Ever Want To Be...?

When I was little, I was always once in a while posed questions like “If you could have anything you wanted, what would it be?” My response would usually be either a room full of Doritos or a Churro machine so I could make my own Churros whenever I felt like it. As I got older, the questions morphed into “If you could be anything you want, what would you be?” Of course, I would say that I wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer or a professor – very practical, square professions. When people would ask “If you lived in an absolutely perfect world, what kind of job would you choose?”, it would always make me smile because I liked answering these questions the most. =) The two answers I would always give were 1.) be a truck driver and drive cross country thru America and 2.) be a tour guide in Hawaii. Mind you, this is only if the world were perfect without any problems and brokenness to worry about and respond to. When we had the last sisters sleepover at Koinonia before everyone went home for the Summer break, we were posed the question of “If you and 2 or 3 like-minded friends could do anything for God, what would it be?” Then, on paper plates, we wrote down what we would do. I was thankful to hear and read what many students wrote down such as serve faithfully in their church’s youth group or love others and help them return to God’s original plan for their lives. Especially in light of the bible study that Sunny gave to cherish and uphold our relationship with God as our greatest treasure and to have spiritual vision for our lives, I was reminded of how inherent in my relationship with God is the responsibility to love and care for the needs all around me. We all had a chance to read an excerpt from a book called Crisis on the Campus. We were reminded that there is brokenness right within arms-reach right here at UT Austin and we have the opportunity to be God’s agents of healing and transformation. Along with others, I prayed that all of us present in that room would become people who are bold and who hold firmly onto our identity as God’s children entrusted with the mission to testify to God’s saving love. I personally felt thankful once again that God calls me to meaningful and eternal work and that I could be together with all the students affirming this truth again.

10K in Austin

Me and a bunch of other buddies and students from Koinonia and Gracepoint Fellowship Church decided to run the Austin 10K! The 5th largest 10K in the nation! Largest in terms of the number of people who sign up and participate every year. Can you believe people voluntary sign-up for something like this? But yes, people do. I scanned the runners who were around me right before the race started and to my surprise, many of them actually looked excited and happy. It’s one of the mysteries of life. =) On a grim, cold Sunday morning, I along with others woke up at 6:30am asking myself “What is life? What am I doing waking up so early to run 6.2 miles?!” It was a motley crew of people all with different motivations – some were in it for personal glorification, some were in it to take a nice leisurely walk (her initials are LC), some were bullied into it, some were jocks who didn’t think much of 6.2 miles, some were in it for the experience, and then there were some who just weren’t quite sure why they were there. I think I fell in with the latter group of people. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to train for this, but luckily, I didn’t go into cardiac arrest. My hope was to just keep running and not stop to walk. While others wanted to beat an old record time of theirs, I just wanted to keep running and finish the race. It wasn't much of a goal but I am glad I was able to accomplish it. =) I’m a terrible runner, but at the finish line, I thought to myself how it wasn’t all that bad. Even though my time was 1 hour and 15 minutes and I came in last out of our entire group, it felt good doing something that was challenging and intimidating for me. Hopefully, being part of 10K would have built in me just a little bit more willingness and courage to confront other kinds of challenges that I know I will face later on in life. Plus, the race did have its highlights like having strangers cheer for me and being able to drink a cup of water and then throw it violently down onto the ground (I always wanted to do that). But no, I don’t think I will ever be in a position to run a marathon. I will, however, run next year's 10K and hopefully more gals will be willing to join in on the fun and pain!

Canyon Lake Excursion

This past weekend, we had our much anticipated Spring Break getaway trip at Canyon Lake – about an hour and a half away from Austin. It was a nice, cozy group and when its cozy, people always eat well. I have to run the 10K this coming Sunday and I am already regretting stuffing myself so much during the meal times. I have three most memorable moments from this trip. Number one – hiking (for 5 miles) at Hill Country State Park with little Nico by my side. It was so fun talking to him about things like how to clean, rattlesnakes, horse droppings, and just admiring together the almost jungle-like terrain. Number two – beating the guys in raft racing as well as witnessing firsthand two girls catch a Small-Mouth Bass! You don’t see that everyday! Finally, my number three favorite moment was chatting and sharing stories with the girls in my van during the long drives to and from different destination areas. Among other things, it was great watching “Miracle” – a hockey movie based on the 1980 Olympics when USA beat the world’s undefeated hockey champions – Russia – as well as playing a rowdy game of Taboo (girls versus guys, of course). I think the only lowpoint in the entire trip was having to listen to some really bad jokes/puns from someone during the Hill Country hike. Other than that, everything couldn’t have been any better. The houses we stayed at were situated right next to a beautiful, blue lake. If you didn’t take in the look of the land surrounding the waters, you would have thought you were in Hawaii. I was very thankful for the chance I had to just take some time away in beautiful nature with the students and my good buddies. I pray that we can keep having more of these unforgettable times away together in the years up ahead!

Valentine's Day

We had our first Valentine's Day of Compassion here in Austin! A couple of sisters started this tradition three years ago in Berkeley, where we decided to transform Valentine's Day into a day of compassion, showing God's love to those people who are forgotten. Continuing this tradition, we got to visit the Salvation Army homeless shelter in Downtown Austin. It was a wonderful time, and a packed night!

We began the night at Pastor Manny's house by baking cupcakes, getting the crafts ready for the evening, practicing songs, and eating pizza together. That was a fun time of bonding! My favorite time was when we were singing and doing motions to "Making Melody", and Caitlyn commented, "I think you're liking this way too much." I know you were enjoying the song too, Caitlyn!

The night started off with singing and doing motions to songs such as "Shake a Friend's Hand", "Making Melody", and "Your Love is Deep." As we were singing "Your Love Is Deep" I was looking at each of the people's faces, the adults as well as the kids, and my heart really yearned for them to know how deep, high, long, and wide is God's love for them. I prayed that they would know how precious they are in His sight.

Right after that, Carlton came up to give a short message about how God is a shepherd who looks for his lost sheep because he loves and regards each as so precious. We had a special guest, Nathan the shepherd, visit us during the message. A very convincing shepherd, Nathan had lost his 5 sheep in the room, and so all of the children searched around the room to help find all of them. Carlton used this illustration to teach us that God searches in this way for all of his lost children, that He regards each person in that room as precious, and desire to bring each person home. In addition, we also were able to find out some interesting facts about Carlton, such as how he really loved to play with his Captain Planet toy when he was young.

Afterwards, Pastor Manny led us in games followed by decorating cupcakes and frames with the families. As each of the families and kids got to take pictures to put in the frames, it was so heart warming to see them enjoying the pictures so much. We found out that some of them hadn't taken a family picture in many years, and they just kept looking at the picture, and you could tell that they really treasured it.

Lastly, we can't forget the Great Maurice and his magic show. From coloring pages, to card tricks with signed cards appearing in wallets, both the kids and all the adults were in amazement.

I'm really thankful that on this Valentine's Day we could share about God's love with those who really needed love instead of taking cues from this world's culture. The fact that we were able to give the families at the shelter a fun night, where they were able to laugh and enjoy the whole program, they must have experienced a little bit of God's love for each of them. The kids there were so cute, and by the end of the night, we became really comfortable with each of them, and they with us as well. It was so great to see the kids starting to open up, to see the progression of them being able to look up to the college students by the end. I think it was a meaningful and touching time for all of us, and I look forward to visiting them again in the future!

Don't Pretend Like You're Immortal

“Gone…like Elvis and his mom, like Al Pacino’s cash, nothing lasts…” What a catchy song. “Gone – In 24 hours, today will be yesterday” was the theme of our Koinonia’s Spring Welcome Night last Friday. The hope was to communicate that our time here on earth is limited and death, though difficult to think about, will surely come to each person. How then should we live our lives so that in the end, when we find ourselves facing death, we know we will have lived meaningfully? What a topic to deliver to an audience of young, spry, wide-eyed college students who have their whole lives ahead of them. I remember how I felt when I arrived on the college scene (which wasn’t that long ago). I was excited because I was finally on my own. I felt unstoppable. Not because I had anything in particular going for me, but that I was young and I had the whole world at my fingertips it felt like. Then, I got this uneasy feeling that there might be a certain, right way to live out there that I am neglecting or might be blind to. I began asking the questions that Pastor Manny challenged the audience to ask themselves – who am I?, where do I come from?, what is life? If there are answers to these questions, it means that my life philosophy of doing whatever I want needed to change. It hit me that my life is indeed short and will pass like a blink of an eye. I remember how I was sharing with the students around me last Friday that the season of life that I miss the most was my third grade year. Why, you ask? Because I was making a lot of friends, my teacher was so patient and gave me a lot of love/attention, and I was at the peak of my tetherball game. That was 19 years ago. Time just flew by since then like a flash. In college, I met people who challenged me to think about my mortality. I began to take their advice. If God exists and if He is good and worth following, then I want to know right now so that I live correctly in His eyes. I’m thankful that I was able to find God during my college years so that I can give the very best of my life over to Him and experience the meaning and richness of living according to His truths.

First Winter Retreat in Texas - Yee haw!

The year 2009 has already started off memorably with our first ever Koinonia-GFC Austin Winter Retreat. While the weather was cold (though I have experienced far colder in my lifetime), I was thankful that I could get away from the hustle-and-bustle of daily life and spend concentrated time in God’s words. It was wonderful to see so many students who were able to set aside their weekend as well and be so eager to listen to what God had to say to them. The retreat site was no Hyatt, but it was perfectly suited for our needs – comfortable bunk beds, good food, nice flat landscape, crisp fresh air, and even tumbleweed! Some of the highlights that will forever stay with me include but not limited to eating Kimchi Ramen Bowl late at night (my husband seldom lets me get away with eating so late, but this time, I could eat freely!), chatting and brushing my teeth with the girls before going to bed at night in my PJs, eating some of the best bacon and cheese enchiladas I have ever had in my life, playing “Wizards, Elves, and Giants” and “Capture the Flag” until all of our bodies turned sore (I will never forget how Janie bravely performed a body block on a momentum-gathering Caitlyn Richardson), and making a valiant effort to beat the guys at Charades (we didn’t win unfortunately).


Most importantly, I will remember the messages delivered tirelessly and heartfeltly by Pastor Manny which borne in me a deeper understanding of how precious and valued I am in God’s sight. Pastor Manny painted an unforgettable picture of the Father’s heart using a clip from the movie “Lorenzo’s Oil.” Watching the father in this movie mourning over his 5-year-old son who was diagnosed with a terminal disease made me see in a fresh way how much I matter to God and how the sins in my life grieve and torment Him. The words from Hebrews 12: 3 came alive for me – “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who for the joy set before Him, endured the Cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Jesus endured the Cross ultimately with joy because of His love for us; He knew that through all that suffering, He would be saving my life and my soul for eternity. This point along with so many other points made during the retreat refreshed my desire to honor God and be devoted to Him in every area of my life. To not relent in my struggle against my sins, and to keep living for him and for others even though it is not easy and may require sacrifices. Finally, the greatest highlight of all from this retreat was to witness so many significant decisions being made – 2 salvation decisions and several lordship decisions. I was moved to tears to hear all the commitments that were made and how so many of the students were challenged to devote themselves to the One who gave it all up for them by surrendering very specific things in their lives. I pray that as we step into this new year together, we can experience the joys of obeying God and being changed and loved by Him.

Thanksgiving Celebration!

Well, the day finally came. Gracepoint-Austin had our very first Thanksgiving Celebration. It was truly a sight to see...the delicious food prepared by the staff and students, the cowboy costumes, the rappers, and the guest appearance by Pastor Manny who tried to do a breakdance move that didn't quite work out. It was truly a memorable night.

However, more than the singing and dancing, the part of the day that I enjoyed most was the sisters' sharing time in the morning. After we read Psalm 100 together aloud, each of us shared one thing we were thankful to God for this past year, and at the end of the sharing everyone said, "Praise the Lord, His love endures forever." It was a moving time for me as I recalled God's faithfulness in my life this past year and in the people who were gathered in that room.

I am thankful for what God has done in the four and a half short months we've been here. At the end of the Thanksgiving Celebration performances, we watched the Gracepoint church slideshow, and as we tracked back the history of our church along with the different ministries we were involved in, I was hit by the fact that God had started our church back in Berkeley all those years ago through the commitment and sacrifices of people committed to serving him. I was reminded that God calls us to this journey of faith with him and what a privilege it is that I get to be a part of his plans.