MiSURA

AHHH what an amazing weekend!
God really convicted me about certain things and overall, I think Koinonia learned so much.
So many Koinonians truly want to grow in their faith--they just need the push, tools, and resources to help them get started. One thing the speaker emphasized was family idols. I think as Asian Americans, our family idols will most likely be pride, ambition, family piety & loyalty. But many Koinonians also wanted to break these family idols because ultimately who are we living for?

Something that one of our guys shared about during chapter time stuck with me: "I like how we pray for each other. Normal people just don't do that." Well he said something to this effect. And I wanna take that one step further: I like how we pray for each other ALL the time. Not just at retreats & praise nights. But ALL the time. One thing that I wanna see in Koinonia is growth in PRAYER. Many people may be intimidated to pray out loud and things but at least if it's with one other person, you can kinda ease into it. But I think it's so beautiful when we pray for one another and I'm convinced that this is the best gift we could give to anyone. More than the newest gadget, a clothing accessory, or even the cutest asian colored pens you can find.









I learned much about Gideon and how he kept asking God for SIGNS and CONFIRMATIONS. Last May at Chapter FOCUS week, God gave me a hint about going into ministry with InterVarsity. But instead of pursuing it and asking questions to God about why He wants me there, I kind of put it off and hoped that He wasn't serious and I was deluded into thinking that.

But here at Fall Conference and all throughout fall semester this year God's been really tugging at my heart about this.

During prayer time after the evening message on Saturday, I really questioned God and asked for signs. He told me to go look into my favorite book of the Bible, II Corinthians, and there it was. The other convictions that I have been having this whole year... Chapter 11 and the false apostles. Vs. 6 stuck out to me: I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. That is SO me. I am absolutely not the most eloquent speaker. But the words that I speak and share.. I want it to be true. And the knowledge I have accrued since high school has gotta be worth something. The word BOAST also appears myriad times in II Corinthians and I have been learning how to boast more in Christ and what that really means. (Just go through that book and circle all the times Paul says boast)

So... I will be attending the Prospective Staff Retreat on Nov. 21-22nd to get a sense of what the ministry intern does, etc.

The choice of doing this will also be breaking a family idol: pride & ambition.
I talked to my mom briefly about this and she's okay with this.... as long as I go back to grad school and get a "real job". She doesn't mind me marrying someone in ministry, but me pursuing ministry? Think about it. And I have no idea what daddy will say...

In the end, things will happen the way God wants them to happen and I've entrusted my life unto His hands. I'm just glad and thankful for such an amazing weekend. Can't wait for spring retreat! =)


playing outside during free time. gotta love the playground. =)


guys playing basketball...


us watching the guys play basketball...


our awesome staff worker and my roomie!


we should put them on the poster for fall conference next year.


chapter time sunday morning: sharing our commitments and prayer requests.






chillin around before worship starts.


playing babo... poor chris.. =) so un-christian, guys. come on. haha.



FRESHMEN!!! Woot-woOt!


sophomores! i have NO idea what they're doing.


battle of the juniors!


:]


yea seniors! There's a couple of us missing tho.. =(
the sun's in our eyes..=T


ann, dental student who came to volunteer & jopan our awesome staff worker =)


all the girlieeees


don't mess.


AHH i couldn't catch one snapshot of all of them looking and smiling.. -___-;;


yea. um?


but just so i don't leave you with that last stumbling photo.. here's one more. =)



yeeeeeeeea.

Okay. so i didn't do as great as I thought.
BUT. kinda surprising. i did better on verbal than math! woooow...
turns out i'm an awesome guesser too. haha.

but! i will be studying vocab like none other. memorizing every prefix and root possible.

and def. brush up on my math skills. since i don't have a calculator is just makes all things impossible.

===============

i'll put up pics from the Cleveland MetroParks just as soon as Yoon sends his. and after i tinker around with mine. lighting was awful and colors just weren't bright enough. =(

today during one of my classes... i thought deeply about graduating early. i probably missed the deadline to do that.. but for some reason that popped in my head. i'm done with all my credits, why should i stay and accumulate more debt in loans? but i thought of a lot more pros to staying that last semester. =)

1. koinonia!
2. senior friends.
3. no one will have a ride to church on sundays. haha.
4. clara will be all alone in the giant suite.
5. i could take some cool classes next semester.... (errrr)
6. yoon... =) of course.
   

buuut i thought of a lot of good things that could happen too...

1. i can help my mom at home driving the international students who are currently living with us to school
2. i can give back to my home church because of all that they've given me!
3. i can visit friends in other colleges
4. i can visit sam, too! =)
   
5. prepare for graduate schools as i apply, maybe interviews?
6. home = comfort zone.

but somehow, in that 75 minute class i reached the conclusion, that i will stay because i am still a student. at least for four years. so might as well live it up, right?! i'll never be an undergrad again so seriously. stay. and again, the deadline's probably passed and i'm too late. -___-;;

annnnd here are some photos from when catherine visited!! (These are alll catherine's photos).



celebrating my 22nd @ bodega's with my ladies (minus clara... booo)



eating the tiramisu. SSOOOO good.



having fun at big fun. haha.



see. this is why i must be on the left side of you, catherine.



i totally dropped the big pen in the second one so i had to pick it up. and then the flash happened. =T



that's it!
fall break this weekend! which means we get mon & tues. off.
i have the free practice GRE this sat. OHH... boy.
and lots of researching to do. so it won't really be a "break" for me.
but it's okay! at least i can sleep in a bit. ...till 9. =)

AHHH I'm already looking at my schedule for next semester. Now that I know that I do not have to take 30hrs worth of 300-level classes senior year.. I'm gonna take it real chill.



arth250 - art in the age of discovery
arth333 - greek and roman painting (excited about this one)
arts206 - design and color I (figured since I'm taking all these art history classes.. i should know a little something something about design and color)
arth271 - american art and culture: 20th century

i am SO excited for next semester.
i can't wait to start planning for the spring retreat.. apply to graduate schools (hopefully get into a few...).. maybe go on a big spring break trip.. and just to graduate from Case! Maybe I'll go to chapter focus week... one last time. ^ ^

i'm starting research for my papers and i'm actually reeally loving it. i hated research for chemistry because there were just so many unanswerable questions! and i honestly didn't know where to even start looking for the answers. sometimes i didn't even ask the right questions. but with art history, my focus is there and i actually understand what i'm asking and reading. i still have yet to learn to put my thoughts in an eloquent manner and to crank up my level of vocabulary but that's what the thesaurus and writing helpers are for! AHH i need humility to go to a writing helper...

catherine came this past weekend and i had an amazing time with her. i'm so lucky to have such friends. sometimes when people tell me about their living situation and whatnot.. it's really tough to understand unless you go and experience it yourself. and i think that's what catherine really got out of this trip. there's a huge difference between a private and public institution: academics, living arrangements, food, etc. so hopefully catherine got a peek into my life. =) i had lots of fun showing her around campus and coventry. i also got to share with her koinonia!!! she got to meet many of the members, even the oldies (hehe), and attend large group. i especially love the fact that she can just have fun with pretty much anything and anyone. AHH why am i so blessed! thank you catherine!!!

i'll put up photos later. if you're friends with her on facebook you've probably already seen them.
but i'll put 'em up anyway for those who aren't friends with her.

someone last week commented on how i'm more loooooose about things and not so uptight and a "perfectionist" about things. and quite frankly, i agree. i think being in kazakhstan, God really taught me that things really aren't in my control: crowded buses, winds at 45-50mph, copy machine broken, electricity and water cut off, etc. I've learned not to be so concerned with those things and to manage my time correctly, but remember that if it doesn't work out, it's not like the world's going to crumble. it still peeves me when people are late and things, but not AS much as it used to. so thanks for commenting on that bc i really didn't like the super uptight aspects of myself. =)

okay! well i'm off to have lunch with a friend and continue my day with more classes to come!~ ^ ^

congratulations sunyoung & glenn on your engagement!!!! AHHHHHH I am SO excited for you both! WHEEE!

And I'll update about my birthday celebrations soon. ^ ^