Passages of Injustice....and of Hope

So I am currently reading a book titled, "A Theology As Big as the City" by Ray Bakke. It has really been a great book to read...and just learning about dynamics of the city....and inner-city ministry work :) There were 2 bible passages that they go over that really struck out to me.



Psalm 38

O Lord do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
For your arrows have pierced me,
and your hand has come down upon me.
Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
my bones have no soundness because of my sin.
My guilt has overwhelmed me
like a burden too heavy to bear.
My wounds fester and are loathsome
because of my sinful fully.
I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.
My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.
I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.
All my longings lie before you, O Lord;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
even the light has gone from my eyes.
My friends and companions avoide me because of my wounds;
my neighbors stay far away.
Those who seek my life set their traps,
those who would harm me talk of my ruin;
all day long they plot deception.
I am like a deaf man, who cannot hear,
like a mute, who cannot open his mouth;
I have become like a man who does not hear,
whose mouth can offer no reply.
I wait for you, O Lor;
you will answer, O Lord my God.
For I said, "Do not let them gloat
or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips."
For I am about to fall,
and my pain is ever with me.
I confess my iniquity;
I am trouble by my sin.
Many are those who are my vigorous enemies;
those who hate me without reason are numerous.
Those who repay my good with evil
slander me when I pursue what is good.
O Lord, do not forsake me;
be not far from me, O my God.
Come quickly to help me,
O Lord my Savior.



In the book, it states, "Now let's title it 'The Cry of an AIDS victim.'" Think about that a bit and dwell on that.... "He is alone, suffering from the abandonment of family and friends. So he offers a very personal prayer of lament. His only hope is the Lord."



And here is the other passage that brings hope!



Isiah 65: 17-25
For behold, I create
new heavens and a new earth.
And the former things will not be
remembered or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoince forever in
what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing
And her people for gladness.
I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and
be glad in My people;
And there will be no longer be heard in her
The voice of weeping and the sound of crying.
No longer will there be in it an infrant
who lives but a few days,
Or an old man who dos not live
out his days.
FOr the youth will die at the age of
one hundred.
And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred
Will be thought accursed.
They will build houses and inhabit them;
They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They will not build and another inhabit,
They will not plant and another eat;
For as the lifetime of a tree, so will
be the days of My people.
And My chosen ones will wear out
the work of their hands.
They will not labor in vain,
Or bear children for calamity;
For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord,
And their descendants with them.
It will also come to pass that before they call,
I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb will graze together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox;
and dust will be the serpent's food.
They will do no evil or harm
in all My holy mountain, says the Lord.

"Remember, this was intended to be an encouragement to urban builders on their way back to renovate Jerusalem. God reminds them (and us) that the eternal city is also under construction. We will live there forever as believers."

I also remember hearing this passage at the LAUP Reunion night, and talking about how significant it is to hear that those who build houses will be able to inhabit them. Sometimes today, the people that build the homes are not able to afford them...but what hope this passage brings to the laborers...that they will be able to live in what they build...and those who work on vineyards can eat of the fruit. God totally knew of the future and brings hope for back then when this passage was written, and in today's world! What a great God we serve.

July thus far

So...busy life as usual...I'll try to keep it brief. I have been to 3 weddings so far, I went to Federal Way (south of Seattle) to visit my brother for a week...while I was there, I got to see my parents for 2 days, meet my brother's friends/co-workers, meet up with Cheryl Roberts, meet with Yen-Ling, and randomly bump into Katrain Wong (friends from Hesperia, CSUF/Newsong, and IV), and then have been continuing to work with the Boys and Girls Club of Cypress. While in Seattle I got to see a lot of great sites! We went to the Space Needle, the Experience Rock Music Museum, the Sci-Fi Museum, the Wing Lake Museum (Asian-American History in the Seattle area), Pioneer Square (old old town Seattle), Pikes Place Market, the 1st ever Starbucks, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, an attempt to go whale watching and only barely saw 1 whale (but we got refunded and can go back), and...got to see fireworks for 4th of July at a park that felt like it was built in the middle of the forest cause it was soo pretty and full of beautiful tall green trees! :)

I am also now living in La Habra for the rest of the summer until I move out to Los Angeles...which will be sometime in late August. I am staying with my 2nd family...the Rodriguez famiy....I have known them for a few years, going back to when we met while doing Hurricane Katrina relief in Mississippi with church. They are really great and hospitable!!!

Here's a website I would like you to look at...it's titled "How to Buy a Child in 10 Hours" http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=5326508&page=1 It's pretty intense...if you are unaware of the human trafficking (modern-day slavery) going on, please read and continue to learn more and inform people about it...build awareness...this is not something that existed years ago...people are being forced into labor and sex slavery every single day in THIS country as well as other countries throughout the world. What can we do...what can we do as citizens, as Christians, as those who care about injustices to help with this situation? Prayer, giving money, and spreading awareness sometimes do not seem like enough....let's seek God to lead us to what He is calling us to do.

http://freethekids.org/index.php Here's a link to an organization in Haiti that is seeking to help child slaves...getting them out of their situations and helping them through orphanages.


*Here are some pictures:

Cheryl (the bride), Jen (bff since 2nd grade), and me

Kristyn, Byron, and me

Katrina Wong and me in Seattle at the Experience Rock Music Museum! Yeah for randomly bumping into each other...woo hoo!

Joel and me on top of the Space Needle

Happy 4th of July! :)

Prayer Requests:

-Healings and persistance through my conversations and relationship with my older brother

-Search for housing and jobs in the LA area

-Spirt-led conversations with my co-workers

-Trusting in God

-SP team...as we are making preparations for housing, jobs, moving, getting ready to go to Manilla in the Philippines, fundraising, prayer, support from families and friends....!

*Fundraising Update with Servant Partners: I'm at about $3,000....so $1,000 left to fundraise...and I know some more $$ is coming in from different people (but it is being sent back to my hometown and I won't able to retrieve it until my parents are back from their traveling...so if you did send $$ to Hesperia, sorry, but it will have to wait a bit for me to get the checks and then send them in to be processed). I have about 1 month left to finish fundraising the full $4,000...but God has been truly faithful thus far and I know He will provide enough $$ and even more....so praise God for that!

Camp, Cypress, and Target Parking Lots

Camp Titan:  was amazing :-D  I had a really great time with the kids and staff and was able to take on a new role of supervising the kids and also my rescuers.  It was challenging at times...but I'm glad I got more experience in this type of role.  Some of the things I will miss most are all of the fun songs, the dressing up days, the random cute answers from the kids, running around the mess hall because somebody at my table didn't put a napkin on their lap, and the Camp Titan Beat clap! 

Cypress:  I just started working with the Boys and Girls Club in the city of Cypress.  It is fun so far...although I'm losing my voice pretty quickly.  It is different due to this area being a higher-income level...and I am used to working with families from a lower-income...but I know God has me in this specific place for a reason.

Target Parking Lots:  Just today after work on my way in to Target, I met a homeless man named Mel.  He asked for some change and I said I would get him some water when I came out.  I bought some sunblock (his face was quite red....so sunblock helps!) for him, granola bars, and gatorade.  Then when I came out he was talking with his friend Robert.  It was soo great because Mel asked if I was Christian and when I said yes he told me about how he goes to 2 different churches...and he asked if I would pray with him.  How often do you hear that?  It was great.... I prayed with Robert and Mel, got to talk with them a bit, and then went over to KFC and bought them some dinner.  I didn't do much....it really didn't take much time...but I know God placed me there for a reason and I felt so much of God's presence there and just that HE (GOD) was speaking through Robert with the many empowering words he had.  Mel and Robert have both struggled with heroine, and are also alcoholics.  Please please please be praying for them...that they will continue to go to church and seek Jesus with all their heart....and that they will become free of their addictions....and that they will start on the process to better their lives and get back into working and making things better for themselves (which they both expressed to me that they want).  Also..please pray for Marty (Mel's sister) who has been having difficulty with her vision....and also for Mel's ex-wife who just passed away recently due to an overdose.... and just for his family during this time of mourning and difficulty.  Please pray that God will be revealing Himself to their family and just comforting them through His love and their friends here on Earth.  

Mel said that I would walk away with a story after meeting and talking with him and Robert.  I feel like it's more than that, though...I feel like a piece of them is with me and just really affecting what I've been thinking about these past few hours and how much I really should be more thankful to God of the things I take for granted.  When Robert prayed, "We love you, God, even though we are here on the streets...", I could hear the tears and the sniffles....and the true presence of God in the midst of our prayer circle.  I need to love God a lot more in my times of difficulty, whether they are short or long term...and rely a lot more heavily on God!  Gosh, I was more blessed by them than they were by the little time and food that I provided for them.  Please be keeping them in your prayers!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

-Obviously: Mel and Robert

-My upcoming trip to Seattle to visit my brother...travel safety and kingdom conversations with my brother

-Job search in LA for Servant Partners

-Apartment search in South Central LA for Servant Partners

-My parents...travel safety as they have been and are traveling to many places this summer 

The Past 2 Weeks!

Aaah...the past 2 weeks have been busy and kinda a blur cause there was so much going on, and they have been full of being busy, being joyful :) , and also a bit of burn-out :(.

So last week on Sunday night I went to UCLA for the SPAANK Concert. It was a music event, but mostly to give awareness about astrocities that are going on in North Korea. Please read up about this information: http://spaank.wordpress.com/ , http://www.libertyinnorthkorea.blogspot.com/ , and http://www.linkglobal.org/ . I continually ask God to break my heart for what breaks his....and just learning more about injustices about things like what is going in North Korea and the injustices that exist everywhere...even here in my own backyard in the city of Fullerton where I work....I realize that this world needs so much of a hope and needs to receive love that Jesus brings and wants everybody to receive! Oh, and I also won a free shirt that night which was way awesome, because there were only 12 total of those shirts printed...woo hoo!

So yeah...that was powerful and neat. Then on Tuesday night I went with Johnny and Jayson to Brendan James perform live! http://www.myspace.com/brendanjames He is amazing, and even more amazing in person singing! So that was cool and I got to meet with him and talk to him afterwards. One of my favorite songs from him is "Hero" which gives some incite about the war that is going on...kinda from a soldier's perspective. I feel that it relates to me somewhat because 1 of my brother is in the air force and he's been to Iraq to serve 2 terms before...is currently in South Korea....and just, hearing that song makes me think of him. So yes.

Brendan and me at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles :)

Umm...Friday night was Skid Row....I was blessed to be there because it had been about a month since the last time I was there. I know that some people receive God the most through prayer or worship or other means...but for me...the street corners of Winston and Wall Streets in downtown Los Angeles is where God becomes soo real to me and I just feel His power and presence. That corner is truly Hold Ground!

Saturday was the BIG day. I helped my friend Johnny Lee with the film festival for Talent One Media (TOM). http://www.talent1media.blogspot.com/ The film festival is not competitive and is to display and showcases short films from local producers/directors, and the movies relate to biblical themes. I helped work on 1 of the movies "Coffee and Pie", and so they showed that one which was pretty neat! Doug Jones (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0427964/) was 1 of the leader actors in this film, and so he came to the film fest and signed comic books and took fun pictures. Yeah. Doug is such a great humble guy, so I was really blessed to be in his presence. So along with the films, a huge part of TOM is to promote issues of social justice, and this year the focus was mostly to bring awareness to human trafficking issues (modern-day slavery). So there were a few different organizations there which was cool! :-D I'm glad that I was a part of the film fest and that we were able to have such a good turnout. Oh, and also Hope http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=22887675 performed that night along with Slum Peasants http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=358469192 which was amazing.

Doug Jones and me with a comic book of Abe Sapien from HellBoy

Picture of the AMAZING volunteer staff crew at the TOM Film Fest :-D

Yeah....that's mostly what's been going on....this past week I got to hang out with a few friends here and there...Karina (my old supervisor with an after school program that I worked at), Luini (from small group and CSUF), Bonnie (who just came back from Thailand working with Nightlight http://www.nightlightbangkok.com/) at Lollicup, the JAC crew on Monday night for our meeting, and the IV kids at Summer IV for our ice cream gathering and DODGEBALL on the top of the parking structure late at night...that was way fun...and the Newsong/Skid Row crew for small group and Skid Row on Friday night.

Yesterday was kinda a bleh day though. I really felt all of the stuff that's been going on as just being overwhelmed and just felt burnt-out....and so today I didn't feel very motivated for anything that I was doing. So sorry if I encountered you yesterday (Saturday) and I was just not with it.... I eventually finished everything that I needed to get done and was able to go bike riding with Johnny and Jayson later, which was good and fun!

I also feel that recently I've more of "doing" things for Jesus as opposed to really just sitting with Him and praying and listening to Him and being in His world daily. I definitely have been lacking in that area and feel like I need to focus on that more now. Even though I am busy...that really is no excuse. So...I need to focus on being more of Mary than Martha. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+10:38-42 :) This was moreso reemphasized today at the church message with Darryl...just talking about really hearing God and what He has to tell us...but that Satan is against us and does not want us to hear, or wants us to hear but not understand or do anything in response to what God wants for us....so I really need to be hearing God more and what He has for my life...and responding to that!

So...fundraising update...I am at $2600...which is exciting! I have met my 1st deadline of $1500 that is due June 15th...so that is good to know. I still have about ~$1500 more to fundraise, and I know that a few other people have said that they will be partnering with me. Thanks to everybody who has partnered with me so far!!! :-D

Prayer Requests:

-Alone time with God and focus on my daily devotions.

-Camp Titan...I am leaving next Saturday to spend time with some amazing kids, but they also have come from some dificult backgrounds...so really just patience and love for the kids!

-Friends in my life that are groing through difficult times

-My new job during the Summer as a Day Camp counselor for the Boys and Girls Club :-D

Graduation

So this past Sunday was graduation from Cal State Fullerton! It was a memorable, fun, and festive day! What I really enjoyed is that I was just surrounded by all these people that I am loved by and that is a great feeling to have. I had most of my immediate family there (Dad, Mom, Daniel, and Grandma Pat), friends from elementary school/high school (Jennifer, Corazon, Heather, and Ralphie), Christy from my old church, and friends from the JAC team at my current church (Johnny, Dan, Justine, and Joe). I also got to sit next to some cool kids….next to Mark Pham, Luini, and Eric for the university ceremony…and then I got to sit next to Luini, Eric, James, and Kami for the college ceremony! It really was a great time…despite the crazy heat…lol. I also got to see 2 of my favorite Kinesiology professors and introduced them to my family and took pictures with them. There were a few other celebrations throughout the week with Intervarsity friends which was really good and had many congratulations from friends and family (THANKS!)…so yeah… Thank you everybody for sharing in my excitement and accomplishment of graduation from college! :-D

The Fam: Daniel, Mom, Dad, Grandma, and me

Elementary School/High School Friends! Jen, Cor, Ralphie, and me

Forever CC La Habra/Bay St.Louis Mississippi Buddy...and "sister"/roomate :) CHRISTY!

Newsong NOC: JAC!!! Joe, Dan, Johnny, Justine, and me

The whole gang at graduation :-D

Clay and me...my mentor, supervisor,and professor...yeah! :-D

Wiersma: my professor and mentor!

Heather and me...friends from 4th grade in elementary school...living down the street from each other, taking the bus together, and exploring the fun dirt streets of Hesperia together...and going to Fratelli's pizza for Heather's bday...lol...good times :)

Mark Pham, Luini, and me...Go College of Health and Human Development!

Kami, James, and me...yeah for Kinesiology and Dorm Buddies!

Wednesday: "More Than Enough"

So this past Wednesday was a very busy and crazy day for me, but God just kept reminding me throughout the day of the theme of "More than Enough"...that God provides for me in more ways than I imagined and need! It was amazing :)

I started off the day with about 4 hours of sleep since I had stayed up late the night before and woke up early to study for an exam that I had at 9:30. This final was the one I was worried about the most, because it was an essay final and I was worried that I just wouldn't remember all the information that I needed to take the final. I asked my friend, Bonnie, on Tuesday night to just pray for me for enough rest, energy, and a good memory. Well, when I woke up on Wednesday, I felt that I had enough sleep and that I was awake and feeling good...and then when I took my exam, I was remembering things that I hadn't even written down to study off of, but it was information that I remembered from my class lectures that was important to put down for the exam! How amazing...God provided me with more than enough information for the exam!

Then I went from my exam, was home for a little bit to eat real quick, and then off to work. I was concerned about work also because Wednesday is our long day with the kids, and the majority of the time, I am with different kids because we do rotations and lead the same activity for the different groups. Well, I got to work and was provided with more than enough of a cappuchino drink, a cookie, and oreo cheesecake! I was still doing well with my energy...until I started getting tired...and then when that happened, some of the kids helped cheer me up by showing me their pictures, and that helped boost me up...more than enough again!

Later that day I went home and got to spend some time with the roomates, which was good because I haven't gotten the chance to do that in a while, it definitely could have been more time, but it was enough at that time! I was able to get some studying done at my apartment and then later I got to spend time with my friends Johnny and Joe and got to talk with Will and Rodrigo at their house...while I tried to study...but mostly just hung out, talked, and ate some delicious food! :-D

God is soo good and it was just very evident on Wednesday that when I was concerned about lack of sleep, my final, and work...that God was saying "I will provide for you, and I will provide more than enough for you because I am taking care of you and I love you!" Realizing God's love for me through things like this just gives me goosebumps and allows me to see the amazing God that I am blessed to serve!


Well....besides that, I am officially DONE now...I just finished my last final a couple of hours ago! I am going to a bonfire tonight with Intevarsity friends (it's a tradition of ours), and then running a half-marathon tomorrow (please pray that I'll be okay with the heat and lack of training...lol), and then graduating on Sunday! Yeah...so exciting.

Also, for Servant Partners...fundraising has been going well...I am at $1,545, so I have met my 1st deadline...and I am still waiting on family and friends to be helping me out financially...thank you to all of you that have been helping provide for me financially so far! :-D

Here are some prayer requests:
-I'm currently trying to figure out a summer job since I may not be able to work for the YMCA due to lack of kids that have signed up for camp and because of my schedule of taking 2 weeks off (1 week for Camp Titan and 1 week to visit my brother in Seattle)...so please be praying that God will provide a job for me!
-Prayer for my Servant Partners class...we are all currently fundraising and establishing a prayer team to be praying for each of us individually...so just prayer for everybody in their efforts with that!
-Pray for Mynamar and China! It's crazy stuff going on there...with the cyclone and earthquake...please pray that God is providing enough aid for the people there...even in Mynamar if they are not letting people in currently...that the government leaders' hearts will be softened and allow people to help out there!
-Prayer for when I will be looking for an apartment/house with my future Servant Partners roomates....and also for when I will be looking for a job in the LA area (as I have been kinda currently looking....that God will just open the right doors for me!)

Thanks so much everybody! Take care and BLESSINGS!!! <3

Oh...and a cute picture for your enjoyment:

Community

Intevarsity (IV) Christian Fellowship has been a place of many things for me: learning more about this amazing man named Jesus Christ and falling in love with him, meeting some crazy people who have become my best friends, many a Campus By the Sea trips at Catalina that have impacted me in many ways, listening to amazing speakers, learning about relational reconciliations and pursuing that in my own life, learning about social justice and how much God cares about compassion and love for people and figuring that out in my own life, learning more about ethnic identity and the importance of embracing one's culture as well as understanding other cultures, and really just being in the midst of great friendships and great community. I have been so blessed with this group since my freshman year...I have been in joy and I have been challenged by God's word...and I have met God in so many ways.

Even though I will be graduating college in 1 week, I know that I will continue to keep my ties and friendships that I have found through this group, because of the impact it has had on my own life. I can't wait for all of the fun upcoming Alumni gatherings....and just a chance to give back to the community that has impacted my life in so many a ways!!! :-D <3

Our usual IV PROM :-D

My IV Small Group :)