For mummy - I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith – 2 Tim 4:7

This was the Eulogy that I read at my mum's funeral.

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I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith – 2 Tim 4:7

I am glad that I have been given this opportunity to speak to all of you about my mother.

She was not only my Mother. She was also my confident, my sister but most of all she was my best friend. She dedicated her entire life taking care of dad and I. We did not realize how tough the job was until we looked after her during the last few months of her life. But we did it very gladly and willingly giving her back the care that she so earnestly gave us.

Mummy gave me a lot of confidence throughout my whole life. When I was down, she encouraged me, when I needed advice, she gave it so willingly, when I did something wrong, she lovingly scolded me. It was only the last few months when her condition deteriorate did I realize that I missed speaking to her, confiding in her and most of all praying and getting advice from her.

I will never forget the time when I wanted to go and further my studies. Mum said that she and Aunt Jeanette would pray for me to choose the right school to go to. A few days later, the answer from the Lord was for me to go to Brisbane. Why there? She said the Lord would show me when I get there. Well, I finally knew why. After the first month in Brisbane, I started going to a Christian Church there. It was there that I found my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and I thank my mum for praying for the Lord’s direction.

People always say that as a Christian your life would be a bed of roses. Oh boy they were so wrong. It was the opposite. After that more trials and tribulations was in store for us. But we took it all in our stride and prayed for the Lord to mould us and give us the strength to go through it all.

It all started in Dec 1998 when mum first had the stroke. Things got better for her but on 9 August 1999, mum had a massive heart attack and that took her condition slowly down hill. But she did not once complain and ask the Lord "Why me?" or "What have I done to deserve this?". She took it all in her stride and the Lord showed her the direction. She was to take the time she had left to be a testimony for the Lord. She was to testify for the Lord and share with as many people on how the Lord took her through the whole situation. I’m sure almost everyone here would have heard her telling you about the time when she felt the Lord and Jesus Christ at her side when she was having the massive heart attack. She knew in her heart and remembered God’s promise when He said that He would not leave us nor forsake us. She was indeed a Child of God.

She would never forget lessons she learnt from the Lord and always wants to read God’s Word even though it would require a lot of effort from her to sit on the wheel chair when her condition got worst. When she could no longer read the Bible, I would try to spend time reading to her because I knew she likes to listen to it. Her other favorite thing was to listen to Christian songs. She found a lot of peace and encouragement from the Lord’s Words and Christian songs. One of her favorite song was Amazing Grace.

Before we sing the song, let me read part of the lyrics to you:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.

During the last few months of her life, mum’s condition took a further dip and more complication arose. That was the only time did I see her loose the fight to live and one day she said that she was ready to go back with God to be in His presence and suffer no more. She knew very clearly that our life on earth is just temporary and when we return to the Lord and is in Heaven, all these will no longer be.

Mummy, God has granted you your request and He has finally taken you home to be with Him forever. I can picture you now in His loving arms and suffering no more. Indeed Grace has leaded her home.

Before I end, I would like to read to you my mother’s favorite passage from the bible. The passage is from Psalm 23 and it reads:

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Well, mummy, indeed goodness and love has followed you all the days of your live and now you are dwelling in the house of the Lord forever.

To our family and friends, we thank you for coming today to share this moment with us. We are happy now that she has gone home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and suffer no more. But we are sad that she is no longer with us in flesh.

Mummy, thank you for everything and I will miss you dearly. I will love and remember you ALWAYS!
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Though it has been almost 3.5 years since my mum has gone back to be with the Lord but to this very very day, even reading this it brings tears to my eyes.

I can still remember as if it was yesterday when I was reading this Eulogy in front of family members and friends. I stopped in the middle as I knew that i was breaking down but I told myself that I wanted to finish this and let my mothers' life be a testimony to others.

I pray that you be blessed when reading this. I love you mummy and you will never be forgotten as you will be my ONE AND ONLY MUMMY!!!!!

Matthew 6:25-34

For the past few days, I've been reminded of the following verses from the Bible. If you ask me if I am worried about anything? Hmmmm... I can honestly tell you yes. But what is it.... maybe too many for me to break down.

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"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
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The verse that stood out for me was "But seek first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Last night I could not get to sleep until about 3am. I don't know why but my heart was racing and I just rolled around in bed. I finally decided to take out my bible and continue reading Matthew from where I stopped. You see, what is happening is now I'm trying to read the bible from cover to cover and finish it within 1 year (Thanks Uncle JC for challenging me). So since I could not get to sleep when I wanted to, I mind as well read the bible and see what the Lord has to reveal to me.

You know after reading about 4 chapters of Matthew, I felt tired and went to sleep. I thank the Lord for granting me the opportunity to read the bible and that I could do so anytime and any place that I chose to do it.

Chinese New Year 2009 - The Lee Family Part 1

People know me to be Eurasian but I have a very strong Chinese background as my mothers' family is Chinese. Li (李) - Lee is the Surname of the family and I thank the Lord for this family and for the love they have for me.

My mother has a Hakka great-grandfather (who happens to be my great-great-grandfather), Lee Bok Boon who was born in 1846. He emigrated from Dapu county of Guangdong province to the Straits Settlement in 1862.

Her grand-father (who is also my great-grand father) Lee Hoon Leong gave his sons an English Education and therefore that is why my grand-father Lee Chin Tong is one man who can speak good English.

My Ah Kong, married to my Mama (Ong Kim Neo) and had about 9 children. My mother Lee Yew Lin is the middle child and she was the one who always kept a close relationship with all her brothers and sisters. So I salute you mummy for keeping in touch with the family.

It's been almost 3.5 years since my mother passed away and even though this year is the 3rd CNY celebration without her, it really felt that she was still around with us. cry cry....

I've uploaded some pictures of the family for you to see.


The first picture is a picture of only half of the family. There are more of them. The next picture is of my Ah Ee and Ah Kim. Do you see the other non-Chinese man at the back? That's my dad. The last picture is this segment is of my mum's 3 siblings. There are 2 more however, they are not in this picture. If I have pictures of them I'll show them to you.


The above pictures are of the family either posing or having lunch.


These pictures above are with my nieces. Yup since I'm the only child, my cousins children are my nieces and I love all of them for who they are.

I thank the Lord for providing me this family and their love for me. Lord I pray you bless them and keep them in your loving care always. Amen.

Bethlehem and what it looks like today!

Let me first start of with the map of Jerusalem which I took and you can see it from here.

The little town of Bethlehem which in Hebrew means "house of bread", has many biblical associations reflecting a tranquil, pastoral existence.

In the Old Testament, Bethlehem is often referred to as Ephrat, which means fruitfulness. Here, nearly four thousand years ago, Jacob buried his young wife Rachel; here was the home of Naomi and her family; here Ruth gleaned in the fields and fell in love with her kinsman Boaz; here their great-grandson David was born and here Samuel "anointed him in the midst of his brethren" (1 Samuel 16:13).

But the even which took place here and transformed the course of history was that "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem" (Matthew 2:1)

You might not believe this but Shepherds still pastures their flocks around Bethlehem, where the shepherds heard the good tidings of Jesus' birth from the angel of the Lord who told them to go to Bethlehem to adore the child.

The first place which I want to share you about is called Shepherds' Field. Let me share with you a passage from Luke 2:8-15.

It states that "The Shepherds and the Angels. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.""

At Shepherds' Field there is a church. The design of the church represents a shepherd's tent and the light penetrating the church through the glass shone on the shepherds when the angel appeared to give them the tidings of Jesus' birth.

Next we move on to see the town of Bethlehem. Bethlehem is today a town, surrounded by a beautiful hilly landscape. It is the home of Christian and Muslim Arabs, many of whom are skilled artisans and craftsmen.

Luke 2:7 describes how Mary "brought forth her firstborn son... and laid him in a manger; because there was no room in the inn."

It is believed that over this cave-like manger, traditionally Jesus' birthplace, arose the Basilica of the Nativity.

The above picture is of the Basilica of the Nativity. You see the columns of the church? And next to it is the alter that they have there. Did you know that the entrance of the Basilica of the Nativity, which is shared by the Armenians, the Greek Orthodox and the Latins, has been filled in below the straight wide Byzantine lintel to outline the pointed Crusader doorway. This in turn was partially blocked by the Turks, leaving the present opening small to allow for easy defence and to prevent horses and other animals from entering the Church. When I went in, I had to lower my head in order not to get hid on the head.

As we made our way down to the Grotto, where a silver star overlies the spot of Jesus' birth as seen below. It is believed that Jesus Christ was born on this spot. you can see it from the first picture below. The other two pictures were taken at the Grotto.

Adjacent to the Church of the Nativity is the Franciscan Chapel of St Catherine of Alexandra. Within the church of St, Catherine are the Chapel of St. Joseph where Joseph was commanded by an angel to flee to Egypt, and the Chapel of Innocents, commemorating the massacre of the babies killed by Herod.

The above is what you can see when you go into Bethlehem. To me it was a great joy to see the bible come alive. As we move on the days, I pray that the Lord will show me what to put up on my blog that could help you see what I saw in Israel. Night.

Insights to my Israel pictures.

As I was reading Matthew, I came to realise that I could show you what I've read and take you through the bible with what I have seen in Israel in 2007. Well, as I move along, I will go through the Gospels and take you to places which I visited in Jordan and Israel.

I pray that the Lord will use my blog to be a blessing to anyone who reads and open your eyes and heart to come to know the Lord.

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Dear Lord and Heavenly Father,

I thank You for giving me a brain, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, hands and feet and a body that I can use and be an extension for You to use and reach out to others. I pray Lord for Your blessing to be on this blog that I may be able to use it to reach out to others who are seeking You.

Lord I pray for Your knowledge and your strength and grace o as I continue to move on to show those who have not been to Your home and see what it is today and guide them along the bible with your great insights.

I thank you and pray all these in Jesus most holy and precious name. Amen
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If you want to know more and see more pictures, please read my blog as the day passes and I pray that the Lord will open your heart, mind and eyes to see HIM!

Meeting up with friends at a Special Event

Hi there,

On the 9 January 09 I went to KL for a friends' wedding which was on the 10 January 09. Yup CW got married to GE. It was indeed a nice dinner.

I left Singapore for KL on the 9 Jan to meet EJ and LE and we had loads of fun and eat a lot. Both the girls are doing fine and it was indeed very blessed for me to be able to meet up with them and enjoy the fellowship together.

Altogether a total of 6 of us from Singapore went there. AL, EL and AL also went up however, they got lost along the way and took longer as expected to get to their friends place where they were putting up the night.

So we thought we let them rest and JL, RL, LE and I went for coffee and after that, as we underestimated the time to get to the wedding place, we reached there at about 8pm. It was very far away at this place called Cyberview Lodge, Cyberjaya, Malaysia. Sorry KW and GU for being late. But like they say... Better late than never ^_^

All and all we had a great time. The joke of the evening was that in future should we want to meet up and have fellowship together, we will do it in KL instead of Singapore. That way for those of us staying in Singapore would than have to take leave to meet up and when we do so, it has a better probability to see more of the Unicellers. Here's a picture of the couple and us.
You know even though I don't meet Unicellers that often these days, I know that they are growing in the Lord and when we meet again, they will have many stories to tell and many memories to go back to the days of Brisbane.

I thank the Lord for these friends and their friendship and I pray that they be blessed and grow in the Lord each and everyday and that they have the Lord's peace and grace and strength with them as each day go by.

As I write this entry, I'm reminded by the Lord of Hebrews 10:24-25 which states:

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Lord God, I thank you for the friends that I have made during the course of my life and I thank you Lord that they have been a blessing to me and others around them. Lord please bless them and grant them Your strength and Love to love others and be an inspiration to them and a great testimony for you. I pray all these in Jesus name. Amen.

Chinese New Year 2009

Woh!!!! Finally the year of the OX has arrived. Yup!!!! It's my year.

With the year of the OX arriving, I also am blessed with an extended and new family.

I became the god daughter of Lee family. I thank the Lord that I can have God fearing god parents and have them be my mentors.

Before CNY came, god ma invited me over to her house on Christmas day to meet her family members. I was hesitant at first not knowing what to expect. But in any case, I went and was very blessed. it was indeed a time for me to get to know people and to feel at home. It was indeed great to know that the Lord will bring wonderful people into your life when He knows what you need.

He has indeed been wonderful to me for allowing me to feel a lot of love and be blessed by many people He brought along my way. Thank you Lord for your blessing of love ones and loved ones. People who have been in my life and are in my life. It is wonderful to be able to pray and seek Godly advice from my god parents who love the Lord with all their hearts, mind and soul.

Devotion today

Today, I read the passage on Psalm 1. The psalm goes like this

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Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
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This is what I heard from the Lord. It is this that I should not fear man but fear God. Man proposes, God disposes if it is not according to His will.

I also learn that I need to meditate in the law of the Lord. Meaning I need to read God's words day and night and keep His word in my heart. I also learn that I should not worry about anything but in everything Seek First His Kingdom.

So friends, if you find that you are in trouble or facing trials and tribulations, it's not going to be an easy trip. I know cos I went through trials and tribulations for 6 years before my mum died and I asked the Lord why so long. Now I know.

I will share with you a story which I road some time back tomorrow. For now, rest in the Lord and be blessed.

I pray..... and please pray with me....

Today was a very interesting day for me. I am wondering if the Lord put me in a specific position the correct thing or not. I'm learning a really hard lesson :( all I do now is pray and I ask for you to pray for me. If you want to know the specific to pray for me, email me and I will tell you. Thanks

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Dear Lord,

In view of the current situation that I am encountering, I pray that You will grant me the peace and strength to go through this situation. I know that You have great lessons for me to learn and that all the learning is for me to grow in faith and trust in You.

I pray Lord that my centre's enrollment will pick up and I also pray Lord that You grant me the knowledge and peace and strength to handle a specific situation that has been an issue since I joined the centre. Lord You know that I am feeling the sadness and worry and I want to cast all my worries and cares onto You and I pray Lord that You will know when and the right time to make the situation better.

Lord I also pray that You will use me as your Beacon in the centre and I pray Lord that you cover me, my teachers and the children with Your Precious Precious blood and all situation that we are to face daily.

I pray all this in Jesus most Holy and Precious Name.

Amen

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The Lord is all precious and knowing and He knows what is my heart desire and I can only talk and pray to Him to cast whatever that is not to be in contact with me away and I pray that the Lord will be gracious and I ask that my faith and trust will grow in Him daily.

The new Year

Hi Everyone,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

So what's 2009 going to bring for me? Many things big, small, great and wonderful that is all that I'm going to say cos I don't even know what God has in placed for me. So I'm just going to enjoy it all as it comes.

Last night we had our church Bethesda Katong Church and I had a blast last night even though I was coughing most of the time. I was 1 of the Game Master together with HW. Energy level for me was super high. Like it is said "If it's to be it's up to me" to keep the energy level up if I want everyone to enjoy the games ^_^

We had loads of games and loads of fun... I'm just glad that I still got my voice though my the end of the night, I almost lost it all.

Went to church last night for watch night service. It was indeed something that I can really remember as this year, I know that the Lord wants me to wait upon Him for an other half and the answer has yet to come for me if it's going to be a "Yes" or "No" so wait!!!!

This year I want to grow closer to Him and listen to Him even more and hear what He has to tell me.

So to everyone who has been reading my blog, here's wishing you a Happy and Blessed New Year and may the Lord grant you the strength to go through this year with His love and grace and strength.