Footprints of Faith

It's been nearly 2 months since I started working in the advertising industry again.  Pretty exciting I would say, and challenging at the same time. There's so much for me to catch up on! Nevertheless, I think I've settled in quite comfortably.  Met some nice colleagues too.

There were times when it was particularly challenging, especially when meeting difficult and demanding clients. I was quite turned off by a few of the irate and rude ones, but am getting used to it - reminding myself not to take things too personally.

I'm glad I took this step of faith.  I did look back initially, thinking about the comforts of being where I was, as opposed to being in an unfamiliar place and out of the comfort zone.  It was scary at times, especially when demands were high and I didn't really have a clue about what I was supposed to do.

It's during these times that I've prayed the hardest and really had to depend on God.  And to take tiny steps as He leads, knowing that He was and is always in control.  There have been pleasant surprises along the way, and God is opening my eyes to new experiences each day.

New Chapter Begins

The past 3 months has been quite a whirlwind. Not chaotic, but just really exciting and fun! The 3 month break after resigning was very timely for me as it enabled me to rest and do the things I enjoyed - travelling, cooking and even starting a guest house. I'm starting work again next week. It's quite a surprise actually, I didn't expect myself to start a full-time job so soon. However, I felt that this was an offer I had to take and a blessing from God as it was much better than my expectations!

It's nice being able to relax, read and watch tv at home alone on weekdays but I realised that life is more meaningful and colourful when you share it with others. Having people around makes you appreciate life more and see things from a different perspective. I know I have a lot to learn at my new workplace and I'm looking forward to this new chapter of my life.

God is full of surprises! I asked him for new experiences, and He told me to empty my cup. So I did, and now He's given me more than I imagined. I've learnt that when God says something, we have to obey Him and step out of the comfort zone at times because that is when growth happens.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Holiday Home Malaysia

When I was young, I had this dream of running a guest house. After I got married last year, a friend took short breaks at my house for her 'quiet retreats'. It was then that I realised I really enjoyed hosting people.

Recently, hubby and I invested in a property near our house, and we thought of moving there as its a class higher than our current place. I really like where we're staying at as we have a great view of the forest now, and the air is so fresh! So we decided to stay put.

We didn't want to just rent out the new place, but use it to be a blessing to others too. So introducing our new endeavour, Holiday Home Malaysia, a holiday home for people around the world.

The Courtyard

The bedroom

The Kitchen

The Living Room

More details at http://www.holidayhomemalaysia.com and http://holidayhomemalaysia.blogspot.com

Nepal

I'm back! Haven't written for the longest time. Quite a lot has happened over the past month or so, the most exciting being my Nepal trip.

There were 6 of us in the team and we were there for 9 days. This was my fourth Nepal mission trip, and the toughest of all - physically and spiritually. I can't possibly relate everything that happened there.. so here are some highlights.

One of the places we went to was Bhugdeu, a small village in the mountains. We endured 2 hours of a gruelling bumpy jeep ride to get there. Like all other villages in Nepal, the houses were made of mud by the men of the house with the help of their neighbours.

The kids were adorable as always, and most of them had large holes on their soiled clothes, which seemed thin and not warm enough for the weather there. One thing was consistent throughout the days we were there - the beautiful smile on their faces and the clothes they wore. They didn't seem to have ever changed their clothes. They were dirty too, and didn't seem to have bathed for a long time. When we stuck stickers on their hands, a layer of dirt would be peeled off when the stickers dropped off, revealing much fairer skin!

I did children's work together with Andrea and Fui Ping and we had fun teaching the children action songs, bible stories and doing a puppet show! The children at that village seemed a little slow to learn but I was really touched by their enthusiasm. They were so excited when we gave them little gifts like a miniature harmonica, pens and hairclips.

Meanwhile, Dr Jade, together with Alvin (her husband) and Steve did medical work. It's tough for many of them to get medical help when they're located so far away from the city, so we brought the doctor and medicine to them instead. We also had the help of 2 translators from Kathmandu, Dipesh and Kanchan.

A few of us, including myself, fell ill towards the end of the trip. Moreover, I was itching from over 100 bed bug bites on my body. However, God sustained us throughout and we were still joyful and managed to do some shopping on the last day!

When I came back to Malaysia, I appreciated my life a lot more - the education I received, the comforts of my home and my family. At the same time, I missed the kids in Bhugdeu...

This trip opened my eyes once again to God's great love for the weaker, the poorer and the forgotten. We can never comprehend the awesome depth of His love and I thank God for the opportunity to be used as His vessel to bring His love and truth to the people of Nepal.

Busy Busy!

I haven't written for awhile because I'm pretty busy at work (my last month), attending weddings and preparing for my trip to Nepal.

Anyway, just want to share this awesome drama I found on the internet. A powerful way of communicating the power of Jesus Christ. At the name of Jesus, all demons flee. May you be blessed by it.

Little Miracles

Sometimes little miracles happen in our lives when we least expect it, putting a smile to our face and a splash of colour to our daily lives. It happened to me last week.

I went for Andrew and Lizzie's BBQ last Sunday night, and their house is a short drive away from my parents house.

Whilst we were chatting, Lizzie mentioned that a dog had been hanging around her area for the past 2 days, and she seemed to be lost. We searched for the dog and found her afraid, keeping a distance from us. I thought I recognised the dog as one of Spottie's friends that he visits everytime he goes on his evening walk.

I finally got her near me, and she seemed quite friendly. We fed her some sausages and water as she was very hungry. She went off after we fed her and we went home after that.

The next day I visited my parents and thought I'd look for the house where there was a similar looking dog to the one the night before. I went to a few houses, and the owners said they didn't lose a dog. Then I checked the photo I took of her recently, and matched the gate design to find the right house.

I finally found the house, and asked the resident whether he had lost a dog. He said he did! I quickly drove them to find the dog, and they were joyfully reunited! Everyone including the dog was jumping with joy!

This has been a really awesome experience. I believe that God gives us divine appointments in ways that make us happy :) And this reminds me that even little actions that are kind can bring much joy to people and animals. We must never turn a blind eye when we have all it takes to make a difference.

CNY Travels

Haven't written for over a week! CNY was pretty hectic with all the travelling from the 1st day till the 5th day. Hubby and I travelled to Seremban on the 1st day, then Bukit Tinggi on the 2nd day, and Penang on the 3rd day. Thankfully traffic wasn't that bad on the highways.

I began to have a mild cough before CNY (possibly because I ate 1 mandarin orange a day) so I bought a cough syrup from the pharmacy so that it wouldn't worsen. Unfortunately, the cough worsened and I nearly lost my voice. Went to a clinic on the 1st day and got charged RM70 for a 1 minute consultation. I'm not exaggerating. While I was still waiting for my medication, the doctor went home!

CNY was fun nevertheless... here are some pictures.

Below: Penang - Oli & Jon at a coffeeshop having cendol

Below: Hubby & me at another cendol place

Below: The beautiful sunset at Teluk Kumbar

Below: Brenda, Oli & myself having a fun time taking pics

Below: Seremban - Grandma's house

Below: Playing mah jong with my relatives

Below: Hubby's side of the family

Below: The reunion dinner