no.276 140131 Thank you for the Korean New Year

"Cha-rae-sang"

It is "Seol-Nal" - a lunar new year. My family and I used to celebrate it when we were in Korea with all our relatives. On a new year's eve, my family and my uncle's family gathered at my grandparent's house and spend the night. The adults - usually the women of the family and my grandpa, woke up early to prepare the meal for our deceased ancestors through a traditional ritual called "cha-rae."When the food is prepared and is ready for the setting, it was our children's turn to wake up and help the adults set up the table. When the table is ready, we all get dressed in our traditional costumes called "han-bok" and gather in front of the table for "charae." One by one, we all take turns to do "sae-bae"which is translated as bowing down to the ancestors in front of the table. When we are done, it is our turn to eat the meal on the table - so we re-heat everything and gather around the table for "seol-nal."After that, it the most fun part of the new year. A time for "saebae." We not only do sae-bae for our ancestors, but we do it to the adults in the family. Then we get something called "sae-bae-don" which is a monetary gift. However, my parents would often take my "saebaedon" from me and they told me that it is safer to keep it with them because I might lose it. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if I ever asked my parents what happened to the money I received from my relatives. Although it didn't really feel like seolnal today, I'm thankful for the Korean traditions and this new year of horse. However, I do feel that this holiday is about family gathering… which makes me miss Korea very much.

no.275 140130 Thank you for my third language

Je fais une cadeau pour mon cousin qui habite en Corée.

Bonjour!

Je veux essayer quelques chose différente aujourd'hui. Oui, j'écris mon blog en Français. Excusez-moi si vous ne pouvez pas me comprendre, ou si ma grammaire est bizarre. Savez-vous que j'essaie de faire de mon mieux. Ahh… c'est très difficile parce que le dernière temps que j'ai écrit quelque chose en Français est probablement quand j'était une étudiante de l'université. 

Je partage une chanson avec vous. Je pense j'ai déjà partagé l'artiste de la chanson - c'est ça Pink Martini. Les musiciens du groupe ne sont pas français, mais ils font beaucoup de chansons en autre langues. La chanson s'appelle "Où est ma tête" - c'est un de mes favoris. Si vous écoutez bien, vous allez découvrir l'histoire est un peu triste. La chanteuse parle de son chéri perdu, et elle ne peut rien. Elle pense qu'elle vais être complété si elle fait son amour.

no.274 140129 Thank you for the heat pack

I know I've been complaining about my knee problem lately. My grandpa send me a heat pack that I can microwave. I already have one from before, but there is mud inside the pack, so it's all dried up after using it for a year or two. The brand new one is thicker with more mud, therefore, it lasts longer. I usually put it on top of my tummy and sleep with it… it helps me fall asleep, and keeps me warm at the same time. Now that my knee is aching, I've been using it above my knee. I'm really hoping that it'll soon heal… but I felt the worse today. Most of the time, it's the front that feels weird. However, it started to hurt on the back as well. I really hope I didn't make it worse…!

no.273 140128 Thank you for helping me mature

Do you have the key to my heart?

It must be Valentine's day soon. Indeed, the first holiday after Christmas is Valentine's day. I see pink and red hearts everywhere - bookstores, card shops, chocolatiers… I was planning ahead for V-day also, as I was looking up some baking ideas.

At work, people have been asking each other what they're doing for V-day. Whether big or small, it seems like the majority had something planned for that day. Me? It looks like I'll be working all day long! Although I will appreciate Godiva chocolate truffles (not necessarily on V-day but any day would do), I don't really care much for V-day. I'm not saying because I'm single, but because it's heavily about commercialism. It's really just another occasion to spend your money to show your "love" for someone.

If you love someone, V-day shouldn't be the only day to express your love for him or her. So please, don't save your love only for February 14th. Say you love him or her every day, and show them how you care about them through your actions as well. I don't want a rose, or a teddybear just because everyone else gets one from her boyfriend or her husband. It's pretty interesting that I say this because I used to care a lot about V-day. I used to daydream about the perfect V-day with my boyfriend - fancy dinner date, a box of chocolates and a bouquet of roses. Hopefully, he'll have a pretty little box with a bow on it. I sound super shallow but I'm not gonna lie, that's the person I used to be a few years ago. I'm not sure what changed my mind. Perhaps I've matured over time haha. I'll probably still bake something for my friends just for fun, since I enjoy baking and sharing. For me, V-day will give me an opportunity to share my love for people around me through my baked goods, while giving me a chance to be creative and theme-related when finding a recipe and decorating/packaging.

no.272 140127 Thank you for the relaxing music

One of my favourite stores - William Sonoma. Always fun to browse!

I was wondering why the classical fm has been playing Mozart all day long. No, I wasn't listening to the radio all day, but the times I did - on my way to work, on my way home, and at this very moment. I highly believe that it wasn't a coincidence for me to tune to the radio whenever they play Mozart. Plus, it's not like I heard one or two songs by him, I heard several in a row. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is indeed famous but the radio station wouldn't just play his pieces… I was wondering. Then, I found out that today is his birthday. It all makes sense now!

I used to listen to classical fm all the time at night when I blog. However, since a couple of months ago, I've been playing Christian music on my playlist. Just last week, there's a song which is on repeat on my laptop and on my phone. It's the song from the Korean drama that I introduced on my blog last week. This is usually the case - when I find something I like (whether it be music or food), I need to have it until I get sick of it.

no.271 140126 Thank you for remembering me

Central Park, NYC. May 2011 - it's on my desktop.

It was snowing so beautifully today. It was one of those days when it was snowing softly and the snowflakes gathered in big chunks as they were falling from the sky. Although it was freezing cold out, I felt warm just looking outside… if you know what I mean:)

I wasn't able to go to my regular service today since extra help was needed at the preschool department. The message was about Samson and prayer - how he is written in Hebrews 11 which is known as the "hall of faith." Despite the fact that Samson was "a Nazirite - dedicated to God from the womb" (Judges 13:5), he was tempted multiple times and he failed at resisting and sinned. 

For some reason, when I was reading Judges 16:28, it made me tear up. It goes like this: 

Then Samson prayed to the Lord, 

“Sovereign Lord, remember me. 

Please, God, strengthen me just once more, 

and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes."

The part I teared up was when Samson said "remember me." Although verse 20 says that "the Lord had left him", when Samson cried out to God to remember him, God didn't ignore. God remembered Samson just as He remembers and hears us when we cry out to Him. When we sin and we admit our guilt and ask God for His forgiveness, our Father does forgive us. However, there are consequences to our sin and we cannot escape the consequences. Even if Samson failed God so many times, the Lord heard Samson's cry and and remembered him. So what happened next? Even if Samson lost his hair which was the source of his power, he was able to gain his strength for the last time and glorified God by fulfilling his duty that God has given him - to "deliver Israel from the hands of Philistines."What was his consequence? Death - Samson died with 3000 Philistines.

Sometimes when I sin and ask God to forgive me, I know that I am forgiven but I am worried about the consequences. Because God is love but He is also wrathful. The cross of Jesus is the symbol of God's love for us, but also God's wrath. Often times we put so much significance on the love part and forget about other characters of God. We should keep in mind and fear the Lord. I'm scared that God might turn His face away from me, nor ignore me when I call. That would be the last thing I want Him to do. I pray that we may dwell in the Holy Spirit every day, so when we are tempted to sin, that we may fight the spiritual battle and overcome the sin.

By the way, my knee isn't getting any better. If anything, it feels worse than before… perhaps from the cold weather. If you're reading today's blog, please pray that my knee will heal soon! Thank you:)

no.270 140125 Thank you for my new glasses and other goodies from Korea

For some reason, I love this coin case. I want one…!

My uncle came to visit from Korea, and he brought lots of goodies with him. My grandma and my aunt sent a whole bunch of things I requested - such as a new pair of glasses, heat pack, face cream and hand cream. I got them a small gift for my uncle to take back to them! I wanted to keep it as a surprise, but I already ruined it… Oh well! At least I know they like it for sure:)

I had a chance to share my "Christian music" at work today. In between some of the co-workers and I, we were talking about what kind of music we listen to and I said I listen to a lot of Christian music. One of my co-workers got curious and he wanted to listen to it. I had my phone with me so I played "Forever Reign" by Hillsong. It was interesting sharing Christian music with non-Christian people. Recently, my co-workers have been asking questions about Christianity. The other day, one guy asked me if I'm religious. I'm not quite sure what he meant by that. I hope God will use me in my workplace to share my faith and spread the Good News!

no.269 140124 Thank you for the Friday night fried chicken!

Korean style fried chicken on a friday night!

I just came home, starving. I usually hate ramyun (Korean instant noodles) so I rarely eat it, but I just wanted something quick and spicy. I probably had a half of it, because my family and I made two ramyuns and shared between the four of us. We decided to share because it's late, and we didn't want to be eating unhealthy. However… guess what I'm waiting for. We just ordered Korean style friend chicken and my parents went to pick it up. Normally, we wouldn't do something like this but tonight is an exception since my sister came home from school. I already feel yucky from the ramyun I had… and when I wake up tomorrow, I know I will regret eating fried chicken. Still, I am patiently waiting for my parents to come back with the fried chicken. It's Friday night, and I don't do this that often. So I'm gonna try not to feel guilty for eating so late! Mmhmm!

no.268 140123 Thank you for my future family

Yup, that's me. I love green tea.

I met a friend who has been married for more than 3 years. We were just catching up since we haven't seen each other since last October. As usual, we talked about our lives - we talk about our past during university, and our current life with our job situation and so on. As a single woman, I talk about my future husband and as a wife, she talks about her married life. Whenever she tells me about her husband's parents and his family, I wonder what kind of daughter-in-law and sister-in-law I will be in the future. I wonder what kind of relationship I will have with future husband's family.

I don't want to go into too much detail about a typical married life as a wife and a daughter-in-law in Korean culture and supposedly everything you have to go through and all the nagging that you have to bare as a daughter-in-law. I'll tell you more about marriage and family relationships in Korean culture in the future posts to come. But my point is that I want to have a good relationship with my future husband's family. I want to treat them as my own family, and I sure hope that they will accept me as their own daughter. Similarly, I want my husband to treat my family as his own, and that my parents will accept him as their son and love him as they love me.

no.267 140122 Thank you for the red velvet cheesecake brownies

Pretty tin cases

There is one Korean drama that I've been following recently. As with most of other Korean dramas, I didn't watch it from the beginning. The episode that I watched today is the 11th which is half way into the story so it's getting pretty interesting. The main actor is one of my favourite Korean actors - Kim Soo Hyun. I shared a little bit about him previously in one of the posts. I don't like his hair style here but he is still lovely:) Other than that, I fell in love with one of the songs from the drama - it's called "Ahn-nyung" by Hyorin.

Remember the meat-looking cake I posted up on my blog last night? It was red velvet cheesecake brownie from a recipe that I found online and I wanted to try it for Valentine's day. I cut it in little heart shapes and stored it in the fridge overnight. My dad still says it looks like "steak" but it tastes awesome! I'm so happy with the result - I just gotta change it a little bit to make it taste even better the next time I bake it. I'm thinking about avoiding the marbling design so it's not mistaken for "steak."

no.266 140121 Thank you for the challenging idea

Red velvet cheesecake brownie - my dad thought it was meat… I see where he's coming from.

Recently, I've been reading two books - "The meaning of marriage" by Tim Keller and "Radical" by David Platt. I read the first book before I go to bed, and the latter one, during my break when I'm at work. I want to share a little bit of what I've been learning and my thoughts as I read Platt's book.

I've only read the first two chapters, but I'd say it is very challenging. I too feel that I've been living such a comfortable Christian life here in the North America - I don't have to worship in a dark basement and I don't' have to hide my Bible from others. It's not a life or death situation being a follower of Christ in Toronto. I talk about church all the time at work, and there is definitely no need of getting all anxious and fearful of getting caught, which could perhaps lead to death. It's so easy to forget that our Christian brothers and sisters in certain countries where Christianity is prohibited. Despite the fact that they are in incomparable circumstances than we do, they still love God and they're eager to learn more. They are risking their lives for Jesus. I'm not saying that their love for God is more passionate and deeper than ours. However, we should all think about one thing. This is making me curious about myself and fellow Christians in North America. Would I have the courage to say that I'm a Christian and I love God if Christianity is outlawed where I live? How many people would still say that they are Christians if one day, we no longer have the freedom of religion? Will I still be able to say out loud ever so confidently "I am a follower of Jesus"? Will you be able to say that? Even if our lives depended on it?

We shouldn't take this comfort and freedom for granted. Even more so, we should not forget about Christians on the other side of the world. We must keep them in our prayers regularly and we should also pray for ourselves that God may challenge us and that we don't get too comfortable with the environment we're in. I also pray that we're not just Christians on the outside with ours lips only, but truly from our hearts.

no.265 140120 Thank you for D-100

D-100.

100 more days until I complete my first 365 days of blogging! I'm actually so excited on how far I've came with this blog. I will be finished by the end of April. I'm still unsure if I want to continue blogging after my 365th post. We shall see!

Other than that, I'm pretty upset because I spoke to pastor Rolando in Mexico and found out that he hasn't received my Christmas card. It's been a month since I sent it and if it's still not there by now… it means it's lost somewhere. I'm terribly disappointed… I really hope that my card is not lost and that it will arrive at pastor Rolando's house by the end of January. Oh, and another bad news. I dropped my laptop that I bought less than a month ago, and there is a dent on one corner… why… why! It's a sad day for me indeed. But you know what, nothing is broken and my computer is working properly. So I'm thankful for that:)

no.264 140119 Thank you for friends who prayed for me

Thank you everyone who prayed for me!

Remember when I was hesitating to fill out a prayer card for the early morning prayer, and I finally realized that I should make one? I got it back today and it was filled with prayers and words of encouragements! I'm thankful for each one of them who prayed for me. As I have shared my prayer request to the preschool teachers, I want this year to be the year of prayer. There is no more morning prayer during the weekdays until next year. However, that doesn't mean my prayer time with God will stop! I am going to do my best to be consistent in my prayer life.

no.263 140118 Thank you for a safe drive to work

Tea party at a friend's house from Thursday

I'm starting to think that I'm a terrible driver. I could definitely be more careful when driving. I hope my parents don't read this post because if they do… they will confiscate my car key. I think I'm a careful person… but as I write this, I realize that I'm actually not the most careful person.

Anyways, I had the car today so I drove to work. If it wasn't for God, I might've gotten into an accident. And the sad thing is, it's my second time this week. The first time was when I forgot to check my blind spot. Well, I thought there was only one lane to begin with, but apparently there were two. Because I thought there was a single lane, I didn't check my blind spot… Today's incident incorporated a bus. I hate driving next to a bus so I try to avoid it. I should've let the bus go before me, but I was being selfish. The bus driver was being selfish as well, which created a no-win situation. If there was a car on my left lane, I probably would've hit the bus. Thankfully, really thankfully, there was no car coming on my left side and I was able to change lanes. Phew… I am very thankful for God's protection over me today. I have learned my lesson. I must be extra cautious when I drive. 

no.262 140117 Thank you for the completion of the morning prayer

Making cards for my friends' weddings.

The New Year's early morning prayer is done as of tomorrow. I praise God for helping me get up early in the morning every single day this week! I'm not gonna lie, it was a big challenge for me to wake up at 5:30AM and there were many times when I was tempted to skip a day. I'm thankful for the good start to the year and I pray that this year will be the year of prayer for me!

no.261 140116 Thank you for my friend's new born baby

Baby's cute little foot

I got to meet a new born baby for the first time! She is my friend's daughter who was born in November. She is just so adorable! I held her in my arms and I was afraid to hold her because she's so fragile. I don't have much experience with new born babies because I'm the oldest in my family therefore, all of my cousins are younger than me. Plus, my friends are starting to get married. I'd say I have a couple of friends who older than me and are married, with their first child.

It was so exciting to finally meet her! Watching her smile in my arms, holding her soft little feet and touching her cute chubby cheeks made me want to have my own baby. Ahh… I wonder how I would feel to have my own baby in my arms for the first time. It would be a precious moment for me and for my future husband. Seeing my friend as a newly mom with her daughter made me think that it must worth all the pain during the labour to see your little baby fall asleep ever so gently in your arms.

no.260 140115 Thank you for helping me get through the day

A book and a green tea latte to keep me going

It was a tough day for me as I am fighting every morning to get up for the early morning prayer. For some reason, I felt extra tired today. Thanks to some caffeine in my green tea latte (supposedly I consumed 80mg of caffeine) and a challenging book, I was able to survive the day. Phew! I'm gonna keep today's post short because if I keep writing, something similar to yesterday might happen. Last night, I was sitting in front of my computer for an hour because I didn't know how to begin my entry… but as you know, I ended up writing paragraphs after paragraphs. So.. let me say sweet dreams before I start talking gibberish!

no.259 140114 Thank you for the spring-like weather

Quilted buddy that was made for me when I was born. I still have it:)

Can someone please tell me winter is over?

It felt like spring today and I loved it! I'm thankful for a glimpse of spring, although I'm absolutely sure that winter isn't over yet. It's Canada, there's no way winter can be gone by mid January. Yet, I was happy to get some sunlight because I don't remember the last time I saw a clear sky. I'm so tired of this dreary weather.

When I find something that tastes really good, I can eat the exact same thing three times a day. And the next day, and the next day… pretty much until I get sick of it. I was addicted to english muffin sandwich with white cheddar, fried egg over medium and oven roasted turkey. I literally had it for breakfast every single day and sometimes even for lunch. I'd say I finished about 8~9 bags of english muffin. That gave me almost 100 sandwiches since I only ate half the muffin per meal. Some other addictions were green tea latte, grape bubble tea, and ho-bak-jook (butternut squash porridge).

Lately, I've been addicted to cream cheese bagel. Let me tell you, I used to hate cream cheese. I think it was around October or November last year. During one of the discipleship classes at church, my leader brought in some cream cheese bagel for breakfast. I was starving at the time so I took a piece of the bagel, knowing that it would taste bad. However, it wasn't so bad. I took another bite and I was surprised because it was a different taste than what I remembered. Still, it didn't leave a big impression. After a short while, I forgot about the taste and I didn't really have a craving for it.

You know I've been trying to go to early morning prayer since the New Year. After the meeting, the church provides breakfast. One morning, the menu was cream cheese and bagels. Even then, my appetite was completely fine as I had not weird cravings… and it all happened yesterday. There it was, bagel and cream cheese. Since then, I got addicted to it and today - for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I had bagel and cream cheese. I toasted the bagel with a little bit of butter and spread a spoonful of cream cheese… it was so delicious but I don't feel good anymore. It's definitely not a balanced diet. I always say I'm never gonna eat it since I'm so sick of it, but we'll see what happens tomorrow.

no.258 140113 Thank you for the new book

Yay! More books to read:)

God must really want me to gain more insight through Christian books this year. I received another book today from a friend of mine. I had such an awkward time (a little more than 1 hour) between morning prayer and work this morning, and I didn't have a book nor my journal with me, so I was thinking about what I could do for an hour. My friend who was giving me a ride to the station suggested that I borrow one of his books. He had several books written by well known pastors. After browsing for a little, "Radical" by David Platt caught my attention. There were numerous people who has told me about this book so I wanted to read what it was about. What a great opportunity! He also offered me another book by Platt "Follow Me" since he had two copies. I have no idea what it's about, but I'm glad I've got more books to read (thank you for the book again!). I think God wants me to gain more wisdom not only through scriptures but also through writings by contemporary pastors. 

That reminds me, I had this idea of getting my own library started - I would stack the book shelf with art and architecture related books for a start, and slowly fill it up with other books including cooking, baking and Christianity. Oh yeah, my original idea was to collect astronomy related books because of my passion for stargazing. In my high school years, I received books on stars from my friends for my birthday and I loved it... yup, very nerdy haha. I have a lot of art related books from school, and I've started to collect some Christian books so... slowly but surely, I will make my dream of having my own small library come true!

no.257 140112 Thank you for my discipleship leader's thoughtfulness

Thank you for the book!

I got a surprise present today! I received a book from my discipleship class leader. It's called "The Meaning of Marriage" by Timothy Keller. I've been meaning to pick up a copy at my church bookstore but when I actually had the chance to check it out, the book was sold out.

It was so thoughtful of my discipleship leader to think about me and how I wanted to read this book! I remember her standing next to me that day when I was browsing the book shelf. She asked me which book I was looking for and I had told her the title. I guess she kept it mind of me until now. I'm thankful to receive such a wonderful present! It was so unexpected and therefore it made me extra happy! I guess I love not only giving but also receiving. Hmm.. actually, who doesn't love receiving gifts? Right?

Other than that, I have a couple of things to be thankful for this Sunday. First of all, I'm so grateful that the preschool ministry was much better today. We can still use some improvements here and there, but it was a lot smoother than last week. Thank God for listening to our prayers and giving us wisdom and patience to get through this time of change!

Another thing is when we sang "Sing, sing, sing" during the worship time. Whenever the songs my team and I sang in Mexico are played during worship, it brings me all the memories from my mission trip. There is this unspeakable joy in me when I praise God through these songs! I wonder where God will send me this year. Could it be Mexico again? Or somewhere else? Perhaps I'm not going anywhere. Whether I go or stay, as long as I am at the place where God wants me to be, that's all that matters! I pray that I be consistent with reading the living word of God and keep up with my prayer time with Him so I know where to go and what to do according to His perfect plan!

no.256 140111 Thank you for the dollar deals

Freshly squeezed juice with my breakfast!

There was a really good deal at a local grocery store. They have it once in a while where a lot of items (I'd say about 50-60 items) go on sale for a loonie. My mom and I had to check it out because we saw some products that we're interested in getting in the flyer we received in the mail. When we went this morning, there was a big crowd in the store. We spent around 30 dollars on items including pasta, pasta sauce, tuna, dish soap, and some blackberries. We thought we were buying a lot... until I saw these people lined up with their shopping cart fully loaded! I wonder if the store is making any money... but I guess it's okay for them to do it once in a while to make the customers happy.

no.255 140110 Thank you for the nice smell in my room

Lush bath bombs - so colourful!

One of the things I like to do when I'm tired and in need of relaxation is to take a bath. It requires time and effort so I can't do as often as I want to. In order to take a bath, I have to pick a day where I have lots of time in the evening, and I have to first scrub the bathtub and then fill it up with hot water. Therefore, I need to pick a day where I am fatigue but not too exhausted so that I can use my energy to clean the bathtub. It really is a lot of hassle to take a simple bath... so I only get to do it about a couple times max per year.

I love bubble bath, and it tends to be more cost-effective since if you pick up a bottle of, you can use it multiple times. A few years ago, I discovered something called bath bombs from Lush, and they are just so fun! I used to hate Lush because of its strong smell. Although the store looked interesting with their eye-catching soaps, I refused to go in because of the smell. My nose is very sensitive and I easily get sick when I inhale awful smelling fragrances.

I got a couple of bath bombs for Christmas during the secret santa party. Good thing they smell nice!  thI have them sitting on top of my closet and I can smell it as soon as I walk into my room. I hope I'll find the time to use it very soon before the scent disappears. I can certainly use a nice hot bath in this cold winter!

no.254 140109 Thank you for the early morning prayer buddies

Chipotle lunch - my first time having Mexican since my Mexico mission trip!

I did it! I went to the early morning prayer three times. When I went on the first day of the morning prayer, I really thought it will be a big challenge for me to go three times. I'm kind of proud of myself since I'm not a morning person. I'm gonna try to go for more now that I've accomplished my goal:)

This morning wasn't so bad because I haven't yet taken a nap. So I've been getting a ride from one of the preschool teachers who serve with me, along with a couple of his friends. Although I've only gone to three out of eight times, these guys have been going every single day. I find it so amazing, because prayer is often associated with women more than men (or at least, that's what I think amongst Korean Christians). It's so encouraging to see these young men give up their sleep in the morning and to start their day with God. It's great to see how their hearts are set on God!

Aside from that, I had something pretty interesting happening to me today. While I was browsing online, I found a blog with a travel journal about the blogger's trip to Thailand a few summers ago. Then I came across one picture from Bangkok - the blogger photographed rainy streets of Silom. It wasn't any special picture, as it was literally a photo of a street on a rainy day. It's not that I recognized the street or anything since I've never been to Thailand before, but it just gave me an impression that I've been there before. Perhaps it reminded me of my personal experience on a rainy day? Hmmm... maybe something similar to a deja vu moment? Or it just could be a random feeling I had.

no.253 140108 Thank you for the three presents

These pretty quilted pouches were hand-made by my eemo

I've been waiting for a parcel that my eemo (aunt) sent before Christmas. Well, I've been waiting for two packages - one from Korea that my aunt sent , and the other one from the States that other eemo sent (she is my mom's friend, so I call her a eemo as well). I've also been expecting a card from a friend of mine in the States but that didn't arrive either. It was strange because they told me that they sent it before Christmas and it's been almost two weeks since Christmas and I haven't yet received anything. Speaking about cards and parcels, I wonder if pastor Roland's got my Christmas card I sent him... I hope he did! Anyways, all three came at the same time!

They were expected yet unexpected because I knew what was in the two packages that were coming from my eemos, since I had requested them. With the package that came from my eemo in the States, I knew what I was getting, I just didn't know the design and moreover, I didn't think she was gonna send me this many! I only wanted a couple to carry it as a makeup bag. Plus, I already had a few that she made for me from years ago, so I really didn't need all that. She had also sent a few aprons for my mom to use. Anyways, this eemo is amazingly good and I'd say pretty much everything that's got to do with hands. She's an awesome cook, an awesome baker and an awesome quilt-maker (is that a word?). She's my mom's best friend, and she's been making so much stuff for my mom and for me. My mom told me how this eemo made me a quilted blanket, a pillow and toys to play with when I was a baby. I have quilted baskets, bags, makeup pouches, stuffed animals and Christmas ornaments at home, all made by my eemo. Everything quilted in my house is made by her. I still have the bunny doll she made me when I was only a baby. I will share that picture with you tomorrow!

Lastly, I was waiting for a present from my friend from Florida because he had told me that he sent something for me for Christmas. I was curious on what he sent because I thought he just sent me a card.  So, thanks friend for the surprise! And thank you to both of my eemos for the gifts!

no.252 140107 Thank you for my eye check-up

Korean snack called "Go-rae-bap" - I'm recently addicted to this!

The last time I went to get my eyes checked up was about 3 years ago when I was in Korea. Since then, I've been wearing the same glasses and the same contact lenses. My vision seemed like it didn't get worse, since I could still see well with the glasses I have. One thing that bothers me the most is that my glasses are super stretched so they keep falling off from my nose (especially since I have a small nose!). Soon, I will need a new pair and that's why I went for a check-up since I had time this morning.

Thankfully, my vision didn't get worse. I was actually surprised to hear that my left eye got better. Interesting. My vision used to get worse and worse every time I went for a check-up. Finally, my eyes have stopped losing their vision. It's about time I guess... My right eye stayed relatively the same as before. I'm thankful that my vision is not getting any worse!

Talking about eyes reminds me of a song I like. It's called "Your Eyes" by Allen Stone. It's my favourite song by him. Enjoy!

no.251 140106 Thank you for the prayer card

"Love one another"

Got up early in the morning for the early morning prayer. It's always so difficult to get up in the morning, but it always feels so good after you have that intimate time with God when the world is still and quiet. Seeing familiar faces at church who also pray with you is always encouraging. When I went for the first time last week, there were prayer cards on the table along with the morning prayer program. I picked up one of each. I wanted to fill it out but I was hesitant to submit my prayer card because I couldn't promise that I was going to be consistent in coming to the prayer meeting. I thought it was unfair to people who come for the most of the time since I won't get to pray for them, but they'll be praying for me. However, with a friend's encouragement, I wrote down a few prayer requests on the form and left it at church. By doing so, it kind of motivates me to go back as much as I can so that I can pray for my church. I got a chance to pray for a couple of people this morning, and I'm thankful that I got to know what's on their heart and what they want to pray for.

Just in case you're reading this post, and God places a prayerful heart in you, let me share what I wrote on my prayer card:

Please pray that:
1. I will love others with the same love I received from Jesus
2. I will deepen my relationship with God by living a prayerful life guided by the Holy Spirit
3. I will bear much fruit this year as I keep growing to be more like Christ
4. I will be obedient to God's calling - that I will be ready to be used by God when He shows his vision for me

Anyways, I had a really bad headache today. I think it might be associated with me waking up early and taking a weird nap in between breakfast time and work. It was so bad I had to take tylenol and kind of forced myself to take another nap just before dinner. Because of that, I ended up having dinner around 10PM, and that's why today's post got delayed a little bit...! Still, I thank God for healing my head! Also, I don't think I'll be going to the morning prayer tomorrow morning... but I'm hoping to go on Wednesday!

no.250 140105 Thank you for the united service

My very first Compassion donation was made with my friends.

Today was the first Sunday of 2014. It was also the EM part of our church's first united service. Before today, we had three different service times - 10AM, noon and 2PM for the university students. It not only combined the three services, but also had children join the adults for worship. Coming to church, I didn't know what to expect. I had to be there early to finish prepping the craft activities I was working on. Everything felt the same - teachers gathered for the meeting, after setting up the activities, we went down to the main sanctuary to worship. It was different for sure to be in one big room with everyone in the EM. Everything was good and went pretty smooth... well, until right after the sermon and the teachers were dismissed.

When we went back up to the children to lead them to our small group time, I was just wowed. It seemed like there were just so many kids today! I didn't even get to say hello to all the children, and we kind of jumped right into the activity. I'm really sad that I didn't get to interact with the kids. One thing I missed the most about our children's worship time is the snack time. That was the time when I got to actually talk to the children and see how their weeks were, and what they've been doing. I also miss having the worship time with the children. We definitely need a lot of time to get adjusted to the changes. There needs to be a lot of improvements and in order to go through that, we need lots of prayers. So, if you're reading this post, please pray for the preschool department and the teachers - that as we go through these changes, that our focus will be set on God alone, and that He will provide wisdom to the teachers and leaders of church to find the best solution to fix the problems that we are encountering at the moment. Regardless of these changes that appear difficult in our eyes, I praise God for the united service and gathering the church as one body to come together and worship Him.

I finally got to make a donation to Compassion International today! Remember that I collected some donations from my friends during our annual Christmas party? That was the donation that got sent out today! Click here to read my post from November about what made me want to do this. I'm just so happy for this opportunity. And it wasn't just from myself, but all my friends contributed! I'm really grateful that God provided me this thought to give and I'm also grateful that I happily obeyed Him this Christmas. Although it was a small portion, I know that it will be used to help the children in poverty, and also the children who are affected by the typhoon in the Philippines. What I'd like to do next is to sponsor a child when I get a full time job!

no.249 140104 Thank you for the help with the preschool craft

Purple fish

Once in every month or two, I have to prepare the activity for preschool department. Teachers choose and prep the activity for the assigned week. Thank you for my mom and my sister who helped me draw and cut the activity for preschool. I still have some more preparation to do tomorrow morning before the service, but I am almost done!

"With man this is impossible, 

but with God all things are possible" 

Matthew19:26

As the memory verse of the month goes like this, I pray that our children will love God and trust in Him alone in everything they do.

no.248 140103 Thank you for my new laptop

My new laptop!

I got a new laptop on boxing day, and I haven't had the chance to share about it with you. I've been using my old laptop for seven years and it was time to replace it. I'm thankful that it lasted that long though. Although I bought my laptop on boxing day, I actually didn't open it until the 30th because I wasn't 100% sure if I wanted to keep it or not. I purchased a macbook and as you know, it is a big investment. The model I got was on sale for boxing day as it's an older type but has more gigabytes and  more stuff on it... (I don't know anything about computers). Originally, I wanted to get the new retina display because I really liked the light weight of the computer since I wasn't a big fan of the macbook air.

I've been using it for almost a week now and I like it! I'm thankful for my new laptop. Hope it will last long and that I will make a good use out of it.

no.247 140102 Thank you for the morning prayer

White hot chocolate trio!

I woke up early in the morning for the New year's morning prayer. Thankfully a friend of mine was going as well, so he picked me up on his way to church. The focus of this morning's prayer topic was "Love one another." It felt like it was a continuation from last year as John 15:17 says "And this is my command: love each other."

I didn't think it was that difficult to love each other. But I was only thinking about my family and friends who also love me back. I didn't think about  others. I think I just went blank after realizing that I  have to love beyond the ones who love me. How do I love my neighbour? How do I love people that I pass by on the street? And most of all, how do I love people who have hurt me?

In my prayers, I say I want to be like Jesus. I want to love like the way He loves me. I know my love is not comparable to His love, and no matter how hard I try, I can never give that kind of love to others. I just can't because I will never comprehend God's love for me. It is beyond what I can measure. I pray that as I hope to develop more Christ-like characters in me, that I will share Christ-like love to others. Also, just as my pastor had mentioned this morning, I want my church to be the place where we are not only passionately in love with God, but also with each other so that when non-Christians see us, that they will notice something different about the worldly love. Since my church is big in number, I want to start in small groups. I guess preschool department is small enough to start since we're down to five teachers and one pastor. I want to encourage my fellow teachers as I share my devo this Sunday before the preschool meeting.

The new year's early morning prayer will last until the 18th of January. I can't promise that I will be there every single day (in fact, to be honest I know I won't be there that often), but I would like to try to go twice more at least. It was so tiring today because I didn't get that much sleep last night. However I enjoyed my time praying with the church in the morning. I trust that God has listened to our prayers, and He will answer each of them in His perfect timing.

Right after the prayer meeting, I came home and found my self taking a short nap... which then made me even more tired because I just couldn't wake up from that sweet nap! I had no choice but getting up because of the preschool meeting at church. Since the EM at my church is undergoing a major change in the new year, we had to clean up and move some stuff around to get ready for coming Sunday.

On the way home from church, my preschool pastor, my co-teacher and I decided to take a little detour. It was a nice girl time with the teachers, as we talked and shared about our life experiences as we all stand in different stages of life. It was nice because we're always so busy with the children on Sundays and we barely get to talk. Relationships are God's blessings. I am so blessed to have Christian friends and Christian mentors around me with whom I can share about my life in a deeper level than how much I can share with my non-Christian friends. I thank God for these relationships that He's blessed me with in my life, and I thank Him for the new relationships I will have and grow in this new year.

no.246 140101 Thank you for the new year

Korean style fried chicken with sauce for dinner!

Happy New Year everyone!

I have to tell you something amazing.

During the New Year's eve service last night, I realized that the verse of the year was from 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" And my pastor asked the congregation if we have really became a new creation in Christ this year. Thankfully, I was able to say yes. I was quite surprised that the verse of the year for the church was that specific verse from 2 Corinthians. Out of all the verses, why that? It felt like God was speaking to me. I pray that I continue to keep this mindset and heart toward God in 2014.

There was another "wow moment" during the service when my pastor referred to John 15. Do you remember what I wrote just yesterday? The first seventeen verses of John 15 was given to me by a friend of mine early last year. I just thought it was amazing for God to remind me of the verses again to me through my pastor last night. It gave me goosebumps when I heard my pastor spoke of John. I was so thankful that it was God this whole time. I mean, of course it's Him! He was the one who gave me the message early in the year, He was the one who made me new, He was the one who changed my heart and my mind, and He was the one who re-shaped my perspective. I'm thankful that I was able to begin and end year 2013 with John 15.

I'm thankful for all He's done for me, in me, and through me. I pray that I can bear even more fruit as I abide in Him alone again this year. I pray that God will continue to use me and I seek to live to glorify Him and His kingdom. I pray that God will keep shaping me to be more like Jesus this year.

One more thing, I'm gonna try my best to read the whole Bible this year. I have attempted to read it before, but it hasn't happened yet. I pray that this year will be the year to finish the whole Bible! I challenge you to read it with me! I'm doing it chronologically with the help of the Bible app on my phone. Now I will get two alarms - one for my blog and one for the Bible reading. Yay!