Renette's Devotion

The past few weeks was really tiring for me with all my tests every week and the need to be able to cope with my other committments like korean lessons , cca , piano , motivator training , church and all. However , thank God that my korean lesson is coming to an end real soon and hopefully I'll be able to cope better with my studies. God has pulled me through it all and soon 2 months of my first year in poly has gone by ! I survived. Although it's really frustrating at times when I don't catch what I'm learning in school , but I believe that God has been kind enough to enable me to scrap through each tests and I believe I'll be able to do well.

Thank God for even using my school life to draw me closer to Him each day. As I meet different kinds of people in my class and school whom are really different from me , and sometimes they do things that irritate me esp when I'm feeling so tired , but God has been good and He has enabled me to understand them and and He has been teaching me lessons each day and has brought me to know how fortunate I am.Sometimes I feel really upset with myself when I'm unable to catch up with the pace of learning in class , unable to blend in with some of my classmates , even get affected by my friend's family problems and at times I just feel so alone and lost and that's when I'll turn more to God.

For sure , things will get tougher as I move on-The worries on my peformance in school , the courage and tolerance I need as I mix with my classmates , etc. Although I've no idea what my future holds for me , but I got to perservere ! I believe God will make a way and He will watch over me.

Psalm 18:1
I love you , O Lord , my strength.

Renette

Paulina's Post

Last week was officially the 5th week of NDP training thus far. It is a battle to wake out of bed early in the morning and drag my feet all the way to Simei ite for training especially when there is cell on Friday night for me and it usually ends quite late. Nevertheless, the fun, fulfilment and joy NDP brings always overrules the tireness of the mind and body.

Last week we had our practice at this circular area of simei ite. First we had our very first lesson for the re-choreographed dance for the people who had street-magic as their ndp speciality, for the rest, its was probably the second or the third lesson. I tell you, at first we all look like chicken when we dance because it is so difficult to coordinate the legs and hands, ok, at least for me. I had fun laughing at myself and the people around me but honestly it was a beautiful sight seeing everyone putting in their very best while trying to synchronise each and every movement with the beats and rhythm of the song. I think if we could present God with a beautiful masterpiece, that precise moment would beat the famous picture of Mona lisa hands down (no offence to Mr Leonardo btw).

After dance practice, we broke off to our individual speciality to brush up on our skills. As there were a few of the guys who forgot to bring their magic kit, some of us ended up sharing with them ours. It was a hilarious time of talking about our lives, performing and acting audience to each other's performance.

To me, serving in NDP is not only a way to show my patriotism to the country, it is also about connecting with people and making the world a smaller place. It is amazing how people growing and living in two complete different environment can be, not that different after all when we take the first step and effort to know them more. Plus it also re-emphasized how we are, all the same in God's eyes and how through this, we can 'love our neighbours as ourselves'. I guess at the end of the day, it is not how perfectly we have managed to motivate the crowd, it is not about how we can boost to others that we have served in a national event. It is ultimately about the bonds forged, how we were all there for one another and how, we can make a difference in the life of that person who was once a stranger to us. It is also about how, we can spread the love of God to them. We love, because He has loved us.

In His love,
Paulina