We Cannot Outgive God (1)

Papa taught Chinese in a primary school in the morning, and in the evening he worked as a bandmaster in the various nightclubs in Penang. Seeing how hard papa toiled for his family, I was very protective of him. I jealously guarded him from unwanted visitors who would visit him in the afternoons to request for help or advice. I often reminded papa it was time to take a much needed rest before he set off for work in the evening. Afraid of losing papa, I would wait for him to return from work in the wee hours of the morning when I would make him his favourite cup of horlicks. Papa would sometimes collapse on the bed due to sheer exhaustion.

Being the youngest, I was often the one sent on errands as all my siblings would be in school. I would buy rice twice a week from the grocery store. If I still remember my wieght and measurement, rice was sold by the gantang. One gantang equalled four chupaks. One gantang of rice would be about one large milo tin equivalent to about one kg.? The shopkeepr would pour the rice into the tin and level off the rice. Although I was only six years old, I was not going to be outwitted by some of the less than honest shopkeepers. "Uncle, shake the tin please and press down the rice. Shake again." The rice would settle creating more room for additional rice to be added. "Shake some more please". I love papa so much that I was very protective of his hard-earned income. Whenever the shopkeepers saw me approaching, they would cry out loudly, "Watch out! Here comes the shaker!"

Hence you can imagine my pleasant surprise after I became a Christian to come across God's words referring to the same procedure! Luke 6:38 says, "Give and it will be given back unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and runing over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back unto you". I decided to appropriate this verse and I have never looked back. The Lord has blessed me ten-fold over what I have given all these years. I can hardly believe it myself. I have won over 165 prizes over the past eleven years.

For brevity, I would only highilght and narrate some of the more memorable and hilarious incidents. I would also write in chronological order

My very first lucky draw attempt was at the Cold Storage Supermarket. The cashier gave me 3 forms for the 3 packets of M & M chocolates I had bought. I was sceptical and reluctantly filled in the form, wondering if the draws were real or just a gimmick to make consumers purchase the goods. The following month I was surprised that I had won a carton of M & M chocolates! I gave my prize to my cell group host, Joseph, asking him to collect the prize and give the choclates to his five young children.
Since then I was nicknamed Chocolate Aunty by the kids.

Second sister was migrating to Melbourne with her family and stopped by in Singapore for a week. If I were to cook diner for my sister, I was afraid my cooking would not be to her satisfaction because second sis is a great cook. If I were to give the family a treat at the restaurant it would tear a big hole in my pocket. The dilemma was solved when I found that I won a dinner voucher of $300/- from the Holiday Inn Hotel, by courtesy of Oriental Emporium. It was a joy to have 20 people for dinner to bid my sister goodbye.

Gan Chau