Operation Christmas Child 2014

A few weeks ago, my friends Y and N, and I decided to join the Operation Christmas Child program organized by Samaritan’s Purse. The mission is to prepare shoeboxes filled with school supplies, basic hygiene products, and other useful items for children. Then, our church, SOCC, will help us send the shoeboxes to Samaritan’s Purse, who will distribute them to children in need worldwide.

We asked our friends and fellow church members in the International Coffee Hour cell group for monetary and item donations. Within two weeks, we collected over $100! Thank you to all our generous donors.

On November 15th, we used the donated money to shop for items at Walmart and Dollar Tree. On November 16th, we held a shoebox packing party where we gathered to pack all the items into boxes. We received so many donated items that we couldn’t count them all.

We aimed to pack 30 boxes, but thanks to everyone’s generosity and God’s blessing, we exceeded our goal and packed 43 boxes! Twenty-one boxes are for boys and 22 are for girls, all aged 5 to 9.

Here are some photos from the party:

The logo of Operation Christmas Child.

The refreshment was sponsored by International Coffee Hour.

We had 4 tables full of items! The categories were toys, hygiene products, school supplies and accessories. This was the toys and candies table.

This was the hygiene products table.

This was the accessories table.

The nearest table was the school supplies table. I accidentally deleted the close up of this table. Sorry!

The men in the house.

The women in the house.

More men and women in the house.

Y, N, and our junior E, posing with the shoeboxes at the end!

Thank you again to everyone who donated or volunteered. May God bless you for your generosity. Let’s continue to pray that these shoeboxes will bless children’s lives.

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” – Luke 6:38

美国大都会夏天之旅：纽约

时时更新、日日求精的繁都，像是汪洋中的一尾怪鱼。全部人都想一睹它的风采。你越用力企图抓紧它、狂想解剖它，它越是容易从你的指间溜走。因为你的理解和想象是有限的，而它的潜力和变化是无尽的。

在芝加哥的最后一天，我和T与另一对情侣K和J会合，然后坐晚班机到水牛城国际机场。我们在机场的板凳上过了一夜，又在尼亚加拉大瀑布游玩了一整天，晚上才坐末班巴士到纽约去。这趟车程原是六小时左右，可是凌晨三点时巴士引擎半途坏了，一众人蒙蒙松松地在晚风中站了约一个半小时才等到救援的巴士来接我们。所以当我们抵达纽约时，我们身上又黏又酸臭，加上两天两夜未沾床，我们都无心观光，只管往酒店前进。

在纽约的第一个晚上，我们四人到时代广场去见识见识人挤人的壮观。时代广场中的人潮和地铁站里的人潮不一样：地铁站里的人步伐匆匆、目光明确。大部分的人都因为没办法所以才得憋在地铁站里嗅别人的体臭。反观，时代广场里的人步伐散漫、左看右望。大伙儿都为了感受与别人磨肩擦臂的滋味而来的。广场两旁的建筑物都有架上巨大的LED荧光屏幕，不停地播出各类广告。在一片强光快闪中，广场中各人的动作显得非常缓慢；嬉笑声、叫卖声、车鸣声不再是重点，反而像是轻轻拍打在沙滩上的海浪声一样遥不可及。

我在纽约见识到了挣钱的艺术。纽约的街头艺人完全融入这座城市，遇动则动，遇静则静。在时代广场，我们遇到最多的就是打扮成卡通人物或是出名角色的人。他们通过和旅客合照、表演魔术、玩乐器等方式赚钱。这些艺人的存在为广场添色不少，也给旅客们带来很多欢乐。他们体现了美国总统肯尼迪的名言：“不要问国家为你做了多少，只问你能为这个国家付出多少。”那些只想从城市里淘钱却不肯掏出努力去滋养那座城市的人，是不能体会生活在该城市所带来的成就感的。

除此之外，我们也在中央公园遇到了四个黑人秀舞技。他们先是在人来人往的走道上铺席子，然后在超大声的快歌伴奏中，若无旁人地做热身运动。之后他们开始大声呼叫邀请四周的人来围观。他们在吸引观众方面有不少技巧，比方说四人会各自先说一点话然后四人合声讲一些搞笑的话。不过我觉得他们的杀手锏，莫过于当他们企图吸引一群白人来围观的时候说的话。其中一个舞者指着坐在不远处的那群白人，请他们过来围观，另一人马上接着说：“放心，我们只跳舞不伤人。”之后四人合声说：“就算我们伤人，一次过也伤不了那么多人。”其他围观者都笑了，那群白人要再不过来凑热闹就显得太小家子气了。我除了佩服这群年轻的舞者善用敏感话题来吸引观众，也感叹他们对纽约的信任：他们相信纽约市民捍卫言语自由的立场坚定，才能公开地拿种族偏见来自嘲、当笑料。

纽约市政府以当地的地下铁系统为豪。纽约市地下铁在今年刚迈入第110年为民众服务的里程碑。也就是说，纽约市的第一列地铁开始运行的时候，世界大战还是一个外星名词、科学家特斯拉才刚渡过了半生、而意大利作曲家普契尼的著作《蝴蝶夫人》才刚刚开始上映。纽约市的地下铁简直就是一个会跑会叫的文化古迹！

这条地下龙一星期七天、一天二十四小时，全年无休地为纽约市民带来绝对的方便。可是这龙不好打扮、不喜舒适窝。我们在夏天造访纽约，地铁站里热得像一个蒸炉一样。偶尔的一阵风吹送，倒像是烤猪时給猪喷煤气一样，火上添油，一点儿都不消暑！除了熏人的热气，地铁站里也相当肮脏。铁轨上处处能见垃圾，墙壁和地上的瓷砖也因长期没清理而失去了它们原本该有的色泽。瓷砖之间积的污垢，大概也已经透过瓷砖在墙上和地上生根了。这么脏污污的地方，第一次在那里等地铁的时候，我恨不得能把自己缩成一小团，然后只用一根脚趾站立。可是几次之后，我倒是非常习惯了。我为此提出了两个推断：我要么其实有当流浪鼠的潜质，要么我其实和喜欢涂鸦的街头艺人一样，觉得肮脏的地方是非常有文化潜能的宝地。无论是哪个，我觉得我的内心都相当扭曲就对了。

下图：纽约时代广场

下图：我在地铁站拍的唯一一张照片。图中的男孩是T。

我从纽约回来之后，一直找不到适合的形容词来涵括这座城市。三个多月后，我想到了一个故事能勉强解释我对纽约的印象：

一个男人要去相亲。和女人见面前，他就做了好多准备功夫：那女人的美态丑闻他都全听说过了。男人心想：嘿嘿，这回不论她耍什么心机，我都定能应变自如。男人在咖啡厅内点了饮料等女人来。后来女人来了。她素颜、身穿碎花连身裙，那裙子布料还要是不需烫的，根本看不出来她是精心打扮过还是来敷衍男人的。她走到男人跟前，放下一张名片和一张大钞，说：“这门亲事搭不搭你请随意。我没差。”说完人就走了。只留下男人坐在咖啡厅里喃喃自语：“呀，你这人······”

Pride of a Hoosier

Tonight, I had the privilege of enjoying the theater play "Pride and Prejudice," adapted by Jon Jory from the famous novel by Jane Austen with the same name. The show was definitely humorous and engaging. Everyone left the theater laughing and feeling satisfied. Jane Austen's great masterpiece has certainly transcended time and reached out to all audiences, regardless of whether they are young college students or golden-aged married couples.

When I was considering my university choices two years ago, I chose to apply to all the universities that are not particularly famous for their engineering departments. I assumed that if I went to a more liberal arts-oriented university, I could focus less on math subjects or that the math-related/based subjects in these universities would be less intense. My assumption, of course, couldn't have been more wrong and sillier. IU does not have an engineering department at all, but the math involved here is just as equally tough as in other schools.

There are times when I regretted my decision to come to IU, but there is one thing in IU which I cherish that keeps me going: the privilege of enjoying great music and plays. To give everyone a little background information: besides the Kelley School of Business, IU is most famous for the Jacobs School of Music and the whole art industry, which includes theater, drama, and dance. In fact, Bloomington city is renowned for its excellence in producing good art pieces in the state of Indiana.

I first got in touch with theater when I was in Form 3. My school was organizing a trip to watch a 4D theater act in KL. Many students signed up for that trip, but the positions available were limited. I was interested in joining the trip, but I hesitated due to my poor English skills at that time. I was afraid that I couldn't understand the play. To my surprise, my English teacher turned down a lot of excited students but chose to offer me a position on the trip.

I remember how she called me to her desk and asked if I was interested in watching the play. She proceeded to explain that she made me the offer because she knew that my family was not financially stable, so she wanted to give me this chance to enjoy something. I don't remember what she said exactly, but that's the main idea. At that time, I was offended. My first thought was, 'Well, I know I don't come from a wealthy family, but is my family that poor that someone who barely knows me can tell from my face? Did I behave poorly in terms of manners?'

However, I knew in every way, my teacher meant well. So, I took the invitation gladly and I enjoyed the show very much.

Before I came to the States, I was fortunate to study under a great English teacher who loves Broadway. He exposed me to the wonderful combination of songs and dances, wrapped around with intriguing storylines and acting skills. Because of him, I have always wanted to watch a Broadway show.

Thanks to IU, I watched my first Broadway show, "Chicago," during my first semester here. I had known a few songs in the musical like "All that Jazz" and "Cell Block Tango" because my group used them in our American Culture Studies project before. Since then, musicals, plays, dance showcases, operas, ballets—I have watched so many wonderful productions brought together by either IU or other local art companies. To further elevate the excitement, I watched most of the shows for free or at a very low cost (student price or promotion package). The only time when I paid a regular price for a ticket was for "The Phantom of the Opera" during my visit to New York City.

So, after so many shows, have I ever gotten tired of all these shows? No.

Every time before a show starts, my excitement builds up just like when I was 15, ready to watch my first show. Every time when I don't get a good seat or when I am almost late to a show, my impatience gushes forth just like when N and I were queuing for more than two hours outside of the theater, together with a hundred-plus students, in hopes of getting a free seat during the "Chicago" preview night. Every time when I sit at my seat watching all the other people find their seats, I am once again reminded that I am blessed to be able to enjoy such luxury. Every time after the show ends, I am amazed, impacted, and refreshed.

 

Finally, every time after a show, I know the decision was indeed wise. All praise to the Lord for guiding me to IU!

God + My Housemate = Love

Living together harmoniously seems like an easy and natural thing for some people; but for some people like me, it is a skill, an art that needs to be learned.

This is my fourth year living away from my parents, and so far, I have had pretty pleasant experiences with all my previous and present housemates (an accumulative total of seven females). I am very grateful for all my tolerant and loving housemates because I have heard and seen so many friendships ruined over trivial but important questions like "who did those dirty dishes in the sink," and so many souls hold grudges over others over daily, household stuff.

I admit that I am not an easy person to live with. I am a total neat freak, and I have very low tolerance towards noises. On top of that, I do not like to talk much at home. These are my strengths and definitely my biggest weaknesses as well. But God works in incredible ways. I might not like His way, but His way is definitely the exciting way, for He brings me to the perfect housemates that help me to strengthen my household skills and work on some of my attitude issues as well.

So, after almost one and a half years living in the States with N, one of my high school close friends, what have I learned from her?

 
1. The Water Jar Theory

In the US, most people drink water straight out of the tap or filtered tap water. The water filter jar that my housemate and I use at home is Britta-branded. I usually fill the top part of the jar with the maximum amount of water that it can hold, then I let it sit for a while because it takes time for the water at the top to pass through the filter and to be stored at the bottom. Since the jar is small, I have the habit of refilling the jar every time after I take out some water, even if I do not use up all the water in it.

Then I realized I left the jar full, but I came back to the kitchen finding a jar that is less than full. Of course, the water did not just evaporate on its own; N had drunk it. And she did not refill it like I do. Soon, I observed a more interesting phenomenon: if I did not refill the water jar, the water reduced based on the principle of half-life. First, it went from full to half-full, then from half-full, it went to ¼ filled, then 1/8, until finally, there is only an insignificant ring of water barely covering the bottom of the jar. But oddly, I seldom found the jar completely dried.

It did not really bother me at first, but at times when I came home absolutely exhausted and wanted a drink, I felt annoyed discovering there was not enough water in the jar to quench my thirst. It would probably only take one minute or less waiting for the jar to be refilled again, but a tormenting spirit had definitely found its way to grab hold of my grumpy side using this water jar.

Then, a thought occurred to me: isn't my faith in God oddly similar to this water jar as well?

I go to Sunday service once a week, get my heart (the jar) filled and excited for the coming week; but throughout the week, I let all sorts of situations "use up" all the compassion (water) in me. I face challenges, people that get on my nerves, difficulties in study... At first on Monday, I am all positive and patient and able to hold myself together. However, as the week goes on, I slowly lose all the godly characters (water) in me, my grumpy side started to show, and by the end of the week, I am just a dry, bitchy person. I might still have some compassion left in me, but nobody can benefit from that insignificant ring of passion barely enough to keep my bitter heart strong for my daily life.

Therefore, I need to remind myself to refill my heart with God's words every day, every moment. Just like water will not automatically reappear in the water jar if I do not refill it, God's words will not automatically click onto my heart if I do not study them daily. Just like I am hoping for a full jar waiting for me at home when I am exhausted, isn't it great if I already have the everlasting words crafted in my mind and heart, ready to smooth my worried soul when I am down?

 
2. The Space Allotment Theory

My housemate and I live in a huge apartment, and we have more than enough space for everything we ever have and needed. I like to keep all my stuff packed and centered, while N likes to spread out her things. I can find the stuff she often uses like books, bottles, bags, papers covering the space surrounding her bed and her seat. I have to stress that although her things are not well-arranged, she is definitely not dirty. I have been to other people's houses, and the garbage they can tolerate surrounding their study and sleeping space just horrified me.

But there were times when I passed by N's study space and when I vacuumed her bedroom, I couldn't help but get mad at her lack of tidiness. I would complain in my heart, and I think I showed annoyance on my face too. So yesterday while I was vacuuming, I said to myself, "If I am given such a huge bedroom and space to live with, I would have utilized it better."

Bang! Then it occurred to me that this is exactly the message God wants me to understand, but I am too arrogant to submit to the Holy Spirit in my heart. For weeks, I have been losing interest in my studies, pensive and jealous over job offers and research opportunities that my friends got in other universities, and in a nutshell, I hated my present life.

But I have had everything I will ever need. I have my heavenly Father's unfailing love. Throughout my journey with Him, I was never disappointed, never left alone, and through Him, a lot of awesome and unimaginable things have happened in my life! So, while I was focusing on the things I don't have, I did not realize that I was actually wasting away blessings that I already owned. I certainly did not have utilized the huge number of opportunities and good things that already given to me by God!

If I am not able to rejoice in what I already have, how can I expect God to give me more? If I am so proud of my organizing skill, then I should be able to manage the responsibilities that God has entrusted on me well. Furthermore, "better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil." (Proverbs 15:16)

So far, it seems like I have just exposed all my housemate's weaknesses and make me look good because I am able to learn from her shortcomings. I want to stress that this is certainly not the case. N is sensitive, loving, and she owns a strong sense of responsibility over tasks entrusted to her. She has taught me many things in many other different ways. One of my favorite topics is how she transformed me from someone who is always on financial debt to someone who can actually manage finance well. The other thing I have never told her is how I am ever grateful that she let me lead and manage the home. She certainly has understood me well to know that I love to be the one in charge. She is a little laid back, but I know she can manage the home equally well, or even better if she is in charge.

I am very thankful that N and I are still close friends even after we have seen the ugly side of each other at home, physically, habitually, and emotionally, and I pray that our friendship will last.

Lastly, let me end this entry with one of my favorite verses since high school: "...Whoever wants to be the first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else." (Mark 9:35)