hello from Quebec

I am on the bus right now heading to Gaspe.  It is 2:45am.  I think I drank tea too late so that’s why I’m still awake.  That and there is internet on this bus and I had to catch up on some work.  Sad, eh? Doing work during spare time during a holiday.  But it’s not stressful.  When I become a full-time pastor though, I think I should make a rule saying no emailing work during holidays.  Just gets too distracting.  It’s because of the Chester Le event that is happening soon.  I am trying to coordinate volunteers.

On to the fun stuff.  I just spent two days in Montreal. We did white water rafting, biking on St. Helene Island, and went to the Art Gallery and the church near the Art Gallery.  We also had poutine which was really filling and we stayed at Selena’s uncle’s place so we also ate Indian food.  We met with Andrew Chao and his other church friends too and ate viet food, had a lot of laughs just chatting and eating.  So far everything is going alright.  Thank God because the weather was cooperating, and I was praying that everything would go smoothly (not just weather but safety and logistics)

However, there is a lot of brokenness that I am seeing in Montreal.  I cannot go into detail but basically I got a glimpse of what some hardships are like, both for homeless people on the street and broken people in a great big house.  Much prayer is needed for this city and all the other cities around the world where people live without much hope or joy.

On another note, I think going to Montreal really puts me in my humble place because turns out after all my French isn’t that good and I do have shyness that shows up more.  Not just with the language but also being in a “foreign” environment.  I need to let go of my pride and listen first, understand first, and love first without thinking that I am really that good.

The upcoming days we are supposed to go kayaking watching seals, whale-watching on a boat tour and canyoning.  Hoping everything works out and no accidents haha because I had some minor accidents already.  Fell off my bike over 3 times on St Helene Island (yeah, not enough training in biking, always freaking out when getting close to other people or things).  But don't worry, I just have scratches and bruises, and they don't really hurt.  I don't even need a bandaid.  In fact every time I fell, I laughed.  You probably think I'm weird but I am just thankful that God prevented me from breaking any bones or spraining anything. I will let you know how the rest of the vacation goes!

Good night and God bless!

Hope for the Nations

I just finished an amazing course that was 6 days long, 9am to 5pm.  Never once did I fall asleep in this course.  In fact, I was on the edge of my seat, taking notes, excited to share ideas and questions during the discussion time, eager to read the homework readings, and feeling pumped after the course to become a future facilitator of the same course.

So... what is this course that makes it so good? It's a course about God's heart for the world.

Ever since I became a Christian in grade 5, I wanted to share God's love and message to everyone.  Sometimes I really didn't know how to.  But I knew I wanted to do it.  Why?  Because this message is too good to be kept to myself.  It's like if you found the cure to cancer but you want to keep it to yourself.  Of course, it also depends on how I share, I cannot force people to change their minds.  But I really do want to share what God has done in my life.

Recently my friend Shelly, who has been an atheist most of her life, became a Christian.  She told me how she feels so at peace and feels much more grounded now that she has started her journey of faith.  This is just one of the examples of how God touches lives.

It's true that in the past, it seems like religion has done a lot of damage.  If we look at the wars, the judgmental discriminations, etc. it doesn't look pretty.  But the key word is: religion.  Religion is man-made.  Religion is a construct created by people to try to reach God or be good or do what they think is right.  However, if you read the Bible, you will realize that Jesus was not interested in religion.  He was interested in relationships.

Jesus even got mad at the religious leaders, saying that they were hypocrites and not truly following God.  Jesus wasn't trying to start a new religion.  He came to show us how to love and give us a way to have a relationship with God.  No longer do we have to try to be "good enough" to reach God, because none of us can ever be good enough.  But now, we can reach God through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, paying for our sins and wrongdoings so that we can be forgiven and have new life.

Jesus was controversial, because he went to parties and even invited all the "bad" people to eat with him.  Jesus crossed boundaries, talked with a Samaritan woman whom normally the Jewish people wouldn't want to talk to.

If we really took a good look at Jesus in the Bible we will realize that he is not like anyone else in history.  He had a heart for people.

He said, "I have come so that you may have life, and life to the full."

I want that abundant life.  I have already tasted it and I want it for my friends.

This abundant life in Christ and the desire for others to have it... that's what drives missionaries to go to hard places in the world, leave a comfortable home, leave family and friends, in order to do mission work like translate the Bible in new languages, serve among the poor and sick...

I mean back in the old days, there were missionaries who packed their belongings to go the heart of Africa.  What did they pack their stuff in? A coffin.  They were willing to die there.  And many of them did.  Some of them died only after 2 years of service in those jungles, because they caught malaria.  But others came to take their place and their work was not in vain.

These are stories you don't hear about.  The good work that missionaries do.  You only hear about the horrible wars that the "Christians" fought.  I mean, were those even real Christians?  They totally misinterpreted the Bible or didn't even read it before killing the Muslims.  God tells us to love and share His message to the Muslims, not kill them.

Some people will say that you can be good without God.  In a way, they are right.  You don't have to believe in God to be good.  But I believe that the morals we have in our hearts were first placed in there by God our creator.  Because if there was no God there is no point in being good.  Because even if you live a good life everyone is going to die anyway in the end so what's the point.  If there is an afterlife however, then what you do in this life matters for eternity.

I could go on and on, but these are just my thoughts.  Please know that I don't mean to offend anyone by talking about this, I just want to share what's on my heart.  You can feel free to disagree or discuss with me more.  I love you all and I do want you to experience the joy I feel , the joy I found in God, but that is up to you.  I am only a messenger.

Here is a song I learned, I feel it summarizes what Jesus means to me

Very Thankful and Happy :)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

-Romans 8:28
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Wow, I am so thankful and happy :)

Last Thursday I got a message from Christina saying that she didn't feel comfortable renting out the room to me.  I wasn't upset or anything. I just took it as God's plan. Interruptions in my plan or sudden changes are starting to phase me less and less, because I believe everything will end up working out for those who love God. 

The day after I got the message from Christina, I was going online and found a room for rent on the Tyndale website.  It just so happened to be a Christian lady who founded a charity organization that I support.  Her name is Anne and I never met her until yesterday when I went to see her house, but I knew about her before from the charity letters.  Amazing right?

And it just so happened she lives near Chester Le and my church, and this makes it so much easier for outreach work to be done when I live around the same area that I am outreaching to.  It's only 450 a month and she is extremely nice.

So yeah, Sept 1st I am moving there !  It's near Finch and Victoria Park so it's super easy to get to school, Charis, and my parents' home too.  PERFECT!

Praise God! :)

Also, today the pastor at Charis told me that I'm getting paid $1200 a month starting Sept.  GREAT.  :)

I'm also planning on applying for OSAP (they give out free grants, not just loans) and ODSP, just to get more money wherever I can and hopefully still have money after I graduate from Tyndale to pay OSAP back as well as some money to go to Montreal for an internship.

YAY, happy times! :)

The Armor of God (Ephesians 6)

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Start getting used to surprises

YAY, I'm done my Hebrew exam! I think I did OK... there were things I didn't know but it seems like I passed at least.

Well, I realized that to be less stressed and happier in life, sometimes you need to lower your expectations and be ready for surprises.  Take life as it comes.  Because today Christina texted me and said that the room rental is not available anymore.  I don't blame her and I'm not upset.  Just that now I have to figure out should I stay at home (which I don't want to) or should I move out still (have to find a place).

I really don't know anymore.  Maybe that's why the Bible says "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what tomorrow will bring" and "do not say to yourself, tomorrow I will go to this or that city".  Nothing in life is stable and so you have to just take it step by step.

Wonderful song :)

A new chapter in my life starting soon

Things are looking up :)  I did well on the past 2 Hebrew quizzes (got A's!!!) and the final exam is this Thursday, and I feel that I will be ready by then.  YAY!!! So looking forward to relaxing and having fun after the Hebrew class is done.

Yesterday morning I got a call from Rev. Wang (the pastor from Charis Evangelical Free Church) and he told me I passed the application to become their Youth Worker! I will start as Youth Worker at their church (which meets Sun. afternoons) in September. :) Thank God!  I have a job and I love it already (I started volunteering with them already so the teens are starting to get to know me)!

This means that I have the money to move out.  So in mid-August I plan to move to Christina and Riley's place, even though it's far (Vic Park and Eglinton) but at least it's cheap (350 a month) and I know them well.  I'm growing up!

I'm slowly letting go of Christos... thank GOD!  It's about time!  Thank God he didn't text me for a week now.  It gives me room to breathe.  I still think of him now and then but the feelings are not strong anymore.  Time to move on!

Fun things to do before school starts again:

-go to Harbourfront with Thuy
-go to the beach with Selena
-karaoke with Peggy
-chasing waterfalls with cell group
-put up more youtube videos of my singing
-try Muay Thai (martial arts) and kick some butt

Things to accomplish before school starts again (work-related):

-organize the Annual event for Chester Le
-work on Chester Le food bank map
-organize and plan Chester Le music/poetry group
-work on poetry booklet
-get the stupid OSAP documents in
-renew drivers license
-renew passport
-figure out where my psychiatrist went
-buy course textbooks for Sept
-figure out my budget for the next year
-teach Melissa singing techniques