I just wanted to write a quick update before I head to bed earlier for the first time in a few days. I’ve been sleeping way too late for my own good these last two nights but that’s okay. I’ve had a good weekend, I didn’t party but I stayed in and relaxed in my dorm room. My roommates were gone for the weekend so I had the room to myself, which gave me more of a reason to stay in and do nothing!

There are quite a few things that happened that last few days that showed God’s overflowing grace towards me. It is uneblievable and yet really funny at the same time. I’m too lazy to write it all out at the moment but perhaps one day i will. This coming weekend I’ll be going to New Hampshire, for the Real Life Boston Fall Retreat which will be a great weekend to get away from the city, get away from school, meet new friends, fellowship with each other and most importantly spend some private time with God.

Quite update finished. Perhaps more tomorrow.

Oh, and my uncle came to Boston to visit me and we had the biggest and really good lobster meal. It was nice to speak cantonese again. Those it is always strange meeting and seeing someone in another country when you are used to seeing them somewhere else!

From Asia to the East Coast of America. It’s definitely not the easiest adjustment. If you’ve grown up in Asia, you’ll know what I mean… more specifically, if you grew up in HK; in the 852 there is definitely nothing like it. I’m not sure what I think about it all, I guess I’ve always thought I’d be fine seeing as I studied in an American school but it really is the polar opposite; the lifestyle, the mentality and everything in general.

From the 58th floor flat to an 8th floor room with two other girls.
From Lan Kwai where the night never ends to house parties.
From the MTR to the Subway in Boston.

College life is pretty sweet, but I’m not sure I’m ready for it all. Times like these where I wish I was laying on my bed looking out onto the HK skyline and contemplating life. Watching the lightning outside my window, and watching the world go by. Soon enough, Christmas will come and I will get to hibernate in my room and praise God for the beautiful Hong Kong architecture and lights.

Classes have started, there are some glitches here and there but hopefully I will get that figured out soon. They are good for the most part. I have realized though there are so much down time between classes, that doesn’t mean there is enough time to do everything I need to do in between spending time with friends, eating, and doing homework. Especially in a college like this one, thats smack in the middle of the city, I need to find time for God, find time to reflect and be by myself.

Praise God for allowing me to find a good church right from the start of my school year, it’s something I really needed- to plug in to a good church and the activities involved. I’ll end with one thing I was encouraged by at church this past Sunday.

It’s easy to love God but it’s not easy to love Man. We cannot use our love to God as a standard to love others, that’s not enough. Our love to God is changeable depending on whether He’s good to us that day or not. Jesus never said love others as you love me, but instead he said love others as I love you.

I realized I haven’t written in a while so thought I’d do a quick update for those who are keeping track through my blog. I’ve left Hong Kong about a week ago and am now in Toronto visiting extended families. I also attended my cousins wedding this past weekend. It’s been good seeing the rest of my family, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc. Though I am ready to have some space to myself and to move on to Boston and meet up with friends again.

The weather here has been beautiful aside from a tornado warning and a few rain storms last week. It’s not too hot nor humid during the day and at night its been a bit chilly. Despite all that, I do miss Hong Kong and the convience of it all but I’ll be back before I know it. Being here and thinking about the way of living here compared to HK makes me wonder whether I’ll ever stay in North America to work. I doubt it, but we’ll see.

I’m looking forward to seeing old friends as well as making new friends in Boston. I’ve also found a church that I’d be able to go to, but I pray that the church will be suitable for me and I’ll be able to have comfortable fellowship with those there. Good luck with the start of another school year.

I’m not even sure where to start. The sermon taught at ECC today had a lot of information, perhaps it’s a sermon that can be taught in a total of a few weeks but we went through it in less than 40 minutes. What are your thoughts of the question above? What is your response to that? This, perhaps is also another post that is more for my own reminder and thoughts than anyone else but I always pray that you will be somehow blessed through it as well.

I’ll try to summarize it as best as I can. What is generational sin/curse? It’s the sin that many Christians have increasingly started to believe they are cursed in the way they are because of the previous generations, parents, grandparents, etc. Although Exodus 20:5 does seem to portray that exact thought at first glance, there is so much more to just that. In many versus in the bible, it tells us just the opposite.

Ezekiel 18:20…… “The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” This, I believe, applies to every single one of us, whether Christian or not. It teaches us that we need to carry individual responsibilty for our own sins, for our own troubles we caused and to know that we are not cursed from the previous generations.

Beth Moore once said… “Before we parents die of fright, let’s remember God is the only perfect parent. He’s not cursing three or four genearations over a little parental irritability. In fact, I don’t believe He’s calling a curse down on anyone. As believers under the New Covenant who have been cleansed by Christ’s blood, I think the concept of generational sin applies to us through its powerful repercussions instead.” The blood of Christ at the Cross changes everything for us, it covers all our sins.

What about Original sin? There are two points. The Curse of original sin simply means “we are sinful.” And The Cure FOR orginial sin is simply to put your faith in Jesus Christ. God looks at us through the lens of Jesus so our sins have been covered.

Personal Sin? What impact does it have on our lives and others? Three points here. One, There will always be consequences for our personal sin. We tell ourselves that it will only hurt ourselves but our choices of selfishness and arrograncy is never harmless and will always have an impact on others. Secondly, We need to be blessed through a life of holiness. God gave us 66 books of how to live a holy life and a life of holiness means simply making choices to worship our Holy God. Repeated acts of unholiness will lead to feelings of the lack of God’s prescence. Have you ever felt that before? I know I have.

And Finally, be a blessing to others. We’ve all heard this many times before but our words can be very harmful. Here’s what the Book of James tells us… “But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” James 3:8-10

That has got to be one of the hardest things to follow for all of us. To constantly be verbally encouraging to everyone, including those we are not too fond of, to say words of blessings and affirmation. I know it’s one of the many areas I’m continously praying and asking God to shape me and mold me.

12 hours after this sermon, I am still trying to grasp all of the teachings. Reading and re-reading my sermon notes and the bible versus related to them. How I love Sundays. Side note: Next Sunday will be my last Sunday at ECC…. it’ll be hard not being at home again but December will come fast and I trust that God will bring me to a good church in Boston.

It’s hard to believe the last two months have come and gone. It feels like just yesterday when I was on motos and tuk tuks to get to dinner across town. It feels like just yesterday when I was watching my first graders run around the playground and play “dead cockroach” during PE.

Although the last two months have flown by, no doubt it’s been a hard transition. It’s never easy packing up your life somewhere, even for a year. I was talking to a colleague the other morning and having a discussion about the lack of purpose we felt outside of Cambodia. The whole image is kind of ironic. Why is it that when we were there, we couldn’t wait to get out and now that we’re back in our comfort zone, we feel miserable? I assume that’s what people call culture shock, and the transition.

I had a short conversation with a friend this morning and our exchange of words stirred up thoughts in my mind about the way we act in different places, with different friends. People always say “just be yourself, you’ll attract friends who are just like you” and don’t get me wrong, that’s true. But at the same time, we also subconsiously adapt to the culture and lifestyle there.

It’s quite a mind boggling thought, at least for myself. it’s almost as if I’m battling to get back who I was when I was in Cambodia and the lifestyle there, in the fear that I will lose that memory if I don’t. But also knowing that it’s okay to be myself here, and to adapt to where I am and to the people I’m around.

Despite everything, one thing I know for sure is: I am so thankful and blessed to have a great church, great friends and a great family. God tugs at my heart every time I think about all that He has provided me. It’s no luck I have the life, the friends, the family and the church I have. Here’s leaving all in God’s hands…

“Whatever you’re doing inside of me, it feels like chaos but somehow there’s peace. Though it’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see, I’m giving into something heavenly.” Whatever you’re doing by Santas Real