We had our Annual General Meeting yesterday. I presented the financial report. We had fun during the interview. Old committee had other people to put face paint on our faces. Jo drew a cute heart shape on my cheek. Guess what? I was the one who bought the face paint. Long story. I thought it was for the new comm. Cheh! Turned out it was for us. But somehow I don't feel so gutted. It was actually fun, having other people to paint your face during an AGM. Good memories. Memories that I will treasure. I wasn't angry, wasn't mad at myself for 'falling for the trick'. It was just pure fun. Really fun =D
During the presentation of financial report, there were a lot of questions. I answered them well. Thanks, Fran, for the support and 'prior coaching'. I did really well! =D
Thanks Peng, for backing me up. And yes, the questions really weren't personal. Thanks Lesh, for giving me a heads-up to remember that the questions are about the numbers on the paper, not about me. And the reminder not to take it personally. And really, I didn't take it personally. =D
Yea, so, as of 9.30 pm, Friday, 21 August 2009, I am no longer the Treasurer of WICF. My formal role has ended, but the actual handing over is a process. The next question to ask now, is, how can I help the new Treasurer transition into her role? And the rest of the new committee as well? The old comm last year was very supportive and helpful in assisting our transition. That being said, I need to wrap up some of the tasks that I have not completed yet and hand it over nicely =)
I'll let the pictures (and words) speak:
First committee retreat in August 2008 - we had char siu, self made by our honourable Chef Jon Jon! =P What a privilege to know Jon! He is a really godly brother, has profound insights, speaks with wisdom, knows how to have fun and tease people! (During one of our retreats, he told me with his poker face that capsicum seeds are poisonous, and I actually believed him! LOL!) Jon Jon, semoga bahagia dengan ***** =) Dear *****, you chose the right guy! Jon Jon - highly recommended! (Nanti bila nak kahwin, jangan lupa jemput saya!)
Sept 2008 - CU-ICF leadership retreat. Together, we discussed our vision for our groups.
The boys on CU and ICF committee played baseball with natural resources. Go figure. (Clue: We were staying in a farmhouse at Waikanae. The baseball game took place on a walk around the farm area. What natural resources can you find on farms?) Lesson learnt: Staffworkers know how to have fun too! Ben joined in the game! The boys had fun, while us girls stood aside, looking amused, and hoping that the ball would not hit or touch us! (Because the ball was gross, from a girl's point of view). I learnt to enjoy the simple things in life, like watch some boys and staffworker play natural baseball! Not forgetting the electric fence game that the boys and JP joined in. There's a video of that on facebook. Muahaha. (Ahaha. So, this is what we do when we go for retreats. heehee)
The team. CU and ICF committee. At that time, Jamesey was still in NZ. He is now in Vancouver pursuing further theological studies. He will be back serving in TSCF again when he's done. Jamesey is a hilarious guy! And Karen Lau (nicknamed by previous committees as rubber tree because of her usefulness) finished her contract with TSCF sometime after our leadership retreat.
Gina Wong. Our faithful staffworker. The ICF committee worked most closely with her for the past year. She is an amazing person, a huge blessing! One thing I've learnt from staffworkers, when people ask you a question, you reply with 'What do you think?' Err, not to overgeneralise lah, but that happens when you ask your staffworker about some stuff, and they say that to try to get you to think instead of looking to them for answers. Good teaching strategy eh? (Now you know who I got it from, if ever you have me saying to you 'What do you think?' when you try to ask me for answers)
2009: CU-ICF prayer and sausage sizzle during study week. Get a sausage for free or any donation, and feel free to write down your prayer requests! The heart of ICF and CU - the whole purpose of a Christian group and being a Christian, for that matter, is to reach out - share the gospel with others. It is about intentionally journeying with people through life, exploring their questions together with them. Being on committee has helped me see that being missional is at the heart of being a Christian. Being a Christian is about being missional. In terms of every day living, I'm still learning how to live this out. I am happy to do Bible studies with you, if you are interested! We can explore the Bible together!
Before stepping up, a burning question I had was how to pitch CF content at the right level for people who believe in Jesus and people who don't. I now know the answer. No, I didn't discover it. I just learnt it from other people who already knew. To make a Bible study relevant for both types of audience, focus on the text. Choose the text you want to study, encourage people to read it as if it was their first time. And you'd be surprised how God speaks to us when we stop feeling so proud and think we know it all. Some of the best questions we've had during Bible studies were from people who don't believe in Jesus. And the best insights I had (the 'ping' moment when someone in the group gets the point which you are planning to explain but have not gotten to it yet), actually come from members who are not Christians! Who says God only speaks to Christians? Who says only Christians are capable of understanding the Bible? That's utter nonsense! God speaks to anyone He desires. Don't limit God!
August 2008, when I first stepped up. note the length of my hair
April 2009: Easter Camp. I'm the one in black shirt, addressing the 'audience'. Sorting people into cars for the journey. In Easter Camp 2008, I was a participant. (Note the length of my hair. I didn't lose hair, I grew more! It was a growing experience - spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically <on the weighing scale>. Blame Peng and Jon for the added kilos. Their cooking was too yummy! I didn't weigh myself before committee. So I don't actually know whether I really did put on extra weight. But I'm sure I did, with all the char siu, wonton, curry, Peng's beef dish, chu yao char, etc)
It was a journey with God, for all of us. Not an easy one. It was tough, but God is good. The moulding process is difficult but necessary. And God isn't finished with us yet. He moulds us because He loves us! Isn't that wonderful? I learnt that the Christian life is not just about my relationship with God (although it is important to take personal responsibility for your relationship with God), but it's also about journeying together with others. Don't walk the Christian life alone! There's support - people who have gone before us, who have left us a legacy to follow. Having said that, the legacy of ICF is simply amazing! The people before us laid the foundations and built on it, and our committee was just one committee out of the many committees that have gone before us. Amazing facts: Rubee is the legend! She has been in ICF for a long, long time. And she still serves and supports faithfully, year after year after year. Gina, our current staffworker, was once a president in ICF! Matt is one of our current advisors. He was on committee in ICF some years ago. He's probably between 25-30. Rubee knew Matt's parents when they were students, and she witnessed them get married! Yea. You get the idea. The rich legacy of ICF, which belongs to our faithful, timeless God, who created the entire world and existed before time began.
There is a time and season for everything (see Ecclesiastes). There is a time for the tree to grow leaves, shed its old leaves, then grow new leaves again the next season.
Reminds me of something Elisabeth Elliot wrote about in Passion and Purity. I don't remember the exact words. The living and dying of all living things has a purpose. When a plant dies, it decomposes and provides nutrients to the soil. Those nutrients make the soil richer for new plants to grow. Isn't nature amazing? Likewise, we, the old committee, need to step down. Our season for leading ICF has ended. We have put whatever nutrients we could into the soil, for the next committee and future generations of ICF to absorb. We may have left a legacy in our own way, or we may not have. But we did what we could, we served what we could, and everything is in God's hands.
ICF exists for God and because of God. He has faithfully carried us through the years. Look at how beautiful His creation is! He is sovereign above all things. He is faithful and His love endures forever. Father, we have already completed our term of service. May you find our service a fragrant offering. We made our share of mistakes and successes. You have been so faithful to us. You have opened our eyes to see how big You really are. Thank You for giving us this season of service. May our service be pleasing in Your eyes. Please guide us as to how we can help the new current committee transition into their roles. Please keep your fire burning in us and lead us to avenues where You want us to serve. We thank You and we praise You, in Jesus Name, Amen
For His glory.
Dearest Peng, Jon, Justine and Min Yu, I thank God for the privilege of getting to know you guys and working so closely together. It has been a joy to know you guys! Even the word 'joy' can't fully describe how I feel. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much. For all the memories, fun times, jokes, funny quotes, laughter, yummy food, nicknames, meeting minutes, serious discussions, learning curves, everything..
God bless you all! =)