I Won’t Be Home For Christmas…

…But these will be!

Ahh.. I love the Christmas season!

I really wish that I was home, and I really wish I could be with everybody back at home.. I really don’t know when is the next time I’ll actually get to spend Christmas in Malaysia..

Oh well. It’s okay though, Clarksville is now my second home, and I thank God for my amazing friends and church that I have here. It’s only been two days since school got out, and I already received so many Christmas invitations It looks like it’s going to be a rather busy Christmas! Haha.. It’s funny to think how I’ve adjusted to this small and quiet town; I didn’t think I would when I first came!

Anyway, there will be more updates about recent happenings coming soon

Stay tuned!

Missing everyone back home.. With much love <3

A Prayer

Dear Lord,

I need you..

I want you..

Hear my prayer, O Lord.

Anna Has Been Very Lazy (And Irresponsible)

Let me tell/show you what I was up to in the last two and a half months

I went to Celebration City Theme Park at Branson, Missouri in August with Amy, Kellie and Joel. I got to ride Three roller-coasters!

In that same month, a few of us went to Fort Smith to celebrate Huei Yin’s birthday. And on the way back, we had an “adventure.” The car we went in broke down.. And we were 45 minutes away from home! So we had to wait for I think close to 2 hours for help. I believe this is one of the most “adventurous” and interesting birthday celebrations ever

I also started to volunteer with one of my church’s (First Baptist Church, Clarksville) Children’s Ministry called Awana. I’ve been assigned to work with the Awana Cubbies (3-4 year old kids)!
These kids have brought much joy to my life.. They make me laugh, they make me proud, they make me roll my eyes! I thoroughly enjoy working with them, and I thank God for this amazing privilege and blessing He gave me.

So a few weeks before school started, Awana had this “Back to School Water Blast” thing, and I went to help out. I got to play on the water “bouncer” (that’s what I used to call the inflatables )!

I also went hiking a couple of times! Twice to Mount Magazine, and once to Petit Jean State Park. I LOVE mountains

The second time I went up to Mount Magazine was with my new host mom, Spring Minett. She brought along her 5 year old daughter as well.. And I tell you, that girl (Indie) is the smallest and cutest thing!

This is her doing a little cheeky song:

Okay, I am currently overwhelmed by this post. Be patient with me There’ll be more updates to come (hopfully soon)!

Wow

“Blessed are they
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” (Romans 4:7-8)

In other words,

Blessed are they who have God’s grace; blessed are they who believe in God’s grace.

Isn’t it amazing? What did we do to deserve that?

Heh

I need to update my blog

Gah. I’ll just do it tomorrow la.

Zzzzzzzzzz..

Food, Food, Glorious Food!

Living overseas, away from the comforts of home, taught me many things. For one, I learned to cook. AND I explored recipes beyond the cliche Maggi Mee and fried eggs.

This particular summer, I have reached the level where I can actually be proud of myself and say, “hey! I’m a good cook!”

(Excuse me while I have a short “perasan” moment)

Here, let me show off a little.

Broccoli-Cheese Dish: I cooked this spontaneously with no help from anyone or anything. I am really quite proud of this

Scrambled Eggs with Luncheon Meat and Green Beens

Mango Rice: I didn’t cook this – My summer roommate from Thailand, Amy Wonapotimuke (I love her last name), prepared this dish. Waa.. I love it!

Some kind of Pasta Dish: I randomly tried to cook this one day by following a recipe found behind a mushroom soup can

Pizza Omelet: I call this the pizza omelet because it really does look like a pizza! Doesn’t taste like one though

Early Christmas Present

Guess what came in the package for me a few days ago?

It’s a..

It’s an early Christmas present from myself (and my parents too, thank you Mom and Pa!!!) to myself

I’m so excited!! I can finally practice to the fullest of my satisfaction in my own room! I’m such a nerd

Did You Know?

We are commanded to be perfect. Yes, “Be perfect…as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

“Perfect?” you ask, “nobody is perfect!”

Of course nobody is perfect, I think we all know that, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Yup, that is why we are all doomed. Or supposed to be anyway – for the ultimate payment, or the consequences of sin, is death (Romans 6:23).

So where does that leave us? We are stuck in between a demand we Cannot Meet and a curse we Cannot Bear. I’m not kidding, we are seriously doomed, damned.

Good News! Jesus Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, as it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree [cross]” (Galations 3:13).

Isn’t that AMAZING? We totally Deserve to be punished for all these horrible things we are doing. We really do! I bet that if you were to physically accumulate all the wrongdoings – from disobeying, to lying, to betraying a friend, to hurting, to hating, to stealing, to murder – you’ve committed so far in life, you would probably Sink underground if you were to carry that big of a burden. But you know what? Even though we deserve to face judgment, we are given this FREE GIFT of salvation, of eternal life, of NO punishment Whatsoever, through the Grace of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23).

He loved us. He Loves us.

He saw us struggling with our huge load of burdens, heading for destruction, making life ultimately meaningless.

“May I?” He asked God the Father. And because the Father already made a covenant of redemption with the Son, the Father replied, “You shall.”

That, my friends, is called Grace. And that, my friends, is also called Love.

You are loved.

Is He getting back the love that He deserves?

From A Grateful Heart

Dear Lord,

Thank you for thoroughly blessing my summer in back home, in Malaysia

I Love You,
Anna

Confusion!

I’m leaving on Wednesday (2nd July 2008).

Not today.

I was sooooooooooo confused!!! Thank God I checked the Itinerary.. It’s no fun (for me as well as the car patrol) to drive down to the airport twice

SO POTONG STEAM LA!!!