DanielYKL

Author and speaker Philip Yancey writes:

One day a man said to me, “You wrote a book called Where Is God When It Hurts, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I don’t have much time to read. Can you just answer that question for me in a sentence or two?”
I thought for a second and said, “I guess I’d have to answer that with another question: ‘Where is the church when it hurts?’”

                                                                                              Here is a way of building your own worm farm out of reused and recycled materials.

You will require:

Old carpet or sack if available (optional)
Three phone books or some bricks
1 piece of corrugated iron 600 x 600mm
3 or 4 car tyres of a similar size
35 Saturday newspapers (approx)
1 small container ( to collect liquid)
Old onion sacks or shade cloth
Lots of tiger worms
1 close fitting lid (a piece of wood with a rock will do)
Operating instructions for your tyre worm farm

Place the corrugated iron on top of the telephone books - two books on one side and one on the other to make a slope.
Stack the tyres on top of the corrugated iron. Dig out a hollow for the container to collect the worm tea which runs off the iron.
Fill the bottom tyre with bedding material (shredded paper and some soil) and add the worms (250gms)
Feed regularly with kitchen scraps and keep the mixture moist to touch.
Keep the worms covered with newspaper, cardboard or carpet, then place the lid on top to prevent flies getting in.
Make sure the bedding for your worms is always moist - you may need to add extra water every two or three weeks in the summer, depending on how moist the scraps are that you feed them.
As the tyre stack fills up, this normally takes several months, you slide out the bottom tyre and empty it of worm castings/vermicast. The paper in the tyre will probably be full of worms and can be replaced as is, used in your garden or compost heap, or given to friends to start new worm farms.
The empty tyre is now ready to be re-used. Stuff it with fresh, moist newspaper and place on top of the tyre stack. The nutrients from your kitchen scraps are now available for you to use in your garden and the number of your worms will have increased.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Feeding organic waste to worms gives people an effective and easy way to turn food scraps into a rich fertilizer. Adding worm casts or worm tea (liquid produced in the composting process) to the soil promotes soil fertility, moisture retention, and encourages plant growth. Worm composting is easy and fun and can be done indoors or outdoors. All you need to set up your worm farm is:

A container
Bedding material
The worms
Suitable food
Make your own worm farm

A worm farm is an ideal way for pre-schools and schools to reduce food scraps from their waste. It is also an excellent way for children to learn about nature, recycling and the environment, and makes a fascinating addition to any schools science or environmental curriculum. Try making a worm farm out of recycled tyres.

A container
You will need to get one or more suitable worm containers, which can be either plastic, wood or metal. Use your imagination and recycle an old bath tub or wooden box, a plastic basin, bin, or crate. Worm farm containers can either be bought from your local hardware store or garden centre, or you can make your own out of recycled materials. Wooden containers provide good insulation, and because they are absorbent, excess moisture in the wormery may be less of a problem. Plastic containers are convenient but have a tendency to keep the compost too wet at times. Experiment and find out what works for you and your worms.

Bedding material
Worms require moist bedding in which to lie and lay their eggs. Shredded paper with a couple handfuls of soil is ideal.

The worms
The type of earthworm suitable for farming is the tiger worm Eisenia fetida. This species prefers to live at or near the surface of the soil or compost and does not burrow into the ground. Tiger worms especially like to eat moist organic matter such as food scraps.

Food
Worms are omnivorous (eat both plants and meat) so most organic waste can be fed to them. They will eat most kitchen waste - including vegetable and fruit scraps or peelings and shredded paper.

Suitable food:
Handy towels
Tea bags/leaves
Grinds/filters
Bread scraps
Cereal
Ice cream
Biscuit crumbs
Meat
Fish
Dairy products
Unsuitable food:
Onion and Garlic
Spicy foods
Citrus or acidic fruit should be given in small quantities only (e.g. lemons, oranges and kiwifruit)

     Maxis has advised the public not to respond to SMSes informing subscribers that they had won a cash cheque from the telco.

A Maxis spokesperson reminded the public to ignore SMSes that carried foreign or unusual short codes.

A concerned reader had informed The Star of receiving an SMS that named the mobile service operator.

“I received an SMS telling me that I had won an RM11,000 cash cheque from Maxis and was even asked to log on to its website to confirm my winnings.

“In addition, a foreign 15-digit phone number was given for me to call to. Out of curiosity, I called the number but quickly hung up when they asked for my bank account number,” said the reader.

She added that the operator on the line also stressed that she needed to have a Maybank account to cash in on her winnings.

Another similar case was also reported by an executive who wished to be identified as Lim, only the cash cheque was worth RM9,000 instead.

“It was definitely too good to be true, and right away I could tell that the SMS could not be trusted, although a leading telco’s name had been used.

“Besides, promotions sent by telcos would usually be received on my phone as an SMS which bears a five-digit short code and not the foreign number which I received,” said Lim.

Short-code are five digit numbers provided by telcos to external content providers in order to send their offerings via SMS.

Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) corporate communications head Adelina Iskandar warned the public not to fall for such an obvious swindle.

“Using a reputable telco’s name in an SMS scam is nothing new. Similar cases were also reported late last year involving the use of two major telcos’ name.

“The public must be wary and wise up to such offerings. If it is too good to be true, then it probably is,” said Adelina.

(The Star - 13th July 2007)

 It’s easy to think you got all the answers when none of the ultimate responsibility lies with you, but until you are in the situation, you don’t know anything. You can’t know!
      It’s so easy to give a good advice to someone or to console someone when their love one passed away. Yes, we may be genuine but until and unless we get into his or her shoes, we will never understand or know that person feels. And no matter how we try, we can never fully understand.
      During my drug addiction days, I get a lot of advice and support from friends and relatives to give up drugs.  I know they all meant well, trying to encourage me to give up, do the right thing, live a ‘normal’ lifestyle, etc, - giving me hope. And it is not that I don’t want to quit, I really do - but then they can never understand the euphoria or the ‘out of this world’ sensation one experience when you are high. It’s beyond words. But then there is a price to pay for all this. You feel good when you got your ‘fix’ – but when the drug in your system wears off, that’s where the pain and agony begins. It’s so hard to describe the pain and suffering one has to go through during withdrawals. Why do you think so many people are hooked on drugs and find it so hard to quit?  Two good reasons – one, the good feeling when you are high on drugs and two, the fear and thought of going through withdrawals. And maybe I should add another reason: they have lost all hopes and nothing to look forward to even if they do quit drugs. That’s their perception!
      I’m not saying it’s not possible to quit drugs. With proper addiction treatment and counseling to bring a sense significance and self-esteem back into their lives – it is possible. Here is the million dollar question: Why do so many of them go back to drugs again after they have quit? Recurrence! Let me share from my own experienced.
      I have tried to quit drugs many times on my own and also being forced to – like imprisonment. But never once did I really quit. The longest period I stayed away from drugs is like six months – then back to my old habit again. Why? Well, after quitting, you realized that you are lost in this new environment and lifestyle. You try to get a job. Fine, you got a job but then you find that there is still something missing. You don’t quite understand what. You try to pass you time by going to movies, staying at home watching TV or hanging out with your new group of friends. And maybe you even acquire a new hobby.  All that is fine, but all these did not really fill the void your life that was once filled by drugs for so many years. And after awhile you find that the only real thing that you know that will satisfied you is your old friend – DRUGS! You know the good feeling, you have been there. So why not let it satisfies your physical, mental, emotional needs once again. And you are back to drugs again. Why because there is still one part of out lives that needs to be filled - our spiritual needs.
      I remember that our former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir once said that drugs addicts need spiritual guidance. How true! They must be taught how to come back to the One who created them. God is the only one who can fill that emptiness in our lives. God will see to our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs. He is the Ultimate Answer to all of life’s questions. If I have not surrendered my life to Jesus Christ, I don’t know what would have become of me – probably still looking for my next fix or dead from overdosed and forever lost without hope.

Dentist’s Hymn………………..Crown Him with Many Crowns
Weatherman’s Hymn………………There Shall Be Showers of Blessings
Contractor’s Hymn………………….The Church’s One Foundation
The Tailor’s Hymn………………….Holy, Holy, Holy
The Golfer’s Hymn………………… There’s a Green Hill Far Away
The Politician’s Hymn…………….Standing on the Promises
Optometrist’s Hymn………………..Open My Eyes That I Might See
The IRS Agent’s Hymn…………….I Surrender All
The Gossip’s Hymn…………………Pass It On
The Electrician’s Hymn…………..Send The Light
The Shopper’s Hymn………………Sweet Bye and Bye
The Realtor’s Hymn………………… I’ve Got a Mansion, Just Over the Hilltop
The Massage Therapists Hymn…. …..He Touched Me
The Doctor’s Hymn………………….. The Great Physician

AND for those who speed on the highway:

45mph………………..God Will Take Care of You
65mph………………..Nearer My God To Thee
85mph………………..This World Is Not My Home
95mph………………..Lord, I’m Coming Home
100mph……………….Precious Memories

Give me a sense of humor, Lord, Give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some humor out of life, And pass it on to other folk.

                               I always believed that the last 23 years of my life has been a bonus from God since I quit drugs and committed my life to Him. I could have been dead by now from overdosed – as some of my friends did - or from some infections or from contacting HIV through intravenous. This I’m sure I can speak for some of my friends who were in the same boat as I was.
                          You see, there were five of us who knew each other since we were in primary school. We were about the same age, maybe about a year different between some of us. We grew up in the same neighborhood and some of us even went to the same school. During our teens, we go camping and picnics, dated girls, party, played in a “pop” band and do many other crazy things any teens would do. Some of us are into sports, even representing our states in football and one of us was a state 110 meter hurdler.
                         At that time, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were such an influenced in our lives with their music. We were in the beginning of the Rock Era or rather the Hippie Era We kept our hair long; wear colorful “bell-bottom” pants, jeans, Nehru jacket, tie and dye T-shirts and riding chopped-up Honda S90. (haha!) Then we started to smoked cigarettes thinking that it’s cool and makes us looks macho. And we formed a band, playing real nice “bubblegum” pop music. We were even doing gigs on weekends while we were still in school. All that was just clean teenage fun or phase.
                          Then one day, one of out the “band of brothers” brought some ganja for us to experience. Not many of us like it at first but in due time we were consuming more and more of it. The reason is because we were told that you will perform and sing better when you are high on ganja. Personally, I don’t there is any truth in it. In fact I think it makes your singing even worst as you tend to forget your parts and your mouth is always dried up. But we didn’t stop here, we progressed to the heavier stuff – heroin! Yes all of us got hooked on it and that’s when our lives take a down turn. We became slaves to Heroin! We drifted apart from one another – and each of us found our own destiny to hell in a different way.
                         But God came to our rescued. God gave each and everyone of us a second chance. Even though we were separate because of drugs, we were brought back together again because of His love.  The amazing we are still the best of friends and always in touch with one another. What happened to us?
     
                     Billy or (Gideon) – He was the one who introduced us to Heroin. He then became a drug dealer and was also involved in burglaries, road-side robberies, house-breaking, extortions, gangsterism, etc. He was in and out of prison for many years. Then one day a friend’s mother came and visit him in prison shared to him about Jesus. She left a tract for him. And as he was about to use the tract to roll tobacco with he saw this phrase, “He can make you the man you that you should be.”  And that phrase became the motto of The Hiding Place – the Christian Drugs Rehabilitation- which he founded after serving his time in prison in 1981. Many have gone through the program and I’m one of the products of Hiding Place. He now serve as a director there and is a sort about speaker on drugs related issues. Today, he is married with four children and is better known as Gideon Khoo.
                         

                                Eugene – He used to called Eddy but then he changed to Eugene. He, like Billy became a drug pusher and was engaged in criminal activities. Later he moved to Kuala Lumpur and continued to live his life as a drug addict. Finally he decided to quit and got himself admitted in a Christian drug rehabilitation program. After he has completed the program, he came out and pioneered the Care Centre in Subang with the FGA Church of KL. He later further his theological studies in the Texas, USA and became a pastor. He has since then left the church. Today he is a successful businessman and is married with two sons.
     
     
     
                            Frankie or (Reuben) – He was just as bad as any of us.  But after when he was heavily hooked on heroin, he became more or less a loner. He has been in and out of prison a few times. After more than 10 years since I last met him, I met him again outside the immigration office in Penang. There he was filling in application forms for people for a small fee. He was still on drugs but he wanted to quit. So I took him in to the Hiding Place and since then he has never look back again. He changed his name to Reuben. He later served at the Hiding Place for few years. Later he went on to serve as a full time staff at True Light Baptist Church before pursuing a degree in Christian Theology at a local theological seminary. Later he was ordained as a pastor and served at Patani Baptist Church in Sungai Patani. Two years after his marriage, the Lord took him home. He died of liver failure. And now we can confidently say this for Reuben – “You have fought the good fight, you have finished the race, and you have kept the faith…”
      
                            Sunny Boy – He was the “angel” among us. He has never been to prison, never done any crime and no police record. But one thing though, he too became addicted to ganja and heroin. He was the lead guitarist in my band –The Jokers. He was and still is a professional keyboardist playing in clubs all over Malaysia. He too, became a Christian and was baptized in the church was working in. Today, he is living in the USA with his wife and two beautiful young daughters.
     
                          Danny or (Daniel) – That’s was my name before I change it to Daniel when I became a Christian in 1984. Prior to that, I have been a drug addict, hooked on ganja, heroin, etc.., for a good 15 years of his life. To support my addiction, I resolved to crime, such as burglaries, extortions, house-breaking and dealing with drugs.
                       I have traveled overland from India to Europe twice and was a drug pusher in Germany and France. I was arrested in Germany and was remanded in prison for 4 months. I have also spent four and a half years of his life in prison for drugs related offences here in Penang. After completing his prison terms, I continued my life of crime, deceit and drugs, and I was living in the streets for 2 years, sleeping at five-foot ways.
                       Finally, when I realized that I was not living anymore, just existing, I then decided to quit what I was doing. I even considered suicide, but then decided if I was going to die, might as well give myself another chance and get rehabilitated.  I then admitted myself to The Hiding Place, a Christian Drugs Rehabilitation Centre.
                    After completing my two years program, I continued to serve at the Hiding Place for another four years. I got married to in 1991.  Since then, I have served full-time in churches, social works, and pioneered Life Zone, a Christian Drugs Rehabilitation Centre with Glad Tidings. PJ.
                           In 1991, I migrated to Australia with my wife and stepson and was a permanent resident there for 7 years. After coming back to Penang in 1998 I continued to do social work and later served full-time with Excel Point Community Church from 2001, until I was diagnosed with Stage 2 cancer of the Larynx in 2005 and resigned from my work in 2006. I went through a 33 course of radiotherapy. And later there was a recurrence and this time I was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer of the larynx. I went through a 10 hour Total Laryngectomy Surgery, where my entire larynx is removed, with includes my vocal cord and also my thyroid. I also have to do a tracheotomy, an artificial opening called a stoma in the front of the neck. My normal speech is permanently no longer possible.
     
                       That’s us! Sometimes I still can’t believe how God in His divine intervention has brought all of us together again and not only that, He has placed a calling in each us to serve Him and the community within our capability. Glory to God!