We are 15!

the convo before this picture was taken.

pastor dinah: wow...shuzhen, is this your group?

me: o yea, we are the youth support and youth wam.

pastor dinah: (smiled) i see... are they working or....still in school?

me: (paused) most of us are in our tertiary education and some guys are in ns now... those studying are either from jc, poly or uni currently...

pastor dinah: (more smiles) ah..i see...its good to have some matured ones to be in the youth, as an example for the rest :)

a simple statement by pastor dinah really got me thinking in a different light. all along how i see us, the minops gang, are our different talents and nature of our ministry being put together to serve the whole creative and support systems in youth. now, i also see that our lives are able to make great impacts to live out christ- following examples as kor kors and jie jies to the younger ones in the youth ministry too. we, too, are still continuing to grow in our character and maturity towards heavenbound. we also have lessons of making boo-boo mistakes in our lives and ministries too. guess the most comforting thing is we are able to share our learnings and reflections, and know that we are not in this race alone. even for myself, it's coming close to a year that minops is formed. i have listened to and shared with many of my cg mates' life experiences and learnings; swimmings with philo, lectures with voon, subways with wyn, horlicks ice cream with ruiz, homemade breads with xin, calligraphy assisting sessions with jiali, busy sats with jiayi, pool games with gwen, weekly starhub's yongtaufu with val, mrts with yiyou, "shuz, can help to vet the bulletin contents?" msns with puay, side by side at front of house with ame, a long stroll back to marinabay station with lee jun, "kill flyeeeeer...." dota games with walz, marriott high tea with ben, anime chats with ian, unhealthy pig-outs with daniel, smses with yaoguo, "shuz, i've a prophesy just now..." times with qianjin, few secs' chats with simon, movies with ec, "mornin shuz! halo shuz! *waves*" with jerel. these are precious recollections and it always reminds us of something even greater and better coming, especially when we only have one calling in life - G.C.

i will always remembered being touched by these two persons. i was only 11 and i merely mentioned about who i am, my likes and dislikes... and a volleyball came as a birthday present on my 12th birthday. these words were on the white ball: dear shuzhen, happy birthday! you are the apple of God's eyes. with love, ben and dinah.

Pastor Ben and aunt Dinah, this warmth and love you showed to me when i was young, i come to understand and know that such love come from God above and thank you for giving your whole lives and hearts into loving the Hope family members and friends.

listening: fields of fortune by secret garden