galactic gush

practically everything about the universe, in the astronomical sense of the word, has intrigued and captured me for years---from stars and planets to supernovae and galaxies. i'm no expert on any of these things, but just love reading about them, provided they're not full of figures that my brain is not tuned to process.

here's an email, cut-&-paste, which i very enthusiastically penned to my working-group buddies, after i'd read up on some astro facts.



I've been doing quite a bit of reading up on the universe and galaxies and stars. Don't ask me why, its just a current interest I have, and I'm really enjoying it! (:

Let me share something I've learnt:

- Our universe is made up of billions of galaxies (according to scientists).
- Each galaxy is made up of billions of stars.
- Our solar system is part of the Milky Way galaxy (yup, we live in the Milky Way) and our sun is just one of the billions of stars in the Milky Way.
- This is how wide the Milky Way is: 9,500,000,000,000 x 150,000 km. Sorry, I couldn't bother enough to calculate! This means, if you were to travel across the Milky Way, that's how far you gotta walk.

I just had to share this. There's a lot of other incredulously galactical figures..absolutely incomprehensible, which I will not flood you with now!

The immensity of the universe in which we are a part of is absolutely mind-boggling. I don't think we're even supposed to understand it, really... And this is just how BIG our God is. (: it makes me wonder how I can get so caught up in my own infinitesimal "universe" at times...


Absolutely star-struck,
emily



Where I'm currently feeding my galactic appetite for astro-knowledge: http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space.html
What is a light-year? http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question19.html

more to come

at about 5.15pm today, the heavens began to pour. just when the work day was going to end!
i was wearing my trusty Birks, and got my feet all wet and swishy-feeling. but no complains (:

except that one of the aluminium strips of my new umbrella from Bossini, which i'd paid $16 for, got dented. big question mark. sigh. the downside of 'ultra-light' brollies. but my pa fixed it skilfully anyway.


***

Good Friday
it was extra special this year.
a walk with Jesus---a prayer journey taking believers through the steps of Jesus leading up to His crucifixion---was truly worth the while doing. my thanks can only go to God, for the work He did in the many hearts who took a journey with Jesus those two days. the 5 rooms we used were beautifully transformed into a labyrinth of peace and calm. i know God was in there (: ready to meet with each of His children.

the absolute calm in those rooms was, in fact, far from what i'd felt in the two days leading up to the event. i was getting increasingly anxious, angsty and agitated. when things didn't seem to be falling into place, with much to do, and few hours of sleep, it felt like my spirit was fighting a losing battle. even just the night before, i was deeply discouraged by some words that were spoken by someone else. in fact, in a fit of weariness, anger and self-rejection that discouraging night, i'd said aloud i don't know what i got myself into when i suggested the idea.

yet, He used the deep desperation within to show me that it would only be by HIM alone that all things would fall into place. honestly, i was so tired i simply said Take it Lord. All yours. I let go. He alone would make it work out. and He did.

after all, it is never what we do or can do that matters. it is His spirit at work in each of us. looking back, it was all worth it.

thank You Lord for your divine inspiration.
thank You for sending the right people, with overflowing creativity, artistic flair and generosity, to put Your plan into place.
thank You for working through our human imperfections for Your perfect purposes.
thank You for meeting with each one in those rooms those hours. it was truly precious.


***

Megan
my lovely niece had a check-up at the hospital today. we'd expected the doctor to prescribe meds--diurectics to help the little one so that her heart wouldn't be overworked. but my sis & spencer were greeted with good news. megan is growing well and isn't exhibiting any signs of heart failure. so, she doesn't need medication now. she just needs plenty of growth!

God is good. thank you, if you've been praying for megan and my family. do continue to pray for His timely healing upon megan. also, that my parents, who love their grandchildren deeply, may continue to find the Lord to be all sufficient for their every need. i'm praying that through megan's healing, they may taste the realness and goodness of God.


***

FACES
what can i say? (:
i'm thankful for each one in this cg.
for the way God is drawing each one unto Himself daily. for the way He doesn't and never will give up and let go of them. for His perfect purposes for each life.

what a joy it was just to see them break up into small groups to pray for each other on saturday. frankie and i sat back and looked at the scene. they're a bunch with such great potential for the Lord. i pray they'll know this well, that God is for them always.


***

Timor Leste
the land beckons. come april 18, i'll finally get to see the land and her people.
feel the land, feel His heartbeat.

may God reveal His heartbeat for me in this land.


***


more to come.
(:

officially hopeless

i'm officially hopeless at blogging.

wait, that sounds familiar. i think i might have mentioned that the last time i blogged. so now, i'm officially officially hopeless at blogs.

if you're reading this, you might want to check back in another 3 months (:

its hard to pen down the happenings in the last 3 months. i hardly think i can remember most parts of it... :\
but i'll hazard a try still:

* youth camp was a blast! (ya, i know so long liao...)
i was officially the oldest camper, apart from the youth pastor. but, i think sam popped down for a bit, so he had that honour for a few hours.

* i did not manage to go to east timor.
it was a big disappointment at first, because the cause of my not being able to go was actually due to the lack of a ticket. the budget airlines were fully booked up and even if i could get a tic to go, i couldn't secure one to get back soon enough to return to work. the prospect of having to come back alone and later than the others was rather daunting. so, i gave the soreness to God and decided that it was all in His timing. and so it is, because i'm going in april! and it's timely, because i'm going with a team full of ladies (i'd be the only female from church if i'd gone for the original trip) and we're going with the specific purpose of conducting english camps. that is an added bonus cos i'd wanted to go with the intention of bringing education to the children.

* megan, my 2nd niece, was born. she's amber's little sister and she's a real sweetie. (:
on her 2nd day, the doctor revealed that she has a heart condition--2 holes in her heart. both holes are considerably big. it wasn't easy news for the family to swallow...and at times, it makes me scared just thinking about it. about how fragile life is and how real and possible it actually is for us to lose her, even before we've gotten to know her. yet, i, and i believe my sis & spencer, am reminded that we can rest in His sovereignty and goodness in every situation. my prayer is that God will show Himself to be so real to our family through this, and that our parents may sense His abiding grace and find Jesus. if you're wondering, megan is likely to need surgery when she gets older. we're praying she'll continue to grow bigger and stronger.

* justin and i have journeyed through 7 months.
i don't quite know what i can say here, except that when people ask how it's been for us, i tell them "we've got our highs and lows... and we're learning! i think God is more interested to change me than him!"
that sweet guy bought me a lovely nike water-bottle for a v-day gift. i'd first seen it last year and was terribly tempted to get it. i didn't. and just when i thought it was out of season and stock, we stumbled upon it at some ulu sports shop a few weeks before v-day. once again, i nearly gave in but stopped short of making the purchase. and so, justin went back, got it and surprised me with it. *beams*

* i got promoted.
higher pay, higher expectations.
new job scope.
all i can say is, thank You Lord. (:


i'll stop here. need to gain some perspective before i write more.
be back...sooner, i hope. (: