Deepening my relationship with God this Lent

Last Wednesday, February, 18th, was “Ash Wednesday” which marks the beginning of Lent. Lent is “a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means "spring." The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to die for us and our salvation. Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for baptism. Today, Christians focus on their relationship with God, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of themselves for others.” Therefore, in light of this period, I did some self-examination and felt like God was telling me to devote this time to invest in my relationship with him.  I want to be able to experience God’s love during this period more and more deeply than ever.  

During this Lent period, I am working on setting aside adequate time to reflect more upon the sacrifice Christ made for me, His death, as well as the gift He gives me which is eternal life in Him.  There is no way to repay God or to prove myself worthy of such a gift. Although many times I stumble and fall, the Lord can never let go of me.  I am hoping that this will be the time for me to give up excuses and give in to time. Over the last couple weeks, I have felt like I need to live my life more fully as God intended it for it is a gift from Him.  A recent discussion with a close friend of mine about making excuses made me realize that I actually CAN make time for some of the things I want to do whether it is exploring a new hobby, reading a book , volunteering or keeping up with my blog. Most of the times, I am too tired to do anything, I don’t have enough time in a day, or don’t have the energy to engage in or get involved in a certain activity. These are some of the few areas I am seeking the Lord to help me grow in. My prayer is that these 40 days will prepare me not only for Easter but also for the joy of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection.

 ^{Here is a song I have been meditating on :  Draw me close to  by Michael W Smith} 

^{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d_oYr-P16M}

Lunar New Year Hotpot Party

This is my fourth Lunar New Year’s Eve in the States. Without any fireworks and lucky money, inevitable homesick always occur during this period.  When I saw my friends post their picture about having reunion dinner with their family, watching Spring Festival Gala together or visiting Flower Street, I wept aloud. But Holy Spirit fills with my emptiness. With the love of Lord, I can clearly feel He is touching me, comforting me, and hugging me.

New Year Party also eliminates my homesickness.  Last Saturday, one of my Bible Study group leaders Hang hosted a hot pot party. There were up to 30 participants attended. There were both spicy and non-spicy bases for Hot Pot. It reminds me of my family. I also had hot pot together with my family during the Lunar New Year. We had many selections of food for hot pot, such as vegetable, beef slice, shrimp, Chinese mushroom, meat ball, Udon and Lotus Root. Before we had our meal, we gathered together in a circle and thanked God for the food we had tonight. Subsequently, we enjoyed our feast.  

After dinner, one of our leaders Mark shared a short message about Salvation. Then we had a fun time chatting to each other.

Thanks Lord for bringing those amazing leader to my life, which makes me feel at home. Yes! That’s the reason why the name of our Bible Study is called “You home away from home”.

Happy Lunar New Year!

News from Amity - Returnee (Former ISEED Participant)! :)

Hi all, here's a post from Amity. I asked her to send some updates for us :).

I am home!

“Jesus, please give me strength to face the future. No matter what it will be, help me focus on you. I don’t know how to express my feelings, help me to turn all of the sadness into motivation.” I was praying this on the plane.

I asked my family to arrive later. So I was waiting, trying to make sure I landed and I would be back for…forever? Finally I saw my mom, my two brothers, and one of my dad’s assistant. I gave them each of them hug. It was a bit embarrassing since it had been over one year from last time we saw one another. But it was good. The weather welcomed me with breeze and warmth. “I am home!”

The transition

Sadness quickly overwhelmed me. I started missing everything in the States, especially after my mom challenged me not to talk about my belief. I felt alone since my friends were all working. I wanted to go back to the States and get a Master Degree! Why do people act so differently? Can people show some respect? How can I celebrate the good in my own culture?

Thank God I was connected to a believer who is the leader of the returnee fellowship in town before I came home. I couldn’t wait to go to that group. It was a sharing session. We shared our concerns, our thanksgiving, and all kinds of stuff. I felt that I belonged.

I visited three fellowships so far. I was used to the Western style of worship and preaching. I knew that it would be hard for me to accept any kind of fellowship. By God’s grace, I readjusted my expectation and I started to see the good. I am still in the process of searching a fellowship.

Different lifestyle

Life is different. When I was in the States, I liked to cook dinner and invite friends over to eat. My weekend was full. I have IFI’s bible study on Friday night, prayer meeting and home church on Saturday, and Sunday service. I enjoyed leading the small group and serving people in various ways. I enjoyed driving around to do things. Now, I am back. Cooking dinner for friends is replaced by eating out with friends. Driving around is replaced by taking subway and spending an hour trying to get somewhere. God, what do you want me to change? When can I fall in love with the current lifestyle?

Where to go? Now I know!

I was confused about where to go before coming back home. But God is able! Because of family problem, the idea of immigrating to Sydney was withdrawn. I might have a good job opportunity in Shanghai. So it was either Shanghai or Shenzhen. I felt the need to stay in my city because of my family’s unbelief, my friends’ broken life and many others who haven’t heard the good news. Yes, we can share Jesus wherever we go. Going to other city will add the difficulty of adjusting to life and restarting life, which leads to ineffectiveness. I decided to reach out to a Christian organization that I knew of and see if I could get a job there. Wow, God really opened the door. They have a staff who is leaving and they do need people. We are good match for each other. That’s how I decided to stay in Shenzhen!