It has been 9 years since I graduated from UW and 12 years since I left Vancouver, where I grew up. This year, after a couple of years of thinking about it, Steph and I were able to explore Seattle and Vancouver together—both places that are a big part of my story. We were able to visit the church I attended growing up where a surprising number of aunties recognized me despite a big appearance change. One even commented on how I used to be so quiet and avoidant of people (hopefully you have noticed that is not the case anymore)! I was also able to meet up with some friends that I haven't seen in years (some, it has been since graduating college). This December, we are planning on visiting Cameroon with her family, where Steph grew up, for a New Testament dedication ceremony. A handful of New Testament translations that Steph's parents have worked on for the past 20 years are finally in print and available to the people of Cameroon in their heart language. Praise God for the ability to revisit familiar places and share the memories with new friends. (Yes, yes, I understand it's weird to call Steph a "new friend", but "new" relative to me from 9 or 12 years ago and she is my "friend," and more.)
The day after I left for SICM, Steph got in a car accident and her car was totaled. A 21 year old girl in a red Mustang (yes, all of these details are necessary to paint the picture) was weaving through traffic and lost control of her vehicle and sideswiped Steph's car, TWICE! Thankfully nobody was critically hurt and we had installed a dash cam in Steph's car that caught the whole incident on tape. Our insurance determined that Steph was not at fault based on the footage we provided, but the other insurance company has not admitted any fault yet. Regardless, I am so glad that Steph is okay and we were able to find a new-to-us car that helped Steph feel safe on the road again! My brother (and his newborn) came with us to the dealership and he helped make sure we got a good deal!
Where have you seen God's goodness and mercy in moments of stress and anxiety?
ANOTHER mahjong picture? The invitation is still open! If you want to learn how to play or just want to play, let me know! After having some friends over to help install the old dash cam on her new car, we sat down and played mahjong to relax.. for 3 hours. If you're looking for a dash cam, this is the one that Steph has in her car (the peace of mind is worth it)! Vantrue N4.
This is our group for SICM this year! It's hard to tell in this photo, but a little north of 150 people attended SICM from Texas. Thank you for praying for them, for their safety and their openness to learn. Many people equate attending SICM to drinking from a fire hydrant—there's so much information to learn, but you can only process so much at the time. But when the situation arises, they have been exposed to helpful teaching and have a binder full of notes to look back on and have wise counsel surrounding them! In FOCUS, we believe that we are all lifelong learners, you can never arrive at knowing everything. Even though this is my 3rd time planning SICM (in Washington), each year brings new surprises and much more to learn. God taught me more about humility and patience, grace and mercy.
What have you felt God teaching you recently or how has He turned your pride upside down?
While at SICM, I get to meet a bunch of new students who are excited to learn more about how to be like Christ to the people surrounding them, with a particular focus on how that may look on a college campus. One such student is Renae! To be honest, I met her last September, as that is when she started attending Northeast Church. It has been exciting to see how she has grown through the year and cultivated her gifts for the glory of God (she is an ah-mazing singer). Here we are on the way to the top-ish of Mt. Rainier with dozens more students just out of frame like ants on the side of a hill.
One thing that people say to me often is "I didn't know you could play the bass." Back in high school, my brother led worship for the english service and youth group for our church at home. He really wanted someone to play the bass with him, so naturally, he asked me if I would learn so that I could play with him. It was a no-brainer. Though I'm not a stellar player, I can play the notes that are printed on the chord sheet, can keep a beat, and I have so much fun practicing (a little less fun when trying to help lead people through worship through singing and trying not to be goofy and distracting). It's just funny how God takes those seemingly small decisions in life and uses them to bless others. It sounds boastful, but I'm in awe of how He can take anything and us it for His good (and for our own as well). I could say this for any number of small fancies: mahjong, pickleball, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, watching movies, Guitar Hero, all of these things God has used to help me connect with the community around me and produce meaningful relationships.
How have you seen God working through you to bless your community?
These are some of the UTD guys that I helped host while at SICM. Though many of our students get to stay with host families (families in the surrounding community that volunteer to house our students at no cost), we bring so many students that there is never enough room to house them all! (Which is a good problem to have: having too many students that want to learn that there aren't enough families to host them.) It was enriching getting to listen to them wrestle with what they were learning every day and also fun getting better at kicking around a hacky sack (or as one student called it, a happy sack). The students that attend typically go on to help lead cores (or small groups) on campus and become the ribs of the ministry (if, in this metaphor, the staff are the spine). It is inspiring to see young people (does that make me sound old?) take their faith seriously and a sobering moment to evaluate my own relationship with God.
For a whole day during SICM, we take the students to different campuses in the area (in the area is another relative term, up to 2 hours drive away, even crossing the border into Canada) to practice reaching out to students and inviting them into community. (This picture was of the drivers on my team that helped drive students to SFU at the Vancouver Aquarium; we didn't actually go in, we just took a picture out front.) We try to emphasize that it's not about conversions and baptisms, but you never know where in the process you are partnering with God in reaching someone. You could be meeting someone at a time where you are just planting a seed of friendship. You could be meeting them at a time where you are tending to a seedling, helping repot them where their roots can grow deeper and stronger, or pruning some branches.
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
Who may God be calling you to reach out to, to invite into your life?
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