Today I have a couple of interesting encounters to share. A few months ago I wrote about this man in my estate who suffered from stroke and is partially immobilised and how Sasha, my doggy, jumped onto his lap one fine morning when he was seated at the void-deck. I also shared about how he had never smiled till that day when Sasha did her leap of friendship. The gentleman's name is Yi-ge.
I hesitated about writing this earlier but now I want to see it as a sign from God for me to reach out to this man. It is just so "coincidental" that every day, no matter what time I leave my home, I would bump into Yi-ge. What are the chances of this happening more than once? Each time we met, he would be the first to smile at me and I would return that kind gesture by asking him whether he has eaten. He would nod his head as he was unable to speak properly. After that I would wave goodbye to him and move on.
The next time I meet him, I will want to sit down and speak to him. May the Lord give me that opportunity soon and may He use me to minister to this child of His.
I was with my God-sister at the Millennia Walk Coffee Bean in the afternoon where she was doing her revision for her 'O' level preliminary examinations while I was preparing for a Missions Committee meeting tomorrow. We ordered a couple of drinks and food. I want to thank God for the friendship that I have made with some of the staff at this branch. As I was not that hungry, I decided to order a kid's size pasta. Yes, a big Andy Chew eating a kid's portion. Anyway, one of the supervisers informed me that the dish would be served to us so my God-sis and I headed back to our table. When the food came, the portion was much bigger and the superviser told me she has given me more. I was quite touched by her kind gesture. Haha. Maybe she thought the kid's portion might not be enough for me.
It has never occurred to me that even in a restaurant that we sometimes frequent can give us opportunities to make friends if some efforts are being made to know the names of the staff. After a few more smiles; a conversation made; and a few words of appreciation for their services rendered, a friendship can develop from here. I guess we just have to be more aware of the people whom we usually come across. Instead of just treating them as passers-by, we should use every opportunity to go a step further and maybe in that extra effort taken, something good might come out of it.
We always say it is tough. I used to think it that way but trust me, after trying a couple of times, it is not that difficult. It is a matter of whether we want to or not.
The third incident was the most bizarre. Scary, as a matter of fact. I was walking towards the stairs which leads to my flat when I bumped into one of the old folks who usually plays Chinese chess at the void-deck. I could see him talking to himself and when I walked closer to this elderly man, I could hear him bumbling about the void-deck being so crowded when I could not even see a soul around us.
I asked the man what he was saying and he commented that tonight there are exceptionally more people around compared to other days. As I was sure there was no one at the void-deck except the both of us, I told him so. I felt the jitters and the goose-bumps though. As I sensed there might be some spiritual elements in our midst, I prayed in the name of Jesus for all these "things" to flee. You know what? Almost immediately when I finished my prayers, the uncle told me "bo lang liao" - it meant in Hokkien as, "no one already." I did not utter my prayers out loud - that basically takes away the possibility of the uncle hearing what I said to God. I would say that this was an encounter with the spiritual forces. But as always, the name of Jesus is more powerful than any other names.
I am not sharing this because it is the seventh month of the lunar calendar where many believe it is the period where the gates of hell are opened for the spirits to wander and find food, etc. As a Christian, I believe that spirits are everywhere any day, any time so this is possibly one of the rare incidents where I am the one encountering it. I am glad I had my God with me just now.
Well, so much for all that. Tomorrow is the first day of COMEX, an annual IT Fair, in Suntec City. Should I go or should I avoid it? Haha. Knowing me, I will be there in one of the four days. I remembered what my Assistant Pastor preached about last Sunday as in his challenge for us to consider whether are there other better things for us to do than spending a few hours looking at the latest gadgets and best bargains? I shall pray about this later before I sleep.
Thanks be to God for everything today - for His providence, for the experiences He has given me, for His protection upon me.
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7
"This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her." Acts 16:17-18
I hesitated about writing this earlier but now I want to see it as a sign from God for me to reach out to this man. It is just so "coincidental" that every day, no matter what time I leave my home, I would bump into Yi-ge. What are the chances of this happening more than once? Each time we met, he would be the first to smile at me and I would return that kind gesture by asking him whether he has eaten. He would nod his head as he was unable to speak properly. After that I would wave goodbye to him and move on.
The next time I meet him, I will want to sit down and speak to him. May the Lord give me that opportunity soon and may He use me to minister to this child of His.
I was with my God-sister at the Millennia Walk Coffee Bean in the afternoon where she was doing her revision for her 'O' level preliminary examinations while I was preparing for a Missions Committee meeting tomorrow. We ordered a couple of drinks and food. I want to thank God for the friendship that I have made with some of the staff at this branch. As I was not that hungry, I decided to order a kid's size pasta. Yes, a big Andy Chew eating a kid's portion. Anyway, one of the supervisers informed me that the dish would be served to us so my God-sis and I headed back to our table. When the food came, the portion was much bigger and the superviser told me she has given me more. I was quite touched by her kind gesture. Haha. Maybe she thought the kid's portion might not be enough for me.
It has never occurred to me that even in a restaurant that we sometimes frequent can give us opportunities to make friends if some efforts are being made to know the names of the staff. After a few more smiles; a conversation made; and a few words of appreciation for their services rendered, a friendship can develop from here. I guess we just have to be more aware of the people whom we usually come across. Instead of just treating them as passers-by, we should use every opportunity to go a step further and maybe in that extra effort taken, something good might come out of it.
We always say it is tough. I used to think it that way but trust me, after trying a couple of times, it is not that difficult. It is a matter of whether we want to or not.
The third incident was the most bizarre. Scary, as a matter of fact. I was walking towards the stairs which leads to my flat when I bumped into one of the old folks who usually plays Chinese chess at the void-deck. I could see him talking to himself and when I walked closer to this elderly man, I could hear him bumbling about the void-deck being so crowded when I could not even see a soul around us.
I asked the man what he was saying and he commented that tonight there are exceptionally more people around compared to other days. As I was sure there was no one at the void-deck except the both of us, I told him so. I felt the jitters and the goose-bumps though. As I sensed there might be some spiritual elements in our midst, I prayed in the name of Jesus for all these "things" to flee. You know what? Almost immediately when I finished my prayers, the uncle told me "bo lang liao" - it meant in Hokkien as, "no one already." I did not utter my prayers out loud - that basically takes away the possibility of the uncle hearing what I said to God. I would say that this was an encounter with the spiritual forces. But as always, the name of Jesus is more powerful than any other names.
I am not sharing this because it is the seventh month of the lunar calendar where many believe it is the period where the gates of hell are opened for the spirits to wander and find food, etc. As a Christian, I believe that spirits are everywhere any day, any time so this is possibly one of the rare incidents where I am the one encountering it. I am glad I had my God with me just now.
Well, so much for all that. Tomorrow is the first day of COMEX, an annual IT Fair, in Suntec City. Should I go or should I avoid it? Haha. Knowing me, I will be there in one of the four days. I remembered what my Assistant Pastor preached about last Sunday as in his challenge for us to consider whether are there other better things for us to do than spending a few hours looking at the latest gadgets and best bargains? I shall pray about this later before I sleep.
Thanks be to God for everything today - for His providence, for the experiences He has given me, for His protection upon me.
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7
"This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her." Acts 16:17-18
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