New Beginnings

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 9:1

Tatay and I at Kew Beach in Toronto

I have lots to share but my plane from Korea to Chiang Mai is about to depart. I was so blessed to be able to spend some time in Toronto. Wanted to give God the glory in all that He had done. On my last day there, a singer friend even spent some time worshiping with me. I always delight in those!!!

Then, she shared that she was joining a choir on a short missions trip. Her apartment would be empty so Eric, who is arriving in Toronto from camp and will be there for 3 weeks, could stay at her place. What a wonderful provision as her place is just several blocks away from where Evan and my father lives! We have such a wonderful Father who can provide easily!

As I continue writing this, I am now in Chiang Mai and obviously jet lagged as I was up at 1:45 a.m. I hope to get a bit more sleep just as soon as I finish this post. This is kind of a disclaimer just in case what I write next don't make a lot of sense. I wish I could write all that transpired in Toronto. I just do know that memories were made and I hope to remember them for a long time to come.

Tatay playing with a game I got him.

As I thought of this post, I honestly didn't know how I could capture everything that happened. I know I would not do a great job, that I'll inevitably not describe what happened well enough, nor remember everything that went on. So I decided to pick the one last act that I asked my father to do for me. On the morning I left, he was eating breakfast. I knelt down in front of him and asked for his blessings. He turned, shifting his body to face me and put both of his hands on my shoulders. I tried hard not to cry and bowed my head as I prepared to hear what he would say. He made no sound but he pressed and released the pressure of his hands on my shoulders and kept them there. I sensed his sadness, his thanksgiving, his wishes for me, his prayers, and most of all, his love. Then he said it was over. He chose to bless me in silence, without saying a word. Thinking about it now, that was best. The Lord could always tell me if He wanted me to know. What's important for me is that I left with him expressing his thanks and love for me even though I heard nothing from his mouth. He is a quiet man and I guess, always will be.

I praise and thank you, Lord. You are so good. You gave me the understanding in my spirit. I look forward to more of the new beginnings and blessings in my life even as I literally meet this new day, August 1st. I love you.

Receiving

Times with our oldest: 22 year old son,
Evan, were precious.

Before I left for Toronto, Eng gave me a gift card with over $300 in it. He said it was given to him but he didn't have a chance to use it all while he was here. There was an expiry date on it which necessitated its immediate use. He also said I should shop and just use it any way I wanted to. Pleased to have money to spend, I determined to shop and use it wisely. For the past three Sundays, Evan and I had gone to the malls after church and used the card for our lunches and for shopping. (Sundays are the days when my siblings visit my father so it is a good time to be out as he has company.)

The first time we went shopping, I tried to buy something for Evan but he wouldn't let me. Even when we did find a great looking $20 shirt on sale, he didn't want it. He said it was too expensive. He said he wanted a shirt from a second hand store. Buying some body scrubs for me, a shop clerk's eyes smiled when we explained our predicament that we were trying to use up all the money in the card. She said she'd have a "great and easy" time using the money we had. My nephew said the same thing. It shouldn't be hard to spend all that money.

So the question was, "Why were we walking back and forth in the mall and having difficulty trying to buy something?" I was in a shoe store and tried on a pair that was on sale for $89.99. I needed a pair, it looked great and it felt good on my feet. Still, I didn't buy it because I couldn't justify spending that kind of money on a pair of footwear! We kept looking and spent just over $100 on our first shopping day.

Times with Tatay, my father, were gifts.

By our third time out, we finally exhausted our funds. I'd spent it on our two lunches, clothing for Eng, Eric, Eli, and Ethan, a book for Evan, and other hygienic items for Evan and I. Proud of ourselves that we got our task accomplished, Evan then took out his gift card. He said it was for $80 from a leather shop that he wouldn't buy anything from. They sold footwear, belts, and wallets. I said I needed a wallet so we went to buy one. On the way there, I talked to Evan about learning how to receive. I told him I wanted to buy him the $20 shirt from our first day out but he wouldn't accept it because of the cost. When we got to the store, I couldn't find a wallet I liked so I started looking at their footwear. Before too long, I found one that had a 50% sale on its tag. It was all leather, it looked good, and it felt great. The price? It was almost $100!

Really? It was the second pair I liked and tried in three weeks and they cost almost the same? Was that a coincidence? Did I need to learn something? (Obviously, the prices of stuff in Toronto went way up while we weren't living here!) Could I receive that as a gift if the giver felt I deserved it? Just like Eng, Evan said I could use the card on anything. So what was my problem? My own words were still fresh on my lips! "You need to learn to receive. How can the Lord give you anything if you won't open your hands to receive it?

Well, I am learning as I am now the owner of a super comfortable, leather pair of sandals. Yesterday, our family friend insisted that she wanted to do my nails: hands and feet! I let her even though it took a long time and she re-did my right hands' fingers at 1:00 a.m.! Last night, Evan and I watched a movie with popcorn and drinks. Our outing cost us $3.00 just for the parking because of a coupon I received.

Our Lord, because of the way He loves, is extravagant, generous, and giving. Even though Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive, there is grace also needed to receive well. May we not miss out on our blessings because of our inability to receive.

Another "God's Suddenly"

Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;

Make music to our God on the harp.

Psalm 147:7

This piano is older than the sum of the ages of all our
four sons. It also joined our family before
any of them were born.

My father’s house in Toronto is where our old, restored pneumatic Handel player piano is. Before we worked overseas, we bought it second hand (in the 90s) at a very cheap price. A quick research shows that it was possibly made in the 1920s. It is very old and it looks it. I recently played the upright piano at our Mission Home on Avenue Road and comparing the two, I know that the sound from it is not the greatest. Furthermore, some of the keys can no longer be pressed down so those keys remain silent when I play them. Still, I’d been playing it because I am praising and grateful to be here.

Here, is in Toronto at my father’s house. =)

On Monday last week, I sheepishly asked Papa God if I could see my father again. I was a bit embarrassed to ask because my father already came to Chiang Mai for six days to visit us in January and that was an amazing answer to prayer (in a post called, “Blessings”, January 25, 2013). Still, because he’s already 92 years old and just recently had pneumonia, I wasn't sure of how much time he still had before the Lord called him home. I hoped to see him again even though I knew we didn't have the funds for me to go back to Toronto. At the back of my mind, the idea that nothing was impossible with God remained and I asked anyway, hopeful that I be answered.

I share regarding God's beauty by writing about what
He does. Nature does the same and does so effortlessly.

Imagine my surprise when I got home on Tuesday and Eng started talking to me about some funds that he said he invested two years ago. He apologized(?) that he kept it a secret. I found out that his desire was to go to South Africa someday which is why he saved up. There was more money set aside than he needed for his future trip so I inquired about his intentions for the rest of the funds. He said he didn't know. That was when I asked if I could be back in Toronto at this time. I wanted to be here while I could still take care of my father rather than come home the way I did when my mother passed away. I actually told Eng that this trip could be in lieu of that. He agreed. =)

We prayed that somehow a flight could be bought the next day as a confirmation of the Lord’s answer. Sure enough the ticket was booked and 3 days later or last Saturday night, I was on a flight which got me here by 10:00 a.m. the next day, Sunday. I will stay here until July 29th so I can look after my father for four weeks. It is such a gift! =)

I was a part of that whole, quick, and miraculous process but was amazed even as it transpired. I needed a Thai re-entry permit for example and quickly got it in all of twenty minutes! What normally took a whole morning or a great chunk of the day was done just like that. When I thought of getting my permit, I was prompted to call the school I worked in to inquire about another matter and found out that personnel were going to the Thai Immigration the next hour. (How cool is that?) They invited me to just meet them there and this was why my re-entry was quickly processed, it was through their connections.

God’s “suddenly “will never cease to amaze me. It boggles my mind! Thank you, Papa God, for what you do. In spite the faulty piano, I praise you, praise you, and praise you some more. =)  You definitely deserve the praises and I love you!