project en courage at maker's market (national museum, 7 aug)

i'm a pessimist.

when i consider a situation that is to come, i always think of the worst thing that can happen. that is why preparing for project en courage's first bazaar is like a huge mountain to climb - because i build more mountains for myself, before climbing the one i am supposed to :)

there were countless fears and faithless thoughts that crossed my mind. 

i don't have anything to sell.

nobody is going to buy anything. 

all my products are brown. (yes i know right.. on hindsight i realise how ridiculous this is...)

it's raining, it's going to continue raining. 

why would anyone go to a museum on a friday evening? 

there's going to be nobody at the bazaar. 

the list goes on. 

thank God for a husband who has the faith and courage to point out how ridiculous my fears were. he reminded me of why we were doing what we were doing. project en courage is what God deems fit for us to work on at this moment. it is His project. He determines whether it is successful, and He decides whether it is successful. the opinions of man... don't matter. 

as the days ticked by, it became clearer that this was a family project and to my pleasant surprise, e was so much more helpful than expected!

him helping to remove packaging..arrange the postcards.. count envelopes. yes, with him involved, it definitely slows things down, but it doubles the joy in the process :) it also helps that we can teach him skills in the meantime - how to arrange things, how to count, how a 'shop' functions, how to welcome people to our 'shop' ;) 

it was thunderstorming just before the bazaar, and i was muttering to PP that the rain would surely keep people back from coming. herein lies my faithlessness! i'm ashamed to realise it now. 

so here's my list of thanksgiving now.. that i will be reminded that my God is faithful, and He provides for all we need. if one day, he deems it fit that we have receive no business, may we still be grateful for His perfect purpose.

Thank God for...

1. stopping the rain just before the bazaar started

2. those who prayed. 

3.the great turnout!

4. providing us with a bright and ideal booth

5. a cheerful, enthusiastic and fantastic saleswoman who willingly gave of her time, company, words and energy!

6. e who was largely cooperative :)

7. my mum, and K, who provided dinner for all of us

8. eme's parents, sis and bro, who came down, plus its always a highlight to see DDD!

9. a fantastic parking lot

10. sending people who can identify with Project En Courage and like our products :)

11. C & A - for your koi, your curry puffs, but most of all, for coming all the way down!  你的爱我深深感受到啦！<3 <3

12. a whole troop of church friends who come down even when it's waaay past their bedtime, who supported in word and action, who helped to pack up and provided us with great company just when we were getting tired.

words just cannot expressed how thankful we are for all of you. we pray that we will keep doing God's will for God's glory, so our testimony and work will not stumble any of you but be a blessing to you as the Lord uses us :)

and because pictures serve as the best memories... 

our 'uniforms' prepared by PP

super amazing saleswoman of the year!

Encourage with a Postcard - now with envelopes!

Knock on the Door Mat / Good News in a Cup

a verse very close to my heart, engraved on a tissue box, for times when tears flow and you need comfort.. (sold out with restocks planned)

passport covers/traveller's notebook :)

our Through the Waters bottle :)

as shared earlier, if there's anything this bazaar and the national day weekend has shown, it is that GOD is FAITHFUL. very happy to be doing His will, very happy that we are in this as a family, and very happy to experience His guiding hand, leading us to today. very tired too! hahaha... but not too tired to be involved in yet another maker's market ;)

The Love of God (1917)

"This hymn was written in a citrus packing house in Pasadena, California, by a German-born Christian named Frederick M. Lehman. At age four, Frederick and his family had migrated to America, settling down in Iowa....

In 1917, his finances had gone sour, and he found himself working in a packing factory in Pasadena, moving thirty tons of lemons and oranges a day. One morning as he arrived at work, a song was forming in his mind. He had been thinking about the limitlessness of God's love, and during breaks he sat on an empty lemon crate and penned down words with a stubby pencil.

Arriving home that evening, he went to the old upright piano and began putting notes to his words. He finally had a melody and two stanzas, but almost all gospel songs of that era had at least three stanzas. At length, he thought of some lines he had recently heard in a sermon. (Editor's note: in another version, some say he remembered these lines from a poem on a card, received from a friend).

Could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry,

Nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky.

--- The above extracted from Then Sings My Soul, Robert J. Morgan

---------------

The words from this poem were found to match the melody that Frederick had written! But who is the original author of this third stanza? It was later discovered that the original version of this verse was written long ago in Hebrew, by a Jewish poet Meir Ben Issac Nehoria. The first english translation, however, was found carved on a prison wall by some painters, and one of them was so impressed by the words that he jotted them down, preserving it in the process. So "coincidentally", these words matched the metre of this song that Frederick M. Lehman would write hundreds of years later.

So complicated, and while some historical facts may be unreliable in this case, one thing is clear. This hymn was incomplete without the third stanza, and God completed it through His perfect timing and perfect plan :) It is amazing to see how God cares and exercises His providence, even in hymns... so that many years down the road, countless people are edified through the words of this song.

photo: (Write of God's Love Pencils/Notebook - www.projectencourage.net)

what we do, what we used to do, and why we do what we do

so what is project en courage about? 

while it is founded on the grace (恩) and courage given by God, the main thrust of Project En Courage is, simply, to Encourage. 

the past year or so has been very very tough, to say the least. but amidst our trials and struggles, God sent many along the way. fellow prayer warriors.. thoughtful gifts... whats-apps.. sincere questions of concern. we have been deeply touched by all whom the Lord has used to encourage us and remind us that we are truly not alone. these people are our inspiration!

over the years beginning from our courtship days, PP and i have somehow stumbled into this little habit of embarking on projects, both big and small, with hopes of thanking these people and giving practical and encouraging gifts in appropriate seasons. it started with simple bookmarks, small quantities...  and soon, as more people are sent into our lives.. it envolved into something alittle more "large-scale"....

badges to remind our friends of a verse we would like to share with them :)

canvas bags for children we love :)

hand-sewn luggage tags  (this was TEDIOUS!)

 calendar stickers

postcards to encourage us to write to one another :)

badges

we cant produce hand-made so efficiently anymore, so we have moved on to practical and meaningful everyday little things that hopefully can point someone to the Lord. they are personally and thoughtfully designed, with the intention that you may be reminded of God's truth and faithfulness  :) may these little products that we come up with bless you, or the person you intend to encourage!

project en courage

PP and i have been working on something for the past 6 months or so. it's our... little project.. and it has culminated to...... this :) www.projectencourage.net

we are definitely launching this with much fear and trembling, for much is at stake - our testimonies, our time, our strength.. but with God's leading, step by step, here we are, and we covet your prayers and support :) to be honest, this project has already been a blessing to me, to keep me occupied, to make use of what God has blessed us with, and while designing, to fill my mind with godly things that are good and lovely.... especially in a season that has been very tough. daddy himself was in full support, and a few days before he departed, though unable to speak and often very drowsy, muttered the word "shop" to ask about its progress and smiled to see the website...

we spent a long long time playing with permutations and brainstorming for a name that would be straightforward in revealing our objectives and what we are about. we knew it definitely had to reflect God and who He is. at the same time, we wanted people to know our objectives, which is to promote gift-giving and encouraging one another in the faith. it took a long time, and one day, it finally clicked, in more ways than we anticipated! thank God for the inspiration :)

here's the explanation behind the name, Project En Courage :)

Project - we do not really view this as a business, or a profit-making venture, but a little family project and a little ministry. may you be blessed through this project, so you can be a blessing to others as well.

En - 恩 refers to the grace of God, without which we will not be here. It is God's grace that allows us to be saved from our sins, it is God's love that caused him to send His Son to die for us, and it is God's mercies that we are not consumed. The wife's name - 恩玮 meaning God's Great Grace. It is definitely God's Great Grace that we hope to sing of, and to convey in all we do.

Courage - Project En Courage is started in a difficult season, as our dear father battles the last stages of lung cancer. where else can we find courage to face up to future days? who else can we look to, for strength? It is at this very season that we find we need courage even more than before, and praise God, for even though we do not know about tomorrow, we know who holds tomorrow.

so we embark on this journey, with the hope of encouraging others with Project En Courage, for we know in the process, we ourselves will be encouraged :)