Steve the happy oaxacan

Hello friends! I just wanted to check in and say ¨hello!¨. I´ve been in Oaxaca, Mexico, since this past Sunday, and will be here for the next five and a half weeks doing some community health work and volunteering. I have limited internet access, but I´ll try to update as much as possible! Perhaps, I´ll copy Karis and make myself a cute little travel blog :). I unfortunately don´t have too much time right now to update you guys more, but I´ll expand on my experience when there is more time. Adddios!

Hey peeps

Not much is going on with me, but I'm glad to see that you guys are active having fun.
I think that the biggest accomplishment that I've made was knocking out Phy 43 and 45 (knock on wood) if my final goes well next week, and resting from the hurricane that was sophomore yr.
I look forward to seeing you all soon!

-A'Lester

p.s. if you catch me in the first couple of days coming back, I might have a tinge of southern accent. I hear myself talking less and less like stanford folks. A friend even laughed when I said that something was beastly.

Taiwan and the zoo!

I suppose its time for another post. I've been in Taiwan 4 weeks now. Those of you who don't know, I'm doing an internship at the Taipei Zoo for 7 weeks. Its part of an umbrella program that connects overseas Taiwanese youth to research institutes and companies to do internships. There's over 200 of us at a bunch of different places all over Taiwan. Most people are from Canada and the US, but there are European countries too and Australia and Brazil. At least those were among hte people I met. I'm staying at an uncle's house in Taipei and public transit to work everyday.

I really like Taiwan even though its hot. and humid. But there's good cheap food :). And lots of night markets and shopping places. The first week there was an orientation trip that took us all over to see different places in Taiwan. Works is pretty fun mostly, and not much work. haha I shadow vets in the animal hospital and the first two weekend we would have class in the afternoon. Me and another intern from Canada work in the vet department, along with 14 Taiwan interns. There isn't really a schedule, so we find out what's happening when we show up at work everyday. I've seen quite a few exotics come in which has been really cool. Even a red panda! My favorite zoo animal :). There's also been African Spurred Tortoises, goats, pangolins, a mountain lion, Asian black bear, King penguin, gibbons. Its been really good experience because they're less hung on liability issues, so if its an easy animal they let us do things, even though I haven't been to vet school so I don't know how to do anything (all the other interns are vet students). And even the mountain lion and black bear we stand there and hold the gas mask or tape on the IV and stuff like that. Things are picking up though. I'm trying to get this internship to count for the Earth Systems required internship, but getting a decent project hashed out has been quite problematic.

Also, good news I think my Chinese has dramatically improved. At least in comfort level, if not in actual skill level. Sometimes a group of foreign interns or the Taiwan interns will go out together. Otherwise half the time I just go home after work or explore a bit by myself. Though I did see Amy Xue two weekends ago when she visited. Last weekend the internship program took us to a port city to play at an ocean park and national park. I'm also taking a day off this week and going to see wushu at the World Games. Those of you who know, Tenyia is competing.

As far as spiritual life goes, its been a bit lonely in terms of having a faith community. I've been out most of the weekends or at work Sunday, so I've only gone to church once. I haven't been to the college group yet because they've been on a missions trip. A few people I met during orientation I discovered were Christian as well, but they're interning in another city or don't seem that interested in finding a faith community here. Its interesting thinking about faith in Taipei though. Christian churches are definitely visible, but people don't seem to know much about the gospel or faith aside from Buddhism. And its difficult for me to explain in Chinese because I don't know the spiritual terms. I did attempt to explain the difference between Protestant and Catholic to the Taiwan interns I work with though. It was hard. haha

Okay that's long enough.

PS That's me with a baby gibbon.

a night in the life

Hello lovely friends! It's 12:30 AM. I'm at Kevin's place at Mirrilees, and we've just shared a delectable cup of ice cream over a nice, intimate conversation. Now we're pretty bored out of our minds, so we've decided to visit our lovely blog!

The ice cream was really yummy and romantic.  Steve's a very romantic guy to leave me the last bite.  He'll make his future wife very lucky someday.  But yeah, idk what to really write about...let's see...Church tomorrow!  yay! Jeanette is back on campus for her sciencey VBS in Milpitas so I'll be lucky enough to get a ride with her but you should totally talk about your program's curriculum Jeanette!

Aww, thanks Kevin. My mom has always told me that I was a romantic guy, so I've known it all along. For some reason, though, no one has had the guts to acknowledge the romantic side of my personality. I'm glad you have, though. I mean, that's all that really matters to me. 

On another note...let's se...yeah! Church tomorrow! If you're around, please give Jeanette a call so that she'll be able to pick you up in the morning. Her number is 536-111-3683.

So...apparently Karis now has bulging calves. I think she should post up a pic so that we can admire them :DDD

Wow...

i can't believe you have jeanette's number memorized.  but yeah, actually if you want to come to PFMC feel free to contact me or Jeanette and we'll be more than happy to bring you with us to Church! :D 

Wow...also, David and Thomas came back from dancing at someone's room and Steve just asked, "how are your sweaty bodies?"

Steve, did you know you're an amazing singer and guitar player?

Oh em ji. Kevin just started doing some push-ups on the futon. Gahh. So hawt. Thomas and David's sweaty bodies ain't no comparison to Kevin's push-ups. 'Nuff said.

Oh! So, Kevin, Mista Sango, Berty, and Jasown Brown share a suite in Mirrilees, and Thomas visits their place during the weekend from his internship in SF. So once the laborious week has gone, and the weekend triumphantly arrives, Mirrilees 458 is da place to be! 

Totally, please come over all of ya'll around for the summer!  Please come over for dinner! We'd love to have you.

Anyways, as ridiculous as much of this post was, we just wanted to get people to start looking at and posting on the blog again!  Come on IV Class of 2011! We'd love to hear from you!

-Kevin and Steve

careening careers

hey guys

Today at Church, we prayed for some people like IV grad Tiffany Lin for their missions in China and one of the things they wanted prayer for was their responsibility in preparing lessons to teach the kids they're reaching about financial management and budgeting, and that was really cool because I met this guy who is going with them from another church and he was sitting right in front of me so I told him about the work I do for my internship working with the financial literacy program of One California Bank, the Oakland non-profit I work for.  Interestingly enough, their church is also in Oakland and now I can help them out by providing them with the some of the same materials and curriculum we use for our program.  It was just really cool to see how well that worked out, for him to be visiting today and for them (the US part of the missions team, as it's an international collaborative mission) was responsible for financial literacy and that he just happened to be sitting right in front of me.

Anyhow, I think I've really grown a lot in how I think I can pursue my career in a way that serves God.  One thing that's been on my mind a lot is something from a testimony Tim Sun shared at summercon about how it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man can enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:25).  I think with my interest in economics and business, it seemed like I was being like many other economics majors setting themselves for rich and wealthy careers in what many stereotype as a less than life giving calling of making the rich richer.  However, this summer, my work at a non-profit community development bank has really broadened my horizons in seeing how much good business can be used for.  I'm helping all these people become financially literate so they can empower themselves to move out of poverty and doing a lot of business planning for a new location in the Mission District of San Francisco where we'll provide alternatives to the expensive predatory lending services in the Mission that take advantage of poor, often undocumented immigrants with bad credit living paycheck to paycheck.  I'm hoping to start a nonprofit that uses Stanford CS students to improve or build websites for nonprofits who can't afford professional services.  Tomorrow I'll hopefully be able to help provide financial literacy materials to the man I met in church today so kids in China can hopefully learn more about budgeting and money management.  While I'm not saying wealth is necessarily an inherent evil (after all, the non-profit I work for wouldn't even be in existence if it weren't for the extremely generous vision and donations of a local billionaire hedge-fund manager), it's just been awesome seeing the tangible differences of what can happen when applying my economics skills towards social entrepreneurship and socially responsible business, and I really feel God may be calling me to continue to pursue this type of work somewhere in a business career.  

We've also listened to "Tears of the Saints" by Leeland ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJjg1Joag_0 ) the last two sundays at Church and I've really fallen in love with the song and I feel the message of the song relates a lot to the work I've been doing :)

hope you guys are all doing well :)

-Kevin

---

So not much has been happening on my end. The call to rest is a very hard thing indeed, as the first week of rest was an epic fail. To sum it up, I learned the value of Jesus sending his disciples out in pairs, valuing community over efficiency despite the large ground that he had to cover, something that we discuss in Mark 1, and also the value of doing ministry on the way, just as Jesus heals and performs miracles on the way to various destinations. I was feeling a lot of tension over something I was doing this summer, and when it all boiled down to it, I realized I felt like I shouldn't be doing this because if rest is to grow in greater intimacy with God, it would make sense to do ministry the way Jesus did.

I stopped by Berkeley, Stanford, and a few other places in the bay area this past July 4th weekend, and it was a good time to be in the IV community again, seeing a few of the '09, the '010, and Andrew and Kevin as well. My home church also started this Discipleship Training School class (it's basically Sunday School, but this one is for all ages from college up) about hermeneutics, which is just a fancy word for how to study the Bible. It reminds me a lot about the inductive method, and the inductive method gets me all itchy and excited. I drove back from the bay area just to catch the first DTS about hermeneutics, and I couldn't help but wish that some of my IV friends could be there with me.

Today was also the first day of VBS (Vacation Bible School), a five-day program for kids to get to know the person of Jesus more. I was a crew leader for rising third and fourth graders, and only four out of five of my kids showed up. It was fairly hectic nonetheless. The message today was that "God is with us" and the response we give to that message is "FEAR NOT!" Part of my cynicism (or lack of faith) makes me wonder if these kids actually understand what they're saying, and it makes me wonder if they would be just as content saying that if they went into spiritual warfare right then and there. But the truth of the matter is that God is with us and that we are His people. He is there when we call out, and we need to be able to discern what His voice is, what are images from Him, and not from the devil. How much more do we need to know then that God's name is I AM. He was, He is, He will always be. He said it himself. So why do we doubt? I think back to Jesus saying that the children will be the first in Heaven, and I wonder when "Jesus loves you" was no longer a phrase that brought immediate comfort and satisfaction. Are these third and fourth graders able to discern the voice of God better than myself? One thing I feel called to this summer as I begin this discipline of rest is to really seek to discern God's voice (whatever form it may take), and to have patience as I learn. Let this not be a dark night of the soul.

Living the Cross Centered Life

'Kay Karis, so I'm neither "Noomie Jeanette" nor "Xoomie Claudia", but I'm still gonna post :).

Hello everyone, I've been reading a book (reallly slowly - gosh, reading during the summer is so deceptively hard!) called Living the Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney, and I came across a certain passage that really nailed me. I would really like to share it with you all, so even though it's a little long, please bear with me:

In World War II, Ernest Gordon was a British captive in a Japanese prison camp by the River Kwai in Burma, where the POWs were forced to build a "railroad of death" for transporting Japanese troops to the battlefront. They were tortured, starved, and worked to the point of exhaustion. Nearlly 16,000 died.
Gordon survived the horrors of that experience and wrote about it in a monumental work, Through the Valley of the Kwai, published in 1962. He describes one occasion when, at the end of a work-day, the tools were being counted before the prisoners returned to their quarters. A guard declared that a shovel was missing. He began to rand and rave, demanding to know which prisoner had stolen it.
Working himself into a paranoid fury, he ordered whoever was guilty to step forward and take his punishment.
No one did.
"All die!" the guard shrieked. "All die!" He cocked his rifle and aimed it at the prisoners.
At that moment, one man stepped forward. Standing at attention he calmly declared, "I did it."
The Japanese guard at once clubbed the prisoner to death.
As his friends carried away his lifeless body, the shovels in the tool shed were recounted - only to reveal that there was no missing shovel.
Imagine, if you can, the effect upon his fellow priswoners of this man's substitutionary sacrifice for them. It's a profound and moving story of sacrifice and heroism. Yet it falls short of being an adequate illustration of the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ - because there is no adequate illustration.
Unlike the situation of those prisoners staring into the cocked and loaded gun of a deranged guard, you and I do not face death from a fellow sinner. What we face is the righteous threat of furious wrath from a holy God. That is the threat faced by all who have gone astray, by each one who has turned to his own way. In our case, the shovel is missing; there is in fact a great deal more that's missing. We are indeed guilty of sin and deserving punishment.
But the innocent One, the holy One - God the Son - stepped forward to die for the rest of us. On that cross the Servant suffered for sinners like you and me, because of sinners like you and me - and as the substitute for sinners like you and me.
He takes the punishment that you and I richly deserve, yet in Isaiah's words we read, "We esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted." That was the word on the street - that's how the local media covered the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth: They said he was being justly judged by God for the sin of blasphemy.
Well, those who have been granted new eyes perceive that He was indeed smitten by God and afflicted - not for His sin, but for ours.

While trying to live out the "Christian life", I have, admittedly, too often failed to grasp the meaning of the cross. What really is so significant about that which Jesus did on the Calvary? It may seem to be an easy question to answer (just read above!), but I feel like the answer is actually extremely difficult to understand and internalize. Do I truly embrace and value the crucifixion of Christ? No matter what happens in life, no matter how much suffering or disappointment I face, I wish I could always say a confident, resounding, and heart-felt "yes".

お誕生日 おめでとう！

Happy Birthday Steve and A'Lester!

IV Home away from Home

Hiya Friends!

If you've been reading some of my blog posts or skyping with me, I apologize if this is a little repetitive, but I get a little (or maybe a lot!) excited when God answers prayers so I'm going to share about some of the same stuff from my blog.

My second week in Hamburg was a little tough. I was pretty much settled into my room and had somewhat figured out a daily routine. The only thing was that I didn't have anyone to hang out with in the evenings. I would usually do different activities by myself, but I really wanted a good group of friends. Two Sundays ago, I attended International Baptist Church of Hamburg and was so blessed. Right away I felt very welcomed and at home. The service reminded me a lot of InterVarsity because the congregation was so multicultural. It just made me feel very comfortable and stretched at the same time. I don't know if that makes sense, but I'll try to explain more.

At home and at Stanford, I attend predominantly Asian-American churches. For the most part, I am happy with my decision because I think it's the best place for me to grow and learn about God in my current stage of life. Attending an international church is very different for me. I'm not used to seeing so many ethnic groups worshiping altogether, so it stretches me to consciously see God as a God of all peoples. However, I also attend IV which has a large focus on social justice and racial reconciliation. When I was sitting in service, I felt like God had blessed this church because it was a testimony of racial reconciliation. I mean, the church is by no means perfect, but they have a true desire to bring believers of all backgrounds to the one true God. I found that so encouraging.

The church has a Young Adult Group that I have been attending. Through after-church and spontaneous hang-outs, I've gotten to know some of the young adults better. I really enjoy talking with different people because they all have different backgrounds. It is such an eye-opening experience to see how life is so different around the world. It is an answered prayer to have people to talk to (in English!) and spend time with. You know how people say that it's tiring for introverts to be around other people a lot? Well, I think the same is true when extroverts spend a lot of time by themselves. While I enjoyed having extended one-on-one time with God, I also needed to be around the fellowship of other believers. God graciously provided for me at just the right time when I would fully realize and appreciate his provision.

I will continue to attend IBC and thank God for a church where I can continue to learn and grow for the summer. Please pray for the friendships that I am forming and that I would be a witness to some of my haus mates and labmates. I really miss you guys and wish you could all come visit me. I'm trying to convince some of the IBCers to visit me in LA or Stanford if they ever come to the states. If they do, I definitely want you all to meet them all!

And how has a week passed without a single post? I know for a fact that there are post-worthy things happening in your lives. I'm going to call out Noomie Jeanette and Xoomie Claudia (and everyone else!) to post ASAP!! I'm eagerly waiting at my computer to read about what's going on in your lives. Even just a few sentences would be appreciated! I miss you, Oh-Leven Family!

~Karis