Love After marriage (LAM)

We went for a 3-day marriage conference ran by Lorri & Barry Byrne from Bethel. It was a conference that was life-changing. We learnt much about our marriage, reconciled matters which were swept under the carpet, learnt many useful tools for us to live victoriously in this world. What we also got out of this conference were new friends we met and bonded (cos we all shared so vulnerably), old friends whom we connected even deeper.

Marriage is really God's idea; He wants us to experience His love for us through our marriage. I'd been wondering about our marriage and had been thinking about the fact that God allowed me to get married... He has His perfect plan. In marriage, I become a better person (though still ever-growing). In marriage, He allows my husband to sharpen me and to tone me down. In marriage I learn to think for another person. In marriage, with a child, we foster a brand new family unit and we build a new family. 

Thank You Lord for your grace, for Your gift of marriage and most of all, thank You for bestowing me with Gerald as my husband, who loves me, is patient with me, and who makes me a better person through his love. 

Indeed, both of us (two) are better than 1. 

Life is somewhat different...

Our Benjamin is growing up real fast. He is now about 4.5 months, and getting quite chubby. When he is not smiling, he looks serious and intense; when he smiles or chuckles, he melts a thousand hearts, of which the most is Papa & I.

We cannot stop thanking God for Benji, who has been sooooo cooperative whenever we are out (he just sleeps away), and he doesn't really cry or fuss unnecessarily. This was our constant prayer when he was still in my tummy, as we know we don't want our life and ministry to come to a standstill because we have a kid. Thankfully he loves to go out too and he enjoys people playing with him, so he has been quite easy to handle thus far. For this, we cannot stop giving thanks to God for answering our prayers. Actually I feel that having a baby is not that tough actually. I have been sleeping more (except for the night feeds which I have to wake up briefly), cos Baby sleeps, so I sleep. I praise God that He has sustained me and given me strength and tenacity. I know it is His Grace that is so sufficient for me.

Trip to Taiwan:

Inaugural flight to Taiwan

Story of his name "Benjamin"

Psalms 118:15-17

¹⁵ Shouts of joy and victory
    resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
¹⁶     The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
    the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
¹⁷ I will not die but live,
    and will proclaim what the Lord has done

Our dear friend, D, texted me one day to ask for Benji's "vital statistics" & a verse which God has given us with rgds to Benji's name. We pondered and thought, there wasn't a specific verse, cos the whole pregnancy was a journey and we had journaled the whole process and all the words and promises which the Lord has given us. One night, I recalled the passage above which I read (along with a couple other verses about the Lord's right hand), and I asked a friend who is a bible scholar specifically about the Lord's right hand. I remembered I was v encouraged then.

As I was sharing with Gerald about this passage, suddenly it struck us that Benjamin means "son of my right hand"! And in my spirit, I knew even his name was picked by God Himself & Benjamin is the son of God's right hand. He will not die but live and will proclaim what the Lord has done - Benji lived alright.

The Lord is good and faithful and He is not a vague God. He plans everything to the tee. We just need to trust Him.

In this journey of having a baby, I begin to feel the sense of belonging and family with Gerald. In the process, Gerald and I have squabbled, stepped on each other's toes even more, etc. But I find myself falling in love with this man I married all over again. He loves me, protects me, and loves our son and protects our son with all his heart. Thank You Lord, for giving me the "reason"for our son: without this wonderful husband You gave me, we wouldn't have our wonderful son.

3 months & counting...

It has been 3 good months... It wasn't as difficult or daunting as I thought, thank You, Lord.
Our little baby is growing up fast & well.
Thank God for the milk supply, as You promised in Isaiah.

Gerald has been such a wonderful daddy - everything he does with regards to you, he does it so excellently.

One month..

寶寶樂樂 is more than one month old .. It's wonderful that he is growing well despite the first-few-weeks glitches, haha!
He has also been gaining weight which is great encouragement to a breastfeeding mama. It must be His Grace that graced me through the 1 month. I have heard many horror stories of how new moms cannot cope during their 1st month... Maybe I don't have a good memory, so memories of v difficult times during the 1 month are q vague. Of course, like what everyone says, every baby is different so you must know your baby. Haha! I am getting to know a new person indeed! I was telling some friends that I still don't feel a lot of for him cos maybe 我們相處的日子還不夠長。
But it is quite cute looking at such a small helpless baby that is supposedly mine ... And it's great joy to see Hubby so amused & happy with 樂樂。

Thank You Lord for the journey so far.. I know You are w me...

Week 2 of Motherhood

1 Nov 2012: wow, it's November already! We have our new addition to our family! Benjamin our dear son was born on 15 Oct 2012, 1002pm, after a 24hr labor then emergency C sec. The Lord was w us indeed. When I first heard his cry, my tears nearly streamed down my face... When I first saw him, I was thinking,"so you are the one... I finally get to meet u.."
It has been an interesting 2 weeks... Been at my Mum's place for confinement but had been learning the ropes of taking care and meeting the needs of this new little one... He is little indeed.
I thank God for His Grace so far that we have been coping ok- not fantastic esp when he fusses and cries for no reason, but generally we are getting by. With all the busy-ness, it is easy to forget God.. Dear Lord, pls hold me close to You all the time and not let me outta Your sight even for a moment, even when I get all caught up taking care of Baby Benjamin and not spend that quality time w You.. I don't want to walk without You or go through this without You, for You are my source of strength and Joy and You are the Giver of this gift. Lord, give me more strength, tenacity, Grace, so I can juggle more and walk closer w You...
I look forward to this coming Christmas season where Christmas is in the air. They are already putting up the lights and decorations in Orchard Rd- that is the surest sign that Christmas is in the air... I look forward to bringing our little baby out to look at the lights and sights of Christmas and spending this Christmas with our little gift from God.

Thank You Lord, for Your promise...

Fruitfulness

Life has been fruitful, and it's humbling to know that God chooses us and blesses us so overwhelmingly. Work has been fruitful, all glory to Him... 宝宝 has been growing well and good by His Grace. He is now 32 weeks old and has been moving and wriggling inside me more and more... You have said You will give us the Grace to raise 宝宝 and we will rely on You.

Gerald and I have been talking a lot about how our lives will be after 宝宝arrives... Most of it revolves around how we desire to continue to expend ourselves for the Kingdom and not just the kid. We are inspired by godly examples around us who balance between God's Kingdom and Family. We believe that putting Him first will never be wrong. We have been very honored to hear from the Lord His plans for 宝宝, and I felt like Mary who kept all these things in her heart (as her son grew up). I believe His Words will give us the strength and the long-sightedness as we bring up our kids. We desire to impart kingdom-mindedness and the vision of eternity to our 宝宝.

Our LG has also enlarged in a very big way. We combined with another LG who already has an attendance of maximum 21 people. This made our FIRST combined LG 25 peeps - and we were blown away. Apart from the sheer size, we are also blown away by each person who makes up the LG. They are people with such tender hearts for the Lord, so willing to learn and so eager to know Him more. These hearts touch us a lot. And we pray and ask God to help us to be good leaders, shepherds who love and lead our sheep with hearts and skilful hands. Thank God for Your grace and abundance!

Our lives will probably turn upside-down in a matter of weeks and we can only look to God for His Strength and His Grace.

Lord, You have been so so good to us. Thank You Lord!

New beginnings

I started on my new job in a new place. We are also awaiting excitedly the arrival of our dear 宝宝. This year is such a great year of big changes for me- the job and the baby.

I've been tremendously blessed by God to be in this new job. We moved in a team so it's not so lonely coping with a new environment. This is like my dream job. And over the past 3 days of training and orientation, it really reinforces this idea of this place being my dream job: people are nice , culture family-like, people believing in team work, prestigious, understanding. I feel so blessed being here. Thank You Lord. You knew this was the desire of my heart many years ago when I knew about this company. You are wonderful and You give us good things. I pray that I will be able to work in this place for the rest of my career life, ideally to be able to transfer to another place so we can go and do church planting (hopefully in China). Lord I don't know how and I don't know Your plans but I pray that You will open doors for my company to want to start an operation in China and open doors for me to go and pioneer new frontiers ! This is my heart's desire. I pray also that God will continue to level the ground before us and make all we do succeed because You are our God! All accounts and assets to be opened smoothly!

The pregnancy has been goin very well thus far. All these by the grace of God. It was Him who formed this baby perfectly and uniquely inside my womb.
Oh Lord, I have no idea what it is like to be a mother. Help me not to be over paranoid as I have this tendency. Help me to take care of this child You have so graciously entrusted to us by Your Grace.
Gerald is very happy everyday just thinking of our dear 宝宝。and it delights me to see him so delighted. That's probably how God is when he sees us.
This is a new journey, new beginnings... Lord, pls be with me every step of the way and may all I do an embark on be pleasing to You...

New layout

This new layout looks fresher and happier... Fits my mood... I'm starting to enjoy my rest days... I know I will surely miss this when I start work again. So, I must cherish every moment of these days, thank You God for this wonderful opportunity and time.

"寶寶" as we call our baby is doing well, thank God! I am in Week 11, and I saw 寶寶bouncing in the ultrasound.

God has been blessing us. Indeed, Joy comes in the morning, and after weeping and night. This started with much much anxiety and scares, but I'm beginning to enjoy the trust in the Lord, as He said, that all will be well. He is doing a new thing, now it springs up; He is making a way in the dessert and streams in the wasteland. You are the Giver of life and You will preserve and grow it.

Thank You for Your faithfulness; You never, ever fail.