My two little ones

My little tomboyish Rebekah Bong


My little cheeky Ezra Bong

Donating blood

Brought Belle to the hospital on Wed 28 Dec 2011. I wanted to donate blood and she wants to observe how it's done. After registering for the Kelas Peneman, we went to the blood bank department. Only one donor was there and it didn't take long for my turn to donate my blood. Showed Belle my Donate Blood Book and told her that I've donated 18 times and hoping to donate more in the future.

She watched the nurse inserted the need into my vein and how the blood flowed down into the bag. Thank God that she did not fainted or scream during the whole process.

Oh ya, the nurses at the Kelas Peneman registration counter and the blood bank thought that I am a Malay. They had to look at my name twice to confirm. Hahaha...the same experience every time I went to the hospital.

Proud parents

One of the best way to honor our parents is to make them proud of us. It can be in the form of our godly character, obedience and even achievements. And this Christmas, I am one of those parents who are proud of their children.

Annabelle, Clarissa and Barnabas participated in the church Christmas Service presentations. They did a sign language presentation which came out well. Furthermore, Annabelle joined the tambourine group and presented a tambourine dance (Shouts For Joy song). It was a proud moment to see my girl dance gracefully on the stage. Now I know how it felt to be a proud parent.

And I'm sure my brother Daniel and Engso Jacklyn would also be proud of their 3 daughters who performed a number of presentations on this Christmas Service. I'm waiting for the days when all my children will up there on the stage to present their dance, drama or presentations to the Lord. I'll be a proud father again then.

Running tight on budget

What have I done wrong these past few months? At the end of every month, it always seems that I have not enough money. There are always some extra expenses to pay for. There is the apartment’s toilet floor to repair. Then there is the photocopy machine that needs major repair. The water heater had to be changed. The car gear box suddenly got jammed and the repair really caused a big dent on my bank account. All these unexpected extra expenses really bite chunks of my monthly income. And I do not have much to spare either.

So for the past few months, I have been juggling my income and my expenses on a thin line. I thank God for the shop landlord who is understanding and kind enough to let me delay my rental payment. It gives me some time to juggle my income and pay the necessary bills first. The utilities bills must be paid on time or else the utilities company will cut off their supply. The staffs’ salary is also on the top priority list. I also thank God that somehow He provided enough for me to clear all my expenses though there is a need to juggle the expenses at the end of every month.

One of the things that I do not like to see every month is the credit card bills. No, my wife and I do not overspend with our credit card. In fact, if I were to check my credit report, I would get a good report. The credit cards are used to pay our house bills and our household groceries bought at the shopping market. It is just that I prefer to pay by cash instead of using credit card unless I do not have cash at hand. If you do not seem to get a hold on your finances, get your free credit score to see where you stand financially.

Then there is the end of the year holiday/festival expenses. I tried not to spend much on this type of expenses but with 5 children, it can be very difficult. Little expenses here and there equals to a big chunk out of my income. Next year would be a harder year especially when the number 6 arrives. I really must discipline myself not to spend unnecessarily on my food. Lord, bless your servant. Thanking You in advance.

Finding freedom or Master

Scottish theologion P.T. Forsyth, "The first duty of every soul is not to find its freedom, but to choose its master."

Reminded me of the story of the kite. A boy made a kite and brought it to the beach. He let it fly and soon the kite was flying high. Every tugging by the boy made the kite fly higher and higher. Then the kite thought that it could go higher if only the string that holds it back is cut loose. The kite snap loose the string and with high anticipation and eagerness wanted to fly higher. But to its dismay, it was swayed by the wind and dive towards the ground.

Everyone of us can achieve greatness and fly higher only if we are attached to our master and do the bidding of our master. Then we can find the freedom to fly higher in the sky. To be free without our master will surely cause our downfall. Many in this world wants to be their own master without realizing that their own capability is very limited. Many in this world wants to be free. Unfortunately the very freedom that they say they have later become a bondage to them.

Choose wisely your Master for the true Master shall set you free.

What is worship?

by John Piper, Desiring God (Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1986), 65-66

The fuel of worship is a true vision of the greatness of God; the fire that makes the fuel burn white-hot is the quickening of the Holy Spirit; the furnace made alive and warm by the flame of truth is our renewed spirit; and the resulting heart of our affections is powerful worship, pushing its way out in confessions, longings, acclamations, tears, songs, shouts, bowed heads, lifted hands and obedient lives.

Publish Post

Beautiful Washington

Contributed by Milford Woods

Washington is really the most beautiful place I’ve ever lived.I moved to Kennewick a long time ago, and never plan on leaving. The Pacific Northwest just has so much to offer, and I am so happy here. I am close to my family, and have a beautiful home. The weather may be really rainy most of the time, but I don’t mind it. It’s not too hot, so that means I can hike and spend a lot of time outdoors, which is awesome. When I’m not outdoors enjoying all of the beautiful scenery, I’m usually at home on the internet. I lean on the internet for most of my communication. I don’t have a home phone line anymore, because I really felt like I was throwing money out the window. I also pay all my bills and read most of my news on online, so having good service is really important. I wanted to check out progress on wireless internet Kennewick, so I went online and checked it out. It’s crazy how many more local places are offering free wireless and how many more providers we have in the area now.