Packing up and leaving the base was a really emotional for us. We started packing pretty early, as soon as the school ended but it was a really slow process.

On the weekend before we left, there was a gathering for all NZ YWAM staff, held at our base. We committed to staying to help out to host this last gathering before we left on holiday with Sue and Es. It turned out to be a great decision although very emotional at times. The gathering kinda helped to summarise all that we have experienced the past 2 and a half years - the NZ culture, the YWAM culture and family, the friends and the intimacy with God. We realised that that was going to be our last time as a YWAMer. After we leave the base, we'll not be YWAMers anymore! Sob! But the gathering helped to reinforce all the things that we've learnt - passion for people and the nations, for humility and servanthood, for the Father, for pioneering and living by faith not by sight. I love YWAM coz everyone is passionate about what they do and no one does it for the money (:)).

I thank God for the past 2 and a half years. It has been life-changing. I've been challenged to do things that I would never have done if I had remained here. I've returned to dreaming, writing, creating, driving, loving, marriage renewed, family life transformed. Now it's time to put all these to the test and live it out in the "real" world. 

Our class has graduated!

Family Ministry School is a level 2 school with the University of the
Nations (a YWAM university where the DTS is a foundation course, that
is, level 1). As part of the course, our students have to complete 2
book reports, do weekly journals, weekly assignments as well as write
and present a full length 3000 word research paper. Oh plus a final
revision test of 10 questions. That is on top of a full schedule of
classes, small groups, worship, intercession etc. Oh, and football.
(This class was football crazy - how could we not have been with all
the Brazilians, Ni-Vans, English n Singaporeans on the base. Btw, the
FMS "oldies" team won the Pursuits "youth" team 2 times!)

We had 12 students and about half of them spoke English as a second
language. Some struggled through school in the past. One grandma
thought she couldn't do it. Most started out thinking that it was
impossible to complete the school. But we are SO PROUD that every
single one of them got through it! Even those who wanted to give up
halfway especially when the research paper came about. Many of them
put in late nights and stayed in most weekends. Not easy at all.

But they all worked hard because they knew that God was calling them
to pioneer and serve families.

We are honoured that we could have been part of their journey. FMS
Class of 2011 we salute you! Praise the Lord who sustains us through
it all. We look forward to the fruits that the Lord has promised us in
the beginning of the school. He says "Take my healing to the nations".
It's not coincidental that every single student is heading back to
their homeland. I believe there's gonna be fruitfulness in their land.

Gonna miss you all very much.

Sometimes it's funny when I look back on my blog and realise how
little I blog about the work we do here - we actually DO work! Ha! But
it's just so much easier to blog about the kids or other random
things.

We're halfway through the school now. We just conducted a mid school
review and was really pleased with the wonderful feedback. There's
definitely lots to improve on but most are happy with how things are
going.

It's just a testimony to God's goodness - when we first came here 2
years ago, James and I struggled to even lead a worship time together
(just shows how different we are and how it's so hard to work
together!), then we struggled to lead an outreach team together (a
tough 8 weeks) but now, it's not so much a struggle anymore and the
attacks are on our health, not so much on our relationship anymore!
God has done an amazing work in us.

The past few weeks the teachings have been on Children Ministry,
Raising Great Teenagers, Parenting and Families in Missions and
Ministry. This week's topic is Counselling and Father Heart of God.

Buzz group - where the students form teams and have to use what they have learnt to
present skits/teaching points.

Class intercession - The class intercession times for this school have 
been very powerful. Clearly sense the presence of God and we have some
mighty prayer warriors amongst us. The staff and students have been
taking turns to lead this and some have been extra creative.

Homeschool - For this school, we didn't have a homeschool teacher for
the first 6 weeks and staff had to take turns to staff the homeschool.
Has been a great challenge for us to juggle so many responsibilities
but it was fun getting to know the kids. I really enjoyed the time I
had with them.

We received news this morning that our Wk 2 speaker's mum passed on
this morning so he can't come this week. After discussion with the
staff, we managed to make a few changes to the schedule and we're on
to teach this week! In 3 days! Eeeks! We've taught on this topic
before but that was a year ago! We were supposed to teach only in Wk 5
so we haven't really looked through our notes again.

Okie don't panic (talking to myself). We'll be fine. We'll be teaching
on Conducting Pre-Marital Counselling on Thurs and Friday morning.
It's a topic that we are deeply passionate about so it shouldn't be a
problem. Pls do keep us in prayer.

Funny how I was just about to relax a bit this week. Last week was
quite hectic for us as leaders because a lot of orientation and
organisation were required. I thought that with a guest speaker this
week, we can take a back seat a little but oh no, we really need to be
on our toes and be constantly praying and alert.

James cooks lunch everyday for the base. Thought I'll get a picture of a normal lunch on the base. We had pizza bread last week.

One satisfied customer! :)

The new school (DTS) just started this week! All the families are here. They come from all over the world - Denmark, New Zealand, Holland, Singapore (YES! another couple from Singapore!) and Switzerland.

But, we're not staffing in the classrooms this term. Instead James is the main lunch cook and I'm staying home with Sophie until baby comes. He has to go in early in the morning to the kitchen at 8/9am to cook for 60 ppl everyday. He also does one dinner per week. I do odd jobs around like rearranging the library (which I LOVE!) and other random stuff.

During the break, James was on a roll and experimenting with different recipes. He made Nasi Lemak and made an amazing sambal sotong (squid) to go with it. Shiok!!!

He's been doing a great job for lunches the past few days and looks like he's gonna introduce more asian food and ingredients into the kitchen. :) He's been sneaking lotsa garlic into the soups too. YUMS, plus it keeps the colds away!

This is the class that James is teaching this week! Everything is going great and God is moving in amazing ways. Praise God!

Keep on praying pls, two more days!

This week is going to be interesting. James and I will be teaching in class together for the first time. We'll be teaching for 2 days on pre-maritial counselling. We're not conducting a pre-marital course but sharing with the class about pre-marital counselling and how to go about doing it.

First of all, it's super humbling because we've never conducted a pre-marital course in our lives before! Second of all, we've only been married 5 years... almost 6 years. Third of all, we're still working through so many issues in our own marriage. And now we have to train others to do pre-marital counselling! But but but... we believe this is what God's been calling us to - to teach together and minister together. It's a great challenge but we're happy to do it. We'll never get anywhere if we don't start trying. So we're excited and the prep has been going very well, thank God.

So, we will really really appreciate prayer for this Thursday and Friday. We'll be teaching on why pre-marital counselling/preparation is essential esp in this time and age, who can do it, debunking myths about marriage, how to handle different pastoral situations e.g. cross-cultural marriages. Yep that's the gist! Our heart is really to inspire the class to be pre-marital counselors/mentors and to help to sow truths about marriage is as God intended. Pray that the Holy Spirit will unearth lies about relationship and marriage within the class. Thank you for praying with us!!!

As you know, we've just began the new FMS for 2010.

It's been a great start and I'm so excited about what God's doing. Led class worship this morning and felt such an openness in the class towards God. Very cool. (Btw, I didn't throw up at the class. Turned out to be a bug and I prayed last night in the name of Jesus for the bug to go and I was perfectly fine by dinner time and totally alright this morning! Praise the Lord! My morning sickness is rather mild.)

Here's a picture of our orientation last weekend. The creche and homeschool staff prepared a parachute game for the kids but noticed what eventually happened?!? The adults had more fun than the kids! The kids were pretty amused. So funny!

This class has only 9 students - 2 singles, 1 single parent and 3 married couples but we have a team of 9 staff so it's one-on-one! So far so good. James has 1 guy for one-on-one and I have 2 ladies. One of the ladies is a Korean lady who is a missionary in China and she's planning to pioneer FMS in China. Aiyo I'm so impressed and so excited to be her one-on-one, so many things to talk about. I love people who pioneer stuff, always super exciting for me.

Please do keep us in prayer. James and I are doing well, struggling a little with discipling Sophie at times because she's really quite strong-willed by nature but with God's grace, we know that she'll grow and learn.