Do Something This Christmas

Dear YAF, thanks to your lovingkindness, we were able to do something this Christmas. We managed to raise about $750 so we bought rice and blankets for 23 Oakland refugee families. We also gave cash to 3 families who are in special need of it.

Christmas may be a time of celebration, fun and laughter but most importantly, it is the day our Lord was given to us by Father God who loves us so much. I have not known a greater symbol of love.

Remember Saya Lone Wah's Christmas Eve sermon? If we have received a great gift, how can we sit still without doing anything?

We want to stand up and shout in joy.
We want to sing hallelujah.
We want to tell the world of this love.
We want to do many things! 

And this is one of the many more things we want to do. Thank you all for having a Christ-like heart. I feel very happy to be a part of our group. I hope that we can keep growing together beautifully in God.

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat.
I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink.
I was a stranger, and ye took me in.

Naked, and ye clothed me.
I was sick, and ye visited me.
I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Christmas Eve

Thanksgiving @ Nway's

Wait, what did we do last year?

All I know is that this year is not going to be forgettable. 

With the 23 lb Mr. Bean turkey, we were fed so wonderfully and bellyfully that it wasn't even funny.

I don't know about you but this thanksgiving, I have a lot to thank God for. I am undeserving but He loves me. Words are certainly inadequate to express my thanks to our Lord. So enough with words.

Pic spam time.

^We were cooking only like.... THE WHOLE DAY???!!!

^The perfect Mr. Bean turkey 2008. 6 hours in the making.

^That ham is not a joke. The beef was very serious too. 

^Click to see full size, and full smiles. :)

^For everything and everything, we thank the Lord!

Dedication Service of East Bay Myanmar Christian Fellowship Church

We went to Concord for Church Dedicaiton Service. Here are some pictures. We wore our OBMBC t-shirts and people asked if we are wearing Obama t-shirts... LOL
After that we went back to our church and set tables, decorate, and practiced praise songs for Thanksgiving Service.

A Pure Heart

I was thinking to do something different and meaningful at this year thanksgiving. But so many things distressed me lately. I tried to forget those things and carry on with my idea. It’s hard and I don’t know how. I always believe that thing won’t be ever the same once it is damaged or cracked. It can never be reconstructed as good as before. At the same time, I hear this scripture inside my pounding head, “…Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18” I realize .…. with God, thing can be even better than before. But as being a person from sinful nature, it is not easy to just forget something.

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10”

Hopefully I can renew myself from tomorrow activity. A Pure Heart, that’s what I long for….

Giving Thanks

Michael Craven

Author, Speaker, Founding Director of the Center for Christ & Culture

As we approach this national day of "thanksgiving" I thought it necessary to reflect upon our nation's long history of acknowledging and giving thanks to Almighty God.

On October 3, 1789 George Washington issued the nation's first presidential proclamation in which he called the nation to set aside a day for giving thanks to that "great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be..."

President Washington gave under his official hand the following words:

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor...

Furthermore President Washington acknowledged that he was joined by the Congress in his appeal to the nation:

Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness" ...that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

This presidential proclamation represented, in unequivocal terms, the government's call upon the people of this nation to acknowledge and give thanks to God for His many and abundant blessings. These were not benign religious platitudes but absolute statements reflecting the consensus view of life and reality which acknowledged that there is one God; the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture, in nature and in the person of Jesus Christ. It is this God that the nation once acknowledged and it is this God, the one true God that the people of this nation have turned against and today refuse to acknowledge and serve.

President Washington concluded his proclamation with these words:

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Seventy-four years later, in the midst of the great Civil War, President Lincoln would issue a similar call to the nation acknowledging the nation's many blessings from the Lord, "...who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy." President Lincoln, like our first president, would once again call the nation to national thanksgiving and repentance with these words:

And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience...and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

America, in its folly, has been in the process of severing its national identity and dependence from the God who has given it birth and blessed it for so long. Therefore, it seems to me that we might be well served to recall the proclamation of these great men set aside for this Thanksgiving holiday and once again give thanks to Almighty God for His longsuffering patience and mercy toward this nation and humbly repent of our national rebellion and wanton disregard for all that is holy and just.

This national repentance begins in the Church of Jesus Christ, which has seemingly lost its way; abandoned [practically] its first love and so often conformed to the world. May we on this Thanksgiving Day acknowledge the many and abundant blessings of Almighty God accompanied by a deep and sorrowful repentance for our individual, corporate and national sins. This, my dear brothers and sisters is our only hope and it is for this real hope and the promise of forgiveness that we can give thanks indeed!

May the Lord, in His great mercy, pour out His spirit upon you, your families, His Church and this nation this Thanksgiving Day.

Copyright S. Michael Craven 2006

??????????????

I feel as if my heart is empty & numb...... even when tried reading the BIBLE... it's only help for the moment... pls HELP!!!

ALOHA

We just want to say hi and thank you for everything.
We are in Kauai for 4 days and having our life of the time. Here what we have done so far.
1st day, we went shopping at costco, Coconut Marketplace shoping center and Luau.

Here's our dinner: Pork cooked in a pit oven for 18 hours!

This was taken after dinner.


2nd day, we explored water fall, waimea canyon, and napali coast with Helicopter tour. We were awed by GOD's beautiful creation from above.

Although the ride was fun, we got a little motion sickness but that did not stop us from doing another adventure: SURFING!
We think surfing was the best activity we have done so far and we had a lot of fun.

With our private surfing instructor, Charlie.



3rd day (happy b-day to me! :)
We went to Na Pali snorkel tour with raft crew. Riding the raft on the open sea was the most dangerous and exciting adventure we have ever done. Wherever you look you can only see water and the waves were so big and we had to hold on the rope very tide not to fall off from the raft. Every time i saw a big wave i was praying and this trip make me closer to GOD. On the way we saw dolphins, turtles, caves and we drove in to snorkel over coral reefs teeming with tropical fish. We were not prepared for such adventurous, beauty and fun. Thanks GOD!

Dolphins and see turtles:

4th day: we don't know what we are going to do next but hopefully no more adventure. We will update you more later. Mahalo!

GN & KB

Happy B. Day Mrs. Gun Naung Sumlut

Happy Birthday Day Khawnbu. May the Lord be with you and your newly hubby.

Testimonials and Discussion??

Dear All,

Last Sunday after Church Ko Aung Shwe, Su and I had a deep conversation about YAF and growth of our fellowship. I feel as we have been down in spiritually time to time and we needed each other support during those tough times. Three of us feel that we should talk about it as a group to give testimonials, fellowship aside from eating (LOL), discuss about our future. What do you guys think? Anyone free on Sat. to discuss? Any Suggestions and comments on this idea please feel free to speak out!

-Kel

YAF & Church Choir to Represent OBMBC at EBMCF's Opening Service

YAF, please read this!

From the EC meeting today, I learned that East Bay Mission Christian Fellowship (EBMCF) has invited our church to attend their opening/dedication serivce on Saturday, November 22, 2008, at 2pm. They're in Concord. It's 1 day before our joint Thanksgiving Sunday with the Karens and OFBC.

Anyone wants to go? I am not sure if I was a member yet then but I heard they also showed up in love and support for our opening/dedication service. Let's show some love too? - x2 for double the love! ^_^

What's interesting is that I found out the Pastor's son was the guy who sat with us in the same table at Khawnbu's wedding dinner reception last night!!! The Maung Maung guy! So he's not just some random guy. God put him there with us! (And somebody please fill me in with his father's name, thank you.) ♥♡♪♫☆ღ

Hey... I don't believe in coincidences. I take that as a nudge from God for us to go. So let's go? Hehehehehehe.

Anyway, whether you can make it or not, they requested for us to sing a song or hymn. Sayama Tamla Moo has to work so she told me and Ko AS to do it. Ko AS is working too but it's okay because I have a song in mind now and it's just piano. I am thinking of asking Emily to join us.

"OH HAPPY DAY" - Yes! The song is Oh Happy Day. We can discuss but so far I think this is perfect. It is going to be a great day for them plus the joy is from the Lord so the meaning is purrfect. Please let me know if you have a better idea. (I'm bored of my ideas.)

Oh happy day (oh happy day)
Oh happy day (oh happy day)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
Washed my sins away (oh happy day)
Oh happy day (oh happy day)

(La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la)
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
(La, la, la, la, la)
La, la, la, la, la
(La, la, la, la, la, la, la)
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
(La, la, la, la, la)
La, la, la, la, la

Oh happy day (oh happy day)
Oh happy day (oh happy day)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
When my Jesus washed (when Jesus washed)
He washed my sins away

(La, la, la, la, la, la, la)
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
(La, la, la, la, la)
La, la, la, la, la

He taught me how (oh, He taught me how)
To wash (to wash, to wash)
Fight and pray (to fight and pray)
Fight and pray
And he taught me how to live rejoicing
yes, He did (and live rejoicing)
Oh yeah, every, every day (every, every day)
(oh yeah) Every day!

1) I'll need 2 soloists. One to sing the verses. One to sing the lalala.
I can volunteer as one if no choir members will do it. I'll ask Ma Cynthia.

2) As per Aunty Jae's suggestion, we should dress formal - white top, black bottom, to represent!

3) The rest of us just need to sing the simple chorus. But in harmony. We can do it with the help of our wonderful choir.

If we ARE performing this song for them, we can sing it again the next day on Thanksgiving Sunday if they want us to. I haven't seen the program for Thanksgiving. But you know how we recycle well.

The song is not fixed. Please comment if you have an idea.

That's it. Let me know if you're going, etc. I will set up time for practice, etc. HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!

Congratulations to Our President, Khawnbu!

On a very happy sunny beautiful day yesterday, none other than our very own YAF president, Khawnbu Lashilabya, finally tied the knot with her long-time beloved, Gun-Naung Sumlut, in the presence of the Lord in our very own church!

CONGRATULATIONS, MR. AND MRS. SUMLUT!!! May God continue bless you two as you enter this holy matrimony! YAF loves you two!



TALK about a joyous occasion! I can only WISH to top that with mine!

YAF, if you have some last things to say to bless our president but never got a chance to (BECAUSE SHE HAS BEEN TOO BUSY TO CARE ABOUT US! HYMPH!), now is the chance!

PS: Yes, girls, I am uploading the few pictures I have like crazy. Patience is a virtue, says the bible!

Prayer Request

Thanks you everyone for praying for me while I was in ER Yesterday Night.

I just want to give a testimonial on how good our god is.
Yesterday I was suffering from the lower abdominal pain for more than 12 hours before I went to ER.
I took painkiller that in the morning hoping it will just go away but I didn't. It gets worst and I had to go to ER.
I was scare to go to ER because I was lacking Insurance.

I prayed so hard to be cure and about insurance too.
When I went there everything work out. They assigned me an insurance that I can apply so that it will take care of my Bill.
I was finally relaxed after I heard about that.

My pain is getting better after they give me the painkiller.
They can't tell me what wrong with it.
If I still have the pain, fever or chill, I had to go back so please continues praying for me.

Thanks,
Kel

WHO IS HE?

These are the pictures of the crucifixion of Christ
sculptured from metal by a man near Amarillo , TX .
The crosses are made of metal also. The man did
this out of the kindness of his heart.
Someone donated the land
on which to erect them.
Who is Jesus?
HE IS JESUS
WHO IS HE?

IN CHEMISTRY, HE TURNED WATER TO WINE.














IN BIOLOGY, HE WAS BORN WITHOUT THE
NORMAL CONCEPTION;














IN PHYSICS, HE DISPROVED THE LAW OF
GRAVITY WHEN HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN;














IN ECONOMICS, HE DISPROVED THE LAW
OF DIMINISHING RETURN BY FEEDING 5000 MEN WITH
TWO FISHES & 5 LOAVES OF BREAD;
















IN MEDICINE, HE CURED THE SICK AND THE
BLIND WITHOUT ADMINISTERING A SINGLE DOSE OF DRUGS,
















IN HISTORY, HE IS THE BEGINNING AND THE END;














IN GOVERNMENT, HE SAID THAT HE SHALL
BE CALLED WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, PRINCE OF PEACE














IN RELIGION, HE SAID NO ONE COMES TO
THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH HIM;










SO, WHO IS HE?
HE IS JESUS!
















































IN GOD I'VE FOUND EVERYTHING!












The Greatest Man in History
Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.












Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.













Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer









He had no army, yet kings feared Him...

He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.
He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.
I feel honored to serve such a Leader who loves us!