It Is Time

Oink...oink....people rare pigs in the Philippines

It's 3.06 am as I write this. My right hand is still sore from whacking my computer monitor to life...it flickers on and off...guess it's time to buy a new monitor...

I guess it's also time for me to pen down some thoughts as Steven Curtis Chapman's "All About Love" album plays in the background.

Let me start by recalling a dream i had about 5 days ago...

I was walking in a hall full of people. Some people i knew, and some i didn't. Apparently these people are MMU students gathered for some function. Then I found my friends. Nope, these weren't CF people...but rather my classmates that I had been studying with every time the finals came along. People i had known since Alpha and whom i did assignments, played bowling, did bbqs, went to genting with, struggled in exams together n stuff. They appeared to be sitting on two sofas side by side. I remember their faces so clearly. As I walked up to them...there was no place for me. No place for me to sit with them...they were all holding some documents in their hands...looked like result slips or some convo stuff. There was no place for me. No place that could be found for me...and then i woke...it was cloudy...

It's been a difficult period of time for me. The dream sets the mood...I miss my friends...I do. I suddenly realize and ask myself if all this while i had taken them for granted. Was I a selfish Christian dude to them. Suddenly the possability of never ever seeing them again becomes a haunting reality. Coming back from the Philippines and taking my first few steps in MMU, as i walked the pathway beside the library...it was suprisingly unfamiliar...to not see a familiar face again...i was suddenly a stranger among strangers...no one's goin to class with me...yes, it is lonely.

It's been a while since I updated...

It's because here I was, supprassing the reality of not seeing some people again. Those days leading up to the finals and IF camp...I savoured as much as possible...

"Emo Teoh, don't send me suicidal sms. I'll kill you myself" ~ Joshua Chiam

This lil autograph cracks me up. I had the opportunity to catch up with Joshua last IF camp. It was a good talk. We recalled a time, probably a couple of years back...when in one of my darkest hours I sent a few close friends an sms about the possibility of ending my disappointment...poor Josh was watching wrestling on TV in Alor Setar at that time...i guess i freaked him out as he called Wee Liem who was in Sabah for a mission trip to tell him. Some of them did call me up immediately at the ungodly hour to check on me. It's funny now, but it's not a joke. To this day i remember the severity of it.

There's so many stuffs that happened in the past few months. PG 165 was looking forward to playing in a car park gig in front of Emerald Park, opposite MMU on the 21st of June specially organized for the Alphas stayin in EP...and I was gearing up for it...but a sudden change of circumstance provided me the chance to join my graduate friends from CF for their annual mission trip, this time to the Philippines. Details of such sudden circumstance is to lenghtly to explain. I was only given 2 days to decide...and I said,"God, if this is You...then I'm going"...and indeed, there was no obstacles. Leaving my band to gig on that date with Wayne as a cover singer was a difficult thing to do...I left to Philippines approx a week before the gig. The gig went well in my absence, and for further info can be read in Derics' blog

Deric the Bossman

As the boys were rocking the stage in Melaka, I was in Philippines for 13 days. 10 days in a place called Baguio and 3 days in Manila. I shall let the pictures do the talking here...of what we did there...

We ministered to various churches...the one above is a mountain church that has a hut like building with no proper walls and stuff...but they had a set of drums, a bass and an electric g.

They also have big churches like above (Father's Day service in BACC convention centre)

We did Youth ministry.


On the same night as PG165's gig, I had the opportunity of sharing in a youth church(all of us had to prepare sermons/testimonies/sharings throughout the trip)

We did public school ministry.

Joshua and me in a sketch in front of a public high school during recess time.

The first concert night at a Babtist church.


It was hot...but good...


The second concert night at BACC was electrifying...

The place was kinda packed...about 300 youth...

One thing that I notice about the youth services that we visited were the hunger and responsiveness of the people...they were hungry for God.


A girl bassist? I think isabel played really impressivelly well for a non-bassist. She actually jumped...shame on all you guy bassist who don't practice and can't even play with groove. Considering the songs we played were fairly difficult, Isabel amazed me with her accurate 'feel'...With the fact that she could keep up with my pace without much trouble and nearly zero error...*and i expect a lot frm those who follow me*...shared a good chemistry with Joshua, although we did not get much jamming time due to circumstance. But when it was time to play, everyone did their part...kudos to the band.



Thanks Josh for trusting me to serve alongside you even though we hardly played together. I can be very critical about playing with drummers coz i've had the chance to play with the best...but i had no trouble gelling with you. That's good...Btw, you know why you look good here? coz you're a Man Utd fan...=D


It's not what we did or preached that actually mattered. But our presence there and the fellowship we shared that made the impact with the people.


Did you know that Rachel is a dancer at heart. And she and the team of girls danced to DC Talk's "Love is a Verb". The guys tried la...we tried...

We also had the infamous/famous balut (still born duckling in an egg and steamed)

We could see poverty...the difference between the rich and poor was vast. This is a dumpsite that people actually lived in.

Joshua doin the puppet show in a kindergarden...Benny, Kevin Tang, Boss and Jason Mok did balloons. It's a humbling experience seeing these big sized guys stooping down and doing Kids ministry...i'm humbled...=D

Touchdown in Malaysia... I'm very blessed with this team. Seeing ordinary and unassuming people preach, share, do puppet shows, make balloons and pray for people...that's what i call servant hearted....*there's so many photos of other stuffs that i just can't fit everything in*...for alternative commentary and photos, visit Isabel's blog:

My long lost but now I found her again,Isabel

Happy Birthday Isabel...tenacity shall be the mark of our friendship...brown eyes i am....long were those silent years in between. Yet I have found you again.

It's been a realy emotionally charged journey thus far. I'm trying to end this post...really tired,it's about 6am now. I shall be driving to Mentakap later for a mission trip with the CF. This will be my second time to this church.

The last being in 14 Feb 2004...also with the CF. Yes, it was Valentine's day. But I was reeling...the wound a couple of weeks old. Yet as I lead worship yet again in that church, I guess I wanted you to at least be proud of whatever steely determination i had to follow after God even in my deepest hurt. It's been a long journey...

There's this steely determination in me that you haven't known yet.

In case you didn't know...i'm very proud of you. Silently proud...

Our dignified silence... yet i yearn to know your world...

goodnite

~jas