Be still and know that I am God

proppers

WHEN THE OCEAN RISE AND THUNDER ROARS
I WILL SOAR WITH YOU ABOVE THE STORM
FATHER YOU ARE KING OVER THE FLOOD
I WILL BE STILL KNOW YOU ARE GOD.


"We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead". -Apostle Paul in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians.


GOD IS GOD - Steven Curtis Chapman

And the pain falls like a curtain
On the things I once called certain
And I have to say the words I fear the most
I just don’t know

And the questions without answers
Come and paralyze the dancer
So I stand here on the stage afraid to move
Afraid to fall, oh, but fall I must
On this truth that my life has been formed from the dust

God is God and I am not
I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting
God is God and I am man
So I’ll never understand it all
For only God is God

And the sky begins to thunder
And I’m filled with awe and wonder
‘Til the only burning question that remains
Is who am I

Can I form a single mountain
Take the stars in hand and count them
Can I even take a breath without God giving it to me
He is first and last before all that has been
Beyond all that will pass

Oh, how great are the riches of His wisdom and knowledge
How unsearchable for to Him and through Him and from Him are all things

So let us worship before the throne
Of the One who is worthy of worship alone

giving help

proppers
I arrived at Red Crescent Hall shortly after 1pm on the 1st of Jan 2005. Didn't know what to expect & was kinda afraid of going into the building alone. Thought I'd wait for Bob to arrive (he was at lunch) but then I thought, "Don't be silly lah. Just go lah. Takut apa?" As I walked in, a friendly lady led me to the main hall where piles & piles of plastic bags filled with clothes were waiting to be sorted out. There were only a few people sorting clothes at that time. Maybe the rest were out for lunch. Anyway, I got started.

There were 2 other people who were already sorting clothes at my station & so I asked them what I was supposed to do. They were volunteers too - Evelyn & Lay Kim. People like them often inspire me. Why would anyone want to spend their new year's day absorbing dust & sorting clothes? We opened boxes & plastic bags & sorted clothes according to women, men & children. As we were sorting, loads & loads of clothes kept coming in. Many generous people were dropping by to donate stuff. Almost non-stop. Looking at the clothes that we were sorting, some clothes looked really new, some looked used but 'wear-able', but some were so dirty, yellow & old, not even fit to be rags. It was as though these people treated the Red Crescent as a dumping ground of their clothes & at the same time, kill 2 birds with 1 stone - donating. Make themselves feel good, I guess.

As I was sorting, I looked around & wondered, "Are they collecting food stuff, medical supplies & water?" Because I thought food, medical supplies & water are more urgent than clothes. Who needs another set of clothes when their stomachs are empty, or when they are dying of open wounds, or when they are thirsting for water? I thought if I could organise people in USM to gather all their water bottles fill them up with the 10cents per liter RO water from the machines, we'd be able to send quite an amount of water without much cost.

Talking about donations...there were so few food & water items that were brought in. Lots of clothes. It's as if people are giving away stuff that does not cost them anything, giving away stuff they do not want anymore. But for things that they need to buy to contribute (water & food), hmmm...not much.

After Evelyn & Lay Kim left, another lady came along - Tan. Looking at her, I'd think she's probably 20 years old. But when I started talking to her, I found out that she's married with 2 kids. Wow. She's from Butterworth & came here all the way to help out in the centre. She & her husband are members of the Red Crescent. In fact, her husband is in-charge of the blood donation drives. I learnt some stuff from her. Learnt that at times like these, biscuits are the best form of food to donate because you don't need to cook them - can just be eaten like that. I learnt how to sort clothes more efficiently. I learnt that I shouldn't pack the plastic bags too full so that they don't break. I learnt that all the pants should be put into the men's 'department' because men can't wear skirts. So, if small size pants go to the ladies, then the ladies will have a lot but the men would have few.

Was a good day at the centre. 5 hours. Good day of learning & giving the little that I could for the many victims of the disaster. They gave us fried rice & a bottled drink too & the way they thank volunteers makes me wanna go back again because I feel appreciated for what I have done (not that I'm doing these for the appreciation lah). By the time I left, the unsorted piles of clothes were so much less. Good way of spending new year's. A new way. Would want to return soon to continue helping.