MC-53

today turned out interesting

very

i went out to Queen Victoria Market for the first time today with Marc.. he has been there a thousand times more than i so he was a natural guide...

and i found myself another person.... it was like SO cheap.. cos today is like to closing day for the wek. QV market doesnt open again till tuesdays.... so everything must go... they were even selling boxes of vege for ONE DOLLAR.... my eyes was like gleamering already.. first time i find myself so excited over what? grocery shopping... *do the penguin clap* hehe...

there were like so many cute-sy stuff to buy... like...baby cabbage..baby potato ... baby tomatoes..=DD....!!!

in the end i bought gourmet sausages for 4 dollars and 1kg baby potato for 1 dollar...WAH...lol...hehehehe...so happy..=)

then i decided i still had time.. so Marc and i parted ways and i went back to my usual shopping place which is at Coles ...wait....was it Safeway? erm...dont care.. just "this" place.. either one the two...at Barkley Square..which is like under 5 minute cycle from my home...

on the way there i saw everything as it was... it was very normal... people were walking cycling playing running doing their aussie thing.. walking their useless dogs...walking back with their shopping carts....one old lady was lying down on the grass sleeping....its all very normal...

or so i thought

so i arrived at the supermarket.. parked and locked my bike.. and went shopping~!! again...lol

i bought many things... or i try to control myself... bought bean sprouts for as supplements for the potatoes salad.. erm... tomatoes... and baby tomatoes... (which were of course more expansive but i decided to indulge myself..ehehe..) i remembered that im almost out of milk...but i hardly ever do touch it...but what the heck, i just bagged it... i bought more cheese...bread...hmm should i get two loafs? ah what the heck i should bag it coz after all i am shopping for two weeks.. and the breads should last me till then if i have two loafs.. i bought..juice..and also i decided to pamper my taste buds with some lemonade...

oh oh !!! deodorant .... jeng jeng jeng ~! LOL

and i noticed how ambiguious their marketing tactics are.. like rexona power..rexona sport...rexona extreme..all a bunch of nonsense... when i read the label.. the descriptions is always the same, but according to the "name" the last sentence varies like " the extra edge you need for SPORTS.." or like "because MEN sweat more than women, this is for EXTREME conditions.." bla bla bla...

so i happily pushed my cart to the counter, checked out my stuff and headed for the bike..hopped on and cycled back...

everything was the same... natural... people staring at me and wondering why am i cycling on a non-cycling path... people navigating thru the roads under one of the most ridiculous road systems i have ever seen in the world ( but that is a whole other topic on its own )... people in trams people getting off trams people waving down trams...

but something was awfully the same.. the old lady

and i realized when i cycled pass that she was one of the homeless... she wasnt relaxing... she simply had no other reason to stand .. so might as well sleep.... her dressing was well enough..with proper clothes and shoes.. but it was dirty and crumbled... her hair was messy.. and she curled up lying there in the coldness of the day.. trust me, if ur not used to it.. it can be cold..

and then i cycled on.. thinking should i stop? and pass her something? ah..if only i kept her in mind i could have bought the chicken!! i did wanna buy a chicken after all... roasted chicken... for chicken sandwich but decided not to..ah! if only i did, i thought... so i sorta cycled back but she was on my mind the whole time...

during the journey i was like gee richard... all of the sudden u are so aware of these people...this is after all australia.. i remember during my first few visits to RCC and they were under the pressure of the bush fire and the songleader, Edwin, asked the church to pray for the country... the great southern land..yada yada yada.. i just stood there.. i felt so cold.. cos maybe this is not my country? i dont feel anything for them? mean, i know but thats the truth.. i felt nothing... i hardly really did pray that morning for the country...

but things changed

suddenly at the traffic junction before my apartment i remembered last night anita announcing to the youths that we are going to do something exciting pretty soon to put our faith to exercise.. Ed then elaborated in our cell saying that the youth committee is planning to get us to go out to the community and share God with them.. like soup kitchens or anything like that... i was like.. really? would i be able to do it? seriously...

and there at the junction i was like...yeah... i can... and i should... i mean how rare is this? i get the opportunity to do something for God and its staring at me right at the face and i missed it cause i have nothing in my cart that i can give...

funny how i arrived at the front doors of the lobby of my apartement that when i got down and turned to look at my bike basket and i found the answers staring at me...

the extra bread and milk!!

then the questions came... should i should i?? i just kept on asking myself should i? but i pushed the bike out onto the road again and started the cycle back towards her.. i kept asking should i...

this isnt the first time i am giving food to the homeless.. i have done this before back home and i never regret passing the simple pau to the begger... the gratitude in his eyes was all the confirmation i needed to know that i did the right thing.. bt this time i questioned myself

at the same traffic junction somehow God answered again...

remember The Dessert Song? i quoted from it last night.. well the song ends with a verse that goes:

this is my prayer in the harvest
when favour and providence flow
i know im filled to be emptied again
the seed i have received i will sow

and there and then i got so filled i almost cried.. again..gosh! i have been experiencing this this whole week... haha... but yea.. at that point of time i suddenly remembered that this whole week God has helped me... i could have just let go and stop believing in myself but He sustained me and thats why my week is so nice now... cause i have His favour and His providence.. and like the song says... i am filled to be emptied again, the seed i received i will sow...and so why not? =)

and so i prayed all the way.. i prayed that God will show her that people in this world still cares.. and that God loves her very much.. but honestly i was afraid that she will shoo me away cos i may be demeaning her by giving her food.. i dunno... so i just prayed.. when i reached her she was pretty awake but she kept her eyes closed.. i got down.. took out hte bread and the milk and put em into a plastic bag.. i slid it 20 dollars.. and left it beside her... i didnt really know what to do.. should i wake her up or just leave it there...

i just left it there..

i got up turned around and noticed a cyclist passed by... he saw what happened and looked at me and smiled..and it was that smile that gave me the confirmation i needed... i did the right thing..and so i got on my bike and cycled away

and at that point i knew that i am ready... bring it on... =) i feel like the richard that i once knew is coming back to life again... and im excited to see what else God will pour my way... =)