February + March

Sorry but it's been a busy month and I couldn't find time to update.  I can't believe I only have 1 month left here in Victoria.  As much as I like my job here, I miss home, I miss family, I miss friends, and I miss Vancouver.  It was fun and exciting to be here at first, but one can only go for so long being away from loved ones.  Summer is just around the corner and I'm really looking forward to spending it back on the mainland.  Here are some photos from the past month:

Dimsum with the family in Vancouver

Missing this mountain view from my back yard in East Van

Cherry blossoms out already in Victoria!

My workplace

Beautiful 360 degree view from Mount Doug!

Amazing sunset

Cecilia and James, my landlord's kids who took me around town.  They take good care of me

Precious prayer time with my vital companion Joe Yu from Irvine!

Special visit from my 2 best friends from kindergarten, Kam (left) and Andrew (right)

We had 3 fun filled days together.  I bought ingredients for cashew chicken hoping to cook for them, but Kam took over the kitchen and did it all.  He's a professional chef

Some recent enjoyment in the Word:

Matthew 9:13, "But go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice...'"

Sacrifice is something we do for God.  Mercy is something that God does for us.  Before we do anything for the Lord, we need to receive His supply.  Self-righteous men do not like to receive mercy or grace from God; they prefer to give something to God.  This is contrary to God's economy.  Just as God desires to show mercy to pitiful sinners, so He wants us to show mercy in love to others.  O Lord, keep us open to Your mercy all the time.

Please keep in touch with me during my last month and I can't wait to see you all soon

James Bay

5 months down, 3 more to go.  Time is flying by and I'm trying to enjoy and appreciate my remaining days in Victoria.  Jerry coming over on weekends has always been a big encouragement for me.  We usually go out for a nice dinner, fellowship, prepare for the meeting the next day, and play basketball at UVic.  

Work has been good as usual.  I'm starting to teach pool therapy classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which have been the highlight of my week.  I'm starting to swim a lot more because of this.  Before when I first came to Victoria, I could only swim 50m before I would get tired.  But now I can go for an hour (with many breaks in between of course).  Swimming is one of my favourite forms of exercise now.  I'm learning that you got to do something fun that you like in order to maintain an exercise routine!  And once it gets boring, you might need to switch it up and find a new activity (like me running on a treadmill and bike, which wasn't very exciting, haha).

I'm also doing my coop report on aquatic therapy and I have 10 quick reasons of the benefits of exercising in the water:

1) Easy access to working out multiple muscle groups in the water

2) Allows aerobic conditioning

3) People can be challenged beyond their limits of balance and improve stability

4) Less cardiovascular stress than exercises done on land

5) Reduces edema (swelling)

6) Produces less spinal and lower extremity loading, allowing for progressive weight-bearing

7) Promotes range of motion of joints

8) Requires less muscular effort in water

9) Relief of pain because of offloading of spine in muscles (ie. spine) due to buoyancy, thermal shifts, and desensitization

10) Improves proprioception, the perception of a joint in space in relation to other limbs

Our Lord's table meeting yesterday had only 3 brothers.  The brother on the left, Robert, recently came from the church in Edmonton.  He's going through a difficult time so please keep him in your prayers. 

We get some pretty awesome sunsets in Victoria.

The next few photos are at James Bay, the "oldest residential neighbourhood on the West coast of North America that is north of San Francisco" (according to Wiki).  It overlooks a large body of water that leads to the Pacific Ocean and is absolutely breath-taking with the sunset.

A long breakwater that allows you to go for a nice walk

A portion from the ministry book (The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) that I've been enjoying is that the experience at Peniel shows us Jacob was defeated by God's hand; the sinew of his thigh's hollow was touched, and he became crippled for the rest of his life.  Whenever we are touched by the Lord, we are no longer free in our walk; we are no longer as convenient as before.  There is a big mark in us - lameness, a hurting and frustration whenever we try to move and act by our natural strength.  At this point, we would have no confidence in ourselves, realize that we cannot make it and grasp hold of God.  Then this holding on to God becomes our strength.

I miss you allll!  Hope we can continue to keep in touch :D

Winter holidays

It's been an eventful past 3 weeks filled with lots of fun memories!  San Deigo for the zoo, Irvine to hang with my sisters and the college bros, Anaheim for the Winter Training, and back to Victoria for work and chillin with Jerry.  It's a new year and another beginning to have a fresh start in the Lord.   Yesterday is gone and His mercies are new every day.  Been learning to live in the present moment as the quote says below:

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 Lord I consecrate this new year to You, not to promise anything, but exercise my will to choose You this very moment.

Sliver the giraffe.  By far all of our favourite animals at the zoo.  We liked them because they were one of the more active animals compared to the polar bears and lions that were sleeping.  And they are amazingly tall.  A baby giraffe is born 6' 3"!!  That's like having Jeremy Lin in a pregnant giraffe's womb

my 2 wonderful sisters

so glad Lou could make it

our segways are all decked out.  riding = super super fun.  

my bros (Andrew So and Jon from North Carolina - top 2, and Joe from Irvine - bottom)!  stayed up late playing bang and fellowshipping after the training.  miss them.

breath-taking.  what now Vancouver? haha

Jerry slept over this past Saturday.  Always a big encouragement to me when he visits me. 

smallest Lord's table ever.  and Peter Lai is not hiding in the closet.  Yes, there's was only two of us..

A nice 2-hour Google Hangout call with my parents.  watching the Lakers game while my parents be silly

Lakers lost!  yay.  sorry Lakers fans.

Chilli chicken + yellow bell peppers

Chicken fettucini alfredo with asparagus

been busy again with co-op reports, applications, catching up with readings, and other stuff.  I'll try to do a better job with keeping in touch this term.  Please do send me an email or call from time to time, I'd really appreciate it even though I seem busy.  Miss you all!!

Winter in Victoria

I can't believe I'm pretty much halfway through my time in Victoria.  It definitely hasn't been easy, but the Lord's grace was sufficient to bring me through.  I'm learning to take constructive criticism at work and to learn from mistakes.  And I'm trying to connect with the brothers to pursue the Lord on this lonely island.  I've got a good support group in my family and a few close spiritual companions who've been checking up on me, it's much appreciated.  In other news, I've been busy applying for part-time jobs and working on my co-op report.  I hope to do a better job keeping in touch with you all in the new year.  Super excited about leaving for California in 4 days!   

Gave Jerry a tour of downtown Victoria this past weekend.

He came to sleepover and we had some good fellowship.  And on Lord's day after the meeting we played 3 hours of basketball at the University of Victoria - soooo fun.

2 weeks ago we had a nice visit from Jerome, another co-op student in Victoria

So after the meeting we played around with the Christmas decorations in our meeting room.  We found Mr. and Mrs. Santa who would dance and talk with a touch of a button.  One of them didn't work so Peter was threatening to steal my camera batteries to use, haha.

We just had to include them in our traditional group photo

I made Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus hold hands, hehe

Beef noodle soup

Chilli chicken with green beans

Rotini with italian sausage

Porkchops

I'll quickly share some recent enjoyment from the Holy Word for Morning Revival.  I was touched that the real significance of prayer is to contact God in spirit and to absorb Him, not about whether or not our prayers are answered.  Also, the principle of prayer is that man must pray for God's will to be done before God can accomplish and carry it out.  Lord, gain worthwhile prayers from us, by praying to be in sweet fellowship with you, praying according to Your heart so You can have a way on this earth!

See some of you at the winter training!  Miss all y'all, keep in touch please.

Pasta

Almost halfway through my time in Victoria.  Nothing really new so I'll just post some recent photos: 

Pho with the bros after our Lord's day meeting

Sisters as well

Beef and spinach (my only non pasta dish recently!)

Chicken linguini 

Spinach fettuccine

Mac and cheese!  with an egg on the side

Lasagne (took awhile to make but was worth it)

In case if you haven't noticed yet, I like pasta, haha.  I'll try to add more variety to my cooking skills.  Thinking of making beef noodle soup.  I'm open to suggestions!!

Some recent enjoyment in my bible reading:

2 Corinthians 6:1, "and working together with Him, we also entreat you not to receive the grace of God in vain."

Footnote 1: We work together with God by a life that is all-sufficient and all-mature, able to fit all situations, that is, able to endure any kind of treatment, to accept any kind of environment, to work in any kind of condition, and to take any kind of opportunity, for the carrying out of the ministry.

This life we have is indestructible and eternal, far above all earthly frustrations.  May we learn to appreciate the transcendency of this life!