It Was Just Like Yesterday...

...he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. - Philippians 1:6

As I just mentioned in the last post, we had three mission teams coming to share on campus and help out with our new college ministry in the past two weeks. It had been an amazing experience and such an encouragement for me. One day when I was practicing evangelism with Ivette and Michal (I was pretending to be a typical college student they met on campus), Ivette looked at me and said, "Wow, you're so good at this!" I was shocked at first, because it wasn't too long ago when I was on my first mission trip! Here comes the memory...


My first and only mission trip was back in spring of 2009 (only 3 years ago)! I was so hesitate (and afraid) that I didn't make up my mind until the day before the departure. Now I'm glad, because I never had the luxury of spring break to do that again (as you all know, graduate students are like slaves, we don't have spring break, or fall break, if that matters). I still remember watching Berk going over the Bridge Diagram and being amazed that he could recite so many verses; I still remember how when it was finally my turn, I was too shy to start a conversation and after I finally did, I had no idea how to move it forward; I still remember the "best response" I got (til today) from a non-believer as to how he would explain why God should let him into heaven, "I'm gonna tell Him that I'm a fun person, there can't be a party without me!" And of course I still remember how I "frustrated" the entire host team within 2 sentences: "I don't eat pizza!" and right after that, "Oh no, I hate donuts!" Only until now that I have seen the process of preparing food to feed a whole mission team could I start to appreciate that dinner (pizza and donuts).

It all still felt like yesterday, but now younger people look at me and say, "Wow, you are really good at sharing the gospel with strangers!" Even more, later when Ivette asked me how I could get so much time to serve the Lord when I'm a graduate student, I said, "Well, seek first His kingdom and trust Him to take care of everything else. That's Matthew 6:33, and by the way it was the verse I picked for the dedication page of my Master's thesis." Then to my biggest surprise, Ivette said, "That's my favorite verse, and you are a living example of it for me to follow!" I have never expected that, or anything close to that. Honestly, not long ago I have just stopped saying "Really?!" when someone tells me, "You're such an encouragement to me!" I remember when the first time Barbara said that to me, I said, "Oh yeah, you're so sweet, as usual, but surely you don't mean it - how can I be an encouragement to a pastor's wife?!" Then I heard it from Marion, and the Chipmunk Troop, and more and more people around me. Finally I realized, "Wow, I am being an encouragement to those who are way more mature than me spiritually!" Then I thought, "Sure, God can use a donkey, so what's so surprising that He can also use me to encourage those I look up to?!" But this is probably the first time someone said it in a way that "I want to be like you one day!" (or maybe there were others before, but I just never perceived it that way?) Now someone is looking up to me and thinking, "Wow, I wish one day God would bring me there too!"?!

Then I looked back, I was saved a little over 5 years ago, but if I compare the current me with the 5-year-ago me, I couldn't believe how far God has brought me. Every step along the way, as long as I follow His lead by faith, He again and again delivers me and proves Himself faithful. A close girlfriend of mine, Mrs. Chipmunk, who has watched me every step along the way, wrote on the card that she saw that I am finally "satisfied in Him alone" now. When I read it, I cried. Yes, now I am finally satisfied in Him alone, because He is good and His grace is always sufficient, even in our darkest trials.

Dear brothers and sisters, if you are someone who wishes to be like me some day, rest assured - for he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus!