Recently, I had the special opportunity to visit Austin, Texas only a few weeks after our very own Gracepoint Austin team departed from California to start a church there. My friend Grace Kim (Kairos One, Berkeley) and I had the responsibility of taking Corrie to her new home since she had stayed back to attend the FTS Retreat. Three and a half hours later, we landed on Texas soil. We were picked up by Sunny and Sarah and the kiddos – Nayo, Nico, and Karis, and we headed off to the UT-Austin campus for a tour. Only a five minute drive from campus was Sunny and Manny’s house – a duplex right next to John and Kelly’s (from Waypoint Community Church in Davis & my old youth teachers!). Grace and I spent the day helping Sunny with things around the house and Sarah with the UT-Austin Koinonia picture board – decorated not with blue and gold as we’re used to, but a burnt-orange hue and a longhorn, of course!

The next day, Thursday, we started our day with DT and Prayer Band (for both Taiwan and Austin) next door at Kelly’s. Afterwards, Margaret and Kelly headed off to work, Sunny and Grace went on an outing with the kids, and I got to spend time with Sarah going Ikea shopping to buy curtains and other things to spice up the sanctuary of the Episcopal Center they use for Friday nights (imagine green curtains!). That evening, Sunny, Grace, and I went on a prayer walk through the campus, and my heart really went out for the students there and our Austin church members who are laboring for the gospel to be known there. We also got to go to the dining commons and met some students. Here’s Grace and me – we were neither UT students (or students of any kind!) nor were we Austin residents! Yet, we were welcomed so warmly by a sweet sophomore girl we met who engaged us in conversation throughout the whole meal. And guess what? She thought we were college freshmen! : )

It was so good to physically see right before me the campus, the students, the city, and our Austin team members in their homes and in action because it really made the prayer requests and the updates I hear or read that much more concrete and personal. Now, as I pray for UT-Austin and our church there, I have in my mind and heart a clear picture and it helps me pray all the more specifically and earnestly. Though the trip was really short (and we both really wanted to stay a bit longer!), I’m so thankful for the opportunity I had to be there, doing life together for those terse two and a half days, along side them. That week’s DT passage in Philippians 1:27 came alive as I was convicted that whether we are in Berkeley or in Austin, indeed we strive to “stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.” Go Longhorns! : )

My first thought this morning as I stepped foot onto SFSU was, "I can't believe it's been a year!" It's not like I haven't been on campus since last year since, as most of you readers know, this is where I graduated from and is also where I work! But this morning I came to campus for a prayer walk along with many other brothers and sisters. Each year as we get ready for the fall and start gearing up for New Student Welcome Nite, we start heading out to our various SF Campus ministry locations (USF, UCSF, SFSU and now CCSF!) at 7am for morning prayer walks.

Every time we do this, I start at the very same location. I go up inside Cesar Chavez Student Center and go to the Terrace Level right outside T-160 where there's this window that gives you a great view of the campus. It was 3 years ago when SFSU Koinonia had its big launch and we held our first Bible study in room T-160. I remember the many prayer times, the many flyers I passed out and the great anticipation for the first on-campus Bible study. As 7pm approached, nervousness filled the room so I had to leave and walk around because I could not just sit there. As time passed, it started to hit me that nobody might show up. It was at that very window where I stood looking out into campus when my friend Danny asked me what I was looking for. "People." I remember saying with defeat in my voice. Sadly, nobody showed up for our first on-campus Bible study that week.

Fast forward 3 years from that humbling day. This morning as I stood there, I was brought to tears remembering our humble beginnings. I am amazed and so thankful for the work that God has done in us and through us at Koinonia! Not only do we have a group of regular members, but we have seen lives transformed and surrendered to God in the past 3 years. It is my prayer that in this new school year, God will continue to use us as we strive to do our best to spread His Good News and love here at SFSU.

I would like to share with you how God worked graciously in my parents lives to lead them to accept Christ. Four years ago, I thought it would take a miracle for my parents to become Christian and that’s what happened. My family was culturally Buddhist and lived by Chinese pragmatism. When I became Christian, my parents thought it was just a phase, and believed Christianity was a kind of emotional support. As long as I kept my grades up, I was ok and at least I learned good values. But when they saw that I wanted to stay up here after graduation instead of home where it was more economical, tensions began to grow. I prayed that God would have mercy on my parents so they could live another day so that they can hear the Gospel, and for the Holy Spirit to soften their hearts and make them hungry. I also prayed a dangerous prayer that God would humble them through life circumstances.

God began to answer these prayers in an unexpected way. In my undergrad before Christ days, I devised schemes conning money from internet companies and was a big player in a multilevel pyramid company. I hurt a lot of people along the way, especially my parents who loved me and tried to stop me. About 2 years ago, my leader talked me to me about my past and asked me if I ever paid it back. I never did. I didn’t want to deal with it. I buried all the guilt and shame and didn’t want to admit I was a criminal. Romans 13:8 said, “Let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another.” The debt was 5 figures and paying it all back would be costly. It also meant putting my dreams of pursuing medicine on hold so I can work a few years and also selling my nice car. What was even more painful was to face all the relational damage I caused to my family and friends. I prayed for conviction and I was rocked by the truth of what I had done. My leader told me that God would honor obedience and who knows, maybe this will be a good witness to my parents and maybe even lead them to be Christian one day. He was right and God turned this shame into multiple blessings. God encouraged me with his words. Hebrews 12:10-11 – “Our parents disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” I knew God loved me through this discipline, and I began the process of repentance. It turned out to be a blessing in many ways.

That Thanksgiving, I went home nervous about how my parents would respond. I apologized to my mom for being so rotten and selfish to them in the past and for causing so much pain and worry. I told them that I understood now how much they loved me, even though in the past I had returned it with anger and arrogance. I told them, I need to stay with my church, because my heart is very dark inside and I need the church to teach me God’s ways and guide me.

What’s the secret to a great Valentine’s day? It’s not what you or I would think. It’s not about candy, flowers, or even finding that prince charming. Plus, I realized again that it’s not even about myself.

Two years ago, our church decided to change Valentine’s Day from a commercialized holiday into a day of compassion, showing God’s love to the forgotten and unloved. So, continuing the tradition, some of our college students and staff from Koinonia visited the Marina Garden Nursing Center. It’s a place that I pass by all the time on my way towards the freeway or back home, and I never thought much of that place until yesterday.

A lot of us felt awkward in the beginning because we didn’t know how to approach the residents who were bedridden or in wheelchairs, but slowly we felt more comfortable to initiate conversations or to hold their hands. The students went door-to-door making room visits and handing out gifts, which was a fleece blanket and a framed Bible verse. Even though we couldn’t communicate with many of the residents because of language barriers, all of them smiled and kept saying, “Thank you” over and over again.

Our visit was only for a short time, but I think we all came away feeling different. In the words of one of the students, it was worth the visit even if we had made one person feel loved. Even though these people may be forgotten by their families and the world, they were not forgotten by God, and we had the chance to tell them this.

It is a day that I thought wouldn't come for another week (and therefore more time for me to mentally prepare myself), but because of last minute changes, that day is coming all too quickly. Tomorrow will be the last day in Joyland for James and I. Both of us have served as Joyland teachers for 5.5 years. We have been here long enough to see some of these cute little children grow, graduate from Joyland, and then come back to serve alongside with us as Joyland teachers. If you were to ask me just a few months ago what I imagined myself doing for the rest of my life, I would have said to be a teacher in our children's ministry. I just couldn't have imagined otherwise. Seeing kids with each passing year able to cognitively understand a bit more about God's love for them and seeing them earnestly seeking God, working alongside with other Joyland teachers to make Sunday mornings possible, hearing the simple message of the gospel and being personally spoken to, brainstorming and fellowshipping around the dining table at Teacher Michelle's place to come up with ideas for curriculum, skits, activities...at the end of every year when we considered whether to commit to another year in Joyland, it didn't take that long for me to decide because it was just set that I wanted to be here for another year.

However, this changed a few months ago when we took a trip out to Taiwan. And through the series of events that took place afterwards, and the specific ways in which we experienced answers to prayers, we believe that God has called us to serve at our Taiwan church for one year. They are in need of more people, especially sisters, and especially with the responsiveness of so many of the college students there, we saw the need and wanted to respond. Though we are excited to see how God will work over there, it was a difficult decision to make just because Joyland has a soft spot in our hearts. Next week we will be on our way to Hsinchu, Taiwan and enter into this new phase of experiencing God. And that will be an exciting day. But for now, as I take this time to think about tomorrow...the last time I'll get to unload the trailer, roll out the carpets, set up the projector screen, sit with my Joyland kids and sing praise songs with the most enthusiastic praise leader ever...I'm sure in the midst of all of that, it will be colored with some sadness.