Home for the Summer

Wow... It's been almost two weeks since I got back home (three if you count Singapore). I've reunited with my family and old friends here. In addition to that, I also made some new friends. Things have changed since the last time I was back in Indonesia. Incidents and occurrences happened while I was away. I was chatting with one of my friends who came back on December and February from Singapore and she said that "MSA is very different now". Honestly, I didn't know what to expect when I arrived. Yes, we had major reformations and restructuring in the school and the church. I heard about all the differences and changes made. And here I am now... experiencing the effects of those changes.

I landed in Jakarta from Singapore last Monday (April 30). I woke up as early as 5.30 the next day to leave for MSA with my family. I saw those familiar faces once more, after being separated for eight long months... 'Twas exciting and a bit emotional =P

I caught up with the latest stories and we made plans to get together. Some of us that live in the west part of Jakarta are very "kompak" (or cooperative). We do hang out a lot in the past years. We decided to go watch The Avengers together after badminton in Sports Day. Ahh... just like old times. One thing I can look forward to in coming home is to get together and hang out with these awesome people :)

Our church recently joined the Every Nation Churches and Ministries this year. I was signed up for the Victory Weekend on the Saturday that I came back. It was quite an eye-opener and a great encouragement to remind us of Who should be the center of our lives. We also had Pastor Joseph and Carla Bonifacio to minister in the senior lifegroup and MSA devotion. After devotion, my mom and sister showed them around the building while I went to Mr Markus' Humanities class to share about my experience as a first year undergraduate. We chat more in the cafeteria for an hour or so. It was quite interesting hearing their stories and sharing jokes. It was a fun fellowship :D

Just this past Thursday, Russell Peters came to Indonesia to do a show in Istora Senayan. A bunch of us bought tickets to watch (though some were still underage but was able to sneak past the security :P). I told my friend in Canada that I just finished watching the show and he scoffed at me saying, "You went all the way back to Indonesia just to watch a Canadian!?" Overall, it was quite an experience despite the fact that I had a terrible cold and headache when I got back home. As I've said, "quite an experience".

That brings us to today! Well... Saturday, that is... MSA just performed two shows of their Performing Arts (PA) production "The Wizard of Oz". The kids did a great job running the show. It was a tough ride, from what I've heard. Their initial director had problems and was deported back to his homeland in Austria halfway through the preparations of the show. For the rest of the few weeks left, two alumni came to the rescue and helped finish the rehearsals. The technical director is a close friend of mine and he did mention to me several times that this school year was very hectic. I guess that's one thing I never had to experience when I was in high school... In the end, all the hard work and long hours they spent preparing for this paid off. Regardless of the fact that they had limited time to finish up the preparations, they worked with all their hearts and strength. I'm very happy for them and applaud their conviction to the production. The show seemed impossible to run just days before it, but they managed to pull it off. The last thing we admit is that we're quitters. No, MSA kids do not quit even in tough times like these. Through God's help and their devotion to their responsibilities, they made the impossible happen. And I'm proud of them :)

Well that's my update so far on this homecoming. I would finally join the Sunday service tomorrow since I missed it last week. I really can't wait to see what God has in store for the upcoming weeks and months! Yes, I see a lot have changed since the last time I was here. I didn't say it was all bad. In fact, I'm just beginning to think...that I myself am not the same as I was last eight months. Change may happen. It's inevitable. How we react to it matters. What's most important is that we stay open to God's plan. He knows when things would change and when things should stay the same. Be willing to be flexible for God :)



May God bless you this summer,
Justin

Easter 2012+Apocalypse 2012?

EASTER IS HERE! And in other news... the world has been aware about the apocalypse (or Judgment Day) that will occur in the future. I watched videos in YouTube and blog posts about the warnings and the "doom and gloom" news. Who will go to heaven? Many turned to the book of Revelations to find answers. There, debates and theories were formed. I just re-read the book of Revelations and found something interesting that may be of good news to you:

Revelations 7:9-17

"9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,Be to our God forever and ever.Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”

14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”

So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”"

People from every nation, people with different languages- they stand before the throne of our Lord. So no, race does not matter in the kingdom of God. You and I may be different in many ways, but we are able to stand by His side when the day has come. What do we have to do? "Wash our robes and make it clean with His blood". Every sin, every evilness, every wrongdoings- just lay it down on His feet and He will forgive. Jesus made this possible by dying on the cross for our sins. Just recently, my lifegroup gathered together to watch "The Passion of the Christ" as a reminder why we celebrate Easter. Jesus took all our transgressions and imperfection to the cross with Him. He was tortured and persecuted for something He didn't do. He did it because of YOU. He did it for us. Without Him on the cross, we all would not enjoy this life we have. I can stand here and testify because of His grace. By His stripes, I am healed. By His blood, my sins are gone. Jesus is the bridge for us to reach our Father. 

All of these things have been prepared for us. What we have to do now is accept that He is our Savior and start living with Him in the center of our lives. It doesn't matter what happened in the past, as long as you repent and turn to Jesus. The criminal who was crucified next to Jesus confessed to Him that he had done so much wrongs in his life and deserved this punishment. Then, he asked Jesus if He would remember him when He enters into His kingdom. Luke 23:43 says, "And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.'" It's never too late to ask for His forgiveness. This Easter, I just want to invite you, readers, to just "wash your robe with His blood". Just ask for His loving kindness and to cleanse our hearts. We don't deserve His grace, yet He gives because He loves. I posted earlier that I want to "make this Easter special". Let's just take time to remember the things He had done for us and give thanks. Our God is a great and mighty God, but most importantly, He is also a God who loves you and me =) 

Happy Easter to all of you,

Justin

Stop Joseph Kony 2012

If you were living in the times of World War II, wouldn't you voice out, "Hitler must be stopped!"? When you heard about the 9/11 attacks are caused by terrorists, didn't you express, "Bin Laden must be stopped!"? These homicidal tyrants have not been completely stopped. Right now... 2012... there is still one villain out there abducting CHILDREN, making the boys child soldiers and the girls sex slaves. These child soldiers are forced to kill their own parents with the weapons provided by the villain's group, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Over 60,000 children have fallen victims to this movement. This is not the worst of it yet... The fight has been going on for 23 years, yet he's still out there committing this crime. In 2008, the villain was declared a terrorist. In 2010, the President Obama, the US Senate, and the House of Representatives unanimously signed to law the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act. In October of 2011, President Obama dispatched about 100 US troops to support the regional forces in removing the LRA leaders, although they are not to engage in combat themselves. Yes, I didn't know about this until last night. This evil tyrant has lived to slaughter and abduct thousands of humans, claiming that the Holy Spirit spoke to him to do so. There is no cause in this. His blasphemy and reign of terror is simply an act of dictatorship. So who is this person who had destroyed rights of humanity? Who dares to destroy the childhood dreams and instill fear in the innocent children's hearts? His name is JOSEPH KONY.

Well, now you know. What now? Spread the word! The American government does not have any special reason for their army being in a foreign land where America has no direct relations with; therefore, their support is limited. But with the voices and support of the whole world, we can coerce them to give more aid and supplies needed to capture Kony. The world has yet to know who Joseph Kony is. And that is where we come in. I know I don't have a lot of followers in Twitter currently, nor do I have a lot of viewers in my blog. But what I have learned throughout history is that one voice can make a difference.

I am doing my part in posting everywhere, helping the ones viewing my profile to at least be aware of who Kony is. What will you do?

A New Year: A New Beginning

2012 is here! I couldn't believe how time flies. It feels like it wasn't long ago I was standing at the shore of the beach in Bali where I received the first big surprise of the year... Unfortunately, 2011 didn't start as well as I had expected. The school year dragged on with a lot of drama involving the authorities and the church. I didn't really know what to expect. In my blackberry status, I simply wrote that I was barely escaping with a scorching fire behind me. The school was restless throughout the semester, my church underwent a change of structure, and things were not the same anymore. It was through this that I learned to hold on to the Lord. We can't expect to understand everything that's happening right then, but all we know is that God is in control. Trust me, it's hard to go through a major change like that after holding on to it for eight or more years. On the bright side, it brought my family closer, to each other and to other people as well. It was then that I knew I had to have someone to whom I can talk to and share. Sure enough, my friends are always there to cheer me up.

The school semester ended and we graduated. Everything went quite smoothly (thank God...). I had the most wonderful vacation with my fellow friends from the graduating class and our form teacher Ms. Fina. We went to the Komodo Islands in Flores and had an amazing time together. We played games till late at night in my room, joked around with each other, swam together, played water polo, took pictures of Komodo, and probably the most memorable: the boat ride together where we shared stories and slept under the stars together on the deck. It was just so amazing.

After our trip, I actually spent more time with my friends than I did in the school year. It was probably because of the realization that I might not be able to meet them for a long time anymore. I immediately arranged for another gathering at Waterbom. As always, we had fun together.

More good news to come: I was accepted in York University for all the three studies I applied to. I moved to Canada on late August and started September. I met great people and have been involved in numerous amazing ministries. My academic studies also were going well.

Unfortunately, 2011 was also the year when I received a lot of distressing news of people passing... I was especially disheartened by the passing of a friend that was quite dear to us. Abraham Singarimbun, who was my age, went through tumor a few years ago. He was cured eventually, but the treatment led a side effect that caused leukemia. The last time I visited him in August (before I left for Canada), he appeared to be healthy and strong. Reading his tweets, he was even able to go back home to Jakarta for a few days. We all thought he was already passed all the sickness and disease. On a Friday afternoon of November 18 while I was waiting for my next class, the news reached me that Abraham had passed. My heart went faint with shock and grief. Amazingly, I was able to pull myself together and finish class for that day. I found peace. Now that I look back on it, I couldn't have done so if I had not learned how to trust the Lord in these times. All things work together for good for those who love the Lord. (Romans 8:28)

On a Saturday midnight (1 A.M), I experienced a car crash on the way back home. Thank God we didn't suffer any serious injuries. Seriously, 2011 was a year full of surprises, but I just know that God's hand is with me everywhere I go.

2012 is a new beginning. A friend of mine says that 2012 is a "time for change". Another friend of mine says it's a time for the world to end, but that's not really important now. This is a year where we all should make the best of our lives. The incidents that happened in 2011 makes me realize how short life really is. Life is a gift from God. He give it and call us back anytime. Are we ready to be called back now? What changes have we made to impact the world? We do not have a lot of time. So let's not squander and waste it. 2012 is a year for change. We can't merely survive, we have to succeed. I believe great things will happen this year... for you and for me. Make the best of it =)



My prayers be with all of you,
Justin

Drifting Away...

I felt that this past few weeks I really drifted away from God... How do I know this? I started getting emotional, lost, and just utterly blank. My devotion time with Him started to get shorter and shorter until I barely had time to do so. I do hate feeling like this. You know, those feelings that makes you feel something is missing. Nothing can fill that empty spot except God Himself. Believe me, I tried. I tried filling it by music, but that wasn't satisfying enough. I tried filling it with TV shows, that didn't do the job. I tried filling with all kinds of internet stuff from social networking to browsing videos around YouTube, yet the void is still there. I tried chatting with my friends (this always cheers me up), but instead, I got insecure while talking. I see how this emptiness inside affects my daily life, and I hated it. I don't want to feel anymore emptiness. Let this blog entry be my seal of declaration that from this hour forward, I will fill that void with God and His love by spending time with Him each and every day.

I wrote a song back in the 11th grade about coming back to His presence:
Back Again
Lost my way from You
Far away from Home
Oh God, I pray
Longing everyday to come back to Your arms and bow down to all that You want...


Oh God
Forgive me that I sinned
Your grace suffice for those who repent


Never again I'll leave
Never again I'll sin freely
Even if I fall, pull me back and make me come back to Your arms and bow down to all that You want...

God pulled me back to Him... This is why I love Him so much... He never lets anyone fall behind. He is a God of second chances. I'm just grateful to have a God who cares and loves. I'm coming back to You, God. I'm back in Your presence...

Inflight Blog: Leaving my home...

As I am typing this, I am in a flight on the way to Toronto, Canada, where I will continue my further studies as an undergraduate in York University. Communication Studies would be my major throughout my four years study. Most of my fellow graduates of MSA have already started their university terms (kinda feel left out but also happy because I have a longer holiday :P). 

Leaving home is not easy at all... I am currently having mixed feelings of anxiety, excitement, nostalgia, and utter longing for my friends back home. I did not feel the “burden” of leaving until the morning of the day I was leaving. It was Sunday and I was ministering in the Kids on Fire Sunday school in my church. A bit of background: Kids on Fire (or KoF in short) is the first area of ministry in which I volunteered when I was about 10 years old. Back then, I was just working as a front desk registration person. My job was simply write down the children’s names who attend and give them coupons for the Kid’s Store. God gave me that chance to serve in KoF and I stayed faithful throughout the seven years after that. I wouldn’t be able to serve in the church choir nor be a musician if I had not ministered in KoF seven years ago... I decided that my last Sunday before leaving for university should be dedicated to where all my ministry started. I played the bass for both services. At the end of the worship session of the second service, Ms. Istha (wife of Ps. Jahja Gani) called me to the center of the stage to be prayed for. Her son, Joshua, came up the stage and prayed for His blessings to be upon me wherever I go. I was deeply touched... 

After the end of second service, I went up to the Music Hall to ask for the pastors’ blessings to send me off. I met Pastor Frans first. He prayed that I will hold all the moral values I have learned back home to Toronto. He prayed for the anointing of Daniel to be upon me wherever I go. After that, I went to Ps. Jahja, who prayed thanksgiving for putting me in the church to minister. Finally, I went to Ps. Markus who prophesied for me. “It’s true that you might not give your first fruit in the school like your brother and sisters did. The devil will tell you that you are missing out, but that’s a lie. ‘I have a greater plan for you’ says the Lord. I see you as a righteous man in God who stands on the right convictions. You will learn a lot of other ideas and religions, but you would not practice them.” After each prayer from the pastors, I embraced them saying my last goodbye before leaving. 

In the airport, I received several blackberry messages, tweets, and comments from several people wishing me “all the best” in Canada. Some even went through the trouble of typing out a long paragraph. I was deeply touched by their thoughtfulness in writing those long messages before I leave. I read through each one and thanked everyone. After that, I departed for Singapore. 

The next day, I went out with some of my friends (namely Tasha, Leon, and Josiah). My brother and sister (Adelene) tagged along. We went to visit our friend Abraham who is recovering from leukemia. We met the family and spent quite a while catching up with him. At 6, we parted ways. Leon, however, suggested we hang out in Marina Bay Sands’ Sky Garden to take pictures of the nightlife. This idea was quite random, but we went with it anyway. At half past 10, the four of us (excluding my sister and Tasha) arrived in the Sands. We found out that the Sky Garden had just closed half an hour ago. We decided to just take pictures inside the Sands Mall. As Leon and my brother took outdoor pictures of the Fullerton View, Josiah and I had a long talk about things that happened in MSA and things happening in the present. After a while, we both decided to search for Leon and my brother. Apparently, Tasha was already with them while they were taking low-shutter speed shots of themselves. It was quite fun! It’s able to make a figure seem like a specter in the image result. We took quite a while doing so. Around a quarter before 1, we decided to search for a 7/11 store to get some beverages. After a long search, we finally did find one in the mall. We had our drinks and exited the building. We took a long walk on the “Olympic Walk” while heading towards a cab. Leon never ceases to amuse all of us with his random comments and stories. Josiah took a separate cab home. I said my farewell to him. Then, we dropped off Tasha at her dorm. After that, we dropped Leon in his condo. Finally, we reached home at about a quarter past 2 (I have never gone home that late...or that early :P) I went online in Skype and saw Tasha online. I started a chat with her when I saw Leon and Josiah popped up online in Skype too. Then, we had a chat conference. Unfortunately, my internet broke down in the middle of the conversation... I didn’t get the chance to thank them for the awesome night I had. So I only tweeted and status-ed it. They made my last night there memorable. So if y’all are reading this, Tash, Le, and Jos, I wanna thank you SO MUCH for being such awesome friends for taking the time to hang out. =) I’ll miss you all... In fact I do already.........

I took a short nap on the plane earlier. After the inflight meal, I decided to look for something to do... However, the map’s not working and the inflight movies are not that interesting. So I decided to be alone with my thoughts for a minute. It was then that God showed me the blessings He had provided for me ever since childhood. I have a great family who takes care of me. Even now, my parents and sister are in the flight with me to Toronto to help arrange my necessities when we arrive. This is how much they love me =) Second, I had a great church. MSI had been my church ever since it was formed in early 2000s. My pastors cared for the welfare of each member and newcomer. I love my Sunday school ministry and worship ministry. I would definitely miss being in my church ministry... Finally, I have great friends who are thoughtful, random in a fun way, and supportive. I only regret that I did not spend more time with them when I had the chance... When experiencing all this, I almost shed tears. But now that I’m thinking back on all that happened, a cry of desperate longing is raging in my heart...

I learned a lot from my childhood, but I am now moving on to another phase of life. What I did is the past now. Sadly, it is now just a shadow in my memories... But as Switchfoot sings it, “The shadow proves the sunshine.” I believe I will enjoy a lot more things in university life as I move on. My memories of childhood are sweet as it is, but I pray that God would let my latter be sweeter than my past. I’m missing you all back home... I hope I can visit you as soon as I can. 

You all have marked a permanent seal in my memories. I would be sinning if I ever forget all the things you did for me. May God bless you all for the lessons you have taught me and the fun experiences we had together...

Desperately homesick, 

Justin

For my fellow graduates of 2010-2011

This composition is dedicated to my fellow senior classmates of MSA 2010-2011...

"I’m traveling through the sky overlooking the waters below

I looked out on my window and saw it’s all dark

The waters, the darkness

Even these brought longing memories to my mind...

I remember clearly those times

Resting our heads on the deck

Gazing upon the stars above

The dark waters surrounding the boat

My friends around me all adoring God’s beautiful creations

I can never forget that moment together

Looking back, it just hurts to recall

A feeling I haven’t felt before

The bond we all shared

Knowing that we are all far apart now

I just wish we could relive those moments..."