Water

Have you ever wondered and felt blessed that there is clean water running out of your water pipes each day? I must say to you that there are still places in our country whereby some communities did not even have water pipes running through their village and here we are running gallons and gallons of precious water down our pipe shutes each and every day without a care in the world. Isn’t it ironic that water in its purest essence is the most important sustenance for life itself? I am appalled that there are still communities and villages in our country who still do not get their clean water supply because of their faith beliefs and even pure evil discrimination. What attraction is there if one does the very opposite of the very faith one is trying so hard to get the community to embrace? Where is the beauty of such faith if one practises favoritism, unfairness and evilness? God is watching and God remembers. 

Anyway, last Sunday, I considered myself blessed to be in a team of great people to track for water source for an OA community village who had not had clean water for the past 10 years. I guess, only God knows their trouble and the silent pain they had to endure all these years. To me, I noted that the OA village and community consisted on the older folks, the middle aged and the young ones. It is extremely sad to see the young ones live like that. I really felt a tug in my heart every time I see their living conditions minus the clean water supply. About 20metres away, two families of different faith had the luxury of having piped water supply and two water tanks installed in front of their houses while another 6 houses whose occupants are different faith are to be neglected? I shudder at the evilness of men.

I found out that the community only water source is the bottom valley river and far too many people had been using these waters to wash clothes, bathe, clean themselves and drink the water. It saddened my friends and I upon seeing and realising their plight. So that day after service, the five of us ( Edwin, Gilbert, Errol, Josephine and myself ) together with our OA friends, Pak Panjang, Pak Yee, Ibu Leha, Tos and Rudi made our way to the nearby jungle to source a suitable water source to flow to the OA community village.

I must say to you that being 51 in human years, I do cringed at the thought of hiking up undulating terrains as the body can be quite fragile at this age. I could almost hear the creaks, tweaks and little butterflies in the stomach as I armed up for the hike. Looking at my fellow hikers, I just prayed that I would not collapsed in the middle of the hike to find the much needed water course and source. Earlier I was told that it would be a 2.5km hike and it would be quite easy. In the OA terms, quite easy and 2.5km can sometimes meant differently as it would easily stretched longer and the terrain is tougher for us, the urbanites , than for the OA people.

Anyway, equipped with a real burning desire to reach the water source and to see what could be done , we started out our journey through the oil palm plantation and cutting through the small creeks and rivers as we made our way further into the plantation. It started out fairly easy grounds and then it started to go uphill and then downhill and then up again. Thirty minutes in to the walk, we had to wade through big fallen tree trunks, fire ants, leeches , spider webs and sharp rattan plants. Though the creek and river crossing were interesting enough, the rain during the night earlier made the grounds slippery, wet and some beautiful natural environment for leeches. Well, as far as I was concerned , leeches were the least of my worries. I was more worried if I could withstand the long walk but I was surprisingly surprised that I could still walked on. I am ever so thankful the One Above for giving me the strength. Maybe the burning anger in my heart for the unfair treatment and the fiery desire to find a good water source were the motivating factors for me.  I know right from the start that the Lord will sustain me for if not Him, I would have fallen flat on my face as we walked on in the rather undulating and wet terrain.

There were so many incidences when I fell flat on my ass and the falls can be quite painful but I am thankful I was not hurt at all. Maybe a bruised pride for falling on my ass and for being not careful but I am most blessed that all the years in Royal Rangers Ministry had helped equipped me with the knowledge to fall gracefully and not hurt myself and for the endurance too. Honestly, I was more afraid of falling and mistakenly grabbed the rattan plant for support which could quite a painful experience. In fact that was what that happened. My scariest nightmare happened when I slipped, fall and mistakenly grabbed hold of a cut rattan tree. The thorn and spike tore in to my right hand last two fingers and it bled! I quickly rushed to take out the thorns and ensured that no thorns were left inside the fingers. That was one painful experience indeed! As we reached a river crossing, I quickly washed off the mixture of mud, dirt and blood off the right fingers. Praise God, everything is okay and I could continue my journey without any hitch thereafter.

But I must say that from here on, I felt as though my stomach, lungs, heart and spleen exchanged places so many times that I do not seemed to care which part is at which position anymore. tiredness soon crept in but not a waning spirit to locate the waters. Sure, it was tiring but as we pressed on, there was a purpose in our hearts that day. So, I pressed on and so did the rest. Along the way, Ibu Leha stopped us in our tracks and exclaimed happily that there was a patch of wild mushroom right for picking. We helped out in picking out the wild mushrooms for our friends. Ibu Leha explained to me that these wild mushrooms bloomed only once a year and they tasted real good. By the time she finished telling me, her young daughter had already picked out about 2 kg worth of wild mushroom. I helped Pak Panjang cut a small length of creeper plant so that he can fasten his patch of wild mushroom and he kept them lodged between some trees opening telling me that he will get them on the way back.

As we walked further on, there was another patch of wild mushrooms and Pak Panjang told everyone that we should pick them on our way back. This was agreed upon and not too long afterwards there was another patch of wild mushrooms hidden behind a big tree and Ibu Leha praised God for a bountiful harvest of wild mushrooms. For me, I am just so amazed that the jungle could provide such sustenance for these simple folks. Then Tos, Yee and Ibu Leha also picked out some leafy plant which Tos explained that the leaves could be eaten as a cooked dish. It was really very interesting indeed and I was really impressed with their skills at survival.

After some arduous trek and negotiating some rugged terrain, we finally arrived at the water source. What a beautiful clear water sight indeed! Every ounce of tiredness and pain that had crept in due to the trek were immediately diminished and dispelled as the cool and cold water was splashed on my face. It was truly refreshing. The team then brainstormed on how best to extract water from this place with the ideas input from everyone. It was just such a beautiful natural sight and I am so blessed to be alive to see it, actually.

 

We did not stay long as the golden rule of being in the jungle is to get out as early as possible as it gets dark quite easily. So, following a lifelong traditional lifestyle, we parted the place after we have had enough view of the place. On the way back, we picked up the wild mushrooms and leeches along the way too. To be honest, I realised that the leeches had had their feast with our blood that day. Anyway, after coming out from the jungle, I was glad that everyone made it out good. It was a good 5km workout for all of us and  as we did not want to soil Edwin’s car, we walked another 0.7km to our resting place that day.

Prior to that, we spoke to Pak Panjang, Pak Yee, Ibu Leha, Tos and Rudi that we would try our best to get the water poly pipes, accessories and fittings to channel the water to the community. There was such a hope on their faces and I really felt their anxiety. I guess, in many ways, a lot had been promised to them but things just did not start for them. At that moment, I really wish I had a magic wand to get the water apparatus to equip this village with water. There was just so much anticipation and hope on their faces as we spoke to them on our desire to channel clean water supply to them. I felt their heartbeat so much on this matter. Silently, I prayed that God would enabled us , His people to get the works done for this community.

As I bathed and washed off myself after the trek, there was still a few leeches at my feet. Although there was a trail of five bloodied trail left by the leeches but it didn’t bother me at all at that time. I had to use handy plaster to stop the blood trail but the trip itself was worth the blood spilled to the jaw of the leeches. I am not unduly worried of the leeches bites and so on. I knew GOD had a real purpose for us that afternoon - to flow clean mountain water to the OA community. I pray that GOD's purposes will be fulfilled upon this OA community! 

Kukup Retreat

Kukup, Johor has always been synonymous with rest, good food and retreat. I dare say that Kukup is one of the last bastion of a good destination for the wallet friendly people like my friends and I. I must point out that I have really lost faith in the local tourism as it can be quite an expensive affair for a family like us even travelling around in our own country. Sure, we have lovely places of interest, historical sites and other great attractions but they are not local friendly at all especially on our wallets as foreign tourist and tourist dollars are first priority. Yeah, it is like we are the second class citizens/tourists even in our own country.

Anyway, I must admit that after our trip to Kukup this time, I believe that my faith for fair price for local tourist had been given a tremendous boost but very much still skeptical of the fairness. Take a good hard look at the alarming exorbitant prices for Mt.Tahan, Taman Negara and even to Mt.Kinabalu including the islands....they ain't cheap for the locals..that's for sure. I know damn well what I am saying because I love travelling. I have seen how the landscape of places had changed tremendously over the years and the old rustic charm feel and people had given way to modernisation and unscrupulous price hike. That's another story, though.

Anyway, I must say that I have very good impression of Kukup and it still does retained it's lovely attraction of RFR - rest , food & retreat. So, when friends and families got together to plan for a family retreat, Kukup was the most obvious choice. Groundwork was carried out by our dear friends, Johnson & Tina and the unanimously agreed on the choice - Beijing Resort. Then the day finally came and we drove in four cars ( drivers were Dinesh, Fook Meng, Errol and myself ) to get to Kukup.  Johnson and his three children were to meet us there  between 11.00am to 12.00am that day. 

We started out with a good dose of Ipoh wan tan mee and some drinks at Ipoh Restaurant in Ayer Keroh Heights before hitting the highway to Simpang Renggam. We left exactly at about 8.00am and the highway was a little tight with plenty of Deepavali day revellers on the highway. We managed to cruise and weaved through the traffic at the highway and inched our way to the destination of rest. Rain started pelting our windshields as we reached Pagoh and as we headed towards Simpang Renggam before exiting the highway. It was raining cats and dog and dark stormy clouds started to gather successfully in the sky above signalling the imminent heavy downpour. But alas, it did not pour that day.

As we inched closer, we were informed by Johnson that we would have to park our cars at Udang Car Park. Yeah, a familiar name for me as the Royal Rangers commanders, Bachang cell group members and Kota Laksamana cell group members had parked there before during our earlier trips there. I must admit that my family and I must have visited Kukup 5 times prior to this trip and this one would have been my sixth trip. Anyway, I was looking forward to the sixth one as this was a different group of family and people I have come to regard as family. These are special people who really have touched our lives so much and I am just thankful being able to be with them. Credit must be given to Johnson & Tina for finding this place and making it such a wonderful trip indeed.

Nothing much had changed for the car park and its transportation to the town - same old no door vans! Hahahahhaaaaa.....that was really hilarious and crazy as Fook Meng, Dinesh and myself squatted ( no more sitting place in the van! ) in the van as Edwin caught hold of Fook meng's t-shirt just in ase he got flung out of the van during the horrendous driving of the van driver. Incidentally , the van was as old as the van driver, mind you! Hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.............  As I squatted with my fellow matey , I could not help feeling like some immigrant from the nearby country landing for first time on the shores of the promised land! Anyway, I eased myself out of the van after it stopped at one of the stops. 

I could immediately catch the fishy crustacean like pong from the nearby loading/unloading dock nearby. Still the same ol' pong that will probably choke your throat and filled your nostrils with nauseating permeation if you are not careful! Alas! It was lucky that Ah Wei from Beijing resort was at hand to guide us to the resort. The resort is situated at Air Masin Kukup section of the town- the newer place of accommodation. I kinda thought that it would be on the left side of the town but instead the resort is situated on the right side of the town.

So, off we go, trudging and eyes opening at the new outlet of Hokkaido Ice Cream outlet and other seafood stalls set up along the walkway to the resort. Finally , after some good 10 minutes walk, we had arrived at Beijing Resort. We were greeted by the ever smiling staff of the resort together with Ah Wei. We were told that we are to bunk in at the top floor for our stay while lunch would be served at 12.30pm at the nearby restaurant. 

I found Beijing Resort to be a great place for rest and relax. We had the entire top floor to ourselves and with a karaoke room to ourselves, it was time to freak out and let the hair loose. Never mind if we sang out of tune or shy to take the microphone to showcase our indepth talent ( bakat terbenam! ) at singing, it was the started of great great fellowship and get together. The children got their rooms ( double decker beds,actually!) and so did we, the adults. So, time to freak out and freaked out we did. There was just so much fun, laughter and teasing around. It was such a beautiful sight of pure happiness and great smiles all around. 

For me, I was rather waiting in much anticipation on how the parents especially the fathers are going to explain to their children that there is no beach in Kukup! hahahhahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa........well, the children took it well, I must say! Soon, it was time to get lunch at the restaurant. Johnson and the children had arrived on time for lunch! Lunch was a 7 dish course of steamed barramundi ( siakap ) in Nyonya hot sauce, steamed prawns, mixed vegetables, satay sauce strips of squid, oyster sauce chicken, sweet and sour crabs and fried sotong balls.

What a sumptuous meal indeed! Then , we walked back to our resort and on our way there, most of us decided to treat ourselves with Hokkaido ice-cream namely one big dollop of flavoured ice cream sandwiched between two bun halves! To me, it is just the extravagant "roti aiskrim kiap".  Then , it back to karaoke and some wonderful singing at the karaoke room. I believe that many wonderful and talented singers were unearthed during our stay at the karaoke room!

The worship team would not be lack of singers if these guys and gals are given the opportunity to sing lar! Yup, folks, bathroom singers and malu-malu kuching ( the shy shy cat - direct translation mah! ) singers shone brightly that day and made it through lar ! Love their guts and their bravery to sing, man! Everyone had a good time and then, it was a break for tea time at about 3.00pm. 

Tea comprised of prawn fritters, fried banana ( goreng pisang ), fried sweet potato ( goreng keledek ) chui kuih ( this one is nostalgic and humbling good ! ) and a pot of green beans, dark coffee and chrysanthemum tea.  The prawn fritters and their homemade chili sauce were absolutely delicious and lovely! Definitely a specialty in Kukup!

Then it was some time of ping pong and some exploration of the resort. For me , I went to the front open deck area and noted that the immediate neighbour on the right was a manufacturer of fermented shrimp or geragau paste ( belacan ) and budu ( fermented anchovies sauce ) manufacturer. Yeah, occasionally the pong of the fermented geragau does gets to the nostrils indeed.  The ping pong matches between the combo of young and old definitely made the stay such a great time. It was pretty amazing that no one broke their back, leg or neck or any of their limbs came flying off the ping pong table by the intense competition that was on-going. There was such a great ruckus of teasing and fun at the table! Smiles & laughter were all around as usual.

I guess, the trip would not be completed without the "sunset cruise" around Kukup Island which was part of our itinerary when one visits Kukup. It was such a fun thing for the children and the adults alike. The poor belangkas ( Shoe crab ), archer fish and puffer fish were on their best show for every freaking group of tourist who had dropped by at the floating kelong /fish farm. I could not help but feel that the wooden boat was somehow overcrowded with passengers that day but heck, if we are going down, we might as well go down in style,man! Hahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.......

After a good wash up, it was time for BBQ dinner and again our host did a pretty wonderful spread of food for us to enjoy. There were char siew sauce infused BBQ chicken wings, medium sized prawns on wooden skewers, chicken satay, otak-otak, green vegetables, a big bowl of clear soup of meat & vegetables , rojak buah, chili BBQ stingray and some steamed sweet potatoes. It was a hearty meal and we really enjoyed ourselves throughout the evening. We talked, laughed and had great fellowship together till late nite and early morning. Die hard MU fans such as Dave, Caleb & Fook Meng watched the MU Vs Burnley match as the others sang karaoke before being served porridge and sweet longan drinks for supper!

While others in the group are worrying about the calories, devout and die hard foodie fans like me would just enjoy the food as it is! Sleep came easy for me as I slept amongst the finest orchestral team of nasal equipment blowers as they did their own rendition of  S concerto in DS major a.k.a Snoring Concerto in Deep Sleep major ! Truly a masterclass act and master piece of nasal and mouth skills unparallel to geniuses of the modern bed times!  

The next morning, it was nasi lemak, bee hoon goreng, mee goreng, porridge, four types of Nyonya kuih  and green beans of breakfast spread awaited us at 7.30am. It was a glorious morning and greeted by a spread of food was special too. We decided to take a walk at the Kukup Laut area where we once rented there and we met up with one of the home stay proprietor, Mr. Lee Bok Piu. Still very much the businessman that he is and the good ol' proprietor. Errol and I spoke to him for a while and he told us that business had been slow but nevertheless, he was in his usual cheery - happy go lucky ways! I guess, that's the way it is in a small community based tourist industry.  

We were treated to another restaurant lunch before we headed home for the day. It was nice to be treated to two restaurant meals for our trip which I found to be worth it. I guess, competition had been stiff and it is still the survival of the fittest when it comes to running of such a business. I really like the hospitality, kind attendance to our enquiries and even the simplicity of hosting by our resort operator and his staff. Really thankful that Ah Wei & the staff who made our stay such a wonderful one indeed. I guess, we  weren't any fussy clients/boarders and that made their life easier in many ways. What I like most of this trip was the ability for each and everyone of us to open up to rest and relaxation, great fellowship, great bonding among us, great singing too and having a ball of time. 

I am indeed thankful for having spent such great times with great families whom I have come to love very much. Special people in their own special ways and I truly am blessed as they enriched my life and my family's lives with their steadfast friendship and caring ways. Yeah, I'll pick Kukup anytime if I am ask for a destination to relax. So, thank you very much, families, for  a great time!

Johnson - Crystal - Celine - Joel - Edwin - Lorna - Lara - Ethan - Fook Meng - Joo Li - Errol - Jessica - Josephine - Jocelyn - Dinesh - Abby - Dave - Caleb - Caitlyn - Ivan - SLing - SYuen.

My Testimony....

Today, I want to share about one of the most encouraging thing that happened in my life recently. Not too long ago, I went for a camp in PD and I had learnt so much from that camp/seminar. Attended by some OA youths and adults plus some truly passionate families and friends, it was truly an eye opener for most of us.

The accommodation provided was superbly clean and adequate while the food served was also adequate and delicious too. Nothing luxurious but enough for a camp/seminar such as this. Of course, it was a great event and it was such a great learning curve for me as I learned to be like one of the participants and see the greatness of our God.

I almost miss this camp/seminar as I wasn’t sure if I could make this due to a lot of personal matters that had occurred and the ever pressing mount of decisions to make in life. Look, it ain’t easy being breadwinner for the family and decisions would have to be made soon and I just put it off my mind and heart for a while.

Yes, like everyone else, I do struggle a lot in making crucial decisions and I sometimes felt the brunt and weight of heavy responsibilities on my shoulders. Someone used to tell me that fathers are supposed to be like that – shouldering the responsibilities, cry in silence and away from the prying eyes and be like a strong tower for the family even in the most difficult times. I guess, fathers would have to go through that but we are human too, right? Thank God, literally, that I have great listening and BIG hearted friends!!! Seriously, GOD listens…..

Coming back to the camp/seminar, I just want to share my testimony of what had happened on one of the nights of the camp/seminar. During one of our late night supper, Edwin, Errol, Joa Wee and myself were having a grand time of fellowship and drinks at the cafeteria of the centre. In one of the moments, Errol and I walked towards the hot water area and made ourselves some coffee and Milo drinks there for Joa Wee and Edwin. As we walked pass the path that led to our table, we had to pass through a table belonging to another group of church participants from Kampar, Perak.

There on that table which belonged to the participants from Kampar was a squarish blue top container filled with the famous Kampar “ kaya kok “. The moment I saw it, I knew that the kaya kok not only looked good but would taste fabulous indeed. Somehow, my heart and my mind sorta spoke up simultaneously, “ Lord, how I wish I could have a piece of one of those lovely kaya kok! They looked so good, Lord! “ as Errol and I walked passed the Kampar participants’ table.

To me, it was a simple and innocent request of my heart's desire and later, I came to know that Errol had the same thought as I did! I guess, both of us were praying that we would have a taste of that lovely kaya kok from Kampar. It wasn’t that long later, probably, 20 minutes later that a bespectacled young man and a young woman from the Kampar group approached our table as all fours of us were engrossed in our conversation, and asked us if we would like to have some Kampar kaya kok. Errol and myself looked at each other and then to Edwin and Joa Wee, who were puzzled too but we quickly took the blessings off the hands of the young man. All four of us thanked him profusely for the wonderful blessings and the young man just asked us to finish up the kaya kok and leave the container at the table as we go off that nite. There was about nine pieces of kaya kok in the container box! "Heavenly sent!" was what flashed right before my mind, to be honest!

Oh God, How wonderful you are to even listen to the very minute desires/cries of our hearts! I was so stunned for a moment and so was Errol. When I related my wish earlier to Edwin, Joa Wee and Errol when I passed through the table, Errol exclaimed excitedly too that he had the same wish and now God had fulfilled that small requests of ours even though no one knew what we had in mind. Edwin and Joa Wee shared our joy and the four of us had a piece of lovely kaya kok in our hands! Sure enough, it tasted real good indeed….real good!

It just goes to show me that our God listens and honours those who honor Him despite all our shortcomings. I am so thankful in my heart that God hears even the smallest of our request! I felt so blessed...so blessed indeed. That night, I could not sleep well as I thought of what had happened and that small incident of miracle from our loving Father in heaven. Only God can do that miracle and only God hears that intently to the cries of our hearts and his people. I am so humbled and thankful that He cares to listen to our pleas even no matter how ridiculous it may be. How each day we have taken advantage, complained and even come before His Throne with our own ridiculous shopping list and yet, He is ever so patient and kind.

I am really thankful that God is so real to me despite my highs and lows in life. His ever loving ways and goodness prevailed even though I doubted, wearied , broken and sometimes questioned my own sanity but He is able and good.

THANK YOU, Lord! You are my testimony and you are my GOODNESS! All Glory and Honour to Him!

Rights Sold!

Two days ago, I was felt strained and buoyed a lot for what had happened over the weekend and I was looking forward to having a quiet and quintessential breakfast to start my day. As it was quite packed with customers that day at my regular roti canai haunt, I had to share the table with three Indonesian men, one Bangladeshi and a Malay couple. It wasn't a difficult thing sharing tables for food but somehow, that day, things did not turned out nice as the day unfolded that morning.

I guess, I wasn’t really in the mood of speaking to anyone as I just wanted to some peace and quiet as I struggled daily with myself on my temper ( I have really made a lot of effort to tone down and repent of it daily!) , decision making in a lot of life matters and also, daily dealings at work. It is a real struggle for working individuals to juggle so much responsibilities and sometimes, it is an awful lot of load to carry on one’s shoulder. I am thankful that I can channel all my anger, frustrations and sometimes, my own needs to the One Above who patiently listens and instructs in the most subtle way through the inner conscience and promptings.

As I was mouthing down and chewing slowly for the tiny morsel of roti canai to my mouth, one of the Indonesian bloke told the Bangladeshi that Malaysia is truly a gold mine for foreigners like him. He even boasted that he had been in the country for 10 years and he had obtained a NRIC blue card. He went on to tell the other blokes ; his fellow Indonesian blokes and the Bangladeshi that it is easy to obtain an identity card when you know how ; winking his eyes and flash of the rubbing of his left thumb and pointer ( money la….what else! ) His fellow Indonesians smiled and tore heartily at the roti canai while the Bangladeshi, the only sensible guy at the table that day was just smiling and sipped his Nescafe drink without uttering a word! This fella went on to tell how easy it was to get a local Malay lady to marry and then worked their way into getting licences for motorcycle , car, lorry and even businesses. He even told them that it would be easy once they have settled down to bring in their own relatives or own kind from Indonesia to work here like operating a coffee shop, food stall and other small businesses undetected. Nothing conspicuous but opportunity nevertheless to bring over family for life is good in Malaysia. 

Imagine the shock to my body and not forgetting , the blood system ( temperature and level of heat started to rise up! ) on hearing such ludicrous talks. The very idea of coming over and getting citizenship as easy as ABC , well, that makes my stomach sick! The audacity to boast about it even makes the whole conversation such a repulsive and nauseating topic of conversation. Robbing us of our work opportunity and acting like they own our country seemed like  kacang putih to them while robbing, stealing and acting like thugs are kinda ingrained in them as they run riot in this country.  Here in Malaysia, we still have genuine Malaysians having the difficulty to obtain a NRIC card and earning a decent living while these jokers/clown gets them easily and boast about it some more!  

I guess, when the guy continued speaking about playing the cards right to get local Malay women to marry them, somehow, my roti canai meal doesn’t seemed fulfilling that morning while the tea also had also lost it tea goodness! Even the young Malay couple seemed disgusted by what had been said and they did not finish their meal. They just paid for their meal while the Malay lady was visibly upset and she glared at the Indonesians intently as she walked past them. I bet, she and her husband wanted to say something but they kinda held back. Moments later, these imbeciles then rode on their motorcycles and headed off to do their work…I often wonder how the universe ( trying not to swear nor get angry! ) did they ever get the motorcycle licence or even a car licence in the first place!!!!

So, here you are – these foreigners came in through our borders and even through the back door of our country, take our womenfolk to be their economic brides or vice versa, take our land all in the name of saudara serumpun / sesama bangsa, take over our jobs, steal & rob our homes when life gets hard for them and we still want to build multi-million ringgits bridges and super highways to link to their mainland? Interesting, isn’t it? Imagine that they come in through the sea, kidnap our people, asked for ransom and get bloody paid again and again as this sadistic scheme is used over and over again right before our eyes! Imagine! Meanwhile, every day, GENUINE Malaysians goes through thousands and one hassle to get their NRIC cards, jostle for jobs, fearful for their lives as they walk down the streets or even wonder how these foreigners get so much freedom in this country. Yeah, I wish I had seated myself some other place that day…..not amongst these goons!

So, SYABAS, WELL DONE and THANK YOU, Immigration Dept., Royal Malaysian Police , National Registration Dept, Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan Malaysia and A BIG BIG THANK YOU to Malaysian Govt. and State Govts. You just sold the rights of every Malaysians away BIG TIME! 

His Space.....

Being back to a place I had not visited for 7 months, it was indeed an eye opener for me this time around. To be honest, my heart is always at this OA village which I shall leave unnamed for very obvious reasons. The entrapment and greedy hands of the evil are always waiting to pounce at every opportunity of naming the OA village and I can only say that God’s people will always persevered in such circumstances. Anyway, leaving the plays of evilness for a fraction of second, I was extremely glad to have arrived at this OA village together with Errol's family, Edwin's family, Gilbert & Mel.

Upon parking my car, I immediately greeted a familiar face; an elder and the welcome was exceedingly too incredible to describe in words. The simplicity of our handshakes, hugs and smiles says it all. This familiar elderly folk was building a new platform for his home. He told me that it would be used for discussion, bersantai ( to relax ) and to enjoy the stillness of the night. We had a good laugh together and I was amazed by his skill of building the platform that quick using the resak wood which he had carried out of the woods. My amazement went ballistics when he confided in me that he lugged the wood out on his shoulder while riding the m/cycle. He said that it was faster that way than walking! I tried lifting one of the resak wood and it was pretty heavy despite my best effort in my laterally large frame. I was blessed seeing him tying the knots using clove hitch and quick lashing works using rattan strips also sourced from the woods. What a tremendous effort! I have nothing but sheer respect for this elderly man of skill and faith!

Then I noted the progress of the congregation by the fenced up humbled church building and children church building cum rest house. What a great effort indeed! My heart leapt with enormous joy & new found admiration for this congregation! Though the fencing woods were roughly cut but the effort itself was applaudable  and commendable. My elderly friend informed me that it was through a concerted effort of pulling resources that they were able to buy the chain-linked fence and did what they did. There were just tears of joy in my heart and I tearied up that day but away from the eyes of my elderly friend. Even in the little they had, they honoured the house of God and did the best they could muster for His Glory. Gosh! What an effort indeed!

I was and always am at home in this place. The tranquility and the quiet deafening sounds of stillness hits my soul a lot. Together with great friends in Errol & Jessica, Josephine, Bro. Edwin, Sis Lorna, Lara and Ethan, Melissa and Gilbert ( steady and delightful young husband & wife team ) plus my own family ( Soon Ling & Shwu Yuen ) , we had a great time of food and fellowship. Laughters and hearty good spirits were contagious indeed. The food was simple namely rice, luncheon meat, canned goat curry, fried eggs, baked beans and eggs. Truly camping food at its best. I truly enjoyed it so much and there was such a peak of great fellowship and light hearted laughters. That made it all so beautifully poignant indeed on a night such as this.

Then came the moment whereby someone had to share the message for the following morning. It was quite a hilarious moment and I ended up having the honor and pleasure again to share the message. In my heart, I wasn’t gonna struggle like when I was first asked to share the message, Somehow , this place made me real calm and collected though I still had to tag my Bible pages for the appropriate scripture passages and so on. I did it gladly and I re-read what I am going to share before I hit the sack for the night. It would be momentous again for me to share the Word in BM! I told myself , "Forward march, you soldier!"

Morning comes soon after and after a good morning shower, we were all ready for Sunday service. I met the young man who was driving the people to service and I was warmly welcomed and hugged. I guess, that is the specialty of this place. The people are so warm and friendly though they do eye you with curiosity at the first time because they simply had to for there had been far too many evil people coming around with devious schemes, evil intent and evil plans. Rightly so that they are wary of such people.

Somehow, maybe, just maybe, God had given that wisdom to them to differentiate and sieved through the genuine from the fakes. It would definitely seemed so, I would say. As the people slowly trickled in for Sunday service, I must say, I wasn't nervous at all. Testimony by a young Semai woman was truly encouraging and  I was really encouraged. The gist of it all is that she trusted God for her provision and even a ticket fare home was a welcomed miracle from God. It was the awesome rawness of her testimony sharing that set the praise & worship atmosphere that had ensued. As the P&W session ensued, you could feel the eclectic presence of the Lord.  It was the right setting and when the opportunity arose, I took it by sharing the Word, from the very depths of my heart and gave my all that morning. By the time I finished the message that I had shared, I realised that my t-shirt was soaked wet. It was that intense for me that I had sweated profusely as I was told it was a hot day indeed. Never mind the sweat and the heat! The most important is that the message was presented in a great manner for the listeners.

I shared from my heart that morning though I felt that a more qualified person or preacher could have done more or better. I am just thankful and humbled ; standing up there and shared my life story in the best manner I knew how; giving glory to God for His grace! Hopefully, the message had blessed the people and touched their hearts and give glory to God. May the storm of righteousness sweep the evil away while rebuilding many more lives in the OA village with hope and a future. Let us never forget that God is a good God and He is in control of everything. I guess, in all humbleness I must say that I do not know how the people would perceived/received my message that day or how much they would be inspired that day. I just wished that I had done justice for God and for His people.

I am constantly reminded that we are all to play our part as the sower, the water boy and the harvester. Each one to their own strength. For me, being able to stand out at the front, gave my all and be with these loving people are rewards itself beyond words. May His continual blessings be poured out to this OA village always! 

Done....

The completed Pondok Buku......lovely.

1st October, 2016 will always be a significant date in my life from now onwards. It was the date of the official opening ceremony for the use of Pondok Buku in the OA community in which many men hours, sweat , blood and tears were finally made to shine. It wasn't about the money involved and neither was it about man's pride. It is always about God's glory and a date of destiny of good, compassionate and caring feelings towards the needy. I am well aware that there are far more wealthier, more equipped, more skillful, more competent and more influential people who could take up such a cause but somehow God chose His own mighty, brave, tenaciously hard working , men and women of valor and good honest people to get the job done. Being part of the team, I felt so blessed indeed. God made use of people from all walks in life to accomplish the building of the Pondok Buku. 

The interior.....books & cosy feeling for children.

Earlier, we ( Capt. Sim, Daniel , Aaron, Errol's family and my family ) went there two days earlier to tie up the loose end not thinking as there was just so much things to do before the official opening launch. It was hard work all the way indeed but a very happy and satisfying one at the end. All the painting works, grouting works, slate painting and fixing of the door were done & ready by Saturday mid afternoon. Suffice to say that it was really encouraging and a sigh of good/great relief when the works completed. Now, the children in the OA community can enjoy the beautiful world of reading and ascend out of the root of illiteracy. May God richly bless their lives as they marched on to seek better prospect and way of life in the future.

THANK YOU & BLESSED THE HEARTS of the wonderful people who made it all happen:

GOD - Joanne Lee - Edwin Sim - Lorna - Ethan - Lara - Errol Gan - Jessica Han - Josephine Gan - Jocelyn Gan - Dinesh - Abby - Johnson Tay - Christina - Tan Joo Li - Wong Fook Meng - Sophia Joy - Zachary - Tan Dau Lim - Thomas Liu - Aaron Liu - Daniel Teo - Loreen Lim - Grace Teo - Jui Jian - Alvin Yip - Annie Yip - Dr. Pang - YChengHo - Walson Teo - John Tan - Gilbert T - Mel - Chua Chong Chye - Tan Yong Heng - Tan Jin Hui - Sunny - Gilbert Ang - Jane - Candice - Laura - Mary - Leon - Alex - Ling - Hephzibah - Joel Tan - Shirley - Jonathan - Jaclyn - Robin - Christopher - Jenny -  Abigail - Jonathan Yip - Ken - Shwu Yuen - Soon Ling - Ivan.

Raw faith....

Being back to a place I had not visited for 7 months, it was indeed an eye opener for me this time around. To be honest, my heart is always at this OA village which I shall leave unnamed for very obvious reasons. The entrapment and greedy hands of the evil are always waiting to pounce at every opportunity of naming the OA village and I can only say that God’s people will always persevered in such circumstances. Anyway, leaving the plays of evilness for a fraction of second, I was extremely glad to have arrived at this OA village together with Errol's family, Edwin's family, Gilbert & Mel.

Upon parking my car, I immediately greeted a familiar face; an elder and the welcome was exceedingly incredible to describe in words. The simplicity of our handshakes, hugs and smiles says it all. This familiar elderly folk was building a new platform for his home. He told me that it would be used for discussion, bersantai ( to relax ) and to enjoy the stillness of the night. We had a good laugh and I was amazed by his skill of building the platform that quick using the resak wood which he had carried out of the woods. My amazement went ballistics when he confided in me that he lugged the wood out on his shoulder while riding the m/cycle. He said that it was faster that way than walking! I tried lifting one of the resak wood and it was pretty heavy despite my best effort in my laterally large frame. I was blessed seeing him tying the knots using clove hitch and quick lashing works using rattan strips also sourced from the woods. What a tremendous effort!

Then I noted the progress of the congregation by the fenced up humbled church building and children church building cum rest house. What a great effort indeed! Though the fencing woods were roughly cut but the effort itself was applaudable  and commendable. My elderly friend informed me that it was through a concerted effort of pulling resources that they were able to buy the chain-linked fence and did what they did. There were just tears of joy in my heart and I teared up that day but away from the eyes of my elderly friend. Even in the little they had, they honoured the house of God and did the best they could muster for His Glory. Gosh! What an effort indeed!

I was and always am at home in this place. The tranquility and the quiet deafening sounds of stillness hits my soul a lot. Together with great friends in Errol & Jessica, Josephine, Bro. Edwin, Sis Lorna, Lara and Ethan, Melissa and Gilbert ( steady and delightful young husband & wife team ) plus my own family ( Soon Ling & Shwu Yuen ) , we had a great time of food and fellowship. The food was simple namely rice, luncheon meat, canned goat curry, fried eggs, baked beans and eggs. Truly camping food at its best. I truly enjoyed it so much and there was such a peak of great fellowship and light hearted laughs. That made it all so beautiful indeed on a night like this.

Then came the moment whereby someone had to share the message for the following morning. It was quite a hilarious moment and I ended up having the honor and pleasure again to share the message. In my heart, I wasn’t gonna struggle like when I was first asked to share the message, Somehow , this place made me real calm and collected though I still had to tag my Bible pages for the appropriate scripture passage and so on. I did it gladly and I re-read what I am going to share before I hit the sack for the night. It would be momentous again for me to share the Word in BM! I told myself , "Forward march, you soldier!"

Morning comes soon after and after a good morning shower, we were all ready for Sunday service. I met the young man who was driving the people to service and I was warmly welcomed and hugged. I guess, that is the specialty of this place. The people are so warm and friendly though they do eye you with curiosity at the first time because they had to; for there had been far too many evil people coming around with devious schemes, evil intent and evil plans. Rightly so that they are wary of such people.

Somehow, maybe, just maybe, God had given that wisdom to them to differentiate and sieved between the genuine from the fakes. It would definitely seemed so, I would say. As the people slowly trickled in for Sunday service, I must say, I wasn't nervous at all. Testimony by a young Semai woman was truly encouraging and I was really encouraged. The gist of it all is that she trusted God for her provision and even a ticket fare home was a welcomed miracle from God. It was the awesome rawness of her testimony sharing that set the wonderful praise & worship atmosphere that had ensued. As the P&W session ensued, you could feel the eclectic presence of the Lord.  It was the right setting and when the opportunity arose, I took it by sharing the Word, from the depths of my heart and gave my all that morning. I knew God's presence was there at that hall that day. I wished I could describe it but  the tangible presence of God and peace was really indescribable. By the time I finished the message that I had shared, I realised that my T-shirt was soaked wet. It was that intense for me that I had sweated profusely as I was told it was a hot day indeed. Never mind the sweat and the heat! The most important is that the message was presented in a great manner for the listeners. I was most touched as the people listened intently and gave me encouragement by their "Amens" and clapping. God, you deserve all glory....All, Lord!

I shared from the very depths of my heart that morning though I felt that a more qualified person or preacher could have done more or better. I am just thankful and humbled ; standing up there and shared my life story in the best manner I knew how. Hopefully, the message had blessed the people and touched their hearts and give glory to God. .May the storm sweep the evil away while rebuilding many more lives in the OA village with hope and a future. Let us never to forget that God is a good God and He is in control of everything. I am deep believer that God had made this day such a special day indeed.

As I bid farewell to my OA friends that day, I felt as though I had left a big chunk of my heart there at the village. Though I do not know them that well and I would love to get to know them more especially their way of life but the love for a loving God binds us together. As I pondered on, I know deeply in my heart that this is what is lacking in this disturbing world and society today - A good dose of His love and the fear of God. A good dose of God's love would definitely help our ailing society today...........I am sure of it!