Revive Us Again

The week of 6-10 May is an exciting week. It marks the start of our very first Youth Evangelistic Meetings. Before Chiang Mai, the preparations for the meetings were extensive. From the writing, editing and publication of the tract to banners and organization. However, all that exhaustive preparation will come to nought if God's people do not labour in prayer.

Calling all BFC youths and the family of God, join us at 10 pm everynight for 10 mins until the meetings are over. You can always go beyond 10 mins. Let us plead with God in unison and humility of heart. Wherever you are, in the comforts of your home, doing your homework or taking a break, pray and interceed for the souls of our friends and love ones - that they would accept the invitation to these meetings and that power of the Holy Spirit would prevail. For those who are not sure how to go about doing it, you can use David's words in Psalm 85. Bring this prayer to the Lord, together with the names of your teenage friends whom you have been reaching out to. Above all, that the Lord will revive our hearts towards Him again.

"Restore us, O God of our salvation,

And cause Your anger toward us to cease.

Will You be angry with us forever?

Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?

Will You not revive us again,

That Your people may rejoice in You?

Show us Your mercy, LORD,

And grant us Your salvation."

Psalm 85: 4-7

Important! Please Read!

Calling all teenagers! There is a special series of meetings organized just for you.

To find out more, please proceed to our official "Remember Your Creator" Series Blog by clicking the link below the poster below:


http://www.rememberurcreatorseries.blogspot.com/
If you are interested, feel free to approach me...anytime, anywhere.

DJ Travel Adventures Unlimited

DJ Travel Adventures Unlimited specializes in Exotic Asian destinations. Set up in early May 2005, it is a loss-making organization [we are about a few hundred baht in the hole]. The company is run solely by donations. Interested parties, please email your bank account for an automatic giro deduction.

Company Philosophy

To extend the opportunities of great fun, fellowship and adventure experienced by DJ themselves to family and friends.

Destinations Arranged

Pulau Besar [trial run]

Chiang Mai [20-23 May]

Next Destination

Ha Noi - details totally unknown

Clients

Family and Friends

Day 1

At the airport

Left - At Madam Ian Vietnamese Restaurant

Right - KCC, Angelyn and YannHowe at Night Bazaar

DJ's Excited and Hungry Clients at Chiang Mai International Airport. Our clients followed the itinerary to a tee. They resisted the snacks to enjoy our first dinner buffet stop - Madam Ian Vietnamese Restaurant. All you can eat buffet for 90 baht [$3.50-$3.80]!! Vietnamese food = Fried-wrapped everything [from vegetable, to meat to bananas]. Yummy. Food was satisfactory but dirt cheap. Next stop = Night Bazaar at Chang Klang Road. Our Clients were given 1.5 hours to explore the many carts aligning the streets and yes, massage and all. Finally, we boarded the chartered van to our resort - Chang Dao Nest. Here, our clients showed their signs of anxiety as we move away from the city, the comfort and the shopping malls to the country, the rural and the primitive. This was cleverly disguised through singing, the cracking of a few jokes and falling asleep. Haha, the clients could not escape the perceptive eyes of DJ. Chang Dao Nest, here we come!

Clients were grouped into the following rooms:

Girls' Home - Kwan Chiao Chyi & Angelyn See

Boys' Home - Kwan Yan Howe and Darrell Tan

Home-Lee - Henry and Dawn Lee

DJ - Of course, Daniel and Joann

Day 2 [DJ Travel Adventure Unlimited Full-Day Tour [with much help from resort]]

After a yummy American breakfast at the resort, DJ and clients were all squashed up in a Song Theaw [Chiang Mai Taxi].

Visited local market - That is 'D' of DJ picking out oranges and some little buah-luku look alike fruits

Travelled up a hill to visit a 14th century burmese temple. View from hill is spectacular. Well, some curious clients 'gonged' the bell and that set a monk up the hill prematurely.

• Travelled to Kuo Min Tang village to see the town and enjoy our Hainanese Chicken Rice [25 baht = $1]
• Had an hour of 'hydrotheraphy' at the waterfall - luxury!
• Headed to hot spring for a dip - Hot! and had lunch there.
• Visited some hill tribes
• River Rafting
• Return to resort for gourmet dinner

Day 3 [DJ organized nature tour]

Before

After

Woke up for a time of personal devotion, worship service, sharing and prayer in the Boy's Home. Special 'speakers' - Jim Berg. Wonderful message. Stay tune for more details about message and how it spoke to 'J' of DJ. Armed with layers of insect repellent, sticks and rods, safari caps and trekking shoes, DJ and clients were off to trek the mountains. Check out the group before and after the trek. Gung Ho to Go Home! During the treacherous uphill trek through the wilderness, there were murmurings and threats of reporting DJ Travel Adventures Unlimited to CASE. Signs of unsatisfied customers were surfacing. Thanks to the quick thinking of DJ, they managed to pacify their clients and allow them to sooth the pumping hearts through very frequent rest and lychee breaks. Phew!

Check out the beautiful view from the mountain.

Please tag your reviews to help secure our bid for IPO in 2006. Thank you.

KCC - "DJ provides excellent service! it is the best!"

Lonely World- "Ermm...we have never heard of them"

English Downgrade

Dear reeders,

If you is as appalled as me hubbi towards the state of me English: those frequent Subject-Verb errors, preposition flops, msn language and even spelling mistakes...wonder no more! Simply spend 4 hours of your evenings for the next 7 days marking essays [euphemism for random pennings] written by true blue teenagers. I guarantee you a sure 100% English Downgrade. Or was that suppose to be 'gaurantee'?

In short, blame me students for me English errors you spot in this blog :))

A tribute to Godly Mothers and My Prayer

Proverbs 31

10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. 13 She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar. 15 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard. 17 She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night. 19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle. 20 She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet. 22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: 29 "Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all." 30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.

Hectic Weekend 7th-8th May

Walking along the corridors in school, I was greeted with unusual choruses of, "Did we fail our English?" "Cher, finished marking?" Thus armed with a noble and far-fetched ambition, I lugged home a truck load of exam papers. Alas, I have yet babysat them again. But it was a thoroughly enjoyable, blessed and tiring weekend.

Saturday
0800 - Sent Daniel off to Sembawang
1000 - Rest. Practiced songs for worship
1220 - Left for church
1400 - Wedding
1630 - Went to Shangri-La to pick up cake

1730 - Far East Flora to buy flowers
1900 - Junction 8 to buy card and dinner
2000 - Had dinner with Hubby
2030 - Went home to prepare flowers
2200 - Delivered flowers and cake to mommy
2400 - zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The pink ladies in the wedding chorale. Bride, Daphne and me.

I simply love weddings. Having the privilege to serve the Lord through singing is indeed a blessing. I was blessed by the songs chosen by the wedding couple.

My prayers for the newly-weds: That this is indeed the beginning of a journey together as a couple. A journey that will only bring them nearer to God as they help each other to fulfill their ministries within and out of church. That they would walk by faith and not by sight.

A home-made bouquet of purple tulips for me mommy and mom-in-law[For the record, rel, I no steal no idea of yours, bleah].

Prayer and thanksgiving: Dear Lord, I cannot thank you enough for my mommy. I think that you have specially chosen us for each other. I can't imagine having another daddy, another mommy or another sister. My plea is that we would all rejoice together in heaven. You are not willing that any should perish. I ask that you place a great and disturbing burden in my heart about my parent's salvation. That I would not rest but will persist and knock on your door until You choose to answer my prayer

Sunday

0800 - Picked Daniel up at Sembawang. Heavy downpour and guess what, wind screen wiper fell off like a cockroach antenna. Haha. Glad God kept me safe till I reached my destination.

0930 - Off to church

1000 - Worship Service

1130 - Mother's Day Service

1230 - Lunch

1430 - Special Speaker - Dr Diarra. I admit I was one of the skeptics but he came across as an intelligent and a down-to-earth doctor whom the Lord has used in His greater plan.

1630 - Went home

1800 - Mother's Day dinner - Ubin seafood

2000- A stroll

2200 - Knock out! zzzzzzz

My mom-in-law and presents from her sons and me.

DJ's Week-end Philosophy - This is not a natural philosophy but a reality which we experienced week after week. Weekends to me hubby and me are really not times of rest. They are really time spent in ministry and serving the Lord through worship and minstering to people. The more you try to fight for time to rest and seclude, the more frustrated you will be. Trust me. I have tried this to much avail. Never try to bring too much work home, it will only haunt you and not relieve you! In fact, weekdays are the best times to rest! If you don't believe me, try it.

Mother's Day and Dawn's Birthday

Mother's Day and Sister's ** Birthday. A two in one celebration - Daddy, Mummy, Sis, Brother in law, hubby and me. So...this is the talk of the town 'The Line'. Hmm...felt that for the exhorbitant price we paid, the lightning was too dim and the place far to noisy for a relaxing dinner. But the raw scallop truly packed a punch. Well, an experience nonetheless.

*Yum*Yum*Slurp*Slurp*

An encore? Think I will pass.

Dawn, Henry, Dan and Jo. Daddy and Mommy are camera shy. Sigh

Prayers for Daniel

Dear Lord,

• With the busy-ness of preparing for the state funeral this week, that he would be able to find solace to seek, study and be filled with Your Word.
• Lead him as he chooses songs for worship and chairs this sunday.
• Continue to filled him with Holy spirit as he finalizes the details for the Youth Evangelistic Meeting.
• Restore his strength and health as he recovers from his bout of flu.
• Lead him and keep him strong and healthy as he sees his patients everyday
• Give a good and undisturbed rest each night.

Prayer: Dear Lord, keep faithful in praying for my husband and help me to fully understand his work, in and out of church.

My Ponderings in Chiang Mai

How should a Christian respond to the bestowment of honor and reward? Should we shy away from it to remain humble and spotless from the world? Or should we be like Daniel and Joseph of the Old Testament who accepted their lot in life as part of God's larger plan and used their position to fulfill His great purpose?That was the tip of the iceberg of my thoughts as I spent my time in Chiang Mai. My instinctive natural reaction is to reject all semblence of honor and glory. It was a time of questioning, exercising of the mind and the searching of God's will in my life. But first, I had to align myself according to His word.

Where am I heading to or what do I hope to achieve out of my vocation as a teacher? Accepting this position would mean that I would not have a form class. Sigh...it is a great privilege to be a form teacher. I have always relished the opportunity. It was not often easy...it takes up much of your life and sometimes, the 'sins' of your classes are deemed as a result of your lack of guidance. But nevertheless, it was a clear avenue and wonderful opportunity to communicate and hopefully impart good values and reach out to the lost teenagers. In place of these responsibilities, a greater part of the time will deal with planning and organizing programs for the school at large. It was a struggle because I have always wanted to be at the ground. The change in job scope was a struggle for me.

Though this was my supposed barrier, the more important things I needed to consider was :

• Would taking this up affect my commitment to my family?
• Would taking this up affect my role as a wife to my husband and home?
• Would taking this up affect my ministry in church?

Thank God for His creation - Another view of Chiang Dao Nest. That's where I did my premlinary sorting of thoughts.

Final verdict: There was no resounding No or Yes. That made it all the more difficult for me to punch me fist in the air and say Amen! But it was a very peaceful conclusion - to follow where He leads and through the opportunities He gives. I feel that while I am aware of His leading, I cannot steer it. Just like drifting along the currents of the river. But all I know now is to be faithful with what He has given me and to continue to glorify Him in all that He has given me as long as my basic responsibilities are well covered.

16-20 March Holidays - Chiang Mai

With Opening Ceremony preparations hot on my heels, schedules, rehearsals, post mortems, prospectus - going off for a holiday did not seem to be much of a reprieve initially. But nevertheless, it gave me a real excuse to dump everything aside and just escape for a while.

I left for Chiang Mai feeling really pensive and thoughtful - not from OC but from an offer of a position in school. While it was universally deemed as good news (very good news in fact), I felt really apprehensive about taking up the offer. But that offer set me thinking about where the Lord was to lead me in the next few years. I had to realize what my role was and what it would mean. So it is with these searching questions, that I, my hubby and my dad and mom in law travelled up the road to Chang Dao, Chiang Mai.

Wednesday

Arrived at Chiang Mai at about 5 pm Thai time. Boarded a chartered van from Chiang Dao Nest (where we were staying). Before heading to our place of stay, we went to the famous Night Bazaar for food and night shopping. Amazing - things had the price tag of Bangkok but there was so little of the Bangkok pollution and crowd. Shopped and ate and shopped and ate.Went to a handicraft centre and saw very very beautiful sketches.

These pictures are mostly me cos everyone was just too lazy to pose for pictures or take them.

Me in the plane. Nice sky-high view.

The van and me hubby boarding it. 4 of us in a 10 seater van...pretty comfy.

Very realistic portraits by the talented Thai artists at Handicraft Centre.

Boarded the van again at 9:30 pm and headed to Chiang Dao Nest. Arrived at 11 pm. Wonderfully cool weather. Reminded me of Awana Genting. The only difference - Outdoor living. Imagine, travelling up the hill and finding a lodge in the middle of tall trees and howling dogs (shudder shudder). But apart from the spartan room, dim lights, no flush-system toilet, a super loud gecko roaming around our roof, and a door which could not be locked, it was really a cosy little place. Really.

This is Chiang Dao Nest. A 1.5 hour drive from the city. I like the simple decor. The menu for dinner is gourmet. Pretty surprising to find all of this in the middle of a jungle.

The view from outside our spartan room

A fresh posy greets you at breakfast. Breakfast - An All American breakfast for 75 baht

Activities [Thurs -Sat]

Daniel riding a baby elephant. I am just right behind him. It took us to one of the villages. Me on a raft cruising along a river.

Trekked up a nature trail just behind our resort. Left our mark - DJ. Look out for it when u go there!

How can we forget the food? First stop - delicious beef noodles at the Chiang Dao - 25 baht. Next stop - was a eatery at Chiang Dao Cave. We ate there about 3-4 times during our stay. Cheap and good food. Each dish - 25 baht.

Interesting and Heart Stopping Excerpts from the trip

Background: On our way back to the resort after dinner. BTW, have I forgotten to mention that there were very few lamp posts and many many many dogs (guide's honour)

Characters: Me, Hubby, Dad and Mom in Law

Genre: Horror

Placing my step cautiously, I gripped my stick tightly. Looking at the lonely road ahead, my eyes flitted quickly to the left and right. "Where are those creatures? Show Yourself", I demanded beneath my breath. I felt that my mind was slowly severing itself from my body. My actions made absolutely no sense. "Walk on", urged my pragmatic and fearless husband. Then, the first howl rang through the deaf silent night. I let out an instinctive scream. This was pertifyingly followed by a barrage of howls and yelps. As I tried to drag my feet along, I could hear the desparate rustling of leaves at the sidelines. I think there were close to 7 or 8 of them. The fear was overwhelming. I felt breathless and a pain in my head. But wedged in the fearless group of my husband and my in laws, I had to move on. The road seemed endless and for once, I wish that I was somewhere else.

Synopsis - Anyway, that was one of the most traumatic experiences I had during the trip. Stray four legged furballs are rampant in Chiang Mai and they bark at each stranger with much gusto. And most of them hope to intimidate humans by appearing in a pack. What sly wolves! Tsk! Tsk!

Blog Burst

Call mine mrstanjoann.blogburst.com.

Entering this blog and seeing OCOCOCOC for the past 5 weeks is truly frustrating, I believe. My sincere apologies. But somehow with a deluge of responsibilities, concerns and acitivites, blogging is the last on your mind. Well, the dust has about settled and before the next truckload comes along...I would like to record God's faithfulness in my life for the past few weeks. Treating my blog as a record of His faithfulness makes my time and your time more worth the while.

*rubble*rubble*tremble*quake*

*BLOG BURST*