Hi everyone, it’s officially 1 January 2026, which means I have officially stepped into a new chapter serving full-time with The Navigators Malaysia.
First and foremost, I want to thank all of you who pledged so generously in support of this transition. It means a lot to Jen Ni and me; your support truly frees up our headspace, allowing us to worry less about finances and focus more on how God is calling us to serve.
I’d also like to share some quick updates to bring you all up to speed on our lives since the fundraiser.
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Family Updates
Jen Ni and Chen Xi are both doing well. Since returning from the confinement center, we have slowly found our rhythm as new parents. We feel incredibly blessed by a smooth transition; many would consider Chen Xi an ‘Angel Baby,’ as he sleeps soundly through the night and only fusses when he needs to be fed. There was once, he even managed to sleep for eight hours straight!
Of course, as we navigate this transition, we’ve also faced our share of rough patches. Beyond the expected tiredness, we've found that unspoken expectations often cause the most tension between us. There have been moments where stress built up simply because we had different expectations and failed to communicate them effectively. However, we’ve identified this as a growth area and are now prioritizing clarifying things and simply talking more with one another.
As we made the necessary adjustments to transition, one of the areas we paid special attention to is the ability for us to remain mobile and active. We did not want to wait till we had everything figured out / settled before venturing out of our home with the baby.
One thing we’ve been very intentional about during this transition is staying active. We didn't want to wait for life to 'calm down' before we started getting out and about with Chen Xi.
We feel that being mobile and present in the community is key to our work. You can see us in action in the photo above, taken at a mother-child yoga session hosted by our friends Amy and Mein Er. Following the example set by my dad, we really want our ministry to be a family affair where everyone is involved.
Workplace Updates
I officially surrendered my office access cards and work laptop on 24 December 2025. Since the company was in the middle of a move, everyone was instructed to work from home for the rest of the year, making my departure feel even more final.
My last two weeks were nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster. At times, I found myself questioning and second-guessing my decision to serve full-time with the Navigators. I’d ask myself: 'Why am I creating such chaos in my life? Is this really necessary?' > As the reality set in, I became more aware of the comfort, familiarity, and sense of control I was giving up. Foregoing that security felt heavy, but it also reminded me why I need to lean on God’s plan rather than my own.
At other times, I simply reflected on all the memories and friendships I’ve been blessed with. I found myself wondering if these connections would live on beyond my corporate life—I sincerely hope they do.
But there’s no turning back! That is something I repeated to my boss several times. Instead, I’m choosing to take all those kind parting words and words of encouragement and convert them into a force that propels me forward. I will forever treasure the memories God has blessed me with.
Encouraging parting notes
Ministry Updates
1. Friends from New Zealand
We had a great time with them where we shared about our respective ministries: UM Campus, broader Young People work and Young Working Adults. We too had the opportunity to hear from them in regards to the things God is doing in New Zealand.
Overall, it was a wonderful time of mutual learnings and encouragements. We were reminded to pray and trust God for things we desire for the ministry and also to be bold in trying new things in ministry.
Overall, it was a wonderful time of mutual learnings and encouragements. We were reminded to pray and trust God for things we desire for the ministry and also to be bold in trying new things in ministry.
2. Great Joy of Christmas
This year's Christmas celebration is special! Several different young people groups came together to organize a bigger scale Christmas party which took place on 27th December 2025.
There were a total of 70 people present at this year's Christmas party which primarily served relational network friends and several students from UM and UTAR campuses.
We really thank God for blessing us with these relationships and also for the opportunity for us to co-labour amongst different young people groups.
Happy New Year 2026!
Jen Ni and I celebrated the new years with some friends at Port Dickson. My friend and I made special arrangements to have our parents take care of our babies so that we may spend some quality time being present with one another :)
That's all the updates for now! Till the next update, take care.
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