Encouraged

Ben & I had dinner with a friend yesterday... pretty cordial, with half the time looking for a Lebanese restaurant for Ben's business associate who was entertaining a potential business partner from Dubai. I suggested McDonald's since they are found all over the world. :p Seems these business people met up with Mustafa from Mustafa S.C. the day before and had ice-cream together.

Halfway during dinner, Abby started crying and was not easily pacified. We left the Thai restaurant quickly and headed for church. As we left, I realised the shrine of a Thai idol was erected behind Abby. Fed her on the way to church. Prayed over her for cleansing coz she was still abnormally fussy. Daddy also prayed for her midway thru her feed and she calmed down significantly. I spent the whole of Pentecost Friday - Emmanuel's monthly prayer session - in the breastfeeding room. It was unbelievable. Changed her diapers twice, changed her clothes twice, fed her two rounds, spent an hour and a half in the small room. Unbelievable. Serene came in to look for me (she knew where to look for me...) and after a while I asked her, "finished alredi uh?" "Yah, people are leaving alredi!" Fwah. Unbelievable. I had missed the entire session.

Went out and saw our friend mingling with the guys from cell - ben, roland, andrew, jack etc. We saw Ps Mark heading out of the church. The thing is, when Ps Mark is heading out of the church, he will stop and greet most of the people on his way. So it took him quite a while before we could interrupt his journey out of the sanctuary.

Shared with our friend over dinner about how God used ps mark to intervene and save our marriage even before the wedding. I praise God he met Ps mark. They hit off really really well! :) Guessing his age and all, ps mark suggested 20plus. Then roland revealed both his boys going to youth the next day!! Ps mark's eyes were soo soo big!! Hahah... it was hilarious. Ps mark's two yrs older than him, and worked in a similar industry before. Also, before ps mark left, he asked, "You with these guys issit? (Referring to roland and gang.) Good. These are good guys. Stick with them." Heh.

God really has given us favour. We asked him how he found service and all. He explained that he's been bringing his boys around churches, almost 4 or 5!, but haven't been able to settle down because they couldn't compromise - one may like, but the other dussen or vice versa. Until they came to Emmanuel. Both the boys like!!! WoW!!! One likes the worship, while the other enjoys the teaching! WoWoWoWoW... God is good!!! :D Let's keep praying that all will emerge victorious!! And especially when i realised that the boys would most likely be under roland (i.e. good hands), it's really encouraging! :D

After that and the fellowship, he left for home while the rest of cell went for supper at Simpang Bedok. On the way back, we chatted with Serene coz she lived nearby so we gave her a lift. She shared that she was really encouraged by how we manage parenthood. I am similarly encouraged by her words. She's a family friend of the Ngs, and seeing how the family is so child-centred towards the newborn scares her. Yet, as she sees how relaxed we are with Abby, how relaxed Abby is with us and with the rest of the church... (yup, people we know take turns to carry her and she's totally cool about it)... and how easy she is to manage (think about it, we could have supper and fellowship with the cell at Simpang Bedok till 11plus) she's encouraged to be a parent! :D Only by prayer can this happen. Before the wedding. Before the conception. Before the delivery. And during and after too! :D Auntie Aye Lan prayed for Faithe's husband when she was pregnant with Faithe. So it's never too early to start. :)

God's putting another dear female friend in my life. This time it is another powerful friendship. Synergistic and sharing a common vision for God. We're going to start a ministry!! God is good. Ben and I have been stranded for quite a while in terms of ministry and a similar trap for many is to go where the road's been travelled. Ministries that have been in place, such as Youth, Children, Ushering etc. Yet within me I couldn't see myself in any of these ministries. Something just wasn't right. Serene felt that way too. Until last week when we spoke and shared individually the vision God had placed in our hearts! :) I pray for wisdom and efficiency so that my time here on earth is not in vain. Perhaps that's why i've been feeling so stifled. Because I haven't been productive. Not that I dun cherish my time with Abby. No no. I'll never trade it for anything in the world. She is God's gift to me and I'm really honoured to be her mother. She is my responsibility and my joy and nothing can ever replace her. Yet my life should not, and does not pivot around her. It does not pivot around work also, although work expands to fill up whatever time available. I believe God will teach me to manage my time. Even the president of the US has time to exercise. What more a lil' girl like me? :D

I pray that God continues the good work that He has started in all of us, and that He'll bring it to completion. Amen! :D