Hi XX & YY,
This is Fiona here, also from TCC & you might have seen me in church every now & then. I caught your family's blog from YX's & am very touched & encouraged by your simple yet honest sharing of God's grace & His hands upon both your marriage, lives & kids!
Also working in a VWO, I could relate to the low pay, restrictions placed by policy olders (i.e. Means testing) & frustration one face at work at times. Still, after 5 year of being in the system, I guess it is still the kids that I love & serve that keep me going strong w/o being affected to much by it. Otherwise, how to survive?
When I first started out in SPED, i kept asking God, why are there children with special needs on earth if He is such a loving & good God?
I didn't really get a clear, definite answer but after much pondering, traumatising my pastors & questioning, peace came into my heart with the understanding that we are after all in a fallen world. On earth, the prince of darkness has dominion yet God's Sovereignty still reigns.
My experience with the parents of the kids I work with has proven time & again that special kids are given to parents who are special b'coz they have the heart big enough to love & accept them unconditionally - no matter what!
I got to know Jesus when I was studying overseas at Murdoch, in 1999. Attended TICC which later merged with FCC in Perth. Oh well, it was a rollercoaster ride as my mom threatened (at that time) to terminate my studies & asked me to return to S'pore immediately since I want to follow Jesus. May as well don't waste time & their precious money studying so much.
My years in Perth were the foundations being laid for greater & better things to come when i returned to S'pore. (I didn't know it then)
The 1st few years upon my returning were fighting battles - one after another. To the extent whether i should return back to Perth to "escape" my family. It was not the right thing to do & my granny was seriously sick then. Thus I has to be with her as I was her favourite granddaughter. She was the one who lovingly took care of me when I was born premature at 7 mths (another thing i am grateful to God for).
When I sank into depression b'coz of some medication & work related pressure in 2005, i experienced for myself what it meant when the Bible said the devil's aim on earth is to kill, steal & destroy. Whatever lies I could believe, i did! (still can't believe i did!) But still, our God is a faithful God as He sent people to minister & comfort me & His Word slowly walked me out of those dark, unforgettable & hideous times.
As He did His restorative work in me throughout the whole of 2006, i relearnt alot of things about myself, my Heavenly Father & those around me. my walk with Him has taken a new dimension of faith & of who He is & what He can do. Indeed, He is the Rock that I can absolutely cling onto when trials come!
Sorry for this long sharing! Thanks for reading! Just want to let you know you & your family's journey of faith is a reminder to me once again that He never fails!
God bless!
Cheers, Fiona :)
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Me & my even shorter hair!
I went back to the hairdresser's again 1 week after a trim & colour. The intention then was to grow it out, keep it long. But after 1 week of "trying it out", cannot make it la. Kids in class mess it up easily, fringe irritating me & I didn't know how to manage it. It was too much of a hassle, with the natural curls & such. 
As such, here's presenting to you all my latest look! I think short hair suits me quite well after my weight loss. Friends & colleagues have feedbacked that I look refreshed & "awake" even though I might be sore from lack of sleep. Haha...that's good enough for me!
Think I still prefer the "wet" look. The above is blow-dried, set with wax. I don't quite like it....What do you all dear ones think? :)
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
The New Employee
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2 by Os Hillman,Thursday, January 15 2009
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us (2 Corinthains 4:7).
What would happen if Jesus took your place for a year in your workplace? Let's consider some hypothetical things that He might do.
He would do His work with excellence. He would be known around the office for the great work He did (Exodus 31:2).
He would develop new ideas for doing things better (Ephesians 3:20).
He would hang out with sinners in order to develop a relationship with them in order to speak to them about the Father (Matthew 9:12).
He would strategically pray for each worker about their concerns and their needs. He would pray for those who even disliked Him (Matthew 5:44).
He would rally the office to support a needy family during Christmas (Jeremiah 22:16).
He would offer to pray for those who were sick in the office and see them get healed (Matthew 14:14).
He would honor the boss and respect him/her (Titus 2:9).
He would consider the boss as His authority in His workplace (Romans 13:1).
He would be truthful in all his dealings and never exaggerate for the sake of advancement (Psalm 15:2).
He would be concerned about His city (Luke 19:41).
He would always have a motive to help others become successful, even at his own expense (Proverbs 16:2).
Hmm. Sounds like some good ideas we could each model.
"Reprinted by permission from the author. Os Hillman is an international speaker and author of more than 10 books on workplace calling. To learn more, visit http://www.MarketplaceLeaders.org"
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us (2 Corinthains 4:7).
What would happen if Jesus took your place for a year in your workplace? Let's consider some hypothetical things that He might do.
He would do His work with excellence. He would be known around the office for the great work He did (Exodus 31:2).
He would develop new ideas for doing things better (Ephesians 3:20).
He would hang out with sinners in order to develop a relationship with them in order to speak to them about the Father (Matthew 9:12).
He would strategically pray for each worker about their concerns and their needs. He would pray for those who even disliked Him (Matthew 5:44).
He would rally the office to support a needy family during Christmas (Jeremiah 22:16).
He would offer to pray for those who were sick in the office and see them get healed (Matthew 14:14).
He would honor the boss and respect him/her (Titus 2:9).
He would consider the boss as His authority in His workplace (Romans 13:1).
He would be truthful in all his dealings and never exaggerate for the sake of advancement (Psalm 15:2).
He would be concerned about His city (Luke 19:41).
He would always have a motive to help others become successful, even at his own expense (Proverbs 16:2).
Hmm. Sounds like some good ideas we could each model.
"Reprinted by permission from the author. Os Hillman is an international speaker and author of more than 10 books on workplace calling. To learn more, visit http://www.MarketplaceLeaders.org"
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
How Blessed! Thank You Jesus! :)
Dearest those whom God has brought into my life in my darkest times of pain & grief,
Brought comfort & joy to my heart....yups, I love you all lots! You've been such a great blessing to me! Here's what you all did.....
Thank you for making me laugh when I could no longer laugh on my own, thank you for nourishing my body with nutritious food when I had no appetite (but I needed to for sustenance, thanks for "forcing" me to eat!), thank you for brightening my dark moments with the light of Christ in you!
Thank you for staying up to talk with me, hearing me out, allowing me to vent, for making time for me, for holding my hand & walking me through when I was lost & didn't know what to do or felt as if I could not go on anymore.
Thank you for having a heart big enough to make me feel comfortable enough for me to openly share what's in my heart w/o ever feeling judged or small. For this, I appreciate lots.
In your wisdom, thank you for teaching & guiding me how to walk in the ways of the Lord based on His precepts by modelling it yourself to me, for practical hands-on advice & tips in ministry & in life in general.
Thank you for those who went into their prayer closets & prayed, interceeded & travailed in prayer on their knees & waged spiritual warfare on my behalf when I was too weak & weary to do so myself. It made a difference! Otherwise, I would not be writing this entry now! Praise God!
It is from the excess that is within me that ministry is able to outflow so that I can be a blessing to others. Just like I have been blessed, impacted & mentored by the people God sent into my life, out of thankfulness & gratefulness to Him, instead of keep saying thank you, what better way to show it than in practical action to love God even more, serve Him & His people ya?
Of coz I need to make sure the issue of pride & self does not come in & start relying on my own strength. That's where some of you have the responsibility to keep me on my toes & keep on speaking into my life as you all deem fit. (You all know who you all are!)
Through the ups & downs, the good & "bad" times, beloved Abba Father, You have proven Yourself faithful. Your loving kindness, goodness & mercies endures forever. You reached out & picked me up from the miry clay when I was in the pits.
(Psalm 31: 21) Praise the LORD, for he has shown me his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack.
For this, I will praise You all the days of my life! Amen! :)
(Psalm 40: 3) He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the LORD.
(Psalm 23: 6) Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.
Brought comfort & joy to my heart....yups, I love you all lots! You've been such a great blessing to me! Here's what you all did.....
Thank you for making me laugh when I could no longer laugh on my own, thank you for nourishing my body with nutritious food when I had no appetite (but I needed to for sustenance, thanks for "forcing" me to eat!), thank you for brightening my dark moments with the light of Christ in you!
Thank you for staying up to talk with me, hearing me out, allowing me to vent, for making time for me, for holding my hand & walking me through when I was lost & didn't know what to do or felt as if I could not go on anymore.
Thank you for having a heart big enough to make me feel comfortable enough for me to openly share what's in my heart w/o ever feeling judged or small. For this, I appreciate lots.
In your wisdom, thank you for teaching & guiding me how to walk in the ways of the Lord based on His precepts by modelling it yourself to me, for practical hands-on advice & tips in ministry & in life in general.
Thank you for those who went into their prayer closets & prayed, interceeded & travailed in prayer on their knees & waged spiritual warfare on my behalf when I was too weak & weary to do so myself. It made a difference! Otherwise, I would not be writing this entry now! Praise God!
It is from the excess that is within me that ministry is able to outflow so that I can be a blessing to others. Just like I have been blessed, impacted & mentored by the people God sent into my life, out of thankfulness & gratefulness to Him, instead of keep saying thank you, what better way to show it than in practical action to love God even more, serve Him & His people ya?
Of coz I need to make sure the issue of pride & self does not come in & start relying on my own strength. That's where some of you have the responsibility to keep me on my toes & keep on speaking into my life as you all deem fit. (You all know who you all are!)
Through the ups & downs, the good & "bad" times, beloved Abba Father, You have proven Yourself faithful. Your loving kindness, goodness & mercies endures forever. You reached out & picked me up from the miry clay when I was in the pits.
(Psalm 31: 21) Praise the LORD, for he has shown me his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack.
For this, I will praise You all the days of my life! Amen! :)
(Psalm 40: 3) He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the LORD.
(Psalm 23: 6) Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.
Miracles in Class! (1)
Words later...the fact that this boy managed to even sit nicely & do the below activities with me w/o too much outburst is already a miracle.....I believe more to come! Amen?
Saturday, January 10, 2009
I am so loved! :)
I was eyeing this RED bag from EDC since 3th of Jan when I first set my eyes on it! Have been drooling over it & dreaming about it. I usually do not get bags from Esprit coz I find them overpriced.
It came attached with a S$79.90 hefty price tag. Even with Celeste's (bro's gf) 10% member's discount, it wld still be quite a considerable sum to part with & it's not something I really need at the moment. It's a want.......
There's even a matching wrislet.....
Matching coin pouch too.....*faint* Oh man, talk about temptation! Flee! :P
Guess what? My beloved siblings, Fanny & Fabian, & Celeste, chipped in to bless me with it as my bday gift! Woo hoo! I am so so happy & pleased as punch with my new red bag!*utterly high*very very high*Not only that, when Celeste when down to get it, there was an additional 30% off storewide thus total of 40% off! Wow! I am so blown away!
So loved & heartwarming coz even such a mundane & small want such as this, my Abba Father sees to it that it's met. Awesome! :)
(John 15: 7)
But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!
The things my kids do during snack time! *faint*
This particular kid has to dissolve & soften his food in his milk to ensure optimal chewing & swallowing.
Still, the orange peel in milk was quite amusing!Yups, for those in the know, we survive by every 15min block on the 1st day of sch last Fri. It got better bit by bit as rules, boundaries & consequences were set FIRMLY in place.
Gradually, we relaxed abit & survived by the hour. Slowly but surely getting there. Just don't laugh when you see my hair in a mess & roll your eyes at me outside my class door when you peep in & it seemed as if a tornado has swept past Class 13P! Quite a normal occurrence I tell you!
Still, am thankful & grateful to God for His protection & safety in class everyday! Praise God for no major/serious injuries & we even survived our 1st hydro session on Wed in 1 piece with no major hoo-ha! :)
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