It was a proud moment between me and God as I walked along the stage during the graduation ceremony. At the end of it all, I told my parents and aunts, 'The show is over'. The actual substance of the entire PhD is in the journey itself over the past 3+ years, I dedicated the graduation (with all its glamour) to God and rejoiced in it. Had fun wearing the gown. It brought a laugh on the faces of my parents and aunts. It felt like a dress and I danced around in it to amuse my friends. Was abit impatient with my mum for abit because of her fuss over the need for all the professional photographs, buying the video, etc. My dad also 'graduated' with a PhD in a matter of seconds as I put the gown on him, that was fun! My lovely aunt became my photographer for the day, thanks Aunt for all the effort :) I put alot of gel on that day and my friend saw the vain side of me as I was styling my hair again just before I went on stage. The last speech during the ceremony was especially good as it talked about giving a honest evaluation to managment and finding a job which you enjoy doing.
The two weeks leading up to the ceremony was fruitful. Started with Mark and Huifen's wedding. Felt bad about the lack of effort in organising Mark's stag night, fortunately it turned out to be pretty smooth as we had dinner at Nosh and went to a pub for a drink. The wedding itself was tiring. Headed to Mark's house at 6am to help him dress up. I admire the couple for making most of the arrangments themselves. It is NOT easy at all. Similiar to graduation, weddings are primarily meant for family and friends. There were 4 bestman speeches and i enjoyed giving mine. The content was from my heart. The loving atmosphere and people's laughter made all the difference. It hasn't been an easy journey with Mark and Huifen, but definately one with valuable lessons and I am sure God has His purposes for it all.
Travelled to Scotland (Loch Lomond, Oban, Isle of Mull, Iona, Edinburgh) with aunts. Thank God for He made so many fantastic arrangments, big and small, from accommodation to the weather. Highlight of the trip was Iona and my aunts thoroughly enjoyed it, it's a small island well suited for retreats. The hostel was the cleanest and most peaceful I ever stayed in and we attended a 9pm service at the Iona abbey. Drove around in a Golf, one of the cars which I was tempted to spurge on but exercised self control when I moved to Mark's house. The fruits of reward after exercising self control is great! Was rewarded again when my aunts bought me a Harrods shotglass at the end of the trip when I previously decided to save money on my endless spending on shotglasses. Got to understand my aunts more and more aware of the generational and gender differences, for example, being more careful about things and not taking things for granted. The background they grew up in is way different from mine, times were much harder.
Another highlight of the trip was climbing Ben Nevis. It was a humbling experience as I nearly thought I couldn't get to the top. On the way down, my knees hurt and I walked almost each step with pain. God tested me about my weakness for girls from the start and I am glad I focused on Him instead. It was a spiritual journey and I meditated around the verse He gave me for my viva, Psa 121, 'I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from. It comes from God, the maker of heaven and earth'. Literally, it was a dependence on Him on the way up and down considering my physical limitations. The long walk took close to 10 hours and I was glad to be back at Distillery cottage to assure my worried aunts and enjoy a nice home cooked dinner!
My sermon at the chinese church was perhaps the least prepared in terms of the script because I didn't have much time to go thorough it. It turned out to be another valuable lesson as I know that people's responses were due to God and not a well memorised speech. I spoke with a real conviction I had about God's Word and my prayer was that people would have the same conviction. I was touched by the get-together at a restaurant pub after church. I realise more about the impact I had made and I thank God for it.
I leave Nottingham with this in mind, knowing that I have left lasting impressions. Though I am largely unaware of how and what impressions I have made, I remind myself that that is not the focus. That's simply God working His purposes through me for His Kingdom. I pray that I would not be someone who would backslide after a real experience with God and having tasted His guidance and blessings. The working life in front of me will be a test. I also want to make the effort to remain in contact with people and continue to be a living testimony. It's time for a new chapter in Singapore.
This last photograph is the reason why I believe all the effort, time and money spend on my last trip to UK was worthwhile.
No comments:
Post a Comment