Days before CNY

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. (Psalm 27:4-5)

I returned to my campus 2 days ago. This year's Chinese New Year celebration was quite different compared to the years before. After nearly a decade, my whole family get to celebrate this festival together(this year in Kuching after so long) again. As you can see, my siblings were often pursuing their studies in and out of the country during the past New Years(Chinese).

The day after my brother and I returned home, we received a shocking news from mom. My grandmother in Sarikei(a town in Sarawak) passed away early that morning. The night before the news reached our ears, we were just saying that we can go home to visit her again after a year. And now, she's gone home to the Lord. It's indeed God's will and timing that me and my brother came home together just days before and had the chance to give our last respect to our grandmother. My father quickly drove home and brought us back to Sarikei later that afternoon.

Praise God that everything(funeral ceremony) went well and the weather was fine and cooling. Soon after the ceremony finished, the clouds got darker and rain started to pour down.

It is a custom for the Chinese to mourn for some time after the death of their love ones. A stricter tradition states that no wedding or any joyous ceremony be held for a certain number of days after the death of a close family member. This is to express the feelings of sorrow and sadness of the mournful living family members. As a Christian, I personally think that when a close family member(Already a believer of Christ and has strong faith in Him) passed away, there will, of course be a short period of sadness but happiness should come very soon. Death is actually the beginning of eternal life and the point where the deceased Christian had overcome worldly pleasures and received the gift of salvation from God. Instead, we should continue to pray for guidance and strength in Jesus name to overcome this world and set our hearts to things above.

Here are some pictures taken when I returned to Kuching:

Lunch at Penang International Airport before departing for Kuching- Double Cheese Burger with lots of Chili sauce in it

Chris(left) and Arthur(right)- Sarawakians

Below are some of my mom's home cook food during Chinese New Year eve(family reunion dinner):

Chicken soup with button mushrooms, abalone, corn, and shark fin

This is called 'Bee Hoon'(in Mandarin)

Mr. Crabby Patty(Steamed) on a platter

Countdown- 12 midnight- Day 1 of CNY

Chinese New Year church's morning service

Church choir

Sermon

These pictures(above) are just a small fraction of the total pictures taken. There are just to many of them to be uploaded in one post. That's why I'm gonna bring some of my pictures forward in my next post.

Till then, take care and God bless.

Jesus loves you! :-)