TRANSIT

some photos of auntie lillian's brithday

2007-10-03T23:11:00.000+08:00

Go watch FACING THE GIANTS

2007-10-03T22:43:00.000+08:00

We did something different for cell this week... we watched a movie at Justin Ooi's church, World Harvest in Sunway.

The movie was titled "Facing the Giants". check it out http://www.facingthegiants.com

The movie is exactly as its title describes. It is an inspiring story of a strugging football coach and how he challenges his team to overcome adversity. The characters in the movie each battle their own demons to get through the toughest challenges in their lives, family struggles, betrayal, work place stress, lack of confidence, fear, insecurity, disappointment, illness, physical challenges.

Their struggles are very real and so is their fear. They want to do the right thing but are disappointed when they see no results. They want to break free from their circumstances, but are paralyzed by fear. The odds were stacked against them, but they finally decided to choose to look to God and put Him above all else. With that difficult decision, comes peace and release.

It was amazing to see them make the transition from failure to victory and fear to trust. I was truly blessed, uplifted, encouraged, challenged, touched, and inspired by this movie.

As the movie progresses, it just keeps getting better and better. The scriptwriter did a fantastic job with continually hitting us with good feelings on top of good feelings. God is praised throughout the movie and the action is fun to watch.

Four words for you.....GO SEE THE MOVIE!

see how energized we all felt after watching it

shannon's new house

2007-10-03T22:35:00.000+08:00

We visited Shannon at her new house in Wangsa Maju

Met up with Lydia Lamit and Julian there too... good to see them again!

Shannon and her sister hueyuan are staying at the condo, it actually belongs to their parents.. it's a very nice place... wish i could show you how nice it is... the infinity pool in every block, hanging gardens, KLCC view, etc...

What's a great place without great food, huh? so sidney and justin decided to make some sandwiches for us.... yummy! behold the cook at work

CAMERON HOTTIES!

2007-10-02T22:47:00.000+08:00

GY camp committee brainstorming and reccee at Cameron...

We drove ALLL the way up the mountains...

We went UPWe went DOWN...

We almost FELL DOWN

Guess what we found?

Strawberries...Flowers... Bees...And nose-diggers... The weather was COLD,

The steamboat was HOT,

The company was COOL!

WATCH OUT for this year's GY camp theme;

DIE!

D o

I t

E veryday!

Remember, DIE!

....more to come...

GRC rally

2007-09-16T15:34:00.000+08:00

Go LIFErs! You guys rock!!!! :)

fooling around @ Sean's new house

2007-09-16T15:27:00.000+08:00

Ah Yaw's birthday

2007-09-16T15:07:00.000+08:00

September 11 is a happy day.... for Ah Yaw that is. He turned 22 this year, the drummer boy! Yay!

We advertise for McDonald's ice-cream

Ah Yaw acting cute

Paradise Live! dancer Tammy and Joni were there to wish the birthday boy

Sook Chin and Jaclyn too!

Happy birthday Yaw!

we're together again

2007-09-09T22:32:00.000+08:00

let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but instead let us press on ahead to the goal which draws us closer each day....

in the end, the simplest things are the most important.

"ask and you shall receive. seek and you shall find."
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
"trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding"
"let us love one another as He first loved us"

We are a chosen nation, a royal priesthood. Each specially formed, called and set apart for His purpose.

Be encouraged!

ahem

2007-08-22T20:16:00.001+08:00

Hi there! How is everyone? Everyone's been busy.. so please update us on how you're doing!

Miss you guys loads... when we gonna meet again? :)

-Hosanna

2007-08-14T00:39:00.000+08:00

2007-08-13T23:06:00.000+08:00

picnic

2007-08-05T22:59:00.000+08:00

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones But Words Can Break My Spirit

2007-07-24T23:05:00.000+08:00

Negative comments often drag down our spirit. And words spoken in anger are often regretted but seldom repairable. But a gentle word turns away anger and kindness is a balm that heals. Love covers a multitude of sins.

Let's encourage one another with our words. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. No wonder that in our fallen world; it is more common to find people speaking with sarcasm, envy, bitterness, and gossip rather than words of encouragement and healing.

Instead, let us speak words of love, encouragement, healing, comfort. Words to build us up, to draw us close, to magnify God, to praise Him.

I apologize to anyone if i've ever hurt anybody unintentionally with my words. I never meant to do so, and truly feel sorry if it has ever happened. Please forgive me.

Lord, keep watch over the gate of our mouths, that nothing will displease you from our speech, that we will not cause anyone to stumble.

Report of Transit Montly Committee Meeting (July)

2007-07-22T21:43:00.000+08:00

Introducing: the Transit Note Book a.k.a the TNB
No more inefficiency!
No more mistaken communication!
No more forgetting dates!
No more uncertainty!
No more indecisiveness!

We now have a system to achieve more effecient Transit planning and conducting of activities. Every leader has a notebook in which all information is noted down. There are tabs for each important section, and in future we may even have color codes.

We are updating our system to bring you more efficient service. We are restructuring our priorities as God changes our heart. He is leading us in a new direction.

From now on, there will be more emphasis on:

1. System

2. Integration

We will achieve better results if we're organized. God is a God of order, as you can see from how He created the world, gave instructions for building the temple, the 10 commandments, etc. So, we try to be more systematic in future, without going overboard into being rigid.

Although flexibility and spontaneity is one of our strongest points, we strive in future to be more systematic. This involves:

Planning ahead of time
Consistency in sticking to the plan
Communication of the plan between each other and to others

Integration is also high on our list of priorities. In Psalms it says "how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity". God is pleased when there is integration between people, He commanded "love one another, in this way others will know that you love me". When we show our love and care to our neighbour, we are being Christ-like. Remember, this includes loving ALL kinds of people.

The church is the only organisation which exists for its non-members. Transit activities are ongoing in order to attract non-members, not to please current members. Outsiders are the priority, not insiders.

There are a large group of existing members or those who join us occasionally, who need to be tapped in to. We seek to draw them in to our group and not keep Transit as an exclusive club for a few friends. Being friendly and open is the first step to a real relationship with the people we target. How can we impact the world for Christ if we can't even smile and greet a stranger? Would an outsider want to share their lives with us if we're not even paying them attention after Sunday service?

Thinking back, what was it that made us get involved? Were there people who cared for us and befriended us? It makes so much difference to have a friend in church ratehr than just attend service. So let's take that extra effort to make newcomers feel welcome, so that they can become a part of us.

We must learn to accept all kinds of people, even those we find it hard to get along with
We take the first step, not wait for the other person
Being friendly is everyone's duty, not just the ushers

Please pray for us as we continue to seek the Lord and seek to do right. Pray for Transit leadership as we move into a new phase of upgrading our system and integrating with the new wave of people. May God shine through in all we do.

paradigm shift!

2007-07-19T22:56:00.000+08:00

Is friendliness something that you're born with?
Who are FRIENDS?
How to talk to shy people?
How does Personality Analysis help your PR skills?
Is body language a factor in people's impression of you?
Whose job is it to be hospitable?
Can I be an Ambassador?
Where does the offering go to?

Find out answers to these questions... and more...at

usher's training

This Saturday

3pm

5th Floor

Up Ahead

2007-07-19T22:37:00.000+08:00

Hello all!

Im pleased to announce that the worship training held on Tuesday was most succesful ! It was a breakthrough in terms of attendance.... give yourselves a pat on the back - most of you attended! Hooray to all of you to overcame all obstacles to turn up on a weekday night! We were very encouraged by your presence and hope you were as blessed as we were :)

For those who couldnt make it, we understand, and we'll be organizing more training in future to cater to the growing needs.

Praise God that He makes all things beautiful in His time. It was great to have all LIFE and Transiter worship team members gather together and also the younger ones. This is GROUNDBREAKING!

I'm so excited at how things are shaping up and know that this is the beginning of something amazing! Great things lie before us, we must move forward to achieve what is ahead of us!

As we approach changes with a spirit of unity,

As we seek to form an effective system in our ministry,

As we raise our standard,

As we reach out to new people,

As we bridge the age gap between our generations,

God is doing a new work in us! We look forward to witnessing His awesome changing power at work in our midst. Stay tuned, and keep praying :)

Love,

Hosanna

Dear all,

2007-07-16T21:37:00.000+08:00

TAKE NOTE OF DATE CHANGE

Worship Training and Cell

Tuesday 17th July

8pm

5th floor church

contact Yaw or Bern or contract Xana.. haha

Wednesday, 18th July 2007

2007-07-16T00:02:00.000+08:00

Worship Cell and Training

5th Floor, church

8pm

All worship team and those interested to join the worship team, please be present.

Contract Yaw or Bernice for further details.

When we worship Him in spirit and truth, breakthroughs will happen!

07.07.07

2007-07-15T22:39:00.000+08:00

For those of you who wondered what happened to us last week... we were down in JB.

Sydney's sister Cassandra got married to Samuel on 7th July 2007 (7.7.7) in Pulai Springs Resort, JB. Sydney and Cassendra are from Church of Praise JB, so were Aubry, Chloe, Justin, Ah Jing, Shannon, Sean, Bernice, Eunice, Uncle Kevin, Auntie Lillian... etc. So, a whole big bunch of us went down to JB for the ceremony. At special request... i've decided to put up some photos.. since everyone loves a wedding :)

It was a beautiful spot for a garden wedding! The atmosphere was casual and laid back, the dress code was "East India", and the weather was perfect.

The bride's father giving her awayThe cake made a nice photo against the backdrop of the golf greens...

After the ceremony, the newlyweds made their exit with the joyous crowd throwing confetti and blowing bubbles

Everything was so pretty... it was the attention to details that made it all exquisite.

We caught up with Ah Jing! He's doing well in Singapore.

Since the wedding was at a golf resort... they used a golf buggy... Sydney drove this.
Nice? This is the specially erected tent which housed the wedding dinner. Fully air-conditioned and carpeted, you wouldnt even know it was a tent.

Of course, Missing Mercury performed. You should hear the song they wrote for the wedding.... ooh la la romantik!!!!

hey guys

2007-07-10T06:04:00.000+08:00

how is everyone?

just dropping by to say hi.
-Shannon has returned from China
-Lydia Lamit is back from Kuching
-Most of us attended Samuel & Cassandra's wedding in JB on 7/7/7 (photos coming up)

2 EVENTS ARE COMING UP!!!!

GET READY!!!!

The Lord is with us always, so be encouraged!

love,
Hosanna.

Thoughts from a workforce newbie

2007-07-02T22:17:00.000+08:00

After years of anticipation, I was very enthusiastic to join the workforce. I was pleased to get accepted into my dream company. I had an mentor worth respecting, a close friend-cum-colleague, and the exact control over my job scope I wanted. I was so prepared and ready to do it -so I thought.

The night before my first day, reality hit me hard. From being a carefree student who got away with last minute work, I now had to be a consistent and reliable source of information. I could go to jail if I make a mistake! This was serious stuff, and there would be no friends or lecturers to fall back on. I began to panic, I felt so unprepared, I felt so alone... no amount of pre-planning was adequete to overcome those nerves.

The waters covered my head, my feet could touch no bottom. How could I, a barely competent swimmer, navigate this vast unknown ocean, and survive the waves and sharks? But I cried out to God, and He answered me.

I praise God that in the midst of my panic attack, there was the comfort of prayer support just a phone call away. The prayers of my family and cell members gave me great strength. I know those prayers helped me fall into a fitful sleep, and awake with courage to face the new beginning.

Much to my surprise, the first day was not terrible. There was an orientation to help me find my bearings, and my friendly new colleagues even prepared a goodie bag to welcome me. I was able to fit in, and knew it was God's favour. I felt so blessed to survive what I thought would be a terrifying day.

God is wonderful to lift us up when we are weak. In our despair, we realize our frailty, in relying on His stength we learn to trust Him to shatter our fears. How amazing that He always sends us guidance when we need it most.

Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it"

I pray that all of you too will find strenght in your new beginnings.

Secrets & Balloons Videos

2007-07-01T19:51:00.000+08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uu4WZfs-OE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8Y5_-Q6I9o

Secrets & Balloons

2007-07-01T19:15:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday Transit & LIFE!

Cutting the anniversary cake with our advisor, Pastor Kevin, leaders, committee members and very important people!

Group photo

Emcee

Atmosphere

Audience Fans

Joelle the Jazz singer...

Justin doing his thing

Joshua and Darren's short jokes

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Reuben's self-composed "Malaysia Truly Asia"

Michelle Cheong's violin solo with Eugene's piano accompaniment

Jesus take the wheel
Snapshots dance

In Brief

2007-06-24T23:28:00.000+08:00

Upcoming Events:

1. @ Grace PJ -24 hour praying, prophesying, praising, proclaiming. by Nigerian special team of apostles and prophets - 7/7/7

2. @ Grace USJ - Nigerian pastor preaching 8/7/7

3. Worship Training

4. Fashionista Seminar

5. Usher's Elevation

6. Oxygen Rally

7. Christmas

8. Mission Trip

etc... etc...

details coming soon

announcement

2007-06-24T23:13:00.001+08:00

Those with photos/ videos of Secrets & Balloons, please post them or send them to me - chunghosanna@gmail.com

Thanks,

Hosanna

schedule

2007-06-13T21:55:00.000+08:00

Don't Miss It!

2007-06-13T21:17:00.000+08:00

Secrets and Balloons:

This Saturday
8pm - 10pm
Grace USJ 2nd Floor

Featuring:
Sharon and Shannon - Mime
Calico Cat & Co - Who's Line Is It Anyway Spoofs
Jianz - Standup comedy
Michelle Cheong - Live violin performance and poetry
Darren A, Joshua L, with Bernice J & special guest Huey Yuen - Beatboxing & accompaniment

Music by:
Missing Mercury
20 Minutes

Dances by:
Snapshots
Darren A

and many more acts!

secrets and balloons

2007-06-07T18:31:00.000+08:00

Come next Saturday, transit will be having an open mic session.

Balloon 101

2007-06-07T11:04:00.000+08:00

resurrected

2007-06-05T22:35:00.000+08:00

Hi people!

Sorry for the lack of updates... coming right up...

Beware, change ahead!

2007-05-21T13:40:00.000+08:00

Are you ready to break free from the confines of your comfort zone?

Why should I change?

Change is a neccessary part of growth. The pain it brings is often a forecast of the joy that is to come, after we have been tested in the furnace. We can't claim the wonderful promises that God has in store for us, until we change ourselves and take a brave step to let go and move away. Like Abram's move.

It is said that God loves us the way we are. So why should we change? The story is told of a father playing with his daughter in the playground. She slips and falls in the mud, her pretty dress is caked in dirt and her face splattered with brown spots. Does the father still love the daughter? Of course, the dirtiness doesnt make him love her less. But will he leave her that way? Of course not. He'll bathe her and put on fresh clothes so she'll be clean again.

God loves us even when we're covered in the mud of sin. But He loves us too much to leave us the way we are. He'll lead us to wash in rivers of forgiveness and put new robes of righteousness on us. So we're able to stand before His holiness again.

Isn't that a great motivation to change?

How do I know what to do?

To change, we must clarify our purpose and direction. We need to seek God earnestly and as Him to show us where we're headed. Sometimes the answers will not be complete, but when we trust and obey Him, we can be sure that He will not disappoint us. He is with us every step of the way.

Making baby steps in the right direction...

Clean out your closets, let go of deep hurts and pain, overcome addictive behaviour. behold i have created new heavens and new earth and the former things shall not come to mind

Stay on track with the life goals and hang on to the promises of God, ignoring what we see around us. we live by faith, not sight

Focus on the needs of others rather than our own wants. Wallowing in self-pity only saps our energy and robs us of joy. When we turn to helping others instead, we'll be blessed and encouraged! it is more blessed to give than to receive

Be inspired to make a change in your ministry attitude, use the gifts that God has given you to serve Him. every good gift comes from God

Head's up, people! we're about to move into a season of change!

ATTENTION

2007-05-16T19:59:00.000+08:00

Myspace Graphics

Date: This Sunday, 20th May 2007
Time: 10:15am
Venue: Youth Church USJ, above Ali Berkat Restaurant, USJ Business Centre
Speaker: Brazilian Football coach Romao (pronounced hoe-mao)

Score yourself a fantastic Sunday, come and be blessed!

cool

2007-05-16T19:54:00.000+08:00

...running low on faith and gasoline

2007-05-16T15:15:00.000+08:00

When your car runs out of gasoline, do you pour water in the tank and continue to drive? Of course not. You would certainly stop at the nearest petrol station. Even if you're running low on cash, you would pump some gas. Cause you know you can't drive without gas in your tank.

Neither can we continue living our life as a Christian without connecting with God. Life without prayer is as dry as a car without gas. You're driving, but you feel no power. You know you wont get far. Before we feel the jerk of an empty tank, we need to stop in our tracks, reconnect with God, and fill up on the petrol of prayer. Even if we have precious little time to spare, a short few honest words spoken in your heart is all that's needed.

We need God's petrol if we want to rev up our lives!

-inspired by Carrie Underwood's hit song "Jesus take the wheel"

Justin's 19th birthday

2007-05-15T16:36:00.000+08:00

swimming @ cell

2007-05-06T23:07:00.000+08:00

Ah, to be a child again

2007-04-30T20:54:00.001+08:00

Child-like innocence is trusting God with all our heart, not our head. It's about loving Him with all our might, not our minds. There are some things which we may never know til we meet Him again, but it shouldnt affect our relationship with Him.

There are things I will never know about my parents, but I still love them anyway. Am I going to stop being their child just because I don't understand something about them? Are we going to stop being God's children when we're confused and don't understand Him?

We need to hold on to God no matter what, trusting that He is our loving Father. We need to have the pure heart of a child again...

FITNESS FIRST

2007-04-30T10:33:00.000+08:00

Coming to Jesus is something like joining a high-tech gym. All you need to be fit is right inside there, ready to be used. But joining a gym won't make you fit, unless you actually sweat it out in exercise! In the same way, accepting Christ wont make your Christian testimony automatically shine out in a dark world. That takes daily commitment and trust in God. Righteousness needs to be built up day by day....

Seek out God every day through prayer, fellowship, and His Word, and you'll become a truly fit Christian.

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him and He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn. Psalm 37: 5-7

Lord, I don't want to be useless to You. Make me fit for Your kingdom.

RESPECT

2007-04-28T21:12:00.000+08:00

Two paths lead to respect, and the one you choose determines your future - so choose carefully.

The first path comes most naturally. You watch your back, strike before you're struck, and butter up the right people until you've clawed your way to the top.

What's the second path? Follow the principles laid down by the Lord. This is not the easy way. It's not a shortcut, and at times it doesn't even seem to work. But it will soon give you self-respect - the first step on the path to success.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all who do His commandments -Psalm 111:10

Father, help me choose wisely when I come to life's crossroads. Give me wisdom to choose the Lamb's path, not the tiger's. Help me be someone who is respected for the way I live, not for the damage I can do.

Break the Dawn

2007-04-28T20:48:00.000+08:00

Everyday God paints a beautiful picture just for you. Not once, but twice a day. The majestic sunrise and sunset is but a shadow of the glory of God's majesty. We can't see it on earth right now, but we know we will when we meet Him in heaven again. If we open our eyes to the little ways in which He shows His love to us, we would be encouraged.

Forum I

2007-04-14T15:21:00.000+08:00

The speakers: Sydney, Bernice, Shannon.
Moderator: Hosanna
Topic: Peer Pressure.A light moment The audience

Another segment of the audience.

Missing Mercury

2007-04-14T15:07:00.000+08:00

Have you heard of Missing Mercury? It's the hottest new band to hit town!

Here they are performing their hit song, "Hit The Road" at their first gig.

Here they are again at the LIFE rally in PJ. This is Sean, the frontman.

Darren, singer and guitarist.Yaw/Aubry, the drummer.Justin "Pino" the bassist.Will try to upload some of their music for your listening pleasure soon. Stay tuned!

Featuring: LIFE

2007-04-14T14:36:00.000+08:00

As the first part of this series, I would like to feature the LIFErs on our Transit Blog. For the benefit of those not in the know, LIFE is the younger coutnerpart of Transit, for teens or semi-teens aged around 13-19. They are a crazy bunch.

Let's have a peek at what they do during the LIFE cell:
The guy in the green shirt is Justin Ooi, the current President of LIFE. Don't ask me what he's doing. This is Tammy, the 'baby' of LIFE. She just turned 13 last week. Nope, I dont know what she's wearing either.

This is Lydia and Mandy. Two dancers.

And im still clueless what they are doing.

I dont know what LIFE cell does, but it looks like a bunch of fun.

LIFE meets every Friday 3pm for Youth Church and 8pm for LIFE Cell. Go ask them what they do! :)

Be That Girl 07

2007-04-14T14:05:00.000+08:00

Here are some really late photos from an event we attended way back on March 28.

"Be That Girl" was a unique girl-only event which aimed to teach girls the confidence, healthy self-respect and image-enhancement skills found in the security that comes from Christ.

Dancers from LIFE took part in this event, showcasing their God-given talents. Here they are praying before the event.

Some last minute practicing...And it was their turn to appear on stage... All the praying and practising finally paid off.The audience was suitably impressed. Besides dances, there was also a fashion show... quite cool
Some of our friends in Grace Klang were featured in the show, including the irrepressable Sam Oh.Here's the final lineup of all the models.And here are the Grace Klang models with our very own LIFE dancers.

Aubry and Sidney posing with Amelia, one of the organisers of the event. She was also the organiser for Starmaker, check our archives to find out what that song-writing competition/musical was all about.
We dance for joy because our Life is in Jesus!

FAMILY

2007-04-13T17:18:00.000+08:00

Father and sons: all different face

Twins who are non-identical. Yup, totally different personalities too.

Sisters who look like twins... well, sort of.

Sisters who look like sisters ( i mean, they sort of do, dont they?)
Sisters who dont look like sisters. Actually got a bit of resemblence... the nose and mouth is similar

Birthdays

2007-04-13T16:36:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday to
Tamera Jayne Nagaratnam (Tammy) 8 April turned 13
Kevin Tan 10 April turned 20?
Lydia Lamit 16 April? turned 19?
Naomi 18 April? turned 19?
Why did they look at the other side???

Hosanna's Housewarming and Birthday "party"

2007-04-13T15:16:00.000+08:00

Here's some long overdue photos... on April Fool's day, Hosanna had a housewarming party to dedicate her new house (it's an apartment actually) in PJ. Transiters turned out in full force! It got off to a false start, with the fierce guards almost not allowing the Transiters in. Yup, security nowadays is strict. But somehow they made it.

It's a miracle in fact how Hosanna got the house. Ask her for her testimony on that. We thank the Lord for His blessings and for providing for us. He is good to us all indeed!

Another wonderful year to thank God for (Hosanna shall not reveal her age... but you can guess by the amount of candles)

Here's the Transiters playing Taboo. This game brought out a never seen before side in some of us. Especially Aubry Chong Yuan Yaw. The classic line of the day has to go to his fantastic description of a goat...

Aubry: uh... ah... it's .. the opposite of a cow

and most fantastically, someone even understood it!

Sean: goat!

Wow! pengsan.

Everyone 'conteng'ed the board, inspired by the April Fool's Day mood. By the way, did anyone get fooled?

Meanwhile, some guys busied themselves folding paper planes. Dont tell anyone... they threw it down from the 11th floor balcony! Talk about going all out for the sake of research... kids, dont do this at home.

Hosanna thanks all who came. A house is not a home without people and the life they bring. Laughter adds character to four walls more than furniture can.

Thank you for the printer! If came in handy!

Hi

2007-04-02T22:14:00.000+08:00

Dear all,

Sorry for the long absence in posting. I also apologize for the problems with the page layout... i've been having some difficulty with that.

Anyway, the Transit blog is not on hiatus, in case you were wondering. We're still here and we'll be posting more great stuff.

Do drop by! Welcome to all newcomers, visitors, and curious lurkers. To the chatbox regulars and commenters, you guys rock! You make this place come alive. Without your participation, this place is just dead. Thanks again and keep up the great job!

To other out of town transiters and those who are out of contact, do drop us a note to let us know what you're up to, how you are, prayer requests, etc. (Yes, David Chung and Edmund, we're referring to you...) Keep checking back for updates.

Lastly, please feel free to give your comments, suggestions, grouses, etc... it is a great source of inspiration. Your feedback is important to us.

Have a great week ahead, may the peace of Jesus be with you always!

with a smile,
Hosanna.

2007-03-16T03:38:00.000+08:00

SUFFERING IS TEMPORARY BUT LOVE ENDURES FOREVER

Jesus' love has never failed me, and it will not fail you either! Every time I sank lower than I thought I could sink, I cried out to Him. I know that even during the times He kept silent, He was there. God's timing is perfect and His ways are not our ways.

What we think is the solution may not be part of His plan. But God is faithful even when I am not. God forgave me even when I failed Him. He loved me even when I didnt trust Him. And He guided me even when I turned away from Him.

God took me through it all. His love covers a multitude of sins.

His love for me is greater than anything, He will never let me go. And as long as I love Him more than anything, noone shall have the power to hurt me more than God can love me.

Friends, be encouraged. God loves us, no suffering in this world can take that away from us. Do not let anything rob you of your joy in God! Be it suffering, bitterness, unfairness, anger, jealousy, pride, or self-pity.

Remember, He gives us all the love we need to get through all the trials we face.

2007-03-16T03:37:00.000+08:00

Q: Why must there be suffering?
A: Love needs sacrifice.Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus".A price has to be paid for sin. So Jesus paid the price. He died to save ALL mankind. And he took ALL the suffering of the world upon Himself. So today salvation is open to ALL. We who have been hurt, need Jesus as much as those who have hurt us. Since God is fair to give salvation to all, isnt it fair that suffering happens to all?

Q: I still think it's unfair that good people suffer.
A: Unjust suffering is the only type of suffering that can be considered suffering. Because if I did something wrong, and I suffered for it, memang I deserved it la! That's not called suffering. That's called retribution. But suffering that's undeserved is exactly what happened to Christ. He's God, trying to save men, but those very people he's trying to save, are spitting on his efforts and abusing him! The hallmark of a Christian is to be like Christ. So when we suffer unjustly, we're actually becoming more like Christ.James 1: 2-4"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."Be encouraged! When you suffer unjustly, remind yourself that God is allowing your faith to grow. And when the testing is over and you have passed through the fire, you are refined. You become stronger like gold that has been tested. Then, He will reward you beyond your imagination!

Bad people prosper and good people suffer! Unfair!

2007-03-16T03:34:00.000+08:00

Q: Why do 'bad' people prosper and 'good' people suffer?
A: If it seems that the bad do not suffer, that is a mere illusion. They have their own share of suffering. In this world or the next. They dont 'get away with it'. Just because you see them being rich doesnt mean they do not suffer, have not suffered, or will not suffered.Proverbs 24:19-20 says, "Do not be troubled because of evil-doers, or have envy of sinners. For there will be no future for the evil man; the light of sinners will be put out." In contrast, we know that God has a good plan for us prepared in future. Why worry about other people when we can instead put that energy into dealing with our own lives and living out God's plan for our lives?

Q: It's not fair that I'm good but I suffer.
A: Just what makes us think we're better or 'good'? No matter how good we are, we would have sinned before. Whether it's 0.01% sin or 99.99% sin, it's still sin.
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God".(Take note: the definition of sin is not doing something wrong. It's falling short of God's glory. So, can we say we havent sinned? I think not.) So since we're all sinners and since we all suffer, what's so unfair about it? Since we have already sinned, it's not for us to argue what degree of sin and what degree of suffering is fair. It's pretty lame for a criminal to argue with the judge that the sentence he's getting is not fair "because some other guy there did worse than me and he's not in jail".

What's the point of asking for less suffering by comparing ourselves to others? Comparison always lead to the argument that God didnt give us what we deserve. But, do we really want to get what we deserve? If God counted and calculated every single wrong everyone did, we deserve eternal death. But He forgave us this! Shouldn't we be grateful?
Suffering may be something we didnt deserve, but Grace is something we dont deserve either! We dont complain when we get grace we dont deserve... so we shouldnt complain when we get suffering we dont deserve.... it's a fair trade off! :)

How Can God Love Me If HE Lets Me Suffer?

2007-03-16T03:32:00.002+08:00

Q: Good and evil cannot coexist. If God is good there cannot be suffering.
A: On the contrary, without evil, there would be no good. Darkness is the absence of light. Without darkness we wouldnt know what is light. And pain is the opposite of love. Without pain there can be no love. Without love there can be no pain. Do you realise that you never feel hurt unless you feel love too? For example, if a stranger scolded you for no reason, you wouldnt feel pain. But if someone you love scolded you, you would feel so painful. We can only truly know what love is when we have experienced pain. Only by experiencing suffering, can we fully appreciate the grace of God. I realise now that God loves me more than any man ever can. And God took more suffering upon Himself than I could ever claim to suffer. So, the pain of this world drives me closer the the goodness of God's love and grace.

Q: God is bad because He allows people to suffer.
A: A doctor has medicine to cure sickness. But is it the doctors fault that there is sickness in the world? No, because he didnt create sickness. The doctor gives medicine to those who come to him. But those who didnt come to him, cannot blame the doctor for not helping them. It is the same way with God. He can take away our pain, if we go to Him and let Him. If we let go and take his 'medicine'. But if we do not, there's no point in us blaming Him for our suffering. He's not the one that caused it.

Q: If God really loved me, He wouldnt let me suffer.
A: During my school days I hated my father for forcing me to study things which I didnt think I liked. I felt He was so cruel to make me suffer. But now, years later, I realize why he did it. He had a plan for me which I couldnt see at that time. The 'suffering' in school didnt kill me. In fact, it made me who I am today, it gave me a good career to look forward to. God has a plan for us. Jeremiah 28:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans for a hope and a future." God's plan may include some suffering which is temporary. (Even death is temporary, in the light of eternity). But it's all part of His plan for us, which we can't see now. God's plan includes suffering so that it can bring out the greatest good and glory.

Q: Why doesnt God take away my suffering?
A: When I faced a terrible personal crisis in my life, I kept crying out to God and asking Him to take away my pain, heal my hurt. But I never felt satisfied with the response I got. Until one day, as I was doing my usual "please help me get through this," God told me: "I already have!" That struck me. Jesus Christ has already performed the greatest act of suffering on the cross, bearing all our hurts on His innocent back. Not only that, He triumphed over all this. Because of His victory, I, too, could live a victorious Christian life. Why was I still wallowing in my hurt?

Once I bought a fake VCD movie. I knew it had a happy ending. Being of bad quality, it couldnt be viewed halfway. It stopped at the part just where the hero was about to be killed in a tragedy. I was so sad, anxious, despairing...but I knew the ending was supposed to be happy. So I overcame my feelings by telling myself that in the end, it would all work out fine. I was able to get out of the bad feelings because I knew no matter how much the hero suffered, he would have a happy ending.

God has promised us a happy ending with him in heaven. So let's take the director's word for the movie script, even though we're stuck halfway. When I choose to look at the hurts I was facing rather than the cross, I allow myself to feel defeated. I magnify the value of the suffering I was undergoing. But when I chose to rely on the promise of God instead of my lousy feelings, I realise that eternal victory belongs to Christ and I am his heir and daughter. I choose to tell myself I will believe I have the victory no matter how lousy I feel. Feelings come and go, but God never changes. He already has won the victory, so He's already taken away our pain. We just have got to look away from our circumstances and look to Him. When we ask God to take away our hurts, have confidence that He already has. Only when we are fully with Him again in heaven can we experience the complete release. Til then, just keep holding on.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8
"Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."

Why God Allows Suffering

2007-03-16T03:32:00.001+08:00

Q: Why doesnt God interfere?
A: God cannot change the law without changing Himself. There are certain immutable laws of the universe. One is that suffering came into the world because of original sin. Once it came, it struck both the good people and bad people. Indiscriminate. People say it is unjust that good people suffer. But justice means justice for all. Justice means the criminal must have the same rights as you and me.

Once when we were watching a scene on CSI, Sean said, it's so unfair that the criminal used the loopholes in the law to get himself off scot-free. I told him what my professor said: we may disagree with how a man exercises his rights, but we will defend to the death their right to exercise it. Justice means justice for all, even the criminals!

Imagine if the court decided to bend the law to send criminals to jail. For example, torture people until they confess. Does the ends justify the means? Bending to law to achieve the 'just' result we want, defeats the purpose of having the law in the first place. There would be no respect for law any more.

In the same way, God in His infinite justice made the law of the universe. Accordingly, with sin in the world, there came suffering too. Should God interfere to allow His children to escape suffering? If God now takes away all the suffering in the world, the law would be changed, and changing the law would require changing God's character. In short, if God interfered, God wouldnt be just anymore! Do you want to worship an unjust God who bends the rules, even for you? I dont.

Q: Why can't God just change the law?
A: A famous football manages had 2 of his own sons on his football team. The manager was a person who insisted that football must be played by the rules of the game. In one game, his elder son committed a foul, so the other side got a free kick and scored. Then, his younger son scored a goal but the linesman ruled it was an offside, so it was disqualified.

Sometimes, due to his sons' fault or otherwise, the team loses. But do you think the football manager should change the rules of football just so his sons and his team can win the game? Of course not. Nobody is saying the rules of football are unfair. Only sometimes, because of cheats, match-fixing, poor judgment calls, or bad 'luck', our favourite team doesnt win, even though they played well. It's not the team's fault, but the manager cant change the rules of football just so his team will win. That would not be fair.

God cant change the law of the universe just so we never have to suffer, because that will not be fair. God's law is fair, only sometimes, because of cheats, bad people, the devil, or even no reason at all, people we like will suffer. Or we seem to get the short end of the stick. Does that make God unfair? Nope. Should He change the law to prevent our pain? If every time your team loses you change the rules of the game, would anybody still want to play football? Nope. There has to be consistency for a standard to be set. That's why God doesnt change the law just for us.

Why, Lord?

2007-03-15T10:58:00.000+08:00

A Christian family I know who served God for 3 generations, went through the death of their parents and eldest brother to sickness, one sibling suffers from cancer, 2 of their sisters got divorced, another was robbed - all of this within 1 year! Why do good people suffer and bad people prosper? Everyone has their own fair share of pain and suffering in life, some more fair than others. So often people ask, if God is love, how can there be pain and suffering in the world?

I struggle with these thoughts when I experience suffering which I feel is undeserved. But these truths are always a great comfort to me:

GOD ALLOWS SUFFERING TO HAPPEN, BUT HE DOESNT ENJOY IT.

Q: Does God stand by and watches His children suffer, because He cannot save them?
A: God can get rid of suffering if He wants, because He has infinite power. With just a spoken word all hurt can cease in the world, and no more suffering has to happen. God could do all this, His power is undisputedly proven by all His miracles, signs, and wonders. (I will explain later why He doesnt interfere)

Q: God doesnt interfere because He doesnt want to help?
A: God feels greater hurt and pain than anyone else when we suffer. He doesnt enjoy seeing us suffer. He wishes we wouldnt suffer. But if God immediately takes away suffering, it would cause a huge imbalance. There are several explanations to the question why God does not interfere.

The Cat, our trust, and God's faithfulness

2007-03-06T23:51:00.000+08:00

A few years ago, a pastor in Romania was arrested by the police because of his Christian activities. When he was arrested and taken to jail, the jailer taunted him about his belief in God.

Rubbing his stomach the jailer said, Can your God take good care of you like the State takes care of me? Our pastor reassured the jailer that his God could take care of him. "Oh! So you think your God can take care of you as well as the State takes care of me?" The Pastor said yes.

"OK," the jailer said. "I will give you only water for the next 4 days and we will see how well your God takes care of you."

The Pastor was taken to a cell and the door was locked. Our Pastor began to pray very earnestly and fervently to God for his protection and needs. He told God that he was his servant and he did not know how God would provide for his needs but he knew that God would take care of him.

As he was praying he heard a cat meow and when he opened his eyes he saw a cat just outside the cell with a slice of bread in its mouth. He then reached through the cell and took the bread from the cat's mouth.Next he took and broke off the piece which the cat had in its mouth and put that in his pocket and then ate the bread.

Each morning and evening for the following four days at the same time the cat came bringing the bread in its mouth.

On the fourth day the jailer returned expecting to find a very hungry man. "Well," the jailer said, "look at how well the State has taken care of me and how has your God taken care of you?"

"Oh!" the pastor replied, rubbing his stomach, "God has taken good care of me also." The jailer, being curious, asked how that was done. "Well," the Pastor said, "twice a day God sent a cat with a piece of bread in its mouth for me."

As he was speaking the cat meowed and as the jailer looked down he saw the cat with the bread in its mouth. "That is my house cat bringing my bread from my table," said the surprised jailer. "Yes, surely your God did take care of you."

This story by Tim Cove really encouraged me, not only because of the cat. I was encouraged by how exceedingly abundantly God rewards our faith. We usually agree in theory that God is all-powerful, that He is our provider... but when it comes to crunch time, we're just as realistic as any new age spiritualist. We tend to believe what our eyes see and not have faith in God's unseen promises. (It's true, right?)

So how can we move from merely saying that we believe, to really trusting?

1. Live by faith and not by sight.

Things which you believe by faith can't be proven. If it could be, you wouldnt need faith already lah! So it doesnt make sense to impose conditions for faith... "I dont believe unless XXX can be proven." Read Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". Since human eyesight is limited, and things arent always what they seem, dont trust your eyes. Instead, have faith in God! He is more reliable than your eyesight...

Let us not allow a declaration of faith made during a spiritual high to fizzle out once we see something discouraging. That would be a huge waste. You know why? Because even though we cant see it, faith makes things happen. Jesus promised that with the faith of a mustard seed, you can move mountains. Just don't expect it to be instant!

What happens is not seen to our eyes yet. It happens in the spiritual realm first. Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places".

The good news is, we dont have to fight this battle. God does it for us! Proverbs 21:31 "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But victory belongs to the LORD". By the same power that Jesus overcame death, we will overcome doubt.

2. Trust with your heart

I memorized Proverbs 3:5-7 as a child but 15 years later I now see it in a different light. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowlege Him and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and shun evil".

Yup, sounds like your typical proverb: do-this-and-i-promise-you-this-style. But look again. It says trust in the Lord with all your heart. Not brain, intellect, feelings. In fact, it says "lean not on your own understanding". As I grew older, this proverb was harder to apply, since I thought myself to be 'cleverer'. You know, pandai pandai try to fix it first, if tak jadi then only go to God, right? Big mistake.

All my screw ups happened when I relied on my own understanding. That's how I found out that my intellect is limited, my emotions faulty, and my brain prone to mistakes. After many messes, I realized I needed to stop relying on the unreliable me, and turn to the totally reliable God. This sounds corny, but it's the way to go: Trust God and just let go.

Those are just 2 ways we can increase our level of trust in God.

2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves".

This week, let me challenge you to raise your level of faith in God just a teeny-weeny little notch. Let Him take over in areas you never allowed Him to before. Act on your faith by giving a bigger offering than usual. Hold on to your faith by rebuking doubts when they arise in your head. Do anything with faith in Him, and you'll be amazed at His response!

Trusting God is hard, but it's not as hard as it sounds. Besides, it's worth it!

Encourage one another with your experiment by posting your comments on this.

Remember, as we trust God, he is faithful to reward our trust in ways we can't even imagine!

Snapshots of Sunday Service

2007-03-05T23:49:00.000+08:00

Flea Market

2007-03-05T23:42:00.000+08:00

After church, we went to Ikea for lunch. Of course, we couldnt resist the temptation to go to The Curve to check out the flea market bargains too... Some of us did some serious shopping.....
While others.... erm... :) smile. Sunday is a special day.

random

2007-03-01T19:49:00.000+08:00

The Day We Took Nice Photos, by Joeh-nar Lim

2007-02-28T00:06:00.000+08:00

* disclaimer: all characters in the story about to be told are completely fictitious. Any relation whatsoever to any person whether living or dead is entirely coincidental. The story is entirely fictitious, random, and strange. So take it with a pinch of salt, and I hope, a few laughs.

Last Sunday, Joeh-nar Lim made an astonishing discovery. It made her nose quiver with curiosity. It made her ears swell with amazement. She was sneaky enough to capture it on film and couldnt wait to share it with all her friends. You see, what Joeh-nar Lim saw on that amazing day, had never been seen in USJ before. After all, who knew that superheroes would make an appearance on an ordinary given Sunday?

It all started when Joeh-nar Lim decided to go for lunch at the new 'Sunshine Bistro'. Meanwhile, inside the bistro, Cavern Thumb and some friends were enjoying their usual Sunday noontime meet-up. Cavern ordered "maggi goreng telur mata". This is what he got:

It looked normal enough, but when he tasted the first bite, Cavern was horrified! The moment the noodles went into his mouth, his face started to itch! Silver spots popped out all over his face, akin to a funky dalmation. His friend Sandy fainted looking at him, imagine the shock! Cavern covered his face in agony.His unusual appearance prompted stares from curious onlookers, Joeh-nar Lim included. But then again she was too busy with her lens to stare too long, which explains why there are no close-up photos of Cavern Thumb's face. As Cavern and Co were trying to think of a solution, suddenly, a great thud was heard in the bistro. All heads turned to the door and they all saw a superhero kick his way in: "Hai.... yeah! Ah char! Ah Char!"

In the distance, bells rang and electric guitars clanged. A mysterious cloud of smoke covered the entrance, when it subsided this was what was seen ...... another superhero(ine)!
(When Joeh-nar Lim managed to close her awe-struck mouth, she quickly snapped a close up of the superheroine's hair ...) to be continued.....
_______________________________________________________________

....by you guys! For the first time ever, you get to write on Transit Blog. We will post up your stories on what happened to the two (as yet un-named) superheroes and Cavern Thumb. Use the tag board or comments feature.

Each person is limited to one paragraph only.
Each paragraph should not exceed 50 words.
If your 50 words are up before you finish your story... just leave it hanging. It's funner that way!
Let your imagination go....
There will be a prize for the best story...

Of Music, Lyrics and Whiteness

2007-02-26T00:52:00.000+08:00

Okay, so it rained out, and Schumacher had the last laugh. But, Transit got innovative when the rain threatened our evening entertainment, so we went for a movie instead. 17 of us caught "Music and Lyrics" starring Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant, which was a bagful of laughs.

For some random, unarrange reason, white was the color of the day. Just check out how many people were wearing white t-shirts...
And white shoes! Sydney, Aubrey, and Sean's white shoes are new, so the next time you see them, don't forget to step on their whities! Hehe.

Transiters in JB

2007-02-24T11:14:00.000+08:00

When in JB last week, some Transiters decided to go to Danga Bay for fun.
The carousel is pretty

Ah Jing liked the cruise ship.
Chloe was so fascinated by the big huge kampung house lit up.

We also visited the houses of Hosanna, Sydney, Aubrey, and Chloe. The occasion? Chinese New Year.

Vroom! Vroom!

2007-02-19T14:52:00.000+08:00

For those who will be back from their Chinese New Year break, this Saturday Transiters are going to take the Sepang F1 circuit by storm! Move over, Schumacher... here we come! Ok, not quite. We are actually going Go-Karting. At Sunway Extreme Park. So, put your heart in gear and head on over to our very first Transit Grand Prix. Sean the ex-race-car-driver's son will show your guys how to cut those corners like a pro.

Time: 5pm
Date: 24th February
Venue: Sunway Extreme Park

See ya there!

Thousand Blessings

2007-02-19T14:48:00.000+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year to all Transiters!

(on the 1st day of Chinese New Year)
Transiters in JB: Yaw, Siang, Hosanna, Chloe, Justin Jianz, Edmund Ah Jing.
Transiters in Seremban: Sean, Bernice, Eunice, Sharon, Ben Michael
Transiters in KL: Kevin, Shannon, Lydia Lamit, etc
Missing in action: DAVID CHUNG
where are you?

photos 2

2007-02-17T14:30:00.000+08:00

Bernice and Justin Jianz
Sidney and Barnabus. Barnabus is Lydia Tan's uncle. It's a long and complicated story.... go ask her yourself.
I think this photo is so cool. It looks like a magazine ad.

The crew and some party-goers take one for the album. Hats off to those guys and gals serving us that night.... it's not an easy task!
For some reason, this photo reminds me of peacocks preening. hehe. You girls look gorgeous!
Awww... so close

Sharon and Ben Michael
Che Siong and Shannon. Che Siong said: "I look so gorgeous in that photo!" Sean the photographer said: "why does Shannon look so scared beside you?"
Now this one is like a scene from Kung Fu Hustle the movie. Super poser la, Kevin and Chloe..

Bernice won Best Dressed Lady (Miss Heart 2 heart) while Corey won Best Dressed Guy (Mr Heart 2 heart)
Barnabus (barnie) won Mr Etiquette. Actually, the prize was supposed to go to Jonathan Ooi, but he had left early... so he missed it. Sorry, Jon. Christine Tan won the prize for Ms Etiquette.

Congrats to all... Hope you guys had fun!

photos 1

2007-02-17T14:03:00.000+08:00

Jonathan and Justin Ooi during the "how well do you know each other game". thanks to Darren, now everyone knows what brand of deoderant Jonathan uses... haha. Tracy and Jaclyn had a laugh during the same game... it's something about kissable lips. go ask them.
Darren and Bernice performing their version of "I just cant smile without you". They tap danced too! cool! :)

Joshua and Tammy singing "A whole New World"
sharon the glamor puss
Enjoying the atmosphere. Left to right: Any, Jerusha, Joy, Jaclyn, Tracy, Christine, Daniel.

The guys were decked mostly in white. while most girls wore black. Darren's theory is that before marriage guys wear white and girls wear black, while after marriage it's vice versa. see what i mean?

Heart 2 Heart Nite

2007-02-15T20:28:00.000+08:00

The atmosphere was romantic at the fairytale castle on valentine's night. The garden was lit by the gentle glow of candles (littered all around the perimeter) and ambient maroon lights. Nine tables were set and forty gorgeous people turned up decked in their glamarous best for the first ever Transit and LIFE organised Heart 2 Heart Nite.On the fence, hundreds of little lights cast a fairy tale ambience, setting the tone for a candlelit garden party. Guests mingled and exchanged pleasantries to the sway of easy-on-the-ears love songs.Candles burnt all night as we sang, danced, laughed, and feasted. The ice-breaker was -as promised- the fairy tale game. Each person was given a fairy tale role -prince charming, snow white, the little mermaid, etc etc. Then the girls had to find their partners by asking every guy by random. A funny thing that happened was Joy had a midnight curfew, and ironically the card she got was Cinderella.There were special performances from Darren & Bernice (who wore a dress for the first time in her life), Tammy & Joshua. Games were played. Songs were dedicated. Uncle Kevin and Auntie Lillian danced. Photos were taken. And as the last glass was raised to end a fantastic Valentine's night, the satisfied guests left.... and the crew started clearing until the wee morning hours. Yup, it was a great Valentine's Day for all of us -some of us more than others.Kudos to Kevin & Chloe for a good job done.

Kevin braved the last minute rush and millions of changes to see this event through. It was amazing how he managed to do it all though he had to face an exam the day after. Hey, you did well, we're very proud of you!

Chloe was very sick before, during and after the event. Yet she gamely worked hard alongside us til the wee hours of midnight without a complaint; and still managed to look gorgeous that night. Here's to you, girl!

Special mention goes to Lydia Lamit who worked around the clock to help prepare the food, even missing the first 2 performances to help the caterers, you're the best, girl! Shannon was a doll to help with transporting things and people, we appreciate your generosity with your car.... it's a big deal to us that you allowed us to put so much junk in it, because we know how well you look after your car.
Justin (Jianz) was instumental in the moving and clearing up of things, your strength is your strength! Thank you for all your tireless efforts... since you've came to Transit you've been such a great help.

Joshua Long was a godsend in buying and picking up last minute things when we most needed it. You saved the day, Joshua!

Ben Michael kept the music and dedications going on all night, a heroic sacrifice indeed. You rock, Ben!

Justin Ooi (yeah, Pino!) and Darren Ashley were very very helpful in putting up all the thousand little lights, moving furniture, cleaning up, etc... they endured the dirtiest jobs with an admirable attitude. You guys are fantastic... thanks again Justin for your ever-ready helpfulness, and Darren for performing.

To Yaw, thank you for taking all those tables and chairs, moving everything back, transporting the sound system, japanese screen, etc. You may be quiet but your presence is so very important.

Che Siong, we are grateful you stayed to help clear up, fetch people, manage the food, keep things in order... you know your contribution did not go unnoticed.

Bernice, the girl who looked gorgeous in a dress, thanks for fixing up the sound system and wiring. Faster train up someone before you leave... if not next time havoc!

Sean J, for emceeing and turning down Ferhad to be there for us, you're the man! Hope Valentine's was as good for you as it was for Hosanna... hehe.

Auntie Lillian deserves the credit for a delicious meal which was beautiful presented, we're amazed at how you whipped everything together! This night could not have been possible without you. And thanks for loaning us so many things from your house..

To Uncle Kevin, who worked behind the scenes to hold everything together, and quietly snuck behind to wash dishes while everyone was busy enjoying themselves... thank you again for everything you do.

A huge shoutout to our sponsors Auntie Betty Saw and Uncle Shum Chew Weng. Thank them for their generosity the next time you see them in church. Thanks also to Vincent Tan for loaning us the lights and fabric.

Of course, we owe special thanks to Auntie Anne for her generosity in letting us use her kindergarten for free. Thank you very much! We admire your work with the special children.

Most of all, we thank God for going before us to make everything turn out so smoothly. It was clear that His hand was upon this in getting us so many sponsors and allowing the event to work with just one week's planning.

It's such a crazy thing... only by His divine favor could this have worked out. Such is His grace, mercy and goodness, He even controlled the rain and gave us perfect weather (anyone notice how there was no wind so the candles were able to burn all night? It was raining and windy every night that week before and after the event.) We love because He first loved us!

You guys, it was such an amazing night. Im so proud to work side by side with so many talented people. Your sacrifices and love spur me on and encourage me to be a more generous and giving person. I'm so touched by all the love we had for one another that night. You guys are the best! Love y'all....

birthdays

2007-02-15T19:36:00.000+08:00

Michelle's Valentine's party also fell on the same day as Shannon's birthday, so we decided to do something special for her... Since she likes fruits and had expressed a fondness for chocolate, auntie lillian made a chocolate coated apple for her. But... she forgot that Shannon is allergic to nuts... so this apple didnt work out. so she made another apple... but then we discovered that Shannon cant eat chocolate either! So, we just took a photo for her... and someone else ate the apple. hehe.
Darren and Justin made her a really nice gift... it was very girly and pretty... But unfortunately the plate had to be returned to auntie lillian. and the stones too... and the sand.. and... Anyway it was a really pretty gift, and it's the thought that counts. Happy birthday Shannon. Happy birthday too to Joshua Long and Michelle Ooi whose birthdays also fall in the month of February.

Games In The Park

2007-02-15T18:43:00.000+08:00

Michelle R (pictured below with her friends and brother, second from left) hosted a wonderful

Valentine's BBQ for Transiters and LIFErs at her beautiful house last Saturday. A sort of pre-party for the Valentine's event. Before the makan, we challenged ourselves to some serious fun in the park. Darren taught us how to play "The Ultimate Frisbee". Which could be described as a game that's tag-meets-captain ball. The game is simple and the people were sporting, so the result was six parts competitive sports and four parts crazyrunningaroundmadness! Haha. They say dogs like to catch frisbees, well apparantly so do Transiters and LIFErs.

As the sun went down we decided to play water balloon volleyball. Which simply comprises of normal volleyball, played with water balloons. 4 people per team had to toss a water balloon using a large bath towel. The objective: dont get wet! However, that was... shall we say.. virtually impossible.

It was a day to drop balloons, a day to catch frisbees, and a day to drop our seriousness in order to catch our childhood all over again.

Old and young alike enjoyed the Games in the Park.

The LIFErs were so energetic and bouncy, playing twister, then cards, then watching happy feet, then talking in the kitchen, etc etc...It was amazing the still had the energy to smile and pose for photos... ah, to be young again.For some reason, I think Darren looks really small in this photo. I think it's because he's sitting in a small kid's chair. Hehe. Darren, Justin Ooi, Sean, and Justin Jianz were playing some music to entertain uncle Raj (Michelle's dad)... in fact we found out that uncle is pretty handy with the guitar himself. He played us some old favourites...Apparantly that's not all uncle Raj is good at... he did all the barbequeing all by himself. I must say, those chicken wings were mighty mighty delicious...I even think i saw Shannon grab more than one.. hehe.Thanks again Michelle for a lovely time!

will you dine with me?

2007-02-06T23:32:00.000+08:00

Before you start asking why the Transit blog has turned into a little girl's site, hear me out.

Every little girl has dreams. Little boys too. Fed by fairy tales, we dream of getting swept off our feet by some prince charming, or finding a beautiful princess to rescue. Yes, we all love the wonder and awe of classic love stories.

Come relive this feeling with the Transit Valentine's Dinner. It's going to be a magical affair. The theme is fairy tale, and on that night we promise everyone gets to be a fairy tale character. Every Juliet will find a Romeo. And everyone gets something.

Whether you're a swinging single or a happy couple, join our night of fairy tales for a Valentine's like no other. This will be a different kind of Valentine's, unique and memorable. Play the Fairy Tale game with us to find your fairy tale partner, round-robbin style. Not to mention sumptuous gastronomical delights at an affordable price.

Instead of one partner, you get to have candlelight dinner with 20 persons, one at a time. How's that for value for money?

20 fairy tales to be lived in. 20 fun people to meet. An unforgettable Valentine's for you. So what do you say? Are you in or what? Make a date with us 14th February, 7pm, @ fairy tale castle USJ

Contact Kevin: 0126847086 or Chloe: 0192761725 to register yourself today! Hurry, places are limited!

Another fantistic event brought to you by Transit. Not to be confused with the Valentine's BBQ and Games in the Park to be held on 10th February.

Sean The (Not) Sadist

2007-02-06T23:04:00.000+08:00

*Disclaimer: to 'heaven, yes he's charming' Sean, sorry in advance.
To the rest of you, laugh and the world laughs at you! *

Does anyone know why Sean was covering his nose so much last Sunday?
Take a guess...
He was twisting, turning, avoiding the paparazzi, going to all lengths, ways and means...
sure was tough to get any photo out of him.
I bet he was hiding something.

It drove the photographer crazy! Not to mention, it got him rather hot and bothered too....
Well people...

would you like to know the answer....

to the question...

why is Sean covering his face.....

and what is he hiding?

are you ready?

you sure you want to know?

can you handle the truth?

you really sure?

once you see this, there's no turning back....

well....

since you asked for it..........

dont regret seeing it

it may disturb you...

but you wanted to see it...

so here it is......

Sean is (not) a sadist! :)

Overdue Mall Hunt Photos

2007-02-05T23:21:00.000+08:00

As promised, here are the overdue photos of mall hunt 2. Shameful photos. Amazing photos. Unexpected photos.
This was what we were after: Photos of random items scattered around Wan U, to be found with no clues! (Yup, Sean is a sadist) Painful walking brought gainful snapshots, photographers lens snapped some of us having fun along the way....

Bernice decided to indulge in her junglewoman fantasy

While Kevin went wild letting out his inner child.Hosanna decided learning to drive properly was child's play.This drove Darren to break a leg. While Sharon decided to try her hand at modelling.Handsome Justin (watch out, Ah Jing) and dishy Darren took photos with the most popular security guard in One Utama.

And nobody really was surprised when it was announced that Hosanna's team won mall hunt: again!

We survived Mall Hunt 2 in One Utama! Yay............!

Your Casual Valentine's Date With Transiters

2007-02-05T13:52:00.000+08:00

Venue: Michelle R's House, 18 Jalan SS18/3 + the park opposite

Instructions:
1. Meet @ 5:30pm in Michelle's house
2. Bring snacks or drinks or BBQ related stuff
3. Dress appropriately for games in the park

Beware Cupid's Arrow!

2007-01-30T20:52:00.000+08:00

2007-01-30T15:38:00.000+08:00

2007-01-30T15:29:00.000+08:00

catch it!

2007-01-30T14:53:00.001+08:00

2007-01-29T11:52:00.000+08:00

Mall Hunt Part1

2007-01-28T18:46:00.000+08:00

Hello guys! Whoa... Mall Hunt 2 was tougher than we thought. It was especially difficult because of the layout of Wan Utama. And the questions-the deviousness of Sean cannot be underestimated. I mean, just photos and no clues? And dares? Hehe. But we all had fun.

We went from one wing of one utama to another. We took photos with security guards, inside children's toy cars, with flowers, electronic items, and each other. It was a crazy, crazy day...

Photos to come in Part 2.

Hot Date!

2007-01-25T21:58:00.000+08:00

Saturday, 27th January
6pm
One Utama Burger King

Mall Hunt 2

For transport, call Sean @ 0129110569

The Weirdness of Transiters.

2007-01-19T15:03:00.000+08:00

Warning: contains photos of a graphic nature not suitable for the faint-hearted. Those with a delicate constitution are advised to refrain.

All others: marvel at the freakish abilities of those among your midst. You never imagined that they could do this.

Have fun guessing who is who!

Know Your Transiters Part 2

2007-01-07T22:18:00.001+08:00

Self-proclaimed (drama) queen Chloe divides her time between marketing for Tastebudless Anonymous Society and mapping all major shopping centres in Kuala Lumpur. This former 'dancing queen' now renders keyboard services on Sunday with her nimble fingers when required. She can be reached at iamlost@dontfollow.me

Kevin Tan, suspect number DW0718959, is highly sought-after in KL, JB, and some say Penang. Wanted in connection with a number of offences including spiky hair, telling jokes, and highly dangerous gaming skills. Works with his accomplice and can be quite effective. Thinks nothing of destroying entire populations with a styer aug. Please report if you see him spilling the blood of innocent computer avatars.

When hypnotized, aspiring psychologist Shannon denied washing her white Myvi every Thursday. She cannot remember whether she is allergic to eggs or seafood but we're glad to inform you this condition is entirely curable. Although for her quietness and kind volunteer driving there is no remedy. Perhaps if she loaned us her uber smart Warehouse jacket, Vincci shoes and MNG bag, we might ask Dr David to find a cure.

Watch out for the tool-wielding Leng Chai Jin who goes by the name Edmund on weekdays and has been known to answer to the nickname "Ah Jing" some weekends. See him personally to ask about his bar-ring exploits (it's really not what it sounds like) or request a special performance of a magic trick. Not many people know this, but he can fly. Shhhh... it's a Transit secret.

If there's a technical question Lydia Lamit the mechanical-engineer-to-be cant pull off , we think we'll pass. This 100% Iban girl has a penchant for ear rings, can't stop smiling, and we're very sure she knows how many watts a flourescent bulb uses. Don't be surprised if you see her in an airplane someday! Not as a stewardess, but a pilot.

When Joshua announced that Corey was his brother, we were surprised at the *ahem* number of visual similarities between them (countable by one hand). However, since the day we saw his side profile minus spectacles, we were quite convinced of the sibling similarity. Our ever-ready guitarist prefers to go by the moniker J.Lo (his surname is Long, so go figure), not to be confused with the artiste of the same name.

The quintissential Corey is an interesting species occasionally spotted out of its natural habitat of Subang Jaya. This recent SPMer and avid drummer counts down the days to his 17th birthday (hint: right to drive) and owns 158.97 white t-shirts. Related to many Klang YE families, not to mention the Malaysian national Elvis, HT Long.

It was a dark and stormy night. (sound effect) The winds howled, the thunder raged, the rain poured in buckets. Suddenly, Justin appeared. We screamed! (Ok, maybe the story of how he joined us wasnt that dramatic.) But this poster boy for cooking and Jamie Oliver's disciple can surely whip up a storm in the kitchen. Strong contender with Ah Yaw for "biggest toe" title.

First Transit Cell of the New Year

2007-01-07T22:18:00.000+08:00

We had cell in church for the very first time, trying out the new sound system for the very first time, and we had 2 newcomers in our midst who were there for the very first time! The icebreaker was a Guys vs Gals game. 8 guys vs 8 gals.
Each side had to come up with 7 multiple-choice questions to stump the other group. Naturally, the girls questions consisted mostly of girlie topics like cosmetics and fashion. (Read: What is the correct way to apply mascara?) Of course, the guys retaliated in factual fashion with killer questions like "what is a steyr aug?" We had fun finding out how little the opposite sex knows about things we pay attention to. I mean, which girl knows what BMW stands for, and which guy knows the name of the diamond with seven hearts and seven arrows in Diamond Platinum?We also had a great time of praise and worship. Yup, this is how we overcome! Bernice spoke about worshiping God with all our emotions, getting excited being a way to express our love to Him by singing, shouting, clapping, dancing, jumping, etc. We are excited about God and we convey Him in all we do. Our lives advertize God. To drive home the message, we played another game. So we were again divided into groups (this time mixed). Each group had to come up with a product to advertize. The only materials given were newspapers, papers, and markers.
They cracked their heads and came up with some really original products like a battery-operated car (trust the marketing student to come up with that gimmick), and an all-in-one handphone and pda with voice recognition system.
They had to present their 'inventions'. And lemme tell you, that was when the 'loyar buruk' side in them surfaced! The way the defended their product and plugged the flaws in their information, foooyoh! Seriously canggih kaw kaw! Salesman also kalah... Let's just say they could sell snow to an eskimo.The judges were duly impressed. They awarded the prize to team F.A.R.T, a.k.a the "recognize" team.

With team Transiters Futuristic (a.k.a team "respect") coming in a close second, only 2 marks apart.We had a great cell! See you next week for more craziness!

More Transiters....

2007-01-04T22:22:00.000+08:00

Many more photo-less and description-less Transiters yet to be captured on film. Including.... Edmund "Leng Chai Jin"
Shannon Ai Yuen
Benny Wong (on the right)

Chloe
Helena, Ling, Megan,

as well as Justin 1, Kevin Tan, Lydia Lamit, Julian, etc...

Soon to be reduced to photograph format. Watch out, you can run but you cant hide!

Message From Webmistress

2007-01-04T00:45:00.000+08:00

Dear Transiters,

Hope you like the Transit Blog's new look. (You had better! Just kidding.. webmasters are not tyrants). Whether or not you like the page, do comment on weather, pimples on your photos, and additions to your descriptions.

In future we will improve the page to include polls, albums, schedules, meetings, announcements, and other data. We strive to make the page interesting and wacky, just like you.

Keep reading!

Hosanna

GY Camp 2006 - Fishers of Men

2007-01-02T19:33:00.000+08:00

The place- Port Dickson Bayu Beach Resort- was beautiful.

The hydro war unleased a different side of us. Check out the rare aggressive side of Bernice. She faced off with pretty tough competition.
14 warring teams. 210 water guns. A confined environment. A burning desire to win. The result: utter chaos and ultimate fun.Some people took the hydro war very seriously, teams created mascots, people donned fancy costumes, alliances were made and broken, dirty tactics surfaced.Others were more relaxed, in the mood just to have some fun.Ultimately, we all enjoyed it.Some chose to cool down in the pool after all the excitement.The worship was awesome. The ballroom was dark. The atmosphere was disco-like. The music was loud. The presence of God was strong.The people responded enthusiastically.The spirit of God ministered in a powerful way. On the third night, as we reached out and touched God, we felt Him in a different way. A powerful wave swept the crowd, hearts were healed, lives were touched, destinies were changed. All this, without preaching, just continuous hours of worship, prayer, and testimony. It totally rocked! The crowd danced with joy, strangers joined hands and became friends, people moved like never before.
A baptism service was conducted by the sea. A different kind of baptism service, we should add.
Ask Justin why he's grinning like a cheshire cat.

Gilbert (Lydia and Jaclyn Tan's brother) was baptised! He's only 13! Whoa! ('Dia, when is your turn?)
We were so proud of him for taking the bold step. Also, Harvey (Grace's cousin) gave his life to the Lord. Bravo! The angels in heaven had a field day rejoicing at the many baptisms, salvations, repentances, reconciliations, dedications, and vows made during the camp. We praise God and pray He bring to completion the good work He started.
There were also some really strange skits.Like we said, really strange. From 3 ancient Chinese warriors to savages, cross-dressers, adulterers, murderers, a 'pregnant' Darren, and a high-pitched voice of God; the skits were a bunch of laughs. Highly entertaining, original, and fun to act in too.... as we can testify. By the way, Darren's group won the skit competition (again).Can you recognise the face behind the sign? The curly hair is a dead giveaway, we think. Yup, it's none other than Sharon.As the sun went down on an awesome 4 days/3 nights on the beach with 243 wackos, weirdos and wonderful, worshipful, beautiful people; the curtain came to a close on a high note. We left with heavy but joyful hearts, and bittersweet memories.

The worship teams made all the difference, their enthusiasm and passion ignited a flame in every participant at the camp. It wasnt just excitement or music that kept us on our feet and made the normally docile jump for joy - it was something more, it was God's presence, and we want it every Sunday!Not to mention the competitive atmosphere. Each group tried their level best to earn as much cash (this year's camp currency was GY Euro) as they could. There was investment, bribery, apple-polishing, and other desperate measures. In the end, Desesperados Para Dios emerged as the clear winner. Here's a group shot of alllllll of us..... These were the name tags, each hand-made by the respective group leaders on a budget of RM50. Winner got 16000 GY Euro... not bad returns eh?
The aftermath of the camp.

See you guys next year!

Getting to know us.

2007-01-02T01:45:00.000+08:00

Hosanna, our wacky president, loves cats, is prone to getting lost and allergic to coffee. She's a freelance writer on the verge of becoming a dastardly lawyer (somebody help us!). 'Transit needs you', is her battle cry. Heed the clarion call...

The ever surprised calamari from the kalahari, aubry chong -fondly known as ah yaw- is keeper of the worship schedule and high commander of the drums since his teenaged years. His secret hobby is doing laundry. Shoe size 10, toe size 99.

Popping too many pills did it for our resident doctor david chung, transplanted serembanite and proud upholder of the family cause. Can be spotted headbanging to the steady beat of patients' bedside monitor (and occasionally, to music, when he thinks nobody is watching).

Bernice the smile menace, serial flasher of a thousand smiles, tireless worker, caring friend, and the elder half of the winsome twinsome. Has a penchant for bulletproof vests, never spends less than an hour in the washroom, and makes the best seafood chowder on this half of the earth.

Secret agent sean masquerades as a tv producer by day but plots to take over the world by night. Diagnosed with manic footy obsession disorder, has been known to cook up a storm, and never leaves home without his 'stinky' blanket. Swears by jamie oliver and all things black. He is the elder brother of the winsome twinsome and would like everyone to know that he is immune to coffee.

A closet lover of pink and purple, sidney makes up for his lame jokes with his dazzling dance repertoire that's virtually unrivalled in this part of town. Proud father of a 1979 black performance mini cooper (with racing stripes), he spends every rainy day washing it. His bold experimental changes in hairstyle can be attributed to the fact that he is running away from the police.

Camp psycho, bass junkie, aspiring songwriter, hopeless romantic, darren the baron enlarges his entertainment skills by singing in the toilet and amusing us with his witty ditties all day long. Never can say no to a scrabble challenge.

Recent star of a musical, state football player, and former ballet dancer, Eunice is studying to be a teacher of special children. The other half of the winsome twinsome (refer above) has a soft spot for butterflies and cracked her skull when she was a kid. May soon rival Imelda Marcos' shoe collection.

Watch out for this rocker girl from the cat city, kuching lass sharon is one power-packed ball of fun, energy, and cute expressions. Probably the only half-iban, curly-haired, sun-phobic, singing, sweetheart of a computer designer we know.

Joni is Thailand's latest import, narcissist/ fashionista/ musician/ doe-eyed dancer. Inhales music 24-7, has a clone (read: younger sister), and can't survive without her favourite mascara. For the record, her voice is her asset and dance is her forte. Oh, and darren is her brother.

And another ball dropped over Times Square...

2007-01-01T14:55:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year to all Transiters! God's promises of rich blessings and continued favor is upon us this year.

We're gonna have a GREAT year! :)

LIFE and Transit carolling

2006-12-31T00:10:00.000+08:00

This year, LIFE and Transit were invited back to carol by the Sunway group CEO himself, after the great response last year. I guess it's because our carolling is quite interesing, done in a fresh and funny new way (even if we do say so ourselves). We not only carolled in Sunway Medical Centre and Sunway Lagoon Hotel, we also carolled twice in Subang Parade. Due to time constraints, we had to turn down a few other invitations from several hotels and shopping centres. Here we are at the preview in church.

Here we are again on Christmas eve at Sunway Lagoon Hotel. Lydia is doing her solo in the lobby. We were privileged to have a free run from the hotel lobby to several other parts of the hotel including the Avanti Italian-American Ristorante, West Lake Garden Chinese Restaurant, and even the ballroom where the Miss Tourism International Pagaent was being held. Was that a once in a lifetime experience or what?

Singing in Avanti was the fun-nest because the crowd was most sporting. They clapped, cheered, and even sung along. The atmosphere there was really beautiful, and it wasn't too hard for the audience to feel the presence of God. Even in a public restaurant like that.

It was a different kind of Christmas experience to be singing 'Jingle Bells' at the top of your lungs while walking in single file along the shopping centre. Yes, the same place where you just shopped with your friends yesterday.

We were supposed to sing the good news and shout out the real meaning of christmas on the streets, but here we were, joining forces with a dodgy looking santa claus, and his male 'santarina'. Sigh.

More shots from the beauty pageant crowd, pity it isn't very clear.
Santa and his assistant, thwarting our caroling once again. Hahahoho. I dread to imagine how many people in the audience thought Santa was the real star of Christmas.

Here's some pictures from us carolling at Subang Parade.

This is Sunway Medical Centre, where our carols brought some cheer to the sick patients spending a bleak Christmas. We hope we brightened their day, and we had loads of fun too! This was our rendition of "Felize Navidad"... in an interesting way. If you're wondering why we're covering our mouths with our hands, it's part of the gimmick. Dont know how to explain it... we did something like rubbing our hands together and blowing....

It was a interesting, if not funny, experience. Full of incidents and adventure, pitching and mis-hit notes. But all for the good cause. No problem.

Joni's 21st b'day

2006-12-30T00:41:00.000+08:00

The dress code was formal, with one 'weird' thing. Most people came with hats.

Jonathan Ooi was more creative with his 'spyglass' glasses.

To the birthday girl's credit, she looks like her younger sis' twin, despite the 9 year age gap. Quite an achievement, especially since they even (it is said) have the same clothes size. Tammy = the next Joni ? Who knows... :)

A little brotherly affection from "lil' bro" Darren who is much larger in size... See how 'happy' he is to be close to his sister...

The real twins, Bernice and Eunice, with the lovely Sarah "Rachel" Lim Shu Yi. (Sorry Sarah...)

Photo of The Awesome Foursome's feet. (For the uninitiated, that's Petrina, Arielle, Sarah and Joni, the four best friends.)

Joni and the Ooi's- Jonathan, Michelle & Justin. Awww..... how sweet.... :)

Starmaker: Rizuan The Musical

2006-12-29T23:50:00.000+08:00

Guess who went for Starmaker this year? Transit did. (Mr Sean "Jesusdasan" got to be announced on camera as VIP guest... wooo) Starmaker is an annual intiative by the Christian music community to encourage the Christian music industry. It's basically a songwriting competition to showcase the many talented homegrown musicians we have in churches all around Malaysia. Entry is open to all.

This year's culmination event was the prize giving ceremony held at City Harvest Church in Subang Jaya. The twelve shortlisted songs were weaved into a musical, making it a melodious, colorful, and dramatic extravaganza.

The lead actress part was played by none other than Transit's very own Eunice Jesudasan. Yes, our female footballer is also a singer and a dancer too. Hooray to multi-talented Transiters!

Here she is with Samuel Oh, from Grace PJ, who also featured in as a guest performer with his band LIGHTS in our Breakthru Worship Workshop. Sam, as this Life collegian is popularly known as, plays the title character (Rizuan) in this musical about love, heartbreak, and second chances.

Among the cast was our very own Liew Men Dee (as seen on the extreme left) and of course none other than our resident dance maestro/ guru/ instructor, Mr Sydney a.k.a Yap Che Siong. I only wish I could post a video of his solo part. (Anyone out there can help me?)

The musical was power-packed, filled with high-energy dances, dramatic tension, and some pretty awesome light play. The crowd was really hyped up. The suspense made them even more eager to know the winners of the songwriting competition. Among hundreds of entries from all over Malaysia, several Transiters songs were selected.

Joni's song made the cut (we weren't surprised at all) but unfortunately she couldnt be present to sing it herself. She asked Joshua to croon in her stead. However, nobody explained to the crowd why a boy was on the stage singing when the screen displayed the caption "Joanna Lynne". Anyway, confusion aside, Josh was a hit, the previous year's winner named him as her favourite, and many of us overhead encouraging comments from the crowd. One of them was a man who couldnt help complimenting Joshua's singing to his neighbour. As it turned out, the person sitting beside him was Joshua's grandfather.

Also shortlisted was our Lydia Tan. All our finalists made us proud.

It was a night of stirring performances from all genres across the board. The panel was more inclusive this year and chose to recognize different types of songs including Bahasa Malaysia songs. In the end, Diana Wee walked away with the top prize for her song 'In Awe', and we were all in awe of the goodness of God as displayed in all the songs.

Breakthru Worship Conference

2006-12-29T22:43:00.000+08:00

Breakthru 06 was great! We thank God for pouring out His power and presence, as we praised him we felt our spirits lifted and something special happened. God was there!

It was all about the music.

It was a platform for us to showcase our musical talents and aspirations.

Sean and Darren kena grabbed by photographers while performing their song.

We had several guest performers during the final rally at night, including LIGHTS band from PJ in the house. Men in Black. Check out how stoned they were. Must be exhausted watching all the toe wrestling. Yup, toe wresting. Don't ask... it was part of the games.

Part of the crowd House band leading the worship

The crew who made it all happen.

A special word of thanks is due to the kind sponsors who generously gave away Nail Trenz manicure vouchers, Loreal Liss Extreme hair products, Spa vouchers, various musical instruments, and even an electric guitar!

Thanks also to you guys who came, participated, and made this event a success. See you guys next year and Breakthru Oxygen (02)!

Apologies from (one of) the webmaster

2006-12-29T21:42:00.000+08:00

Sorry! I just made the biggest boo-boo in the world.... I didnt know that comments dont appear automatically on the blog... that's why i didnt know that anyone commented. Will change the settings to make sure your comments appear straight away.

Sorry again. Also wanna apologize for the lack of updates. Will make up for it.

-Hosanna

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! READ THE FINE PRINT!

2006-11-23T14:35:00.000+08:00

This is a cheap publicity stunt to attract some comments. If you can read this, you can comment. So, comment. Thank you.

see

2006-11-14T14:29:00.000+08:00

this space changed after all. (did you notice?)

now, your turn.

Some of the Wierd and Wacky people in Transit

2006-11-14T14:11:00.000+08:00

A Ramble from A Rambler

2006-11-13T15:38:00.000+08:00

How do I post a poll up?
I thought they only have that feature in Multiply?
Anyway, this is just a random post. To let you guys know we are changing things around here. That we have heard you opinions/ ideas/ suggestions.... and will do something about it.

Do stick around, drop some comments, etc.

Joni, if you're reading this, I can't find your comments (which you said were unanswered) on the blog. Possibly a posting error? Post some more, k? :)

Apology + Sincerity

2006-11-13T13:10:00.000+08:00

Sorry, peeps, photos of the breakthru worship workshop are not up here yet. (Auntie Lillian's computer cannot access the internet temporarily) But fear not, there will be a remedy! Meanwhile, those with a burning desire to post photos, please send them to bernicejesudasan@gmail.com, chunghosanna@gmail.com or seanjesudasan@gmail.com so we can post it here. Thank you for your patience.

Why You Should Make Your Bed

2006-10-17T01:04:00.000+08:00

One question my mother could never answer to my satisfaction as I was growing up was the doggedly logical non-sequitur: "Why should I make my bed when I'm going to sleep in it again in a few hours?"

My mother would offer the usual stock answers. "Because it looks better." "It cultivates the habit of tidiness," and, when all else failed, "BECAUSE I SAID SO!"

I never bought those reasons. Until I grew up, moved out of home, and had messy housemates who never made their bed. Then, I finally realized how aesthetically unpleasing an unmade bed is. An eyesore.

Nowadays, I make my bed. But I still can't provide a satisfactory explanation as to why I do it. (I suspect I will encounter some resistance in convincing my future children to do so everyday.) After all, it arguably makes perfect sense: why should I make a bed that is only going to get messed up again?

Why do good, when you're not appreciated?
Why do the right thing, when you can get away with stretching the rules?
Why practice complete abstinence, when testing the limits seems way more alluring?

This series of questions actually stems from one core concern which preoccupies our human egos: Would it make any difference if I obeyed God rather than my own desires?
The short answer to this is, believe it or not, yes.

Solomon, after a lifetime in pursuit of every pleasure under the sun, testified that it was never enough. No matter how hard he strove to enjoy himself, he never felt fully satisfied. For all his wealth, fame, and wisdom, he still had an unsatiable longing, an unexplainable emptiness, an unfillable void. Finally, he concluded that it was all vanity! In other words, having your own way all the time isn't actually what you want.

Let's analyze this. If Solomon and many other people are right, doing what we want and ignoring God isn't wonderful after all! It may provide instant gratification, but it just as instantly fizzles out. Like a pat of butter evaporating in an overheated pan. It's gone the next second, and you're left wanting more. An endless cycle. We finally find that no hobby, habit, achievement, or person can fulfil our every need.

The simple reason for this? That which is created by our own hands cannot provide the satisfaction we need. Only God who is our creator can satisfy us fully. I mean, it makes sense, right? He made us, of course He knows best how to satisfy us! Besides, He wants to satisfy us. He has so many good gifts in store for us, and obedience is the key that unlocks access to complete satisfaction in God.

That's why obeying God by doing the right thing is its own reward. Obeying God (sometimes a difficult decision to make) grants us a deep sense of fulfilment. It satisfies our spiritual desire to please God -we were created for Him- and accomplishes our purpose. In other words, it gives meaning to otherwise pointless lives dedicated to futile pursuits which will never completely fill our soul.

Obeying God may seem a tedious 'long route' to take, in today's world of instant gratification. But surely God, who sees all things, will be pleased with us and will remember our obedience. He prizes obedience above sacrifice. So in the long run, it's always the smarter choice.

We are encouraged not to tire of doing good. Not to give up doing right when you don't get instant rewards. To keep being patient with that unloveable neighbour, to continue forgiving those who repeatedly hurt us, to keep hoping in what we do not see. This is what we are called to do. The eventual reward is unimaginably magnificent in comparison with what paltry happiness that temptation falsely entices us. Would you exchange your riches in heaven for the 'rags' on earth which now appear seductive? Surely the smarter choice is to hold out.

You may laugh at the person who plays by the rules while the fender-bender gets away with compromise; but at the end of the day, it's the good guy who will finish first. Cause in God's kingdom, the last shall be first.

Yet another!

2006-10-03T22:57:00.000+08:00

Dear Helena,

There are not many ways
To say Happy Birthday
So let's try to find a way that's new
To send our wishes to you
But since this poem sucks
I should just give it up
So if you dont mind this is so lame
But we wanna wish you happiness all the same!