Giving manga is love!

My cousin loves manga. In fact, this summer, I ran into him in Wan Chai, as he and a few thousand other youngsters headed over to the annual comic book fair. So, it most fitting to give him some manga to read on his flight back to the States. I'll be missing my Carebear!

Inspiring someone with Nick Vujicic's powerful testimony!

At the beginning of the summer, I blogged about how much I was looking forward to the summer, because I could spend time with my cousin. Well, the summer definitely flew by, and given everything that happened, we unfortunately didn't get to spend as much time together as we would have liked... we didn't even get a chance to finish watching the Nick Vujicic DVD that we started watching the last time she was over for dinner. So, as an encouragement to her, and as a thank you for being such an awesome cousin that she is, I gave her the Nick DVD as a gift, and included a card with words of encouragement and Truth. I know that this summer had been a really stretching summer for her, but I also pray that she would remember that nothing is too big or too impossible for our great God!

"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"
Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?
For from him and through him and to him are all things."

True love is costly

It's interesting how love and pain go hand in hand sometimes. One would think that in love, there should be no pain, that we'd just be lying on fluffy clouds and skipping in meadows with one another in perfect harmony... and yet, often times, real love is only experienced through pain and suffering. Think about it, any true act of love requires sacrifice. When we help others, it requires us to step out and give up our time, our energy. When a mom gives birth to her precious child, it requires painful labor. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, it cost Him His life.

Yesterday was supposed to be the greatly anticipated annual super duper lovely jubbly Island ECC Sports Fellowship summer time junk trip. Boy was I looking forward to it, especially when I was going to bring my cousins! The summer had been pretty rough on all of us, and we were really looking forward to being able to get away and have some fun in the sun. Unfortunately, 9 hours before we were about to take off, one of my cousins called and informed me that our aunt, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, was not doing well and was struggling immensely to hang onto life. So yesterday, instead of riding on jet-skis, the Carebears (cousins) spent the afternoon together in the face of pain and suffering, comforting each other, and rooting each other on.

It's one thing to hear about suffering; it's another thing to be in the midst of it. Suffering is heart-wrenching and agonizing. Suffering makes time drag on forever. Suffering can deflate people and make them bitter. And perhaps that's why Jesus had to come and live in this fallen world, so that we would know that He too, experienced in our pain and suffering, and because of that, can give us the hope that we need, because He is victorious over pain, and suffering, and even death itself.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

Tearing down walls

Lately my grandma hasn't been feeling so well, so the grandkids have been taking our turns visiting her. When I went to visit granny yesterday, I was expecting a long drawn out day ahead of me. However, at granny's I ran into one of my cousins, whom I haven't seen in awhile. Although the atmosphere was quite somber, but the cousins had a great time catching up. Before I left, we even prayed together for his family, for my family, and for our dear granny.

That might seem like a normal thing, but even though the cousins grew up together, we had never been that close, so praying together was definitely breaking down a wall or two. But what was even more iconic for the both of us, was that we prayed in front of the ancestral alter. Growing up in a traditional Chinese family, we were always taught to respect our elders, and to participate in the annual traditions of presenting food offerings and incense at the ancestral alter, in hopes that our ancestors will "watch over us" and "bless us". Now, as Christ-followers, we wanted to renounce these traditions, not because we don't respect our ancestors, but because we believe in the one true and living God - Jesus Christ. We prayed that the shackles of tradition and old-wives tales be broken in our families. We prayed that hearts would be opened and that our families would be able to know and receive the love of Jesus Christ.

Love challenge: Pray that God will tear down walls and change the hearts of your family!

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household."

Loving my cousins

I have some amazing cousins, The Carebear Gang. Unfortunately, I didn't grow up with any of them. This summer though, one of my cousins, Bon Qui Qui, is not only in HK for the summer, but will be working at my office part-time! This afternoon, she and her brother trekked all the way from the other side of HK to visit. They live spontaneously, so they didn't have breakfast or lunch yet when I met them, which worked out great, because I hadn't had lunch yet then either, and it gave me the chance to take them out and pick up the bill. :) I'm looking forward to a summer of cousin love!

Love challenge: Sharing is caring!

"The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same."