This year is the Year of the Rabbit.

It marks the twelfth year since 1987 that I began studying the Animals of the Chinese New Year. Therefore, I should have completed a full cycle of such studies. But somehow, looking back through my previous notes, I seem to have missed out on The Year of the Dragon and the Year of the Serpent. I cannot remember why I missed them out. Hence, I have to wait for two more years before I decide what I should do with these completed studies.

When I first started with the Year of the Rabbit in 1987, I only did it at Burmah Road Gospel Hall. This year (DV), I shall be doing it in all four assemblies on Penang island, including the Chinese-speaking assembly at BRGH.

These yearly studies have been very profitable for me, and hopefully, for the believers as well. Presumably, they must have because there have been requests for me to compile them into book form.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the preparation of these studies. A few of them have been very challenging for two reasons. Either the “animals” are mentioned only very few times in the Bible, as in the case of the Rabbit, Monkey and Rat, or none at all, as in the case of the Tiger last year.  It then needed much waiting on the Lord and research (not to mention God-given creative thinking too) to see how best I could approach the subject within the compass of the series, and yet make it relevant to the principles and practices of Christian living today.

Space does not allow me to include this year’s study outline on The Year of The Rabbit in the Berita Bethel.  But if you are interested, I shall be too happy to send it to you on request.

THE YEAR THAT WAS.

1998 brought many leaning experiences to me.

• At the beginning of the year I learned the very hard lesson of humility, forgiveness and fore-bearance; patience and love in relationships with one another – even among saints in the Lord.
• As the year progressed, I learned what it meant to trust and rest in the Lord while endeavouring to be as helpful as possible, to others. Without realising it, I accepted more meetings than I could physically, mentally and spiritually cope with. That led to much "stress" which forced me into a position where I had no other choice but just to cast myself totally on to the Lord, and He was wonderful. Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord.  Also, the one-month rest that I had in going to the States to attend my eldest son’s graduation was a welcome change for me, my wife and my son’s family.
• In the course of the year, I learnt too that faith in God is no empty boast and He is more than sufficient in meeting all my needs. From an unexpected source, a loving sister passed on to me her unused used laptop to help me in my itinerant ministry. A young brother working in a computer firm gave me a used PMCIA card to facilitate email-ing from the laptop. When my HD crashed, another brother was there to advise and reinstall it. Above all things else, the perfect timing of the Lord to meet all needs stood out triumphantly in the passing year.
• I learnt too from the anonymous saints at BRGH. They, and other known saints, sacrificed what the Lord had blessed them with to share with me. They gave me the honour to channel the same (together with other gifts received from other assemblies in the course of my ministry) to others who need the gifts more.  This term (Oct. 98 - Jan. 99) I have the privilege (on their behalf as well) to be partners with the following co-workers in God’s vineyard: -
• Dr. G.D. James, Sydney, Australia;
• The YMCA Bible Quiz participants from Burmah Road Gospel Hall Sunday School;
• Mr. N. Sinnappan, Butterworth Gospel Hall;
• Mr. Arnold Clarke, Phuket, Thailand.
• Mr. W. Wilson, Ireland;
• Ms. Leong Lai Yan, Nilai Gospel Hall;
• Mr. & Mrs. Yee Fook Cheong, Marriage Counselling.

The first month of the new year did not start off well with me – it was just a continual visit of hospitals (sometimes as many as three per day) and sick people. Our assembly’s oldest believer, Mrs. Wu (91) had a stroke and is now recuperating in the Geriatrics Unit in Hospital Pantai Mutiara. The initial discovery of her lying on the bathroom floor in her home (where she was staying all alone) to her present recovery is a marvellous tale of Divine intervention and grace. Her neighbour, sis. Esther Ooi (in her eighties), has to have regular blood transfusion to replace her blood corpuscles. Then I lost my uncle to cancer of the liver on 12^th Jan.  My beloved cousin-in-law, Susan Lim (from IGGC) is now under treatment for serious lung problems. My 90-year-old father-in-law also had the family worried when he complained of stomach problems. We thought his cancer of the colon (for which he has remission for over ten years already) was acting up. But praise the Lord, it was a false alarm. Then a few days later, he injured his head when he fell from bed in his sleep. No one knew about this until his daughter discovered a dried pool of blood on the floor later. My diabetic mother-in-law also had us worried at this time. The ray of sunshine in this overcast sky was the good news of the gift of Daniel to Mr. & Mrs. Boo Soon Yew on 11^th Jan. Amidst all this sadness, I could trace God’s good sovereign hand moving very graciously among His people.

The first quarter of this term finds me moving around the assemblies in Penang, as I speak on the Year of the Rabbit. In my home assembly, I have been asked to do a monthly study on the Book of Zechariah every third Sunday from Jan. to Apr.  I continue to take charge of the bi-monthly Mission Night and the production of The ECHOS  - the bi-monthly assembly missionary prayer bulletin.

This year I am no more involved in the assembly free tuition classes as it was difficult to find replacements when I had to go to other assemblies. In my own home at Bethel, some of the assembly younger leaders gather together to study practical ministry skills on certain Friday nights. This is open to all who care to commit themselves to such study. It is commonly known as the BBC or Bethel Bible Class. Those interested can contact sis. Melissa Ooi.

THE YEAR THAT SHALL BE (DV).

As the Lord leads, this year will be another busy year. My outside itinerary will lead me firstly to Kledang Community Centre in Ipoh to do a study on The Tabernacle in early March.

In May it will be a weekend of three-session-study on Worship at Melawati Gospel Centre. At the end of May, I go to Kota Kinabalu. This will be the third consecutive year I shall have fellowship with Grace Chapel at their Family Retreat. This time we shall be studying the prophetic chapters of Daniel.

Tentatively, I have been scheduled for a cataract operation in June. However much will depend on my vision then. Over two years ago, the same arrangement was made, but I somehow escaped the laser knife with a change of glasses. Hopefully, it may be the same this time, though it is getting to be too costly, having changed two pairs already.

After a month’s rest or so (i.e. if the surgery takes place), I have 16 lectures on Eschatology at GLO Bible School in Taiping, to be followed by another Fri.-Sun. series of studies on The End Times at Kledang Community Centre in Ipoh in August. The above schedule is as the Lord wills and enables.