Day 12 : Thanksgiving and Homecoming!

Nov 26 - Yes, this is our final day in the US. It is appropriate that today is Thanksgiving Day - we are grateful to the Lord for this trip for several reasons :

• A refreshing time away with Wai Bing. Being away from the daily routine gave us focused moments for meaningful conversation and prayer.
• The Leadership Parenting Coaching training with John Rosemond gave us a vision of how fundamental the family life is to true success. If there is one thing which I cannot fail in - it is my family (all other successes are shallow in comparison).
• The wonderful and welcoming hospitality from Chee Sun & Beatrix! We truly feel the warmth of not only their fellowship but that of their friends at C3 Church in Greensboro. It is truly amazing how the Lord has used their leadership to transmit The Marriage Course to so many couples here in C3 and we pray that this is only the beginning of many more good tidings to come!

As I'm typing this, we are at Changi Airport - waiting for our final connecting flight back to KL. We miss our girls, the food and the fellowship back home. Thank you, Lord!

Day 11 : Day Away at Greensboro

Nov 24 - Our final day of relaxation in North Carolina. So, what do we do? We had fun shopping for shoes (really good deals from DSW) - just what I needed to replace my "koyak" ones at home. Furthermore, it is the eve of Thanksgiving, so with "Black Friday" looming, people are in a shopping mood. If you think that we Asians are KS, think again - Americans queue up as early as 4am on Black Friday to get the best deals in town - stampeding (literally) each other to get their hands on heavily marked down items! On another note, we are so thankful that our shipment from Sonlight Curriculum arrived just in time at 4pm today (or else it will miss our flight tomorrow!). We are bringing home 100+ books for our own use and also on behalf of others in Malaysia. It is so easy to purchase online stuff here in the US.

Spend the afternoon part of the day at the Greensboro Historical Museum. Did you know that Vicks (yes, the vaporub and inhaler) originated from this area? So much of the traditions of the past is worth learning from - especially when it comes to parenting and education.

Day 10 : Traditions & Thanksgiving

Nov 24 - We spent the day right at home - Chee Sun & Beatrix's home, that is. We truly enjoy the comforts of their home and the generous hospitality. Still, our cravings for home took the better of us ... that's when we pulled out our emergency "ration" of ... tom yam instant instant noodles! Now, I know why there is a China town in almost every major city in the world. So much of our culture is tied with our cuisine.

Pictured above is Rev Tan (Beatrix's Dad) - he has been such a tremendous testimony of faithful support for the wife who is currently in hospital. Every time I converse with him, he is overflowing with gratefulness to the Lord for the miracle of everyday living - persevering in faith that all things work for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose (Roms 8:28-29). Praise God that Mrs.Tan is expected to be discharged sometime middle of next week. This is indeed a season of Thanksgiving.

Day 9 : To Shop & To Savor!

Nov 23 - Aah, we now get the time to do what tourist would do - to shop till we are hungry enough to drop & devour! In this case, the place we shop in was Walmart - boy, this to me is the best place under one roof for Asian bargain hunters! My two daughters would have loved to venture along the "arts & craft" aisle at Walmart - after we were done (with a lighter wallet, I might add), six hours had already gone by ... isn't love a wonderful thing? No wonder, 7 years were like 7 days to Jacob when he was in love with Rachel.

When evening came, we were drawn to the neon lights of Krispy Kreme - signalling that the hot-melt-in-your-mouth doughnuts are now ready for consumption! Once again, we have our fellow Malaysians - Chee Sun & Beatrix to thank for using their noses in getting us the best dough in town. And yes, they do really melt in the mouth. Amazing stuff. This would be heaven for little Eunice...

Day 8 : A Refreshing Sabbath

Nov 22 - This signals a change in our trip schedule as we embark on the more "personal" portion. It is truly a divine appointment as Chee Sun and Beatrix lives just about 90 minutes away from where we attended the Leadership Parenting Coach training in Gastonia. We attended the Christian City Church (C3) in Greensboro and were truly overwhelmed with the fellowship and warmth shown - the caramel and hazelnut latte certainly helped! In addition, an angel called Nana Cashman (92 years young) came and showered us with such a warm and glorious hug that we cannot but feel so very welcomed! Such is the bond we have in Jesus Christ - no matter where we are, it is the Lord that binds our hearts together in joyous fellowship.

The fellowship continued on in a Mexican restaurant with Chee Sun, Beatrix, Scott and Lori - wonderful stuff - it was a real treat as we were starting to show the symptoms of "where-can-we-find-spicy-Malaysian-food" syndrome! Thank God for providing the cure just in time. We had a double treat when Beatrix whipped up an Asian dinner for us and it truly is wonderful to be tasting rice again! Speaking about treats, we were privileged to be guests at a 4-hour parenting seminar by John Rosemond (who else?) at the Jamestown United Methodist Church - great to be hearing the leadership parenting message all over again. One time is for sure, we can never get enough of the principles that are based on the timeless principles of the Word of God. Scripture is alive and is sharper than a double-edged sword (Heb 4:12). Amen.

Day 7 : Leadership Parent Coaching 3

Nov 21 - This the final day of the Leadership Parenting Coach training. Although most of what John shared can be found in his books - it has a more "convicting" effect when it comes straight from the horse's mouth! Furthermore, the interaction with like-hearted folks (like Liz, who is already a grandmother!) just warms our heart and gives us the added impetus to carry on the Leadership Parenting vision when we return. The past 3 days of training was not a matter of methodologies as it was about the way parents ought to think. Right thinking leads to right behavior.

Day 6 : Leadership Parent Coaching 2

As you can see, most of the Parent Coaching attendees are women! Now, what does that tell you about the general state of parenting - it is the wife/mother who wants to change things at home. My prayer is that they do not do it alone. I am so privileged to be able to come here with Wai Bing and I just so appreciate her presence and commitment to parent as one flesh. 50% of issues related to parenting would be resolved if the couple starts off from the position of a strong marriage. Without marriage as the center of the family, parenting becomes tough and divisive. Without Christ as the center of the marriage, the marriage itself becomes rough and antagonistic.

Day 5 : Leadership Parent Coaching 1

Nov 19 : This is Day-1 of the Leadership Parent Coaching Session. After 3 months of planning, we are all eager to start! The small number of participants allowed for ease of conversation and it was refreshing to interact with like-minded parents who are not afraid to go against the "postmodern parenting psychology" of our day which creates child-centered families and micro-managing parents. In this age, the need to equip parents to think right is so critical in a world which constantly bombards us with humanistic and ridiculous philosophies. John Rosemond's call is a call back to tradition, back to the time when parenting was just something you do (with your heart), not something you analyze or philosophize about (with your mind).

Had dinner at the Lotus with Liz - fantastic salad, shrimp & crab cakes! About Liz - although a grandmother, she still has the passion to be a leadership parenting coach. Now, that's inspiring!

Day 4 : First Meetings - John Rosemond & Richard Daly

Finally, after close to 3 months of "skyping" with Richard Daly, we met for face-to-face for the first time over breakfast at the Fairfield Inn where we're staying. There were so much story-telling and conversation that our breakfast lasted 3 hours! Then it was time to meet up with the guru himself, John Rosemond for lunch. Guess who was the extra, unexpected guest in the car - Macy - the adorable dog! One thing which struck us was John's oft-repeated phrase - "How can I help you?" Now, that is a great start to a working relationship where we begin to flesh out the details of what it takes to bring leadership back to the family. We certainly look forward to the formal parent coach training which will start tomorrow.

Day 3 : Sleepy in the Inn.....

We made a "sleepy" mistake - after spending the first half of the day walking through the Westfield Shopping Center, we came back to the hotel - looking forward to a leisurely afternoon in conversation but a sudden "ton of bricks" hit us on the head and we ended up taking a 4-hour nap! Oh boy - did that upset our body clock! Good thing we had extra instant noodles with us to see us through dinner. Hopefully Day-4 will be better!

Day 2 : Arrival in Gastonia, North Carolina

After 30+ hours of travelling, waiting, conversing, eating, sleeping, dreaming, visioning and reading (Eliza "forced" me to bring along one of her favorite books - The Mysterious Benedict Society - to read. Found myself caught up in the plot!) ... we're finally here in Gastonia, North Carolina. Right now (11.38pm here) cannot sleep-lah.... hopefully, can get over the lag by tomorrow (which is free and easy) before the meeting with John Rosemond starts on Nov 18. Had makan at the Texas Roadhouse which serves great half-slabs! This place has free "kacang" and you can just simply throw them all over the floor - similar to the Roadhouse Grill back in KL.

On a more meditative note, I spend the majority of my time on the plane going through this excellent resource called "Life Purpose Planning" - a wonderful workbook for crystallizing God's purpose in one's life. Without addressing the issue of purpose, the activity of goal-setting is meaningless and lack the conviction for complete follow-through. Perhaps this two weeks away will provide that time for Wai Bing and myself to build a stronger sense of purpose for the future.

Day 1 : En Route from KL to US

Well, the day is finally here for us to embark on an exciting phase ahead as we take the next step towards "formalizing" our parenting training courses. Instead of going through the toil of developing our own materials, we are grateful to be invited by John Rosemond for his Leadership Parenting Coach certification program in North Carolina from Nov 19-21. Who is John Rosemond? So, here we are - grabbing big bowls of noodles at KLIA before taking the 9.45pm flight (Nov 15) to Singapore - on transit to North Carolina. Once, we touched down at Changi Singapore, we were "gloriously" greeted by real sunflowers planted at regular intervals along the travelling escalator. Interestingly, for Wai Bing's birthday this month, she received sunflowers as well... not to mention that sunflowers were our "official" flower for our wedding photo shots 13 years ago! Isn't this amazing?

As I'm typing this, Wai Bing is fast asleep, while I am sipping my latte (it is now 3.25am) - waiting for our connecting flight via Narita, Japan on United Airlines. These past 2 weeks have been really hectic for the two of us - differing schedules and activities - we are looking forward to these 2 weeks ahead to reconnect and seek the Lord afresh for directions in the new year ahead and beyond. One thing is for certain : we believe the Lord has called us to the marketplace and ministry of transforming the society through equipping the family.