Loving my neighbor - Part 2

This post about loving my neighbor is a bit different from the neighbors in my previous posts, because while I didn't really know the neighbors that I tried to reach out to earlier, the neighbor in this post is actually a good friend from high school, who is literally moving in next door!

I'm so excited, because after 20+ years of living sooo far away from all my friends, and commuting 45+ minutes to meet up with them, someone is finally moving to my neck of the woods! Woohoo!! To help my friend get adjusted to his new environment, I bought him some shuttle bus tickets (we kinda live in the boonies) and drew him a map of where the bus stops are.

I pray that God will bless his new home, and that everyone in his household may know the great love of Jesus!

Loving my small group

So, from yesterday, I was still on a high by being able to help Tim and rejoin Fuse, and I was really looking forward to attending a class that he was going to start teaching today. However, the time of the class clashed with a meeting that my small group leader had called, in which he was going to announce that he was stepping down from leadership.

Oh man, that meant that not only was I not going to make the class, but I had to now struggle through the issues of a small group that might fall apart! As much as I loved my small group, honestly, I really struggled with having to miss the class for the meeting!

But I'm thankful that God used a dear sister to speak Truth to me, and convict me of my motives. The small group meeting turned out to be very encouraging! And God used that time to not only remind me, but many others in attendance to "not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Praise God for reminding me that when we lay down our own selfish motives, that is when we can hear Him speak with clarity!

Loving Mr.汤水 + Fuse + Tim + God

Today was a pretty neat day. In the morning, I prayed for God to show me how He wanted me to show love to someone, and not only did He bless me with one interesting experience, but two!

As I was walking the streets of CWB, on my way to catch the tram, I spotted an old man in his 60's banging away with great rhythm (and speed) at this wooden xylophone. He didn't seem like the typical street artists, because a) he was playing a huge and rare instrument, and b) he was neatly dressed and seemed to really enjoy what he was playing.

The old me would have just dropped some cash in support of the artist's work, and run off. But I realized how much God has been changing my heart through this 365 day love challenge, because not only did I financially support the artist, but I ended up chatting with Mr.汤水 for almost half an hour! Even though I didn't get to share the gospel with him, however, he was greatly encouraged that someone cared enough to actually learn about what he was doing and about his passion for music. It turns out that Mr.汤水 is a music teacher, and he knows how to play 15+ instruments, many of which he taught himself how to play! Wow! May God "put a new song in [Mr.汤水's] mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD."

Then, at night, I went to Fuse, our Young Adult Ministry at Island ECC. I was really excited about this meeting, since it's been over a year that I was last able to attend. We had some fun ice-breakers, and Tim gave a great message that challenged us to think about what Truth is. After the meeting, as I was getting ready to leave with everyone else, I felt prompted to say bye to Tim and see if he needed help with anything. I thought he would say no, since it seemed like he had already cleaned everything up, and plus, I'm a little crazy and giddy around my pastors, because (hehe) I get star-struck by them, but Tim actually asked me to help carry some stuff back downstairs for him! And, I not only got to do that, but I also got to help do the dishes too!! :)

I know, you're probably thinking that I'm crazy, because I'm so excited that I got to do dishes. Well, yeah, I probably am, but I'm just so thankful for the body that makes up Island ECC, and I love our leaders! So, no matter how big or small the task is, I'm overcome with joy when I know that I can help. And I think this is how God wants us to love and serve Him too. When we adore Him, anything that He calls us to do, and anywhere that He calls us to be, should bring us an overwhelming sense of joy!

Loving Hong Kong

"The world's fourth richest man, Li Ka-shing wants to give away HK$300 million with his philanthropic campaign called "Love HK Your Way." Anyone with an idea for how to improve Hong Kong can submit their project proposals to the organization and try to gain some of Li's dough." (per CNN).

I'm already pretty busy and stretched quite thin, but my friends and I love Hong Kong, so even though this means a bit of work ahead, but we're hoping to get an idea submitted to help improve this great city! I hope the idea works!

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."

Loving Dad Part 4

My mom, my sisters and I have been fervently praying for my dad's salvation. Today, we took him to Noah's Ark at Ma Wan to show him God's covenant to mankind.

The Noah's Ark in Hong Kong is truly an amazing place! I'm in awe of how Noah could have built something like this by himself so many years ago, and without the help of modern technology and equipment! (Perhaps that's why it took him 100 years. :P)

We spent the day looking at all the different exhibits, and watching simulations and short movies (in 3D and 4D!) of the gospel. Although my dad still has many questions and hesitations, however, I was greatly encouraged that he joined us in our time of prayer at night. I do pray that God will continue to open his heart and to replace it with a heart of flesh! May he experience the covenant love that God the Father has promised us since the days of Noah!

"Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.""

Praise be to God for His wonderful love to us!

Encouraging my leaders is love

Being a leader is a high calling. God holds leaders to a higher level of accountability, and will hold them responsible for how they lead and shepherd His people. So, I thought I would send my leaders @ Alpha an encouraging email to root them on in their leadership:

"Hi leaders!

Thanks for your time and dedication in directing people to Jesus! I was doing my devos last night, and came upon this passage that I hope will be an encouragement to you (and us), as we continue to point people to Christ:

"The ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ involves a spiritual battle in which the evangelist is nothing more than an ambassador. Whether a person responds negatively to the "glorious gospel of Christ," or whether he believes and is given new life, the battle is fought on a spiritual plane outside the control of the messenger.

Why do some people reject the gospel? Satan has blinded their minds so they cannot see. Why do other people accept the gospel? "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in their hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor 4:6) For this reason, "we faint not." (2 Cor 4:1,16) Paul faced persistent opposition and rejection throughout his ministry. He stayed in the battle, refusing to quit, because he knew that in the final analysis the struggle did not involve him personally.

You can easily misunderstand your task as a witness for Christ and take it personally when people reject His message. Conversely, you think too highly of yourself if you take pride in your ability to win others to Christ. In either case, you fail to grasp that you are limited to merely sharing the good news. Beyond that point, it becomes a spiritual struggle over which you have no control. Once you assimilate the significance of this, you will not be timid in sharing the gospel nor lose heart when people reject the message.

You do not preach for temporal gain. In sales, you only get credit for what you sell. With the gospel, you only get credit for proclaiming the gospel, irrespective of the response. For these reasons, "we faint not.""

- quoted from "Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man" by Walter A. Henrichsen

Let us not lose heart, but continue to gently show love to those who have yet to experience God's grace and love! And may God fill you with wisdom, as you pray and lead Team 10 in discovering the glories of Calvary!"

Helping an old lady down some stairs is love!

Today was a rainy rainy day in HK. (No typhoon = 3 days of rain. sigh!) As I was rushing to lunch, I saw an old lady trying to get down some steps. The steps looked slippery, and it didn't seem like she could see very well, so I went up to her and asked if she needed some help. She accepted gratefully. :) She's happy, and I'm happy. And it made me realize that helping someone makes not just one person happy, but TWO people happy. Helping people can give you a joy that cannot be replaced by anything else else in this world. I think that's the type of joy that God wants us to experience all the time. May we not miss out on it, and keep spreading the love!