Giver of Life

Testimony by T. W. Hao

I was born into a Christian family. Everybody assumed I was a well-behaved child. But this is not true until I believe and accepted Christ. Since kindergarden I was a very very rebellious child who likes to break the rules. I liked to bully girls and was constantly picking on a fight with the boys. As a consequences, my teacher, frustrated with me, decided to send me away from the ‘excellent’ class as she was worried that I may have a negative influence on the well-behaved children.

Then, I enter into primary school. I started to smoke, gamble, fight, and even steal my parents’ money to buy story books I fancy. I stole books from book exhibitions. My neighbours also thought that my future was gone. By the time I graduated from primary school, my elder sister decided to bring me to church. Initially I was reluctant to attend because I could not stand the boring sermons by the preachers. With my attitude at that time, it was astonishing that I would have the patience to give it another try,but I suspect it was the work of Holy Spirit, that I have the patience for attending the biblical teachings conducted in the church. All of a sudden, I begin to experience a 180 degree change in my life. I became enthusiastic to care and help other people. I do not steal anymore and I even admit my small faults like breaking an egg to my mother. My mother was surprised and touched by the new change in me and encourage me to go to church more often.

However, in secondary school, I became decadent once again. The reason was – all the youth attending at that time were females and I was embarrassed and shy to go to church to mix with them. I was dissatisfied for a few years. Then arrive to the second turning point of my life when I was in matriculation, and my friends invited me to join their Christian gathering, which was conducted weekly. I joined their activities and was again touched by the Holy Spirit. I attended every gathering there and went to church regularly even if the members of the church consists mostly of girls as I do not feel embarrassed in front of them anymore because I know we are brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.

I was baptized 3 years ago, now I am most happy and relaxed when I go to church and I am drawing closer to God day by day. If it wasn’t because of Jesus, I think I will not be here in USMKK. If it wasn’t because of Jesus, I think you would have seen my photo in newspaper photographed as gangster, thief, robber and any other law-breaker. Jesus Christ is the Giver of my life because He turned my life and gave me a new life. How about you, who is your Giver of life?

Experiencing God in Christmas

Testimony by L. B. Liang

Hi brothers and sisters,
First of all, for those who have never heard of me, I am Lau Bik Liang, a 4th year medical student from Sibu, Sarawak.

Christmas night is coming soon. This is the biggest event for CF. I have been through three meaningful Christmas nights in USMKK that has brought me a lot of good memories.

In my first year, I was so excited about Christmas night that I wished to participate in a lot of performances. However I ended up with only joining choir. Haih… Maybe I really am not a talented person, haha! Never mind, I still enjoyed myself during that Christmas because I found something special about CF – love among brothers and sisters. CF had given me a sense of belonging and we are all like in a big family with lots of care and encouragement from each other. During that time, we spent a lot of time and effort in practicing choir. Despite feeling exhausted, we got support from each other. Besides that, many Christians who seldom turn up for routine CF meeting also came to help for Christmas night. There was a great deal of fellowship among us. It was a warmth Christmas night for me staying so far away from my family

The following year, I was surprised to be asked to take charge of Christmas night choir. In the beginning of our practice, we faced problems like a lack of musicians and song selections. We have a very limited number of musicians as compared to now during that time and most of the musicians were final year students who were very busy in their study. Thus, I feel quite stress at that time. Thanks to the Christmas night committee that year who prayed continuously for these matters and we finally got the musicians. I think God had answered our prayers and that’s why most of our problems were solved. Prayer is great!

Last year’s Christmas was a struggle to me, the most struggling, in fact. I actually felt bored after serving two years in Christmas night. However, David (our previous CF president) came to my room and asked me to become vice president for the Christmas night committee. At first I rejected because of my Pro 2 exam. I wished to focus more on my studies since that was my Pro 2 exam year. Previously we rarely see a Year 3 medical student taking such a heavy job in any CF event. Thus, that discouraged me in taking the position as the vice chairman for Christmas night. The thought of worrying about “others would have a chance to study much more than I do as they continued to stay in their room” had ruminated in my mind. Thank God that in the end, I did agree to become vice president and my results was considered good enough for me to enter my 4th year. Haha! I think this was the first time I struggle to participate in God’s work and I am glad that I had chosen the correct pathway

This coming Christmas, I wish I can continue to involve in the work of God and experience God’s work on me. For those brothers and sisters who still hesitate to help in Christmas night, please hurry to lend a helping hand. I am sure God will make this a special Christmas for you as He had made it for me in the past three years.

May God bless you all!!!

Tuesday with Morrie

Testimony by T. Liszen.

… a book that I read during early in my fourth year in University, I could recall not much of the book’s messages, but there is one chapter, one particular that keeps on lingering in my mind until now…and will once in a while pop out to echo loud in my mind. It is a chapter where Mitch, the author asked his old, bed-ridden professor, Morrie, who had been afflicted with a disease known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS, about his opinion of the Book of Job. I suppose Mitch was wondering how a suffering patient like Morrie would see God’s deeds on Job in order to test Job’s faith.

As a Christian who was very enger to know more about God then, I am ashamed to admit here that I was terrified when reading through the Book of Job.
Yes, I was terrified.
“If I were to give all out for God, will I be experiencing the same situation as Job?”
It was not the adversities to come in the way that I feared the most; It was the process of testing my faith to God.
I love God very much; at least that was what I thought I was then. “But will my faith survive all those adversities if I were Job?”
Despite all these thoughts, I could not help but try to learn to be a good servant of God, because without His salvation, I will not be here writing this. Hallelujah!
Hence I began my journey to learn to be a good servant since my Year 4 in University. And more often than not, I would be encountering helplessness, loneliness and being perceived as a weird person or hypocrite. I survived these and I said to myself. “Hmm, not bad…may be it is not as bad as I thought it will be. Yes, as long as I put my eyes on God, God will help me to go through all those trivial trials. He will be my strength when I am weak.”
I had been holding to that thought whenever I encounter difficulties, until a few months ago, I found myself too weak to even to think of that thought.
I was confused, bitterly in pain emotionally and physically, and worse, I blamed God for what had happened.
I blamed Him for giving me a problem that could not be undo, I blamed Him for allowing that incident to happen, I blamed Him for involving the people I care and love all this while, if all these were to help me to grow…why it could not be that I being the one and only who undergo it?
Then during the CF meeting when Mick came to preach about “Encounter”, he said about how job demands of God an explanation of his plight, and God said,

“Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?
Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer me.
Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?”
Those verses were like a slap on my face.

Who am I and what am I to question and to even blame God? Then I realized that I had been loving and worshiping not God, but rather God’s gift and blessings upon me. I love what God can bless me with, to the extent that I idolize the gifts, not the Giver. That is the reason, I suppose, I agonized so much when things gone so wrong in my eyes, and forgot that sometimes, humans will never be able to comprehend all of God’s ways. For God’s ways are higher than our way.

The recently, God put me through a serial of events to help me to seize the meaning of true faith in Him. I could not share with people I love what are in my mind, what are troubling me and why am I acting in such ways. It was indeed a true agony, when the people you love started to doubt you and you could do nothing to make them understand. Then I learned at that time, am I not the same? Putting God into such situation myself? I doubted Him so many times, while deep inside, I know He loves me, and He has always been there for me. It must have been very painful for God too, to have His child to doubt Him, when all the things He has been doing, are for the good of His child, just that it is beyond the child’s ability to learn the blessings behind. Thus, I know now, Father in Heaven, that I should keep on having faith in You, even if the situation looked terribly grim and messed up at that moment.
And at the end of that chapter, Morrie answered Mitch, “I think, God overdid it.”
Personally, I think, God was doing things in His ways, in accordance to His will.
Well, so now I am really grateful and praising God for the trials He has been giving me, and I think there are more to come…but thank you, Father in Heaven, for promising me that You will not give me burden that I cannot bear. And I would really love to end this by sharing with you all these verses.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4.

CF Welcoming Night…

CF welcoming nite was over bout 2 hours ago. Year in, year out, they organize this specially for the 1st years beginning of the semester. I edi cant remember the previous CF welcoming nite, so much events and memories.

Every year I see new students, and for the past 3 years, I was among the first few seniors who see the first years as they stepped in USMKK. (What to do, Im PPMS ma…) I see them coming with hopes, dreams, inspirations. But as the years go on, as I see some of them grow older and more matured, changes happens. People gets less excited bout campus life, less excited bout studies, less excited bout CF, etc etc. We dont blame them, maybe they have found other purposes in campus. Even me myself, sometimes lost motivation in CF events. Old edi gua…

But I know clearly, seniors have to set a good example for juniors to follow. And its through this CF events that we get to relate to the juniors, show to them what campus life is all about. How they can find God in this stressful and lifeless place, is through our sharing to them. Only when we learn to sacrifice, then they will learn to do the same to the younger ones, and the cycle goes on. There may be times we fail, but as long we gets up, and put our focus on God, the fruits will come.

Last friday, during the Cell leaders meeting, I ‘hantam’ all other Cell leaders. I told them, if you all just become Cell leaders for 1 year and then quit, you all are gonna bring more harm and good to your members. It was actually the previous Cell leaders who quitted after just 1 year of serving, but I was reminding this new Cell leaders, that if they follow the footsteps of those Cell leaders who quit after 1 year, the members are the ones who will find it difficult to cope with new Cell groups. And because of this problem, CG members are owiz changing every year.

Its not that I purposely wanna ‘hantam’ them but this problem of Cell leaders quitting has been a chronic one. I felt the need to voice this out and solve it once and for all. But, anyway, I really thank God that this year will be my last year serving as Cell leaders. Even after graduate, I will not be a Cell leader in church for some time. Really ‘traumatised’ edi…

Anyway, back to CF welcoming nite… I really had a nice time playing those childish games, as if im back in 1st year… But some juniors were like saying I look too serious during the nite. But sadly, the pretty murni girl did not come…

CF USMKK need a blog!

I would say CF USMKK needs a blog. Here are the reasons why…

1. Now is the era of science and technology. CF USMKK also needs to move along this line to promote itself among other students in USMKK. People in USMKK especially needs to know the existence of CF and its role in USMKK. With a blog, people can find out more about CF.

2. Many people are not attending CF regularly, due to many reasons such as busy, need to study, need to dating, etc etc… So with a blog, these people can keep in touch with the events in CF without feeling left out.

3. With a blog, the graduated CF members can still keep in touch with the events in CF and find out the latest events in USMKK. They also can post their suggestions over the blog. Besides that, it would be easier for them if they wanna do any contributions to CF.

4. We can share the gospel and our CF member ‘s testimonies through this blog. Those interested to share their personal experience with Christ can do so through the blogs (since so many people are not attending CF regularly, so only through this blog, we can get our message out)

5. We can promote our Xmas nite and get donations.

6. We can put on announcement over the blog, easier for those people not regular to CF to get their announcement. Then it will be easier for the CF committee to get volunteers if they need.

7. We can promote our CF activities through the blog, maybe some non-christians may come across it and be interested to join in.

8. We can put up important prayer request over the blog. More people will get the informations and pray for those involved. One important thing, our nation and government needs our prayer.

9. Blibical issues can be placed over the blog, and let the members get involved in active online discussion. Even outsiders can get involved

10. This will be one of our ways to bring unity back to CF!!!

May God wondrous blessings be upon CF and its members! Lets put our hands together and bring CF to greater heights.

CF Camp

Wow, these are the bunch of craps in CF. Me being the biggest Crap! Hahaha!

CF USMKK New Committee!

I jz came back from CF Annual General Meeting. Its been such a long session but Im glad its finally over. Although im owiz seem by other CF members as the talkative one, the big joker but deep inside my heart, I have dreams for CF. Its kinda hard for me to share my personal views on CF in the public. Im afraid of rejection, Im afraid of the response other CF members gonna give me if I point out my opinions. But I jz felt that I need to pour out my dreams and hope on CF, I jz cant keep things inside my heart, It will very burdening to keep things in our heart.

When I see the new CF committee, I felt a little disappointed. There were 11 post in the committee and 10 of them are occupied by either 1st or 2nd year. Only, 1 post which is the vice president held by a 4th year which is Liszen. Im reali worried that in the coming semester, CF is just gonna be a place for 1st years and 2nd years. The rest, 3rd, 4th and 5th years may felt left out and even stop attending CF. I see this happening every year. And with 10 of 11 post held by 1st and 2nd year, Im worried CF is gonna remain a 1st yr and 2nd yr thing. So wat is the difference of CF with Buddist Society which also emphasize on 1st and 2nd years.

I will still support the CF, not because I reali wanna support CF, but because of God’s faithfulness to me. God has been so faithful helping me go thru troubles in life. So coming to CF, for me personally is jz Im giving back to God wat He has given me.

I hope CF can break thru the barriers of different years and courses. Its never easy but possible if God is in the picture.

Posted at http://tanyuethan.blogspot.com/2008/03/new-cf-usmkk-committee.html on March 26

Birthday Party!

1 hour ago, my CG members and some other CF members just celebrated my birthday. Personally I felt touched by their thought. Although me as a CG leader has been through a lot of downs lately, I have been evaluating myself as a CG leader recently, finding myself in a deadlock state trying to get all my CG members closer to one another, trying to make our CG a place of belonging. Although our CG state and condition didn’t really improved much since I become a CG leader since 2^nd year, but what I see just now during my birthday party is that, although there are few of us, it didn’t really matters at all cause whoever who comes and gets involved, they get blessed.

I learned to accept my physical limitation, just as we can’t force people to accept Jesus as their personal savior, so it’s the same goes for Cell Group. We can’t force people to get involved in Cell Group if they don’t want to. Same goes for Church and CF, we can’t push Christians to Church or CF if they don’t want to. Christianity is not a religion with rules and regulations that we need to obey, it’s a personal relationship with Jesus.

I got a nice bag for my birthday, it can be used to keep laptop also. Multipurpose bag! Its like a blessing from God and my CF friends in the midst of the troubles and uncertainty I have been facing the past 1 month. And as for our CG, I just rest all my Hope in the One that I have been Livin’ for. J

Cell Group

        One of the major activities organized by Christian Fellowship USMKK  (CFUSMKK) is having small groups called Cell group (CG). The Cell groups exist to strengthen the fellowship of CF members in small group by sharing our lives with one another. I was asked to continue as CG leader again this yr. Among the objectives that I need to achieve this yr are

1. Cell groups enables CF members to be personally known and cared for.

2. Develop a connection between daily life and God’s Word by discussion and sharing of testimonials

3. Build accountable relationships with another believer through S.A.G (Student accountability group)

4. Encourage each other to grow in Christ

            Among this 4 objectives, I failed to achieve even one of them. I dunno why, but I jz felt that our CG is not working. Many members are not attending the meetings, though all of our meetings so far are just birthday celebration. For me, if they dun even bother to attend the birthdays parties, I dun think they will bother to come if we have bible studies or outing. Even our birthday parties are all held in USM and each just lasting less than 1 hour, yet many still choose not to come. Maybe I have not been a good CG leader… maybe they don’t feel the sense of belonging in our CG… maybe they don’t like birthday parties and cakes… maybe I didn’t prayed enough… I dunno.

            Someone in our CG asked me to remain as CG leader but I don’t see the point of remaining. I was the CG leader for past 2 years and some CG members have been with me since they are 1^st year, but our CG is still the same. So far I only found 1 person capable of taking over our CG but that person decline the offer. I still wonder whether should I remain as CG leader, since next year I will be facing a major exam, Professional 3 and its not gonna be easy…