Learning to Say: "The End"

We didn't know it then but this was the last Bright Lights meeting!

Bright Lights has been such a big part of my life ever since we started in Singapore over 8 years ago. Back then, Bright Lights meetings used to be over 5 hours long! So it is not surprising that planning and coordinating meetings took up a good part of my week. Even so, it was so enjoyable and I learnt so much that all the effort hardly felt like work. I loved the new girls that we would meet, the leaders I got to work with, and eventually the friends that became so dear. Looking back, I definitely wouldn't trade those times for anything!

Over the years, things changed. Some girls moved away, some girls got "too old" for Bright Lights, some girls pursued "broader" paths, but the saddest thing of all to me was seeing girls get "too busy". Messages unreplied and promises to come unkept...yet all the while, everyone continued to affirm how important Bright Lights was to them and that it should keep on going. It became clear that the issue was as Charles Hummel noted in his booklet "Tyranny of the Urgent": "our dilemma goes deeper than shortage of time; it is basically a problem of priorities".

As the group size dwindled, it became clear that questions had to be asked. Did we need to change something about the way we were doing things? Or was it God's will that the group be small? Or was this a sign that we should stop meetings? Whatever the answer was, I knew that I should not be influenced by sentimentality for a ministry. Bright Lights is a great ministry but God's work is not confined to an organisation. Since our allegiance is not to one ministry but to serving the Lord, it seemed that sometimes the ending of a ministry might bring greater fruit and more opportunities as opposed to keeping to status quo. 

And so, yes, we ended Bright Lights meetings here in Singapore. I was sad with how it had to end, a little anti-climactic and announced over a whatsapp message. It's easy to buy into lies that a successful ministry is one that has the longest history and hence the ending of Bright Lights was my failure. But I know that these thoughts are not true because all ministry is the Lord's, not ours! So I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store next, and most importantly, I'm glad to know with certainty that God is in control and He will guide us each step of the way. 

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth." - 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

This blog might stay dormant for a while but you never know what's next...cause there's no such thing as "the end" with our Lord, only new beginnings! :)

Tweet

Simply Trusting Everyday

demonstrating how to play a harp! credit: Nathan Corduan

One year. One whole year since I had been on any mission trip. This was really a record for me as I typically go on about three or four mission trips a year. So, I left for the Taiwan CI trip full of anticipation but also already dreading the end of the trip, knowing how time would fly by.

And fly by it did. So much so that when it was all over, we looked at each other and asked "Was that really the end?".

I can't pick one highlight of the trip. Believe me, I've tried and I don't think I can even pick a few because every moment was a highlight.

I do know though what the Lord taught me on this trip and for some reason those encounters all began with tears. As Laura Story's song Blessing goes, "What if Your healing comes through tears?".

Teargate #1

Dora could possibly be the most cheerful girl that I have ever met. She was always smiling and would run to give me a hug whenever I walked past. Sometimes, she would go into fits of giggles while watching a skit in large group and leave me a little worried about her frame of mind.

But behind that cheery disposition were hurts that no girl her age should have to go through. At church that Sunday, she bravely gave a testimony of how first her mother and then her father abandoned her at a young age, leaving her to the care of her elderly and sick grandparents. She cried as she spoke and there were few dry eyes in that sanctuary when she finished. 

As I cried with her, I realised that, more than just sorrow for her situation, I was crying because I was convicted of my obsession with myself and my problems. Convicted because I see my little difficulties as insummountable and let myself get discouraged so easily. Do you trust me? It seemed the Lord was asking me.

Teargate #2

It was one of those days that I was so flustered. So many things to do, so little time. I started large group unprepared and the children were being especially fidgety. My lack of energy and disorientated state that night only made things worse and it seemed like not even half of them were paying attention despite my best efforts.

No, I did not cry then, thankfully! 

I would not let this happen again, I told myself. I purposed to spend all my time till the next large group making sure I would be well prepared. But my help was needed and I ended up spending all my time at a little prayer meeting we had with some of the children. So, since I was stuck at a prayer meeting, I prayed that the next large group would go better. Was prayer as good as being prepared? I wasn't quite sure.

But the next large group was perhaps the most amazing one of the entire trip. Without me even pushing the children very much, they recited the verses and sang so loudly. As we sang the song That Which Heaven Treasures, a slow song without actions, several children closed their eyes while they sang and that sight was so moving that I was close to tears. And again, the same question: Do you trust me? It seemed the Lord was asking me.

Teargate #3

I was on the bus, on my way to the Taoyuan airport, leaving Taiwan for home. An email notification popped up on my phone and I opened it to find a progress report from my school with my grades for all my modules so far. I was incredulous at the realisation that I had gotten distinctions for almost all my modules. Umm, how did that happen?

You see, I had made it my goal to study hard but to make it secondary in my life. That meant that I would plan a Bright Lights meeting even if I had a huge assignment due the day before. Or that I would ignore the advice of my school and take double modules in the months before this trip so that I could take January and February off to be in Taiwan. So, good grades? Not what I was expecting.

And yet, as I sat there looking at my results, I knew that putting God first was worth it. All my worries about whether I could cope with school and everything else suddenly seemed very silly.

I really couldn't help crying on that crowded bus. I hope the lady sitting next to me thought I just suddenly had a runny nose. 

Again, the same question: Do you trust me? It seemed the Lord was asking me.

...................................

There were so many other ways this trip that the Lord taught me to trust Him. I saw so many of my prayers answered, so many of my worries proved unfounded and I got to work with such an amazing staff team!

But I write all this down because I know that I will forget. Already, I have to stop myself whenever I'm tempted to worry about my plans for the year ahead, what the Lord has in store for me. How silly of me! May this record of what the Lord has taught me be like the memorial stones that the Israelites gathered in Joshua 4.

There is no need to be anxious. We serve a God that we can fully trust in. May we never forget!

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. - 2 Corinthians 4:7

Tweet

2 Things that Rainbows Symbolize to Christians

We saw this rainbow on our way back from Bright Lights this week! Isn't it pretty?
I think it's so neat that rainbows are mentioned in the Bible. Not just are they mentioned but God says that He put them there to be a reminder to us!

I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. - Genesis 9:13

Rainbows remind us of...

1. God's promise that will never allow a world-wide flood (as in Noah's time) on the earth again.
2. The covenant of grace. That even though we are sinners, we have a second chance through Christ's work on the cross.

More information about rainbows here!

Tweet

Be Thou an Example - 1 Tim 4:12 [Free Desktop Wallpaper]

It's been a long time since I last designed a desktop wallpaper! Looking back at my last post in December 2011 makes me cringe a little. Don't quite like how that looks!

Oh, talking about designing, I started a new blog to post all my designing endeavours! Hopefully I'll be posting more desktop wallpapers over there!

Anyways, this is one of my favourite verses and one that Bright Lights is very much based on! Enjoy as you meditate on this!

>> Free Download: iPad ~ 1366x768 ~ 2560x1600

Tweet

Where is the Path of Life Leading You?

Has God ever led you in a really clear way? 

Maybe it's because people overuse the phrase "God told me", but I feel that God's direction often gets bad press. We're much more likely to doubt than to believe the stories we hear others tell. No, it must have been their own thoughts that they confused with God's voice...or maybe it was their conscience? 

One thing we know for sure, when we are in God's will and He is leading and guiding us, we will experience the fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore that only He can give. Truly, the greatest blessing comes when we put our trust in Him!

1 Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.5 The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.7 I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.8 I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.- Psalm 16

Tweet

To facebook or not to facebook...

I received a sms (text message) recently..."WHAT! You got facebook??"

Evidently, explanations are in order but first, let me backtrack...

It started with the handphone. Text messages instead of phone calls would surely spell trouble! I remember my pastor declaring it the number one cause of inappropriate guy-girl relationships.

Then, the internet became the next greatest thing and as a result, we ditched mailing letters for email. Blogs started gaining popularity and many either boringly stated the course of the writer's whole day or involved the ranting and raving about anything that crossed the writer's mind.

At each step of the way, I looked warily on the latest communication method that was gaining traction and gave much consideration to my involvement. Looking back, I wonder....Has each of these made our lives better? Is it possible for us to live without them now?

Of course, I did end up getting a handphone...and email...and then, this blog.

The big question for me now is facebook. For a long time, the bad press it received due to misuse tarnished its perception in my mind. So, the idea was put aside as not a very good one. People would ask, do you have facebook and be shocked at my answer. I started to feel out of the loop sometimes...from "didn't you see my update on facebook?" to "if you're not on facebook you aren't alive". I guess I tend to be unconventional since this didn't really bother me...I'm used to being different:)

So, why the change of view now? To answer that, I give you this verse..."Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." -1 Corinthians 10:31. As facebook is the norm nowadays, I'm beginning to see that it can be a useful tool to give glory to God if used in the right way...just like this blog. That said, I still have many considerations and it was only after counsel from my mom and lots of prayer that I went ahead to get facebook for a ministry purpose.

If you have facebook, like our page.

If not, I am definitely not encouraging you to! To get facebook is not a decision that I will advocate yet...my plan is to re-evaluate my decision after a few months and weigh the pros and cons again.

For now, I'm jumping in with these thoughts...

1. I commit to using facebook with common sense whether it is in posts or privacy settings. 
2. I commit to using facebook for a ministry purpose as per 1 Cor 10:31 and to further the kingdom of God.
3. I commit to using facebook without letting it take the place of real-world ministry.

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" - 1 Peter 3:15

Additional reading: How (and how not) to use facebook for ministry

Tweet

My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness

 

My 21st was such an enjoyable day! Started off with a green tea latte and devotions at Starbucks...lunch at Sushi Teh with my family, aunt and grandma...met with my dear friend, L, at Orchard Road (forgot to get pictures!)...dinner with my dad at Vivocity and when I was sure my day was over, a surprise visit from some family friends! Throughout the day, I also felt very loved as smses, emails and presents came my way:)

For those of you who are far from this "milestone" birthday, I can tell you that I never imagined that the time would come when I turned this age! Reflecting on the past 21 years of my life, the song below kept coming into my mind - a sense of gratefulness for everything that the Lord has done in my life! It is only through Him, my parents, people who invested in my life, good friends and different ministries that I am where I am today.

The one advice I will give after turning this age? It is SO worth it to choose to do the hard things in life and surrender our life to God. I do not regret my "sheltered", "boring" life! True freedom is in doing God's will, not in doing our own will. Having said that, I'm aware that I too have a long way to go in this respect:)

My heart is filled with thankfulness to Him who bore my pain
Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace and gave me life again
Who crushed my curse of sinfulness and clothed me with His light
And wrote His law of righteousness with power upon my heart

My heart is filled with thankfulness to Him who walks beside 
Who floods my weaknesses with strength and causes fears to fly
Whose every promise is enough for every step I take
Sustaining me with arms of love and crowning me with grace

My heart is filled with thankfulness to Him who reigns above
Whose wisdom is my perfect peace whose every thought is love
For every day I have on earth is given by the King
So I will give my life my all to love and follow Him

Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright 2003 Thankyou Music 

To my Bright Lights group, thank you all soooo much for the very sweet gift! Its the perfect gift and definitely something I will enjoy using:) My heart is filled with thankfulness for each and every one of of you!

Tweet

I Miss You Taiwan!

Or more specifically, the Taiwan 2012 Children's Institute! Let me count the reasons...

Being able to speak Chinese with the kids (albeit not the best) broke down barriers and created bonds.

Kids who never gave me a dull moment...its telling when you can't even get them to take a proper group shot. I gave up trying:)

Night markets with never ending rows of innovative snacks. Fried/grilled mushrooms, stinky tofu, fried milk, crickets, black-sugar bubble tea and baked/caramelized/fried sweet potatoes. Loved trying new things out!

The AMAZING Pacific Ocean! The black "sand" on the beaches is so special.

Aboriginal villages we were able to visit and learn more about their culture. Here, we are learning to make banana sticky rice.

My first CI trip with my brothers!

Children's Institute large groups...they always make me feel like a kid again. I think I enjoy them a lot more than the kids do:)

A GREAT team of leaders!


After the CI trip was over, the rest of our family flew over to Taiwan for an extended family holiday. The time we were able to spend as a family exploring the country was so much fun!

Taroko Gorge...its spectacular!

Cijin Island

Praising God for this amazing opportunity we had!

Tweet

A True Iowa Experience

It was truly a blessing to attend the 10th Annual Turning Hearts celebration at the Bontrager family's farm on labour day. I don't think I've ever attended anything quite like it! Seeing so many large families, being on a farm, the ten degree weather, sitting on a hay bale, petting calves that live in "kennels". Hmm...any way we can re-create the experience in Singapore??

One thing that was really different for me was the music. Bluegrass type music is definitely not something we get back home! But I really enjoyed hearing the Bontrager and Bates family singing and seeing all the unique instruments they were playing:)

The Lord has blessed me in so many ways,
That I could not begin to tell you how good He has been.
He's my Friend, He's my Guide, He's my Shepherd, my Light,
The Lord has blessed me in so many ways.

Tweet

Internship Memories

Discussing our convictions...searching our Bibles for verses relating to the current (often very random) topic...cooking meals...sharing family stories...painting the guesthouse...planning Bright Lights meetings (and having a unusual amount of disagreements while planning a meeting on loving difficult people:)...travelling on conferences...emailing links...laughing just because we were tired...going on impromptu shopping trips...shrink-wrapping and packing orders at the Bright Lights office...our weekly wal-mart trips...becoming a little family of sorts...all our inside jokes...

So many highlights! I wasn't expecting my favourite part of the internship to be the people...but it definitely was:) I miss you all my fellow interns!

Tweet

In Quietness and Confidence

"For thus saith the Lord God, the holy one of Israel; In returning and rest ye shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not."  - Isaiah 30:15

There are many promises in God's word that are so comforting. This is one of them. Sadly, in reading it in context, we find that it was one that the Israelites did not claim. They chose to trust in men instead of God.

I was reminded to trust in God's promises as we started the Strong in the Lord conference here in Pennsylvania. To rely on His strength that comes in quietness and confidence.

One conference down and three more to go! I love reading through response forms after the conference.

The girls write such interesting comments and it is encouraging to hear the ways the conference has impacted their lives. Anyhow, this one made my day...

How did you hear about this conference?

Answer: From my computer

Tweet

He Is Faithful

Thank you so much for your prayers. We are finally back in Cedar Rapids after doing four Bright Lights conferences in the last two weeks. It is good to be back "home" :)

As always, I really enjoyed helping out at the conferences. Sharing my heart with the girls during small group, giving testimonies in the main sessions, playing the violin to accompany the singing, setting up the book table, enjoying good fellowship with the other leaders...I could go on and on! 

It was also challenging at times. Through those times, I saw the Lord's  faithfulness as I brought my requests to Him in prayer. Let me share with you two of such circumstances...

The day before the Nebraska Strong in the Lord conference started, I read this verse:

"Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long." - Proverbs 23:17

As I usually do, I copied the verse into my journal and also wrote some thoughts about it. Looking back I'm surprised that they even made sense since I usually write when I'm tired or in a hurry! 

Excerpt from my journal:

The paradox of us being told to love the Lord but also to fear Him. How can we possibly do both? Because we love the Lord, we should fear doing things that we know will displease Him. If our fear of the Lord comes out of our love for Him, it will be a healthy fear that brings us closer and not farther from Him. 

What was so neat was that during my Strong in the Lord small group, one of the girls in my group asked me that question: how can we fear the Lord and also love Him? A few days later in my Radiant Purity small group, another girl asked me that same question again in the course of our discussions! 

Another circumstance through which I saw the Lord's faithfulness was during my Radiant Purity small group. Our discussions on the first night of the conference went really well and I expected the next day to be the same. However, the next day brought some unexpected challenges. My team doubled in size and one of the new girls had some special needs. As a result, my small group was distracted throughout our time together despite my best efforts. To make it worse, in the middle of our discussion, one of the girls said: "So, how many of you want to date....and how many of you want to court?" She then proceeded to get my whole group to vote based on a show of hands. I was discouraged to see that about half of the group raised their hands to indicate that they would choose to date. Well, as I ended my last small group with the girls on this note, I wondered if the girls had benefited from anything in my small group . It certainly didn't seem so to me! Later on, as I read through their response forms, I couldn't stop smiling as the majority of them said that they enjoyed the small groups the best and many indicated specific commitments in the area of purity that they were going to make!

Sometimes, even after we spend time in prayer and do our very best preparation, things will not turn out the way we planned. In such situations, we have to remember that God's definition of success is different from ours. His ways are higher than our ways! Through it all, HE IS FAITHFUL!

Morning by morning, I wake up to find

The power and comfort of God's hand in mine

Season by season I watch Him amazed,

In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways

All I have need of His hand will provide

He's always been faithful to me.

Tweet

3 Favourite Quotes About Radiant Purity

One thing we stress at the Radiant Purity conference is that purity is not a goal in itself. As with so many other virtues in the Christian faith, purity is the result of us making the love of the Lord our foremost goal.

The discussion times at the conference went really well but I wish I could have spent more time getting to know the girls! Well, I did the next best thing - wrote individual notes to the girls with quotes on purity on the front. So glad that I remembered to get some pictures of them!

What are some of YOUR favourite quotes or verses about purity?

Tweet

In a little girl's eyes...

My favourite memory from the OshKosh Wisconsin Strong in the Lord conference:

"This is my brother when he is angry"

Thanking God for the opportunity we have to teach sweet little girls!
Go to Emily Schuurmans' blog for more pictures...

Tweet

April+May 2011 in 6 pictures

Hi Girls! How have you all been?
I just realized the other day that I've been gone for almost two months and still haven't sent you all an update! Well, I have been really busy but hopefully I'll get better at doing this:)

So, here is my last two months summarized in 6 pictures...

Worked with Evan in the IBLP Headquarters kitchen.

Can you imagine how fun it is to work with a good friend in the kitchen all day?

My second Journey to the Heart!

It was a different experience than my first one...then the whole idea of "hearts" was new to me but this time I learnt to apply it to my life practically. The biggest key to doing so? Prayer!

Oh, and the snow was AMAZING! I couldn't stop taking pictures:)

Attended my first Regional ATI conference at Big Sandy, Texas!

It was fun to meet people I haven't seen for some time. The sessions were good but between volunteering in the dining room and being down with a bad cold I didn't get to sit in on many:(

I cannot believe that I didn't take a single picture while I was working in the Bright Lights office for a week and a half! Well, it was a very busy week and a half:) Grace Mally posted some pictures on her blog though. The Mallys were very encouraging of all my work but I think I benefited a lot more from them!

Went for Jordan's advancement ceremony from Alert Basic Training

This trip is interesting cause I get to meet up with different people from home at different parts of my trip. God knows that I get homesick! 

Right now, I'm still at Alert in Texas. I stayed on to volunteer and I'm having fun working in the camps and conferences office and with housekeeping. The work here is not busy so I've been having quite a lot of free time during which I've been spending time reading, journalling and catching up on blogging and emailing!

Do drop me an email when you are free! I would love to hear how you are doing and how I can pray for you. Since Bright Lights won't be meeting this June (and some of you are having school holidays!), use the time to read some good books or meet up with a friend who needs encouragement!

P.S. You can check out more pictures from my trip here.

Tweet

Update!

Liz and I are now into our 3rd week of our mission trip. So far, we've taught children from KL and Penang. This week, we're back in Singapore teaching the children at the IBLP conference. The trip has been a great one so far. Not so much one with a lot of fun, but definitely one when we've learned a lot! Do continue to pray for us that we will set our hearts right before God so that we can teach the children from our heart!

For Bright Lights prayer requests, please pray for the Meyer sister's brother, Benjamin, for health and strength as he continues his chemotherapy treatments. Also, do pray for Esther Joy who had her appendicitis operation last week.

Looking forward to Bright Lights starting again in July!


Till then....
Jolynn :D

P.S. you can check out more photos of our trip here

Tweet

Update

Hello!

How are all of you?

Wow, looks like you've all been having fun Bright Lights meetings!

Things have been going well for me.
I'm at a more interesting part of my stay here when I'm travelling around and not just staying at the Indianapolis Training Centre. I'm currently in Chicago at IBLP's headquarters and it has been so nice being here after hearing so much about the place.

Its getting very pretty around here now. It is supposed to be spring so there are lots of beautiful flowers everywhere.

One verse that I've been meditating on is Psalms 139:23-24

It says: "Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting."

I have been thinking about how important our heart is recently.

I was also reading a book and it was talking about the difference between learning spiritual truths with our intellect and with our heart. When we learn spiritual truths with our intellect, we are just learning with our brain that is why we sometimes find it so hard to apply it into our lives. It is only when we learn with our heart that we have really learned it.

Wow, this is hard to explain!

Anyways, I guess I'm just making sure that I am using my heart to think and learn spiritual truths and not just storing the information up in my brain.

Time has passed so quickly!
I can't imagine its almost June;)
I have been in Chicago for the past two weeks. I'll be leaving here for Wisconsin this weekend and will be staying there with a friend for a week. Then I'll be going back to Indianapolis for 3 weeks, then I'll be coming back to Chicago, going to Northwoods and then to Iowa to visit the Mally's. Just thought I would give you an update on what I'm doing;)

It was really nice how things worked out in the end. I think I told some of you about how one of my courses was canceled and that I would have had 5 weeks with nothing to do as a result of that, but God worked it out and I got to do so much more instead. I got to come here (Chicago) for another course which was really interesting and also to visit a friend I got to know on one of my courses-that's the friend in Wisconsin;)

Its also been so funny to be here and meet Mr. Bill Gothard and speak with him.
You know how we spend long hours watching him speak at the Basic Seminar, and to actually see him in person feels weird. We went to his church last Sunday in the van with him and after church he asked us what we learned during the service! Good thing I had really enjoyed the service and learned something!

Sorry, I haven't been able to get access to the internet easily recently so have not been able to keep in touch. And I'm also kind of in a hurry now so this post is not as organized as I would like it!

Anyways, here are some more photos...

walking to a nearby town

The town!

Okay, I really have got to go. So have a great day!! Really missing all of you!


Love,
Jolynn

Tweet

Thanks for the birthday blessings!!

Hello!

I just wanted to write a short note to thank you all for all your birthday wishes!

I had a really great birthday. People here were very nice to remember my birthday, so it felt almost as if I were celebrating my birthday back at home;)

Here's a photo we took...

Thank you again! You have all been such a blessing to me!
Hope the rest of you who had birthdays in March had a great birthday too;)

Love,

Jolynn

Tweet

HELLO!

How are all of you?

Looks like you've been having a great time at the last few Bright Lights meetings!
I can't believe how quickly time has passed... Can you believe I've been in the US for one and a half months already?

Looking back, I'm so grateful to God for all that's happened so far. I remember the morning I left, I felt really scared. I had been telling everyone that I would be okay by myself, even feeling surprised that they actually thought I wouldn't be. But as I left that day, the realisation suddenly came: that I would be away from everyone and everything I knew and loved and was going to a place where I knew no one. It was not a reassurring thought. But then I was reminded that there was nothing to fear for God was with me. So that has been a really comforting thought all the time I've been here;)

I've grown to really love the training centre here. The place, my room, the people. Its an amazing environment. Think a never ending ATI conference in Malacca. The people here have a close walk with God and are inspiring to me. Its not unusual during mealtimes here for someone to sit down and just start sharing about what God has been teaching them.

There's really been lots going on in my mind, that I've been learning this past month. There's so much I can share with you that I don't think it can fit in this post!

Well, the my first course just ended yesterday, so I was reflecting about the class and all.

When I started my music harmony class, I did not know what to expect. I thought that it should be fairly easy – wasn't harmony just about following rules? Or so I thought... Well, it wasn't exactly difficult, but it was certainly alot of mind work. The first phase was hard, but it got easier as I learnt more. Still, I could never have done it without God's help. At times, my emotions would get the better of me and I would just feel like giving up. Some days we worked on harmony from 9am-9pm with just a 15 minutes break after meals. But through it all God's grace, God's grace and only God's grace that helped me pull through. I am overwhelmed when I think of all the difficulties I faced in harmony but how God yet again was faithful.

I was reading II Corinthians 1:9-10 the other day and it was again a reminder of that.

It reads: "But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us."

But yet, in the midst of all those difficulties, there were happy times during the course. The walks we would take as a short break, the morning devotions when we shared what God was teaching us and the mealtimes when everyone would exchange funny stories.

Definitely the best thing I liked from the course was learning how to compose music and arrange vocal music. It was something I never even dreamed that I would ever be able to do, so I was encouraged that it could be done;) My classmate and I each chose to arrange a girl's choir piece. The one I arranged is called "My Song of Jesus" and the one my classmate arranged is called "Before the Throne". The thing I find the most meaningful about the songs are the words. I will probably be sending it to you soon, and it'll be great if you could all learnt to sing it!

Okay, so that's about all the news that I have:)

Below are some pictures...

Snow!

More snow...or maybe its ice...hmm

The training centre's fleet of vans! (We took the school bus to church last sunday;)

icicles}}

A trip to Starbucks last weekend. That was really fun! Hadn't had coffee for a long time;

My classmate and I had some fun writing words in the snow;)

A class picture we took for my music harmony course

I wanted to share with you a song that I've been loving a lot the past weeks.
Its called: "By the Gentle Waters"
Go to this link to listen to it and see the lyrics:
http://www.walkinthelight.ca/psalm%2023.htm

So, have a great day! And may God's strength and peace be with you;)


Lots of love,
Jolynn

Tweet