What can you see?

It’s the end of 2005. My resolution for 2005 was make no resolution, kind silly I know. But I really didn’t make any. I have plans though, few of them.

1. Finished studies & graduated before getting married. Done
2. Get married June 2005. Done
3. Get a job after married. Done
4. Be His joy & testimony. Not done but on going
5. Get close to God. On going

Looking back now, 2005 was a great year to me. Really a year of restoration. So many things had happened & it all seems dreamlike. Thank God it’s not a dream or I wouldn’t be married to my wonderful pretty wife.

1. I had a slow start on my studies but praise God that I made good progress along the way. It was tough, working late nights or really early mornings. No experiments have to be repeated, viva was not as tough as it sounded.

2. Getting married was exciting & challenging to both of us. I’m still studying, so no big fat bank account. But we have a great Father in Heaven. He really settled everything for us, i.e. family & friends that helped with $$ & time, hotel bookings. Had a hiccup though, my mom had a minor stroke just few weeks b4 our wedding. But God is good, she recovered in time to attend wedding too!

3. I was part time working & a full time house-husband for almost 5 months. It was great time to be able to cook & clean for my wife. Try it husbands, your wife will love u extra more! That was a time of waiting upon God, not rushing into the job market. HE actually asked me to wait and I tell you it wasn’t easy to just wait like that. Praise God for He is just so good…. He gave me a wonderful job. A position with a foreign start up company – Infineon Kulim. Now I’m doing on the job training in Austria & Germany for 3.5 months. Hey there are not many chances one get to join a start up company, so they said.

4. Because of the job, HH & I will have our 2nd honeymoon around end of Jan 2006 within a year. Good eh? I tell you, His plans are so much better than anything.

5. HH & I prayed that HE’ll use us as His testimony to other people after we married. A reporter friend asked us to help with an article, we said yes and we came out in a local newspaper! Whole Malaysia read about it, long lost friends contacted us…. We were so glad & happy when there were others told us we were encouraging them.

6. Being closed to God allows me to be used by Him to minister to others, able to know little part of His plans for us. It was so fulfilling to be a tool for the Almighty God.

As for 2006, I’m not worried about it. For God has been there, He knows what’s in store. He is my source of insider news/tips about 2006. I know if I get close to Him, He will reveal what’s in store in 2006. 2006 is going to be great, greater than 2005. Don’t miss out on His plans for you in 2006. I heard it’s going to be abundance & completeness.

Happy New Year!

Do you see it as a problem or as a challenge?

That’s the question I’m asking myself. Wat’s that about? The car pool matter. I’ve been looking for ride to work & back from work for almost a week. Since I’m the odd one out in the area I’m staying. Kinda hard to join any car pool group.

But God is great, everyday I can go to work & back from work. Just got to make few phone calls. As of now, I’ll be going to work with another guy near my place until next month. Then I should be in a car pool group. So, this month I can save my transport allowance. Also sorted out about transport for next month too. God has prepared few good guys staying around my place as my transport helps. They are really good, giving some tips here & there (they’ve been here for at least 4 months). And my only housemate, he’s good too. Very ‘cincai’ and he stays at Hamna, Penang too!

At 1st I was worried, u know new to a foreign place. Don’t know how to get around, etc… but I remember James 1:2-5. So I just keep praying everyday lah, trusting HIM to ‘kau tim’ everything for me – since HE is the one who brought me here.

So from today onwards, I will see it as a challenge. Not for me alone to face but with the Almighty God. And not challenge is too big for HIM, AMEN!!

Merry Christmas & Happy birthday Jesus!

Here at last

Well, i've arrived on Monday in Villach, Austria. It's a small resort town, mainly for summer, winter also lah. It's just surrounded by the Alps, 30mins to Italy border.

Well, God is just awesome. Just the 2nd day, my landlady showed up at my place. usual for them, asked if everything is ok. Then she asked if i hv wife back home, i said yes. then she asked if she's coming to meet me. i thot 'wow', we are planning to get HH over for holidays. without me making the 1st move, she already asked me abt it. of course lah i said yes & ask her if it's ok with her. She just happily said no problem, even tell me that the 2 single beds in my room can join to be a bigger one.

Getting HH over to Austria for holidays has been our desire since i knew i'll be doing training in Austria. We prayed abt it. due to i'm working in Austria, company has asked us to check/ask the landlord if it's ok to bring family over. Even it's ok there might be extra rental. But my landlady never even mentioned extra cost. I tell you, God is just awesome. HE already settled HH's trip to Austria even b4 i ask my landlady. cool eh?

So my lovely wife will join me during CNY for our 2nd honeymoon. Thank you God!!

Soon

well, in another 3 more days i'll be starting my 1st full-time job. I'm very excited abt it as I know it's Him that prepared this job for me & I'm glad that i've waited upon Him on this matter.

Friends & family are also excited abt it as they found out that after a week of reporting to work, i'll be off to Austria & Germany for 4 months on the job training. I'm excited too, actually. Hey, what can i ask for? My 1st job & will be away for months overseas, working.

Soon, i also have to leave my lovely wife in Penang as she can't follow me there. This would be the down side but as ppl said 'a short period of away is much better than newly wed'. anyhow, we are planing to have her come to Austria for a holiday.

Thank God for this great chance & I pray that I will be His joy always.

it's just the begining

God is just awesome!! Saved my life (literally) on thursday as i drove to KL. Left back tyre bust while i'm at 80 kph, but nothing esle happened. Changed tyre, reach KL in one piece.

On the other hand, i was still waiting for offers from 2 companies. Had one interview on wednesday (b4 KL trip) then a phone interview (2nd) on friday of the same company! wham, bamb.... On monday (10 oct), they offered me a position and i accepted it. in fact after the phone interview, i'm abt 80% i'll take their offer. but was not 100% sure until we r on the way back fr KL to PG. Discussion details of interview with my wife & 'ting!' it's clear to me & then & there i'm sure i'll take the offer when that company offer me a job.

My whole journey of finding a job took abt 3 months plus. It was an extraordinary journey with HIM, learning to waiting upon HIM, listen to HIM, trusting HIM, act upon HIS guidance. I thank God not only for the wonderful job HE has provided. BUT the experiences with HIM& HIS presence, getting to know HIS lead. I think these are much more important than the job itself.

So, i believe this will be a begining of a wonderful journey with HIM in my career. And i pray, "Let me be YOUR joy always" amen.

Choices, but ONE only

Been waiting & applying for jobs for few months. and now, there are 2 interviews this week. One today (went well, 2nd interview next week), one more this sat.

ever been lost at making a choice fr a few choices? i am now. Usually, i'll know wat to do, where to go, what to eat...... but not this time. this time i really want to do what's in HIS plans for me & my wife. so i waited upon HIM, trying my best to listen to HIS voice.

And do i know now? Yes, coz i had comfirmation fr another good friend abt this matter. HS assured me that when the right job (fr HIM) comes around to me, I will be very sure & certain which one to take.

Now, i'm doing my part - apply jobs, go to interview, pray.

Do your part, God does His part.

Time

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

I guess i'm going thru a season of mylife which will not come again soon. ever feel like u wanna get out of ur current situation but u can't find a way? that's about the situation i'm in now. i'm not in a bad or terrible situation, just kinda relax situation. not complaining abt it, just lah.....

for me the passage from Ecclesiastes 3 suits me just nice, here's my version:

A time to study, a time to relax;
A time to be single, a time to be married;
A time to be a student, a time to be a househusband;
A time to work, a time to rest;
A time to plan, a time to do it.

So now, i'm a househusband and i kinda enjoy it. u know, sometimes i make breakfast for both of us before sending her out the house. do some shopping at the market if needed or just watch tv or surf net. i can chat with my wife over the phone during working hours, do some cleaning or chores or sleep (btw, i don't nap). as the evening nears, i prepare dinner & looking forward for hsien hui to come home. Open the door for her, give her a hug or two.

I wonder why wifes don't this job. I would give up everything to raise my kids, spend time with them, take good care of my wife. that's if hsien hui dunwan the housewife job. There is nothing or no work in this world more fulfilling than raise your kids & manage your own family, taking good care of them.

But then, these are only my own thoughts.

It's done but not over

At last we've tied the knot last saturday morning. We wanna thank all those who have attended our wedding, near or far. With ur presence, our wedding will not be as memorable as it was. We hope u've enjoyed urselves.

It's just how amazing how we managed to pull off the whole thing, with help from HIM of course! Our parents enjoyed themselves, our uncles & aunties love the whole thing (we prayed they would love it & be touch by God too). More amazing ly is how HE has pour out HIS blessing to us, we are not talking just about $$$. Something more important than $$$, it's people God has bless us with. Especially our CG, church members & friends, without them there won't a church deco, reception, ushering, program flows, music, technical, performances, etc.... To us, all the people God has put in our lives are the best blessings ever we have received. Some of them even flew from East Malaysia to help us & attend our wedding!!

Our wedding is done but our marriage is just begun and we are really thrill to begin our adventures with all of you. Thank you so much for being a part of our adventures!

Thanks so much

Today, one of our wedding emcee just emailed me saying that she'll be able to come for rehearsal. Prior to this she won't be able to come as she can't take leave. Now she can as her colleague cancelled her leave. Thank u God for answering our prayers!!

Encouraged

Apparently my brother was very encouraged by our testimonies in the blog - he even printed them out for his girlfriend (who is yet to be a believer) to read. My brother is sponsoring our thank you gifts so last night I gave him my account no so he can deposit the money to my acc.

This morning, I received an SMS. It read: "I deposited RM1000 into ur acc liao..." I'm like so stunned! Why so much! The TQ gifts only cost abt RM400. Called him to refuse the gift. In the end, he just asked me to take it - as a gift from his scholarship (he got extra this month) or from God!

If you don't know, my brother is studying Masters and he does not have a fixed income.

Wow! I'm just speechless. He's amazing...

-- Hsien Hui

RM1000 lunch

That's the value of my lunch today. Nope, I didn't pay RM1000 for my lunch. Actually, a good friend of hsien hui & i asked me for lunch. The fact that I only have RM2+ in my wallet did not stop me from going.
Anyhow, he bought me lunch, we chatted. Later sent me back. Before I leave his car, he said:"Chee Chung, I have something to give you & hsien hui" and he took out his wallet.
Are you guys ready??
He said:" Here's RM1000. Use it to get the washing machine you guys need." and he handed me that bundle of cash. I was totally speechless & shocked. All i said was: "thank you, thank you so much. The Lord will bless you much more as you have blessed us."

And I left, he drove away.

THANK YOU GOD!!!! YOU ARE TOTALY AWESOME!!!

And now, I just don't know what to expect from God. Coz He just out do, out bless us all the time. Kinda scary to imagine what blessings are waiting for us further down the road.

THANK YOU GOD!!

Gifts register

HE is truly good

In about 18 more days, Hsien Hui & I will be married. And this is possible all due to the fact that our Father in Heaven's plans & blessings. These few months there were many testimonies to give but where to start?

I'll start just about 6 months ago -- Dec 2004.

Dec 2004
We've comfirmed the wedding date & went scouting for a hotel in PG. With about 6 more months of time, this was really short. Scouted few in Georgetown, not so good news. 2 hotels that we were keen on it, raised their prices & our date was not available. Went to EQ, Shangrila, ParkRoyal, all full or too expensive. But God is really good, we found Paradise Sandy - within our budget & not too far. Anyhow, later we found out there is a major road construction going on right around one of the hotel in town that we wanted and it won't be finish in June 2005. Thank God we didn't take that hotel.

Jan & Feb 2005
Found our bridal house only after the 3rd shop! As a result, most of you have seen the photographs. We love the pictures and I really enjoyed the photo sessions (Fact: I don't like to be in a photo). And we got some extra from the shop without asking for it!! Thank God again!
I completed my lab work & started on my thesis.

April 2005
Completed my thesis on time, praises to God. Hsien Hui was comfirm by her company & was given a raise. Usually, her company does all those pay raise & promotion in mid-year or year end. God was at work & provided more finances. We had a simple 'hantaran' in Ipoh and all went quite well.
Hsien Hui's sister gave us about RM1500 as our wedding gift, so we got our new bed frame & a wardrobe + new bed sheet for new bed. Her another sister bought her whole set of bed sheet + comforter. And her brother sponsored our thank you gifts for dinner. See God is so good & thank God for brother & sisters & parents too!


May 2005
Most challenging month of all & most testimonies month of all.
Hsien Hui had a small makan in Ipoh, had a great time with her friends & friends of family. I wasn't there. One of her friends, told her he'll sponsor all our fresh flowers on our wedding day!! And it's not small amount, we are using about 350 stalks of gerbera; this cost almost a bomb out there. FYI, he & his wife can't even make it to our wedding plus they gave us angpow!!! If this is not God's work, I really don't know what is.

My mother had a minor stroke on 9th but she's ok. Thank God. Nothing major, she still can walk around but weak lah. She's on medication & physiotherapy. Her left hand & leg are weak, speach was not as clear as before but still quite clear. And she can still marah my father when I called her. She's recovering quite well. Of course she does! Coz we are praying for her! We went back Seremban on 10th nite reach S'ban on 11th morning. My mother checked out of hospital on that day - 2.5 days after her stroke.
That day we were hanging out at my uncle's (mother's bro) place as his place is in town & convinient. Then my aunt asked about my name as in IC, I was wondering why she wants that?? Then she handed me a white long envelope, I opened it and found a piece of paper inside. That piece of papar had my name on it and it also reads 'Ringgit: One thousand and three hundred only'. My aunt told us it's a gift from them for our wedding. All these while we were just focusing on my mother & God did not even take HIS mind off our wedding's needs!
We got back to PG on12th morning & I have to give a talk on my research work all on my own. It was all God's grace & strength that I made it through like kacang putih.

A week later, Hsien Hui's dad said that he'll sponsor all the wine that will be use during dinner. What a surpise!!! We just wanted it to be alcohol free (not budget for wine), guess not.

Yesterday (22nd) we had our 2nd last wedding committee meeting & a special bridal shower for Hsien Hui all thanks to our good friends Yau & Beng. Thank you so much to those that were there yesterday, Hsien Hui was really happy. I've not seen her so happy these past few weeks. Thanks so much guys & gals.

Today (23rd), my old bicycle was stolen. But, it's ok. I was angry, but then I remembered -- Love your enermy. So, I walked around my place and prayed that God bless the person who stolen my bicycle and use it for good. God bless that person.
Now, I'll walk everywhere I go -- just like Jesus. .
Actually, I've been thinking of getting a motorbike when I start work. Nope not car as PG is so full of them already. So, I think God is preparing a new motorbike for me and it's coming soon. Thank you God! erm... can I have a nice new scooter & not 2nd hand one? Hehee.... I'll take what God gives me & I tell you one thing about Him, He is no stingy God, He's the most generous God you can ever find, ever have. So, I know He'll give me the best.

There are just so many to tell, these are only some of the highlights and we both know that more are coming our way. More blessing, let it be in the form of finance, people etc. So, remember to ask us when you meet us.

Hsien Hui & I prayed that our testimonies have encourage you. To those of thinking kahwin, if the Big Boss upstair told you to do, just follow Him & do it like we have. He'll take care of not some of the things, or 80% of the things but ALL the things, big or small.

THANK YOU GOD!!!! -- Chee Chung & Hsien Hui

10 copies

Yes, 10 copies. 10 copies of my thesis, submitted today. cost me over rm200 excluding thesis fees rm300. now, i'm waiting for viva next month.

anyhow, i so happy now. thank God. in fact i went thru my colloquium on my own. actually my supervisor supposed to be there but he cant make it last minute. but the whole thing turn out pretty good. Managed to asked all questions, some with help from other lecturers.

now, i can focus on my wedding preparation. oh, recently my uncle & aunt gave us RM1300 as wedding gift. what a gift!!! just in time to pay some items we need. thanks so much!!!

thank God for His providence. really!! He knows all our needs & His timing is just perfect.

49 days to go

49 days later, i'll be a married man. So long all the single girls... U might still have a chance in these 49 days...

btw, i've not officially married yet. Still waiting for the official forms. it's such a hassle to get married, all the forms, oath taking, etc....

59 days and counting down.

Well, in less than 2 months i'll be married. The invitation cards are out. hotel booked. still have not confirm marriage registrar yet, and honeymoon.

kinda nervous? nope. excited yes.