Melbourne adventures

So I'm slowly getting used to getting around the city, am able to take trams and trains (thank God for maps and friends and the metlink metro card, plus the fact that chris's apartment is at swanston's street which is close to melb central :D)

Planetshakers service on sunday morning was awesome. pst russel and matt fielder always help stir up my passion for more of Him. good stuff good stuff.

chinatown shanghai dumpling noodles was good. much cheaper than yesterday's chicken parma, which was good too hehe.

got an aussie number and walked around the city. oh! I finally found the egg salad dip!!! it can't be found in malaysia, you eat it with crackers.. *words cannot describe the awesomeness*. and chris got me to eat ice cream. IN SUPER COLD WEATHER! yes. melb is freezing. in summer.

went to frankston's for jo's surprise b'day party. took train and bus with li wen for the long trip southeast'ish. huge portions of food are good. lots of pictures along the beach pier.

thank God for his protection, we were walking around the beach area when we were slightly assaulted by a bunch of huge random people (drunk perhaps). andrew got hit slightly and his glasses fell off, then they left us. it was quite scary and tense. thank God we're all safe home now. and i caught the last train after running towards the station at clayton somewhere! woot!

2nd day. and it's getting pretty intense :p continued prayers appreciated :)

God-time

So last mon-wed i find myself in Glory Place, Mantin seeking Him, fasting and praying for those 2 days 2 nights, with just water, bible, books, journal and guitar.

As normal in the previous personal retreats i have chucked myself into, it always ends up being refreshing and refilling. this is of course after successfully getting through the second night (which is always the worst in terms of hunger). This time round, i was dreaming of food! ohhh it was bad. char siu fan... anything u name it i probably dreamt about it. so my stomach was aching and i couldn't sleep. so everytime i woke up i just sat up and read the bible, slept, woke up, read the bible, slept again :)

This time round, i managed to finish all of the apostle Paul's letters! (from romans to titus), wrote many letters, journal entries and read parts of a couple of books, composed a chorus which i think i forgot :p, and prayed heaps

Main thing i got this time round was direction regarding the future, with various verses hitting me time and time again as i read the bible during my stay, such as 1 Tim 5:16, 2 Thess 3:8-10, 1 Thess 2:9, Eph 4:28b, Col 1:10 and so forth. So yes, my next season in life after YWAM would be to work!

I also got phil 2:4 regarding living my life for the interests of others, not only for my own. and to love the one that He has given to me :)

Certain other things i was seeking Him for was for direction on which church to call home. silent response so far, so i guess i'll be waiting for now.

there are times and seasons when we need a break, and i've learnt that taking time off to seek the Father is crucial. i've also learnt that there is really no end to ministry, not while He's still got work to be done through us. but in that continuous ministry of ours, to always take time to come back to the Father, in fasting and solitude, receiving from Him so to be able to continuously pour our lives out.

I will be away for the next two weeks, am off to JB tomorrow to help out parents at a kids camp, and to Melbourne from friday night till the 7th dec. After that i'll be home for a month before flying off to Sabah in Jan for the next 6 months. So. if you wanna catch me catch me soon! :)

japh

He is faithful!

Words alone cannot describe this feeling of thanksgiving that I have towards Him for bringing me through. He is faithful. Always has been, always will be.

I've completed my final paper of my degree, and, *fingers crossed* if I pass everything I would be a Monash University graduate.

This three years in Monash have been absolutely crazy, intense X100 other words. If I were to write everthing that has happened I would fill up many pages so I'll just get to the basic jist of what I've learnt throughout my time in Monash.

1. When God says He'll never leave you nor forsake you, He keeps to that promise. He is faithful. He will bring you through. Only obey and trust Him. Many times I found myself lonely, emotionally unstable or down in the dumps, Yet He is always there to say, 'hey, I'm the one you are looking for'

2. His grace is sufficient. In my weakness He is made strong. This can be seen in last minute assignments, and exam results. Though I still think I don't deserve to graduate, I know he has held me by His hand and given me grace, and I've never failed any papers *not yet at least :p*

3. If you honour God, God will honour you. Serving in CF has been one of the best thing about being in Monash. It's been such an honour to serve others. It is so humbling. It is so rewarding.

4. I am nothing without Him. Running by my own strength only makes me look like a headless chicken :p Many times I think I can do things myself, through my own effort, only to find myself tired, weary and burnt out at the end. Yet in His mercy He lifts me up when I wait upon Him

5. Focus pocus! doing so many things at the same time is NOT a good idea. Focus on what you need to do and do it well. FB and blogging and gaming and all those entertainment stuff is such a distraction, you can do so much more with those time! Do your assignments early *so u can avoid point no#9*

6. Don't live life for yourself. Live life for others. Life is too short. Cheer up. Help others climb rocks. It rocks!

7. Pray pray Pray and did I mention Pray? it helps. really.

8. God surprises you when you least expect it. Even with the love of your life ;) Key is to wait. and to trust :)

9. Never try to pull an all-nighter. Sleep is essential. It helps you in many ways :) Eat well too. Be healthy, or you'll be fat *sighs*

10. Never be too busy for family and friends. Just asking the question 'how are you doing?' has serious affect to show that you care, it can make someones day.

All in all, this journey is one to remember for many years to come, hopefully for a lifetime. There are many downfalls and bad memories too, but I chose to overcome them, and end on a note of victory. Proclaiming His faithfulness and learning from them. I will not let any frustrations or negative feelings from failures hinder my progress from moving forward. He has healed my wounds and now I can learn through the scars. I will not be broken. He has made me stronger.

A new phase of life has begun, and I'm excited :)

Japheth Chew