Devoting the New Year to Memorization

•February 11, 2021 • Leave a Comment

Greetings everyone! I have been doing a lot of reflection this past year (I’d imagine a lot of us have been using this time during the pandemic to do the same). There are some things that I have come to realize and even come to appreciate during this time. It is not simply enough to read or consume God’s Word, but we should make it part of our heart and mind. The real transformation will come to us when we begin to actively take time to make it part of who we are.

Though I have already come up with a lot of habits, events, priorities that I am trying to make as the new norm in my life, the coming of Lunar New Year has caused me to think about how things are going and some things that I planned, but might not be high priorities. An old missionary friend of mine in Hong Kong once told me that he loved Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) because it gave him another chance to start over the resolutions that he had already planned or broken for his New Year resolutions. While I have been doing fairly well with my new year resolutions, I have done some further reflecting and want to change or modify some things. Today, I want to share some a list of Bible verses and payers that I want to commit to memory in 2021.

I am not sure about you all, but lately, I have not been committing a lot of things to memory. I think I have been relying too much on having access to information 24/7 at my fingertips. I have shamefully become lazy in the memorization of Scripture. With recent events that have taken place both in China and the USA, I am beginning to see a new importance in how we really need to commit these Scriptures to heart. My goal isn’t to be controversial here or bring up political problems, but given recent events in our two countries, it has really alarmed me for the future of the Church.

Though, I have been working on yearly Bible plans for the past 3 years and I have been reading/ studying the Bible more this year than in a long time, but unfortunately I haven’t dedicated time to memorizing Scripture. So I have decided over the next 45+ odd weeks of 2021, I am going to commit to memory a Bible verse(s) or prayer to memory (both in English and Mandarin Chinese) each week. I want to make this an attainable goal and since I will be memorizing these Scriptures/ Prayers in Mandarin Chinese as well, I think committing to one a week is probably a better idea. The translations that I will be using are the English Standard Version ESV and the 新譯本/ Xīn yìběn/ the Chinese New Version (CNVT).

Week 7-
1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV- No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
哥林多前書 10:13- 新譯本- 你們所受的試探，無非是人受得起的；　神是信實的，他必不容許你們受試探過於你們抵受得起的，而且在受試探的時候，必定給你們開一條出路，使你們能忍受得住。
哥林多前书10:13- 新译本- 你们所受的试探，无非是人受得起的；　神是信实的，他必不容许你们受试探过于你们抵受得起的，而且在受试探的时候，必定给你们开一条出路，使你们能忍受得住。

Week 8-
Romans 12:2 ESV- Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
羅馬書 12:2新譯本- 不要模仿這個世代，倒要藉著心意的更新而改變過來，使你們可以察驗出甚麼是　神的旨意，就是察驗出甚麼是美好的、蒙他悅納的和完全的事。
罗马书12:2新译本- 不要模仿这个世代，倒要借着心意的更新而改变过来，使你们可以察验出什么是神的旨意，就是察验出什么是美好的、蒙他悦纳的和完全的事。

Week 9-
John 3:18 ESV- Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
約翰福音 3:18 新译本- 信他的，不被定罪；不信的，罪已經定了，因為他不信　神獨生子的名。
约翰福音 3:18 新译本- 信他的，不被定罪；不信的，罪已经定了，因为他不信　神独生子的名。

Week 10-
Serenity Prayer- God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
寧靜的禱告- 神啊，求你賜給我平靜的心，去接受我無法改變的事；賜給我勇氣去做我能改變的事；賜給我智慧，去分辨兩者的不同。
宁静的祷告- 神啊，求你赐给我平静的心，去接受我无法改变的事；赐给我勇气去做我能改变的事；赐给我智慧，去分辨两者的不同。

Anyway, this is what I have planned for the next couple of weeks. If any of you have a suggestion on some other Scriptures or prayers that I should memorize, please leave me a comment either here on my WordPress, WeChat or Facebook. Be encouraged my friends, God bless。

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Out of Quarantine

•October 23, 2020 • 1 Comment

Well everyone, after arriving to Shenyang China, we had to go into quarantine. Everyone arriving from outside of China needs to go to a government approved hotel for two weeks. 14 days later, we are finally out and on the way to our apartment in Dalian. We are in a rental car heading back. Elizabeth kind of went overboard with wanting to bring back stuff! Haha But God has provided all the way. Thank you all for your prayers, we will miss our family and friends for sure! But God has provided us the ability to visit more often now!

I will say that I am super impressed with how the Chinese are handling the pandemic. When we touched down, the authorities boarded our plan and told us all what we needed to do. We immediately went to check in at the border and afterward we had to take a blood test, a mouth swab and a nose swab. They even sanitized the rooms everyone was in after we were leaving. The same was done at the hotel and we were not allowed to leave the room for the whole time, except to get two more tests completed. Today we have a clean bill of health and we received an official health certificate from the Liaoning government saying we are COVID free and can go back home!

The Chinese authorities boarded the plan before we could go into the airport to tell us what we needed to do.
Them cleaning the airport customs area after we were processed into the country.
Them fogging the whole room.
They even erected a plastic wall to protect the driver from the passengers on our way to the government approved hotel.
They even disinfected our luggage.
PPE for every hotel staff
They even fogged the entrance after we were all checked in.

Posted in Archived

Praise Be to God!

•October 8, 2020 • Leave a Comment
I’ll miss my mom and sister!

Everyone, this will be the final update until we enter quarantine in China. The Lord has done tremendous things these last 48 hours, not to mention the other blessings He has provided for us. Yesterday, we went to Nextcare Urgent Care to complete a Covid-19 test, the Chinese embassy explicitly stated on their website that we needed to complete a RT-PCR test before we leave in order to enter China. When I first went to Nextcare they assured us that this test was the exact test the Chinese government wanted us to get. After receiving the test results, we have found out it was in fact not the test that two of their staff told us it was. I had submitted their results and was denied because it was not a RT-PCR test (which apparently is the only type of test that is accurate for COVID on the market).

Well this caused us to call doctors offices all around town yet again to find the appropriate test. We called dozens of offices and they said they were either fully booked or didn’t have that test. We began to pray and fast for God’s guidance, favor and mercy. I knew God could and would provide because He has already overcome every obstacle for us. Well out of the blue, a few hours later around 4:30pm, a close family friend Rebekah Weins called me with a computer problem! Haha She had no idea about our dilemma and she could sense that something was wrong. I told her our problem and she was able to make some calls and provided a solution! We drove to Apex to get tested with Vero Diagnostics and they helped us tremendously!

We literally received our test results onboard our flight to LA and even God provided our flight to have WIFI on board so that we could take care of getting these test results and email the Chinese Embassy them, so they could give us our last negative COVID clearance form! Even now, I’m writing this blog post thousands of feet in the air, currently about to land to LAX. Now all we need to do is when we land in LAX is find a printer!

We were a little nervous about flying half way across the country without knowing whether or not we would receive our test results and this other document, but as these unfortunate mishaps were happening, it reminded me of a story I read about in the Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson. There was a very similar story were he was praying for God to provide the money for their mortgage for their half way house. He prayed and prayed and God didn’t seem to provide. But eventually around the last hour before this big mortgage payment was due, God sent a older man that felt led to write a check covering the costs. Not knowing their need. This story and our personal experience with our amazing Father gave us the courage to move forward even without these documents! Praise the Lord, we are ever grateful to Him and those He used to help us!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

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