CHRISTMAS 2011

“All studies, philosophy, rhetoric, are followed for this one object, that we may know Christ and honour him. This is the end of all learning and eloquence.”
Desiderius Erasmus

It has been a very eventful year and we thank God for every minute, for the good times and the challenging times. The road to completing our dissertation seems long and arduous. Whenever Davina feels discouraged, she would ask, “Why am I torturing myself doing this?” Whenever Casey feels discouraged, he would say, “I wish I had just taken a post-graduate diploma. I would have completed it long ago.” Thankfully, both of us do not get discouraged at the same time. So, the more upbeat one would turn to the discouraged one and say, “Keep going. I know you can do it!”
We agree with the Teacher of Ecclesiastes that “of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh” (Eccl. 12:12 NRSV). And we also agree that at the end of everything, it is more important that we “fear God, and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone” (Eccl. 12:13). Dissertation writing is tedious, we have no doubt about that. We need tenacity to keep on moving forward. More importantly, we pray that we will know God more and fear him more even as we work on our dissertations.
We also learned a precious lesson when Davina fractured her left ankle and Casey sprained his left elbow shortly after that. During that time, we literally had to lend a helping hand/leg to the other. It taught us what love, mutual help and support mean (and perhaps, a taste of what it will be like in years to come).
Thankfully, God providently provided blessings along the way to encourage us. The invitation to Casey to teach at Central Bible College (Tokyo, Japan) allowed Casey to teach, and us to spend time with our friends in Tokyo and to celebrate our wedding anniversary in Hokkaido. We were able to meet and be encouraged by Christian and theological educators at the Asian Forum for Christian Educators held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Then, there was the surprise trip to Okinawa, Japan—the first prize in a lucky draw—to visit our close friends. On December 9, we will be meeting a group of Casey’s friends from his home church in Ipoh at a reunion in Kuala Lumpur. And, last but not least, the enthusiastic students from Casey’s classes have definitely refreshed us and challenged us to be the kind of educator God wants us to be.
Since we know we have a God who is always with us in our ups and downs, we know he will always be with you too. Have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

a page from Davina's life

LESSONS FROM GOD

Being a perfectionist, I must admit that one of my goals was to write a perfect dissertation. Hence, I became rather despondent when I struggled just to produce one decent page of writing after months of reading. The breakthrough came for me when I heard these words from the pulpit: “It is not about me, it is all about him!” That gave me a whole new perspective on my dissertation writing. My focus in all that I do should be on God rather than on my abilities.
I began to be less anxious about the number of pages I had to write. As I worked on the concept of God as host, my eyes began to see God’s gracious acts of hospitality, providing abundantly for his people, in the pages of the Old Testament. I am still amused whenever I think of God welcoming Adam and Eve into his newly-created “home” that has a well-stocked pantry.
Just when I was finishing this section of chapter two, I received a call informing me that I won two return tickets to Okinawa, Japan, with three nights of accommodation. Okinawa had always been on our “to-visit” list as we missed our good friends who are pastoring a church there. God knew our hearts’ desire. And his generous provision did not stop there. His supply was bountiful—pocket money for the trip, warm hospitality from our friends, good weather (a typhoon hit Okinawa a week before we arrived), free food at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport where we transited, etc. God is indeed a generous host, not just in my dissertation but also in my life!

PRAYER NEEDS

1. For Casey to finish transcribing the interviews he conducted and to finish chapter 3 of his dissertation soon
2. For Casey’s class: Biblical Interpretation
3. For Davina to complete chapter 2 of her dissertation soon
4. For Davina’s avulsion fracture in her left ankle to heal well
5. For Casey's sprained elbow to recover soon

OUR TRIP TO JAPAN (2011)

Our year began with Casey teaching a block class in Singapore. After that, we left for Japan where he taught another block class at the Central Bible College in Tokyo. However, it was not all work and no play. We extended our stay for a long-awaited vacation and had a wonderful time catching up with our friends and former students, as well as exploring some of the tourist spots in Japan.

Japan trip 2011

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