While picasa downloads my pictures, I’ll try to catch up on 2 weeks worth of blogging. And there’s lots to say. Since blogging goes backwards I’ll start with today.
Today I took Annie to the bank and then back to school. Because it was raining she readily accepted my offer. As she shut the door she said “You’re sweet.” Aw…I’m so honored.
Prior to this we were gathered with a very large group of international students in the international house to say goodbye to Dianna McIntyre. She’s retiring this year after I believe 24 years of working for the college, many of these years were spent helping international students. Dianna made a profound impact on all our lives, as one student said “I think you’re perfect.” I’m thankful she’ll still be in the area and still plans to be involved in the lives of students.
-Okay I just gave up on the powerpoint stuff. I’m going to set it aside until I can practice more. It’s going to take me awhile to figure this all out. If anyone reads my blog and is really good at working with presentations or picasa, feel free to let me know that you’d like to give me a crash course.
Prior to going to Dianna’s retirement celebration I took Yueling’s friend, who is here from China visiting, to Priscilla’s for lunch. Priscilla lives in Friendsview Retirement community. I love stopping by there, and it was a special treat to introduce Mengying to all my older friends. Priscilla fixed us a very nice, delicious, healthy, earthy meal that included garbanzo bean curry and kale salad. I wondered what Mengying thought. I really enjoyed it.
Prior to taking Mengying to Friendsview, I went up to see another friend in Sherwood. I needed some God inspired time with her before beginning my day.
And now we are back to the beginning of my day, which means teaching Mengying (Yueling’s friend who is visiting from China) how to make pancakes. She, in turn, taught me some Chinese words as we cooked and ate. Mengying said she has eaten pancakes but they were flatter and they put chocolate on them. We figured out this meant crapes. (Mengying studied for 2 years in the UK, and has 2 different masters from a university there.)
Easter day
I overdid myself this weekend. I cooked a lot of food, but it was wonderful to have Rong, Ping-YI, Yueling, Mengying, Sam, and our neighbor here for lunch. After that I took Ada (Qiuyun) and Kristie to H-mart and then back home for a run and Easter egg dying with Kristie and Menying and Yueling.
Mengying and Yueling also both attended church with me. Mengying helped me with the children, which meant she heard the resurrection story.
I don’t have time to say anything about last week. You probably aren’t that interested in what I did. I know I had significant interactions with students, every interaction is, but I don’t have time to recall them so I’ll jump backward in time to the ISI retreat in CA.
The following blog post is way too long, I apologize!
I LOVED MY TIME IN CA!!
I prayed, and I prayed, and I prayed about my decision to go there for ISI’s West Coast Regional Retreat (this includes NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, and AR). I wasn’t sure I should spend the money since I plan to attend our national conference in India next year. I was also concerned because there was another, more important retreat, that I hoped to attend, but that retreat was the last week of school, and I didn’t want to miss out on my last chance to see students before they graduate. After much prayer, I felt led to go to the regional retreat, mainly because I’d been invited by two other staff I knew to observe their Friday night and ministry prior to going to the retreat. They said they’d pick me up from the airport, give me a place to stay, take me to the retreat, and bring me back. It sounded like a good opportunity so I went ahead and booked my flights, hoping this would give me time away from local ministry to reflect and become better equipped upon my return.
I flew into San Jose. I was surprised to find out that the size of the airport was almost the equivalent of Portland’s area. I found my exit easily and contacted Dennis, who said he and a student were on their way to pick me up. They pulled up to the curb and Dennis gave me a big hug before putting my bags in the car. Dennis came on board with ISI as a full time staff member shortly before I did. We met at our partnership development training in CO. Dennis has been a pastor for many years but, as he told me later that day, “This is the best job I’ve had.” I had to agree with him 100%.
Once in the car I met Ken. Ken is from Vietnam. He works in San Diego now, and finished his undergraduate in Illinois. For two years, while he was attending DeAnza community college prior to transferring to Illinois, he was very active in their ISF (International Student Fellowship-an ISI run activity). This is where he met Dennis and he was there that weekend for a visit with Dennis and some other friends he knew in the area.
Ken “is family,” Dennis told me later. This is the perfect picture, I thought, of what happens in international student ministry. The students aren’t just students, they become family. To meet a student like Ken who was coming back to visit, made me realize right from the beginning that they have a healthy ministry in the Silicon Valley.
Dennis took the two of us out for lunch. It was decided that “Ramon” would be best so we went to a Japanese noodle place where I learned more about Dennis’s work in the area and Ken’s past history in the States. Dennis works on four college campuses in the area, as well as teaching tennis lessons to students and taking students bowling once a week. Ken compared his experience of the very active ISI international student ministry at DeAnza college to the smaller, more Bible-study focused ISI group he’d been involved with in CA at Deanza. “Perhaps it is because I was more focused on my studies at that time,” he said with regards to why he wasn’t as active in the ISI group in Illinois. Hearing this made me feel better about our group as many of the students, once they become upper classmen, become less involved in the ministry their second or third year of being in the states. Ken also did suggest, however, that the trips (they have one every couple of months and they are already planned out for the year, another good idea I picked up) and many activities they had at Deanza did seem to add a little more fun to the ISF group. I began praying about this... the fact that we needed more people involved to help us plan and organize various bigger trips or activities. A few days later the Lord brought to my mind Chinese Faith Baptist Church and their desire to plan activities once a month for students. We’d followed up with them last fall but since had planned very little in conjunction with the church. I am hoping they will be eager to get involved once again in this manner.
After dinner we made a quick stop at Starbucks. Dennis gave me a quick explanation of the area. Basically, all the towns blur into one in the Silicon Valley. We passed the Apple headquarters and Google on our way to an Asian grocery store where Dennis was to pay for the food students were buying. “I give them money and they cook once a month for ISF. The other two weeks a church provides the food, and the remaining night we do potluck style,” Dennis explained. He told me this was the best night as some of the students were really good cooks. It made me happy to know that we’d already adopted a similar format for our Friday night gatherings, except for when we skip a week to do a game night and only have snacks.
Arriving at the grocery store, Ken recognized the guy from Thailand who was coordinating the cooking and dishes. Ken introduced me to him, and another one of the students introduced herself to me as well. Dennis gave me a quick tour of the store, speaking Mandarin in passing to one of the students after paying for the food they bought. I found out later that he had studied Chinese in Taiwan (although he speaks it with a Cantonese accent since he knew so many persons from HK while there).
In the parking lot, two more girls were waiting. Again, I was introduced as an ISI staff member from OR. (It is different in that the students already know that their Friday night activity is sponsored by ISI. In Newberg we don’t advertise it as an ISI activity so most of our students don’t even know for whom we work.)
We then headed to the church where the night’s international student fellowship (ISF) was to be hosted. It is held in a separate building. “The Student Center.” And the plus of the area is, despite the very small kitchen area, it has a ping-pong table, two large beach volleyball courts, a large grassy area, and several tennis courts. They start around 7, but many students stay until 11pm at night. (Most of our Friday nights in Newberg end within 2-3 hours now because students requested that they be shorter so they could attend other activities, although sometimes we go late into the night.)
Inside of the building I met Norm, the other volunteer/staff member (he has the title of “ministry rep” which means he is a volunteer that can raise funds to support the extra expenses he uses when he works with students) that I met at my PD orientation in Colorado in 2012. Norm is in his 60s or 70s and retired. He is very active in ISF and the lives of international students. His home is a revolving door.
After trying to make myself useful in getting the food ready, I joined Dennis as he lead a Bible study.
The Bible study group reflected the majority of the larger ISF’s make up. Although there are students from any number of countries (China, Vietnam, Thailand, Nepal, etc.), most are from Asia. Only two persons at our table were not, one being from Ethiopia and the other from Costa Rica.
Dennis’s Bible study took a look at bigger issues. Den asked them where, what, when, why, how questions regarding the passage and also explained some about historical background (like how far Jesus walked to Capernaum and how far the royal official had to go back). Jenny, from Costa Rica, asked if the official whose son was healed was a believer before he came to Jesus. Another student mentioned Jesus had superhuman powers. I thought that these were interesting comments. Dennis also asked about what it teaches us about God and people and brought in the idea of what do we do when someone isn’t healed.
In the process of sharing, somehow it came out that the student to my left was from the Wuhan area! He’d never been to Xiaogan but it was fun to visit with someone who know ‘my area’ of China. We visited both in Chinese and English. He was a newer student so his English was more rough than some and it was a pleasure to be able to speak a little Chinese.
Another student came over and introduced himself during our conversation. The new student was from Nepal. I had never met a student from Nepal so it was interesting to talk with him. He’d just returned from Portland where, apparently, there is a large Nepalese refugee community and two churches have already been started there.
For the following hour I visited with several students, but most of the time was spent playing the three different sports available (ping-pong, volleyball, soccer, and Frisbee) until the food was ready.
I sat at a table with an American, two Taiwanese, and a Chinese student. One of the Taiwanese students was a guy who was helping with the worship. He said he’d come to one of the welcome dinners hosted at the church for the international college students (they have four every year and over 300 come to each as there are 3000 students at De Anza college), but hadn’t continued going to the Friday nights until he began learning the guitar from one of the worship leaders and since then has been going consistently. (Dennis said many students do not return after the welcome dinner night, but what a testimony to the power of getting a non-Christian student involved in a way they can serve.)
After dinner Dennis had the 50-60 students in the room head outside to search for Easter eggs. After everyone came back inside he told the story of Easter using the Resurrection egg format. I thought it might have been hard for students to understand but everyone was listening intently (which isn’t always normal Dennis said).
The night closed with talking to many more students, hearing more of their stories, and trying to help a little with the kitchen clean up.
I was then taken away around 10pm so that I could go to the home of the volunteer where I’d be staying the next two nights.
I woke up that morning with the intent of visiting with my host before heading off on a San Francisco trip with Norm and Mai, an ISI intern.
Marion, who is in her 70s, proved to be a wonderful person to visit. She shared some of her story over breakfast, and I was captivated, and blessed to learn of her strong love for the Lord after so many difficult trials.
I was not the first missionary she’d hosted. She had a fridge wall filled with pictures of missionaries who had stayed in her home.
Marion also asked about my background. At one point she asked my last name. Finding out that it matched the name of one of her former pastors she proceeded to tell me his first name. I was shocked! Turns out this very same pastor and his wife now attend the church that my Father pastors in Idaho! She had an old directory which she brought out later to show me, and sure enough, he and his wife are the very same persons who I now am privileged to call close friends. So interesting that the church they once pastored at now supports the blossoming international student ministry in which their current pastors daughter is also actively involved.
I had to break off our conversation, however, and run out the door because Mai and Norm were waiting for me.
Norm took us to the Golden Gate park in San Francisco where we visited the large Science museum (odd there is not one mention of God in such an incredible display of His handiwork) and Japanese gardens. Afterwards Norm took us to an outlook with a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge. He waited in the car while Mai and I walked down the path to explore. Turns out the path, which used to be a cable car trail, was longer than we expected. Neither of us minded walking the distance as it allowed us to talk and get to know one another. Mai became a believer because of the ministry of ISI and she is returning to Japan in July. She worked for a Japanese company but did not continue because she felt she wanted to work for ISI instead. She is not a very talkative person but does ask a lot of good questions and is also a good listener. She and I would be rooming for the next two nights at the ISI conference. (Simon, our regional director, asked if we enjoyed being roommates and said that he put us together intentionally. I was so thankful, I couldn’t have asked for a better person to room with and it was an honor to room with the only international female on staff in my age range.)
Upon our return we sat around at Norm’s home awhile. His daughter came by. They are the only two in their immediate family. Norm’s wife died a few years ago and his daughter now teaches 6th grade in a school nearby. She has a very strong love for the Lord and really cares about those around her. She also speaks some Cantonese and Mandarin as her mother is from southern China.
We waited until Ken, who was staying at Norm’s home that weekend, returned. Then the four of us and Mai went out for Mexican food. After a wonderful time of fellowship over dinner Mai, Ken, and I ended the night by watching the movie “Gravity” in a local discount theater near the college. (Ken paid for the tickets, which was another blessing. I think I wound up spending less than 30 dollars during the five days I was there in CA.)
I awoke Sunday morning and again, had a wonderful visit with Marion for at least an hour. She is one of the key members of the mission committee at church, she helps run their kids club, she cooks for the international student welcome dinner, among other activities. I wondered how she kept her home so immaculate with all that she had to do!
She drove me to their church “Valley Church” in her minivan. I was able to observe a wonderful service, with the children playing hand-bells and traditional hymns about Palm Sunday being sung. (We attended the traditional service as I did not have a preference.) The pastor’s sermon moved me as well.
Afterwards, Marion must have introduced me to at least 10 different people. Some had even heard of George Fox as they had friends or relatives, or knew of missionary children whose family the church supported, that went there. Almost all the people Marion introduced me to were very friendly and I really enjoyed meeting them. I also gathered some resources the church was giving away for free, videos mainly, to take back to Newberg with me.
Yet the favorite part of that morning, was Marion’s Sunday school class. It was made up of men and women, the youngest of which must have been in her 50s, but all were very prayerful, caring, and kind. They asked me to share for a few minutes about what I do and my work with international students and then they took time to pray for each of the prayer requests that had been shared (they prayed for me too) before launching into a mission report and Bible study time.
Marion left me shortly after that and I waited in the courtyard until Dennis came to pick me and the church’s van up. (I had a very interesting conversation with someone during this time, but that is another story).
We drove to Norm’s house and picked him and Mai up before heading to the airport where we picked up another five staff members. One staff member was from Oregon and the only person from the group that I knew, another was located in Japan, another two in Arizona, and a final one, a Nepalese man, who was located in another area of CA. Each staff member had interesting stories to share as we asked each other about our challenges, difficulties, blessings, and how we came to work with ISI. It was immediately apparent to me, that these persons, too (as I’d felt with Norm, Dennis, Mai, and Ken) were family. I don’t know if all Christian organizations are like ISI, but I couldn’t ask for a better fit for me. There are no boundaries, no fears, no pecking order. You just get in a van with a bunch of people from all over the Northwest and you start sharing how God’s been working. I guess loved would be a good word to describe my interactions with the Northwest ISI staff.
As per stories, I was especially interested in Japan Dan’s (there were 3 Dans at the retreat that weekend). He and his wife, after raising their children, had returned to Japan (where he grew up as a child) and have a ministry there to international students as well as to Japanese students who are returning from studying in the US. ISI doesn’t have many overseas staff but Dan and his wife are two of them. I know little about Japanese culture so I was fascinated to learn more about the challenges that face them there. After some time I turned around in my seat and began visiting with the middle aged couple from AR, who had, also, just come on board ISI staff.
We arrived at the retreat center an hour later. In contrast to my previous ISI conference experiences (I’ve been to two, both in the Colorado Springs area), this one was out in the rolling hills of San Juan Bauptista in a retreat center run by Catholic friars. It certainly was the ideal setting and I enjoyed waking up the next two mornings to go for a short run in the fog and talk to God.
That night was a similar experience to the one in the van. We had two different sessions of teaching, but, in between, we had lots of time to talk with other staff and reconnect with ones we’d met previously as well as get acquainted with ones we had never met before. It was thrilling for me to be surrounded by so many people who love the Lord with all their hearts and love international students as well. We had a wonderful night of many, many testimonies of how the Lord has worked in each of our ministries in one way or another. People shared about hosting students, helping students through struggles, seeing students saved, seeing students share with their families back home, and the stories went on and on. I shared how I was now with ISI because my co-worker, Ping-Yi, was led to Christ in Seattle by an ISI ministry and then she in turn started the ministry at GFU, in which I, then, got involved. I also shared the story of another student who recently came to faith on our spring break trip.
We had incredible times of worship throughout the three days we were there. Before retiring that night I, also, got to talk with the worship leader, Tara, who is a missionary herself. We have a mutual connection with Newberg as the Presbyterian church here financially supports her. Our conversation was extremely helpful in helping me hash out some internal struggles I had been having.
The next morning, Monday, the fun continued. The meals provided were also excellent (who thought watermelon and cilantro could go together or that fortune cookies could be translated into Spanish). During lunch I sat with a group of staff who wanted to learn more about the upcoming TRUE LEADERSHIP RETREAT we will be hosting in Salem next year. It is not an openly Christian event although all the student coaches will be Christians. It is our prayer that the conversations that come out of this week next winter will be ones that lead to you know where. I have the privilege of coordinating the prayer team. *(If any of you would like to be on the prayer team for this very important retreat, please let me know!)*
The theme of the retreat was “Making a Lasting Impact.” The day was full of useful sessions regarding connecting with supporters, training volunteers, and reaching out to and discipling students. No one was afraid to ask or answer questions so there was always more information to be had. The night ended with a “Concert of Prayer,” during which we split into groups and prayed for 3-4 specific cities around the world and students we know that came from each.
Several other helpful things came from this day.
For one thing, I was able to speak with Steve Dunn, who leads the ISI ministry in Boise, about sending out support letters and also just touch base with him to see how the ministry is going there. I used to live near Boise so I am particularly interested to hear how things are going there and was delighted to find that they are starting a ministry in Caldwell, which is even closer to my hometown. Perhaps this will give my incredibly supporting home church family, the opportunity to see what I do up close and personal.
Another wonderful gift was that I made a connection with someone who knows Afghan Christians. I am hoping my former student friend from Afghanistan might be able to get connected with a web of Afghan Christians through this contact.
That night many of us stayed up to watch the lunar eclipse. I saw a “Blood Moon” for the first time. It was yet another reminder of God’s creativity, ingenuity and beauty.
I wish I could share more about what I learned and all that I ingested during those three days at the conference but my blog is already too long.
Dennis drove a bunch of us back to the airport in the van. We made a quick stop at N-N-Out and it was helpful to recap with some of the guys about what they learned. One of them, Paul, also from Oregon, said that he felt he’d learned so much and that it was hard to process but the one thing that was most important for him was that he needed to pray more. “Prayer is always the first thing on my schedule to go,” he said. I echoed his comment.
The staff member from Nepal and I didn’t have to leave until later, so after dropping the others off at the airport, the five of us went to see Santa Clara University, where Dennis has recently started reaching out to some international students.
We still had a few hours to kill. Dennis departed to meet his wife for dinner. I, exhausted, curled up on the couch at Norm’s place, and began asking the story of this Nepalese staff member. It was an incredible story, of the faith of a missionary woman who taught him as a high school student and who was his first contact with Christians, to the first underground house church he attended in Nepal where he became a believer, to the missionary he met who raised enough money to send him to the Phillipines for his engineering degree (the missionary was afraid he’d wind up following through with a scholarship he had to continue his studies in Russia and become a communist), to giving away his secular work to go to seminary, to he and his family moving to Malaysia to be mssinries to the Msms, to coming to the US so that his son, who has a bone disease could be treated by Shriners.
The night ended with a conversation with a Nepalese student (the same one I’d met several hours prior) who had come to visit with the Nepalese staff member, meeting a Chinese student (who spoke both Spanish and Chinese fluently after living in Panama most of his life) and another Japanese student, and Mai, and a wonderful drive to the airport.
It was hard to say goodbye to my new friends but I arrived back in Newberg eager to continue the work here that I know God has so clearly placed on my heart. It is wonderful to realize I’m part of a bigger plan and after seeing how they do things in CA I realized, I’m not doing so bad, in fact I have learned a lot more over these last two years than I thought, the most important of which, is that Christ is the center J