started slowly but I hope eventually I can fully utilize this faculty.

First day of school was always unnerving for me. Don't know what to expect. But I got up early and started to read Proverbs 4. Equipping myself with the word and with God's promises, I entered the staffroom. I was late because dad did not send me to school as it is his day off. I had to enter the hall and be introduced before all the students of the entire school. I felt a little uncomfortable and I believed my form class was not too please to have me. One has already done his homework and was told I was nasty and terrible. His friends wished him "Good Luck!"

I stepped into my Sec 4 Geography class and the class size is small. To my horror, the students were not at all good with Geography. They complained to me about their previous teacher and my horror intensified. Till today, I am stupefied by how irresponsible my predecessor was. Not only did he not teach, he didn't even prepare them for an international exam this year. But I have assured them that I will make sure they do reasonably well if they work with me. Perhaps the 4 years in the school made them rather jaded about the whole experience but a few of them were ready to work right from the start. 

My second year students in IB, in senior high was just as bad. The same irresponsible teacher taught the class and they did nothing except study the core and they taught each other. If you ask me how come this teacher stayed for more than a year, well, I can only ask why did the students allow him to do that to them. There was no protest, completely no ownership of their own learning. So it was their fault too. When I teach and check the thinking of my students under my charge, I found many concepts were not clear, many techniques wrong. So my learning curve went straight up and bent backwards to the left.

Immediately in the first week, my ex boys were online to find out how I was doing. I told them I have been learning more and more about the students and myself. Both my colleagues and I who left to join the school actually found that many things we heard about the students were not very accurate. I found that the students in my new school can be reasoned with and they are actually bored. They are waiting for someone to come and challenge their thinking and be treated with respect. Of course there are many who talked in the most rude manner and are point blank blunt and to these I return the same tone and same look. That did not sit well with them and I just totally walked away from unreasonable students. 

Some thought I was not the staff of the school. Today one student that was using the room I booked even called me random because I scolded his rude friend who yelled at my colleague rudely. I shouted at him and told him to stand up and he did stand straight up. I even wiped off the dirty look he gave and polished him till he shone like the noon day sun. Later he came to apologise to me. He said he didn't know I am a teacher. I told him that any one more senior than him should never be treated the way he treated me and that he should be respectful of the lady or man who cleans the toilet for him too. To that he nodded. So in some ways, it is true there are spoilt brats. But these brats can learn. 

I have this habit of eating with my form class and that day we ordered economical rice. I bought them fruits. A student came to me and told me that he could not eat. He said he would throw up. I told him I wanted him to finish the entire packet and he had to show me the box. Even if he has to vomit into it, I wanted to see it. He finished the rice, and he didn't throw up. But he is cute. Very intelligent, just plain childish. 

Thank God for my class. They really work hard at bringing the class together. They are not so intense in their studies and almost all the time they just want to spend more time playing. Strangely not many of them are into online games. Most of them sleep early, around 10 pm. I was shocked. I sleep around midnight or beyond midnight most of the time. They are having it easy but I will soon change things. They will have to work very hard and harder over the two years with me. 

This entire week, I had to run my CAS program for IB students in the school. Since I head the faculty I have to put in place a system to monitor the students as well as their mentors so I can protect my students in the program from any mishpas, or unfair treatment. I worked very hard for the past weeks and my colleague was kind to give me time to work on it. You see, I also oversee the Geography department at the same time. I did up something simple and manageable for now for my other Geography teacher. I got her the resources she needs to teach and taught her how she should be teaching. Very soon, I will be going to her classes to observe her. This has always been something I like to do...helping and learning from another teacher. 

It was my IB students who went online to check me out. They found me singing at Orchard Road and they found my blog. I don't know what they think of me. But I certainly was impressed with the kind of passion they put into working in the community. I was so moved today when I saw the Chinese girls from China bringing flowers to a nursing home in Woodlands. Another group of girls from Indonesia and Thailand and China too, made them lanterns. The boys...bought them biscuits. 

In this group there is a Cambodian. He reminded me of a student I used to teach but this one I met is so upright. He will go a long way because his intentions came right from the heart to help the poor. 

I invited some three NGOs to put up an exhibition for my IB students and Beyond services was pleasantly surprised by the response of students who want to help the poor. To many of these students, this is the first time anything like that has been organized for them. 

I thank God for all these experiences. I didn't know what to do for this week but He brought everything together. Before I went to speak to all these students, I prayed that God will lead me. I asked Joshua to pray that I have wisdom and that God will shine. 

The most amazing thing was these students stayed and listened to me throughout the day. Normally, they will skip the sessions and go home. But I let them off for tomorrow because they have indeed done well to show me they mean business.

Mr Tooh, my CEO and principal of the school began with the right note for the school this year. He told everyone in the assembly that the school is to help each other learn, if anyone of them cannot help make it a learning environment or the school cannot make them become better learners, we will ask them to leave. Excellent axiom indeed! 

I do miss my HP boys and the familiar sights of them. I also know that if I return to the tower block, it will be different this year. They have all gone over to the other side. I will still have to miss them. This way is better, I know we have both move on! Now,  I have a new group of students to work with. Each morning, I spend at least 15 minutes getting to know my form class.  I have started to get my foreign students to read to me. The best part of the whole experience for the last three weeks are my colleagues.

For the first time in so many years, other than working in the tower block with just the 4 of us, I feel at ease in the staffroom. My new colleagues speak softly and we are always working and talking about how to teach this and that. Ida, the other geography teacher with me is very encouraging. She told me on my second week in the school that she wanted to drop me a note to tell me how good it was to work with me. She said I have a good heart and am very honest. I thanked her for the encouragement and I really like working with her. We share our thoughts about our students and work. I like that. I have been yearning to work in this kind of environment where teachers don't compete with each other but learn from each other instead.

My new colleagues who have just joined the school with me are also great. I know 3 who are Christians and we pray for our students. One of the new teachers was my ex trainee. I used to train him in doing service learning projects. He was glad to see me. But I was overjoyed. Then there is another colleague I call perky. She is the best person to meet every morning because she comes in with so much spunk and joy. Then there is another colleague who would go down the aisle and greet all of us seated there. He is quite funny. A very chubby fella. But brilliant in his work.

To all my HP boys: I am doing fine. How are all of you doing? I wish all of you well. Come by and come up and say Hi when I see you in the canteen. We will meet again and I expect Yong Xiang, Bill and Blim to round up the class for meals too. Don't forget the bond we have as a class and as a department. Never forget the values we share and stay strong for each other. Dont' forget you have each other to hang on too. And keep the yahoo group alive and well. Have a great year...

To all my new students: Thank you for trying to adjust to me. It can be difficult to work with me. And I am demanding. But hang in there for the ride. Shouldn't be too tough if you work hard.

To my project pipit group: Miss all of you. Have dinner soon k. And You are always so special! Hang in there and let's not let other things distract us from our goals!

Dear God

I don't know why I am in the school. But I know this: That as long as YOU are with me, I will be safe. Please protect me and grant me wisdom as I serve YOU. Thank you for my colleagues and for their desire to be better teachers. Thank you for my students. Each and every one of them are special. Keep them safe and keep them strong. May they all come and know how good You are! Please go before me each day. Thank you for speaking everyday to remind me of who YOU are and what YOU can do if we hand everything over to YOU.

Amen



This video is about Randy Pausch. He passed on in July 2009. This speech is short and worthwhile viewing. May I share this with you as you begin your year!