Sermon Video for CG (30/5/2008)

Heiya everyone!!

This week we're doing something different for cell... Some of you might have known that we're going to watch a dvd which is a sermon video for cell. It's by Pastor Louie Giglio, together with Chris Tomlin from Passion worship band.

I've watched this video before and it's very very inspiring. Pastor Louie talks about God's existence through science (astronomy and biology) and I think it's rather interesting for us, no? I would like to ask you to invite your friends to come over and watch this. This is a very good sermon. We won't be having worship but just ice breakers prior to the sermon video.

Sab has offered to prepared some drinks and we're probably gonna get a bit of pizzas for refreshments after the dvd. (PS : Refreshments, not DINNER... So eat first ya...) My dear kind batchmate Angelene has offered her place for us to watch coz we needed a dvd player!!) So a MILLION THANKS ANGELENE!!!

Venue - B1-14-2
Time - 8pm sharp

Hope to see many of you coming and pray for God to bring more people to come and watch the video. I know it may be tough since now is the time for EOSes but just pray by divine appointment people will come...

See you!!

CG meeting (23/5/2008)

Hi ppl!! This week we're having cg as normal. The details are as follows :

Worship - David
Ice breaker - Sue Wen
Word - Pui Fun

Venue - B2-9-3
Time - 8pm

Just want to thank God for all the ppl who just finished their EOSes!! Now it's time for you guys to enjoy and let your hair down! It's much deserved rest after all the hard work =)

Where will you be?

Hi to the cg that I love :)

Just wanted to share something.
I went to a CMDFA (Christian Medical and Dental Fellowship of Australia) State dinner last Saturday.

The main speaker was an Iranian asylum seeker. He came from a rich family in Iran and when he was growing up, his father had connections with the Shah of Iran. He was also sent to the US to study and was studying commerce in the University of Columbia (or something like that..haha I don't know if I remember his uni correctly). He was a very devout Muslim who prayed 5 days a week and fasted an extra day before and after Ramadan.

But then in 1979, the Islamic Revolution took over. Everything they had were confiscated. He had to start from scratch all over again. As he grew older he also felt he did not really understand what Islam was about. Although he prayed 5 times a day, he found himself thinking of his daily activities; planning what to eat where to go instead of understanding what he was chanting.

Over the next few years he built a successful business but was once again confiscated. He then started a bookshop but the religious police kept on visiting him and finally he was thrown in jail and tortured. He was then sentenced to jail by the court but was released on bail.

His family decided to smuggle him out of Iran because he might be imprisoned indefinitely.
He reached Jakarta, but then the smugglers stole his money and fake passport. He said that he was left stranded in a foreign land where he did not know the language and could not go to the authorities because he had no passport.

He stayed in Indonesia for 5 years, moving from village to village every 2 months to escape detention. He was tired of such a life and embarked on a journey via Torres Strait to one of the pacific islands of Australia. He said that he went on horseback and walked.

When he reached Australian soil, he turned himself in and then was flown to detention in Sydney.
There he spent 5 years; not sure whether he would be deported back to Iran to face execution or be allowed to stay. He described the detention centre where inmates would not be called by name but by number and where they were constantly reminded they were not wanted by Australia. There was nothing to do and they were isolated from the community.

Yet, yet.....he said that God had a plan in it all!
It was in detention where he was invited to join a bible study group by some Iranians (because he could translate as his english was good).
It was in detention he met God. It was because he was in detention for 5 years, he managed to complete 11 bible study courses by correspondence. And it was because of detention he met his wife, a former Buddhist but now Christian who was an asylum seeker from China.

He also shared that although he did not know God before, He was there guiding him all along. Where God protected him as he traveled in the jungle and that God could have sent him to any other detention centre in Australia, but he was flown to Sydney. Also that he could have been killed in Iran.

He is now in bible school and last year started a church for asylum seekers in Sydney. They now have 40 members, all ex Muslim in the short period of a few months.

**************************************************************************

I guess the message that hit me was that no matter where we are, God is there in the details.
To be honest, my 1st year in Sydney was challenging; not really academically but because of family and personal turmoil.
Although I knew 110% that God has placed me in Sydney specifically, I could not comprehend how God would allow such suffering even though I was in the centre of His will.

Yet...I am so reminded by what the speaker said.
That for him, even in detention (almost like prison)...he still acknowledged God and His purposes for his life. That God has a plan, a plan not to harm but a plan to prosper us, to give us a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Even as the sem5s are gearing up for matching or Seremban or even non sem5s...there are many unanswered questions in life. Uncertainties. Even our own "detentions" that we feel trapped by God in. Where we cannot understand the ways of God.

But I pray (esp for myself) that we will be reminded that God is the God of love and the God who only longs for the best for us. That no matter where we are or will end up in, He has a plan, and a good one :)

ATTN : Volunteers needed!!

Hey peeps, this is really interesting and I believe that as people who are in healthcare line, all the more we should gather ourselves and lend a helping hand.

I'm not sure if you guys remember that I've asked for volunteers for the World Vision Exhibition for HIV/AIDS which was held in Monash Universitiy sometime ago, but they are having it again and this time it's in our very own DREAM CENTER!! It's gonna be held from 5th of July (this is the volunteers training day) until 13th of July. As far as I know, there'll be one more training on 28th of June but volunteers are required to come for one only. Looking at our exam schedule, I think most of us will go for the 5th of July instead.

Below is an attachment I received regarding the programme and I really hope that we all can volunteer as a whole cg. I will bring a copy of the conference schedule and volunteer form to cg this friday so meanwhile you guys take time to think about it (actually no need lah, it's right after exam and what better way to wind down then to serve the community??!!)



Dear Friends

World Vision Malaysia is continuing its interactive HIV/ Aids exhibition “One Life Revolution” in Malaysia at Dream Centre from 8 to 13 July 2008. This exhibition allows participants to walk in the shoes of children who endured extraordinary hardship due to HIV / Aids and trafficking.

HIV/Aids is on the rise in Malaysia. It is taking its toll not just among intravenous drug users, but women and children as well. We need to raise the awareness of parents and youths in order to combat this together. ** (See statistics from UNDP below)

HOW CAN I HELP?

BE A VOLUNTEER
We need at least 15 volunteers for every 5 hour slot to enable OLR to run smoothly. You can either rally a group and volunteer together or volunteer as an individual by filling in the volunteer form and emailing it to World Vision at janna_chang@wvi.org

You will also need to attend one of the volunteer trainings on the 28 June or 5 July from 9 am to 12 noon at Dream Centre. Please indicate which date you prefer on the volunteer form.

BRING A BAND
While the visitors are waiting to go into the exhibition, we want to share with them a message of hope and love through music and songs. We hope to be able to get a band to play for every of the slots we are open, to play twice during that time for a period of 40 mins each. Bands need to bring their own musical instruments and amps. We will supply the drums. Practice will be the evening before your slot. You will be permitted to bring your albums for sale and we encourage you to donate those proceeds to a World Vision cause. Those interested, please fill in your details in the OLR Band Form and email it to sophy.lim@dumc.com.my and we will get back to you.

SPREAD THE WORD
Tell others about OLR. Share the learning. Impact and save lives. Your action today can help many from today onwards. HIV/Aids not only destroy the lives of the victims. It destroys families and makes children orphans.

Thank you for your partnership! Together we can reduce the impact of HIV/Aids in the future and make Malaysia a better and safer place for the next generation.

Margaret Loy

Community Excel Services (CES)*

If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask me this friday and I will try to answer you.

No cg for this week.

Hello again peeps!! This week has really been a stressful week for me, and I believe so for most of us who are having exams very very soon... Sigh... Endless exams...

Anyway back to serious business. This week we won't be having cg becoz me and jui jien won't be around. And we also have venue issues as well becoz most of our housemates are having exams, if not ourselves. So we'll take a break for this week.

And all the best for Sem 5s and Sem 3s for CNS and Haemato/GI exams, and Sem 2s for EOS... When all seems hopeless, look to Him!! *Have been telling myself this repeatingly...*

God's rainbow

Family.

Cg update

Hi everyone! Hope the week has been good to you all... As our exams comes nearer and nearer, let's just continue to keep everyone in prayer.

This week cg (9/5/2008) :

Icebreakers - Olivier
Worship - Troy
Word - Pui Fun

Venue - C1-12-4 (Take note : It's changed again, this time to Sabrina's place. Gotta accomodate our housemates who are having exams in a week's time.)
Time - 8pm

See you all on friday and don't be late! God bless =)