Daniel's Cottage

NEW BLOGS! NEW BLOGS!!

Dear visitors, I have opened another 2 blogs:
danielszehauz.wordpress.com ----->is a new ministry blog where i'll have more frequent updates. The reason to open a blog with WordPress is because I like the layout of WordPress and it allows visitors to leave comments (which means a lot to me!!). I'm going to share my life, ministry, my thoughts and people stories around me in this blog.

journeywithdaniel.blogspot.com ----->is a blog open for some resources and articles i have regarding leadership and personal development. I'll share some of my stories in that blog regarding my life as a youth development coach. This is a new blog too! Hope you find this helpful!

This blog will be deactivated slowly, so hope you like my new 2 blogsHope these 2 blogs bless you in some ways! Thanks for supports ;)

How long can a person stay strong throughout his life?
Uhm... Heroes?

Who is your Hero?

My hero used to be Superman and Power Rangers
I know you must be laughing like crazy right now don't you?
Don't tell me you don't have heroes when you were way younger ;))\

Alright, back to the topic...
I thought they were heroes because they rescue the world from disasters
They goes to the people who needed the helps
They are outstanding, powerful, and STRONG!
Looks like there's no one can ever beat them
I really hoped that I could be part of their team
Being one of them makes me feel so valued and purposeful!

But as I grew older, I realized that they are only normal real-life people
They are only actors and actresses who live on salary from the TV company
They are people who grow old, and weak, and struggle through life
Just like you and me.

I see no real heroes in this world.
Who was your superhero?
Who is your superhero right now?

As I grow even older, I found Him

He is indeed a real hero:
He has the authority to calm the raging seas that almost drown him.
He has the ability to raise the dead to life,
He has the power to heal the sick, most of all, to heal the broken-hearted;
He defeats enemy by only 'Commanding with Words' (no weapons or gadgets needed, nor time to get into a phone-booth for a quick change);
He so strong that He endures every hard times, difficult moments, and heart-pierced pains, for the sake of love;
He conquer over the coldest end of all human race- - Death
He can go to anyone in anywhere at anytime, when they call on His Name
He appears to people, just the way He is... real, sincere, personal and true.
He rescue the world with all possible means, even until He gave up His own life for the sake of everyone on this earth.

Most of all: He exists!

He never disappointed me, and He is a role model to me!

Yes, His Name is Jesus. He is my superhero
I'm so glad that I am with Him rescuing the world.
As He puts me on His shoulder,
I know I'm not a hero, but He is
and with Him, I'm strong!

It's such a honor to be with a superhero and join Him in the mission of saving the World.
Don't you agree?

Mountain Climbing
The morning was started with nice breakfast prepared by Aunty and uncle.
Then Alan is here to pick us up for mountain climbing.
Mt. Lambak is a well known mountain in the southern region of Malaysia.
It was a humid and cooling morning, we had a very refreshing walk
The pathway was rocky with a stream flowing downward alongside the path
I enjoy the sceneries a lot (Though Alan and James kept saying that it was even nicer before)

We met Sia and Liang half way, 2 local students who are studying in Terengganu.
We took a lot of pictures together there and our friendship just blossomed.
 

Then 3 of us had a short time of praising Dad and reading the Bible together
It was a wonderful time as I found that God's message to us has been consistent
Offer up ourselves, let Him lead, and trust in his guidance as we follow.
To be a righteous person before God's eyes, not counting others' sins,
but to let God justify for us.
Though we were disturbed by a few monkeys during the quiet time
Thank God for some fun :)

Curry Noodles Breakfast
We then meet Sia and Liang for breakfast
Guess what, I had the nicest Curry Noodles ever in my life
(I'm not having special preference to curry noodles though
but believe me, you'll know why once you have it for yourself)
Of course we got to know Sia and Liang a little bit more
They also know that we are Christians
We plan to ring them out for some tea time later tonight
 
Go around Kluang
After lunch in James' house (Thanks aunty!)
We went for some walk in Kluang city.
My best time was when we were in the playground.
Brought me back to my childhood time again ;P

Beef Noodles
We had Beef noodles for dinner
It's a different type from KL
This is more southern type with sticky smooth sauce on the noodles.
Here's how it looks! Nice :)
 

Uncle and I have so much topic in common, he used to live in my mom's hometown
and he is from Seremban also.
Aunty is a very kind and friendly lady, a typical Chinese woman
We spent some times browsing through the family albums
It was great!
We also had a lot of fun time playing with the baby (daughter of Tiang's friend)
This is a great time
I felt a bit bad for not able to share Gospel with Alan's parents
Alan said that our visitation is good enough to bear testimony to the family
Tiang said she can see that I am happy with my job being a Christian teacher
(I explained to her that I take care of Christians in the universities :)
Thanks God!
 

The day ended with a lot of great memories!
We've experienced a lot today!

Prelude
Visiting Kluang was another trip I planned to get away from KL
Well, of course the main thing was to visit James and Alan (their family of course)
But the escape was quite a bonus to me

Longing to get back to slow pace and relaxed kind of lifestyle.

Thanks Dad for His guidance throughout the journey
Especially the journey through the rail
Every details of it reminded me of the time when I was still a kid
Mom and dad like to take my sister and I to visit Singapore by train
The noise and the shaky compartment were so nostalgic.
Spent the whole afternoon enjoying a cup of coffee
and the quiet time with Dad

Realized I hasn't been 'quiet down' and lay low before Dad for such a long time
Dad reminded me of offering myself as a living Sacrifice
Through reading Book of Numbers in the Bible and Book of Romans 12:1-2
Realized I had slowly taken back almost every rights I offered to Dad before:
My time, money, marriage, future, relationships, ministry... I hold them all now
Frustrations, uncertainties and disappointments kept crushing me like storms
No wonder, I did not experience the relief and joy like last time
I did struggled. I stopped arguing with Dad. And I let go.
I let Him take my rights, things that I hold dear to myself
I let His mighty hands take charge of all these... His love for me is my motivation.
It wasn't a surprising message, as it is the deepest desire Dad has for my life all these while
Dad is faithful. In Him I trust.

James' Family
After 4.5 hours of journey, I finally arrived at Kluang
James and his dad, Mr. Woon together with his brother, Andrew came and pick me up
Kluang wasn't that small as I expected,
Well at least I wasn't expect to see any big 'M' in the town (LOL)
Andrew prepared a nice dinner to welcome me
The moment I stepped in to James' house
I started feel like I'm accepted as part of the family
Aunty was very kind and friendly, like a long time friend
After the dinner, she shared to me almost every experience she had in life
Especially regarding her experience as a mom and care-taker for premature babies.
It's impressive to see how God bless the children through Godly lady like her

One of such baby was Joy Joy, a premature girl that had only 10% for survival
God sustained her life and made great impact to her parents
Their faith in God is strengthen as they saw how God answers prayer
and healed her in a miraculous way.

Had some times spent with James as well
Talking on the leadership he sees in Jesus Christ
and the message he listened from the mission week of his church
I had a few lines where it struck me to the heart:
"Do you have Jesus' heart? hands? eyes? ears? feet?"
"Jesus is full of Mercy and Truth, am I? Or only truth?"
"Is there anything more important than the souls of man?"

These lines resound in my mind even until now.
I confess, even as a full time Christian worker
I do things out of my duty or responsibility
Not really from my compassion towards people around me
Sometimes I feel guilty of hearing people say:
"Your life is such an encouragement to me as I see you serve"
I am not perfect. I fail at times, I lost focus often.
I know God knows my heart, and I'm in a process of being transformed
and changed.

I thank God that I am not left aside from His great plans
Though I'm not perfect, He is.
And in Him, I'm strong!

Thus ends my 1st day in Kluang.

Being a speaker in a teenager's camp kind of scared me
Especially when you know among the 80 campers
53 of them are seekers and non believing friends
There are 2 main reasons for feeling so unsecured:
1.I afraid I am too much older to them and they don't care to listen
2.I afraid I do not understand them

However, I said to God: Let it be You who speak, not me.
Use me as Your vessel.

Then I felt way much released!

Speaking to the teenagers were not that hard actually,
especially when you have personal relationship with them

Through speaking on Self-Image and Character Building
God reminded me a lot especially on the 'me' in His eyes
That I am wonderfully made, and I am His masterpiece
I can have good character as long as I have Him as my Best friend
To follow after him and to have union with Him

Speaking to the teenagers also helped me to realize that
most of the problems faced by the teenagers today are mainly from their broken family
They do not know they are treasured, they are loved
They don't see their self-worth
Thinking through all these struggles in their life often cause me to weep in my heart
They look fine on the outside, but only God knows how grievous they are on the inside.

This makes me to think deeper on how to reach our generation at this age
None other than to live out the Love God has put in our life
To live out Christ.
None other way than to let them know using my action: You are special and you are loved!
None other way than to let them know their creator who treasure them above anything else in this universe

Pray with me for the teenagers at our age, would you?
Pray that they can gain back the life God designed for them
The abundant, meaningful life, and a life with a future and a hope!
Despite the hurts they experienced.

Ah Tan* is a newly discharged prisoner
He was met by 2 of our students in UKM
One of our student shared Christ with him
Seeing their kindness and a promised new life in Christ
he believed and accepted Christ on the spot
Since then He calls our God Lao Da (The 'head of the gang' in Chinese)
And claim himself to be a follower of Christ
We witness how his character changed after accepted Christ
We build relationship and trust with each others
He keep mentioning that if he did not meet the 2 Christian students
Without knowing Jesus Christ
He would have gone back to the old lifestyle

Life wasn't easy for him
He encountered a lot of discriminations from his newly found job
and also his landlady's daughter
He once thought of going back to his old friends
And get a new job. He wanted to live on his own
But we convinced him to go to a shelter house (belong to a Christian Org) for people like him
They will provide him a place to stay, and meals to eat
But he has to live there for a couple of months first before he can work again
Most of all, he can know God more and really start his life anew
Out of his faith in us and in God
He agreed and we happily send him into that shelter house

I went to meet him yesterday
To my surprise I found that the shelter house does not provide full meals
They only provide lunch and the rest they have to go out and look for it
Either from the Buddhist temple, some political party building or charity Orgs nearby
Tan said: "Isn't it funny that we the follower of Christ need to ask meals from other religion party
Our Lao Da created the universe and hold it, we should be the one who gives help."

I was speechless, and I didn't know what to feel but sad

Pray for Ah Tan. His faith in God is slowly growing despite of the situations he is in now. Pray that he will grow to become a person greatly used by God to testify God's goodness. He was not very much educated, but he is a sincere person and eager to grow.
Pray for my communication with that Christian Org. I really wish to find out what really cause them unable to provide proper meals for those who stay in that shelter house.
Pray for hundreds or thousands of people out there who have not know Jesus Christ and fall back to their old lifestyle. Pray that God may give them new life, as how He gave Ah Tan.

Thank you. And if you wish to find way to support poor people (Like Na's family) or discriminated groups (Like Ah Tan). Please contact me. God bless!

  *Not his real name.

God gave me an opportunity to serve a poor family in Kajang yesterday (3 Aug)
Led by 2 students and another church friend
We went to Sg. Jelok (Kajang area) to visit that family
The Na Family.

When we reached their house
we could hardly believe that it is a place for a family to stay
It is an abandoned old 5-storey flat with not more than 3 families reside
The condition of the house is even worse
Rubbish and cloths scattered on the floor
Clothing they wear are dirty and old
and the house is only about a size of a living room
yet it accommodates 8 people

We were welcomed by the family
Mrs. Na goes to church with her friend every Sunday morning
Mr. Na is not yet a believer
He was struck by the 'Datuk Kong' (a god of Chinese) when he worshipped him
and that cause his right arm unable to take heavy stuffs
and thus lost his job and ability to sustain the family

Mrs. Na said they depend on the subsidy from the relief fund on RM350 per month
But how could they survive with that small amount of money
When all the children needs to go to school and need food to eat
Their lunch was very simple... From what I saw.
A 11 year old girl ate only a bowl of cooked rice soaked in Maggie seasoning soup.

Out of compassion I went into the room to talk to Mr. Na
He seem reluctant to talk with us at first
He is 45 years old, yet because of long time suffering and restlessness of his spirit
he looked much older. He doesn't speak much.
Alan and I shared Gospel to him and
invite him to make a decision of believing and accepting Jesus Christ as His personal Saviour and Lord
He was afraid that the devils or the gods won't let him go if he does so
We assured him that he can trust the King of kings and the Lord of lords
and nothing can ever harm him when he confess his sins and return to the Only true God!
Only True God can give True peace in one's heart!
He listened to it quietly and he finally agree to consider believing in Jesus.
We gather the family to pray for their father
The kids were happily gathered and I ask God to reveal His marvelous deeds upon this family

I left that house with a burdened heart
Not knowing how far we can help
God led me to know this family and saw their needs
I know I need to help them by faith (Financially, their daily needs)
This morning, God assured me to help them with this verse:

Then the King will say to the people on his right, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world. I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me.'
The righteous will then answer him, 'When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe you?
When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these followers of mine, you did it for me!' Mat 25:34-40

Join me and help them, will you?
If you want to and willing to, please contact me by email or 0173382562.