This post was meant to be posted back in April but somehow I forgot to publish it. While I was going through my post I discovered this and now I am publishing it to share with all my dear friends. :D

As a mother of 2 kids I would say one of the hardest things in looking after children is when they are sick. Esther was really ill on one Saturday night about 2 months ago. She was all good during the day and went to bed as usual at about 7pm. However at about 10:30pm she was crying and screaming. I went in to her room and found her looking very pale and ill. She started throwing up when I picked her up from her cot. I tried to clean up everything and put her back in her cot thinking that she should be ok now since she almost threw up all of her dinner. However she continued to throw up intermittently like every 5 mins. My heart was aching seeing her in such a miserable state. She had nothing else to vomit but still had the urge to. :( She was so sleepy and really wanted to go back to sleep but just impossible with the constant throwing up.

I did not know what to do except to clean her up and comfort her. I tried very hard to stay awake to look after her but it was like 11:30pm already and I was really tired from a busy day. I got a chair and sat right in front of her cot so I could help her when she throw up. While I was struggling to keep my eyes opened, Psalm 121 came into mind. What a great promise it is to know that God who watches over us will not slumber nor sleep. I can just trust and totally depend on Him that nothing is out of His hands and He is my help! In contrast, us human is so limited in our own strength. I would love to stay awake and do everything for Esther but physically my body was tired and I was really struggling.

By about 12am midnight, Esther had threw up at least 15 times. However thanked God she was  finally able to go back to sleep with no more vomiting. I was able to go back to sleep knowing that God is watching over both of us! The next morning she was back to normal and her happy self.

Psalm 121:
I will lift up my eyes to the hills
  where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
  the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip
  He who watches over you will not slumber
Indeed, he who watches over Israel
  will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you
  the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
  nor th emoon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm
  He will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming an dgoing
  both now and forevermore.

 Dear friends, will you let this true and living God watch over you?

We read Bible to Jono every night before he goes to bed. Recently I started reading a question and answered book about God to him as well. Last night was the first night and it emphasised that God made everything like the sea, animals, plants, people and insects. Cheeky Jono immediately said "Well, I killed the insects that God made mum, I killed the ants."

Tonight, we read that God is invisible, we can't see Him. However, He is everywhere and He knows everything. Very seriously Jono said, "Well, He's not in the wall, mummy." LOL I think he is trying to make sense that how come God is everywhere.

I think as Christian parents we have the responsibility to teach our kids about God and His salvation. The more you talk about it with them the more they will understand. We are planting the seed and God will make it grow. There is great joy seeing your children get saved and follow God. 

Another thing we talked about is salvation. We have mentioned about it many times but tonight Jono made it personal for him. I said we are all sinners meaning we all do wrong things. And he said, "me too?" and I said "yes, we all have sinned and only Lord Jesus can save us." I invite him to accept the Lord Jesus as his saviour and he said yes. Even though he's only 3, it's not too young to talk about the needs to be saved. God's words are powerful and He can work in my little boy's heart. So never ever underestimated how much a child can know about God. Of course only time can tell whether Jono truly believes what he heard about God and his decision about accepting Jesus Christ as his saviour. As parents, our prayer is that he will be a man of God when he grows up!

"Mum, I'm not touching it I just want to have a look at it." This is what Jono said to me when I caught him touching the air freshener. To be honest, I'm not shocked to hear that my 3 year old lied trying to cover up his own wrong doings. He simply did not admit that he did wrong but trying to justify it. Isn't this was what the first man Adam did? Since Adam and Eve, sin has entered into the world. The Bible says "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23).

Let us stop covering up our wrong doings and accept God and His provision for us. We cannot enter into heaven because of our sins. But God gave us His Son - Lord Jesus Christ to be our Saviour. He has paid the penalty for sins when He died for us on the cross. What will you do with Christ? "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16)

Have you heard of the term 'Married Single Mum'? Do you know anyone who is or you are one as well. I found out that I'm one when I was searching other people's experience dealing with husband working away. And yes, I'm a MSM. My husband has been away for 8 weeks now and we are missing him dearly. I have the responsibility of looking after our children. It is not easy as I have my limitation and I do need someone to share the job.

I think the hardest thing is I had relied heavily on Dane before this and I was lost without him.  When he was still here I could call/sms him whenever I need him during the day and he is never too far away. When the days got tough I would just look at the clock and knew that Dane would be home at 5:30pm. He would be here and give me a break. He could lend me his shoulder and give me a hug. 8 weeks I haven't seen him and so do the kids. It took me a few weeks to get the routine right and settled down the kids and myself. No more waiting for Dane to come home so I can cook dinner or go out to do some shopping. There's no other person to bath/shower the kids, to change them, or put them to bed. I have to do it all by myself. Even though I'm staying with my in-laws but they are both working full-time and they are very busy. Ultimately I'm the parent so I do it all. Also I better get used to it too because once we're posted to Newcastle, Adelaide or Darwin I will have no family or friends (hopefully to make some new friends) around. However, God is my strength and He is with me. Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

 

Even though Dane is not physically with us but he is still one of us. He is still the head of this house and we love him.  I think I'm still learning to find the balance and not to make my children feel that they only need mummy. Wisdom I really need it so much. Know how to involve Dane to still be part of our lives is the thing I have to put effort in. I started to talk about daddy and what daddy would do if he was here. I tried to talk  to Jono about the things that we do together with daddy. We wrote letters to daddy and we took photos so we can send it to him. No doubt there's time when Jono wanted to be with daddy and he was very sad that he couldn't go to training with daddy. However, he has been very stable and settled in the last few weeks. At the same time, I have become more independent and learnt to do many things by myself. Even though I know I could do it all but having Dane to share the load would be better. After all marriage is a two people's business. We also have built our family together and it's never complete without him. around. I really missed him last night when it was all quiet and I had no one to share my thoughts/feelings with. By that time we had not talk for 2 days. Thankfully we had about 10 minutes tonight on the phone. It 's so comforting to be able to hear his voice again.

I thank you Lord for giving me strength and comfort when things are tough. Thank you for your daily protection and provision. I can do nothing without you. When there's no one else around I know I have you. You have promised that You will never leave us nor forsake us. I prayed that my life reflects you and that my children will see how mummy's God is a living God. Help me to be an example to them and show them what being strong and courageous mean. Let them learn about how mummy and daddy trust in God and live their lives according to the Bible's Truth. Thank you for everything and I know I'm a happy and blessed 'Married Single Mum'.

I watched this video today, and I just have to share it.



Below is an article I found on the internet that tells us more about the story:

I want to share with you a true story about a man named John Griffith. In the 1930’s he worked as the controller of a huge railroad bridge across the Mississippi River. Every day at certain scheduled times the huge bridge was raised so that barges and other ships might make their way down the river. And according to a schedule, John would lower the bridge so that the freight and passenger trains could rush across.

In the summer of 1937, John Griffith took his then eight-year-old son with him to work for the first time. The boy was excited to watch the big railroad bridge and the trains & boats, and also to see the control house with all kinds of levers over which his daddy had absolute control.

His father took him to an observation deck so that he could watch the boats and trains go by. At noon John put the bridge up to let some ships go by since there would not be a train coming for awhile. He made his way to the observation deck where the two of them had lunch.

Just as John was telling a long story about the trains & boats, he was startled by the shrieking of a train whistle in the distance. He quickly looked at his watch and noticed that it was 1:07.

In the midst of his story telling he had forgotten that the passenger train - the express for Memphis with 400 passengers on board - would soon be roaring across that bridge.

Without panic but very quickly he leaped from the observation deck and ran back to the control tower. He placed his hand upon the massive iron controls and started to close the bridge. But before pulling the lever, he glanced down beneath the bridge to see if there were any ships beneath it.

There a sight caught his eye that made nearly made his heart stop.

His son had slipped from the observation deck and had fallen into the huge gears that operate the bridge. Though the boy was still alive and conscious, his left leg was caught in the cogs of the main gears!   John knew that if he pulled that lever his son would be crushed.

His eyes filled with tears of panic, and his head was spinning. What he could do was to take a rope, rush to the observation tower, tie it and lower himself into the gear box, free his son, bring him back up to the observation deck, and make his way quickly back to the control tower to lower the bridge.

But no sooner had he thought it, than he knew there was no way he could do it in time for the train.

Again, closer than ever, the train whistle sounded. He could hear the wheels clicking over the tracks and the puffing of the engine.

But that was his son!

Yet there were 400 passengers on that train which was roaring toward the bridge. But John Griffith was a father and that was his boy!

………He knew what he had to do…….. so he buried his head in his left arm and pulled the master lever.

That massive bridge lowered into place just as the Memphis Express roared across the Mississippi.

When he lifted his head with his face smeared with tears, he looked into the passing windows of the train.

There were businessmen casually reading their afternoon papers, uniformed conductors looking at their large vest-pocket watches, well-dressed ladies in the dining car sipping coffee, and children pushing long spoons into the dishes of ice cream.

No one looked at the control house and no one looked at the great gear box.

With wrenching agony, John Griffith cried out at the train---- "I sacrificed my son for you! Don't you care?"  But nobody heard.  They never even looked up from their newspapers, watches, coffee and ice cream.

The Son of God has been sacrificed so that we might have eternal life.

Will we look up from our newspapers, watches, coffee and ice cream?

"Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-8

Yes, my Lord cares for me and He is always there for me. I know I'm never alone! HE KNOWS everything about me and my condition.

I'm counting my blessings and learn to be thankful and joyful!

According to my count down calendar, it only has 2 weeks and 6 days before Dane and I have to say goodbye. :'(. I thought I would be strong and nope I am not. I already miss him heaps. You never know how much you will miss someone until you have to say goodbye...

      How could I go for a day not seeing him??? I don't know... 

      How can I go to sleep without him and wake up without him??? I don't know...

      How would go shopping without him??? Look after the kids without him??? I don't know

      How could I survive not talking to him face to face and his hugs and kisses??? I don't know

However, I know our God is with us and He is there for us wherever we are. He is our strengths and our comforter. Our Lord Jesus knows what loneliness is and He truly knows what it is like to be separated from loved ones.

I want to take one day at the time and cherish now.
Be strong and take courage!

Deuteronomy 31:8
And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake; do not fear nor be dismayed.” you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”




I love this song and it really comforts me a lot!


Be Strong And Take Courage
By Don Moen

Be strong and take courage
Do not fear or be dismayed
For the Lord will go before you
And His light will show the way

Be strong and take courage
Do not fear or be dismayed
For the one who lives within you
Will be strong in you today

Why don' you give him all of your fears
Why don't you let him wipe all of your tears
He knows, He's been through pain before
And He knows all that you've been looking for

So, be strong and take courage
Do not fear or be dismayed
For the Lord will go before you
And His light will show the way

Be Strong and take courage
Do not fear or be dismayed
For the one who lives within you
Will be strong in you today

Nothing can take you out of his hand
Nothing can face you can't command
I know that you will always be
In His love, in His power you will be free!!

So, be strong and take courage
Do not fear or be dismayed
For the Lord will go before you
And His light will show the way

Be Strong and take courage
Do not fear or be dismayed
For the one who lives within you
Will be strong in you today

I must have Jesus in my whole life
I must have Jesus in my life
In my walking, in my talking, in my sleeping, in my waking
I must have Jesus in my life


Chinese Version:
我必须有主在我生命中，我必须有主在我心；
在我行走，在我谈话；在我休息，在我苏醒；
必须有主在我心

Truly acknowledge that I must have JESUS in my life. In everything that I do I need you Lord. I used to sing this song a lot in my M'sia church's Sunday School. It is so simple yet so true. Should teach Jono how to sing it. :D

Hurray, it's 7:15pm and both kids are in bed. I'm having some quiet time to myself while Dane's taking a short nap. I had a great day today just being at home with my two beautiful kids. Jono had been SOOOO GOOD and he made me laugh all day. He was so delightful and chatted with me all day long.

My weekly plan is working well so far and I really enjoy doing different things each day. We watched a movie called "Fireproof" last night and it was very moving. The story is about a couple and how their broken marriage can only be fixed with GOD's LOVE and SALVATION. The husband followed a book given by his father called "The Love Dare" for 40 days to get his wife back. At first he found it wasn't working as everything he did was rejected by his wife. He wanted to give up at day 20. He talked to his father and his father finally pointed out that he could only love someone even after being rejected with GOD's LOVE. The Lord Jesus was rejected again and again but He never stop loving us. He gave his life for us and shown us what unconditional love really is. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) The husband eventually got saved and he started reading the Bible and continued the love dare challenge even though the wife was unmoved. At the end, the wife discovered how much her husband loved her and she also saw the changes in him and they eventually got back together. I love the story as it illustrated what real love is. GOD is LOVE!

Praying for tomorrow, may I use my time wisely and bring honour to God in everything that I do.

Words: John­son Oat­man, Jr., in Songs for Young Peo­ple, by Ed­win Ex­cell (Chi­ca­go, Il­li­nois: 1897).

Music: Edwin O. Excell (MI­DI, score)

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Refrain

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

Refrain

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

Refrain

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Refrain

This hymn came into mind when I was reading a friend's blog today. She stated how down she felt and was asking for God's strength. I immediately thought about myself and what do I do when I am feeling down. Praise be to God I can count my blessings. Every single one of them from small to big. Just like the hymn says 'it will surprised you what the Lord has done'. There are no more burden, no more worries, no envy and doubt! Yes, let's count our blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.