Wu Liao

Taken at the Singapore Zoo. Photographed by Kin Wai

Speaking With The Dead

My family and I visited an 'oracle' (credits to Kin Wai for suggesting this fancy name) who claims to be able to communicate with the deceased. Such practices are common among Buddist/Taoist believers in Malaysia as a part of Ancestral Worship. Seeing that my family were wishing to speak to my grandparents I decided to tag along not really knowing what to expect.

We woke up at 5am Sunday morning and drove to Pusing, a small town located just outside of Ipoh. It seems that the oracle we were going to is well known for her 'accuracy' when it comes to summoning spirits. There were people from all around the country coming to consult in her wishing to speak to their loved ones. The oracle has a peculiar system in operations though, only 10 places will be given each day at 6am and once the places have all been given out she declines to perform anymore summoning. This odd system is the reason many people wait outside her home during the wee hours in the morning despite the summoning only begins at 8am. Arriving early does not guarantee you a place either.

My family reached the oracle's home around 6am. As expected, many people were already waiting. The place was dark. The oracle's home was located at a dead end, next to an orchard. At about a quarter to 7 a window opened and a man started handing out numbers written on cardboard beginning from 1 - 10. My aunt managed to get places 8 and 9. We went back to Ipoh for breakfast and returned at 9. We waited awhile and our turn came around 10am.

I looked at the oracle and she appears to be a frail old woman. Her face was unnaturally pale, while her chracteristics and movement seem to be devoid of liveliness. She began the session by chanting and asking us about the name and time of death of the deceased. My aunt began telling her my grandfather's name and time of death. The oracle seems to be searching for my 'grandfather's spirit'. She asked a few more questions and made some predictions such as naming the relationships of the people present to the deceased. Upon ensuring that it is indeed my 'grandfather's spirit' she summons the spirit and was possesed by the spirit.

There I was looking at a woman who claims to be possesed by my 'grandfather's spirit'. Her voice was still hers, however her speech and tone resembled my grandfather's to a certain extent. The oracle was speaking to us in Hakka and now fluent Cantonese - the language my grandfather usually communicates with us. I'll skip the details but it did feel very much like speaking to my grandfather, again to a certain degree, Many things mentioned by my 'grandfather's spirit' were uncommon and were only known in the family. There was an instance where my 'grandfather's spirit' asked why didn't my sis and I address him even though we were present. We were shocked and awkwardly looked at the oracle and called 'Yeye'.

After 15 minutes or so, my 'grandfather's spirit' said he had to leave and 'left'. The exact same ritual was repeated in summoning my 'grandmother's spirit'. Upon possesion, the oracle spoke in a speech and tone very similar to my grandmother and since it was the voice of a woman it made it much more believable. My eyes started to tear a little the moment I heard that familiar tone distinct to my grandmother. Was that really my grandmother? The woman whom i've missed so much for the past year, the woman who was once and still is one of the closest person to me.

The entire session lasted about 40 minutes and we left with hearts full of memory for my grandparents.

Did I believe what really happened? Was that really my grandparent's spirit?

No, I choose not to.

I tagged along mainly because of curiosity and of course I missed my grandparents greatly. Honestly if I could contact them or be with them together in any way i'd do it. However I choose not to believe that those were my grandparents' spirit. I did not need to know what the spirits said, despite it being very accurate, it was nothing new. I know my grandparent's heart and everything the spirits had to say i've already known it. What was it then that spoke to us? I believe it was merely the spirit of that deity or any other spirit for that matter. The devil knew what my grandparents and my family went through, and he knows how much we miss them and long for their presence devising a lie that would bound us to believe that, to look away from that abundance, eternal life Jesus has prepared for us.

I don't need my grandparents to tell me how much they love me to know that they love me. I don't need my grandparents to say how happy they are so see my sis and I growing up, we already know that. Honestly there was nothing more to ask. What I want is a real relationship with them again, to see them again in person and continue spending time with them. I won't believe that Jesus did not save them and that's the only way i'd be able to communicate with them. Jesus has much better in stored for us, for that unbreakable bond and love He has fostered between my grandparents and I.

Thank you Jesus for setting me free from such bondages. If I didn't know the truth, i'd be just like anyone of those people who would wait there in the wee hours in the morning just to get a chance to speak to their loved ones for 15 minutes or so. If I didn't know the truth I would be visiting the oracle every other day hoping to continue my relationship with my grandparents.

Jesus you know how much I love them, how much I miss them. Remember that little boy who prayed silly, naive prayers silently that his life may be shorten to lengthen his grandmother's. Remember that little boy who doesn't want to live life without his grandparents.

Remind that boy of the precious relationship shared between him and his grandparents.

Remind that boy of that everlasting life You have prepared for him and his grandparents.

Remind that boy that You love Him.

I See Grace

I see grace everywhere. 3 of my friends have such amazing testimonies of God's grace in their careers. Its exactly like the many career blessing testimonines i've read and heard in church whereby God open up pathways for them and all they did was to simply receive His blessings. I on the other hand keep getting into obstacles to the point where i'm not sure if I'd want to continue on this path anymore.

I do not dream of hotels. I barely even think of hotels yet I found myself halfway through a hospitality course. I made up my mind to complete the 3 year course to get an advance diploma knowing that its only temporary. After my advance diploma I'll consider to opt for a different course if possible or continue for a hospitality related Degree. At the moment i'll have to complete a 4 to 6 month internship to continue with my studies. 

Since i'll have to spend the next 4- 6 months doing an internship, might as well work at a place I wanna be...  I applied for Singapore. I sent my resumes to a number of hotels in Singapore only to receive a few replies rejecting my application. Disappointed I started looking for hotels in KL. I received 2 replies from 2 hotel chains in KL, one asking for an interview next week. Instead of feeling grateful being offered an interview, I find myself dreading to go for it. I don't want to work in a hotel. It sounds like an awful excuse for not wanting to work but its not. Its frustrating doing nothing, still I don't want to work in a hotel!

Did I mention the reason the 2 hotels are considering my application is because my uncles have connections with management in the hotel?

I hate this post. It does not glorify God one bit. I wanted my internship search to be a testimony of God's grace. I'd prefer not to have my uncles helping me with my application. But here I am sharing my rejection stories and uncertainty about my internship. Thinking of having to put up a charade showing the interviewer how enthusiatic and passionate I am about hotels is torture. Ask me what I want to do if I detest hotels this much and I'll only have 'Maybes' and 'Perhaps' as an answer. 

I need guidance, I need fellowship. Yong Kim is right, I need christian fellowship, i've been away from one for too long.

I found a great church, and I'm more than willing to have a wonderful fellowship with brothers and sisters there. That church is in Singapore, merely a 7 hour bus ride away, yet it seems so far. To add to the irony, I've been given the opportunity to study in Switzerland, to travel Europe and the only place I wanna be is Singapore, in New Creation Church.

I'd trade places with anyone if I had to, but I know I don't have to, Jesus traded His place for mine. 

Jesus you're still awesome and you'll always be. Even if no one sees your glory in my life, my heart will still forever be yours. 

Jesus you are my everything.. 

Visit to New Creation Church

After 2 years since I was introduced to Ps Prince's ministry and many months of dreaming, Daddy God finally made one of my biggest dream come true - to visit New Creation Church.

Was in Singapore for the past week with my sis and buddy Kin Wai and the highlight of the trip for me was no doubt Sunday service at NCC. Listening to the sermons and reading about services through blogs for the past months made visiting NCC to be such an experience for me. Excitement would be an understatement here. The feeling is somewhat comparable to a child visiting Disneyland for the first time.

As Kin Wai and I made our way to the Rock Auditorium, we were greeted by the long queue waiting for the 3rd service. Being first-time visitors we got to wait at the 'shorter' queue. After getting into the auditorium we found ourselves seats and an elderly woman sat beside me moments later. She was very friendly and we started talking, she told me she's been attending NCC since the 1990s while I told her its our first time. She went on to tell me that she moved to Singapore at the age of 5 and that she was attending a methodist church before coming to NCC. Likewise I was from methodist church as well and we talked about Jesus' work in Ps Prince's ministry and how much it has blessed us.

After a moment of praise and worship, service started with Ps Lian reading 2 testimonies and Ps Prince came on stage after. The sermon that day was about Father God making Jesus' enemies into His footstool as Jesus sits at His right hand. We were very blessed by the message and I could see Kin Wai taking in everything Ps Prince preached.

We stayed back for the 4th service and I met up with Eugene before service. The queue into the auditorium was VERY VERY long so we went straight to the overflow room. We even got to visit the overflow room in one Sunday. We did not stay until the end of service but left after Ps Prince closed.

We went to the Rock bookstore and I got myself the book Destined to Reign and 3 albums - I See Grace, Justified and Still Waters. That was the end of Sunday service for me, but it did not end there. The next evening I met up with a brother from my previous church in Ipoh who first introduced me to Ps Prince's ministry through the daily devotionals, Stephen Tam. We went for makan and we talked quite abit, awesome fellowship in my opinion ;). He later passed me all of NCC's 2007 sermons which I can't wait to start listening to. Thanks Stephen!

I feel so blessed being able to attend NCC. Some people may be wondering why so excited about a church when Jesus should be the focus. I have to admit that I may be a little over excited and I do indeed want to make NCC my home church, but I don't think there's any problem being excited and thrilled to be in a church that truly focuses on Jesus and His Finish Work and also a church that is so Blessed! I understand that there are a certain few from my previous church that may have some misunderstanding towards Ps Prince's ministry but I believe that Daddy God would take care of that.

Its quite unfortunate that we couldn't attend Arrow service and that we were only in Singapore for one Sunday. But even as I'm back home i'll continue to hope that I'd be able to attend and make NCC my home church really soon. Daddy God has already brought me there for one Sunday, and I believe He's going to bring me there for many many more Sundays to come.

Thank you Abba for the wonderful Singapore trip!

2 pictures I took outside the Rock Auditorium before the security told me 'No Pictures!'