As I stepped off the plane and placed my first foot into
Hong Kong, there was an uneasy feeling. This feeling was weird because I'm finally back to my place of birth,
yet I didn't feel like I'm back home. Last time I was in Hong Kong was 12 years ago. Since then, everything has changed. Buildings are taller and newer, MRT system is
more advance, and even the airport is on its own island now. My world is being collided by the past and
the present.
As I walked around the city, I felt very strange. I was surrounded with all Chinese people. I
was able to use zero word of English everywhere I go. Everything was so strange. The strangest part was I once view Hong Kong
as the Pearl of the East has now faded away.
Sitting on the Star Ferry to go across Victoria Harbour was
amazing. The skyline view of Hong Kong
at night was breathtaking. But deep in
my heart, I felt sad. I felt this
spectacular view is masking the true identity of the city. Behind the tall amazing buildings lies a concrete
forest. This forest is filled with brokenness and emptiness.
People in the forest need Christ.
After some time of reflection, I finally realized this
uneasy strange feeling is from the Lord. This is because for the first time I'm coming into Hong Kong not as
Chinese, not as Canadian, but as a citizen of Kingdom.
One of my main ministry projects in Philippines is the
Tunnel Project. The Tunnel Project is a
shortcut pathway which the children use to go to school from the children's
home.
This path is filled with garbage, broken glasses, and
manure. The smell is awful. In rainy days, the path will be a mud slide
and soils will be eradicated, making it very difficult for people to walk in. This
path is also home to some squatter families and it is one of their main roads
to get around.
Team Karis, with the help of Team Dunamis and many others,
decided to build a concrete path in the Tunnel. Day by day, we started to clear out the garbage, made the path wider,
cut out the tall plants and grass to make it brighter, and smoothed out the
road so there will be not potholes. At
the end, we poured down the concrete a bucket at a time. By the grace and the power of God, we finished
the project in 5 days.
We pray as the people and children are walking along
this pathway, God will be with them to protect them and keep them safe in
morning or at night.
Praise God for the Tunnel!
Please see the video about the Tunnel Project by Team Karis
Jeff Long is an incredible man of God who following His
heart by moving his entire family to serve the orphans and street kids in
Philippines. His ministry, Kids
International Ministry (K.I.M), gives life to the next generation by showing
them the love of Christ in a safe and healthy environment.
New Faith Family Children's Home which was established in 2005, is
currently serving over 30 children in their facilities. Their age goes from toddlers to
teenagers. I have the opportunity to
serve the children there and each and every one of them is an amazing
child. They are filled with energy and
joy. Their smiles are so infectious that
it's hard to get mad at them (sometimes).
I have no doubt in my mind these children will grow up in to
amazing men and women of God. They are
the hope of the nation.
I have been in the Philippines for over a week now, but it
still hasn't sunk in The World Race has started. Maybe the contacts we have here treating us
so well that I didn't feel home sick or I have been preparing for this moment for
so long that I'm glad it is finally happening.
My ministry this month is to serve the people here in
Cuatro, Manila. Cuatro is a community of
roughly 800 families with 700 of them is squatters. Squatters are people who inhabit on a property
that doesn't belong to them. That means
they are constantly living with a fear of being force out by the land owners.
In the midst of this surrounding,
you can find beauty on the smile of the street kids running around the streets,
the ladies who are greeting us every day as we are passing by, or the gentlemen
who gives us a friendly help when we are in need.
Please help me by praying for God's love to be poured out
onto this community as we are staying here for the month. Blessings.
It is truly God's blessings to have
provided me with all the financial support that I needed. As of beginning
of September, I have raised $13700 + $1200 (pledged) + $2300
(Gifts) = $17200. This means I have REACHED my GOAL of $16500!!
Thank You all for your support!
Current Status
First of all, I want to apologies
for not updating on my current status for awhile. It has been very hectic
for me of the last few weeks before my launch. My parent's house (while I
have been living in) is sold and I moved all my stuff into storage. At
the end, everything ended in a good note and I'm ready for the coming year to
be the hands and feet for Christ. I'm currently staying at LAX right now
with my teammates waiting for our flight to Philippines. I'll continue to
update once I get there.
Prayer Request
-Praise for my parent's house is sold
before my departure
-Praise for all the people that show
their hospitality to me over the last few months
-Pray for safety and protection as my
teammates and I are travelling to our first destination, Philippines.
Thank you all for your prayers!
Pictures of the Month
Boyz of Chattahoochee - Deet,Me,Reet,Kidd Family in Alpharetta
Rett,Kelly,Anita,Me,Richard,Deet,Kreusten (missing Chip and Mike)
My awesome teammate, Carly, wrote about the team that I will be spending time with for the coming year. It's so amazing the way she described how we came up with our name that I have to share it with you all. Enjoy!
We sat
around the table at Outback and threw out ideas. Team 7 needed a
name. After 2 days of intense ups and downs in team building, much
prayer, thought and meetings by the AIM staff, we had been pieced
together into a wondrous tapestry (yes, cheesiness
intended). Seriously, there are 7 of us, 3 men and 4 women, and they
will be my family for the next year, and basically for life. We will
eat, sleep, do ministry, see the world, challenge, love and fight with
one another. I couldn't have asked for better people to do this all
with.
But a
name. Thursday night we were focused on getting a team name. And
despite various distractions (I mean the bathrooms had soap for crying
out loud, you'd visit them twice too) we had some good ideas: a
name which encapsulated the power and authority of God, the idea of
sparking a flame, awaking our generation, being a light, chosen by God
to go to the nations.
We didn't
get one though. We left Outback and after deciding we didn't have
enough time to stop at a graveyard to raise the dead (we were supposed
to make a memory), we headed back to camp. At camp though, Brenda came
forth with a Greek word that she had written in her journal weeks prior.
The word means: Inherent power--power for
performing miracles--excellence of soul--power consisting in or resting
upon armies, forces, host--"mighty works... actual actions and
achievements of such magnitude that they inspire a sense of wonder in
others"--"chosen vessel... to do the father's will...It is not static.
Once this power is set in motion, it continues to move, work, and
accomplish." (click for source)
The word encompassed everything we were thinking about and the word is found in Acts 1:8
"But you will receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
So we accepted this Greek word and without further adieu (yes, please do a drumroll on a nearby table)... Introducing...
Team... DUNAMIS!!!!!! (if you didn't get the full effect, do it again and yell out DUNAMIS!!!! like a gladiator war cry, trust me)
We will be filled with the Dunamis (Power) of the Spirit and by God's will are going out to witness to the nations.
This is Team Dunamis.
And this is probably closer to the truth...
If you want to know more about my new family, Carly also wrote an awesome blog about each of the family member. You can read it HERE.
Training camp was my first time meeting up with my new family. Even though I didn't get a chance to know everyone deeply, I still love them all. I can't explain why I felt this way; maybe it's the love of Christ that binds us all together. And maybe that is why it hurts so much to see members of the family leaving the group no matter what the reason is. Underneath this sorrow, I know God has an amazing plan for each and everyone of them. Whatever that might be, I know it will be something that is beautiful and brings glory to the King.
In the midst of my sadness, I want to do something to describe my feelings. Somehow my heart is telling me to write a Haiku poem. This is weird because I'm not a poetry person and it‘s my first attempt of writing a poem since junior high. Anyway, I hope it captures what I want to say.
This is for all the family members who have parted ways with us.
At camp, one of the exercises we are asked to do is to have a surrender walk into the woods. Before we engage in this walk, we are given a piece of log and are asked to write down things that we have not surrendered to the Lord. For myself, I wrote down three words: Gifts, Heart, and Desires.
Gifts are the skills and talents God has given me from leadership to sports to eating a piece of sushi the proper way (Yes! There is a proper way). All these gifts I want to surrender back to the Lord because I know I haven't use them properly or I used it for my own ego and pride or I even hid them because I didn't want the responsibilities or the pain it has inflicted on me from the past.
Heart is the things that I love. I love sports, news, TV, coffee and tea ... did I mention sushi? Even though these love that I have comes from the Lord, sometimes it has become my idols.
Desires are the things I want or things that I'm striving to achieve in life. Waterfront condo, high paid job, and luxury cars are some of the things that I strived to achieve since I was a child. However, I know I have to abandon my desires in order to pursue Him.
After being commission by one of the camp leaders, I began my journey into the woods, trekking through the rugged road in a slow pace. This slow walk gave me time to have a conversation with God and He used it to mold me and to shape me. At times, I was afraid to let go of my control, but the Lord comforted me and I surrendered my control to Him.
One point in the trail, Jane (a leader) was sitting down at a bench, giving each passerby a Bible verse. She gave me the following verse from Luke 14:26-27
26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple."
Hearing the words just confirmed the purpose of my walk.
At the end of the trail, we are asked to place our logs on top of a platform where a cross laid. As I got closer to the platform I felt the present of God asking me will I take up my cross. So I placed down my log at the foot of the cross and prayed to Him with an answer ~ Yes, I will take up my cross. But I felt it wasn't enough just to say it in words. So I got up, picked up the cross, and walked up and down the platform three times which symbolized the surrender of my gifts, my heart, and my desires to God and pick up the responsibility of His gifts, His heart, and His desires.
To me, training means prepare. This week, I am at training camp being prepare by a group of amazing leaders before we launch into the world. Before we start any team building process, we first have to be strip down to release any chains that is attached on us. When I say chains, it means chains of grief, pain, and expectations on the race. Basically, we have to be broken before we can allow God to work within us.
For the first time every, I have cry more within 5 days than my entire life. I can truly said I am free and at peace with Christ.
Thank you all for supporting me in this cause. As of July, I have raised $11600 + $1350 (pledged) = $12950. This means:
I have raised 94% of AIM's Target of $13800
This also means:
I have raised 79% of Dennis' Target of $16500
Thank You!
Current Status
The house will finally be put up on sale in the coming weeks. I have been scrabbling to get the house to look "presentable" for potential buyers. All I can say is ~ MADNESS!
On August 2nd to 10th, I will be in Gainesville, Georgia, for the World Race training camp. I will finally get to meet all my teammates and leaders! I'm so excited. But at the same time, I'm a bit scared because I don't know what to expect at the camp. I'm sure this will be an awesome experience.
Prayer Request
-Praise God for a speedy recovery for my thigh
-Pray for my parent's house will be able to sell quickly
-Pray for wisdom to manage my time more efficiently. I have a lot of issues that need to be resolve before I can go on the race
-Pray for protection as my teammates and I are under spiritual attacks. Also pray for our readiness as we are concerning with our preparations
-Pray
for emotional and spiritual recovery for the World Race Jan 08 team as they are robbed at gun point in South Africa the pass week. Also pray for their safety as they are in India now
-Pray
for a little friend of mine who recently admitted to a children
hospital with continuous fever. Pray that God will place His healing
hands upon him
