anyway tml i'm going to be water baptised! i'm excited n nervous at e same time.. its e one n only.. major.. significant.. n a new life for me! it may seems a simple thing of submerging into e water n den just come out.. but u have to understand wad it meant.. it meant more than a thousand words.. i still cannot believe tt it's just tml! it just started fr e conversation with my mum one morning.. suddenly e idea of water baptism was planted into my mind.. i felt e urge to ask her.. but i fear of her response.. in e end i asked.. she din really object which surprised me.. eventually i asked my father n he allowed me! God is truly a good God :)

i just wan to backtrack fr e first day i stepped into church haha.. paiseh lah bear with me haha

in e first place, i dunno why i actually agreed to come.. coz i quite anti one.. haha.. wei lin brought me.. around sep holiday 2002.. in sec 3.. i was shocked when i saw church building.. magnificent.. even shocked when stepped into e audi at B4.. underground.. so modern n high tech.. i did feel weird coz i'm not a christian.. i sat at floor area.. Benny sat beside me.. she's friendly n talked to me alot.. i've got alot question marks when saw benny so 'high'.. jumping here n there haha.. i just clapped along with them.. during worship i dunno why i raised my hands.. maybe i felt touched.. during preaching of word.. i forgot who's e preacher.. but i was interested it.. but i din response to altar call.. after tt i tink we went to eat? i cannot remember much.. i knew tt at tamp interchange.. i told wei lin they all tt it was fun n i would come next week..

i did.. haha.. this time sitting at S2.. Vivien told me tt when we sing e songs.. we'll feel very happy.. tt time i was thinking: huh??! are u crazy?! got meh.. haha but now i'm truly happy in singing.. i really xia dao when wei lin knelt down..... i did tink of: OMG.. is she possessed?.. they were speaking in a language i do not understand.. of course i even blur liao.. so scary like tt.. but den Pastor Tan's preaching impacted me.. very meaningful de.. got altarcall.. i din wan to response.. coz vivien talked to me alot.. n i went for it.. but i wasn't really tt serious..

i tink i stopped going after e 2nd svc.. i told wei lin i believe only in my own religion..soka.. n i very zhong xin.. haha.. now when i tink of it.. i felt so funny.. heard tt she very 'gek sim'.. den i lost my beloved photo album.. i brought to bedok reservoir.. i realised it was lost only when i reached home.. so i dunno where i dropped.. i was super super sad.. coz all my favourite photos are in there.. den i told wei lin tt if God helped me find e photo album, den i'll go back... haha! childish leh! tt time she still got reach out to me..

it was after few months when i found it.. i almost forgot bout e album.. n yet i found it! its at 7-11 store near my house.. i was buying sth with christine.. den she pointed out sth is very familiar.. at e glass drawer at cashier there.. i saw it.. my photo album.. i cannot believe it lo.. but it's really there.. e cashier said it has been here for long time.. ya lo.. tt time i remember e things i said to wei lin.. n bcoz of e album.. i went back to church.. tt time i felt touched.. n i came for rest of svc.. not forgetting cg too.. its at vivien's house.. amk.. she's my previous cellgroup leader.. my first cg meeting was still during sch term.. i know benny M was still in NYJC coz he's wearing e uniform.. tt time i think got somebody's birthday which i forgot who liao.. i felt warmth in e cg.. i like e pp there also haha.. eventually i got interested in guitar.. it just catches my attention.. i picked up learning guitar fr Bob n James.. but play for fun one.. NV thought of being an guitarist...

coz i very zhong shi in studies.. i went for svc4 instead of svc5.. with kehui.. i bit anit-social also lah haha.. den can go home study.. meanwhile still got go cg.. but always leave early coz need to work.. i bought a guitar thru kwan yu.. i was very happy.. practised n practised.. not easy.. den started playing songs.. i always dunno how to play one.. need Bob around.. slowly.. i started joining back to svc 5.. i dunno why also.. felt so fresh again.. adek talked to me alot.. tt's when i got to know jollie n lihui more.. all e way.. i attended svc n cg :)

den N127 (my previous cg) multiplied.. i was posted to E307.. i was quite sad to leave e pp who remained in N127.. Benny was our newly cgl.. (to be continued) :)

--> we used joy's house for cg.. tt time i wasn't close to jen.. i was still learning guitar n gradually i tried my first praise in cg.. "let everything that has breath".. of coz nervous.. i was very focused on e chords.. haha.. not e song.. but now its diff.. thru out my Christian life.. there are ups n downs.. sometimes i thought of giving up coz i was tired.. facing things which i've nv faced b4.. a few times i really attitute problem to e pp around me.. but i managed to hold on to God.. I prayed n read e bible.. In every valley, there's a light.. everytime i crossed e barriers, i felt myself even stronger.. glad tt i've pulled thru.. of coz its under God's grace..

yes its not easy.. there's alot times i'm unstable.. but must really jian chi dao di.. champions are pp who nv quits.. so dun quit! we learn things thru experiences! slowly i officially playing guitar for cg.. tt time me, cy, wei lin, joy always together.. coz in same class n cg.. fasting n own prayer meeting in sch.. wei lin, joy, jun hao were helpers in e cg.. jh brought revival into our cg.. but he backslided.. if not for him.. we wouldn't have multiplied.. my cg grew in numbers n we multiplied bout feb 2004.. E307 n N248.. i cried lo.. cannot bear to separate.. joy went to N248.. me, wei lin, cy stayed in E307..

so everything started over again.. as a small cg.. grow n grow.. den i became more stable.. went for e church intermediate guitar course which benefited me alot.. i've learnt alot.. thanks to Bro James n my fellow mates.. i joined POS, Word power for Emerge.. i remembered tt time we had to wake up at 5 plus to go to church for youth conference.. it rocks! beforehand we practised alot for POS.. representing tp.. its fun n got to know alot pp.. unity is there.. its a competition among other schools.. sth bout cheers n dance.. we was so excited upon going to perform.. though its just 4mins on stage.. it was awesome.. we gave our very best.. guess wad? we got first! we received $800 mache voucher.. this 3-days conference sparked off in every youth's heart.. this yr's coming also liao :)

oh ya.. den wad? actaully many other things happened n it would be so long if i were to type everything down.. yes den sch reopened.. i bit lost focus.. i began to treat things like prayer lightly.. but now its diff.. picked myself up.. pray though sometimes dun feel like praying.. i joined usher ministry also.. yeah.. build my confidence.. finally i got my CHC membership card too haha.. time flies.. den now i've been in usher for 6 mths liao.. my section unity brought closer due to no. of times of ushering in indoor.. tough.. but fruitful!

from e asking my mum bout baptism.. to my father's consent.. went for baptism class.. got e form fr benny.. my father signed e form.. wrote my baptism name.. handed up e form.. prayed n prayed bout it.. bought white shirt.. prepare clothes.. cg pp went to witness.. me in whole white.. got my sticker.. Nicole Chong Seow Li.. tt's me.. took pic.. baptism svc started.. praise n worship.. declaration.. svc 4 pp.. svc 6 pp.. me.. one by one.. down e pool.. towards Pastor Derek.. my turn.. Pastor greeted me.. "Hi Nicole".. i smiled.. laid hands on me.. eyes closed.. head into e water.. out of e water.. refreshed.. bit blur blur.. wei lin gave towel.. hugs.. blow candle.. eat salt.. eat apple.. took pic.. happy.. present.. its my 'birthday'.. 10/4/2005.. new creation.. new me.. Nicole Chong Seow Li :)