Thank You

By Angelique Chong

It’s been almost 3 weeks since I’ve returned from Melbourne and I pray continually that God will keep and protect each and every one of you in His loving embrace. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for welcoming us into your community and making us feel so at home with your offer of friendship and inclusive participation. Without you even realising it, you became instrumental in answering the prayer of someone who felt Melbourne was a spiritual desert. The Lord humbled us once again, as if to say, “Is there anything that is beyond me?”

There are moments in our lives where we feel so powerfully that God has led us down a certain path for his purpose, and in doing so, perhaps for us to discover our own purpose as well. I know Nicole will look back and recognise her decision to go for that first STAY meeting, as one of them. If any of you have gone in search for something you really wanted and finally found it, you will know exactly how she felt, the joy and relief that she had found others like herself and Kimberly. Certainly we are all responsible for our own personal prayer life, but our Lord understands how much more difficult it is when we walk alone.

Although I have shared this before, it is worth repeating that a natural occurring community such as yours can only be a gift from God, fashioned for his purpose as a means of support and encouragement for your spiritual walk. How blessed are all of you that you have been given such like-minded companions so early in your journey! Our Lord knows our needs even before we realise what they are. When I reflect on my own spiritual journey, I realise that I have only been able to come this far because of the friendships forged during my time in my community. Through the years, together we’ve celebrated marriages, birth of our children, successes, spurred growth in our relationship with God as well as endured difficulties, disagreements, misunderstandings, pain of betrayals and separation. We were only able to come out of it stronger in faith and deeper in love for one another because we took turns to remind and encourage one another, that in order “to do what is right…and to walk humbly” with our God, our hearts must be fixed on Him.

Some people are chosen by us to be a part of our lives, but others are planted by God, so that our lives may be enriched whether in giving or receiving. The convergence of paths is never a coincidence but an orchestration of His grand design. May all who come to STAY rediscover your gifts and purpose, may you recover all the joy and zeal that the evil one has tried to take away, may you uplift one another in joy, outdo one another in love, guard your fervent hearts jealously and most of all, may you be ready to be inspired by the marvels God will perform in each and every one of your lives if you but trust in Him and bravely say “Yes!”