Transforming Our City Together (TOCT) Conference 2011 I

After the EFC Leadership Summit last year, Piek See asked us to block 8th-9th April 2011 in our calender to attend the same conference in Penang this year under a different name "Transforming Our City Together (TOCT)". During the last March MLM class before the conference, Ps Richard reminded us that he had been coming to see us twice a month since 2008 but he only asked us to travel to the north of the country to see him two days a year. He even sang impromptu in Mandarin the refrain of Teresa Teng's song "How Do You Say"--"You said that you would come to see me in two days. But I've been waiting for one year plus..." to express how much he looked forward to our presence there!

I had made up my mind to attend this eye-opening event long time ago. But when I prepared my weekly teaching timetable for last semester, I had forgot about these two dates which included a Friday. Thank God my leave was approved.

I had started to befriend the Sajar couple in February. When I learned that the family was invited to Penang as well and would be taking a bus, I volunteered to be the accompanying person. Then, I received the confirmation that the two teachers from Harap Learning Centre (HLC) Bukit Baru and their families would also be going with the same transport. Soon later, I was told that Sis Grace Wan from the MLM class would be joining us as well. After I checked the bus schedule, Dr Wong kindly asked one of his clinic staff to buy our tickets.

On 7 April evening, I drove to Seri Siantan flat and parked my car in front of the shop lots. After awhile, the Sajar couple and their five out of six children carrying their own luggage appeared with their excited faces. As we were waiting for Sis Grace Wan who had also agreed to send Sajar's family members to the bus station, Nurul and her twin brothers Fikri and Syukri began to use their forefingers to write on my dusty car back windshield

English sentences that they had learnt at HLC.

Sis Grace W arrived very soon with a van and her son as the driver. So all of us left for Melaka Sentral which was less than 3km away.

It was the first time that seven members of the Sajar family were travelling outstation together.

The HLC teacher Grace's family was already at the bus terminal.

The platform was crowded because of our gang, especially the young ones.

Here we were leaving at 10pm for Penang. Before the opening of HLC, I was a total stranger to them. It was wonderful to realize that the love of God had connected me to

Nurul,

Syukri,

Siti,

Niger, Fikri,

Melisa

and their parents despite our differences of age and culture.