Summer

Summer was over 3 days ago, and I'll just put up a very short post about the very memorable summer break i've had. It's divided into 3 seasons: the first is the Ministry season, CM camp and Cambodia '09 where I really received a time of refreshing from God. The second is the season of my law internship and learning. The third is the short season of fellowship, growing with brothers and sisters, struggles and minor trials over the CNY days and my final days in Singapore.

Ministry
Ministry would be blogged separately from here. Dedicated posts on CM Camp and Cambodia.

Internship
Just some things to blog about my internship... Besides it being a very good exposure and valuable experience, there were other things going on in my life concurrently that made those 6 weeks extremely memorable to me.

There were some very moving cases which contain sensitive info and I can't blog em, but i'm sure some of you have heard from me. The Schizophrenia case, the diamorphine case, the hit-and-run cases, the divorce, the faked injuries case, assault etc.

Very good experience working under Mr Rama, who's been in practise for 43 years. He's 79 this year. Subhas Anandan has been in prac for 39 years. Loads of invaluable experience, and very respectable. Although he gets impatient, bossy and very assertive, he's also filled with very developed wisdom and his mind is sharp despite his age. In 2008 he received the Public Service Medal for doing over 100 pro-bono cases with the Legal Aid Bureau at the expense of his cashflow.

Also learnt a lot about humbling myself and submitting to a boss. Even though there were times when I felt I had a better way of doing things, I learned that to fit in with Mr Rama's method was best because to go my own way would kink the overall picture. Also had to be very patient to let him slowly understand the work I presented to him. He said I was doing a very good job, hope he really meant it!

Getting exposed to all those pro-bono cases also gave me insight into a lawyer's (ideal) role as a guardian of justice, a chivalrous defender of rights and one in power to do many things to improve the lives of the oppressed. All the more strengthening of the reason why I want to study Law.

Aside from the internship I faced lessons on pride... To be kept private. Just to know that it takes a lot of revelation to a proud person before he is changed. No man can change him, only God through revelation, circumstances, and a very powerful tool - truth.

I faced issues of injustice towards me... Also keeping them private. What Zhang Wei shared with me was that God is our righteous judge, our vindicator. When faced with injustice, we need not defend outselves. When we are wrong, defense is weak and easily undermined. When we are right, there is no need for defence. This was a whole new reminder to the meaning of my own name. Dan-i-El. God is my Vindicator.

Fellowship
This season saw a lot of observation of those around me, really getting into their shoes and understanding their minds and intentions, really seeing the areas they needed growth it, and seeking the Spirit's guidance in the best way to help them.

"Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbour frankly so you will not share in his guilt." Lev19:17

I learned that a lot of times it's best to stay watchfully silent and continue collecting wisdom and information until God reveals the best method to us, and to execute the most effective action with the right words, right circumstances, right setting with tact, kindness and love. "...and how good is a timely word!" - Prov15:23

"The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways..." Prov 14:8

"Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning" Prov 9:7-9

"Let a righteous man strike me - it is a kindness; let him rebuke me - it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it." - Psalm 141:5

Other minor trials I'd best not put up here. However, God has been very faithful, and he's been teaching me a lot about trusting Him and trusting in Him.

What a wonderful summer break, and it's only my first one! With renewed strength, direction and blessings, I face the second year of law school.


Just to remember how much God does for us.
"I will not enter my house or go to my bed - 
I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids,
till I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob." - Psalm 132:3-5

reinflating the balloon

Alright, high time to fulfill my promise to blog about CM Camp.

 AGAPE - CM CAMP '09

that's supposed to be a heart shape, but since the bus uncle was

complaining we had to rush out this heart with an

oversized left ventricle..

This was the first camp i've attended after 5 years, the last being in 2005.  It was very refreshing to me cos I had just come out of a time when I struggled with many things and was very spiritually down. Some people who were in my position would shy away from the camp, discouraged and feeling that they are 'not ready' or 'too far from God to serve Him'. However, I knew that if I could not get right with God and serve Him immediately, I probably would go through my summer break in desolation.

 

Caleb briefs the teachers and helpers

Thanks firstly, dear brother Caleb for chairing this very anointed camp. Your dependance on God allowed Him to work through you to manage everything. Even though it was a short camp, there was no less blessing for those who came.

 

We (the teachers) could really see the children receving God's touch and given new insights and attitudes over the short time.

 

For the teachers, we received a lot from the spiritual cover headed by Taiyong in consecrating ourselves daily, with the daily devotions, the consecration the night before, the exhortation etc. Especially the second night when we asked God to help us search ourselves from His perspective and really unleash his power into us.

 

 

Some of those in my group - Hak.

From left: Joleen, Joshua, Lemuel, Carissa, James, Zechariah.

My co-teacher was Cristabel. Was impressed by her heart to serve, even though she'd never handled children before. Thanks, Taiyong for introducing such a God-loving sister to the camp. She was very supportive and encouraging, and really poured out her heart to the children. Could see the spiritual fire in her even when her body was telling her she was tired. Also effective as a teacher during the devotions and group activities, I'm sure the children really love this jie jie.

During the consecration before the camp we shared some of the things we sensed about the children during our individual pre-camp prayers for them. I had only known 2 of the children before the camp, the rest being new to me. Cristabel had never seen them. However we had the same revelations about some of them, and really thanked God. Carissa would be a da jie; Lemuel would be one of a knowing mind and strong spirit; James would be a very lovable, a delight, yet vulnerable; Chloe would be the smallest, yet not to be underestimated; etc other things we were prepared for.

I really appreciated my group Hak, each of these children were a real joy to lead and encourage. The first day, as all camps go, saw them really reserved and I had to really drive the mood and motivate the group through the games. That first night, Hak was the lowest-scored and absolute last among the rest of the groups. In particular I struggled with controlling the boys who required special attention and more motivation, being really spread thin in giving them special attention yet attending to the entire group. It was a miracle that I managed to capture photos all this while. Thanking God  for each of them that night and the next morning, I asked for the Spirit to open their hearts.

The next day, I saw a complete change. Firstly thank God for sending Jon Phan to my group!

 

Jon Phan is very good with the children, being balanced both as an uncle and with auntiefied antics. A very engaging story teller, and extremely well-read and knowledgeable yet able to simplify principles into fun-sized bits suitable for the children. Jon was also very adept at balancing the activities to achieve the desired objectives.

Chloe came alive. Being the youngest, aged 8, she was a tiny package of dynamite and was so eager to participate.

Carissa, the oldest, also really became a da jie among the group, a sub-leader in her own way. Highly athletic and capable of formidable competitiveness, she also had a soft side to her and brought the younger ones under her jie-ship.

James, a boy very talented in all sorts of games and challenges, was a powerpack. He was a real joy, with a sharp mind. I saw a real change in his heart and he was a team player. Thank God for speaking into his heart. On the second night for some reason when we had children's altar call, he was crying and became very self-protecting for a reason that surpasses my knowledge. I didn't have time to attend to him, so Jon Phan did it. 

 

Gabriel, dear Gabriel, ever so inquisitive and intellectual yet so child-like. Easily pleased and distracted, yet so hard to get his attention and hard to satisfy. So hard to engage yet you know he hears every word you say. I don't think there are teachers in CM who don't have a special love for this boy. He gave me so much headache on the first day, being unable to sit still until his dad came all the way to pass him a pair of sandals and also with his special diet requirements. Still, there were his star moments such as some of the games and his own version of things we were learning together.

Joshua, a boy I've taught for 2 years. He was so different during the camp, outspoken and actively contributing. Was very impressed by the new Joshua. He's really growing up. He's no longer in primary school, and I'm sure he's well taken care of by God's guidance. He took a lot of initiative motivating the group and giving ideas in the games and activities.

There was the very quiet Ruey Yi, who still chats with me occasionally. Someone who's very aware of what goes on in her mind, and very well-controlled over herself. Rather than tease conversation out of her, I was glad when she approached me after the camp using facebook and msn.

 

Zechariah's a boy who's growing up. Wanting to be independent, questioning everything, not always obedient but also not rebellious in heart. Saw a great change in his initial attitude too. He's clearly full of individual thought and capable of formulating ideas on his own.

 Little Lemuel, young yet so promising. A little chao keng, but could see his heart. He'll really grow up. He even kept food for James when James had to leave for awhile for tuition out of camp. What a heart of gold.

 

Joleen, the little miss. Always so obedient and such a follower, well-behaved and well-mannered. Also very matured for a girl her age. I was very moved when a couple of days after the camp I visited the student care centre at Lorong Ah Soo and she called 'kor kor Daniel!! Is jie jie Cristabel here too?' She was a sister to the other girls. A real sister.

The third day was probably the highlight, when we took the camp to Dakota Home for the Elderly (I definitely got the name wrong).

There the children sang some Hokkien and Mandarin songs, served the elderly folk refreshments, even chatted with them and brought cheer to them. I was so impressed and moved, hearing how some children said Jesus Loves You, with all the sincerity of a child's faith. Ruey Yi in particular, in all her quietness towards us, opened up to an auntie and really conversed with her. The aunties adored the cute James and Chloe. What a joy.

In one of the pics above you see we did home visits too, to this uncle who lost his right hand in an industrial accident. It was a very old one-room flat. The stove was a single mobile cooker hooked to a gas cylinder. Uncle had his skin covered with tattoos, yet he was soft-spoken and gentle, telling us that he accepted Christ 4 months before and was to be baptized in a month. There was a sense of peace and security that he derived from his new faith in Christ.

 

I was also very inspired by Taiyong's passion for God. He chatted up some teenagers on the streetside, telling them about Christ. Received a call from him for a Bible, and dashed over to supply him the Word. When he returned, he told me two of them accepted Christ. Praise God.

Thank God also for the simple lessons on love taught by Darius using magic tricks and other very interesting activities to make the lessons interesting for the children.

Looking forward to the camp this year end under Jasslyn.

Sin and Peace

Shalom
Peace be within you
John14:27 "...Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you."



Sunday's sermon was about Peace. Pastor Don Wong from New Charis Missions used the translations of two words: shalom and irene. Just note that I'm not reproducing sermon notes in this post.

shalom
Jewish word of greeting, 1881, from Heb., lit. "peace," prop. "completeness, soundness, welfare," from stem of shalam "was intact, was complete, was in good health."
 
irene
fem. proper name, from Fr. Irène, from L. Irene, from Gk. Eirene, lit. "peace."
 
Col 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."
 
Phil4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
 
What Pastor Don was saying was that the peace Christ intended for us was not the serenity and calmness we imagine peace to be, but rather the security and assurance, a sense of groundedness that we maintain despite struggles and chaos. shalom meant well-being, good health etc.
 
I just want to cross this lesson with something on sin.
 
In Matt 9, Mark 2 and Luke 5 when Jesus healed the paralytic, he forgave him his sins first, and the paralytic got up carried his mat and walked. My question is this: does sin rob us of the shalom peace that Jesus bequeathed to us?
 
Matt5:23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother; then come and offer your gift."
 
In Luke 7:48-50 Christ said to the sinful woman "Your sins are forgiven... Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Does this suggest that after she was forgiven her sin, she was free to receive the peace that Christ blessed her with?
 
It COULD be that (during the Christ's years of ministry) because of sin, people were hindered from receiving the shalom peace, and thus illnesses and attacks of the devil, demonic possession etc entered into their lives. It was only when they received the forgiveness of Christ that the peace of God was restored unto them, and they were set free of their infirmity.
 
A final braincandy: a story I remember from Joyce Meyer's book Battlefield of the Mind. Therein she wrote about two painters. Both were asked to paint a picture called 'Peace'. The first painter depicted peace to be irene, painting up a beautiful, still mountain lake with a mirror-smooth surface and serenity all over. The second painter, however, painted a turbulent roar of rapid waters foaming and surging; a flimsy branch dangled low in the midst of the torrent and perched on that branch was a sparrow, wings tucked in and eyes closed in security and assurance. Shalom.
 
May the peace of God that surpasses all understanding guard everyone's hearts.

Daniel can you come in please

I've been in the law internship with ___ & Co for 5 weeks.

I've been doing research, preparing court forms and pleadings, drafting affidavits, writing letters and compiling documents to make a case, and spending lots of time reading case files and authorities. It's been highly stimulating mentally, and rewarding. Though I'm paid at a rate of $2.33/hr, I'm thankful that I have this opportunity, to really get good exposure and experience. Very very few interns get this. In fact, all the friends I've known who also did law internships didn't get as much exposure as I did.

Other interns are usually engaged in photocopying, filing, going to court to sit-in for long hours of trials and basically taking on spectator jobs.

So after 25 days of work at ____ & Co, today was an exceptional landmark in my internship. Today I can consider myself a complete law intern. Here's why.

I did binding of bundles and bundles of affidavits. I photocopied 400 pages' worth of pleadings and AEICs. I marked them with dividers and stamped page numbers. I stacked them neatly and prepared them for filing in court and service to other parties. I spent an hour uploading photos on Facebook. And the very biggest accomplishment: I sustained my first papercut. I AM A FULL FLEDGED LAW INTERN!

Time to turn back and sue ___ &Co for their vicarious liability of my inter-digit laceration as it was sustained in the course of employment. Plus costs.