Wrapping up 2008

It has come the point of the year that I start to wrap up the year that has just gone by and prepare myself to welcome the new year.

2008 has been a huge adventure for me. It was not exactly pleasant all the way, but now as I look back on it, I don't exactly regret anything. I can still remember the very first day of the year, when I officially let out the news that I would be studying in Australia. I can still remember how I fought to hold back my tears at the thought of it. I can still remember the overwhelming fear I had.

But I also remember that in year 2006 I prayed that God will use me. I also remember how I said I'll go wherever He sent me. I remembered wanting to be sent to a mission field. Australia seemed like the answer to everything. This also showed me how God does not necessarily answer everything on the spot, and it also proved to me that God always listens to our prayers. He was always there, even though at times I had my doubts.

This whole year God has just shown me His faithfulness. Through my heartaches, through my loneliness, through my insecurity, through all my tears and even through my happiness, through my excitement. And well, this is only a sneak peek. He made me realise how much I needed Him, how much I needed to trust in Him, how much I needed to just purely depend on Him.

He blessed with me with so much. He did not make me go through this all on my own. With modern day technology, He allowed me to keep in touch with those in Singapore. I had a support group here which I am really grateful. On top of that, He blessed me with such wonderful friends in Taylor College and TOAB, and even placed FMC people there before me. People who took care of me, who brought me to a cell group where I grew even more. I learned the importance of christian support. I started to have a hunger for His Word.

And even when I was about to back slide, when I was about to give up, He didn't let that spark in my heart extinguish. Deep down inside me, I knew I was yearning something. Deep down inside, I knew I wanted something more. And that little spark kept me going, kept me searching for the truth. He guided me along that too. The more I asked, the more He spoke to me through people. I'll go into specifics. I can still remember the weekend that there was the cell info session. That whole weekend, starting from OCF till sunday sermon, God used various sermons, various studies, various 'speeches' to speak to me, to comfort me.

Through the whole year, I had my ups, my downs. I had my fair share of struggles, whether physically, emotionally or spiritually. I gained new friendships, strengthened old ones. I learned to love my family more and most importantly, I started to learn what it meant to have a relationship with God. In return, He revealed to me His glory, He revealed to me bits of His master plan. He guided me this whole year, He gave me lessons that I had to learn the hard way.

And now, at the last day of 2008. When I look back at this whole year. It has truly been a blessing. My 'aussie experience' had been wonderful. True, I could have avoided a lot of heart aches by just staying in Singapore. All the pains were all worth it. That leap of faith is something I would NEVER regret. Because now I am able to stand here and testify God's greatness, I am able to share with everyone God's faithfulness. And only at this point of time, am I able to stand here and really understand why God wanted me to go to Australia.

And I really want to thank everyone who has played a role in my life. Whether you think that your impact was big or small, I just want to thank you for being there. For those in MUOCF, thank you for guiding me, for looking out for me, for giving me opportunities to serve and for being my christian support. For Liwei and Yen, thanks for being something that I could trust with my questions (even though you may most probably forget) Even for the car rides that you two have given me. Ya. Thank you so much for the huge impact you had on my life. For my cell group, thank you for helping grow through bible study sessions and thank you that we are not a cell group that only talk to each other on Fridays, but that we still are able to talk to each other outside ocf. Even for all my friends back in Singapore, thank you for keeping in touch with me and for always being there for me. And thanks Gerald, for always listening to my ranting and for always being there for me. Even for people like Ryan and Ziteng who hears my nonsense quite a bit of times. And ya, Jinli, Aiwee, Vanessa, Mushroom, Sasha, Ben. Thanks for being such wonderful friends in Melbourne. Even for people who have been missing me and helped me feel so welcomed when I came back, like Delicia, Gloria, Tiffany. And well many more. And sorry if I've left anyone out. It was not intentional.

Philippians 3:12-14
12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

And ya. 2008 had been a wonderful adventure, something I would have never dreamt of last time. Year 2009 is going to be another whole adventure and I so can't wait for it!

To my new goals, to the new lessons that are going to be learned, to the new friendships, to the strengthening of old ones, to the struggles, to the heartaches. I thank You Lord, that You have everything in control.

Anyway, I'll leave you with this song. I've been listening to it as I type this and this is my prayer.

CHORUS:
Come and make my heart Your home
Come and be everything I am and all I know
Search me through and through
‘Till my heart becomes a home for You

CHORUS

A home for You, Lord
A home for You, Lord
Let everything I do open up
A door for You to come through
And that my heart would be a place
Where You want to be…

So ya, wrapping this all up. 2008 has been awesome but now it's time for me to end this chapter of my life and start on a new one. So ya. Signing off. To a blessed 2009 :)