Oh well,

I guess there is still time!

I shall wait lah!

Our 40 Days Of LOVE!!!!

Wow!!! ITs been 6 weeks since Our Church started on the 40 days of Love series!!! Which is a series so recomended for all to do! It is so simple yet to practical and you learn alot from each chapter and also from Pastor Rick Warren's sermons!

40 Days of Love has really thought me to be a different person, thought me to deal with people differently with love like how Jesus would deal with different situations. It has thought me to love those so hard to love, forgive those who really hurt you, cherish those near to you and appriciate all around me!

My cell did had a CAMP Theme to make things more exciting! We had worship, games, sermons, presentation by different group, self reflaction, Priceless Corner and Silver Box! And I am so bless that all my cell members were very participative!! Priceless corner and the Silver Box Messages really encourage me alot! They were messages from cell members! BTW, everyone has messages from everyone! hehehehe...

Yesterday after cell, i was just reading all the messages and encouragements... so touch man!!! I love my cellies to the max!!!! And yesterday we revealed who our angels and mortals were! hahaha.. Angels you all did a good job! My angel was Theodore and my Mortal was Leon! hhaha.. both Labuan boys! huahahah.. both really amazing fellows!!!

40 days of love is amazing!!!


Love,
Evangeline!

Counting Down the Days!!

I CANT WAIT TO BE HOME!!!

I cant wait to see my family and friends! hehehehe

Really am excited bout going home! woooohooo!

cant wait to eat mumy's laksa, wai po's spring roll, sau pau Hopoh's chicken rice! hehehe

BUT first I have to face my exams!!!

Counting the days!!!

Its hard to describe my feelings now!
Its all about you!
I am pretty sure you do not have a clue about this,
I never want you to find out!
But its been years since I've kept this in my heart! This Fragile heart!
All I can do is to keep this feelings to myself!
I always ask myself "Why you?"
Coz u are not exactly what I've dreamt of!
Infact you are alot different than what I've always prayed for!
God is super funny!
But the only thing that God gave me from my list was that you Love God too! And I know that with you, I choose to believe that you will be a great person!!
You may not be the man I have been praying for but every thing about you cause me to be attracted to you more.
Everything about you cause me to feel so secure!
Everything about you cause me to feel safe!
I guess when you pray and give God ur list, He might give u wat u wan, but He might not too!! G
Coz God see's the future!

Love is Not Selfish

Today cell was awaesome!!! I believe that cell gets better by the week!!! Well, Our church has been on this series call 40 Days of Love!! Which is a really good thing to go through!! People nowadays really need to know what real love is! Many have lost the real meaning of love!!! People, Pastors and Church Leaders, Please invest in the people around you and DO THIS 40 DAYS OF LOVE!!! please!!! Its such an eye opening book!! People may stop halfway because LOVE SPEAKS THE TRUTH!!! But we have to know the truth! Moving on, today the lesson was LOVE IS NOT SELFISH!!!

I believe many of us are not good at this! Many if not all of us are selfish in someway. We are are selfish because of soooo many reasons. But the main reason is because everything has to be about me! BUt its not! Everything should be about the people around you! Ur family, ur friends, ur neighbours, ur coursemates and etc.

In the message by Rick Warren, he gave us 3 Antidotes to selfishness
1. Build Strong Relationship - We need to build relationship with peple around you. especially those at church. Hebrews 10:25 " Lets noe give up the habit of meeting together. Instead, let us encourage one another." As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should really encourage each other!

2. Give yourself away intentionally - What it means is that, really just offer urself to help others even if it is not convenient! Love is never convenient! Everytime we serve , our heart grows bigger, don you agree. You just feel so much better after helping someone who really needs your help. It doesnt have to be a physical thing. It could just be a hear to listen or a prayer or a smile! These are all not hard to do. Lets not think about this Me Myself and I only! Jesus said "Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will even know what it means to really live" Mark 8:35

3. Practice Self Denial - Lets put other people's need ahead of us. Its a very hard practice but it is do-able! We can do it through Christ who strengthen us! There are so many things our human body and human ability can do to bring a difference to the world! Think about what our hands and our feet can do to show unslefishness. We use our hands to bake something for someone and use our feet to walk to the house to deliver it! ITs as simple as that!

During our small discussion, we had a few questions to answer, which i tot was really good questions and really questions to get us thinking.

1. When do you feel the most self-centered? Why is that?
For me it would be when I am not in a good mood or when I am having my ME TIME! Thats when I feel that It should be about me. but it is wrong to have that mind set. Especially when I am not in a good mood, and people ask for help, I wont do it out of sincerity. I would complaint and complaint like the whole world owes me money! Which is not good. I feel that when I am angry or having my ME TIME, I should enjoy it to the fullest, because I am really busy with alot of things. BUT I am changing now! Because Jesus would never do this to me. I know when I am feeling down, or when I am praying and asking God for help, He would be there for me. I know by faith that Jesus would never cause me to be disappointed with me. Because we humans can feel that when someone is really helping u willingly or not. We can see by their body language or the way they speak. So guys I really want to encourage all of us to not have this self centered attitude. ITs really not good. God was never selfish! Infact He sent Jesus to die on the cross so that we will not burnt in hell!!!

2. On the Checklist, which one do u feel challenges you the most? and how would growth in this area affect your relationship?
Out of all the check list, the thing that really challenges me was "you share your faith knowing that you may be insulted or put down" I must admit that I am still struggling in this area! I know that I should not be like that. Eg, when friends ask me out to go to Uni party or something, usualy on fridays, I would tell them I got something to do. BUt would never tell them that I have cell. Or I don drink because I am a Christian. I don dare. Because I am scared of what they would think. I know very clearly that this kind of mindset is wrong. I should really change this mindset. ITs not good. How would people know about this God who is LOVE? Everyday I pray and ask God for the opportunity to share my faith. Its not easy to do so, but by God's grace we are able to. Its never easy. Jesus didnt bothered what other people would do or say. He still share the gospel to everyone. I really should not think what would other people think bout me when I share my faith. I should not be ashame of the gospel! My God is awesome, why should i be ashame. He is the creator of the EVERYTHING! I LOVE JESUS!!! I should try saying next time " I am sorry I cant go because I have cell on Fridays"

3. Tell about a time when someone did something unselfish for you. How did it impact you?
This special someone would be my parents. I know how much they had to sacrifice for me to study here in Austrlia and making sure I am alright and am in a good company. The amount of OT they have to do just to send me money and making sure I have enough to spend. Can you imagine if my parents were selfish parents, I don think I would be able to be studying in Australia. My parents really put our needs (My brothers and I) ahead before theirs. I always remember my mummy sometimes she has no time to cook, she would go and buy food. She would only buy 4 packets instead of 5 packs. I ask her why only 4? Who is not eating? She will reply everyone is eating. Then where is your share mummy? She say its ok I will eat Meggi Mee. save money! My mummy is just too awesome! Everytime she will make sure I have enough money to spend and she would save extra just to send extra money to me here! God is so wonderful to bless me with a mother like her! I love my mummy so much! She is my best friend, my mother, my accountability and my guidance!! My father is also a man who is not selfish! The love my father has for the church is just overwhelming! He would go to the end of things to make sure that the Iban people really really surrender their live to Jesus! He heart are for the Iban people! My papa sometimes would not have enough sleep because He is doing God's work making sure they know who God really is. Sometimes I see my father who reaches home near to dusk and rest for 2 hrs or so than have to go out coz the church needs him! I love my father alot! He is someone I would cherish forever! I want my husband to be like my father! There 2 has really impacted me!

Is there an area where u can do an act of kindness and unselfishness today?

My Family!!!

Everytime when exams are coming up, I will suddenly miss my family more than usual!! Especially my brothers!!! hahaha..
The other time i was js reading a friend's blog, then saw all my church friends pictures and saw my papa in his priest attire!!! When I saw my papa in his attire, I cried!!! Thinking bout my papa and about how much I miss him alot! Papa I miss listening to your sermons! I will never get fedup of ur sermons!!! I love you papa!!!

I miss my mummy too!!! I miss her sooo much that I even planned out wat I want to do for her 47th Birthday next year!!! Its all in my brain now mummy!!! Be SURPRISE!!! hehehe.. Love my mummy alot! I cant wait to have our woman time! going shopping and having sau pau and going to deli papa to eat the chicken pie there! heheh.. cant wait lah ma!!!!
Then come my 2 younger brothers!!! THey are a crazy bunch of guys!! But i love them to the ultimate max!!! They just make me laugh! I cant wait to go home and nag at both of u to wake up early to go to church early coz I DO NOT LIKE TO GO CHURCH LATE! hahaha... and I cant wait to have super late nite supper at Wongs or the shop infront of SIB On the Rock (What is it call aaron?) hahaha... I love you guys!!! You silly guys who always makes me laugh and laugh!!!
I CANT WAIT TO BE HOME!!! For now, I have to study for my finals in 2 weeks time!!! AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!! But God will make a way for me!

Ernest Fowler: Faithful Unto Death and Making A Difference

Today I was just reading my 40 Days of Love book and I came upon this story in the book. It was talking about a missionary call Ernest Fowler. I got very interested with this guy! Just a summary of his life in the book, cause me to be interested in him. So i decided to go and google bout him! I printed out the story bout his life! WOW!!! Just an amazing guy! An amazing servent of God! Here's a summary of what I read

Ernest Fowler was a man who was faithful in everything he did and he loved the Indians in western Montana in the US. He may not be a famous man, but because of his work to the Indians, he became a very important man to the Indians there (The Motilon or Yukpa). He faced a lot of trouble trying to get the gospel to the Indians. He had to go up into almost impenetrable jungle areas and had to literally hack their way through the bush yard. He was with another 2 missionaries, Harvey Hammond and Alick Clark, but soon Harvey Hammond passed away because of Malaria.

Several years later married to his wife, together with Alick Clark and his wife, they were able to establish a home high in the mountains among the Motilon Indians. There a few Yukpas, including old Chied Papa MArte, became Christian.

This story didnt end there, Ernest had to endure problems after problems, the house that he shared with the the Clarks were ransaced amidst a wave of violence, he was treated badly. But because of his heart for the Motilons, he persevered. Soon he was asked to be the Field Directod of the Laton American Mission's work in Colombia. Next, the mission lost its main maintenance man, a Colombian, and Ernest was asked to oversee that area, he did much of the work himself, again, cheerfully and faithfully. Soon matters became worse, the Colombians were actively working againts him and undermining his work, and he lost the trust of many people he had served faithfully for many years. So Ernest went downward, from a Field Director to church relations man to a glorified janitor, but yet he did everything without complaints, although through it all, it was clear that his heart was for the Indians.

In 1965, a youg linguist and his wife, Carl Lehmann built a home up in the Motilon Indian territory and the Fowlers, Lehmanns and the Clarks shared a ministry together.

IN late July of 1966, David Howard (who's father was the Latin American Mission) has the priviledge to visit the Fowler family up in the remote mountains. THe Fowler family included 15 year old Valeris, 14 yr old Johnny, 10 year old Alision and 17 yehar old Colombian girl who was a live in household helper. Johnny and David became good friends.

Then, on the Wednesday, August 3rd 1966, the whole family were scheduled to leave to return to civilization on Firday, the 5th. On wednesday, Mr Fowler took a "girls only" picnic with Valerie and the Colombian girl, Elvira. Than at around 4pm, there were 7 men standing at the front of the house all dressed in policemen and were heavily armed. They had gund on their beld and their shoulders. They said that they were looking for bad people in the house. Becuase the Fowler's house was near the Venzuela border, they knew there was a lot of contraband coming. THey announce that they were going to search the house, but then they had empty knapsack and they begin to put some of their things in the knapsack. Soon they realise that they were not policemen but bandits. The typical pattern on Colombia during the violence period La Violencia, was when the house would get attacked, everything in the house would get stolen, the women would get raped, people would be killed, house would be burnt down and no trace of anything was left. But none of these happen, except that everything in the house was taken. All that was in the house was locked in a bathroom, where they begin to pray. Something so amazing about Mrs Fowler was that, she didnt pray for protection upon them, but she prayed that God owuld forgive the works of the bandits. This is amazing FORGIVENESS!!!

A few minutes later the house was quiet and they heard 3 gunshot. 2 in a row and the third one few seconds later. At first, they thought that the bandits killed Mr Fowler and the 2 girls, but they didnt shoot the girls because they came home screaming "They killed daddy" . And the story continues. This is just the summary. I urge all to read the full story as told by David Howard at http://www.bethel.edu/~dhoward/personal/efFaithfulUntoDeath.htm

There are so many things we can learn from this history! This is not just another story but something to boost up our desire to see the nations come to Christ!

Be faithful even to the point of death. Revelation 2: 10 "Do not be afraid of what you are ablut to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life"

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!!

Love,
Evangeline Stanley