9 Years Finally Paid Off.

9 years of praying finally paid off. In grade 2 i became a Christian and at this moment i really wanted my Grandpa to become one too. I didn't know how to speak to him about Christianity because he wasn't very fluent in English and i had no clue on how to explain Christianity to him in Cantonese.

All these challenges were to be overcome but in the end he still accepted Christ, not through me but through another source. My parents went to visit him in Hong Kong and he told them that he had accepted Christ the day before they landed. I honestly have no words for this feeling.

It's just simply amazing. I know that God gave me this task to fulfill and it has been done.

9 years of prayer. 1 heart.

God is so almighty and powerful and he's able to change a man's heart. No matter how long it takes for someone to become a Christian in the end, it'll be an awesome moment when you hear the new because it was for me.

Teen's Conference 2012.

9 months of planning finally paid off. Teen's Conference is finally over. It was such an amazing experience to see all these attendees come to Christ and/or rededicate their lives. I learned that God can work through those who don't speak and through those who yell their heads off. The loud and the quiet.

Some of the team members had such amazing testimonies and this taught me not to underestimate anyone because behind that smile could be pain and suffering.
Throughout these past 4 days of constant worshiping and cheering we had a prayer meeting for captains the morning of the last day.

It all started with one person praying then a burst of voices praying aloud. Then one of the mentor coaches began to play his guitar while we were praying and before you knew it, everyone was praying and singing as tears were running down their cheeks. As i heard the sniffles of my co-captain i just bursted out crying. I realized that God is just so magnificent that we don't understand. His love for us is so powerful and amazing that some people are just so blind to it. As we had our arms around each other for a good 30 min of prayer and praise we took a moment of silence to just reflect on how God has worked through our lives throughout the past few days.

He taught me to be patient and understandable. After Junior TC they had an alter call and seeing my whole team stand and walk to the aisles just amazed me. All except one guy. He remained in his seat so i sat beside him and prayed for him. After we all went home he did something that just melted my heart. He told me that he was moved by my testimony that i had shared and he can relate to it because he's going through the same thing. He said that i was such a big impact on him that he's not afraid of his struggles anymore because he knows that they're thrown at him for a reason. Reading his message to me just made me smile. I never realized that i made such a big impact on someone's life (especially cuz he was a really quiet guy).

After hearing this it made me more encouraged to share to others about how God has worked in my life and so, i did during the Sr. TC. I realized that you don't know how much you've impacted someone's life until they tell you about it. I felt like my team didn't bond very well and me and my co-captain were trying so hard to encourage them to be louder and more excited but it didn't work until the second day. On the first day of Sr. i started to burst out crying after worship and one of the attendees came up to me and prayed and she said, "i know that beth and joey are trying so hard God, please just open the eyes and hearts of the ppl of team flush." This line was stuck in my head for the whole night. She knew that we were trying hard.

God works through everyone. Loud or quiet. Tall or short. Happy or sad. Through this amazing experience i realized that one thing. He can do anything.

FLUSH!

Team FLUSH! Day 1 of Teen's Conference.

It went by pretty quickly. Tiring yet worth it. Running around the sanctuary made me realize that it's game time. There's no turning back. We needed to go full out.

I didn't realize how much bonding i had between my coaches and co-captains until the first interaction. So during interactions we just bond with our team and get to know each other. This made me realize that it's time to show God what we have been working on.

There were many team members who were new to TC. I still remember walking to the team room, not knowing anyone and just sitting down by myself. Today, i met many new people. Shared my testimony and made many new friends. There's no 'I' in TEAM. We worked together, got to know each other better, and played games with each other. This team bonding made me so happy. All that work since November is finally paying off.

When we stood in the halls some girls would ask us to do the hallway cheer and this just lit up my face. They're pumped about TC and i was there to teach them the cheers and guide them through everything.

During the Bible studies we had amazing and surprising talks. It was on Hosea 1 and 3 and none of the team members have read Hosea before. So this made me realize that i had to present it in a way that they'll understand it and take it in. So as we executed the Bible study many of the girls kept asking questions and this made me realize that my co-cap and i are doing a good job. They're asking questions because they want to know more.

As we closed off and said our good byes for today they all seemed so happy and excited for a new day tomorrow. At the beginning of the day they were all shy and held their voices back but those 12 hours that were spent with them really made a difference.

God can work through anyone no matter what situation you're in. You just gotta believe and trust in him.

Different.

Have you ever felt different?

There's no one else in the world that is exactly like you. You are you. God made us this way so that we can be unique. Every single person has a different thinking yet we still bond so well together.
I have this friend and we are complete opposites and yet i can call him my brother. I don't know how God does it. It's just amazing. How we can bond with others so easily and glorify Him together.

Being yourself is what God wants us to do. Putting on a 'mask' while you're around something is just ridiculous. I often see people at school who act differently when they're around their friends then when they're around me. They may seem like they don't belong so that's why they act differently but if you think that you have to act like someone else then, those people aren't right for you.

God makes us each differently so live out who you really are.

Transformed.

God has given you a glory that will never fade or go away. You are being transformed into Christ's likeness with ever-increasing glory. God swells in you through Christ- the hope of glory. It's nothing you have done, but something incredible that God has done for you and in you. It's getting caught up in the constant and ongoing thrill of knowing Christ. It's about becoming more like him. There is nothing more glorious than that. God is entrusting you to glorify Christ on earth. To shine with his glory.

Christ's glory can shine through you as you let it, transforming you into his likeness, drawing others to him.

We often are blind to transformations that are happening to ourselves. God works in so many different ways. He's there when we need him the most. I didn't realize that God was transforming until i took a step back and looked at what he has made. He makes life simply amazing. I don't know how he does it but he just does. His works are incredible. I always find that when i stray away he somehow finds a way for me to come back. He's just amazing. His forgiving heart helps us to know that we are transformed.

1 of 10.

Luke 17:11-19

Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy

¹¹ Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

¹⁴ When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

¹⁵ One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Did you know that one of ten people thank God ? Are you part of that one? I find that i do sometimes get so caught up in things that i forget to thank him. When it's time to talk to him, that's when i thank him. It's similar to an alarm. When i wake up from an alarm i usually press the snooze button so that i can sleep longer. Similar to our walk with God, i get so caught up with the many distractions that when the alarm goes off, i just press snooze so it can wait for later.

This snooze button tells God, "Wait this is more important than you" Do you want God to be like that in your life? He is a patient God but he should always be put as your #1. We often forget to thank him or take things for granted. God is an almighty and amazing God. He should be thanked every step of the way.

Look Inside.

God does many amazing things.
Take a fruit for example. Take a look at the outside of it. and once you peel it it's like a whole new world. Like a banana, at first it's green, then yellow, then once it's peeled it's white. When you first saw a banana did you ever expect it to be white inside? To be honest, I didn't. Then we take a taste of it. It's a burst of flavour in your mouth.
We often see what we see on the outside then once we see what's inside it's so much more different.

It's like God. Do you ever wonder what God really is on the inside? Does God seen to be all wrapped up in mystery?
Taste and see that the Lord is good. God invites you to go beyond the cover of the Bible to discover amazing love, amazing history, amazing poetry, amazing stories, amazing drama, and amazing humor. God invites us to peel back the layer of each page and discover how amazing the love of God can me.

Psalm 34:8

Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Take the Bible. Open it. Taste it. See it. Pray.

Challenger.

One attribute of God.

ONE? that's too hard. But it's possible. For TC training we had to think of ONE attribute of God and write a reflection on it.
God's amazing, caring, loving, and just indescribable.

I picked challenger as the ONE attribute. why? The past year was a MISSION! He put me through so much. dislocating my knee 2 times, getting asthma, and a fire alarm before show time (SNA).
What more is there to say. I've never experienced this many challenges in less than 9 months. It was A LOT. I realized that he gave me these challenges because he's amazing. He knows that we can do it. Although we may not think that but in HIS PLAN we can.

We need to have patience and be obedient to Him. He guides us and strengthens us.