4th month (plus a few days) in Brisbane :)
Dear family and friends,
apologies for the delay in getting this post up...9 Oct came and went, I only realised on the 10th that my 4-month mark in Brisbane had passed!
Once again, by the grace of God, I have many thanksgiving to share...in no particular order, just whatever comes into my head :)
1. Thank God for His protection over my work place, the exercise/health spa where I am doing receptionist work twice a week. On Wed, I worked later than the instructor of the last class and I told her to go off because in the past (since starting this job in early Sept) I had been able to get the business owner or her husband to alarm the place.
I was under the impression that it could be done remotely with just the press of a button, so I thought I would just call my boss/her husband at 9pm when I left the place. My boss' husband had told me at about 8.45pm that my boss was asleep but i thought he would still be awake at 9-plus. When he didn't pick up the phone, i thought, "maybe he is showering, I will just make my way home and keep calling". BIG BIG MISTAKE.
No one picked up, despite many calls...and I spent the whole night worrying about whether the shop was alarmed. The next morning, all was well with my boss (I was very surprised but I found out later why) as she replied my text messages and told me not to worry about the place not being alarmed.
At about 11am, she suddenly called me and told me that the door to the shop was completely open when the first instructor turned up to the place at 4.30am. That night had been very windy and the wind must have pushed the glass door open!
It could have been open for 7hours, from the time i left until the instructor arrived!
my boss thought I had at least locked up the place, but I had not been taught that as I was new to the job, and I had not even thought that locking up and alarming the place were two separate things!
Amazingly, nothing was missing from the shop, which had exercise equipment, computer, printer etc etc and nothing was even messed up. God heard my prayers and He sent angels to protect the place!
I am so thankful that my boss did not blow her top, she didn't even scold me. She just made sure I learnt the closing procedure, and now I have a spare key to lock up the place. Also, all the instructors were emailed about the open door before I got a chance to explain to my boss what happened so the instructor who had gone home that night without locking up, sort of got the "blame", as it was thought that maybe she didn't lock up properly. I felt so bad, i wrote her a txt message to apologise and she was super super gracious about it, telling me not to worry.
I feel so blessed to be working at this place - thank You God!
2. Also am very blessed to be working in the church office... besides the weekly staff devotion on Wed mornings, where we get to hear sharing from various staff members, we also have gatherings like the surprise bday party for our senior pastor at his place :) Look at the lovely wall decor that was beside his front door - I like :) Most of you know that I LOVE caterpillars and the whole metamorphosis thing :)
2. Thankful that I got good marks for my first formal assignment since coming back here for my phd :) i was not feeling very confident about my work actually...so it was a nice surprise :)
3. Unexpected comfort from a CD cover
Sometime in late sept, I got the news that one of my scholarship applications (at the time I was waiting to hear back from two funding agencies) had been rejected. It was quite a blow because this funding programme was specially for women researchers so I thought I had a fighting chance. As it turns out, I didn't even make it to the interview stage :( As I was feeling down, I reached for this CD that a good friend had given me back in singapore. It was something that I had kept for "rainy days" so to speak. It is not something that I do often, but with this album (Crooked Lines by Corrinne May), I am so so glad that I kept it for "such a time as this".
The encouragement it gave me was so tailor-made it was amazing. Just look at the drawing on the inside of the CD cover
If you think that is amazing, wait til you read the lyrics of the cover song...
No wonder I started crying as I listened to the song...but it was a 'healing cry' ...if you know what I mean? I had known for some time now, through the Holy Spirit's impression, that my financial situation for my Phd will not be a straightforward path, because my Daddy King wants me to learn faith at another level. But if ever I need confirmation...well this would be it :)
I will end this post with the last thanksgiving :)
it's 4. Random mini-teddy bears left at bus stops
Within the space of a week or so, I spotted two such bears at the bus stops that I had been to...and as you can see, they emphasised the heart a lot. If you can't see the words on the teddy bear shirt at the bottom, it reads "Big Heart".
i don't believe this is coincidence because this month has been quite a "heart-stretching" month for me...for various reasons, I experienced disappointments and challenges in many relationships at around the same time.
They built up and left me feeling quite jaded, which in turn made me feel disappointed with myself for being so easily jaded. Then one day, while I was swimming in the pool at uni, I got a revelation from God that a human's reserves of love and patience etc etc was like a swimming pool. even if its a big olympic sized pool, or even the biggest pool in the world, it would still be nothing compared to God, who is like the ocean. It would be finite, compared to His infinite
when i come up against the hard edge of the pool, that represents my recognition of my limitations
and the sooner this happens, the better actually.
Instead of being deluded that my pool is the ocean, i actually thank God for the experience of coming to the end of myself
Because then I can sincerely turn to God and ask Him to continually fill me,
That is the only way I can keep doing what He calls me to do..
In other words, it is good to experience how finite I am, because I will then come to have an appreciation of the infinite God.
So the little bears seem to represent the heart-growing experience that I am going through :) Please pray that I do continue to have my heart enlarged by the amazing infinite God :)
That's all for this month folks. Do let me know if you want to Skype and catch up more :) Take care and God bless.
apologies for the delay in getting this post up...9 Oct came and went, I only realised on the 10th that my 4-month mark in Brisbane had passed!
Once again, by the grace of God, I have many thanksgiving to share...in no particular order, just whatever comes into my head :)
1. Thank God for His protection over my work place, the exercise/health spa where I am doing receptionist work twice a week. On Wed, I worked later than the instructor of the last class and I told her to go off because in the past (since starting this job in early Sept) I had been able to get the business owner or her husband to alarm the place.
I was under the impression that it could be done remotely with just the press of a button, so I thought I would just call my boss/her husband at 9pm when I left the place. My boss' husband had told me at about 8.45pm that my boss was asleep but i thought he would still be awake at 9-plus. When he didn't pick up the phone, i thought, "maybe he is showering, I will just make my way home and keep calling". BIG BIG MISTAKE.
No one picked up, despite many calls...and I spent the whole night worrying about whether the shop was alarmed. The next morning, all was well with my boss (I was very surprised but I found out later why) as she replied my text messages and told me not to worry about the place not being alarmed.
At about 11am, she suddenly called me and told me that the door to the shop was completely open when the first instructor turned up to the place at 4.30am. That night had been very windy and the wind must have pushed the glass door open!
It could have been open for 7hours, from the time i left until the instructor arrived!
my boss thought I had at least locked up the place, but I had not been taught that as I was new to the job, and I had not even thought that locking up and alarming the place were two separate things!
Amazingly, nothing was missing from the shop, which had exercise equipment, computer, printer etc etc and nothing was even messed up. God heard my prayers and He sent angels to protect the place!
I am so thankful that my boss did not blow her top, she didn't even scold me. She just made sure I learnt the closing procedure, and now I have a spare key to lock up the place. Also, all the instructors were emailed about the open door before I got a chance to explain to my boss what happened so the instructor who had gone home that night without locking up, sort of got the "blame", as it was thought that maybe she didn't lock up properly. I felt so bad, i wrote her a txt message to apologise and she was super super gracious about it, telling me not to worry.
I feel so blessed to be working at this place - thank You God!
2. Also am very blessed to be working in the church office... besides the weekly staff devotion on Wed mornings, where we get to hear sharing from various staff members, we also have gatherings like the surprise bday party for our senior pastor at his place :) Look at the lovely wall decor that was beside his front door - I like :) Most of you know that I LOVE caterpillars and the whole metamorphosis thing :)
2. Thankful that I got good marks for my first formal assignment since coming back here for my phd :) i was not feeling very confident about my work actually...so it was a nice surprise :)
3. Unexpected comfort from a CD cover
Sometime in late sept, I got the news that one of my scholarship applications (at the time I was waiting to hear back from two funding agencies) had been rejected. It was quite a blow because this funding programme was specially for women researchers so I thought I had a fighting chance. As it turns out, I didn't even make it to the interview stage :( As I was feeling down, I reached for this CD that a good friend had given me back in singapore. It was something that I had kept for "rainy days" so to speak. It is not something that I do often, but with this album (Crooked Lines by Corrinne May), I am so so glad that I kept it for "such a time as this".
The encouragement it gave me was so tailor-made it was amazing. Just look at the drawing on the inside of the CD cover
If you think that is amazing, wait til you read the lyrics of the cover song...
My daughter tries to draw a butterfly
with her crayons and crooked lines
and she’s crying ‘cause she just can’t get it right
So i wrap her tiny hand in mine
to guide her where her heart’s design
and she smiles as her dreams take flight
Perhaps it’s how it is on this labyrinth road
I just need to let Him guide my soul
(Chorus)
God writes straight with crooked lines
He takes the mess we make in life
turns our groaning into perfect rhyme
hidden by the veil of time
the wisdom of His love’s design
God writes straight with crooked lines
No wonder I started crying as I listened to the song...but it was a 'healing cry' ...if you know what I mean? I had known for some time now, through the Holy Spirit's impression, that my financial situation for my Phd will not be a straightforward path, because my Daddy King wants me to learn faith at another level. But if ever I need confirmation...well this would be it :)
I will end this post with the last thanksgiving :)
it's 4. Random mini-teddy bears left at bus stops
Within the space of a week or so, I spotted two such bears at the bus stops that I had been to...and as you can see, they emphasised the heart a lot. If you can't see the words on the teddy bear shirt at the bottom, it reads "Big Heart".
i don't believe this is coincidence because this month has been quite a "heart-stretching" month for me...for various reasons, I experienced disappointments and challenges in many relationships at around the same time.
They built up and left me feeling quite jaded, which in turn made me feel disappointed with myself for being so easily jaded. Then one day, while I was swimming in the pool at uni, I got a revelation from God that a human's reserves of love and patience etc etc was like a swimming pool. even if its a big olympic sized pool, or even the biggest pool in the world, it would still be nothing compared to God, who is like the ocean. It would be finite, compared to His infinite
when i come up against the hard edge of the pool, that represents my recognition of my limitations
and the sooner this happens, the better actually.
Instead of being deluded that my pool is the ocean, i actually thank God for the experience of coming to the end of myself
Because then I can sincerely turn to God and ask Him to continually fill me,
That is the only way I can keep doing what He calls me to do..
In other words, it is good to experience how finite I am, because I will then come to have an appreciation of the infinite God.
So the little bears seem to represent the heart-growing experience that I am going through :) Please pray that I do continue to have my heart enlarged by the amazing infinite God :)
That's all for this month folks. Do let me know if you want to Skype and catch up more :) Take care and God bless.
posted by thejenlee at 8:01 AM
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