April 2011
1 post
“… it has not yet been revealed what we shall be … —1 John 3:2
Our...”
February 2011
1 post
Him & him
i grew up extremely loved. my parents said my siblings and i were such innocent, pure-hearted children. my mom swears she started talking to us more harshly just to toughen us up so we can handle the real world. i don’t know if that worked- i just thought she didn’t like us.
as an extremely loved child, i learned to love without fear. my parents taught us to give and receive it...
January 2011
2 posts
5 tags
5 tags
acts of service
wow. i almost feel compelled to apologize for my negligence to this blog. it’s been a whirlwind, what can i say? i have three posts back-logged in my head, wondering when i would find the time to process and print these thoughts. here we go. i’ve finally found a short breath to exhale what was my life over one month ago.
God’s at work. settling into new york has been a humbling...
November 2010
2 posts
4 tags
when only Love
at the young, vulnerable, age of fifteen, i met my first love. though it’s naive to say this, it was magical. it was pure. i cherished our encounters, our longings and our soft-spoken tones. i believed our love could endure any hardship because we had each other and also because i believed God would be our refuge. i thought it was perfect.
but this vision i had of love, was quickly...
3 tags
October 2010
3 posts
5 tags
the pruning process
where have i been. here. here but clouded. here but hurting. here but afraid. i didn’t know what to write because my heart no silver lining or light at the end of the tunnel to redeem the lingering darkness within me. progressively, my heart sank deeper into sentiments of doubt, fear and bitterness…and i let it. one of my greatest demons is anxiety. i have a lot of it. even after all...
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
– John 16:33
5 tags
fast
a fast indicates an intentional withdraw from something. it’s a restraint of what physically sustains you. for me, it’s a deliberate desire to get God’s attention… it’s to say that I want to be emptied just to be filled up again, but with something that fills my soul and not my stomach. Christ says, “i am the bread of life. he who comes to me will never go...
September 2010
2 posts
3 tags
“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
– Jesus, John 4:34
3 tags
vision
i recently saw a film called, A Single Man, which follows a man who intends to commit suicide because he finds no point in living anymore. his last day is spent like any other, but experiences mundane moments with finality. he can’t help but lose himself and express the truth of that moment. everything gives him a clearer vision of why life is worth living. this epiphany comes too late...
August 2010
3 posts
6 tags
family matters
every believer in their relationship with Christ will identify with the “Prodigal Son” parable; either as the younger son who squanders away his Father’s inheritance but is graciously and undeservedly welcomed home with open arms or the older son who is seemingly faithful and utterly self-righteous about it. when i was born-again three years ago, i felt like the younger son who...
4 tags
status quo
life these days has turned into somewhat of a routine. i usually know where i’m going to be each day while inviting moments of impulse, which helps put a small pep in my step. but as i lay in bed at night and think about what the next day holds, i don’t envision it looking too different from the previous day.
i’ve been telling my friends that i feel like i got to the point in...
5 tags
“The psalmist wrote, “…weeping may last for a night but joy comes in the...”
– eugene
guinea-conakry, pioneers-africa
July 2010
2 posts
4 tags
smelling the roses
when my birthday or new year’s eve. comes around, i always take a reflective pause to remember how i’ve spent the past year. in short, it’s been a trying year. i took the leap from proclaiming my commitment to Christ to proving that He is indeed my all. though it entailed learning absolute surrender, i’m in a better place now than before. surrender taught me that faith is...
7 tags
survey trip report
i finally finished writing some thoughts regarding my survey trip to Ghana. if you’re interested you can read it here.
i also have the link to the presentation i made at Living Way Community Church. please enjoy hearing my presentation as well as the sermon that follows here. i have posted the photos i reference below.
Dr. Margaret at the Banda Health Clinic
Church at Guosi with...
7 tags
documentation
i’ve finally started sorting through my photographs and videos.. they’re slowly going to make their way public. thank you for your patience. for a photo-journal blog, i apologize for not posting more visual representations of where my thoughts are coming from.
please enjoy the videos here
please enjoy the photographs here
i will also be making a presentation at Living Way...
June 2010
2 posts
5 tags
vegas
i’ve honestly been trying my best to delay this particular post because i don’t feel as confident addressing my experience. there are repercussions i am still paying for and it’s been painful. but i know that i’m not alone in this struggle…more importantly, i don’t want to be alone in this struggle.
i went to las vegas two weekends ago. after coming back from...
6 tags
culture shock
there are two questions that are most frequently asked when one comes back from a mission trip: 1. how was it? 2. how does it feel to be back? since i have been elaborating continuously on the first question, i will focus on the latter.
how does it feel to be back?
i suppose one would feel some sort of shock being thrown back into a whirlwind of task lists and deadlines after being challenged to...
May 2010
6 posts
pit stop
I had one last stop to make in New York/New Jersey before arriving home. I’ve been here for the past four days, and I wish I could tell you my transition into the states was smooth. Unfortunately, I started to suffer from a lot of stomach issues as soon as I left Accra. Starting at Heathrow, my body was rejecting all the food I was eating and basically, I was either vomiting or running....
the last stretch
Pastor Seth and I traveled from what seemed like the sky to the sea of ghana- cape coast. An annual retreat is held for the Pioneers-Ghana team, where the team coordinators, assistants and volunteers come together to share a time of fellowship, field updates, and most importantly, fortify their vision to reach the unreached in their respective locations. I am fortunate that this retreat was...
weekend getaway
There’s two things Pastor Seth says about the north and its circumstances: “it’s not easy” and “it’s very serious.” That pretty much sums up my experience in Tumu. Pastor Seth is an intense man. He seems to always be alert and thinking ahead about what’s coming next. He has had fifteen years of experience in Tumu, so he knows his terrain and his...
ghacoe
Before my stay in Tumu, I spent a day in Jirapa, where Mama Elizabeth, the regional director of Ghacoe, resides with her family. Ghacoe is an NGO that ministers to women by equipping them with trades such as bread-making, soap-making and dress-making. Their goal is to empower these women through the gospel and through tangible ways to provide for their family. Let me be frank by saying that this...
the distance
There’s been constant schedule changes in my program due to some unexpected events that have occurred during my stay. One of them is the death of Auntie Elizabeth. I mentioned that I visited her within the first week that I arrived in Ghana. Although everyone is mourning her death, there is a spirit of peace and joy because she is no longer has to live in pain. So we gladly praise God for...
April 2010
9 posts
deliverance
PHOTO HAS BEEN REMOVED.
This man gave his life to christ today. He came to uncle charles’ house, but he’s never met him before. The man’s name is baba amidu and he comes from a Muslim family. He told us that he had a dream- and in the dream, a voice told him that there’s a name on his cell phone that he needs to call so that he can receive prayer. That name was brother...
7 tags
brotherhood
french. english. english. french. broken french. broken english. that’s what my week was like. ten countries were represented at the training conference. the objective was to educate and strengthen the missionaries through exhortations, challenges, and strategies. as you can imagine, my face lit up like a kid in a candy store when i saw a room that housed so many different places, stories,...
4 tags
story telling
The main objective for pioneers is to reach the unreached. they go beyond the towns that they live in and search beyond the straight guided roads to minister the gospel. there are three villages that i visited during my stay in banda: kamancheli, tabor, and mekoda- these areas are so remote, it’s difficult to receive government support in terms of education and welfare. These villages are...
week one
where do i begin? i’m here. i think the moment of shock came when i was getting on my flight at heathrow and i looked around to see who was on my flight. then it struck me. i’m really going to ghana. 6 hours later, I was greeted by humid weather and two brothers from Pioneers, David, the director of Pioneers Ghana, and Bright, the ever so quiet but faithful driver.
i’m staying...
madrid
i’m sitting in parque de madrid, writing my last entry before i arrive in ghana. the park has become my favorite place in madrid. this is the most charming park i’ve ever visited. its slender, verdant trees, classical fountains, and meandering roads feeds the romantic soul in my heart.
when traveling alone, i realized that music becomes your best friend. and because i had much time to...
March 2010
5 posts
berlin
i wish i had more time. there was so much more i wanted to do in this city, it was very inviting to say the least. there were particular places and moments that i really enjoyed.
1. jewish memorial museum and eastside gallery- i have a fascination with world war 2 and the halocaust. it was a very moving account for the lives lost during the occupation of the nazis in europe. lennart, a native...
london
its reputation really does precede itself. everything i’ve heard about the place was true, this has been rare up to now with the other places i’ve visited. but yes, it rained, it was cloudy, there’s lots of indian food and fish and chips is a staple. yup, the london eye is quite tall and big ben is quite exquisite.
i wrote a list of things that i found beautiful about the...
new york
it’s like my second home- everything is fondly familiar and it still manages to hold such a dear place in my heart after each rendezvous. some highlights on this trip was seeing arthur miller’s play called, “a view from the bridge,” going to barnes and nobles for a talk with malcolm gladwell, hearing scott harrison from charity:water speak and hearing tim keller speak at...
5 tags
excited
excited seems to be the word most frequently used to describe how i should feel right now. to be honest, i don’t know if i would use that word. sober, is more like it. i’m a day away from traveling, i’ve had almost every food fix i desired, there’s a huge pile of things in my room i need to pack- still, i wonder if i really signed up for this.
i say this because now...
6 tags
by faith
last week, i read the bible once. i’m usually pretty diligent about reading not because i have to do it, but because i need it. without it, i feel like i quickly lose direction of my walk with God. i begin to depend on my own sense of reason, which i think almost never fails to misrepresent the gospel.
“Now FAITH is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not...
February 2010
4 posts
5 tags
photography
this here is the best photograph i have ever taken. i took this 3 years ago in a new york hotel room after my family and i got into the city on a humid day. at the time, i was at the start of my portraiture beginnings (i had been taking landscape photographs until then), and i instinctively turned to those closest to me to photograph. this photograph is very telling of my relationship with my...
4 tags
support
the budget for the trip has been finalized at $4,200 for all travels, food expenses, accommodations, and ministry expenses.
If you are interested in participating financially, you can give through the Pioneers website, www.pioneers.org, click on GIVE and Pioneers Missionary. My account number is 111426. Please note that there is a 3% surcharge if you do decide to use this method (All financial...
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world traveler
san francisco, california
sedona, arizona
new york, new york (booked)
london, uk (booked)
berlin, germany (booked)
madrid, spain (booked)
accra, ghana (booked)
las vegas, nevada (booked)
seoul, korea
aruba
to be honest, i wouldn’t say i am fit to be a world traveler. sounds more glamorous than it actually is. i hate planes. i hate how they make my knees ache. i get motion...
5 tags
an act of God
being laid off is not something you want ever to happen to you. so why will i declare my recent lay off as an act of God? because it is! Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:31, “Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” so, i will boast because i want you to know that THIS IS GOD.
in my previous entry, i shared with you that i am planning my trip back to...
January 2010
4 posts
8 tags
the story
People say that everything is heightened on missions- your spiritual awareness, your willingness to serve, your relationship with God… it’s natural for your best to exude confidently. Your focus is solely on the Lord and His work. There are no distractions, no pauses, no complaints. This seems so ideal, right? Who wouldn’t want to live for the Lord this way. To constantly be a...
9 tags
submission
there is one word among the rest that i have a difficult time accepting in my life. it almost makes me cringe at the idea that it is a quality that is required for Godly women: submission. every time i read that word in the Bible, i try to find some sort of loophole so that i don’t find it applicable to my life. or, i just try to justify the fact that i submit enough.
i listened to one of...
8 tags
history makers
last week, i visited San Francisco and got to stop by the SF Museum of Modern Art for their 75th year Anniversary show. all the big names were there, plus a few names i was pleasantly surprised by. i enjoyed walking into each room, able to recognize the people that have shaped and formed my personal palette. some names include pablo picasso, bruce nauman, andy warhol, jackson pollack, ellsworth...
new year's eve
last year, i made a new year resolution to learn how to play the cello. i honestly didn’t take any steps towards this goal and a year later, i realize it didnt mean as much to me as i had thought. although, i still love the sound of a cello…
i always write down the memorable moments that have defined my walk with God to remember His faithfulness this year:
community group...
December 2009
3 posts
standards
it’s not about me.
it’s not about me.
it’s not about me.
it’s not about me.
it’s not about me.
it’s not about me.
it’s not about me.
it’s not about me.
it’s not about me.
it’s not about me.
it’s not about me.
it’s not about me.
it’s not about me.
it’s not about me.
it’s not about me.
it’s not about...
8 tags
christmas eve
if i could have anything for christmas, it would be this:
The Fellowship of the Believers
42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their...
November 2009
1 post
6 tags
definition of picturethegospel
Matthew 22:37-39
37And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the great and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
see it. hear it. taste it. touch it. breath it. live it.