of soap, scrubbing and a Dish Washer

I've been wanting to post this for a long time but the silly network has been down.
So here's something that suddenly lit up in my brain one afternoon in the kitchen.
I have work duties everyday from 1330 to 1530 in the kitchen, clearing lunch, washing dishes, pots and pan and many, many more stuff. So the primary preoccupation of my mind on an average day is on stuff like grating carrots, slicing cucumbers, washing pots and dishes

Our Modus Operandi for dish washing(how to wash dishes in 4 steps):

1.Scrub off dirt from dishes
2.Rinse with clear water
3.Put into Dish Washer(see photo)
4.Remove from DW and towel dry


For almost a week, i was faithfully scrubbing away in front of the sink, throwing the spaghetti sauce stained dishes into a nice frothy pool of soapy water.
It is hard work.



These are the 2 sinks..1 with soap and the other with clear water
Hot water is used because it helps remove stains and brings on the perspiration.
The dishes come in fast.
Endless streams of stacked up porcelain mechanically moved nearer to me by the lunch crew leader when she suspects i'm getting carried away in my conversations
So in between talking about the morning lectures and teaching my german friend Mandarin, i scrub away, my hands deep in soapy water.
Silently, i was proud of my gleaming dishes as they emerge from the sink, always giving a few finishing touches with my trusty sponge

then the truth came

one day,

the kitchen leader came by

"hey, you can't use soap! just wipe off the dirt with hot water!"

"but!! soap helps the dirt to come off...!"

"nah..the washer will do that

and besides, the soap will get in the way of the chemicals in the DW"

no one praised my gleaming dishes.
i just looked like a fool in front of the entire crew all my hard work for nothing
my mum's washing genes are in me
she(nurse) sterilizes surgery tools in the hospital
and my water bottle at home
i grew up believing that only an inordinate amount of soap will kill baterial
before they kill me
i love my mum but she has to love the water bills

"...the washer will do that"

Isn't that so us?
we scrub away to present ourselves, clean and gleaming white
only to be exposed later

"we work hard
get the job done
we can do it
it's your life, fight for it
no one else will do it for you..."

if only you knew

if only you asked

"...the Washer will do that"

I clear more dishes per min now

and i'm much happier

"GET OVER YOURSELF!!"

Week 7 was really exciting
For the first time in my life, a Christian leader called me a "stinking, arrogant, self centered slob" during a lesson.
And he's absolutely right!!
Everyday, he blasted us with encouragements like." shut up, grow up and do as you're told" and
"get over your stinking self!"
It was great!!
Humility was the key to learn submission. We learnt that submission means being in the right place of rank/position/formation-a military term.
So many of the problems i faced were about:
MYSELF

I was upset by someone's comments
I think that guy used the insensitive words and he hurt me
He's pretty competitive

"SHUT UP AND DIE!"

simple solutions to life's problems

on friday, we had our weekly application
we learnt about the Tabernacle-where God dwells to meet His people and the 9 steps into the Holy of Holies
so on that day, we were going to enter in.
The classroom was set up like the Tabernacle and we moved step by step
closer and closer

by thursday afternoon after all the lessons, there was just this overwhelming, saturated feeling...
Like a guy waiting to pee, but got no toilet(hmm..sorry..pretty crude huh?)
but that's how i felt..
i felt the entire Christian life was preached at us that week and it needed a response
then came the question:

"What do you want, simon?"


I just wanted to know His presence
And so i went in

Weekend Camp @ Margaret River

updates for week 6

It’s end of week 6 for me here in YWAM. I’m kinda settled down here already. For those who still do not know what I do, here’s a little collage for a peek into life here



From top left to right: quiet time, some of my sch mates, base intercession time, Verena lifting hands, cross-repentance/forgiveness, Sven praying for Ross Tooley, Base worship, my 1st visitor-Winz, Lordship-Application, Colleen-Lordship lecturer, Gladstonians-my housemates, my studygrp, kitchen sink, dishwasher, dinner area, YWAM Base.

We’re finishing up this week on the Father Heart of God. This is another deep, intense topic. We have an application session for most topics at the end of a week where the theory gets put into practice. This week, God’s bringing us back to our past to speak healing into the hurts and wounds. We wait to hear what He says to us about those painful moments and the healing comes. Then the rest of the school will speak encouragement (Verbal “Hot seat”) to that person. I think it’s wonderful to just see God speaking into our lives, the depth He can probe into and the healing and freedom He brings.
Here’s what’s happened:


It’s interesting to hear what my school mates say about me. It’s so different from what I would hear from people back home. Here, I have a “sweet, cute” voice, I’m a big “softie” who wants to love everyone and I have a funny “accent”. Some things don’t change. They love to hear me laughing and think it’s funny that I laugh at my own jokes even though I told them 10 times. Here, I’m a supporter and encourager, and not once the word “leader” came up. It’s great because I see this season as one where I’m being led and following.

It’s fun to sit around with the whole school (20 people) because loads of funny stuff will just come up. It’s hilarious hearing all the jokes and European accents. Well, I guess I crack them up with “asian accent” too.
I think I’m not too close to these guys yet cos I don’t always join them in a big group. Maybe because I don’t let my hair down too much. I prefer to sit down with individuals to chat about deeper stuff. But I guess I need to open up and hang out more with the gang too. They’re really fun.

We’re going camping this weekend! It’ll be interesting camping near Margaret River, with no agenda!! We’re bringing our tents, dishes, sleeping mats and loading up into the caravan behind the bus. It’ll be great.

I will be going Bangkok for my outreach from 27 Dec to 17th Feb. This is the first part. The 2nd part is here in Perth from 18th Feb to 8 April. There’s this big evangelistic event called Impact World Tours, a ministry of YWAM. They do extreme sports, break dancing and outreaches to the street kids. They’ll be touring Australia starting in Perth and we’ll be helping them for the 2nd part of my outreach.

Bangkok should be interesting. I was mildly disappointed when I first heard the new. It’s too near home! Sigh…haha… but God spoke to me about this disappointment and I’m reminded that technically. Though I’ve been to Chiangmai twice, I’ve never stepped out of the Bangkok airport the four times I’ve been there. I think it’s pride that I’m disappointed with Bangkok, I wanted to go to a more “exotic” location to add on to my “list of countries” visited. But God works in interesting ways. So many of my school mates came up to me to ask me how I felt about Bangkok. That forced me to rethink and reprocess what was going on in my head. I have given up my right to “prefer” one place to another. And that sets me free.

So does shopping.

ha
ok. if you want to cheer me up, drop a letter or card @
PO Box 8501
Perth Business Centre
Perth WA 6849

Christmas presents will be accepted
=)