30 November 2023 This week is "Gospel and Thanksgiving Week". It is a refueling station for us to look back on the three-month journey of learning about life. We have been able to calm down and reflect on how God led us to experience it together. When there are always pressures, difficulties, and weaknesses in life, the Bible reminds us of three steps, "(1) Rejoice always, (2) Pray without ceasing, (3) Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God to you in Christ Jesus His purpose,” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). What we teach our students to realize is that as long as they learn to face the chains calmly and surrender them to God through prayer, supplication and thanksgiving, the Bible says: “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts in Christ Jesus," (Philippians 4:7). Why is the peace that God gives us not like the peace that the world gives? Because the peace God gives is our salvation in exchange for His incarnation and death on the cross for our sins. It is because of His stripes that we are healed; because of His chastisement, our sins are forgiven. It is this grace that gives us hope and that allows everyone to express gratitude to those around them. We must learn to cherish it. This year’s Gospel and Thanksgiving Week has enjoyed many activities, including inter-class hymn-singing competitions, gospel sharing, thanksgiving booths, hymn broadcasts, testimony sharing by principals, teachers and students, music sermons and other activities to bring out our faith. In addition to sharing the Good News to classmates, we also hope to convey a loving and caring culture on campus, encourage everyone to love and be grateful for each other, and develop the spirit of serving others. This year, a new element of mental health has been added so that students can learn how to face the storm while our hearts remain stable and comfortable. The method is very simple; it’s called "box breathing", a breathing method commonly used by US Navy SEALs. Complete the following four steps, and in addition to relaxing your mood, it can also help you to sleep better. This method can be used at any time, imitating the shape of your body into a square as follows: 1. Focus on the front left of your body and breathe in slowly and deeply for
Just 12 seconds of spiritual exercise may be able to calm the waves in your heart. The Bible says: "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it," (Proverbs 4:23). We hope that we can enjoy peace from the heart. The strength to grow in the Pooi To Family comes from peace and stability, and the key to success is trusting God. I want to end this parents’ letter by saying how I was lucky I was to enjoy the Inter-class Hymn-singing Competition in which all 24 classes participated in over the last three days. Each class not only praised God with their melodious singing, but also added different elements, including rock music, a cappella, two-step and three-step duets, drama, dance and much more. To add to the excitement and engagement, both of the class teachers in each class devoted themselves to the competition, demonstrating love, care and a tacit understanding of the students’ needs. God has enabled us to build valuable connections during our time at Pooi To, so that in the future when we look back on these days spent at our alma mater, we will remember each beautiful episode. Every step of our journey is condensed with God’s grace and care. Because of God’s work in cultivating Pooi To, our lives are no longer the same. Let us seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and move forward with one heart hand in hand.
Best regards, |
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