Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
This is the song that I have in my heart as I celebrate the new year of 2010, the year of hope and grace in our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope this news finds you well and blessed.
As I wrapped up 2009 and reflected upon moments, events, people and God, I was so astonished and simply found myself drawn into a sea of gratitude.
I am grateful for tears and laughter that made me grow. I am thankful for successes and failures that taught me to be wise. I praise God for kindness and support that shaped my heart, and most of all, for the prayers that I felt in difficult times that I went through.
I acknowledge the burden of Spring in my soul, and I have left that burden with the past year. It was the time when the Seminary went through a difficult situation. I pray for peace in mind and reconciliation for those who were directly affected by the situation.
I praise God for the opportunity to go back to Indonesia last summer for Internship. It was a wonderful time to see my family and also the people that I missed so much, and it was also a time to deal with some questions in my life. Those questions have been answered, and I am grateful regardless of the answers. I also had the opportunity to visit some of my sponsors, and had a good time sharing about my experiences in my studies and ministries. I pray for my sponsors and the congregants at Siloam Tonsealama who had kindly supported my internship that God will always pour out His blessings for them.
I praise God for the Fall Semester 2009 that has been accomplished, for its struggles and challenges, and especially for those who have been willing to support me by editing my papers and continuously encouraging me to keep moving forward.
I praise God for the gifts of ministries with Youth GKI Sacramento, Petaluma Bible Study, and Youth GKI San Francisco. I thank God for SFTS student fellowship at Gavin Tokuda’s house. I pray that my ministries will be acceptable to God and bear fruits for His glory.
This January I will be taking three classes related to psychology and pastoral care. I consider that this area will serve me well in ministry.
Next spring will be my last academic course, and then I plan to complete a year-long Internship to fulfill my graduation requirements. I ask humbly for your prayers. I am discerning where should I go to do my internship and in what kind of setting.
I would like to express my deep appreciation to those who have been helping me in my studies. May God bless our families, studies, works, and ministries.
In Christ our Lord, may the joy of Christmas and the blessings in the New Year will accompany us in our journey all through the year.
Many blessings,
Ray
NB: The picture above was taken after GKI Sacramento's Christmas and Carol Service last December.
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