Adding Values

I just came back from a 3 day mission trip to Gua Musang, Kelantan.

I sound like a jakun, but it was my first ever mission trip :)

A lot of stories to tell, so much I had learnt just through 3 days, from the team, the people, Ps Kumar and family (our hosts), the entire experience was eye-opening. Our last day was my most challenging day, because we went to the Orang Asli (aborginal people) settlement, and I just can’t explain in words how the experience was, because it was simply eye-opening and amazing.

Some pictures taken by my 2 mega pixel camera.

Among their residences

Kids outside the church

Skit

Them

It’s amazing to see that there is a church, in the utmost interiors of Ulu Kelantan, where people come to worship the same God you and I do.

It’s thought-provoking how things, events and people can add so much values into you. I believe we live as a community, and build one another’s lives through relationships by – adding values. As we grow, we gotta learn to plug ourselves into the right community, right friends, right activities, things that add values. Maturity is not defined by age, but by how we take our experiences as stepping stones to build ourselves to be better people.

Apart from submitting ourselves to channels that adds values, I believe we should also plug ourselves to people and channels that we can add values into. That’s how we could make an impact in this place. It’s about giving what we’ve received. Then together, we can build a much stronger community, and be better people =)

My experience in youth ministry throughout college has taught me things beyond explication, and I have a million gazillion things to learn. But it’s how you take your experiences to make you a better person. How you interpret them as values to be added into you, to make you stronger, bolder, more courageous. Some experiences are very special to you – that only you among many could have experienced it. It could be a mighty victory, a mighty fall, a breakthrough, a trial. But we are all growing in our special unique ways. And we are built to be a diversed community, where we can complement one another through times and in maturing.

So, here’s a piece of mind of mine, in the pursuit of sharing something I’ve learnt.

To all girls (especially those younger than me),

Remember that nobody on earth has the right to belittle, underestimate or control you, in such a way that you feel caged up, and restricts you in your work, heart, ministry. Sometimes people can sweet talk over us, and make us feel as if our hearts are won and captured, when it wasn’t all very real and precious to them. But you gotta realize that your dignity and self-worth belongs to you, and nobody can take it away. Men should learn to respect you the way a woman respects a woman. No man can think lowly of you simply because you’re weaker or less intelligent. You are who you believe you are. Don’t let anyone take advantage over you, simply because we girls, have a common point of vulnerability. As we grow, we must strive to add values into our lives and increase our self-worth. Raise your standards. You are great and strong from within. We, women are strong =)

My quote of the year : You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think. Winnie the Pooh