GPS

We had a wonderful time at Eumandi markets on Sat (28 sept). On our way there, I got caught up with Alvin’s GPS. Not a tech-gear fanatic, so I was trying to figure out how to use it and set the DIRECTION to Eumundi market.
What captures me more is our personal directions in life. Like the GPS- without it, can we find our way to our intended destination? In reality, can we manage without being directed? Just imagine being alone in a desert, are we able to find a way to shelter, food and water and survive that experience? GPS surely would help. We have among many our family, our friends and the Special One to guide. To say the least, we don’t have to walk our journey in life alone.

The message in church today is crystal clear- give up (let it not be the focus) your material possessions, use your talents(God given gift/s) and follow Him. As written in Luke 9:23- He said to all of them, "Those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses every day, and follow me." The hardest lesson for me would be to say no to the thing I want. It also leads us to following Him wholeheartedly, so back to GPS whether it’s a God-Pursuing Service, being in God’s Positioning System or being Godly Purpose-Streamed, I can’t do it alone… there’s where our fellowship with our friends are also important.

For a start, we would like to do life together, as a group with the other gender’s interest in mind (yes, as a form of sacrifice- give up the thing I want). Being in Brisbane provides great opportunities for this, e.g.,

29 Sept- Eumundi Market-window shopping at the weekend markets
6 Oct- Montville- wine appreciation, scenic views, nature appreciation and picnic.
13 Oct- Bribie Island- fishing, bbqs
20 Oct- Frisbee, captain’s ball
27 Oct- Mt Tamborine

Anyone keen?

The ups and downs of living in Brizzy

The city of Brisbane is full of ups and downs. On route to Uni from our home are a number of slopes, some of which would knock the wind out of your sails quite abit. There are quite a number of cyclists who use the path, and you can spot who are the stronger ones as they push their way up 45-degree angled slopes. But oh, what a feeling it must be when free-wheeling down the other side! Pedestrians like us have to watch our backs when we're going down the other side of the slope, otherwise we'll be bowled over like ninepins by an elated freewheeling biker.

Life here has been mostly smooth, though of course trials do present themselves at every opportunity. But as my dear (that's right, that's what 'MD' stands for) has shared, this has been a time of reflection and remembering what our purpose here is. I just came out of a busy two weeks, not knowing how I managed to do all that and deliver a presentation on Saturday... it was strength from ELSEWHERE (hint: see first entry).

The people I meet in school never fail to tell me how 'lucky' I am that I have my husband here with me to study, but I don't think so. I believe I am blessed. We have really managed to spend quality time with each other and also with the One who lives in our hearts. I remember just before I left, I met a friend who had been living n Paris with his wife for a year or so; he gave me a friendly heads-up to be prepared for the challenges that will come from spending time with your other half 24/7.

Joerg and I have our separate postgrad offices in buildings next to each other, and usually we spend the full day there, but will ping each other on g-talk when it's time for lunch. Lunch is usually strictly an hour at our favourite spot - the BEL rooftop cafe - and most of the time Norman joins us as well. It's our 'happy hour' of sorts. We spend so much of our time together, so of course there's been ups and downs, and we don't necessarily agree on every little detail (e.g., "Dear I know that the pizza bread is marked down to $1, but we already have 3 more packs at home..."), but I've been learning about give and take, alot. 1 Corinthians 13 - that famous passage about love... that was the passage we chose for our wedding. I came back to it recently and found a deeper meaning to it. God, I need that kind of love! Let me not kid myself by thinking that I have got it all right.

Ups and downs? For sure there's been challenges- to top it off, the trials are happening simultaneously both here and back at home in Sg. It's a good reminder that we can't be in control of everything, and that we can trust God who sees all, to see us through. That surrender- it does bring peace with it. Because it's true: what can we add by worrying? If you can worry, you can pray. The latter's better. And everytime that miracle you prayed for happens, it just strengthens your faith that much more. We believe in a God of miracles!

It's always at the back of my mind, that our time here is short... last Saturday marked our third month since we stepped into Brisbane, which means we have 9 months left. Don't know what other challenges are headed our way, but with each other and our Heavenly Father to cling to, I know that there will always be a 'freewheeling' time that comes with each trial.

Mission ISpossible

I told people I believe in what I'm doing here. I believe that I have a mission here to fulfill..... In the many days ofstruggle, I've been feeling so inadequate to complete my daily tasks. Then one day, I collected a book from the library entitled:

The second page I flipped to was really out of this world, simply just what I needed to know and keep reminding myself why I'm here in Brisbane, especially with this mission to study and read about character.........








How can we forget? The very reason for our existence- to fulfill a God given purpose.

Not for Got

just

for God

Blessed journey :)

The Greatest Gift

I once asked my favourite class to write a journal on the greatest gift in their life. Being 15, most of them of prefer the tangible handphones, PSPs, LV bag. Few would have written on the intangible eg mother’s love, as the greatest gift they want. What’s the world teaching our kids and us? What’s the greatest gift you want to receive then? No price for guessing what’s mine- it’s really receiving the eternal gift that’s the greatest for me. Yes, admittedly there are many precious things in our life and we want to take possession of them all. Back home in Singapore, people talked about having the 5Cs (Car, Condo, Cash, Credit card & Country club) I’m not surprised that we have yet another C’s and make up for the new generation.

Well, the point is what are we seeking in life? As I mentioned in my previous entry, we do have a God given purpose in life. So along the way, there are many distractions which disoriented us. It’s so true especially in the midst of the ‘busy’ (Being Under Satan’s Yoke) lifestyle, we lose track of what’s more essential. Now that I have settled in this corner of Brisbane, I do have more time and space to reflect. More time to watch the world go by J So glad that I don’t have to rush through things I usually would. In reality, is it possible to stay calm and do things seamlessly without feeling the stress?

Most importantly, in the midst of our busyness to fulfill our purpose, we may neglect the Author of life who paved the way, the people who encouraged you, and supported you. Well, at times like these, do take a step back, slow down and be thankful. Yes be thankful for what we have, be contented. I believe all of us need this little reminder, stay contented even if you could have wanted ‘more’. God bless you!

All nature speaks...

[Lisa writes]

Well it's Saturday - the 15th day of spring, 26 degrees is the weather, clear and sunny. And what am I doing? Working on a presentation for next Saturday's School of Education postgrad conference. The others have gone fishing. Sigh... why do I do this to myself?

Been at it for a couple of hours now, time to take a break. I realise that we haven't posted many pictures of the place, and some of you might be wondering what we see over here. Last Saturday we went with our godparents and friends over to Stradbroke Island, so above is a snapshot of what it looks like. Beautiful! (By the way, this picture was taken with the Nokia N73.)

I remember when we were doing a Bible study on 'How to hear the voice of God' by Joyce Meyer with our small group in Singapore (hello Salmon Run!), one of the ways to hear God that we learned about, was while being in nature settings. I think that describes me... when I see the natural beauty of nature, I can't help but pray in my heart to say, "Wow God, that's lovely. You're awesome!" On my weekly morning trips to the university campus at Ipswich (a 40-minute train ride from where we stay), I've had the opportunity to see some wild wallabies and kangaroos lounging around in the grassy areas (unfortunately I also saw one dead kangaroo near the tracks), and I can't help but think our God is such a creative God. I mean, who else would have thought of designing such interesting creatures?

I think I'll always remember this year's Hillsong conference in Sydney, the session by Louie Giglio when he shared about the M51 galaxy, otherwise known as the whirlpool galaxy (it's the first picture in our blog). He shared about how all nature speaks of the glory of God, even up to the heavens. That's written in the book of Psalms. And we never thought further into this even though we've come across the verse before, until Louie pointed us to the picture of the M51 galaxy. What do you see? Without a doubt, it is the image of Jesus on the Cross (this has also been called the cross galaxy). We don't know much about space and the galaxies, but we know enough, from astrologers and other scientists, that these are very very old, and earth is just one tiny little ball in one of the many galaxies out there. Way back in time, God already knew what He would do, that He would send His Son to this little ball located in the far reaches of space, and live among the humans there. And He imprinted this in the M51 galaxy. Take a look for yourself! "All heaven declares..." Praise God.

If you want to hear a little bit more about our indescribable God and the message by Louie Giglio that night, you'll find it on Youtube (what isn't, really?!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV1ZpSMHIQw Click and be blessed! :)

Directions in Life

[Joerg writes]

I'm back with my 2nd entry- coz my wife types really fast and has good Queen's english, and she's Bristish you know? Hence already one-up. Tried writing a more philosophical entry, but my love mentioned it's not 'you'! What's a typical Joerg then? Aiyah, wah lah, ok lor, can also, then hor sounds like me? People ever mentioned I'm a warm person (don't laugh!), I think people see me as a serious person if I don't smile- some say 'tau'. Honestly, I'm just happy to be able to enjoy this sabbatical in this relaxing part of Brisbane.

This is my younger niece- WeiXuan

At this time, Bee & Jason are heading back to Sg from their 10-day pilgrimage to Brisbane. Yes, they longed for the places where they once had their 'lomatic' adventures. So good to have them here, just feel uneasy seeing them spend so much on us. aka blessings :)

Back to this study thing that's stressing me. I sometimes ask myself, am I able to handle the job/duty given to me even if I dislike the given task? What if you have to suffer humiliation and even death for a cause that you are called for? The tasks we have maynot be life and death, probably not earth-shattering or as powerful as William Wiberforce (fought for the abolishment of slave trade) etc. We do have a purpose, as Rick Warren will put it a God given purpose. How well are we handling our purpose? Well, I just want to remind myself (& you!), that what Jesus did on the Cross is a good encouragement for us to fulfil our purpose and destiny. I don't see anyone liking death to be his/her fulfilment of purpose in life.

I enjoyed my 2 years plus in Greenridge Sec. School. It's awesome teaching the class from 4T1 in 2006. I always remember telling that they can imagine themselves running a marathon, and they are finishing the race soon (taking GCE N-levels). I mentioned that it's not how well they start the race, it's how well they finish the race. That's a really important life application for all of us.

As for me, I asked God during the church worship last week, to open my eyes to the things He wanted me to learn over the course of my research. I trust that He will empower me to do it, in His time. You too can fulfil the purpose that He has given to you, ask Him, He'll straighten the path for you. Go ahead!

The rules of freedom

[Lisa writes]

Supposed to be working on a presentation for late September, but it's close to dinner time and I can't concentrate... so let me just tap a few keystrokes as an appetizer.

Joerg and I have noticed one particular difference that stands out between the place we are now, and back home. It's just got me thinking about things. About freedom and legislation, choosing to do what is right vs doing right in order to avoid consequences.

Over here, like I mentioned in the previous post, there is a drought, and we are currently at a level 5 water restriction - 4-minute shower, no washing of cars, compulsory use of water tanks or alternative water sources, no sprinklers on the lawns (we have no lawns, no car, so no problem. Just the 4-minute shower, which I am proud to say, we enforce as much as possible... except when washing my hair, now limited to once in 2 days).

The point is, while there are all these notices and warnings about saving water, whether people actively choose to do so is really up to their own principle. It is not really a fear of fine or punishment, at least I don't think so, because there doesn't seem to be very heavy consequences, except for those who really go way beyond the 150litres per person per day.

Back at home the situation as you know is quite different. "Fine:$150." "Fine: $1000". Break the law, face a fine. Or face the courts. Almost guaranteed. So people choose to do right (or at least avoid breaking the law) because they want to avoid the punishment. No punishment, no crime!

Back to the water-saving thing, the people we know who actually practice it, do so because they believe it is important to save water. Even to their own inconvenience. It becomes a matter of principle, not of fear.

Thinking about choosing to do right in general, this kind of reflects where we are too, doesn't it? I reckon that's why when some of our young friends from home first experience life overseas, they are overwhelmed by the freedom that seems to exist, and may venture into things that they shouldn't. The important principles haven't been ingrained.

Even as Christians we're not immune to this... if the Bible doesn't say we can't do it, then we can, right? We lose the principles to obeying the consequences. If there's no law against it, then I can do it. Tis the way of the world... It's made me think about what principles I have, or are my actions determined entirely by what the consequences will be? Hm.

Ok, anyway I've had dinner now... this has become a post-dinner post. Back to work!

God bless, all!

PS. Here's a quick and dirty recipe for sweet and sour fish, which we just had for dinner, cooked by BB:
- get some crumbed fish fillets. Grill it for some time (under an hour)
- get some sweet chilli sauce.
- get some onions.
- saute the sweet chilli sauce and the onions.
- add some lime juice.*
- pour sauce over fish, do not saute fish with the sauce.
- serve.
*Actually what happened was that BB bought the wrong sauce. So we had to make up for the 'sour' bit.

Have a blast! :)

Random things I have learned so far

[Lisa writes]

A more frivolous entry from the previous... but here are some things we've learned as poor students during our 2 1/2 months in Brisbane.

1. You can cook mee goreng using spaghetti.

2. You can save water in many ways, e.g., pouring bathwater into the toilet cistern (Brisbane is having a drought).

3. At 6.15pm on weekdays, a stroll down to Coles supermarket at Toowong Village will bag you some great $1 deals... you just got to be patient while the sales lady goes around sticking the $1.00 labels. We've managed to settle our lunches and breakfasts (and sometimes desserts) just by sticking around!

4. You can walk 45 minutes one-way to and from University, and save $1.20 per trip, making it $2.40 per day, $12/pax or $24/2 pax over 5 days. Except if it rains. Which doesn't happen often in Brisbane.

5. As a postgraduate student, you can get the librarians to do just about anything for you!

6. If a person falls during a soccer game and injures his leg, don't EVER EVER EVER try to 'screw it back'. Otherwise, the person's bone will be splintered into 32 pieces. (Fact... from one of Joerg's soccer games)

7. DON'T ever step into a supermarket when you are hungry. Otherwise you come home with lots of snacks that will last you a few weeks. (Check out our full larder in the picture)

8. A 330-litre fridge can be made to store more than you think.

9. It IS possible to take a 4-minute shower once a day and not smell to high heaven! (in winter at least)

10. When you're away from home, it feels nice to come home and have dinner with friends every day.

strength for the day

[Joerg writes]

Greetings!

Welcome to our first post in our little corner of the web.

As we are not so tech-savvy and have always felt unequipped to embark on a daunting task like this, we've finally gotten our act together so that we can keep our family and friends updated in our daily walk and give praise to the Giver of life.

Strength for the day? We all need that, don't we? Ever wondered where you draw your strength from each and everyday? From the kaya toast? The nasi lemak? A cuppa? From the many exercise workouts and life experiences? Or from something more eternal?

We started an interesting journey here in Brisbane two and a half months ago. People have asked us, "Why are you doing this? Spending money that we don't have, to get a degree that is not likely to get you a pay-rise... are you crazy or what??" Many questions were unanswered. No finances, no scholarship (yet!), non-lucrative study investment, possible to study in S'pore.......... It's not easy for us to be back here studying- there are many challenges we encountered and will continue to face along the way.

Many things would have held us back and left us struggling for a solution in the short 2 months we have been here. It took us 5 weeks to finally find our own place, a roof over our heads complete with security, huge front verandah, swimming pool (10 metres long with salt water), and separate rooms with an ensuite.

I was confident with my previous experience here in 2002-2003, that we could a place within 2 weeks. We got rejected by agents/landlords 3 times.
We toured Brisbane looking for white goods. Fridge, washing machines etc In the process of helping us to move the fridge, godpa Bill hurt his back (he is ok now, thanks to Voltaren).
I had a little disagreement with my supervisor about the project I was doing.
There were delays in our enrolments, our overseas health cover.
We were struggling with the different church culture here and did not know which church to settle into.
Our partying neigbours talk loudly late late into the night (1-2am).

Yup, it felt like a battle out there over those 5 weeks. I really am glad that I'm not alone. There's Lisa, godparents (Bill and Shau), friends (Norman & Vania) plus new brothers and sisters in Christ, and the special One who's been looking after us. How awesome is that!

I'm studying harder than usual- more settled already. This study thing is driving me nuts- as you know I never was a studious person- that's where I find a challenge God wanted me to face. Out of the comfort of home- doing something, I believe to glorify His mighty name. I see Lisa working hard- reading and writing her literature reviews, on my part, I can't help but want to remind myself to fulfil my mission here.

I ask Him for strength for the day, and I hope you have a strength-filled day...not just with a cuppa but from the everlasting!

Till then, pleasant journey in your walk.



Joerg & Lisa