Hebing's birthday!

Today is Hebing's birthday, just want to take some time to affirm this brother.

I have seen Hebing grown from a very young believer to who he is right now. I still remember the first time I got to know him is through a brother's night at the guy's ministry house in Jurong West. He was still a very new believer that time. I remember having breakfast with him the next morning and we talked about the bible. He was very excited about his new-found faith and was eager to learn more. My first impression of him was that he is a teachable and friendly brother.

Soon after the first meet-up, I got to know that he is going to be in my cg after his graduation in NTU. I remember sitting beside him during the last tertiary service and I told him the news that he is going to be in my cg after the service. I am not sure about how he feels about the news but I am glad to have the opportunity to know him deeper as a brother.

I enjoy my friendship with Hebing as he is very open about his life and I feel very comfortable with him. Our friendship develop as we serve together in the cg. He is a very sensitive brother and notices the needs of others. I am very encouraged by the way he serves and helps the people around him. When Hebing starts working after graduation, he faces many challenges in his workplace. Reality sets in as he needs to handle projects, deal with difficult people and meet many deadlines. I appreciate the times when he poured out his feelings and heart during cg. Though he faced many difficulties, I thank God that he is able to perservere and come out stronger after every trial. Now I see that he is more positive despite the circumstances around him.

I feel that cg is so much stronger with Hebing around. He takes initiative to care for people and reach out to his friends. I can sense his genuine heart to reach out to his friends like Yurong, Terrence, Chuan Biao etc. I also appreciate the smses he sent to ask us for prayer requests. Indeed sometimes we are so caught up with work that we forget one another. He always make it a point to sms us to get us more connected and to pray for us. When I see Hebing, I am reminded to love people more as he has set a good example for me.

I had my struggles with Hebing at certain times as well. There are times we disagree with each other on certain viewpoint and we are able to resolve the differences. For example, he has certain understanding towards family which I cannot agree - he likes his wife to make decisions etc. For example, he has certain mindset on some brothers in ministry house which I feel should be changed. I often have a hard time explaining myself and I do have difficulty identifying with Hebing at times.

Over these 2 years plus I know Hebing, I have learnt to feel more with Hebing and I think I understand him more now. I have learnt from him what it means to be a good support to my leader like how he has been a great support to me. He has taught me to be more open about my life with his open sharing and I am trying to grow in this area. Last but not least, I thank God for his friendship, the many suppers we had together, the sowings we tried out recently, the badminton sessions which we enjoyed tremendously, and the many good days ahead. Thanks for all your effort in building relationship with me by asking me out for supper and badminton/basketball.