My mum

It's not mothers day, but it doesn't need to be for me to appreciate my mum for just how great she is.
She's not perfect, and neither am I the perfect daughter, but she inspires me in so many other ways.

She survived a refugee camp and had me while she was in the camp, naming me 'Chum Heung' which means 'Finding Home' in English. Ironically, four months later, we were delivered to the paradise New Zealand by God's grace.

She has laboured and sacrificed and trusted in God with starting up her business, a resturaunt in New Lynn. She taught me to pray for every business that you work for or are starting up, because without God, it is nothing.

She listened to me as I told her about Hope99, the mission organisation which me and my friend started up because of God's calling on us. She listened to me rant on about raising $1milllion for our organisation and all my wild hopes, dreams and passion for social justice. She listened, as wild and irrational as I may have seemed. She said we could do it, and she gave us money to help start it up.

She's the reason I feel proud of my academic accomplishments, and it makes me happy just to hear her squeal in delight when I acheive something.

She works 12 hours most days of the week but still helps at church, helps our asian community with paperwork as she speaks 5 languages, takes care of the family needs and holidays, babysits unselfishly and supports the family financially almost all on her own.

She makes me laugh without trying to.

She makes the best home meals, and always trys different recipes to please the family (even though sometimes it doesn't look picture perfect).

She's been giving me money for for 17 years now, and now I have a job, I'm so excited to give to her back.

When I came home tonite, I told her about my 9 hour shift and how tired I was. And she said to me, 'Why aren't you happy?' It made me realise once again that I have it luckier than alot of people out there, and that this job and it's money is God's blessing.

Though we get into fights a lot, without her my life and my family would crumble.

She has no shame. She'll open the front door for me in her undies, she'll scratch her armpits and she'll fart, but it amuses me more than embarrasses me (well from now on anyway).

She is persistant with us kids. Though she may be tired and busy, she continues to live for others and God, not for herself.

She has taught me so much about God and to keep Him the centre of everything, to trust Him no matter what.

What I think is so funny about her is that her motto in life is, 'Why pay full price?' Haha!

So these are only a handful of reasons why I love her and adore her. She has a strong and loving heart, a faith and trust in God that is unshakable, an unselfish nature, a determination and persistance that astounds me and a great sense of humour. Everyday of my life, she is working to keep me alive, to keep me strong, to keep me secure. I love the fact that when we both leave this earth, we will be in Heaven together. It makes me so happy to know that one day, all her hard work and faith in God will be fully rewarded. It's so good to reflect on what I have instead of what I don't...and I fully realise now how lucky I am to have her in my life!