Thanksgiving 2008 Part 2

The day after Thanksgiving, I had to go into work. It was a strange day - I was at a client's apartment for four hours going through her paperwork and answering her questions. I don't know why I thought I'd be sitting in the living room with her sipping tea and chatting about the weather. I was exhausted by the time I got to the office, and I had a pounding headache. It was so bad that I could hardly do any work, but somehow I got through the day. Then I went to my friend's aunt's house in NJ for Thanksgiving dinner #2! She was kind enough to invite a few of us young adults over for hot pot, fellowship and ping pong. The adults kept making us eat more and more and more, even when we said we were full, they still kept feeding us nonstop! LOL, Chinese culture is so centered around food.

After we stuffed ourselves with hotpot, we went downstairs to play ping pong, well I mostly watched cuz I stink at it. Then we had some time of worship and fellowship, ate some dessert. It was really amazing because my headache was still there during dinner, but somewhere during worship I think it went away and awhile later I realized that it was gone! A lot of times I feel like we just get together to play games and hang out, and there's nothing wrong with that of course, but it's refreshing and encouraging to have a time of corporate worship and fellowship, and getting to know one another on a deeper level.

Getting ready for praise and worship


















Mike and Gerald are so funny together, they were roommates in college so they go WAY back




































I learned a new feature on my camera. They were telling me that you can choose to have certain colors show up in black and white pictures. This was their proof. Interesting huh?

Thanksgiving 2008

What a great time with family and friends! In the morning, my parents and I went to church for the Thanksgiving day service - people shared their testimonies, the choir and other small groups presented songs, this little 4 or 5 year old girl (she was so cute) said the 'Our Father' prayer in Chinese. It was so adorable it literally made me cry. Afterwards, the rest of my family came in from NYC and we went to pick them up at the bus stop. We all ate lunch together at church after the service - it was potluck style. There were SO many people - and they don't kid around about food! It's like a free-for-all, if you don't hurry, there's nothing left! Someone brought an entire fish, and by the time I got to it, it was a fish head and bones, hahah! My friends from church were very welcoming and hospitable towards my family; it was really nice to have them meet each other.

After lunch, we went back to my parents' house and hung out while dinner was being prepared. I have the best family ever - I will never forget the hilarious conversations we shared on that L-shaped couch!

Dinner is ready! We missed you Madelina and Julien!

















Mix of Asian and American style cooking

















The chicken was perfect, especially with Colin's yummy gravy!

















Guess who made the apple pie? Isn't it beautiful? Mmmm, with vanilla ice cream. I think there is still some left over in the fridge, hmmm... should I go eat it?

Larry and Ruby's Wedding

Last weekend was Larry and Ruby's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony, I especially liked the vows and the words of encouragement that the pastor shared.




































So sweet ....









































I love Devon's expression, so cute. He was also the life of the party in kids' land, all the girls wanted to dance with him!

















Ruby's vows were simple but really touching. A lot of what she said reflected the types of vows I would want to say. She promised to love him in all situations - when she's proud of him and even when she's disappointed in him. She said that he would always be #2 in her life because she's going to place God first. She ended with, 'I am proud to be your wife'. Wow. That's so powerful, and when I heard it and thought about it, I can't imagine myself saying it. I WANT to be able to say that on my wedding day, but I realized at that moment that it would have to be supernatural. In the natural, I am still too proud, critical, judgmental, and it's easier for me to focus on the faults rather than to just love unconditionally. It showed me that love really is a choice. You choose to love the person God has for you.

God of Redemption and Restoration

Redemption: salvation; deliverance upon payment of ransom; rescue; repurchase, as of something sold

Restoration: renewal; revival; reestablishment; a return of something to a former, original, normal, or unimpaired condition; compensation for something taken away or lost

We have redemption through Christ's death - His blood was the ransom paid to free us from the bondage of sin. That's probably the simplest and most foundational principle to any follower of Christ. Recently, I've been learning that God's redemption goes way beyond just salvation. When He repurchased us from the hands of the enemy, He is not only redeeming our lives from that point forward, He redeemed our ENTIRE life, including the years before we knew Him.

Sofia shared a testimony that she heard recently about a pastor who did not start living for the Lord until his 40s, and he felt somewhat regretful that he did not live out the potential that God had for him and wondered where he would be in his spiritual walk if he had started living for God in his 30s or even 20s. The Lord told him, 'You would be exactly where you are today.' I was so amazed when I heard that. God is not bound by the limits of time - He created time. There is not a formula or rule that says you have to be living for God for a certain number of years in order for you to be at a certain stage. Of course that doesn't mean we just waste our lives away and wait until we're retired to start living for Him, but it just goes to show that once you've made that commitment to Christ, He redeems all the time that was 'lost', and prepares you for the work that you have to do despite your past, despite the fact that you're inexperienced, despite your weaknesses.

After God redeems our entire lives and we are completely His, He then works continuously to restore things that had been lost or taken away. My sister shared another thing with me recently that was really powerful - an example is in the Old Testament law, when someone steals an ox or a sheep, he must restore more than one ox or sheep to the person he stole from. When God restores, He doesn't just restore things to the way they were - He makes them BETTER! It is almost unfathomable - it's so incredibly awesome. If people (me included) fully comprehended just how awesome God's love is, our lives would be drastically and radically different.

Sometimes I look back on my 27 (almost 28) years, I can find so many points in my life where I wonder 'what if I had chosen a different path', or 'I wish I had been able to experience that'. No, we cannot go back in time and re-live our lives. And we may never know what would have, could have, or should have been. But what I am finding more and more these days is that God doesn't erase or condemn us for our past, our past now belongs to Him because He has redeemed us - He can use what's in our past for good, for His kingdom. Everything happens for a reason and while we may not see those reasons at the time or even now, He knows what He is doing, always.

Today I played the piano as accompaniment for my parents' small group - we presented a song during service. I thought I'd be nervous but it was actually really fun - to be able to play the piano for corporate worship. It's been over 10 years since I'd played the piano consistently, but the skills that I had developed now belongs to the Lord, and He remembers and is able to use them for His purposes. All those years of Chinese school that helped me to keep up my speaking and reading skills, I never thought they'd have any purpose other than to communicate with my parents and impress their friends, watch Taiwanese dramas, or get an easy A to boost my GPA in college. But God had bigger plans. Seven years after I accepted Christ as my Savior, He called me to a Chinese speaking church, something I'd never imagined.

I've had a few conversations with people recently about how God redeems the time and restores things that we've lost. A common thing that we seem to agree on is how we feel like we're kids again, like we've been given back the innocence that we've lost along the way. I think I shared this in a previous post - that there are certain things that God is allowing me to experience now, experiences that I've 'missed out on' when I was younger. And honestly, I have no doubt that God is restoring things in a way that is BETTER than what was and what might have been. Who would have thought that I would be back at my parents' house at the age of 27? Growing up, I never appreciated having my parents around, who wanted to hang out with their parents as a teenager?! But in college and for the years that I lived in the city, I loved coming home on weekends when I could and I missed being around them as I realized that it was just going to get more difficult to see them as I got older. Then all of a sudden, it's like I'm a kid again, enjoying being the baby of the family instead of the responsible older child. I get to enjoy hanging out with my parents, eating breakfast together on Saturday mornings while we share God's word, being a part of the same church, all the while being able to have my own privacy and no curfews :) None of this would have been possible back then - the timing that God chose to restore this area of my life is just amazing.

On top of that, God has also been restoring the types of friendships that I've always wanted but never had. All those TV shows that I watched growing up have groups of guys and girls who are best friends and do everything together. I think somewhere along the way, I just said to myself, I guess it wasn't meant to be. I figured it was too late to find a new group at the age of 27 - everyone already has their group of friends by now. I was totally fine with being around a group of girls most of the time, and occasionally keeping in touch with a few guy friends here and there. Furthermore, I was beginning to realize that being friends with guys was more complicated than I had originally imagined, so I was content with things the way they were. Then all of a sudden, it's like, God just hands me a group of new friends at church. I think one of my first thoughts when I started getting to know this group was - wait, am I actually going to have a group of friends with girls AND guys?! God is full of surprises. We're all about the same age - and while a lot of people our age are married or even have kids already - our group is mostly single, so it feels like we're a bunch of kids. Again, it's not something I'd ever imagined happening at this point in my life. Sometimes in conversation, my friends would be surprised that I don't know certain group traditions or things that the church has done for years because it really feels like I've known them for years rather than just months. One of the girls in the group said to me once, 'It was so strange - it's like you just appeared out of nowhere and now you're a part of the group.' LOL.

Another quick story about God's restoration that I think is really cool. When the Israelites returned from captivity and had finished rebuilding the temple, God said to them, 'Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? .... Be strong, all you people of the land, and work, for I am with you ... The silver is mine and the gold is mine ... The glory of this present house will be GREATER than the glory of the former house.' A lot of times we may look at the present and wish for things that were in the past, or complain that the good old days are gone. But there may be things that we cannot yet see, or that we can't see with our physical eyes - things that God is restoring and making more glorious. If we truly are living for God, then our lives (silver, gold) belong to Him and because of that, because He is alive and with us, that the present glory is great than the glory of the past.

Dinner at the Whiddons - Amazing Stew

Thanks Colin and Sof for having us over! We started out with wine, assorted cheese, meat and bread. Then Colin cooked up a delicious pot of beef and veggie stew with mashed potatoes and a side of brussels sprouts and chestnuts. I've never had brussels sprouts that I liked until this night. So delicious. After dinner - a few of us were engrossed in a video game and the others played trivia pursuit. I stink at trivia pursuit, it's a game that makes me look and feel stupid =)
But it was a very fun evening!




































A few of us brought desserts - we might have gone a little overboard - there were only 9 people at the dinner party and look at the selection we had!

Thoughts on Guys and Girls

Kind of a random post based on observations about the differences between guys and girls.

One day I was at the gym (which is an all-female gym) and I was using the weight machines. There weren't that many people around, and I noticed a girl about my age using a machine next to me. The only reason I noticed her was because she set her phone on the ground and I was looking for a new phone. I was doing my thing but I could see her because there are mirrors along the walls, and I noticed that she stopped in the middle of her set. Out of curiosity I glanced over to see why she stopped. She reached down and picked up her cell phone, flipped it open and a HUGE giddy smile spread across her face. She proceeded to send a text back. I smiled in response - it was probably a guy she liked. As much as I hate to admit it - that's what girls are like. We get giddy and smile when we hear from boys that we like.

Then it crossed my mind that just a day or two prior, I was in the subway on my way home from work. A woman got off the same car as me and was about 10 feet in front of me. She was wearing a very fitting skirt and it made her curves very obvious. I don't blame people for noticing or even looking for a few seconds. I mean, I noticed. But then I see this cop who was standing on the platform stare at her from behind as she passed him. Not only that, he calls his partner who was maybe 10 feet away from him, made a head motion towards the girl when his partner looked over, and then I saw his partner inconspicuously turn his head until he saw the girl. Then as I was walking past the first cop, I heard him mutter inappropriate comments to himself. I know things like this happen, but come on, you're cops for crying out loud, on duty! This is why I am so uncomfortable walking in the city by myself sometimes. I've seen so many guys stare at girls in front of me in ways that are so disrespectful and gross. I can only hope that I blend in with the crowd well enough that no one pays any attention to me, even though I know full well that these types of guys would do the same thing to any female who passed them.

Obviously I'm not saying this is how I'd stereotype guys and girls in general, but it was just interesting that these two things happened within a day or two of each other. It reminded me of how different guys and girls are and what a strange world we live in.

Kansas City

A few weekends ago I went to Kansas City to visit Elena, the friend I went on the road trip to Arizona with last year (I can't believe that was over a year ago!) She interned at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City and then decided to stay there with a group of people she met through the internship. I'd heard so much about this amazing (albeit radically different) life that she was living there, and I was curious and excited to see it firsthand!

The trip was so amazing. It was exactly what I needed! I had been feeling kind of overwhelmed with being busy all the time and feeling like I haven't been spending enough time with God. I felt like such a disappointment. The weekend was a retreat away from routine, away from distractions, and it was awesome to just spend time with God and His people. By the end of the trip, I felt recharged, encouraged and excited to come back and start making some changes in my life.

I got into Kansas City on Saturday morning, and by Sunday night I felt like I had already been there for days! Elena lives with six other people in a house, I loved hanging out with them, the fellowship, community, desire to seek after God's heart, the commitment to live for Him and an openness to the things that He has for them. The first couple of hours were mainly catching up with Elena and meeting her friends. We went to Chipotle for lunch and I got to hear a few amazing God stories from her roommates (by the way, most of them are 19, but act more mature than people my age!) After lunch, Elena and I were chatting when one of her roommates came in and told me that she'd be praying for me before I came, and that while she was praying, God revealed something to her about me, which she shared with me. I was so blown away. A stranger giving me a Word from God. Someone who's never met me praying for me. I was really amazed.

After an afternoon nap, we went to an evening service where the pastor taught on an excerpt of Revelation. I think it was the first time I'd ever heard a teaching on the book of Revelation. IHOP focuses a lot on the end times, and how we as believers need to be fervent in our prayers during this time. We came home and ate dinner together, Elena made lasagna. At the dinner table, everyone prayed for the person to his or her left, it was really nice. They kept talking about this great convenience store called QuickTrip (QT for short) so we decided to go for a late night snack. I loved it - it's like a fancy 7/11! We took our sweets home, ate and chatted in the kitchen before bed. Three of us girls slept in the same room - we talked for awhile but I was so tired that I think I drifted off to sleep at some point (I hope it wasn't mid-sentence, haha)


Outside of QT


















Look at the selection of drinks!


















There is a microwave for you to heat up food you buy!


















It's a fresh milkshake machine!























House I stayed in

















Elena (on right) with her roommate Brooke at the coffee shop of IHOP - I LOVE coffee shops in churches ....


















Elena with her roommate Spring - this is the attic that they share. It gets so much sun! You can climb out the window and sit on the roof of the house. Pretty amazing huh?


















I woke up the next morning at noon. I never sleep till noon! But it was nice since I was on vacation. Rather than rushing around trying to be 'productive', after showering and getting dressed, we roamed into the kitchen looking for breakfast and five of us ended up sitting on the kitchen counter eating, drinking coffee and just talked. It was one of the most natural and enjoyable ways to spend the first couple of hours of my day. Ah, the joys of having roommates and suite mates who are believers. It's so amazing to have people to share revelations with, to pray with, to keep each other accountable, to fellowship with and encourage, etc., all living in the same house, to be surrounded by God's Word and his people all the time.

In the afternoon, we went to the 'prophecy room' that Elena signed us up for, where a few people prophesied over us. It was a really encouraging Word - and extremely right on. This boy who couldn't have been more than 12 or 13 was one of the people prophesying over us! I thought he was observing or something when I first walked in.

That night at the dinner table, the parents of one of the roommates (who also live in the house) were challenging us and sharing with us. The dad asked everyone how much they were pursuing God on a scale of 1 to 10. I said 3 - and that may have even been generous. He asked us to think about what we wanted out of our lives on earth. Do we WANT to pursue God, to do everything we can for Him? If not, fine. But if so, then we need to give up the things that are holding us back. It's about making a decision either way and sticking to it. Another question that was discussed was whether or not we've read the entire Bible through. Everyone talked about ways to keep each other accountable about reading the Word everyday, about fasting together, when they were going to do Bible studies together, projects for the house, etc. They're like a huge family, each member with a place and a role. After dinner, we did some house chores. Then one of the girls played the piano and led us in worship. The mom of one of the girls then shared her testimony with all of us - it's so amazing that it seems almost unreal.




















The next morning before my flight, we went to the prayer room for a couple of hours. The prayer is open 24/7, which means there is always someone praying and worshiping God! It's so awesome. There is a worship band of 10-12 people on the stage, and the worship music never stops, the teams change every couple of hours. In the auditorium (I think it can seat at least 500) there are people sitting, standing, pacing, dancing, singing, reading the Word, writing in their journal, doing Bible studies, some of them even have their computers with them. Basically, it's just a place you can go to spend time with God, and the environment keeps you accountable, as opposed to sitting in your room trying to spend an hour with the Lord and getting distracted every 5 minutes. Occasionally, someone will go up to the podium and pray for a specific issue that's on his or her heart, and ask others to pray in agreement. The worship team would sometimes sing verses that are inspired by the Holy Spirit, like words that are not part of any written songs. The prayers were really powerful, it convicted me that I need to be praying more for bigger things, especially for our nation.

I am so happy for Elena and really respect and admire her commitment to the Lord in staying in Kansas City. Although I am slightly envious of the lifestyle and 24/7 fellowship with believers that she has, I know deep down that God has called me to a different life. I mean, I would like to have more time to fellowship with Christians and I think it'd be awesome to have an IHOP equivalent in NYC, but I know that He wants me where I am right now, geographically. I am so encouraged by this trip, and it made me excited and ready to come back to continuing serving God! There are a lot of changes that I need to make, but this retreat of sorts has re-energized me with hope and passion to start again. I want to play the piano more for worship, be more committed to reading the Word, be open to fasting when it's appropriate, find people to keep me accountable and just learn to be in His presence ALL the time!