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| Soooo...it's been getting mad cold these days...winter has finally arrived! I know alot of people can't stand the winter, but I love this season because of the holidays, winter in NY, the lights, seeing old friends and family, drinking hot cocoa or cider, etc. The only that stinks about the cold weather is that my tooth still hurts from my snowboarding accident last Feb, so it gets really sensitive in cold weather. I wonder when the pain will finally go away? The warm weather was nice, but I was beginning to think that the effects of global warming were approaching sooner than anticipated...well, hopefully I'll be able to stay warm with THIS:
Heehee:P I love this coat because the collar goes up so high and keeps me nice and warm  .
Oh yea! and congrats to my cousin Mia and her fiance Scott on their recent engagement . Can't wait until the wedding!! She doesn't even look half-Korean, huh?
Sigh...the past few months have been interesting to say the least...struggles have been facing me, and for a little while, it was difficult. But one thing that has been keeping me afloat is knowing that God's promises are real and living. As I heard in a sermon this past Sunday, "silence does not equal absence".
I was feeling a bit anxious and stressed a couple weeks ago...but there was a quote that really brought me peace...."Peace is not the absence of struggles, but rather it is the PRESENCE of God". What comforting words  . I definitely feel alot more at peace these days...especially when you think about how it's all about God, and not you...there is hope and a purpose...
oh yea! and just wanted to give a shout-out to my all-girls bowling team, the Black Widows!! We fought a good fight, and I'm proud to say that we came in 2nd place at the annual KCQ bowling tournament (recreational league). And we only lost first place by 10 points!! argh:) Next year....
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| EDIT:
So earlier, I wrote that I would post pics later...but I had to post a couple from Egypt...they're pretty cool:P Enjoy!!
me and my sister in front of the pyramids...
 
See that spec of blue? That's me on the very bottom of one of the pyramids...one brick is HUGE!! It amazes me how they built those things...
the Sphinx:P
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Wow...it's been so long since I've posted that the layout of the "new weblog entry" section has changed....
So updates?
- I graduated in May!! I now have my Masters in Social Work/Administration:P woot woot!!
- had an awesome time celebrating my b-day with a beach bbq, awesome friends, and amazing food:)
- I had an awesome summer of chillin with friends, helping out my family, and preparing for Africa missions. The best moments this summer were just having meaningful conversations with friends over many cups of coffee and tea:)
- Had an amazing time in Cairo visiting my sister, seeing the pyramids, the sphinx...seeing those sites was unreal...I couldn't believe that I was in the land where Moses was many years ago:P It's actually quite amazing: middle eastern culture, how Egypt used to be ahead of its time back in the day in terms of technology, and now it's considered a third world country...
- Africa Missions was simply AMAZING...missions is always such a perspective-changing, paradigm-shifting experience...and I'm always reminded of how BIG GOD is and how much He can change hearts...I'm truely thankful that I was able to build the relationships and get to know the people that I did...I really look forward to continue serving in ministry with all of you!! Knowing and seeing God's heart has given me such a deep sense of JOY...I shared this in my testimony at church...but missions to me reminds me of a pebble/rock being thrown in the water - once its thrown in the water, there are ripples that are formed which then spread. In a sense, that is what happens in Christianity...we become blessed, and through that we bless others, and so on, and so forth....what an amazing God we believe in who could bring brothers and sisters together from all over the world for one purpose?? They are the ones that live there and are able to go to places we cannot, speak languages we cannot, and spread the gospel to people that we cannot...so if we were able to bless them in any way, well, I'm just so thankful that our team could be apart of that. And I know for sure that they truly blessed our team, and hopefully our team can pass that love onto the rest of the congregation...(I think you guys get the picture  ). Needless to say, I absolutely, positively had an amazing experience there this summer...so humbling....
What's in store for the future??
- praying about jobs/career. I pray that God would lead me in the right direction/path. It's a bit daunting trying to find a job. I've been talking to my classmates, and alot of them have not had an easy time finding jobs....and they've been looking for the past two months. I'm interested in doing consulting for non-profits, or working as a manager/program director for a non-profit. If anyone knows of any openings, please let me know . I would be most grateful:) I would LOVE to start a non-profit further down the line...preferably something that involves church and missions....but we'll have to see about that:P
- need to take my licensing exam sometime in the near future...getting the books soon and will probably register in the next month or so...
- looking forward to planning for the 40 Day Purpose Driven Campaign that our church will be participating in...I believe God has great things in store for our ministry through this event .
- it's kind of a good/weird feeling not knowing what the next step is...it definitely makes me rely on His strength even more...
I want to post pics (especially of the pyramids - they're HUGE, and of Africa)...but there are too many from the summer:) I'll try to get to it soon though  . Hope everyone is doing well, and for those that I haven't spoken to in awhile, let's hang out and catch up!!!
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| Man.....I haven't posted in a long time:P Well.....updates?
I'm done with grad school!!!! I STILL can't believe that I'm
actually done!! It's been kinda sad actually...I've really made
some lasting bonds with friends, profs, etc. It's been an AMAZING
ride/journey....I really must say, reflecting back on everything, I'm
just so thankful!! God has really stretched me in more ways than
I thought possible. I thought He changed me alot through college,
but I never would have expected to learn so much more during my time in
grad school...there were definitely bumps and struggles along the way,
but each of those struggles drew me closer to Him. These
struggles revealed sides of myself that I was pleasantly surprised at,
and also alot more things I still need to work on/improve about
myself. But it's a constant growth process...
Congrats again to my two close friends, Renee and Min, on their
weddings!!! They were both such beautiful weddings!! It
really was such a blessing seeing both couples join together as
one....see pics below:)
In terms of the future...I've had a LOT on my mind these days...about
my identity, about what the next step in life will be....I came across
a quote that I've come to really love. It goes like this:
"Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we
have to go through. Where people fail is
that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death." – Anais Nin
This quote has really been speaking to me these
days. As I continue my journey into the unknown future, one thing
that I really pray for is that I would NEVER stop growing, changing,
learning....and if I do, I hope it'll be the day I die. As
Switchfoot said in their song. "This is your life, are you who you
wanna be?" The answer for me is no, but I'm definitely looking
forward to the "process" in trying to get there  ...
Okay...so enough of me babbling....here are some pics of recent events .
Pics from Renee's wedding:P
The lovely couple, Renee and Ian:)
  
 
The entire bridal party...
The high school gang:)
 
Last day of classes/End of year party:)
Awesome friends from school:)
 
 
 
Me with the best Prof EVAR (Prof Glover) and Allison:)
More friends:P
 
 
 
Min's Wedding!!
The lovely bride!!
The lovely bridesmaids and groomsmen:)
 
The girls:)
 
Random pics of friends:)
 
 
 
 
 
What an awesome couple:)
 
Okay...that's it for pics:P I seriously need to spread this out
more, because loading all these pics at once is tiring!! There
are tons of other pics I have, so anyone who wants the albums, lemme
know!!
Man, what an awesome few months it has been !! | | |
| Eeeekkk!!!
Oh man...I didn't realize midterms were coming up so soon!! 
In less than a week!! I think the reason why I didn't realize was
because unlike my usual papers, this semester I have projects and
exams. Sigh...but then I get to have a week off for spring
break!! woohoo!! Anyone wanna take a road trip with
me???
I think I really
need to get away for a bit...been kinda wrestling with stuff, thinking,
struggling these days...but you know, it's funny because when it's a
God seeking/centered sort of wrestling/thinking/struggling, it's very
HUMBLING
and almost liberating...
Oh...and I just wanted to say....I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my small group!! Seriously, you guys are sooo awesome  .
I really do feel blessed and privileged to lead such an amazing group
of people, and alot of times I feel like I learn more from y'all than
you do from me  . God is good, and He totally knew what he was doing by putting us all together  .
And....this is where I want to be right now (pics from Cancun last summer)
  
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| So as I was preparing for small group the other day, I came across this
section in the book we're reading (Basic Christianity). Keep in
mind, the author was referring to New Testament times back in the
day...It read:
Material prosperity had brought in
its wake a spirit of complacency which had even contaminated the
Christian church. Attached to it were professing Christians who
proved to be Christian in name only. They were tolerably
respectable, but nothing more. Their religious interest was
shallow and casual. Like the water from the hot springs of
Hierpolis which was piped to Laodicea by conduits, they were (Jesus
said) neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm, and therefore distasteful to
him. Their spiritual tepidity is explained in terms of
self-delusion: 'You say, "I am rich, I have prospered, and I need
nothing"; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and
naked.'...We today are no different. Perhaps we say, as they did,
'I need nothing.' It is our self-contained independence which,
more than anything else, keeps us from committing ourselves to Christ.
After I read this, I couldn't help but think that this was
me...Although I think that the author of this book can be a bit extreme
at times, this point kept sticking in my head. It's interesting,
because I've had alot of conversations lately with people about our
walks, our fears, things that hold us back...and when I think about it
(at least for me personally), I can't help but wonder if I'm really
not ready to take certain steps forward in my walk, or if I'm
justifying my way out of it because I'm comfortable with how things are
and because they're convenient for me...
For example, I know that there are different ways of evangelizing and
reaching out to people. For me personally, I've always tried to
build relationships and show people Christ's love through my
relationships with them, Christians and non-Christians alike. The
reason for this is because I think it's important to build credibility;
how are people going to take what you say seriously if they don't know
you or if you don't live to be the best example that you can be?
Not to say that I pretend to be perfect - if anything, I try to be very
upfront and real about my short-comings, and one thing I've told my
non-Christian friends is that Christianity isn't about being
perfect....But it made me think...in terms of the way I reach out to
people, should I be more proactive? There was a man on the subway
who was going around handing out tracks claiming that we all need to be
ready before Christ's return. Everything he was saying seemed
legit, and apart of me wanted to shout "Amen! Preach it
brother!"...but I couldn't help but feel a bit embarassed because I
knew what other people must be thinking (that this man is crazy).
Although that is personally not my style of reaching out to
non-believers, I was questioning if I could at least strive to be more
bold in reaching out to others....
A brother said to me the other day, "Linda, life's too short."
He's right; it is. So what am I waiting for? I know that
there is a time and season for everything, but I wonder if I'm doing
all that I can for Him in this moment of my life. In short, I
know I'm not. I don't want to be lukewarm and complacent.
As I said in my last entry, I pray that the day I have an unteachable
heart will be the day I die. So knowing all this, what's the next
step? I know what I need to do, but please pray for me that I'll
have the perseverance to do what I gotta do. Oh! and please
pray that God would give me clarity too .
Alrighty....I know that was a serious entry...so to balance things out,
here are some fun pics (which I know is the main thing y'all look
forward to *ahem annie* )
So here are some fun pics from the ski trip we went on for Sunhee, Min, and Julia's B-days . Sorry....some of them may be incriminating...heehee .
Younghoon got a little excited about the big bath tub:P
The place that we stayed at was pretty cool:P
What cuties=)
Hahaha:P Jenny got a bit excited with all her new boarding gear and modeled it for us:P
Doug tried to copy Jenny and show off his gear too....but it didn't have quite the same effect:P
Bryan and Liz in the kitchen - Liz was our amazing head chef for that weekend...we ate like CRAZY!!!
Doesn't this look like a family portrait?? All you need is a dog in the picture:)
Doug doing.....something:P Hahaha=)
 
Hahaha...Jenny's just lurking all over the place:P
Awww....how cute=)
Younghoon and Bry-man:P
Some of the girls:P
The happy, soon-to-be-married couple =) Tom is trying to look all tough though:P
Dang...everyone looks so young=)
Awww...the boys=)
Us eating....and eating....and eating....
 
 
The three B-day girls cutting their cakes =)
Oh, and did I mention that we ate a LOT??
Oh, and my all time favorite pic....
Okay.....that's it!! Peeps who were on the trip, if you want all
the pics, lemme know:P What a great weekend it was!! Great
food, great friends, and an awesome time of fellowship!!
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