friends...

Something profound... I was coffee-ing with a Langley-friend today and we were talking about who we are in relation to who we want to become. She said that who we want to become is kind of who we are because it's what we are moving towards and it's sort of our destiny ahead of us. A goal. It's kind of like the hope before us--what we are striving to become.

Does that make sense?

Ok, so it sounded better the way she said it.

What do you want to become?

on a bit of a tangent, i went through the Esso "touchless carwash" after coffee.. because i had to type in a code before the carwash began, i didn't roll my window back up! and power windows are so slow too! so there i sat, wet, feeling pathetic, spitting out water and laughing at myself. got a two for one. carwash and a facewash.


Two days ago, Nanci and I went "yau che ho-ing" (driving) to look at Christmas lights. Ended up at a JoJo's place... 45 minutes away from Vancity. Chatted it up for the next 5 hours--till early morning. No surprise there. We laughed, we cried, we ate, we drank (hot chocolate!)...

I've come to realize that conversation is so healing. Lack of it kills... but good talks heal the soul. Or at least, it heals mine.

Can we talk?

I use to love to read Reader's Digest... the Laughter section... Those jokes always made me laugh. But nothing beats laughter with friends. Tonight I spent most of it laughing. A great change of pace... Just eating with Em, who's visiting, Pans, and Connie... Talking about nothing in particular but just the everyday funnies that occur. Being goofy... we can always find something to laugh about... either we create it ourselves, or just weird things happen when we're together...

I miss that.

Laughing...

I need my daily dose of humour.

Don't you too?

Narnia. Still haven't seen it. But thankfully my gracious friends are waiting until I am free to go. We read it together in grade 5... when we first became "the awesome4sum."

While the world goes to watch it, these friends (minivan7) will wait... Thanks guys for always waiting...

Would you wait?

These are my post-Christmas "could-have-been-bored-and-lonely-but-not" stories.

I am truly blessed with incredible friends.

I always say that.

But I really mean it.

Last little while, friends have come out of no where to bless me.

Listened.

Cried with.

Fed me.

Hugged me.

Without you guys, I don't know what I would do...

God has truly truly graced me in the area of friendships.

With gratitude,

Thank you Lord.

:p

Say something funnie.. and make me laff...

C'mon...

Try it.

i need fun

I'm realizing I really need to do something "fun".... what kinda "fun" thingsa re there to do?

Open for suggestions...

Summertime, heard about skimboarding... now that sounds cool. Never heard of that before... I'm soo city-ish.

So what other type of "hick-fun" is there? Cow-tipping...?

12 more hours

12 more hours left

3951 out of 4000 word paper edited--numero uno

3246 words out of 3750 so far in paper numero dos

27 footnotes so far

high stress...

and still procrastinating.

why?

tick tock tick tock...

Lord help me. 2000 more words. Due Friday. I'm exhausted. I'm not "all there." And I don't know how to do an exegesis! It's like executing Jesus, is what I say!

I post when I'm procrastinating...

Yes I'm procrastinating.

Can't help it.

Blogging flows better than essay writing...

arrow-ing home

Here ends an era, I'm told. For the past 1.75 years, I've worked at Arrow Leadership International Ministries as the Communications Manager (graphic designer). I love what we do as a ministry. Mentoring and doin' leadership development for top notch leaders. The one thing that always gave me chills was hearing and witnessing the stories of leaders from across the globe, having their lives transformed from a long-term (2 year) leadership/mentorship process.

They have been a fabulous family to me. Loved me, laughed with me, supported me... and now they're releasing me to continue to go the "next step" in where God is leading... schoolin'. Well, they've always released me. Went to India for two months... kept on cutting hours since I started--I was suppose to move from part-time to full-time. I went from part-time to even more part-time.

About school... I'm not the most... actually I'm perhaps one of the least academic persons there is. Not the brightest. Not the best... but I do realize the credibility and the opportunity by having those letters beside your name... although really... I've never been about the letters.. if anything, I've spent most of my life trying not to conform and being about "anti-establishments..."

Anyways, my Arrow Family has treated me swell.

What I forgot to mention was that a week before my birthday, I went into Arrow on that Friday (I don't usually work in the office on Fridays) to finish up some stuff. What happened was that I was called to the front for a meeting, but instead was led into the kitchen where everyone was sitting in the dark. They sang for me, gave me a Starbucks card and signed card (even with the stamped signature of our President!)... wow. Completely, totally unexpected.

On the 30th of November, we celebrated the graduation of our 1000th graduate from around the world. We all got decked out at Sutton Place...with world-class leaders... just to be a part of that was gratifying... Jane-o, you did swell!

And just a few days ago, the 13th of December, was my last day in the office. Strange feeling that hasn't sunk in yet. I'll still go back and do stuff... just not as frequently, that's all. We had a "farewell" lunch for me... Chinese food, to suit the occasion. Then they all gave edifying words to me. Too bad my memory is so bad! I knew I should have taped it! :)

Got a card, with prayers written in it as well. Swell. And a Bible dictionary. It's heavy...!

Also, they gave me grace for all the times I just couldn't wake up... yes, miss sleephead I am.

Thank you Arrow... for opportunity, for a great example of 2 Timothy 2:2, and for friendship. I'll be back... actually I was just back the day after my "last day." Had to use the computer before I went to take my exam... Felt like "home"--I could run in and out of the office :)

paper numero uno

J'ai fini! Ok, so it's only one of two 4000 word essays. Oops, my mistake, one is 4000 words, the other is 3750. Yeah. One less page...

This paper was on L'Abri (see two post prior). I learned tons from just researching, reading and writing about the lives of Francis and Edith Schaeffer, who started L'Abri. It came out of just what they were doing. L'Abri was birthed out of their lives, not a "vision" that came during the night, or an idea that was hammered out, but it came from living LIFE.

They opened their home to others, their lifestyle was a demonstration of Jesus on earth, and everything... i mean everything was founded and had prayer apart of it. Nothing was done apart from prayer. Students would come into their home and stay for weeks on end to study with them... Their kids would be praying about everyone and everything. They were completely dependent on God for their "daily bread." And I'm not just talking about finances... their daily portion... daily joy, daily peace, daily satisfaction, daily relationships, just enough for the day. Not for tomorrow, but just enough for the day. Not hoarding for tomorrow, just need today's portion. Because tomorrow, we will ask again.

A New (Old) Prayer
Our Father in heaven
Hallowed be your name [on earth as it is in heaven]
Come your kingdom [on earth as it is in heaven]
Be done your will, on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil [evil-one].

Daily bread... forgiveness... deliverance...

The subject of paper numero dos.

SAD

Winter blues? Maybe got Seasonal Affective Disorder. Then again, who doesn't? The rain comes out, your frown comes on... yep. well, exam time is also happenin', so which is it?

Rain comes; Can't (ok, I should say "don't) exercise; Got homework; Couped up in a chair in front of the computer... who wouldn't feel SAD?

My own bad. Didn't keep up with homework. Funny how I wasn't this bad in undergrad... somehow I'm acting like doing masters-level courses would be "easier"...?

Then again, those who procrastinate do get to experience the grace of God at an even more abundant rate though...

My prayer is that as we run this "academic" race... we(I) would not lose sight of all the daily spiritual disciplines. The God that got us here, will only bring us through... run the complete race.

Grace 2 you,

procrastinating...

I'm writing two papers right now. One on L'Abri, an intentional Christian community and how they seek to live out the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and another one on the last two stanza's on the Lord's prayer. "Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one." 4000 words each. Then I need to read two texts... about 200 and 300 words respectively. Write one more annotation (~300 words), and study for an exam.

My due dates... December 9th (books), 14th(exam), 16th(papers).

Why is it that when I really need to concentrate, I find other things to do? I've been sitting at this computer or near this computer for about 14 hours today. I spent much of it surfing the internet because I'm looking for something to capture my interest. Reading people's blogs, checking email (no mail), checking again (no mail)... and then again (still no mail). I'm pretty pathetic when I'm procrastinating.. Like why am I blogging in the wee hours of the morning? I've got a few hundred more words to read before I can sleep...

What motivates you? Care to share?

Perhaps my impending doom should be a motivating factor... but it ain't creating a fear that it should...

Bless you in your studies too... if you study... may you have better success than moi!