updates
1) I overslept today! (Sunday morning) It's the first time throughout my 1.5years here. Alarm didn't ring! (yea right, blame it on the alarm) and I totally slept right through the whole 9.15am service, only woke up at 11.20am when the Sunday school supervisor called me. I flipped open my phone, glanced through the time and answered "Hello. Oh my goodness! what's the time now? Is it 11am already? I was still sleeping!"
thank God I got to catch on with teaching at 11.55pm till 12.30pm (half an hour! ha! better than none)
2) I was studying with this korean friend of mine yesterday for half of the day. 2.3opm-12am
I was kind of tutoring H in chemistry. He offered to pay tutoring fee but nope, I didn't want it. afterall, i can study as well and accepting tutoring fee somehow gave me the burden to be super prepared. I just wanted to teach for fun and I earn a study buddy afterall. Later on I was treated to a Korean restaurant for dinner. yum yum! I like Korean food.
I asked H about some Korean culture and he asked if I really believe that prayer works.We talked about things, and also God. I suggested him to pray for his uncertain future. Although H goes to church, but he told me about some of the doubts in his mind. H believes that God could have remove the suffering, poverty and evil of this world but He did not. after some talk, I asked if he thinks that being rich is being happy. H agreed that he thinks so. afterall, this is what the world taught us since young. The irony is that today's daily bread said that
"The poorest man is he whose only wealth is money." :)
H's a nice friend, with no hidden intention whatsoever and the sincerity to be friends.
I arrived home about 12.30am and by the time I finished preparing for Sunday school and washing up, it was already 2am. No wonder I overslept! (But no, the alarm did not ring! that's the problem)
3)Thanksgiving week. I am inefficient in general. Thought that having holidays can earn me some time to study for my upcoming 3 tests. but nope, time just flew away in a blink of an eye. I went for 4 Thanksgiving meals (American, international, Chinese all included).
and then it's Black Friday sales! Shopping time!
it's my First time ever throughout my whole 21 years of life to stay awake for the whole night! literally! woohoo! record-breaking! That morning I woke up early to prepare corn and went to my American friend's home for the 2nd thanksgiving meal at 11am, then the day starts and never ends till the next day at 10am when I got home from a whole night of shopping in San Marcos. Come'on! it's black Friday!
The funny thing is that I'm the one who kept on saying that I'm tired but ended up the 3 other friends were already sleeping in the car while waiting for me to get back from shopping at 7+am. *sheepish smile* (I actually haven't finish shopping in all the shops I wanted, but they're already waiting, so I just went back straight. )
But not much to worry! even after splitting the gas costs, i'm still within budget! ha!
4) I had been thinking and talking to a few about this thing that's in my mind recently. Christian serving and Chinese culture. To make the story short, Chinese churches do not have enough leaders stepping up the serve. that makes the few leaders carrying all the burden on their shoulders, the 10% serving the other 90%. well ,of course, everywhere need leaders. but the differences is that American culture teaches everyone to step up and be the leader, while in Chinese culture, nobody wants to be a leader.
I just talked to the Mandarin College fellowship leader just now. He's such a great servant of God. Despite everything that he's doing, the smile and the joy of serving never escape from his face. He is really doing it all for God. We talked about the situation in the Mandarin church currently and I asked about how can I pray for them. I expected him to say something like asking God to bring more leaders for the fellowship, but instead, he said,
"pray that God will touch more people's heart and allow them to know God."
After thinking about what he'd said, I'm so impressed. He is heading in the right direction!
That's the focus point, and that is what this is all about.
Not because you want to hold the organization up, but you're doing it for God for the salvation of many. I told him that sorry I can't help because I'm serving elsewhere but I will keep them in prayer. I will and I believe that God's hand was upon them, is upon them and will be upon them so long as they're doing it for God.
5) Meanwhile, thank you God for bringing in Caleb and Heather to help in the Sunday school. and I've decided to step down after next semester. still praying for a new area to serve in. and definitely, God will provide :)
and please keep me in prayer for my 3 tests this coming week.
Kinesiology, Physics, Psychology of Women.
after i'm done with that, then I get a week off of study break! (Oh Yes! Oh nooooo!)
praying that I will have discipline to study and the below is:
my final exam schedule
December 9, Friday 3-5 p.m. Physics Advanced Classical Mechanics (PHY 302)
December 12, Monday 8-10 a.m. Physics Theoretical Methods (PHY 332)
December 12, Monday 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Physics Advanced Electromagnetism (PHY 304)
Praying that I'll get done with it, then California! Here my sister, Maddie and I come! :D
Can't wait and definitely praying for safe, fun, relaxing and a memorable trip.
The problem with the South East Asian Chinese Educated People is that our mindsets are fixed that only selected few are supposed to be leaders. You have to have "talent" to be leaders. Or if you meant to be a leader, you will be a leader. It is a very passive type of thinking.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it's true that good leaders are rare but I think everyone is able to contribute a part and make it work. I said "Chinese Educated People" because apparently it is very different when a Chinese is english-educated or english-influenced. One good example is Singapore Churches, the english speaking ones, well most people are Chinese, but things are still working really well. That's why I think it has to do with the Chinese Education (Mandarin).
But your Mandarin College fellowship leader is right. If a person knows God, he/she will know what he/she has to do to complete God's big blue plan, which is all that matters.
Praying for you now, may The Lord grant you wisdom/peace/confident and the desire result. Glad to know you are serving the Lord wherever you are, serving Him with JOY and "...... do it all for Christ even to the least of these." (Matt 25:35-40)
ReplyDeleteI believe it is not only the Asian Chinese Educated mindset. I have seen similar problem almost all over the world in Australia, UK, SEA, India, and Africa (at least with those I know). This is a worldwide problem in all religions and denominations. The common theory of 20-80 speaks loudly for all.
ReplyDeleteI have a similar experience while in SPC. In 1987 when I first arrived, I was the only one doing everything from toilets to church altar, from arranging Bibles to serving Communion. I have determined to change that. So in my first sermon, I remembered that I preached on this "By the time when I leave this church, if I can train one other person to do what I do then I know the church will be doubled. But if I can get 5 people to do what I do then it will be 5 times in size and so on." So I set my focus to train people of all levels and try to impress them and hopefully I can win some over.
Praise the Lord! You know the rest of the result after 20 years from 1987 - 2007. In the beginning I have to do everything and consciously tell myself that it is for the Lord and His church. Apart from training, I have to plan and start new ministries for them to be engaged. My first five year plan is -- Equip for ministry, Expand the ministry, Increase the ministry, Send Forth to ministry, Harvest the ministry.
Over the 20 years, apart from starting new churches and outreaches, I have also started the Ipoh Theological Centre (ITC), Ray Of Hope, helping other smaller churches in Perak, Anglican Village Ministries, and have raised many workers and some are clergy in Anglican churches and pastors in other churches.
The work has not finished but it is just the beginning. I believe if others can do the same, our churches will have a future and a bright one.
Singapore churches have made a little more progress and successful than churches in many countries.
Hmmm..I had my fair share of being in a Singapore church and my experience of my church over there is that during my time with the youth, we are inculcated with the mindset that we are the future generation of the church and that we will progressively fill in the serving roles and leadership positions as we grow older. To some extent, we are encouraged to be active and contribute to serve in church from youth level.
ReplyDelete(Correct me if I'm wrong) I guess that there's a culture of high reverence for teachers or elders in Chinese schools, in the sense that the lao shi is regarded as the highest authority in many matters ranging from academic studies to school policies. They are regarded to be always in the right and any challenge to that is seen as discipline problem/bad disobedience. There is clearly a big emphasis on what is proper behaviour on different steps of the hierachy. This culture may have contributed to some degree of passiveness when it comes to stepping up to serve or be leaders. Voicing out the desire to be a leader may also be seen as a form of challenge/rebellion to existing leaders who are already there. Being passive and submissive is regarded as good obedience for authority and fits in with the traditional norms of Chinese respect for elders. Being critical about things or taking initiative to do/voice out can sometimes be misconstrued as arrogance or being a smart aleck. Hence, most members would prefer to lay back because it seems like the right thing to do especially if they think that they are not as “gifted” as the current leaders.
On a lighter note, Hamster oversleeping reminds me of the time when me and Pencil were standing outside the house helplessly pressing the door bell last year. Mhmmm..did your Sunday school kids get a free McDonalds breakfast treat from Teacher Hamster too? xD
yes. true. some problems are traced all the way back to the Chinese-education mindset while some existed in every culture. It's just the basic common sense of the society that it's better to be served than to serve.
ReplyDeleteStanley: No! no free McD for them. wanted to offer some small m&m treat. but American kids have tones of allergies. peanut butter, milk... so I myself finished the m&m in the end :D