5 hours and slowly counting down...

less than 5 hours left before i have to go to church. one last group praise and prayer. one final bag check. one final farewell and thats it. im gone.

how frigging crazy. it hasn't even completely hit me yet that i'll be going on an overseas mission trip. maybe it'll get to me when i first arrive at church tomorrow. maybe on the plane. maybe when i land. maybe even after that when we go through our 2 day orientation trip.

whatever though. when it does hit me, it'll be crazy. these last two weeks have been crazy. waking up at 5am everyday has been crazy. doing body worship at the top of a mountain overlooking the city has been crazy. vbs with a million kids has been crazy. this weather has been crazy. crazy crazy crazy!

and i know that what God has in plan for us in japan is CRAZY. and i can't wait.
to be honest, i go into this trip with no expectations besides the one that God is going to do crazy things. but besides that, i go, offering myself to whatever He may call me to do. May it be passing out tracks under the sun for 6 hours, cook for an entire village, perform body worship in a subway station, get naked at sento, climb mt. fuji, or whatever. Here i am Lord.

The next time i write in here will be a testiment to whatever i will be doing for the next month. as i am gone, i only pray that you will keep me in your prayers. That i may trust in the Lord wherever He will lead me, that i will lean not on my own strength but by the power that goes beyond all understanding, and that i will be a fount of blessing.

sayonara!

Intensive

I was going to write a post about intensive training this last week and how crazy it's been and this and that but i decided not to. because that's not whats important.

"If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness...
...My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
~2 Corinthians 11 and 12

Japan in 8 days. how frikking crazy. i never thought that departure day would come upon me so quickly.
pray pray pray pray

June Gloom

June Gloom casting a shadow on your day?

Here's some light.

beginnings and endings

where does one opportunity start and where does it end?
is it something we just define based on our calendars?
i like to think of it more like the Classic Crime in their album the Silver Chord.
They titled their first track "The End" and their last track "The Beginning."


Although this first year is already coming to an end (i say already because it has gone by faster than i could have ever imagined), i feel like this is but the beginning. Not just in school, my summer, or my walk with God, but in everything. This year has been quite the journey, but it was all prep work. My eyes have finally been opened. I have been given new life. So essentially, this is the beginning. Like when Korean's celebrate a baby's 100th day or "dol" the biggest party isn't essentially day 1. its a little bit after. once you've matured a little bit, gotten your bearings on where you are, who you are, and what you're up against. That was this year.

And now that i'm ready, bring on the world.
This is just the beginning.

"If a simple seed gets just what it needs,
then a redwood tree can grow
up to a hundred feet for the world to see,
and endure the sleet and the snow.

But if my whole life was wrapped and priced,
I wonder what the tag would show"

The Beginning (A Simple Seed)-The Classic Crime

~Calvin

P.S. thank you for all your supportive comments, encouragements, and sharings to my last post
P.P.S. song is now uploaded onto my music blog: http://calvinlovemusic.blogspot.com/

Prayer Request

The Word of God is too beautiful to be selfishly hoarded to just myself, so i am going to share it with one of my closest friends. I am extremely nervous, but i will be bold. I am going to share the Bible with my friend (Cho if you read this, thanks for the idea). Please read what i have wrote to him, and pray for him. There is so much power in prayer. Pray that the Lord will open his heart and mind to the Word, and that he will find encouragement in a place where he really struggles. Pray that He will find purpose in what he does. And lastly, pray for his salvation. His name is Michael.

Dear Michael,

I don’t think I ever had the courage to tell you, but I will try now. Remember back to last year, and I can’t believe it’s been a year already, when you befriended me. Although it might not have seemed like much, your gesture of friendship and openness to accept who I was regardless of what I’ve done or where I’ve been, has really made an impact on my life. If I look back upon this last year and try to pinpoint where I began to open my heart again back to the Lord, I think it was this same time when you befriended me. As crazy as it may sound, you were the reason I was able to find both faith and salvation in Christ Jesus. And since that time, I have been presented with so many opportunities to learn and grow, and I just want to turn it around now, and share with you what you led me to find.

I know that this past year for you has been difficult, away from home and stuck in a place where you don’t want to be. You have had more than your fair share of lows, especially going through a painful breakup. But Michael, I just want to encourage you and say that as much as this past year has been hard for you, rather than just discarding it, remember it, and learn from it. Take it as an opportunity to make changes in your life. Begin by reading this Bible.

This book before you now is full of knowledge, joy, encouragement, and application that you cannot even begin to fathom. There is a reason why even after 2,000 years it is a #1 bestseller! But do not take this as just another book. This book is so precious that it drips with the blood of martyrs and the tears of saints. So I invite you to open the covers and read the very words that Christ spoke and the very instructions that God gives us. This is the answer book to life.

It will be extremely difficult at first to read, and maybe even boring, but fight through that initial stage. Struggle with the Word, and continue reading. And as you read, I will be praying for you. I will pray that your eyes and heart will be opened, and you will be filled with a greater understanding. I will pray that as you begin to read, and learn, that maybe you will come to the understanding that everything in our lives happens for a reason, even Westpoint and breakups.

I know that you hate it back east in your school. I know that you hate the fact that even before my summer begins, yours has to end. I hate it to. I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it is for you over there, but take comfort in this Word, and understand that maybe the reason you have been placed into Westpoint is to make a change in the levels of society that not too many people have the opportunity to reach. Remember that you are at a prestigious place, and use this opportunity to its fullest. Go around your duties diligently, faithfully, and joyfully and be that light of encouragement in a place that is so dark. This world needs more people like you, who have such a love for the people around themselves that they can’t help but be an encouragement. This world needs more people like you, who can take this gift into places like the military, where hope is thin.

And Michael, I know that it is hard in that as much as you passionately love your friends and your family, and you can’t always be with us, take comfort in the fact that there is someone, a greater friend, who is always with you regardless of miles of separation. This person is waiting to be your friend if you just let Him. He’s waiting inside the covers of this book for you to build a relationship with Him. He wants to share a joy that is greater than coming back home for winter break, a peace greater than a quiet midnight drive, and a love greater than any girl can bring. Maybe it was for this very reason that you had to breakup. Maybe this is your opportunity to be less dependent on people to lift you out of your struggles and bring you joy, and be more dependent on this Word and the Lord.

Aren’t you curious now? So go! Read! Satisfy that thirst deep in your soul that you could never seem to quench. And again, read. When you get lonely, read. When you feel tired and depressed, read. Even when you happen to be joyful, read. And know that in all that you do, I will be praying for you my friend, praying that you can find the same joy that you first shared with me. If you ever come across any questions or just want to share something, you know my number. In fact, you should have those digits memorized. Right? I’m just kidding. (714-345-VOTE!!!!). Or maybe I’m not. But regardless, I’ll be here.

Stay strong my friend.

Sincerely,

Calvin

And one more thing, if you have any specific verses that you would like to share that i may include in the letter, or maybe a suggestion of where to start reading from (because Genesis is a beast), please comment!

Thank you everybody!