Believing and In Faith ...

Greetings to All!!

"Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead... so they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, 'Greetings!' And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him." (Matthew 28:1-9, ESV).

It is wonderful to celebrate the day of our risen Lord! Praise be the Lamb who was slain, praise be the God who is above all... Praise Him who has rescued us from captivity and bring us all into a new living relationship with a hope, a future, and a purpose. Glory be to God in the highest!
I am very grateful for His salvation, nothing else worth more than this.

Well, now that another semester passed and an anticipated summer begins, new experiences and life changing moments also occured. Since it is for awhile that I can update the blog, I will have a lot to say, but bare with me.

Again and again it is such an incredible blessing and a wonderful adventure I have had. It is hard to believe that my first year of Nursing Program already came to an end. This semester was very special as I get to connect with the residents during clinical, learning more about the many aspects of human's body, and other biblical insights. Clinical happened twice a week, but only once every two weeks. Each clinical day was very exceptional.
My life from the first day of clinical until the day we said good bye to the residents was never the same again. As a person who have gone through many farewells and separations, it is hard sometimes for me to allow that feelings to experience by others. I may grew a callous toward that but each good bye has never been my wish.

One of my highlights this past semester is definitely during the clinical time where we were placed in a geriatrich home. I learned so much. Much more than theories in books and new inventions of mankind. The ability to touch people in their present state. A state where one can no longer control what they used to and the desire to do the thing they once did. Thankfulness can sometimes taken lightly. We may be thankful for a new home, car, television, friends, family, etc. but there is a continual blessing that each one of us receive. Each day we can wake up and go to toilet or feed ourselves for each meal. The ability to do just certain simple task. Do you ever wonder waking up one morning and find yourself in a strange location and know nothing about the place? Or what if you cannot move one part of your body at all?

One incredible moments that I will never forget during clinical was a reminiscence box project. The purpose was to bring something tangible that will help the residents to remember the experience they once enjoy in the past. Each resident reacted differently and according to what object presented. My unique experience during our first clinical day: we were told that one of my residents has dysphasia and only shake or nod her head in response. So, already we began to think it will be hard to interact/converse with her. Oh boy. However, later on after a few weeks we heard her voice responding 'yes' or 'no' to us!
That really surprised us and made our day. Yet, as our time to depart came, during the presentation, she responded in full sentences! That really blew me away! What a joy!! It is wonderful to step into a moment in their lives, which we can communicate and feel and touch their memories that enable them to interact in such a way once again.

Another resident who is immobile and could not even open her eyes also express an exceptional response as one of my fellow nursing students played some hymn on the piano. As my friend played, we heard her hummed along in perfect harmony!! It is just so great to experience the moment and be able to reach into their inner being. What we see outside may looked like a shell, but there's definitely a whole person living inside. To me, it is a joy to be apart of their lives even in such circumstance.

I think it was in late February that I came in contact with a group of young Korean team who is planning to go to Cambodia for a short mission trip. I was able to share some messages and some pointers for them. It was great meeting up with them and, hopefully, my guide was beneficial.
Moreso, one of them went to Cambodia earlier; in fact, she is the one who organized the mission team. I pray that God will work through them as they share the gospel message and allow them to learn from this experience. And, I am sure they will have fun ;-)

As the year come to a close during Spring, the Wellness Center and Trinity School of Nursing always organized a Health Fair Day. It is a day when the first year nursing students bring forth what they have learned the whole year. There were four nursing booths/stations: Blood pressure assessment, Respiratory Assessment/smoking, Nutrition/Vaccination/Traveling, and Stress Assessment. Each station represent each clinical group. My team was assigned to stress station, as we didn't have stress ourselves =)


Stress Station, in my opinion was a fun one. We had hand/back massage, sketching, tea, and napping! Yeah, we have a space for a nap. But, it was the massage area that was always full. It was a great day, and all first-year nursing students felt very proud in their scrubs, that includes me ;-). I had fun and enjoyed talking while assessing those who came.

Just a few days ago during 14th - 16th of April was the Khmer New Year. I got a chance to talk to my family back home and was glad to hear that everyone is doing fine with only a few life situations. Khmer New Year is usually my biological family reunion time.

For the next school year, I got accepted into a student leadership position for the International Student Program. I am looking forward to that, and as for that I will be living on campus once again. This time I hope to learn something new as I get used a bit more to life here.

As far as my study goes, everything seems to go well except anatomy and physiology course, but I'm hoping to do well as the result comes out. I particularly enjoy introduction to mission class this term. It was more than just a course it is an insight to strengthen what I am planning to do in the future. Trinity is one place where you learn something extra. As a liberal arts university you get to take extra courses besides the chosen major which help a student to see something differently rather than focusing solely on that major. It may not be preferred by students at the moment, but each course make a difference.


Well, I guess that is all I have so far. All my exams are done and I am in the process of looking for a solid job for the summer, but hopefully everything will turn out well and something interesting will come along the way. As far as my visa and passport goes, it needs to be renewed so that will be on my checklist ;-)

Already then... I hope you and family are doing well. Blessings on the road and journey ahead as the glorious sun appear for those who are in BC, and a long-anticipated summer for all. As of this month may you find renewed strength and glorious faith and hope in remembrance of the day that our Lord Jesus Christ has conquered death and has brought us life. Praise God who heals; the One who has torn the veil. Praise be the Lamb! He is worthy! Hallelujah!!

Many blessings dear friends,

Sureyah

What An Opening of An Awesome Year!!

Greetings to my friends and family,

It is wonderful to receive the New Year once again! The Lord is still and always good. He is active in so many lives. This coming New Year is another year of grace, another year of peace, goodness, laughter, sadness, stress, mercy, and joy. It is so wonderful to serve and be under His wonderful love.

It seems awhile that I ever visited this blog, though made by myself. Last year was a challenging year. There are so many things to learn, and there are so many things unknown. School was quite stressful at times. It gets hard when there are so much materials to know, but few area selected for the exams. However, I thank God that His grace has brought me through. For the the whole Christmas break, I was waiting the whole time for my Philosophy mark. It finally came during the first few days of January. I have been thinking that I probably failed the course since my first exam was not good; but it turned out differently. I was very surprise that I did quite well, in fact, wonderful in my own opinion. It was surely a gift for the New Year. The rest of the classes was good as well.

During the break, I mostly stayed at home enjoying the snow. This year, BC was quite cold compare to last year. I am glad that I came last year and not this year, because even snow was pretty high. However, it lasts only a few days. It didn't stay for the whole season, it only comes and goes. While the season is riped with snow, I was able to go skating for my first time. It was like roller-skate except on ice and lots of work on ankles. It went really well, because I manage to fall on my bum only once. Since the event, I started to admire the hockey players! It's wasn't easy the way they show on TV!

A week before school started, I was able to go to Helmlock Resort. It is a town where the skiers go to ski. Since my experience with the skate, I was reluctant because I thought it might be the same, thinking that it would hurt my ankles really bad. It was a great mistake! Some of you might say, especially when you had experience with skiing before. It turned out to be the greatest thing on earth!! Those who have snow as a part of their lives are so fortunate!! (I mean the skiing part). I don't know how many times I felt, but every time I gain a little bit more experience :-)
Before I actually went on skiing, I took a course which it gave a basic controls lesson such as obtaining the "S" and the pizza for slowing down. Although I took lessons, I still fall like crazy, but it was so much fun. I probably get a medal for falling! Yet, with my level I managed to ski from the top of the mountain. I am so glad that I was able to go. Now, I fell in love with the ski! It's a good lesson, you can never say, "no" until you experience it first. It was worth every minute on that mountain.

It is now another journey into the new semester. Each semester there is always something new. God keeps on reminding me of His goodness and faithfulness. This semester I am taking two Nursing courses, one Biology, and one Religious Studies. All classes provided me such great insight into the wonderful lives that our Lord God has created. In Nursing courses, I am learning about gerontology and the way of its communication. I also start doing clinical; in fact, I just had it last week! Each walk, each step is so precious. It is so wonderful to be able to serve and to see life in a different perspective and new light.

In Anatomy and Physiology, there are more terms and wonderful secrets reveal to me as I walk through the process of the brain and its reflexes and action potentials. In RELS course, which is Introduction to Missions, the Lord Jesus teaches me so much.
Within this week, I was able to go to Mission Fest that was held in Vancouver. It was for my RELS class assignment that I got to know about Mission Fest. What a wonderful time!
There were some booths representing the work in Cambodia!! Moreover, I met three teenage Cambodians! What a great surprise! Since coming to Canada, this is my first time meeting another Cambodian :-)

During the event, there were seminars held by different missionary's leaders. I got to attend a few of them. Each seminar was unique and has so much. At the end of the event in the main hall, we came gather together. I am priviledged to listen to a wonderful story of a man by the name of Stephen Lungu. What an incredible story that God has worked in his life!! I am so touched by his struggles and the glorious transformation! In fact, I found his video story online, if you ever have time to spare please have a look: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1425210587550264985# (It was not from the event, but the same story that I heard). "Out of the Black Shadows" is his autobiography!

What a great God we serve! Love this New Year! God is going to do so many great things in our lives! I just want to jump and shout praising His name! He deserves our praise!! Hallelujah!!

I am so excited for whatever God is going to put on my plate! God is soo good! And, "Yes!" ALL THE TIME!

Just some great moments I love to share with you all!

Thank you for all your support day by day. Thank you for so many prayers that has been lifted up for my sake. Thank you! They meant a lot to me.

Many blessings to all of you. I pray that the Lord will continue to work within you and continue to build up the good work He has already started.

Psalm 98

Make a Joyful Noise to the LORD

A Psalm.

¹Oh sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
²The LORD has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
³He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.

⁴ Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
⁵Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
⁶With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!

⁷ Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it!
⁸Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together
⁹before the LORD, for he comes
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

For His name sake,

Sureyah

Merry Christmas to you and to you ...

Let us join with me in the celebration:

"Oh, come all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant;
Oh, come all ye citizen, Of Heaven of above;
Come and behold Him, Born the King of angels.
Oh, come let us adore Him, Oh come let us adore Him.
Oh, come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord."

Greetings to all my friends and family,

In more than two thousand years ago, there born a child. A lowly man, yet the King above all kings. The Son of Man and the Son of God. The Lord of all, who loves and cherish His creation so much that He decided to come and show us the Way. It does not matter the time, the location, the region; the reason is plain: He loves us. He came so that we might live, and through His life we can eternally see the Light. Praise be to God!! As the angels once proclaimed now eternally sings, let us join: "Glory to God in the Highest!"

To me Christmas is very, very special. As a child, it was more about the gift. But now, I am no longer a child. Christ is the true gift, and the true reason why we celebrate this special event. He is the gift, once and for all. The gift that is sufficient for all mankind. It is my wish this Christmas that people all over the world will come to see and know that Jesus is the Savior.

It is another season for all of us to once again come together as a family, as a community, as a gathering to reflect and share the love. Some of us are away and far from each other, but our hearts are closely connected, not just through facebook or internet. Our thoughts and prayers carry across the sky. The research says that social connection network map the World, but no, it is our prayers and thoughts hat do!

Some of you have traveled a far to see each other on this lovely occasion, while others stay but still connect in thoughts and prayers. Christ's love connects us all!
It is wonderful to sit and reflect the awesomeness of Christ's coming. To Him be praise forever and ever more!

In this Christmas, I wish you all a happy and merry relaxation as we put aside the business of life, worries, and anxiety. I hope this Christmas is really meaningful to you in a special way, especially, a fantastic time with family and friends. And, as I once heard, "Love as like there is no tomorrow..." make the most out of this time.
Christ is the reason for this gathering, and He is also the reason why we should spend time together as family and friends.

Blessed Jesus, fill us with Your Love;
Blessed Son of God reveals us the Truth;
Oh Holy One shows us the Way;
Our Savior we come to you, today.

Merry Christmas to all!
Many blessings as you cherish this day...

P.S. As we cherish this day, may we remember our loved ones.
Please pray for my mom, Elizabeth Feucht, for comfort and strength. I have told you a few months ago about my dad, Martin Feucht, condition concerning his health and wellness. Yesterday, he went to be with the Lord. It is sad to know, but one day I will see him again at the final reunion. I can say that he is a great man. The man of faith who carried Christ's love all the way from Germany to Cambodia. His sacrifice means a lot to me and to the children at the Good Shepherd orphanage. He had done well. He had finished the race, and fought bravely, yet faithfully. In his memories and love, I will cherish Christ's love and follow the same example.

After Two Months of BACK-to-SCHOOL ...

I once heard a story about a fruit-tree. The purpose of a tree is to grow and bear fruit. What happen, then, when that tree bears no fruit?

Greetings to all,

once again another month just passed. Within just a few months, there was so much to grasp, but much of those were tools for the future. A future that many would say "bright" that I, right now, need a new battery. I feel like I am learning, but they weren't enough for testings. Half of this semester, I have been struggling to achieve the result of a good student. Again and again, the results (through testings) are constantly pointing me and looking crossly at me as to shout, "What have you been doing!? Why aren't you reaching what you suppose to receive!?"

Compare to other undergraduates within the first year nursing program, I should be doing much better than most, considering I have fewer classes than them. But, in fact, time after time, the result of each classes' exam showed me otherwise. To be honest, I feel much discouraged. This is only the first year of the program, but so far I haven't shown the result of my calling. Is this the test? Is this what I need to face? Many of you that read this would try to encourage me by saying, "You can do it!" Sometimes, it is hard to say, "yes". I know the semester isn't over, and I hope I can climb back up. Yet, I questioned myself whether I did the right thing to come here. There's a better person who can do better than me. At least, that's what I feel.

Again, discouragement does take control over me when things don't turn out well. However, it is hard for me to look back because of how much need, how much trust, and how much faith many of you have in me. I cannot do this alone. Once again, I thank you all for your sincere support. I feel dry, and sometimes, I just don't understand. Do each man has to go through the ups-and-downs? Isn't there just a smooth road? I guess this is my time to learn and walk through it once more. With hardship comes great peserverance. Well... enough of the sad feelings.

This is a note to those who might want to leave their countries in persuing higher education or something: prepare to be strong because you will miss what you used to have.

I am not complaining about such fantastic opportunity. But, I guess I feel homesick. Yes, once again. Sometimes, I wish I can just say, "There is no place like home, there is no place like home..." then, "boom!" I'm home(Cambodia). That would be awesome. But, anyway, four years isn't that long. Feelings just come and go. I already feel better by just writting all these.

There is one thing I learn as life goes on, "I will always find something I 'miss' or 'dislike'" no matter where I am (in general).

Everything I wrote above are not meant to discourage or bring any sad feelings to anyone. It is my journey. I am recording my life's story, so I can look back later. It is always good to be thankful in all situations.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" (Phil. 4:13)

Philippians 4:6
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

God's words is one of many contributions that keep me moving and pushing me forward. What a wonderful God we serve!

Continuing with the fruit-tree story... I am thankful that there's a loving and compassionate Gardener who said, "Give the tree some more time ..." (Luke 13:6-9)

Please keep me in your prayers. Also, may you please pray for my Pa who is the director of the orphanage I used to live. He is now in Germany, once again, receiving a special treatment for leukemia. I heard it is more serious this time.

I am sorry for such a sad update. I know that life is not easy for everyone, but it is just another experience that I need to fight through ...

In Him who gives us all strength,

It Is Time To Get Started ...

Greetings to my family, brothers/sisters, and friends!

Time is definitely moving fast. Faster and faster, that it is necessary to move along. It is once again, the beginning of the academic year for me: the beginning of a whole new level of learning, and the beginning of a profession. Thus, it is true: what you long for will one day come, but the question is “Am I ready?”

During the summer, I have been thinking what it will be like to be in a room surrounded by mostly female students. Yes, I am entering into the Nursing Program now. In each of the nursing classes, there are approximately 50 people, but only five guys are in the crowd. For the first few days, it was a bit overwhelming to be in the sea of minority. However, as time goes on, the situation becomes more bearable. At first we did not know each other, but now all the guys unite so that we can be seen.

Beside the unfamiliar atmosphere, the classes are just fantastic. Every day, there are so much to learn. And to absorb everything all at once is difficult. This semester I am taking four classes: Biology-Anatomy&Physiology, Nursing Concepts, Nursing/HKIN, and Intro.-to-Philosophy. With Bio and Nursing classes, they each have their own lab.

For the first week, I am overwhelmed at first year students of how much they can handle for their first year. I was blessed as to have taken some of electives classes during my first year; otherwise, I will be dead. With some of required classes I already took, there are still more to do, and to prepare for each Nursing class.

With all the busyness, my brain began to not cooperate. It was on the same week that I became forgetful. One day I forgot my glasses, and one or two days later went my wallet with all my information! I was all worried, and some of my friends were praying with me for my glasses. (Glasses are really expensive over here) By the miracle, I found it the next day. And, it is almost seem like a test, the next day I forgot my wallet after I changed for a come-together soccer game. I thought to myself, “Oh boy, what is wrong with me? I should be getting smarter, instead of these …”

However, with what I have seen, I chose not to worry and trust that God will take care of that. God is, indeed faithful and gracious. The next week after one of my friends emailed that his friend found my wallet. Give thanks to the Lord!
I guess life is more interesting and fun when once in a while something like such occurs.

As far as schoolwork, there is so much to do and to learn. A big challenge for me is the Bio. Class. It is such wonderful and amazing to see the mighty work of God. To see the body that He has given each one of us. It is just indescribable!

For Nursing, I am just learning the first-step components, like hygiene, assessment, and some other basic care in lab. Everything is going well, though, so far.
Today as I write, I have practiced giving needles to the sheep as they need some vaccination for their health. I felt that I did okay, since the sheep did not scream when I gave them :-)

And, that is my story for September. College is tough, and Nursing is not easy. Please keep me in your prayers. I really need to do well for each of the classes. Thank you all so much again for your prayers and supports.

Many blessings,

August - the preparation month

I usually do not write English poem, but today I will copy a few well-known lines.

"Roses are red,
And violets are blue",
If you ask me, I'll tell you two,
It is August I thought I knew.
The flowers and the veggies,
They grow and grew.
With the BC rains,
And a few sun too.
If you ask me,
I thought I knew.

Well, greetings to everyone!
As I write now, I can see some smiling faces. It is sometimes hard to jot down a few events on a blog without having any physical contacts. But, I hope you all would understand.

Like a month ago, life is still on the run. I still breathe and open wide my eyes to see what the Lord brings each day.
The flowers in the field are growing well. My Canadian family and I have been very busy this month picking and bending our backs to share the beauty of God's creation. Well, some people would love amarantus! From bachelor-button to zanias to burgandi and many others, our appreciation for the flowers descend more and more. Not the beauty of those flowers that descend, but the labour and marketing. One thing I would not lie, though, is that working in the hot sun sometimes does really irritates me. But, that is life. In French: "c'est la vie"

On the other hand, the sheep stock are doing pretty well. Each day they grew a little bigger. And, their fear towards me shrink as well. So, instead of running from me when I try to feed them, they give me some space while putting down the feed, and then they come to eat the grain in the trough.
With sheep there are many application I can learn from! The spiritual part and the actual, physical duty part!
We used to have six rams and thirteen ewes. And, they are to be separated because some of the ewes are still small to be bred. At this point, four rams already went to the market.
One morning when I went out to do the sheep, I knowingly closed one of the gates improperly. Then, maybe, thirty minutes or so later came Grandpa shouting by the window! As the noise rose, we thought, "uh-oh coyotes!". But, no, it wasn't. The two happy rams and ewes got together! And, it wasn't the rams who entered the ewes' field, but the ewes. Ha ha... well, that day was to be a sleep-in morning, but everybody has to get up and joined the excitement. So, lesson learned. Be always to double check.
I hope the rams didn't do any damage to the nine little ewes, since they're still small.

Yeah, every month there is always something exciting. Our life, or at least my life, is going to be so bored otherwise :)

All is well here. I am doing well, and since it is August school is starting soon; in fact, it is on September 9th. I had all my books collected for the semester to come. It is quite a mountain pile, yet I am really excited to really learn something worth the hardwork!

You already experience that, while you're at school. New textbooks always bring along the joy and anticipation.

I think that is pretty much August has in store for me. As for prayer request, may you please pray for my starting of Nursing Program this coming year. I ask for wisdom and strength, endurance and patient. I am going to be extra busy starting from now on. But, good busy :)

Thank you all so much for your love and support. Your prayers and thoughts about my well-being here mean a lot to me.

May our gracious and abounding in love Lord Jesus bless you all richly.

In Him,
Sureyah

July - The growing month

Day after days, week after weeks, months after months, the things that we do not expect can happen at anytime. Just like July, it is a time of year, especially at where I am staying, the fruit of our labour have taken place.

Planting and weeding are my main job for the past months. Now, it is an exciting time of the season when all that we planted grow in a noticeable speed. Not only vegetables and flowers that gain height and produce fruits, but our main livestock, which are the sheep, multiply as well. Yes, everything is growing, and that is good. Living on a farm, there is nothing more enjoyable then to see what we grow and raise increase in size!

At the same time, I think the world will become a perfect place if there are no more weeds growing. At least, that is my wish. Well, I guess, that will come true one day.

So, what have I been doing this past wonderful month of July?
Well, first of all since my birthdate is unclear as my birth-certificate says in July and I used to September, my Canadian family decided to celebrate an unbirthday event for me. And, if you have read Alice in Wonderland, you might know where that celebration was from. Since then, the event had some activities from the book.

A few weeks later, I went to a lake called Cultus, in Chilliwack. Although Canada is now a hot place, the lake is still pretty cool. I did enjoy it for a certain degree, but not a whole lot. I guess, I do not have Western skin yet. However, it was nice to visit a different location.


One big technical problem that happened to me this month was my virus-consumed laptop. Virus is a wicked disease. It affects not only living things, but non-living hardware as well. Anyway, that was an exciting moment for my life in July. As for that, I still need to work on it before the school start again. FUN.

What else is going on? Oh, yeah. Early of this month at the farm we tried to watch over coyotes because of the full moon. But, not one of them came. One day, though, as we were having a lunchbreak after our morning's work, a daring, hungry coyote came into our field! The cows that stay at the back field dashed to the front gate and doing nothing. So, Mr coyote came in trying to visit our sheep. Thank God, there was another fence between him and the sheep. The coyote's visit was a short one, because as Grandma and Grandpa saw him, Grandma came running into the house to report the unusual visit. Somehow, we were able to scare him away. He, definitely, had an unpleasant visit. I guess, he could not get back to report to his companions, though he was in the forest.
That was a fantastic activity we did all day, as all of us came out after we scared him away with baseball bat, shovel, and stick. And, that is a life on the farm.

On the third week of July, I went to see a celebration of light held in Vancouver. Two to three hundred thousand people attended the event. The fireworks were done by Spain. It was spectagular as the fireworks tried to dance through the music.

By nightfall, the amount of the people triple!

The glory of firework!

The joy Spain produced.

(Photos taken by Jason Ho)

Today, as I write, we had tried to build another fence so that there won't be another "friendly" visit from Mr Wiley Coyote.

And, that is pretty much excitements July can bring.
I hope you all are doing well, and enjoy the summer as it is will soon come to a close.

Many blessings,
Sureyah