Life In The Kingdom

A sharing on our attendance by Mdm Foo Pei Gee and  Mdm Shellen Ng

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Another blessed and successful TRAC Methodist Women (MW) conference and it was conducted in the Novotel Hotel, Taiping Perak between October 13 and 15, 2023 being the 48th TRAC MW Session. Our theme for this year’s Conference is ‘One Heart, One Purpose’.  The program started from Friday evening on the day of arrival on October 13th and ended on Sunday afternoon.

The message shared by our special invited guest, Dr. Joanna Pae from Korea was very informative and profound as it affirmed us the great insight towards God’s plan. It has reminded us that no matter how sinful we are, Jesus’ coming for once redeemed us from our sins. We are very blessed with her message. It would have been nice if she were able to share more messages in addition to the two that she shared during the plenary sessions.  This could be also due to time constraints. We look forward to receiving her presentation materials soon.

As for the logistics and preparation, the organiser for this year’s conference has done a great job. The program started promptly and efficiently according to the scheduled timeline. There is no issue in registration process and most of us were able to check into our room without any delay. We loved our door gift as it is very practical. Considering not all the participants are tech savvy, we recommend that a printout feedback form to be completed by everyone and the questions should be more focused and precise, eg How do you find Dr. Joanna Pae’s presentation? (pick 1, 2, 3, 4 and 4 being the best), How would you want to see change in next year Conference etc.

Being a new hotel and strategically located near the famous lake and park, Novotel has much to offer. However, the meeting room was too small for our big crowd and therefore there were some compromises in term of space and seating arrangement. We also encountered hiccups and problems with their sound system. The lift was not able to take our group timely and there is no easy accessible emergency stairways. It is never easy to find an ideal hotel out of Klang Valley to suit a meeting of more than 100 participants. Overall, it was very well planned and executed – a great meeting!

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A Visit to Taiping/Kuala Sepetang (Port Weld) on 14^th October 2023) by Mdm May Leong and Mdm Wong Hua Swee

In conjunction with the TRAC Methodist Women (MW) 48^th Session held from 13^th October – 15^th October 2023 in Taiping, a half day tour was organised by the Local Planning Committee on Saturday, 14^th October 2023 from 1.00 pm till 8.00 pm for all participants.  

Taiping is a beautiful historical town and we were glad that we have signed up for the half day tour and excited to have a break after one and a half day of meetings and plenary sessions.  Some members joining the trip may already be familiar with Taiping, but going on a trip with other MW members is a great opportunity to mingle and get to know one another.

We visited the famous tourist places like the Taiping Lake Garden, Antong Coffee Factory, Eng Huat Biscuit Factory, Charcoal Factory and took the river boat cruise.

Many of us enjoyed the scenery, taking pictures and shopping.  We also enjoyed the delicious coffee ice cream at Antong.  It has real coffee taste and not just the coffee flavoring that you get at other places.

The boat ride, feeding eagles and watching the fireflies were also great experiences.  The outing ended with a sumptuous seafood dinner by the river.

Overall, the tour was nicely planned with plenty of time at each location to take pictures and do some shopping.  When it started to rain in the afternoon our tour guide provided us with raincoats.

Our thanks and commendation to the Local Planning Committee for organizing an enjoyable and memorable outing.  It was not just a day to sight-see, eat and shop but most importantly it was a great opportunity for all of us to get to know  one another.  We laughed a lot together and made great connections and hopefully, lasting friendships.

“The Big Picture” a Presentation – Celebrating Wesley Methodist Church 96th Anniversary Thanksgiving Musical on 21st & 22nd August, 1993

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In conjunction with the 96th Anniversary of Wesley Methodist Church, Kuala Lumpur a cast of 36 comprising of our youth from the Boys’ Brigade, Girls’ Brigade, Methodist Youth Fellowship and the Sunday School staged an Anniversary Thanksgiving Musical 1993 entitled, “The Big Picture” for two nights from 21st – 22nd August 1993. The following week the same group performed at the Methodist Church in Bentong, Pahang. And Judging from the attendances for both nights, everyone that came to witness the play, went home learning more about God’s Providence that we are part and parcel of God’s creation, and I quote from Psalm 100:-

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, All the Lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord is God!
It is He that made us, and we are His;
We are His people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
and His courts with praise!
Give thanks to Him, bless His name!

For the Lord is good;
His steadfast love endures forever,
And His faithfulness to all generations.

(Originally contributed by Sam Koh and published in the Wesley Tidings in December 1993)

If you were to ask me to summarise my mission trip experience in one word – it would be fulfilling/purposeful. I was recently blessed with the opportunity to travel to Kampung Runchang to teach the Orang Asli there about our God and to spread His Word. What I experienced there was eye-opening and humbling for me and I wish to share what I learnt from it.

In all honesty, I was a little hesitant when my parents first asked me if I wanted to join them on this mission trip as it has been a while since I’ve been to one and I often struggle with being out of my comfort zone. But I decided to say “Yes” as I wanted to do something that was pleasing to God. So, I went with an open mind. I remember the night before we entered the kampung, we gathered as a team, worshipping and praying for everything planned to run smoothly. I also remembered being incredibly nervous yet with a sense of excitement about meeting the people there to the point where I wasn’t able to sleep. However, deep down I knew they were going to be friendly and approachable, and I was right!

As soon as we arrived there the next morning, we were greeted by warm smiles and welcoming expressions. We started off by going around the room introducing ourselves individually, as well as getting to know the kids and the adults. Worship was next and I found myself naturally being in front of all the kids leading them in dance, along with people from the church, even though I wasn’t familiar with it myself. At first, I recalled being super nervous that I couldn’t even keep eye contact with any of the kids but I soon realised their faces were plastered with nothing but joy and contentment. I was then encouraged to look beyond myself and worship God with an open heart. I was reminded that this genuine heart of worship was the attitude I should have.

Throughout my time there, I developed a close friendship with three of the kids and had planned to make them friendship bracelets as gifts before I left. So, I went to make them in the car while they were having one of their activities. What happened next was the highlight of the trip for me. During lunchtime when homemade burgers were served, the three girls spotted me in the car making the bracelets. They were so excited and patiently waited beside me while I made the bracelets for them. Suddenly, more kids started to peak in out of curiosity and at the end of the day, I ended up doing more than what I had planned to do but their faces and reactions were worth more than I could ask for. What touched me was the fact that all of them were standing beside me the entire time as we conversed about our lives and why I was here on this mission trip. We learned so much about each other and it surprised me how our God could bring people from two different places together and chat as if we’ve known each other for years.

Looking back on this mission trip, I am so glad that I said “Yes” to joining my parents and the team from church. It was undoubtedly an unforgettable experience for me as I watched how God’s presence through us brought much joy. I was also amazed at how genuine the people were and how I learnt from them to let go of worldly desires in order to be happy in life.

If you feel called to serve God, a mission trip could be the perfect way to answer that call. I’m also really thankful for the team I went with as they guided me throughout the trip and reminded me that if things don’t go according to OUR plans, not to be discouraged but to trust in God and rely on His plan and timing.

The Covid 19 pandemic has resulted in countless loss of lives all over the world and the scale of it continues to grow by the day. It has caused so much hardship and distress to every living being on Planet Earth. The various forms of lockdown that we are going through are unprecedented and most of us have never experienced the likes of this before.

I guess our Lord God knows when this is all going to end. For that, my dear friends, let us all continue to remain vigilant, stay safe, pray and ask for God’s grace and mercy to protect His people.

Now, my friends let me share with you how I occupy my time during this period of CMCO and now MCO.To begin with, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Edward Oh, aged 79 plus and I am a brother in Christ. Greetings to one and all.

Since middle of March 2020 until today, all of us are going through this difficult period of time. I would like to address it, within inverted commas, as a “soft” lockdown. Why I call it soft, is because until today, our movement has not been severely curtailed by the CMCO or MCO. I trust you know what I mean.
Now let me begin by sharing what I normally do on week days. Well, I would drive my wife to work from USJ Subang to Puchong by 9.00am and fetch her back from work at 5.00 pm.

I have a whale of a time staying at home. I divide my time between reading (including Devotion), playing classical guitar, housework and taking an afternoon nap, and before you know it, it is time to ferry my wife home from work.
Since there are only two of us, for dinner we pack – (taupau) food along the way and eat in the comfort of our home.

This is my short write-up on how I spend my time during this period. In the meantime, to all my dear brothers, sisters and friends; do please stay home whenever possible. Should you need to leave home to do an errand or whatever, please do not forget to wear your mask and most importantly, do maintain social distancing.

God Bless

“Stay at home
“Wear a mask”
” Wash your hands”
” Keep a social distance”

From the 18^th of March 2020 until today, these phrases have been drummed into us.  It all appears easy to comply but what are their effects on us as senior citizens? Maybe to some it is not a problem as we are always at home.

To those of us who live alone, as I do, the first week was a luxury: I could do all the things I normally didn’t have time to do. My son was happy as he could spend more time with his children. However, as time passed, books had been read and the cupboards cleared; my son soon found his children getting on his nerves and could not wait to go back to work.

After nine months, the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO), Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) and Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) have become the new norm. The media and conversations with others are filled with Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), Spiked and Red Zones. And of course food is always ‘ Ta Pau ‘.

The other new norm is hours of watching the screen may it be the television or our smart phones. Desperation sets in when something goes wrong with either one. At one point, there was excitement when Anwar Ibrahim claimed to have the majority to form a new Government but alas nothing came out of it. November 2020 came, the US Presidential election was on and we were all glued to our seats waiting for the results. Great, Joe Biden won but Donald Trump refused to concede. I never thought it would happen in a country that is such a great advocator of democracy and such a powerful nation. This behaviour is no different than that of a so-called “banana republic”. But hopefully the protests will come to nothing.

Back on the home scene, wearing a mask is akin to   being suffocated at times. No one recognizes you or sees whether you are pretty or not as everyone now looks like  a masked bandit !!!.

The hardest is social distancing as we are all gregarious beings. We are driven up the wall if we don’t talk to someone for days on end. We seniors look forward to our fellowship every Tuesday in KL Wesley.  We miss our bible study, our small groups, and our line dancing, sit down exercises and our language classes and singing sessions. We look forward to these activities and our chit chats.

Even as a volunteer cook on MSF days, we miss the marketing, the cooking and even the challenge of thinking of what to cook with a limited budget. All sixty or so of us look forward to Tuesdays.

Washing our hands is the easiest task – unless you live in Selangor and experience constant water disruption because of infiltration of polluted water.

This pandemic has caused a pandemonium and changed our lifestyle. Who would think that the first shelves that are empty in the supermarket are the ones with the toilet paper? Are all of us going to have diarrhoea or use the public toilets more than the ones at home?

Those of us that regularly spend time reading the Bible, have received peace of mind with spiritual fulfilment. My sister spent hours dutifully studying the Bible. Surprisingly, the biblical principles God gave us about 3500 years ago are still useful today.

Exodus 30:18-21 – wash your hands
Leviticus 13:4,5 ,46,- keep your distance and quarantine 7-14 days
Stay  healthy and God protect each and  every one of us.

Like a proverbial bucket of iced water, the Movement Control Order (MCO) drenched the joy experienced by members of the Methodist Senior Fellowship (MSF) in our regular gatherings with one another to learn, laugh, and grow together in wholesome fun. At first, we were patient, expecting this wet blanket to be lifted soon enough so that activities could resume. But it became apparent that the threats and ravages of Covid 19 were beyond anyone’s expectations. It was an unwelcome invader that came into our lives and seemed just impossible to get rid of.

How did MSF’ers cope with the wait? Collective resilience kicked in, and while waiting to meet in-person again, mobile devices became the next best channel of communications, with our WhatsApp chat group becoming the topmost choice for keeping in touch with everyone at the same time.

Daily prayers and motivational blessings and memes kept spirits well-nourished and comforted. Birthdays and anniversaries became group celebrations online, instead of being limited to only those near and dear due to physical or logistical limitations. Jokes, humorous videos, the occasional puzzle and other light-hearted contributions kept everyone in a positive frame of mind, while fostering good mental health.

Snippets from near and far of human-interest stories brought digitized emotional engagement. Photos and videos of surroundings kept everyone abreast of current goings-on in the lives of some members and their networks, and even of stories of days gone by which had not yet been told.

And yes, there were the political commentaries too, to share opinions and to let off steam or to read and digest, or not.

The channel was also an avenue for official announcements of the necessary postponements and cancellations as the government announced mandatory procedures. And we were faithfully provided with official daily statistical reports of the Covid 19 situation which no doubt spurred the pray-ers among us to keep storming heaven for divine intervention.

Who said seniors are not tech-savvy enough? Certainly not those among this group who kept each other entertained and informed during the various stages of the MCO – with its many acronyms to keep track of. Definitely, Covid 19 brought out the MSF-ers’ indomitable spirit of determinedly staying connected and perhaps also a new appreciation for the blessings of technology.