I Slept My Way Into The New Day

Your eyes?
They shine like Christmas colours on the perfect Christmas tree.
Like selfless gems I could hardly afford,
held up, setting the light free.
Like a clock-face glowing in a dark room, telling us there's more time.
So with a murmur we let it sleep.
And so in sleep, we creep our way into the new day,
and in dreams, we'll keep my share of heartache at bay.
We'll stay far from the edges of our bed,
far from trust, broken; from breath, taken away.
I am the reason you love and the reason you delay.
yet the chains that hold us,
across the petals of our skin they stay.
Here, we are a nation of the single tear,
the notion of the downward trail,
unflinching in the face of fear,
Oh, you know we are far from frail.
I am not afraid of solitude,
of leaving you, or the loneliness that ensues.
I know my lips will find a way to your fingertips
they feel every crease, every slippery tease,
And as you lease the space in my chest
I pray: Oh please, by grace, say yes.

- Daryl Goh

Love Revealed 2010 - Part 2

Don't Give

I (Daryl) work in a charity organisation where donations are crucial to the service to our beneficiaries. Very often, the term 'donor fatigue' comes up. This is where generous people like you become so inundated with so many requests for funds for so many different causes that it no longer is a joy to give. In this article, I'm supposed to be writing about our team's trip to Nepal on 3 - 12 December 2010. I'm supposed to write about how much we need to raise and I'm supposed to inspire Charisians to give generously.

Maybe the best thing to do is NOT to give.

Why am I asking you not to give? Because it can become quite a strain on the supporter in a missions-minded church like ours, especially during missions season in December. Maybe the best thing to do is to take a step back for a little while and pray. Allow God to inspire the joy to give. The last thing we want is become a burden to the church. I think the Apostle Paul explains this concept in his letter to the church in Corinth. (2 Corinthians 9)

 

He told them not to give reluctantly or under compulsion.

He understood that when we give cheerfully,

it allows God's Grace to abound in every good work.

In our last trip, we were invited to accompany the girls to school. This was a 20-minute walk away. The girls were as vibrant as always, joking among themselves, preening each other in preparation for school. School was a privilege for them and it seemed that they were all very aware of it. When we began our journey, I noticed that one of the girls had not properly zipped up her bag. As I moved closer, I saw that the zips were actually broken. (see pictures on reverse side) Looking around, I quickly spotted several bags that were in a similar condition. 

We have seen a need.

We would like to invite you to be part of the solution.

Ultimately, what we want is to translate the joy of your giving into blessing the ministry in Nepal. With your partnership, we seek to lift up the overlooked, the unloved, and the forgotten. We want to cause smiles and coax tears. We want to be there when their eyes light up when we tell them about Jesus. Do prayerfully consider if God has put it in your heart to support this ministry to meet the needs of the youth in East Nepal and the girls in the Sophia Home. We know that you will rejoice with us when you see the fruit of your giving.

. The Love Revealed Team .

Trip Information:

·         Daryl Goh, Samuel Teo, Gerald Wu, Jon Tang, Stefanie Oh, Georgina Tay, Elissa Oh,

·         3 – 12 December 2010

·         $7500 left to raise

Our involvement:

1.      Youth Camp for 60 youth in the Jhapa District in East Nepal

o   Facilitators in the games for youth camp

o   Teaching the youth a mass dance

o   Ministry (Prayer / Worship)

2.      Sophia Girls’ Home

o   Painting the walls of the common areas

o   Organising some activities and games

o   Doing devotions with them

o   Buying school bags for the girls

Ways to contribute:

• Pray for our team
  
• Giving cash or a cheque made out to cash;
  
• Bank fund transfer to POSB savings account ###-#####-#
  *Do SMS the amount and reference number to Stefanie @ ########

So Open My Eyes

I have been busy these couple of weeks and my mind is constantly on the responsibilities of my work. The past week has been unusually draining with preparations for the Tree of Life display at the Singapore Garden Festival. But in moments when I'm alone, sitting in the train or walking home, I imagine that I am back in Nepal. Suddenly the seat I am on is no longer contoured for comfort. The path which I am walking on is no longer concrete. Instead, sand and dust is kicked up behind me. A signal of where I've been. The traffic, just inches beside me, blares its musical notes, spewing black smoke. Like those jazz musicians.

I remember one of the nights when Pastor S was driving us back from the Sophia Home. He mentioned that he was going to pray for a family. We heard that their child was feverish and the parents were afraid. Charmaine and I decided that we should go to visit because we knew them as well.

The father recognised us immediately and was grateful. He was the lead singer and guitarist in a Christian rock band and being a performer, he was used to a different kind of attention. Suddenly, we became royalty in their house. They gave us drinks and talked to us, and tried to make us feel special.

I asked myself. Why the big fuss? We are only here to pray for you.

And my God rebukes me. To you, it is just prayer. To them, it is healing and salvation for their child. It is their only hope. This is why you don't see Me working more often. Because you think it is just prayer. You need to magnify me, Daryl.

When we prayed, I laid my hand on the father, the head of the household. Compassion flowed and we both knew he had received an anointing for his family.