stranger than fiction

(i've never actually watched that movie before...)

strange how time means something so different depending on where you are, and who you're with. so this weekend i went home to watch cynthia's dance competition. (she is really good!) and i had a lot of work to do. yesterday when i looked at the clock and it said 9:30, i was nervous because i thought i didn't have enough time to finish my work. today when i got back to BU around 9:30, i felt so relaxed and normal because i suppose i normally do/start work this late anyways. i don't know if it all makes sense. but it does and it doesn't to me. i don't understand why i feel so different. but i still prefer being at home. i love my blanky that i cannot bring to school with me. it is falling apart and i'm afraid that the next time i wash it, all i will have left is a few pieces here and there. hopefully God will provide me with a new one :) and hopefully it will smell as nice as my ya ya bae bae. (ducky blanket).

all the right places

so KRUP.

New Orleans was an amazing experience; the trip was above and beyond, but coming home was even better!

For Spring Break, InterVarsity (Multi-Ethnic, Asian American Christian Fellowship, Athlete's Chapter) from Boston University, Mass. College of Pharmacy, and Mass. Art took a trip down to Louisiana to do some service for areas in need. As you all know, Hurricane Katrina hit a few years back; although many citizens of New Orleans have moved back home, there are still many families who have not returned, and there is still a lot of work to be done in that city. Just from Boston University, our group was about 60 people, half of students who were non-Christians. After the trip, that percentage changed. We took at 27+ hour bus ride down and a 27+ hour bus ride back. During our travels, we were able to bond with our friends and spend quality time with each other :)

I worked with Habitat for Humanities along with many other students. We painted a school building on Monday and finished earlier than anyone would have expected. That was definitely rewarding. Then Tuesday through Friday we worked on a house - putting in all the interior walls, the exterior wall, the dry wall, the tyvek white paper, and the framing of the roof. so in the end:

Our daily schedule went something like this:
6:30 wake up/breakfast/pack lunch
7:20 leave for worksite
7:40 begin working
11:30 lunch break
12:30 resume working
3:00 return to church
3:30 free time
6:30 dinner time
8:00 community time
10:30 quiet time
11:00 bed time

When I said that coming home was even better, I meant that during the trip, I sort of lost sight of God and the work He was doing. I was distracted by everything going on - all the activities, all the new people to meet. I had expected a lot to come out of this trip because of the testimonies from previous trips. However, I was greatly discouraged one day, when my friend told me she thought community time was boring. Community time was one of the main "outreach" portions of the trip - we got to look specifically at a Bible passage and one of the staff/leaders would help us reflect on it. By the end of the trip, things were looking brighter, but I still did not see what God was doing. Finally returning to Boston, I was able to talk to some of my friends and reflect on the trip with them. I was shocked to find out how much God had listened to our prayers and how He actually had been working along us. About 4 non-Christians who went on the trip showed interest in Christianity and our fellowships on campus. Two of them are my somewhat close friends. The other two are people I met at KRUP and people who I will continue to try and keep in touch with.

I guess God had been doing His part. As always, He never lets us down. My friend and I have been meeting on a daily basis to talk about how we can bring out friends closer to God and to just spend quality time with God. It is really helpful to have an accountability partner at college because there is so much chaos, that sometimes we forget and fall back on our own. I am so thankful that I went to New Orleans. The trip definitely helped me grow closer to many people and it also opened my eyes to what is going on in our own country. My eyes were opened to the injustice. How can our government just abandon and disregard New Orleans when there is so much work still to be done? In many neighborhoods, every other house is in tact with inhabitants, while the rest are still untouched since the hurricane hit.



I think I will really consider returning next year to help out again. God has truly given me a heart to serve those in need and serve places in need. I know that He has a plan for New Orleans, and I know that one day, He will recreate it and restore the city with it's inhabitants and joy. Every neighborhood will be brand new and families will return to where their great-great-great grandparents grew up.

how do we know

create in me a clean heart, oh God
and renew a right spirit within me.
cast me not away from thy presence oh Lord
take not thy holy spirit from me
restore unto me, the joy of thy salvation
and renew a right spirit within me

why do we fall so easily? and so quickly?

give a little, gain a lot

dear boys and girls, yes, it is finally the season of Lent. this is when we give something up and take something up in remembrance of when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights. each year, i give something up that takes up a lot of my time. i believe one year i gave up aim and in the end, i realized that i did not need aim. i hardly ever use aim now. so i suppose it is good. but...maybe i replace something else for aim. facebook...?

so i've been going to Highrock Brookline since coming to Boston. and to tell you the truth, i love it. i love the small, homey feel of Highrock and i love that it is nearby. i love Pastor Josh's sermons and i love the new RENOVATE sermon series we're studying. it is great. i can definitely apply everything to my life. and it really gets me thinking.

this past week, Pastor Josh spoke about the young rich man who asked Jesus what he had to do in order to enter heaven. Jesus told him to give up all his possessions. however, this man was successful and he had so many possessions, so he walked away form Jesus. yes, God wanted this man to give up everything he had - but that does not mean he is asking us to give away all our possessions. God is asking us to give up what is at the center of our hearts - distracting us and keeping us from furthering out relationships with God.

for Lent, i thought about giving up my pride. but that is almost an impossible task. i suppose it is. but what i really want is to appreciate God and give him the glory. everything in my life comes from God and i want to redirect everything back to him. since giving up my pride is not concrete, i decided to go another direction. i will start to carry around my bible, everywhere i go. and i was attempt to read it once a day when i am outside of my dorm. i think this will really help me remember that God is great and he makes all things possible.

in giving to God and investing our lives in pleasing him, he will reward us with his glory.

will you draw near

breathe on me now - kathryn scott

When My Soul Has Cried Its Tears
And My Heart Begins To Faint
Will You Draw Near
Will You Meet With Me

When My Days Are Filled With Longing
And My Spirit Groans And Waits
Will You Draw Near
Will You Meet With Me

I'm Calling And Waiting
Your Presence Lord Is Life To Me

Breathe On Me Now As I Bow Down
I'm Desperate Lord For More Of You
Come Satisfy Until I
Am Even More In Need Of You

When My Dreams Have Been Forgotten
And My Hope Begins To Fade
Will You Draw Near
Will You Meet With Me

When My Days Are Filled With Searching
And My Strength Has Given Way
Will You Draw Near
Will You Meet With Me