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Counting the Blessings of 08

T . H . A . N . K . S !

Jean for being my sounding board, encourager, blesser, companion, friend, God's messenger to me throughout 2008. Even without speaking to you, I learn so much just by watching you live out your life mantra: love. Think God really placed you in my life to teach me how to view people in His way - this is not an exaggeration when I say that I see and find Jesus in you! May I be able to put to practice all you've advised me about in the year ahead! Love you & thank God for letting me have the privilege to be your twin =)

Mic for accepting me for who I am and driving us home when you can! I think what I learnt most from you is to pursue the things that needs done, for you to get a breakthrough. And I thank you for taking the time to draw us aside and unload what is important, and you feel is important for us to know. I treasure your advice and your straight-shooting ways a lot! I feel the love in your friendship because not only are you there through the fun times, but I can always feel the watchfulness of an older sister from you. Thanks Mic! My prayers are always with you! =D

Jang for your patient friendship. Though I often think myself contented where I am, you never fail to reach out to include me in your world of fashion and street wisdom - it has definitely colored my life and developed me a lot through the years of our friendship. Thanks for forging ahead through your obstacles, because you're really living for God when you can inspire people around you to dare to dream. Hope that this year I can add more into your life, though it can never add up to how much you've enriched mine!

Bean for your courage: because in spite of fear, you have grown to confront more, and because of your courage to hope in people and carry the atmosphere you're in, you're a real joy to be around! Thanks too for just being you and knocking me loose. Though I often react incredulously to the things you come up with, I'm truly, deeply amused by them. You are definitely one of the few people who can make me cry from laughing! I definitely need you in my life, not only because of the fun times, but because you do challenge me to engage with people and to be disciplined and passionate as you are when you run. For every grumpy moment and stubborn silence, I pray you'll forgive me! =) I'll work harder to laugh more! ;)

Jing xuan for daring to be yourself and loving me hard enough in the back scenes, so that I can feel it and witness it in every sermon that you write yourself, and every consideration for our spiritual growth. =) Even though I don't spend a lot of time interacting with you, but I'm impacted more than you know just by how you live your life - always pushing the boundary and flourishing under circumstances many give up in. Thanks for being a leader in every sense of the word!

Lou for your deep love for people. Thanks for your note encouraging me to be less grumpy in SOT, and for the file you bought me to cheer me up during the exam period! Thanks for having such a HUGE love capacity that allows me to unload and discuss things I don't often feel comfortable or free to talk about... I really learn a lot from hearing you share your testimony, giving advice and just really handing out words of wisdom and encouragement during fellowship and cell group. And I really admire the way you confront and face down new things and challenges =D Thanks for being you! I'll treasure the memories of SOT'08, and really looking forward to working with you in the year ahead =)

Sophie for daring to lead, daring to reach out and daring to teach. I don't know the fears but it definitely must be hard juggling a new job and a new cg. Thanks for believing in us and teaching us by setting an example - I really want to love God the way you do, with eyes shining and heart full of childlike faith. =) Looking forward to the year ahead with w489 and you!

Cel for being unabashedly you. You being stubbornly believing, optimistic and trusting in people. Despite whatever letdowns, there may be temptations to wallow and whine, but you never fail to pick yourself up and progress. I've seen such growth in you this year! Thanks for inspiring me to stick closer to God and to treasure and live life fully!

Nianying for your sweetness, humility and great serving attitude. You are always happy to render help, words of advice and anecdotes from your experiences, and never once have I seen you mean-spirited, no matter how many times you claim to have your grumpy moments. Truly you live out the verse where it calls us to live life thinking of others as better than ourselves, and it's always fresh to hang out with you, because you don't stay on the negative of things, but always act to improve or be the solution. YOU'RE AWESOME! ;D Knowing you and Cel are in NUS certainly brightens up the sems ahead for me!

Zhang for being that weird mix of common sense and nonsense. LOL. Seriously dunno how to explain that, but I think people who know you would know what I mean. Thanks for bringing a lot of honesty and straight-talk into my life - sometimes I may react 'violently', but I never seriously mean it in a mean way lah you, I'm just amused in the 'OH MY, can't believe you just said that' way that makes me wanna whack you. Yeah, just that. ;D HAHA okok i admit i gotta work on expressing non-violently. Still, thanks for inspiring me with your independence and fearlessness. I'm definitely glad for the chance to know you better through SOT!

Leng Kian for taking your stand to push for fellowship. I guess sometimes it's lonesome when not everyone shares what you value, but thanks for reaching out to influence all the same. Hope that others may continue to influence, impact and enrich your life with their experiences, no matter how different they may be from you. Thanks for being a sport, always allowing others to laugh at and with you and opening up your house and wallet for the sake of entertaining us!

Hengyi for daring to be yourself. Thanks for bringing laughter with you and really appreciate your efforts to organize get-togethers! Even though Jean n I like to make fun of you about being 'spiritual', want you to know that loving God comes in many forms, and your street-smartness and common sense really helped educate me and open my eyes to a lot of stuff. Yeah, though we joke about that, but seriously don't want you to become a super-spiritual flaky guy! And even though you may not know it, but your efforts to keep growing and improving and learning also inspire me to keep setting new goals for myself as well. Rock on! =)

Jasper for being so ready to laugh, and yet having that older-brother wisdom as well. It's very easy to click and talk to you, and really do wish that can have more chances to fellowship with you! =) Still, wish you well in other areas of your life which you're concentrating in! ;) Just wanna thank you for being ever optimistic - because you really do light up the place when you smile, and for really setting an example for us to always run back to God and to do so unashamedly. Love and admire you for that =)

Chee Ang for having such a good heart and teaching me to let go of labels and stereotypes. Knowing you and your passion for music has really taught me to soften up to the whole concept of clubbing, music and the lyrics. Thanks for passing on your passion and being passionate about God - it's a real encouragement to me to see you go through the crisis of your father's passing, and whatever challenges to your dreams, clinging on faithfully to God and living out what it means to have faith and love God. Love you and I'm sorry for always hitting you! ;P

Tim for being so YOU. Thanks for being someone I can talk to about books and Time magazines - even though I don't talk as often as I want to with you, but it's really great to see how much you can become like Pst Tan and A.R. Bernard! Continue to value knowledge! Thanks for your faithfulness to serve and hang on. Keep holding on to what you believe is right, and pray God for the capacity to bring that change to your surroundings! Thanks for being such a wit and really appreciate your presence =)

Shuiyong for your words of wisdom. Even though you're a man of few words, but everytime you speak, it makes a lot of sense! The way you've gone about pursuing your love for music, and the way you've persevered in building new relationships in the cg taught me to always be flexible and open to new things, and to hold on to your dreams. =) Thanks for your friendship!

And to many I haven't named, I've enjoyed your fellowship and you as an individual. Thanks for enriching my life and being God's tool to teach me and bring me through dark days. Looking forward to 2009 with all of you!

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