What you can’t see from these photos | Our Stories | Christ Evangelical Reformed Church (CERC)

Our Stories

What you can’t see from these photos

Posted on 7 Aug 2019 by Vanessa Ong


What you can’t see from this photo

  • – Hiding under my blanket is a hot water bottle & extra thick socks for my feet.
  • – Exam time is crunch time – literally! My room floor is hidden under books, exam notes and enough snacks to feed an army.  
  • – Reminders to self of why I am “suffering” here trying to study when all I want to do is sleep, eat or just fly home to warm, humid Malaysia 😭: ‘I’m here training for full-time word ministry for Jesus and His people’ (repeats to self more often than I dare to admit) 

What you can’t see from this photo

  • – Just a few minutes before this photo was taken, my classmates and I were busy beating the clock, writing our hands off for our final paper – our Philosophy Exam! Now, happy smiles all around.
  • – My mind is occupied with only two things: a) my bed (after EVERY SINGLE EXAM…Zzz) b) what to do for a THREE week holiday? *insert over-ambitious list of fun I’ll be too lazy to realize* 
  • – Mitchell (in photo) and I setting a date for a meal in the warmly welcoming home of the Alberts: my classmate Mitchell, his wife Jessie, Boaz and Ezra! We enjoyed our time together. 

What you can’t see from this photo

  1. – The hardworking and generous conference organizers. Thank you Isobel Lin for your generosity so that my friend and I could attend EQUIP Women’s Conference 2019!
  2. – Hearts and minds being challenged at EQUIP Women’s Conference 2019.
  3. – My mind wandering off to my sisters back home in Malaysia and how EQUIP Women’s Conference 2019 could inspire them to minister to one another.

What you can’t see from this photo

  1. – The amazing pork knuckles Moore College Kitchen served us for dinner that day. It was so big I used up some of the fatty meat to cook this plate of fried rice.
  2. – My freezer stocked with precious treasure: mum’s yummy home-cooked spicy rendang and curry paste. I tried my best not to be selfish. Shared (a bit) of it with the lucky few. 
  3. – The fact that I’m honestly a bit sick of my own hit-and-miss cooking and looking forward to going home in December to eat mum’s hit-and-wow cooking! =D

What you can’t see from this photo

  1. – A few minutes after this photo, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra + soloist played Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2. They’ve got a great discount for those under 30! 🎉🎈 🎉🎈 
  2. – The fellowship and fun Valerie (in photo) and I share as we talk about all sorts of things on the bus, train, restaurant, in cafes, at the Opera house etc. Thanks for the company! 
  3. – Imagining myself as the first violin of the orchestra, then changing my mind, wanting to be second violin instead (insert many revisions of a favourite daydream: me being a part of an orchestra😍) 

What you can’t see from this photo

  1. – 30 minutes before a spontaneous trip to this gorgeous lookout point in Cremorne, I witnessed my first wedding in Australia. P.S. Can you spot the huge cruise liner? 
  2. – The Freemans continuing my education in all things “straya” and other fun and funny stuff. 
  3. – The Jesus-loving loving hearts the guy and girl in the photo have. They’re leading a youth camp called MMM on top of college (for Michael) and hospital work (for Tahlia), do pray for them and the camp!

What you can’t see from this photo

  1. – Underneath that smile is a great unwillingness to leave my room. My feet are resting on a heater; Just look at the beautiful view I enjoy each morning right outside my window!
  2. – Behind that tree is one of the major reasons I’m here in Sydney: the knowledgeable and dedicated faculty of Moore College. (grading my papers in offices behind that tree) 
  3. – The great privilege I have of walking out of my bedroom, down the stairs, across one street (photo),  and then walk into Moore College’s great library (also behind the tree).

What you can’t see from this photo

  1. – The weight I’ve gained from eating all day, every day in winter. I swim like a fat dying walrus.
  2. – Memories of freezing Malaysian rivers @WWSC: Sungai Geruntum 💓 and Sungai Geruh when I swim in a non-heated pool (in photo) while the temperature outside is approximately 13°C.
  3. – The increasing excitement as the months get closer to December. I really can’t wait to be at the best camp in the world, White Water Summer Camp (WWSC) 2019 in Malaysia.