Final Sojourn Southbound & Acknowledgements

Aye folks, as you may all well know, Yours Truly has left KL and is now back in his hometown to stay for at least the next 2 years or so. He left the capital city of Malaysia yesterday with a heart that goes out to the many friends that he had made there over the past 2 years. Apart from being "emo" on more than 1 occasion juz before he left (although being emo for him is a rare thing altogether), he is really grateful to have established bonds with so many people there... something he'll cherish forever. Hence, the following are acknowledgements and a form of gratitude to the people he loves there... divided into 3 main groups of people (with some overlapping into other groups but will not be repeated here). Read on to see if you're in it! =p

For starters, let's go with my fellow Monash medical students first: Grace Tay, Jun Yet Wong, Rachel Ooi, Sarah Chan, & Nicholas Hee. Yes, I know that I'll be seeing all of you in a couple of weeks time and for the next 2 years but these are the wonderful people who've been by my side through thick and thin for the past 2 years! Looking forward to attending Monash Clinical School with you guyz! Besides the common things, I am thankful to:

Grace: For making me laugh when I'm around you; for those occasional, happy, inspiring SMSes; & initiating the Snowflake outings that all of us will sorely miss in JB

JY: For the DotA/L4D(1&2)/basketball sessions; and being able to talk freely about certain personal things (e.g. those guy-guy talks; relationships)

Rachel: For being my listening ear, for the sound advice, and for the asking about how I was from time to time

Sarah: For being able to talk about personal and private matters and for entrusting me with them; for showing me the way to UM during the Physio quiz =)

Nick: For bringing out the creative side in me during the time when we were "making" your b'day present; for being someone I can relate to in more than 1 way although we don't speak much

Next up, we have the dudes (& dudettes) of FGT, a church I will always consider to be my "home" in KL. Like they say, the church is not the "building", but the "people". No doubt I received many blessings, gifts and talents here from God e.g. the gift of tongues, the ability to evangelize via EE, the opportunity to serve in the transport ministry, etc.; but more importantly, I will always remember the people who have made this church an entity to remember! Gonna miss you guys loads! I thank God for:

Suyin 'Kaede': My dearest friend in FGT, who has been by my side through the ups and downs; someone I can laugh at who will also laugh with me (or at me :p); someone I can talk to whom I know will always give good, sound advice; someone I can debate with about certain (sometimes nonsensical) issues; a reliable person whom I can trust and confide in; and someone whom I believe has the potential to be a great spiritual leader wherever she goes *hugs* Oh, she was also the BossLady at the "Watchtower"... rawr!

Wilson Soo: My fellow "co-pilot" and best bro in church; someone who can make me laugh and vice versa; and my trusted companion to the CCs in KL (FTZ, Medan, Blitz). He is also a founding member of "The Legacy". Although he is a new believer, I foresee that he has latent yet hidden potential within him. Oh, and thanx for that wonderful home-made bookmark, bro!

Leo Koo: Although I've only known this 'uncle' for 6 months or so, I can see that he has a special calling to serve where the Lord is leading him, the 365 Youth Ministry. Thanx for entrusting me with your concerns and problems, and I will continue praying that your servanthood will bear much fruit.

Abel Cheah: My CF KG leader, this year's Youth Camp commandant, my "Angel" at the CF Camp this year... born leader with the gift of leadership... what more is there to say that we don't already know about him. A strong-willed & committed brother-in-Christ, too bad ladies, he's already taken! =p Sigh, was looking forward to the showdown or re-enactment of "Angel" vs "Mortal" at this year's YC. Oh, and he's also my L4D2 buddy! =.=

Ryan Teoh: He was my EE Trainer last year; drove me to the shop where I bought an uber-AWESOME mask for the FGT Christmas Dinner, and is also a fellow DotA player.

Wui Jia: My co-trainer when we were training 2 others in EE. Continue persevering in your faith girl... the battle may be tough, but the rewards in heaven are great for those who have faith and exercise it.

Kar Kien: The "funnyman" of FGT's 365 and fellow brother-in-Christ, FKK will be remembered as well no matter where he goes to precisely because of "The Kar Kien"! =p With both his eyebrows inverted inferomedially (sorry medical jargon has to be used here =.=), this "dude" (I'm starting to doubt his gender ever since this year's camp =p) is a trendsetter in his own right!

Terence Tan: My fellow super-duper hardcore gamer friend... Enough said! Appreciate the fact that you consider me to be one of the greatest blessings in your life this year! =)

Evonne Teoh: Who could forget the person who introduced me to FGT in the first place? =p Sweetheart of both med school & 365, one that is loved by many and hard to forget. She is the person with whom I share the most mutual friends with on Facebook lolz... and that is due to the fact that she is actually in all 3 groups of people!!

Lame: My fellow Cell leader in FGT --> Future pastor with a great potential and a huge heart for people. And yes folks, that IS his name... Lame! (pronounced lah-may)

Ps. Richard & Louisa Evans: Last but not least, our very own youth pastors deserve much credit for their efforts in doing God's work and reaching out to many people all over KL and it's satellite cities. Personally, they have been my mentors throughout the 2 years I spent in KL, and I will treasure knowing them. The greatest thing I learned from them is integrity. God bless them and their family! Will be looking forward to their next visit to FGT JB in the months ahead!

Finally, there are the people from the CF in Monash who in one way or another, have made an impression on me:

Kenson Low: Fellow bro, CC companion & founding member of both "Watchtower" and "The Legacy". Had much fun with you at the CC, at parties, at CF, and those late night dinners and suppers! Thanx for seeing me off yesterday... Really appreciate it! Thanx also for the invitation to extend my stay in KL next month... We'll see how it goes yea. =)

Andrew Chua: Once joked to almost the entire CF that this fella, Li Wen & I were family juz because we shared the same surname! Fooled some people and got a laugh over it! Known to many as "The Bear" and known to some as "Boomer", if his fake Irish accent doesn't kill you, his weight on your abdomen surely will! =p Oh and never leave your Facebook account on whenever he's around, he'll make sure you suffer!

Jared, YY, Cheng Hong, Jarrod: These guys (and a girl) never backed down from a game or two of L4D2 and were one of the last few people from CF that I managed to catch a game or two with.

Japheth Chew: Known Japh since last year's CF Camp. Has a heart for God and a zeal that I hope will burn for as long as the Lord wants it to burn. He is also the new CF President... also a founding member of "Watchtower". Enjoyed the time we baked Shepherd's Pie & lasagna at your place during the "Anti-Ball party". Really appreciated your prayer for me the other day when you came over to collect your guitar.

Karl Edward: Only got to know him better towards the end of the year but he's a cool guy to be around with, partly because of his sense of humour. The last founding member of "Watchtower" and it was saved on more than 1 occasion thanks to this brother-in-Christ. =_=

And finally, last but not least, there is a special group of people to whom I will forever be eternally grateful for... my aunt and her family. If you're reading this MKKK, THANK YOU for helping me settle into a new environment in KL, for helping me get the furniture when I had to move to Sunway last year, for sending your maid to help clean my place, for providing that extra cash every month, for sending over food and drinks from time to time, and for inviting me to stay over at your place many times over the past 2 years.

Well, that's about it, folks. To all the people mentioned above, you have been a blessing to me in one way or another, no matter how big or small. Likewise, I hope that I was one-to-remember to each of you too. For all those whose names are not in this post, it's not that I have forgotten you intentionally, there's juz not enough space to put in every single person I know in KL... don't worry, you will be remembered still lolz! To one and all, I pray that the Lord will make His face shine upon you and give you all peace. I know the road ahead is unpredictable with many trials and tribulations to come, but I pray that each of you will know where you stand, and stand strong no matter what the world throws at you! Before I end this long post of gratitude, I'd like to leave you and all my readers with a piece of Scripture, taken from Colossians 3:12, "As God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."

Enjoy your holidays while you can and Blessed Christmas & Happy New Year to one and all... in advance! =D

Blessings,

~Tim~

When Life Seems Seemingly "Impossible"

I know for a fact that EVERYONE has encountered at least one "impossible" situation before in their lives... a situation that mirrors desperation... an experience that beckons to be erased from the cascades of time. Each and every human that exists or has ever existed in this fallen world has faced struggles, hardships, trials, tribulations, temptations, and the like throughout their life. There is the famous saying that goes, "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger".

Indeed, even in the Word of God, the apostle John must have heard a dozen complaints from his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The believers under his leadership faced very real issues: The government was against them - taking their businesses, separating their families, even killing some of them. It must have been a temptation for them just to pull back and pull up short. However, John reminded them (and us) of the surpassing value of knowing Christ.

There are times in life when doing God's will seems like it's too hard, maybe even impossible beyond human understanding. Nevertheless, we can be encouraged knowing that there is eternal hope that is worth sacrificing everything for. In this post, I'd like to illustrate that truth via the account of the following man:

George Atley, a young Englishman with the heart of a hero, was engaged in the Central African Mission. He was attacked by a party of natives. He had with him a Winchester repeating rifle with 10 loaded chambers. The party was completely at his mercy. Calmly and quickly, he summed up the situation. He concluded that if he killed them, it would do the mission more harm than if he allowed them to take his life. So, as a lamb to the slaughter he was led; and when his body was found in the stream, his rifle was also found with its 10 chambers still loaded.

Remember folks, what happens on Earth is never the end of the story. The people thought they had silenced the influence of George Atley. Little did they know that his honorary sacrifice had exemplified his commitment to the cause and that selfless act has encouraged millions throughout history!

When life seems too difficult to bear, when it seems that God is calling you to sacrifice beyond what you think you can, just remember the eternal hope that you have in Jesus Christ. Like my favourite verse in the Bible, Proverbs 3:5-6 states... Just place all of your trust in Him and see the seeds of your faith bear fruit, my friends. =)

~Tim~