I'm not gone yet! But this shall be my last post!
I forgot photos too. Ah well. Bear with it.
Today, Rachel, Preacher Gideon and Jia Xi were all late. So we didn't have morning devotions until around....10am. Plus. Rachel led devotions today, and we started with the song 除你以外。Then after that, Rachel led us through Genesis 8:1-11, which was the passage about Noah sending the birds out.
"But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible.
After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. But the dove could find no place to set its feet because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth."
Rachel started by telling us that this is like the end of our journey. Just as the flood is about to be over, our intern-ship journey is about to be over. Yes, the pun was intended. Anyway, Rachel then explained to us that just like how the dove returned to Noah, its master, we will also return to God. What was interesting about how the dove returned was that it flew directly back to Noah, and didn't just perch on top of the ark. For us, that means that we should return to God and not just stand nearby. If not, it would be like standing outside the tabernacle even though the curtain has already been torn.
Another thing she said was that the land was like our goals and satisfaction. When the dove returned without nothing, it is like us not finding satisfaction in earthly possession. And that is why we must always look towards God.
The third thing Rachel mentioned was about how the dove presented Noah with the freshly plucked olive leaf. This was like us presenting something good to God. Rachel gave these examples for the good things that we can present to God - by being thankful and grateful to Him for his mercy, by loving others, by showing kindness to others. And then she presented the same rhetorical question to us.
Then Preacher Gideon talked about how using narratives as examples for our own lives is a good thing, but we shouldn't use it too much. Because sometimes we go too far. And then he also talked a little about the differences between reformed Baptists and Presbyterians. And the last thing he said was about how it was amazing to see the similarities between creation and this! Because in Genesis 1:2, it says "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." See the similarities? Haha.
And that was for devotions. Thank you Rachel!
After that, we went back to do our own stuff. Porlin and I went to practise for fellowship's "worship" (it's not actually called worship, but we don't know what else to call it), while the rest went up to do whatever they needed to do. Then when we went up, w continued to do our own things. Porlin went to do the powerpoint slides, Rachel was attempting to finish up her noticeboard thing, Jia Xi, Timothy and I were all doing homework. But homework for different weeks.
Then we had lunch! Yu Zhu Lao Shi and Shou Juan Lao Shi treated us to KFC delivery because it was my last day here! So we all ate chicken, and this time we made sure hat no one ate more than he was allowed to. Yup. And then we talked about a lot of funny things which shall not be mentioned here either.
After that, we continued doing our own stuff and I also went to memorise 20 questions from the Shorter Catechism because of the exit interview. Then after my exit interview was over, Porlin, Rachel and I went down to practise again. And then Timothy came down to inform us that bible study was cancelled because Seth and Harry couldn't make it. Yup. So Preacher Gideon and Timothy left at around 4.30pm.
Now, Porlin is changing all the fan ti zi into jian ti zi. And she has just finished. And has decided to start memorising the Shorter Catechism too. Rachel is still downstairs glue-ing photos. Jia Xi is still doing homework, and I'm here (obviously....). And I'll have to wait until 7 for adult choir....
OK THEN! This is my final day and my final post as an intern. =) Tomorrow, a new day begins.
-Li Ting
I forgot photos too. Ah well. Bear with it.
Today, Rachel, Preacher Gideon and Jia Xi were all late. So we didn't have morning devotions until around....10am. Plus. Rachel led devotions today, and we started with the song 除你以外。Then after that, Rachel led us through Genesis 8:1-11, which was the passage about Noah sending the birds out.
"But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible.
After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. But the dove could find no place to set its feet because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth."
Rachel started by telling us that this is like the end of our journey. Just as the flood is about to be over, our intern-ship journey is about to be over. Yes, the pun was intended. Anyway, Rachel then explained to us that just like how the dove returned to Noah, its master, we will also return to God. What was interesting about how the dove returned was that it flew directly back to Noah, and didn't just perch on top of the ark. For us, that means that we should return to God and not just stand nearby. If not, it would be like standing outside the tabernacle even though the curtain has already been torn.
Another thing she said was that the land was like our goals and satisfaction. When the dove returned without nothing, it is like us not finding satisfaction in earthly possession. And that is why we must always look towards God.
The third thing Rachel mentioned was about how the dove presented Noah with the freshly plucked olive leaf. This was like us presenting something good to God. Rachel gave these examples for the good things that we can present to God - by being thankful and grateful to Him for his mercy, by loving others, by showing kindness to others. And then she presented the same rhetorical question to us.
Then Preacher Gideon talked about how using narratives as examples for our own lives is a good thing, but we shouldn't use it too much. Because sometimes we go too far. And then he also talked a little about the differences between reformed Baptists and Presbyterians. And the last thing he said was about how it was amazing to see the similarities between creation and this! Because in Genesis 1:2, it says "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." See the similarities? Haha.
And that was for devotions. Thank you Rachel!
After that, we went back to do our own stuff. Porlin and I went to practise for fellowship's "worship" (it's not actually called worship, but we don't know what else to call it), while the rest went up to do whatever they needed to do. Then when we went up, w continued to do our own things. Porlin went to do the powerpoint slides, Rachel was attempting to finish up her noticeboard thing, Jia Xi, Timothy and I were all doing homework. But homework for different weeks.
Then we had lunch! Yu Zhu Lao Shi and Shou Juan Lao Shi treated us to KFC delivery because it was my last day here! So we all ate chicken, and this time we made sure hat no one ate more than he was allowed to. Yup. And then we talked about a lot of funny things which shall not be mentioned here either.
After that, we continued doing our own stuff and I also went to memorise 20 questions from the Shorter Catechism because of the exit interview. Then after my exit interview was over, Porlin, Rachel and I went down to practise again. And then Timothy came down to inform us that bible study was cancelled because Seth and Harry couldn't make it. Yup. So Preacher Gideon and Timothy left at around 4.30pm.
Now, Porlin is changing all the fan ti zi into jian ti zi. And she has just finished. And has decided to start memorising the Shorter Catechism too. Rachel is still downstairs glue-ing photos. Jia Xi is still doing homework, and I'm here (obviously....). And I'll have to wait until 7 for adult choir....
OK THEN! This is my final day and my final post as an intern. =) Tomorrow, a new day begins.
-Li Ting
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