Newsletter #6

Ok, now that I have some spare time in my hands, thought I'd finally post up my latest newsletter.
------------------------------------
This month (July) marks the one-year anniversary (& the half-way mark) of my traineeship with OCF. Recently, I also had the opportunity to visit Canberra – the place where this whole exciting journey with God first began! So... reflections, reflections, reflections...

Some satisfactions, regrets & lessons
Undeniably, the greatest satisfaction I’ve had so far comes from the opportunities I get to invest in the lives of the students. There is a sense of joy with knowing that in one way or another, there is an influence being made whether the results are apparent at the moment or not.

I also thank God for the few preaching/teaching opportunities I’ve had. Although it is hard work to prepare for a talk/workshop, I’ve really enjoyed them & actually find them quite thrilling.

I could have done more... On the flip side, the dawn of every new semester comes with this sobering thought & confession. My own struggle with laziness has become more apparent throughout the year. There were lost opportunities due to both inadequate planning & a lack of resolve for execution.

Let go and let God... I never learnt a more difficult lesson than this one in the past year. There were many times when I felt helpless & powerless to change things. Giving up & moving on to another area was a very real option, but I have since come to terms with God’s sovereignty & that the battle ultimately belongs to Him. It is a difficult but perhaps a most valuable lesson in the simple act of trusting in God to accomplish His work.

Perseverance... Not only when things get tough, but also when you face rejection from the very people you are trying to serve & help. The experience really highlighted to me the extent of Jesus' love for us, that while we were still sinners & his enemies, when we did not want him in our lives... he served & died for us (Romans 5:8). Where else can we find such love?

Will you wash another person's feet, even when they don’t want it to be washed?

OCF - Winter Camp 2008

~Happy Campers!~

Once a year, a motley bunch of Christians huddle away for a 5-day camp in winter. As my disciple Janesa says “Although the weather is freezing cold, we are warm in God’s love...” J The camp theme was “God, our confidence” & the main talks & Bible studies were centred on Romans 8.

It was also very exciting because the non-believers who came for camp learnt a lot from Carolyn, one of our centre advisors who facilitated the group for non-Christians. One of the girls I spoke to is very serious about becoming a Christian & is learning more about God’s love for her. Praise God!


~Girl power!~

Updates on the “Being Single” workshop: No, none of the girls have vowed celibacy yet... Phew! :) Handed out a little survey to get a feel of my audience & what their ideas on singleness & marriage were. There were lots of giggles, but also some honest sharing on how we can make the most of our single lives now for God’s glory. We also talked about the temptations & struggles that single girls may face, and the issue of whether it is better to remain single than to marry a spiritually unhealthy person (i.e. nominal Christian or non-Christian). The basic principle we worked with was that God’s ultimate purpose for us is our holiness. Hence, all our behaviour & decisions need to be made in light of that.

On another note, David (my boyfriend) decided to propose after the workshop (not in public though), so we’d be getting married next year! That definitely made this camp an even more memorable one :)

Trip to Canberra

~My usual get-away spot by the lake... a good spot for prayer & reflection~

Thank God for cheap budget airlines, I visited Canberra after 3.5 years since I graduated from Uni. Needless to say it was a bit of a nostalgic visit, catching up with old friends, walking around the Uni & my all-time favourite Lake Burley Griffin.


~OCF Canberra Stall Day~

Thank God also for the many meaningful conversations I had with my friends/supporters, & the encouragement I received to continue “running the race”. Also had the chance of giving some input to an OCFer preparing for an evangelistic talk, helping out with stall day for new students, & meeting up with the student leaders to share some of my experiences in OCF.

Thanks to a 10-hour transit in Melbourne between flights back to Perth, I got to spend some time with OCF Carlton’s chairperson & also briefly visited one of OCF Carlton’s meetings. Am inspired & challenged by their “witness pairs” program[1] and their heart for evangelism!

On a more sombre note, I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sadness as I met up with some of my Uni friends who were not believers. These are my friends & yet in some sense, I no longer have the opportunity to reach out & share the gospel with them because we are now miles apart. May God send others along their way!

New semester... new plans...
My heart & passion has always been to help students grow in their relationship with God through a good understanding of the Bible. One of my regrets is the lack of opportunity thus far to really achieve that goal by teaching others some of the skills of reading the Bible inductively. I am still praying & hoping that God will open the way for me towards that goal. Please join me in prayer!

[1] At least once a week, OCFers go in pairs around Uni to share about OCF & the gospel of Jesus.