Congratulations to my little brother, who graduated from elementary school last Thursday!
We knew you'd make it, despite all the difficulties and trials we experienced the past few years. You're awesome and I am proud of you. We love you!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
watching the sunrise
Those that know me well know that I value my sleep very, very much. I will never stay up late working on assignments or studying and insufficient sleep makes me very grumpy. But my daily schedule has been overly hectic with work from 10-5 each weekday and loads of stuff to do in the evenings and weekends. So on Friday night (early Saturday morning), I finally had a chance to sit in bed and read an autobiography about Dorothy Sun, a Chinese Christian who survived the Japanese invasion and Cultural Revolution without denying her faith. Her story was gripping and I kept reading and reading. By the time I finished, it was ten to 5am. As I lay my head down to sleep, I noticed blue emanating from behind my vertical blinds. Curious, I jumped out of bed to reveal this from behind the curtain:
I stood in awe. It must've been the most beautiful sunrise I had ever seen. I ended up sitting in my window (it opens up and is missing its screen) for the next 4o minutes, watching God's paintbrush slowly pull up more pinks and more blues and more lavenders. It was peaceful and quiet, and in that moment, I found rest. 
I've been searching lately for what God wants for my life. I'm contentedly at a point where I don't have a specific goal, but whatever flows by my riverbank, I'll take. But reading Dorothy's testimony brought me back to realize my passion for the Chinese people. I care deeply about who my fellow yellows were, are, and will be. I'm glad my job at Across U-hub allows me to serve Chinese people.
I stood in awe. It must've been the most beautiful sunrise I had ever seen. I ended up sitting in my window (it opens up and is missing its screen) for the next 4o minutes, watching God's paintbrush slowly pull up more pinks and more blues and more lavenders. It was peaceful and quiet, and in that moment, I found rest. I've been searching lately for what God wants for my life. I'm contentedly at a point where I don't have a specific goal, but whatever flows by my riverbank, I'll take. But reading Dorothy's testimony brought me back to realize my passion for the Chinese people. I care deeply about who my fellow yellows were, are, and will be. I'm glad my job at Across U-hub allows me to serve Chinese people. As I look back at these photos, I realize how beautiful the sunrise was. For the past 19 years of my life, how many stunning sunrises have I slept through? How many blessings of God have I missed? oh, how I wish I could capture them back, but what I can only do now is to stop the next ones from rising away...
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
a Beautiful promise
"Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him."
2 Samuel 14:14
I finished reading 2 Samuel this morning and reading it this time around, this verse pleasantly surprised me. It takes on the message of the New Testament where God has already given us life, eternal life, and though we were banished because of our sin, we are now accepted as His beloved children.
Sometimes I take on the burden of trying to change a non-believer's heart or mind; but I forget God's sovereignty and the plan He has for each person. It is so beautiful to know that HE devises ways so that we do not remain estranged. It is so beautiful to know that there is hope where we think hopeless. And it is beautiful to know that we might be a part of the "way" to lead someone to Jesus, but that's all we can do. God is ultimately in control and our prayers must fall in line with His wise and discerning ways in order to see success.
2 Samuel 14:14
I finished reading 2 Samuel this morning and reading it this time around, this verse pleasantly surprised me. It takes on the message of the New Testament where God has already given us life, eternal life, and though we were banished because of our sin, we are now accepted as His beloved children.
Sometimes I take on the burden of trying to change a non-believer's heart or mind; but I forget God's sovereignty and the plan He has for each person. It is so beautiful to know that HE devises ways so that we do not remain estranged. It is so beautiful to know that there is hope where we think hopeless. And it is beautiful to know that we might be a part of the "way" to lead someone to Jesus, but that's all we can do. God is ultimately in control and our prayers must fall in line with His wise and discerning ways in order to see success.
My favourite photo from City Mosaic 2007. Team Mango #27!!
Friday, June 1, 2007
Calm between the Storms
This past week has been memorable and I'm slightly sad to see it almost over. This post is very journal-like--it's a record of how I passed the days of my week of freedom. (That is, freedom from work and school)
Monday was my last day of practicum and though it was hard to say good-bye, I now feel free from the constraints of an early morning and scheduled class times.
Tuesday was an impromptu date with Amanda, where we studied (a little), visited Edward's Garden and took timer photos of ourselves (btw, who is Edward and why does he have a garden named after him?), visited our old high school and some of our teachers, ate at the Fairview Food Court and looked at too many pairs of shoes.
Tuesday evening was our Summer CCF Planning meeting. I am really thankful for the people I'm serving with this summer.
I have been asking God to convict my heart after I quickly slid into apathy after returning home, so Wednesday was especially exciting. Grace and I met up downtown to visit some potential places for Summer CCF outreach, but we were very pleased with what was offered at Sanctuary. We're looking at a Group Education program where we can do outreach with the homeless and poor. Our meeting with Alan B was a little over an hour, but just hearing what he had to say about the ministry and our hearts was inspirational. Another thing we learned: For the past few summers, the CCF outreach ministry has been to volunteer at a soup kitchen downtown. When we mentioned it to Alan B, he told us that the specific soup kitchen we had mentioned was closing down by the end of June. It is by God's grace that we have found another suitable place to learn and serve.
Wednesday evening, my mom took me, my brother and my grandparents out to Pizza Hut, one of their favourite restaurants. I wish I could spend more time with them. They will be heading back to Taiwan in September and I really don't know when they'll be coming back to Toronto. The tension is pretty tight between my mom and her parents and I can still feel a lot of hostility between them. It makes me sad, but it's not my place to comment.
One of the reasons I stayed home this summer was so that I could spend more time with my grandparents, but I've hardly been able to. I need to make the effort to go where they are; they're so excited whenever I do.
Thursday began like a lazy day. I subwayed down with my mom early in the morning to find a place to sit and read. I ended up on the U of T Campus in one of the little pockets of beauty and solitude that spot the campus. I found a little courtyard within the Trinity College campus and sat on one of four benches smoothed out by the wind and rain. It was a point of peace, a place of quiet to enjoy the day before it became utterly smoggy. The air was warm and the sun was slow. I was reluctant to leave, but did as people began passing through the area. It was mine for the moment, but the moment had passed and so I left.
I trekked through the shops of Bloor and realized I was bored. It was my third day out shopping and nothing was really new anymore. Lunch at Spring Rolls with my mom was fun though. We love Tom Yum Soup. Yum yum.
I met up with my best friends in the afternoon and had an adventure looking for St. Louis restaurant. The wings and fries were tasty, but we felt like we were getting crowded out as a lot of business people were giving a going-away party for a colleague. We hiked to Kimmy's new pad and enjoyed her artwork. I'm excited to see her art exhibit.
Thursday evening I had an Admin meeting at Across. I guess I'm officially a volunteer? After the meeting, I joined a talk that was happening outside. An award-winning film producer/director was visiting from Hong Kong. His specialty was educational entertainment, a.k.a. "edutainment". He tried teaching us how to "read media" and understand it. Admittedly, I am very media unconscious. I don't watch many movies or tv. I don't listen to music apart from the Classical radio station. I hardly read the news unless I get my hands on a newspaper, which is quite rare. All in all, I consider myself very media illiterate. Perhaps I know there's a lot of junk out there that I don't want to wade through in order to find the gems. More and more am I beginning to see the value of media this summer. It even began in the classroom with Rob. He was a media/communications major and sitting through his Drama classes have pointed out that media is a channel of communication. There are hard stories to be told, values to be professed, virtues to be developed. I love art, I really do. But I've only learned to appreciate art from the past. I think it's time to focus on what's being created NOW.
Work begins next week and once again, I will be consigned to a schedule... but it does allow me to sleep in. Work starts at 10 am!
P.S. I will work on shortening these uber-long posts.
P.P.S. For those who I haven't told yet, I will be donning at the all-girls res on West Campus next year.
Monday was my last day of practicum and though it was hard to say good-bye, I now feel free from the constraints of an early morning and scheduled class times.
Tuesday was an impromptu date with Amanda, where we studied (a little), visited Edward's Garden and took timer photos of ourselves (btw, who is Edward and why does he have a garden named after him?), visited our old high school and some of our teachers, ate at the Fairview Food Court and looked at too many pairs of shoes.
Tuesday evening was our Summer CCF Planning meeting. I am really thankful for the people I'm serving with this summer.
I have been asking God to convict my heart after I quickly slid into apathy after returning home, so Wednesday was especially exciting. Grace and I met up downtown to visit some potential places for Summer CCF outreach, but we were very pleased with what was offered at Sanctuary. We're looking at a Group Education program where we can do outreach with the homeless and poor. Our meeting with Alan B was a little over an hour, but just hearing what he had to say about the ministry and our hearts was inspirational. Another thing we learned: For the past few summers, the CCF outreach ministry has been to volunteer at a soup kitchen downtown. When we mentioned it to Alan B, he told us that the specific soup kitchen we had mentioned was closing down by the end of June. It is by God's grace that we have found another suitable place to learn and serve.
Wednesday evening, my mom took me, my brother and my grandparents out to Pizza Hut, one of their favourite restaurants. I wish I could spend more time with them. They will be heading back to Taiwan in September and I really don't know when they'll be coming back to Toronto. The tension is pretty tight between my mom and her parents and I can still feel a lot of hostility between them. It makes me sad, but it's not my place to comment.
One of the reasons I stayed home this summer was so that I could spend more time with my grandparents, but I've hardly been able to. I need to make the effort to go where they are; they're so excited whenever I do.
Thursday began like a lazy day. I subwayed down with my mom early in the morning to find a place to sit and read. I ended up on the U of T Campus in one of the little pockets of beauty and solitude that spot the campus. I found a little courtyard within the Trinity College campus and sat on one of four benches smoothed out by the wind and rain. It was a point of peace, a place of quiet to enjoy the day before it became utterly smoggy. The air was warm and the sun was slow. I was reluctant to leave, but did as people began passing through the area. It was mine for the moment, but the moment had passed and so I left.
I trekked through the shops of Bloor and realized I was bored. It was my third day out shopping and nothing was really new anymore. Lunch at Spring Rolls with my mom was fun though. We love Tom Yum Soup. Yum yum.
I met up with my best friends in the afternoon and had an adventure looking for St. Louis restaurant. The wings and fries were tasty, but we felt like we were getting crowded out as a lot of business people were giving a going-away party for a colleague. We hiked to Kimmy's new pad and enjoyed her artwork. I'm excited to see her art exhibit.
Thursday evening I had an Admin meeting at Across. I guess I'm officially a volunteer? After the meeting, I joined a talk that was happening outside. An award-winning film producer/director was visiting from Hong Kong. His specialty was educational entertainment, a.k.a. "edutainment". He tried teaching us how to "read media" and understand it. Admittedly, I am very media unconscious. I don't watch many movies or tv. I don't listen to music apart from the Classical radio station. I hardly read the news unless I get my hands on a newspaper, which is quite rare. All in all, I consider myself very media illiterate. Perhaps I know there's a lot of junk out there that I don't want to wade through in order to find the gems. More and more am I beginning to see the value of media this summer. It even began in the classroom with Rob. He was a media/communications major and sitting through his Drama classes have pointed out that media is a channel of communication. There are hard stories to be told, values to be professed, virtues to be developed. I love art, I really do. But I've only learned to appreciate art from the past. I think it's time to focus on what's being created NOW.
Work begins next week and once again, I will be consigned to a schedule... but it does allow me to sleep in. Work starts at 10 am!
P.S. I will work on shortening these uber-long posts.
P.P.S. For those who I haven't told yet, I will be donning at the all-girls res on West Campus next year.
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