Writing this from my fav hangout again. Finally a chance to relax for a few hours before working again.

Video for Hopekids was tough, like I've been sharing. One of the actors injured his ankle yesterday before the shoot, and we were very stretched for manpower already. So morale and everything, exhaustion, etc.

Felt very exhausted after the shoot last night. So emailed Hong Teck to share about these. He wrote the following reply:

Hi YA,

Don't be so hard on yourself. You and your team are doing your best. It's not time for evaluation so let's look forward and find solutions to the problems.

You can consider one of the following

Option 1) Simplify the video and do 3 not 2. It's not about us, its about what God wants to show the kids
Option 2) Get the actors to act out live! Instead of shooting, rehearse the script on Friday.

Let's take hold of this and lead forward. It's not about perfection, but about purpose and passion.

His,
Hong Teck

Want to share his reply with you, because felt it's so helpful and wise. There's a lot of insights about team ministry that I extracted from this email.

Then read James 1. Oooh. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

I think the Spirit was confirming that this period is a time of stretching again. Yay! Seeing all the things that are happening recently, I can see that God is stretching me again, like a fitness instructor loading more weights upon his student. Hmm. I do know that He's spot-training me in a few specific areas - responsibility, decision-making, confidence, security, learning to be patient and gentle under heavy pressure, and so on. I do feel a bit paiseh to share these things that I think God is training me in, because obviously it's an implicit admission that I'm weak.

But well, what's wrong with admitting my weakness? As long as I let God train me and I take ownership... and consider it pure joy that God cares to the extent of training me, then I'm growing. And isn't the path of discipleship a process? :)

1 John 3
1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

Yes, how great is the love of the Father! And we are now His children. We do not know yet what we will become, but we do look forward to His appearing. And as we wait for Him to come again, we purify ourselves, straining and refining our hearts... filled with a glorious and inexpressible joy, for we're receiving the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls.

Yep! I shall consider it pure joy indeed. The kind that is like singing your team's name even when you're several goals behind in the game, because you know that no matter what, we are more than victors in Christ who loves us. Anyway, I think this training is necessary if I want to be used by Him where He's called me to go. Character is so important. But thank God for His grace that He doesn't look for the perfect in character when He calls... but those He calls, He qualifies them and perfects their characters.

Difficult, but I will still sing His name, even when I'm several goals behind in the game. Thank You Jesus!

Wow! Just bumped into a couple of friends just now. And they encouraged me, to focus on what I'm good at. Thank You Lord for their friendships. =) Deeply grateful. Haha. =D Honesty and sincerity are such important elements in a genuine friendship.