Friday, June 22, 2007
Off to Thailand!
I'm packed and all set for my 10 vacation to Thailand!! I am extremely excited! In less than 24 hours I will be reunited with my parents! :) This break is sooo needed and I am more than ready!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Tonight I went to a small group Biblestudy that I decided to join from church. It's on Tuesday nights, so it's perfect...besides the fact that it's in Taipei...But, it's just every other Tuesday, so that'll be good. I really enjoyed the fellowship tonight and getting to study the Bible with others. It's been so long since I've gotten to do that in a small setting. I really miss Biblestudies...I really took that for granted at Cedarville. I'm so excited to have one now! And we are going to study The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges which I have been wanting to read anyway.
On Sunday, I was talking for quite a long time with one of the leaders of the church and when she heard I was an MK, she got so excited and told me she was so glad to have me here because this church is mostly new Christians and so it's so great to have some mature Christians too. It was weird for me to think of myself as a "mature" Christian. I've never considered myself one before, I guess. I have been a Christian for 17 years, though a serious one for only 10 years. And I have grown up in a Christian home and in a Christian environment my whole life, have a completely Christian family and extended family, recieved a Christian education in both my lower and higher education and I have a minor in Bible......so.....I have the credentials of a "mature" Christian...but does that really make someone "mature"? No. I still feel like I am so far off from being mature and despite all the years of Biblical training, I still feel like I don't know anything and have so much to learn! Yet, at the same time, I look back on my life and realize how much I have learned and come to understand. But, there is no point at which a Christian is finished or completely mature- we are continually learning and becoming more and more Christ-like and mature in our understanding and wisdom. But, of course this is only possible through the Holy Spirit and submission to his leading and desire for growth.
This same lady also mentioned me leading a Biblestudy, which I would love to do...if I didn't live so far away from everyone else and had more free time....which I could ask for- cut down my hours a bit to make time for something much more worthwhile than making money....so, we'll see how that progresses.
On Sunday, I was talking for quite a long time with one of the leaders of the church and when she heard I was an MK, she got so excited and told me she was so glad to have me here because this church is mostly new Christians and so it's so great to have some mature Christians too. It was weird for me to think of myself as a "mature" Christian. I've never considered myself one before, I guess. I have been a Christian for 17 years, though a serious one for only 10 years. And I have grown up in a Christian home and in a Christian environment my whole life, have a completely Christian family and extended family, recieved a Christian education in both my lower and higher education and I have a minor in Bible......so.....I have the credentials of a "mature" Christian...but does that really make someone "mature"? No. I still feel like I am so far off from being mature and despite all the years of Biblical training, I still feel like I don't know anything and have so much to learn! Yet, at the same time, I look back on my life and realize how much I have learned and come to understand. But, there is no point at which a Christian is finished or completely mature- we are continually learning and becoming more and more Christ-like and mature in our understanding and wisdom. But, of course this is only possible through the Holy Spirit and submission to his leading and desire for growth.
This same lady also mentioned me leading a Biblestudy, which I would love to do...if I didn't live so far away from everyone else and had more free time....which I could ask for- cut down my hours a bit to make time for something much more worthwhile than making money....so, we'll see how that progresses.
Happy Dragon Boat Festival!
Today was a holiday, but since I always have Tuesdays off...it wasn't very special for me! Anyway, I wanted to go to the big river in Taipei to watch the actual dragon boat races that are traditional on this holiday...however, I couldn't find anyone to go with....well, actually I did find someone to go with, but I really didn't want to go with him! Ok, the whole story is that last night in my adult class I was mentioning that I was interested in watching the races in Taipei, but that I didn't have anyone to go with...well, after class one of my students offered to go with me if I wanted to, so we exhanged phone numbers. However, this man is probably 30 years old and is married with a kid and he is already quite awkward and doesn't speak very good English. But, I gave him my phone number to be polite, but I knew I couldn't go with him- not alone at least with this awkward married man. So, I called him today and told him I just had decided not to go afterall... so then I couldn't very well go by myself as much as I wanted to...since I told him I wasn't going to go. So, yeah that was that.
I had another, much more positive encounter with another adult male student today too. On my way home from Taipei, I ran into a guy from one of my classes on the bus and so we talked for the whole 30 min. trip home! He, however is closer to my age, much more fluent, and very easy to talk to. It was actually quite fun! He even explained a great mystery about the bus to me- I'd seen that many riders have different tickets than I get and it turns out you can buy a whole booklet of tickets and save a few dollars and then you don't have to carry change with you- you can give a ticket to the driver and he will tear off the corner of it and you're good to go. So, he helped me buy a booklet since I ride the bus every week, sometimes twice a week. So, it was nice to run into him. I've always been surprised as many times as I've ridden the bus that I haven't run into any students before!
I had another, much more positive encounter with another adult male student today too. On my way home from Taipei, I ran into a guy from one of my classes on the bus and so we talked for the whole 30 min. trip home! He, however is closer to my age, much more fluent, and very easy to talk to. It was actually quite fun! He even explained a great mystery about the bus to me- I'd seen that many riders have different tickets than I get and it turns out you can buy a whole booklet of tickets and save a few dollars and then you don't have to carry change with you- you can give a ticket to the driver and he will tear off the corner of it and you're good to go. So, he helped me buy a booklet since I ride the bus every week, sometimes twice a week. So, it was nice to run into him. I've always been surprised as many times as I've ridden the bus that I haven't run into any students before!
Monday, June 11, 2007
In Christ Alone
I have loved this song for several years now and just was overwhelmed by it again this weekend. It's the kind of song that is so powerful and full of truth that it gives me chills.
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Brought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Brought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand
Random
I had an absolutely wonderful Sunday and met some great people after church! It was so much fun and so great to get to know some more people from church! Especially after saying farewell to my only other friends who all left for the summer back home. last week. I feel like I made some new friends! And I might actually have something exciting to do on Saturday night (besides my usual working out, cleaning, cooking, and grocery shopping and Skyping my parents :)). Perhaps!
In 2 weeks I will be in Bangkok with my parents!! I am so excited!! I've been looking forward to this since January and now it's almost here! I will be in Thailand for 10 days! It is a very very much needed break and is the extent of my summer vacation, so I'm pretty excited!! I'm just already dreading it being over and having to come back to work for 6 months until my next break. :( I'm trying not to think of that!
I have a dentist appointment tomorrow and I'm sooo nervous.
I taught one of my adult classes some Spanish words at their request! hahahaha. It was so funny. They loved it. I agree: Spanish is a lot more exciting than English!
I just found out tonight my favorite teacher's aide at school is leaving at the end of June...I'm so disappointed.
I finished reading Persuasion by Jane Austen recently- I hadn't read a "girly" book like that since highschool! It was fun. I'm reading a really different book now: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez which is not only a nobel prize winner but it's also on Oprah's book club list! hahhahaa. Wowee. Big stuff.
One of my adult private lesson students told me recently when we were discussing my life options that I should be a missionary in China. I never told him anything about that- he just completely came up with it on his own. It was soooo eerie. I am still kinda freaked out about it.
I finally saw The Pursuit of Happyness tonight! I've been anxiously awaiting it's release on DVD here since February! It was really good. I highly recommend it.
In 2 weeks I will be in Bangkok with my parents!! I am so excited!! I've been looking forward to this since January and now it's almost here! I will be in Thailand for 10 days! It is a very very much needed break and is the extent of my summer vacation, so I'm pretty excited!! I'm just already dreading it being over and having to come back to work for 6 months until my next break. :( I'm trying not to think of that!
I have a dentist appointment tomorrow and I'm sooo nervous.
I taught one of my adult classes some Spanish words at their request! hahahaha. It was so funny. They loved it. I agree: Spanish is a lot more exciting than English!
I just found out tonight my favorite teacher's aide at school is leaving at the end of June...I'm so disappointed.
I finished reading Persuasion by Jane Austen recently- I hadn't read a "girly" book like that since highschool! It was fun. I'm reading a really different book now: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez which is not only a nobel prize winner but it's also on Oprah's book club list! hahhahaa. Wowee. Big stuff.
One of my adult private lesson students told me recently when we were discussing my life options that I should be a missionary in China. I never told him anything about that- he just completely came up with it on his own. It was soooo eerie. I am still kinda freaked out about it.
I finally saw The Pursuit of Happyness tonight! I've been anxiously awaiting it's release on DVD here since February! It was really good. I highly recommend it.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
After a wonderful weekend the previous week...this past weekend wasn't so good. School wasn't very good on Saturday and then Sunday wasn't very good either and Monday was just as bad. Ugh. Sunday started out pretty good. After church I went with the Morisson teachers to a really nice Italian restaurant and we had a feast, literally. It was sooo good and a lot of fun. Unfortunately, that was the last time I'll see them for a couple of months which was depressing. They are all going back home for the summer. I am so jealous! Then I thought I could catch a bus home at midnight...but the last bus was at 11! I didn't know this though and so I waited for over 30 minutes in the pouring rain all alone at the bus stop at 12am, scared and worried. Finally, I gave up and got a taxi home, which costs NT$600 (US$18) instead of the NT$50 (US$1.50) the bus costs! Arghh. I was so frustrated at myself for not leaving the restaurant earlier! I was kinda traumatized by the time I got home.
Then on Monday I was sick from the food or something, I'm not sure. Then Monday night while I was taking a shower, the water went off completely! I was incredibly frustrated because the next day was my day off and I didn't want to have to spend it trying to get my water back on! I was also worried about what to do. But fortunately, it was on again the next morning and I got to enjoy my day off. Also a blessing was the fact that on Sunday at church I was planning on giving my tithe, but the offering box was mysteriously gone after church, so I didn't give it....but God was watching out for me---if I had given my tithe I wouldn't have had any money to get a taxi home! (I couldn't withdraw money from my account either (long story)) So, it's amazing that I had that tithe money still and could get home and that my taxi driver was not creepy.
So, while the past few days have seemed really rough...it's all a matter of perspective and there were some definite blessings in the events, so I'm over it now...thanks to my parents and my Heavenly Father for that!
Then on Monday I was sick from the food or something, I'm not sure. Then Monday night while I was taking a shower, the water went off completely! I was incredibly frustrated because the next day was my day off and I didn't want to have to spend it trying to get my water back on! I was also worried about what to do. But fortunately, it was on again the next morning and I got to enjoy my day off. Also a blessing was the fact that on Sunday at church I was planning on giving my tithe, but the offering box was mysteriously gone after church, so I didn't give it....but God was watching out for me---if I had given my tithe I wouldn't have had any money to get a taxi home! (I couldn't withdraw money from my account either (long story)) So, it's amazing that I had that tithe money still and could get home and that my taxi driver was not creepy.
So, while the past few days have seemed really rough...it's all a matter of perspective and there were some definite blessings in the events, so I'm over it now...thanks to my parents and my Heavenly Father for that!
Rain, rain please stay!
Finally rainy season has started and it's wonderful!! I actually really like the rain because it's not just a little sprinkling- it's good ol' monsoon rain! The kind of rain where you get wet even with an umbrella and just walking across the street will get your shoes soaked and your pants wet up to your calves. I love it! It reminds me of the Philippines and I love it! It's also nice to sleep through and it cools everything off!
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