Learning to cook

Cooking was a difficult chore for me in the past.  I could only cook some simple things like cooking rice, frying eggs and cooking instant mee.  That's all.  Before the day of marriage my father had to tell my mother in law that I could not cook.
After marriage, I avoided cooking.  My husband and I used to eat in food stalls or restaurant.  Most of the time I catered food.  My food caterer sent the food to me everyday except weekend.  Occasionally I would cook something but the result was not good.  And I would wonder why my stewed chicken was not good as others.
My cooking improved as I joined the discipleship training and live together as a community in the church.  When I first joined the training, my pastor put me in charge of kitchen and food.  I did not tell him that it was my weakest thing but then I just obeyed and gave a try.  Pastor's wife was my spiritual father and teacher.  She taught me how to cook.
Fried rice is the easiest thing to do but I failed many times, countless times.  I felt bad because if I did not cook well everyone had to suffer eating the lousy fried rice.  The rice turned out to be soggy.  According to expert, the rice grain should be able to 'jump' in the wok but mine was wet.  Then I realized that the rice for frying must not be cooked with too much water.  It must be cooked with just enough water for best result.
Frying eggs first will leave a smooth surface on the wok so that the rice will not stick to the wok and be burnt.  No water is added in the midst of frying.  I do not use soya sauce as it will make the rice wet.  All the lumps should be loosen.  I learned it through many failures.
I told myself that it would take a miracle for me to be a good cook as I was slow in learning in the area of cooking.  I jotted down all my mistakes so that I could refer to it to avoid future mistakes.
In the beginning I did not know how to cut carrot and long beans into small pieces in a fast way.  I learned the ABC in cooking.  I learned to cut different types of vegetables.
I learned budget cooking.  With the least ingredients and the cheapest things to produce tasty and nutritious food.  We do not use artificial seasoning.  To improve the taste we use meat, bones or small fish called 'ikan bilis'.  Vegetables like carrot, cabbage also improve the taste of soup.  Mushroom does wonders in taste.
Coming back to fried rice, we can use frozen mixed peas, corn and carrot .  Most of the time I use carrot, long beans or French beans, big onions spring onion and eggs.  For seasoning I use pepper powder and salt only . Some dark thick soya sauce added to add some brown colour.
Learning the basic is very important as it can enable us to upgrade to more complicated way of cooking.
I thank God that today I am able to fry rice not just for my family but also for more than fifty people or even for a hundred people.

Selling goat milk

Selling goat milk at night market is one of the most exciting activity we used to have.  It is one way to get some income for the work in centre.
We started to rear goats about four years ago.  Since then we started to sell goat milk.  In the beginning we put up advertisement at bus stops but it did not work.  Then we tried to sell near train station.  We managed to sell a few bottles only.  After that we tried to sell at morning market and  night market.  The best sale is at night market.
In the beginning we were so shy to call out to the people who walked pass our stall as we had no experience of selling.  We did some studies about the benefits of goat milk and found that goat milk is indeed better than cow milk.  Its molecules are much smaller and can be assimilated into the body within half an hour.  It is one of the antidotes for jaundice.
Most people can accept goat milk but there are some who are allergic to it.  Some people cannot stand its smell.  However we found customers who drink goat milk regularly.  One of the customers used goat milk to reduce his weight because his body was allergic to it and he purged after taking it.  I could not believe it but he did it.
Another customer took goat milk as breakfast as it filled the stomach till noon so that she would not feel hungry.  She used it for slimming purpose too.
One old man who coughed for a long time was healed after taking goat milk.  Another lady testified that she no longer feels cold and needs not put on socks at night.  So you can see that goat milk helps people in different ways.  Another lady was so happy because new hair started to grow on her head.  Two old ladies who drink a bottle of goat milk continuously for two years found their complexion fair and without age spots.  A bottle of goat milk is about 250 ml.  It is especially helpful to the undernourished old people or invalid.
Most people are not aware of the goodness of goat milk so at times it is difficult to sell.  We give out leaflets to introduce to the people around.  It is not easy to find a place to sell if you are new to the night market.  Before going to a new night market I normally walk around to look for an empty
 space to put the ice box.  If certain stall does not turn up that night I can use the place.  Sometimes  
the stalls besides me demand money from me as rental.  If there is no empty space available then we have to push the trolley to and fro as mobile stall.
On rainy day the sale is very poor as there are not many people.  to boost the sales it is better to bring a small goat along.  Most of all prayer and faith is very important for good sales.

Happiness of a simple person

Not everybody can survive well in the society.  There are weaker people who need the support and help from the stronger ones.  When they are young they can depend on their parents but their parents will grow old one day.  Some can depend on their brothers and sisters but some are unfortunate.
Ah Yong is an example.  He came into the centre when he was twenty two years old.  After many years he claims that he is still twenty two years old.  He does not know  he ishis age as he cannot count beyond digit 5.  He cannot recognize colours.  Everything to him is either red or black in colour.
Physically he is mature,tall and strong but mentally he is same like a ten year old boy.  His face has a weird look.  If you do not know him you might be afraid of him.  He cannot pronounce clearly so it is very difficult to understand what he is saying.  And yet he is so eager to tell you many things.  I could only catch what he means by guessing.
Most of the time he is cheerful but at times he can be very moody.  He is quite open and can share his feeling.  The most exciting time for him is going back home for Chinese New Year.  Every now and then he will ask you when is Chinese New Year as he does not know the time.
He likes new slippers and like to wear other people's clothes.  If you forgot to collect your clothes from the clothes lines , the T shirt will become his the next day.  Even though he is mentally undeveloped but I feel comfortable with him.  He is friendly and likes people.
He does things in a slow manner.  He can do things quite well like washing plates, sweeping and washing toilet.  His main job is washing the lorry and follow the lorry driver out to carry things.   When I took over the job of driving the lorry around, I was not familiar with the route.  To my surprise he was able to direct me to the destination.
The happiest time for him following me driving the lorry is drinking ice tea.  He always begs me to buy tea for him.  I would gladly buy for him ice tea packed in plastic bag.  After all he does not demand much in life.  He only wants to eat and drink tea.
During fasting time he becomes very cunning.  Often time he secretly went to the neighbour to ask for food.  When he followed me out to fetch things he would think of ways of getting food from the people .  But the people do not mind giving him food.  Even though he is simple minded but he can be very intelligent in times of his need.
Helping these people and be with them brings joy to my heart.  It is a joy to see them happy and being loved.

Fasting is good for our health

Fasting is a good practice.  Corporate fast is easier than fasting alone as everyone around you is not eating so there is less temptation to eat.  We used to do corporate fast in our living together community.
Fasting is good for our body.  It helps us to reduce weight.  Most of all it is a time of detoxication for our body and a time for our digestive system to rest.  Some people eat so many meals a day and their digestive system overwork.  It is good not to eat supper so that the next morning we can truly have a break fast.  I believe that is good for our body.
Before we start fasting we normally have a lot of fear and worries whether we can do it.  We usually underestimate what our body can go through.
The first time I participated in a fast I worried that I would become thin .  I also worried that I might not be able to gain back the weight.  After many rounds of fasting I realize that it is so easy to put on after that.
In our church we fast twice a year.  Twenty one days fast in the middle of year and forty days fast at the end of the year.  We have it for praying and spiritual purpose.
For the first week we only drink plain water.  For the first day it is not difficult as there is still some food in our stomach which we ate the day before.  On the second day we normally feel weak ,tired and sleepy.  Some people might have cold sweat and vomiting .  Our mouths will become dry and lips will crack so it is important to drink a lot of water.  We still work like normal days.
It is a religious fast so we do a lot of praying and Bible reading in between.  Some of us can continue the water fast for eight to ten days.  On one occasion my friend did it for twenty one days because God convicted her to do so so she had special ability to do so.
Normally our weight will go down half kg per day during the water fast.  After taking fruit juice or
milo drink the weight will not reduce much.
The greatest challenge is during the water fast especially when you are required to do some physical work like mopping floor, washing toilets.  I remember the first time I fasted we were having a project to clean up a drain which was filled up with soil.  It was real tough but we made it by the grace of God.  In between we took some milo drinks.
At the second week we will take some beverages like milo, barley drink and soya bean drink.  After taking the beverages the discomfort in our body normally disappears.  We will feel strong and energetic.
Then at the third week we will begin to take some fruits besides the beverages.  Watermelons and apples will be good.  Coconut water is very good as it cools down the body.  Eat in small amount as we are fasting.
At the fourth or fifth week we eat vegetables.  We either boil vegetable soup or fry it.  For the whole six weeks we do not take rice or any starchy food.

The result is: I feel much healthier.  The pain at my joint disappears.

Overcoming fear through outdoor activities

I had a lot of fear in the past. I was fearful of height, deep water and new experiences.  I thank my leader who trained me even though I disliked him for forcing me to do things which I was afraid of.  As I looked back it was good for me.
During school holiday we had a lot of outdoor activities.  Near our centre was a stream, about 15 minutes drive.  All of us would go there in the evening to swim and play.  The water was cold and fresh.  Everybody was happy and had no struggle about swimming in the shallow part of water.
Then our leader wanted us to climb to the higher part by the rock besides.  We lined up to climb up the rock to a higher ground.  We could see the pool below from the rock.  The rock was about 15 feet high above the water.  Then our leader wanted us to jump down one by one into the pool below.  It was not difficult for those who could swim well.  I could not swim well so I was afraid to jump down.  Many thoughts ran across my mind.  'What if I sink to the bottom?  Will I be drowned?'  The pool below was quite deep.
 When it came to my turn everyone shouted 'Jump down! Jump down!'  Whenever I looked at the water below I shrank back.  I hesitated for about 15 minutes struggling in my heart greatly.  I knew I had to do it.  So I repented in my heart and committed my life to God.  Then I took a deep breath , closed my eyes and plucked up my courage to jump down.  I went down inside the water but soon I started to float up automatically.  I quickly swam to the shallow part.
After this incident I noticed a change in my heart.  Whenever I encounter difficulty I will think of this jumping experience and my courage will be restored.
In another incident we climbed up some hills as they were next to one another.  These hills were blacklisted by the police station because some climbers died when they fell down.  Again I was very worried about the trip few weeks before the day to come.  I started praying everyday about my fear of climbing.
One day my fear was lifted up and I knew God had done something in my heart.  I had no more worries.  My heart was peaceful waiting for the day.
On the day of climbing I was doing alright.  I took the steps of faith and totally trust in God to enable me to do so.  There were five hills one after another.  The path was narrow and we could only walked one by one.  We came down from one hill and then went up another as they were joined together.  We could only move forward as it was more difficult to go back.  Two sisters who followed us were so scared and started crying. Their legs were trembling and wanted to send SOS for helicopter to bring them back.  Then our pastor accompanied them , consoled them and
encouraged them to continue on.
At the edge of one hill we had to go down by holding a hanging rope.  It was scary but I manage to do it and landed safely.  Some screamed as they went down.  At certain part the rock was steep with little foot ground to stand .  We climbed up like spiderman.  Some shoes gave way and opened up like the mouth of crocodile.
There was another terrifying part where we had to step over to the other hill.  The gap between two hills was about a foot only but if we did not cross properly we might fall into the deep valley below.
After this trip our pastor banned us from going to the hill again as it was so dangerous.  Thank God He gave me courage to go through the whole thing.  It was a thrilling and unforgettable experience. It gave me the strong will and courage to overcome other obstacles in my future life.

Going for holiday at little cost

Travelling in the usual way is rather easy.  How about taking a big group of people from small children to the old with some mental problem people and go for holiday?  All by hitchhiking.
In the living together community this used to be our way of living.
We were planning a trip to Pangkor Island in Perak.  We were then divided into groups of three or four people.  Each group had a leader.  Some groups had to take care of one mentally sick person.  In fact each one had to follow their spiritual father except those who became leaders.  Some brief instructions were given before we started off.  The leaders knew where they were supposed to meet at Sitiawan , the last town before we could travel by boat to the island.

Every group hitchhiked there except for one van that carried things.  All the groups reached at different time at the jetty.  If possible we were thinking of getting free boat to the island.  In the end we managed to get .a half price boat tickets for the whole group of us to go over to the island.  The van that carried all the cooking utensils and food could not go over to the island so all the things were unloaded into the boat.  We parked the van at the jetty.

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When we reached the island the leaders were again given the instructions as to where to meet.  Again we had to hitchhike to the particular beach.  The cooking utensils like gas stoves ,gas container, rice and so on were distributed to different ones according their ability to carry.  We had to carry our knapsack and sleeping bags plus some distributed items.  Every one was excited of the new experience.  Soon everyone reached the destination.
We put our knapsacks in order and the cooking utensils were put at a level place under some shade.
Those who were in charge of cooking started to cook.  We made tea for breakfast.  We cooked curry fish, fried vegetables and some simple dish for lunch and dinner.  We had bread for breakfast with some hard boiled eggs.  for cooking we went around the neighbourhood to look for water.
We played games at the beach and swam in the sea.  For bathing we went to the nearby area to use the toilet available.  Some areas we had to pay using the toilets.
It was expensive to rent a place for the whole group of 50 of us so we slept in the open beach.  In the evening we collected some woods to start a fire.  The fire gave light at night and helped to dispel the mosquitoes.  All of us slept in our sleeping bags around the fire.  We could hear the waves beating in and watch the twinkling stars up the sky.  This was indeed better than the five star hotels.
On the second night we could not sleep on the beach because it was raining.  We quickly move everything before the rain became heavier.  Thank God we found an unfinished project nearby.  It was supposed to be a centre for hawkers.  Everyone of us found a place to sleep at different parts of centre.  Soon we slept soundly.  In the middle of night someone started talking to herself loudly. She was one of the mental problem girl.  We were so tired so we just ignored the noise.  She kept talking till the morning. The next night we made sure her took her medicine and she was quiet.
Early in the morning we had morning prayer at five am on the beach.  Then the pastor gave some teachings.
On the last day early in the morning we packed our things and started to leave the place.  There were no cars early in the morning so we could not hitchhike.  Instead of having morning prayer on the beach we walked and prayed at the same time to the jetty.  It was about 7 km to the jetty. We walked in different groups.  Everyone enjoyed the trip.  At the jetty the same boat took us back .
There were order and obedience in our groups so we were able to mobilize the groups to do many things.  Everyone knew whom they must obey and everything went on smoothly.  We could travel at minimum cost.  Cooking on the beach also saved a lot of expenses compared to eating in restaurants.  We had been trained to cook in bulk.

The weak shall became strong

One of the most unforgettable experience is hitch hiking with an injured foot.  During one basketball game, I jumped and landed in an improper way and sprained my ankle.  It became swollen.
The next day we were supposed to go up to Fraser Hill.  We had already planned it the week before.  As usual we were divided into groups to hitch hike there.  Even though there was a van going up transporting the things but my leader insisted to let me hitch hike.  Everyone thought it was cruel to let me hitch hike because I walked in pain.  I took the challenge without murmuring in my heart.  I wanted to trust God to lead me there.
My group started walking to the main road.  We had to cross a road to go over to the other side.  Usually I could do it within a moment but this time I had to wait for a long time till there was totally no car passing by because I was slow like a snail.
I managed to cross to the other side of road.  Soon a car stopped to bring us to the outer main road.
Along the main road I need not walk much because vehicles stopped for us as soon as we put out our hand to hitch hike.
We must choose the right car in order to reach the destination as some cars went to different way and it would take longer time to reach.  Soon we reached the foothill.  Finally we had to thumb a lift to go uphill and everything went on smoothly.
In the end, my group was the first to reach uphill though I was at the weakest point.  Those who were strong reached much later.
We stayed in an apartment.  That night my friend offered to massage the ankle for me.  The more she massaged the worse I became. I was yelling in pain. Finally I gave up the massage and I knew that God wanted me to trust in Him totally.
I tried to escape when they played games outdoor but my leader made sure everyone was out of the apartment to the field.  Again it looked like torturing but I obeyed.  Though I could not run But I tried my best .
The next day we walked to the waterfall nearby.  I also followed.  To my surprise the more I walked the better my ankle became.
The following week I had to follow the mission trip to China as it was already planned some months ago.  I had to follow the trip.
By faith I boarded the plane to go to China.  It was not convenient for me but I managed to go through it for about two months.
It took me about three months to recover completely.  I did not take any medication or therapy.