Our Not-So-Friendly-Neighbour

“Bong Christine!! Bong Christine!!!”

I was working on some work and a boy came by calling for me urgently. At the back of my mind I thought maybe one of the kids injured him/herself and needed medical aid urgently. Coming out from my room with the medical kit I saw a bunch of them standing at the porch with a snake!

“We just want you to take a picture of the snake,” said the kids. I laughed in my heart with relief. Look like what I need is not a medical kit but a camera! So introduce to you, our 56 inches long not-so-friendly-neighbour - dead.

“Do you also want to go away?”

Jesus came over to the Sea of Galilee after disputing with the Pharisees at Jerusalem. A Large crowd followed him because they saw the signs and wonders he performed on those who were sick. Seeing the multitude His heart was moved with compassion and He provided for them and that evening Jesus fed 5,000 of them.

By night fall Jesus and his disciples went away in a boat to Capernaum and the next the day when the people cannot find him at where he was the night before they went out all the way to search for him and came to Capernaum where they found him.

When Jesus saw them He begins to speak to them about Himself. He said “I am the bread of life…Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day…” (John 6:48-58)

The people responded by saying, “This is a hard saying, who can understand it?” (John 6:60)

Jesus knowing their thoughts said to them, “Does this offend you?”

* * * * * * * * * *
Throughout the journey the crowd was with Jesus and so is His twelve. They were there when He healed the sick. They were the ones partook of the fish and bread blessed by Him and saw how it miraculously fed 5,000 of them.

Yet when Jesus challenged their mindset they turned away from Him. (John 6:66)

As we journey with God more and more God will challenge us in our mindset. Living in this fallen world, our thinking pattern, thoughts and mindset will naturally lean towards the way of the world, but as we mature in Christ we’ll find conflicts between what we use to know and what is said in the word of God.

Coming from a typical Chinese family having security of life is the ultimate goal or reason for living and by definition as a Chinese “security of life” equals to having a good job which could generate consistent income that can give you what you need or want. (That’s why Chinese work so hard to make money). For someone who doesn’t have that will be seen as being irresponsible and will be look down. This experience has been very real in my personal walk with God.

Many times in perusing the purposes of God we will be challenge to let go of our “security” and stepped into the unknown. My logical mind tells me to earn enough first (when I’m young and energetic) then do whatever you wish but faith tells me “if you hear God today, OBEY”. You may have similar experience in different areas of challenge. At crossroad like this we have a choice to make. It will be a choice that affects not only our physical condition but most importantly our spiritual condition.

As the disciple (from the multitude) turned away and walked with Jesus no more (John 6:66), He turned around towards the twelve and asked “Do you also want to go away?” * ouch * A question that hit real hard. Questions that can only be answered with a “yes” or “no” always call for a strong stand on what one believe and “grey area” does not exist.

We are living at the end of the age and Jesus is looking for disciples. A disciple is someone who follows everything that was taught by his teacher and if we say Jesus is our teacher, let us also walk as a true disciple and not turning away from Him and from His truth.

*Reading from John 6*

Matthew 6:19-20

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."

Few hours before this 50 Ringgit note can buy you a pair of jean or a decent meal for five but now this it can buy you nothing. The owner of this 50 Ringgit note thought the money will be safe in the pocket but it was too late when the washing machine started spinning. The owner can't stop lamenting to me how sad it is to lose the money just like that. This piece of paper can be RM100 or even RM1,000 and all can be gone in just split of seconds. Nothing is stable especially in this present time. Economy can be properous now but crash in the next day. What use to be THE STRONG CURRENCY are not longer strong anymore.

The new year has just begun. Let's us consider our ways as we start the new year. Invest in things that have eternal value and not temporal.

BLESSED CHRISTMAS!!

Hi everyone! Just want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Blessed Christmas and may our Lord Jesus Christ brings great joy and love in this season for you and your family!

Ps: I'm currently back in Malaysia with family and friends. Hope to put up some post soon.

BIG present!

A team of great people from Memphis, Tennessee was here last week to build the kids a playground. The playground is HUGE, and I think it is probably the BIGGEST playground in town!I’ll let the pictures tell you the rest of the story :)

Moving the old swing to the new location

The playground is still not fully completed yet, but it is getting there very soon!

Fun time with the kids

They love the swing so much that they let it turn round and round. They get dizzy every evening and still loving it!

Do you have any idea what this boy was doing?

I was on a trip down to Phnom Penh recently and we made a stop at Svay, a town that is about an hour away from Poipet where I lived. As we were waiting for the passengers to board the bus, I saw this boy. This boy is probably about 15 years old. He was bare footed and wore only a pair of long pant and a jacket to keep himself warm from the cold weather (It’s winter now at Cambodia). Instead of being in school he was begging on the street.

It was very heart breaking to see the ways he begged. I saw him kneeling for at least 10 minutes in front of a man hoping that the man will give him something but he was being ignored. Another time, he followed and hanged on to a person, but was being ridiculed and later being pushed away. The last time I saw him, he was knocking on the window of a taxi hoping that the passengers in the taxi would show him some kindness, but the taxi just droved away.

This is just one example of kids begging on the street. At where I lived (Poipet) you can see little children begging on the streets everyday. Some of them are really poor therefore begging is one of the ways to survive. Some of them are being exploited and made a beggar.

When I see them, honestly, I just want to take them home and also wished for someone to take them home or help them in some ways. There are just so much needs around, so many children and families to help but always there is a lack of laborers.

Matthew 9: 35-38 said:
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

I don’t know how you feel after seeing those pictures and read Matthew 9:35-38. But I pray that you will be the worker in wherever you are to touch and changed lives.

Learn your Khmer!!

The teacher said to the two boys: "You need to go back to Kindegarten because you don't know your Khmer alphabets"

Me: Oh! No! (saying in my heart after hearing the comment)

Chanda & Vaan said to me: But English alphabets are easier to learn.

Me: *Double oh no!*

The conversation above just illustrated an interesting encounter I had recently with two 1st Grade boys. In the midst of helping the kids to have better opportunities in the future through learning English, it had somehow made them feel less interested in learning their own mother language. This is not good. Their mother tongue is their culture, it's their identity.

The above encounter triggered some thoughts in me as I reflect my journey as a Christian. I’m sharing the following from the perspective of being a Chinese.

When I was a young Christian, fellow believers told me that now that I’m a Christian I must “change” my name, meaning to have a Christian name (by the way is there really such thing as Christian name?). The explanation given was that the Christian name reflects that I’m a Christian. How silly! The Bible said people will know that we are Christian or disciple of Jesus Christ by our fruits, our lifestyle. For the Chinese, names (which also include the family name) are very important, you don’t simply change them. In that name is one’s identity. In that name one could tell whether a person is a Cantonese, Hokkien, Teow Cheow or any other Chinese ethnic groups.

Now, if you wonder why I still called myself Christine that’s because I realized too late that I don’t have to “change” name and “Christine” is kind of stuck with me now. LOL!

I use to also hear people making comment saying “If I became a Christian I have to live like a Westerner, eat with fork and spoon and use only plate.” (No offense to any Westerners just that typical Chinese view Jesus as the westerner’s God).Why such comment? Because they were told that they must change to identify themselves as Christian.

May us be very careful with what we taught and model for others through our lifestyle. Certain things are just cultural. People don’t have to change what is cultural to identify themselves as Christian. It is good to let them keep what is cultural ‘cause that’s what makes them unique.

So, what happen to the boys mentioned earlier? They have to start learning Khmer and we have three older girls who are more than happy to teach.


Sokkhan using the flashcards to teach.



Games time with Tina