The Engagement Story

After 15 months of dating, it's official!!  We are now engaged!! 

Right after April said "Yes"

The plan for the day was to go to Rivendell Retreat Center to have a day retreat. However we had two close calls where our plans could have fallen through. #1 Snowfall warning...in Vancouver! We were afraid the ferries would cancel and the roads being too slippery to drive on. #2 April got really sick in the morning.

When we woke up at 6:30am in the morning, we checked the road conditions and were amazed that it was all clear; and though some ferries were cancelled, ours was not. So despite April being sick, we still proceeded with the plan. Besides, April was wondering in the back of her mind if this trip had "ulterior motives" 

Look at all the snow! (Bowen Island)

After our ferry ride and some driving, thank God we arrived safely, just before the snow covered the hill leading up to the retreat center. There was so much snow!!! We really thought we might have to push our car up the hill!

We spent the first half of the day resting and having our own personal retreat.

Rivendell common room. So serene

When the afternoon came, April was feeling much better (thanks to Advil) and Justin was much more rested.

Here is where it happened! 

The purpose of the afternoon was to come together and pray as a couple. During our prayer time, we reflected on different stages of our relationship. At each stage, we paused and came to reflect on how God has been active in it. There was a sense of appreciation and thankfulness for God and each other as we saw how God shaped us through our relationship. 

Throughout this prayer of appreciation, Justin was looking for the right pause/moment to "pop the question." April, during these pauses was also wondering, "Is it going to happen now?"

After many different pauses, it was time and Justin got down on one knee and asked April to marry him.  Of course, April said "Yes" with teary eyes.  Then Justin brought out a beautiful engagement ring and placed it on her ring finger.

We then went off into the town for a time of celebration.

Artisan Square

The Cafe where we called our parents and shared the great news!

Hot Chocolate, Spicy Chocolate, Chocolate Truffles... Oh My!!

The wonderful view walking back

Dinner at the fancy restaurant, Tuscany, specializing in wood oven baked pizza.

Mmm... Pasta & Pizza... *drool*

Justin thoroughly satisfied

April thoroughly satisfied

We are both thoroughly satisfied

Thank you everyone for all of your prayers and support for both of us.

WE HAVE A TEAM!!!

4 out of the 7 that are going to Urbana

Urbana

Since InterVarsity started the Urbana Student Missions Conference in 1946, it has impacted over 250,000 people to devote their lives to God’s global mission. Urbana 12’s mission is to compel this generation to give their whole lives for God’s global mission. Participants are challenged by leaders of the church, are able to speak with hundreds of missions organizations, get to attend an amazing selection of seminars and tracks, and study the Bible inductively with other students listening for God’s call on their lives.

The University of Waterloo Korean Christian Fellowship was a fairly large community of around 40.  However, there was a serious concern because only 8 of those 40 were studying scripture.  It was difficult to get students to come out to small group bible studies.  Then Urbana 09 came around and there was a lot of excitement in the KCF community.  Around 20 students decided to go together to explore what God's Global Mission could look like.  What they didn't know was that after Urbana 09, all 20 of them received the call to start and lead their own small groups in their own campuses.
At the beginning of the year,  the Waterloo KCF Community had one small group of eight students studying scripture.  At the end of the second semester (after Urbana 09), they had eight small groups totaling 52 (not including the 20 leaders) studying scripture!!  Students were becoming Christians in this community and making lasting impacts on their campus and on.  

This was three years ago, so what does this have to do with SFU?  For two and a half years, Barron and I have been developing a community of missional leaders at SFU.  We have indeed seen some extraordinary leaders but what good is one student?  Aren't we far more effective as team?  Well, the exciting news is that we have a team of students from SFU going to Urbana 12.  Seven to be exact have registered for the Canadian Students Leadership Track, which means that seven will be engaging in God's mission together as a community!  This is a huge milestone that we will remember for the years to come.  We will look back at this 5, 10, 20 years down the road and see this as the start of the building of the strong sustainable community at SFU.   

As you can tell, I am extremely excited about this and the possibilities that could come from it.  God has really blessed IVCF SFU abundantly the finances of our students and provided with more than enough for everyone!  Please join with me in praying for our 7 student leaders going to Urbana.

Our team sharing the vision with churches

The Abundance of God

Abundance, I have been witnessing time and time again that the ministry that I am doing is not growing because of me but because it is a gift from God.

Energy!!! Like the Energizer Bunny
My energy levels, for those who didn't know, were VERY low ever since I moved to Vancouver.  It was sometimes really tough to do even simpler tasks and there were times where my Tourettes prevented me from being fully present.  However, as soon as this school year started, I had a huge influx of energy.  To put this into comparison, it's more energy than when I was doing 10 hrs/week of Judo.  Now none of this is going to waste, God has abundantly blessed me with 6 students to mentor and charged me with the task of pioneering both the Surrey ministry and the Next Generation ministry.  He has given me an amazing partner in ministry (Barron), an amazing Van East Team to be a part of and an equally amazing Lower Mainland BC Team.

Pray Bigger!  Pray Bolder!!
I mentioned this in my previous post but it's in regards to the SFU Team going to Urbana.  I remember both Barron and I waiting and praying to God that He would give us 4 students to go to Urbana.  Well, we had a small amount of students in our community that could go (10 to be exact), so we held an Urbana Info Night for these students.  We pitched the vision and extended an invitation out to our students to come to Urbana as a team.  To our surprise, 8 of them said "Yes!" to going together as a team.  I found myself witnessing this and repenting of my unbelief to God.  I have to believe that this is what God wants because clearly, things are panning out in ways I never expected they would be.  So next time, I'm not going to doubt God's power and authority.  I'm going to be praying bigger and bolder than ever before of God's desire to see His Kingdom come to the SFU Campus.

Community (Not quite like the show, but it's awesome regardless!)
I have been praying to God to provide me with a community (outside of IVCF) that could keep me accountable and that we could grow together.  He has indeed provided that in... well abundance...  My church has become a significant community that I know I could go to and also this other ministry called Bible Study Fellowship (BSF).  There I have met other Young Adults that have the same heart and passion as I do for University students and also the Asian Church.

New Exciting Opportunities

Opportunities this year seem endless.  Allow me to share with you a few opportunities that have come my way.

Vancouver Urban Partnership (VUP)
If you remember from the summer, I participated in VUP where a group of us lived in the poorest postal code in all of Canada for the month of May, the Vancouver Downtown Eastside (DTES).  Well, I have been asked to direct this upcoming VUP in 2013.  This is indeed very exciting and terrifying at the same time.  I am certain that this is the next stage of growth of me becoming a "good" leader.  It is still a bit terrifying and daunting but all the more reason to be praying without ceasing.


Intecessory Prayer Team - Urbana
What is Intercession?  “prayer offered on behalf of another”  (Eastman 1980, p.75)
a) A responsibility of every Christian (1 Timothy 2:1-4, Ephesians 6:18)
b) A spiritual gift that you may ask God for (1 Corinthians 14:1, Colossians 4:12-13)
“The gift of intercession is the special ability that God gives certain members of the body of Christ to pray for extended periods of time on a regular basis and see frequent and specific answers to their prayers” – Wagner Houts Questionnaire 1978

I have been able to experience exceptional prayer training over this past year.  It has literally changed the way I see life and has drastically increased my own personal faith and relationship with God.  This upcoming Urbana, my role as an intercessor is that I will be praying for 6-9 hours (2-3 three hour chunks).  It is daunting but I am excited to be a part of this prayer team and be a part praying Kingdom prayer for Urbana.

Next Generation Dialogue
Towards the beginning of the year, I was able to participate in a Next Generation Discussion to talk about some of the issues happening in Asian churches with the Next Generation (Asian born Canadians).  Ted Ng, who is heading this up mentioned that there will be a Dialogue set up by Asian and Multicultural Ministries in Canada (AMMIC).  It's a dialogue between three 1st Generation Chinese Senior Pastors and three 2nd Generation Chinese English Pastors.  I have the honor and privilege of being one of the three 2nd Gen representatives in this discussion.

Upcoming Events & Prayer Requests

Upcoming Events

• IVCF SFU Christmas Party  - December 3
• Next Gen Dialogue - December 14
• Personal Retreat - December 19 - 21
• Urbana!!!! - December 27-31
• Student Leadership Camp - January 4-6
• Urban Dip - Jan 26

Praise Items

• For the abundance of financial resources to send our students to Urbana.
• For an abundance of financial blessings with my own funding.  God allowing me to be 80% funded.
• For our 7 students going to Urbana. 

Prayer Requests

• Pray for the Next Gen Small Group & Surrey Small Group that it will continue to grow and the students in it will be blessed abundantly.
• Pray for our Wednesday Leaders Group that our students going to Urbana will be able to come regularly before Urbana starts.  We will be focusing on preparing for Urbana and giving providing our students with Intercessory Prayer Training.
• For the SFU Team.  That together the SFU students going will begin to work as a team and receive a shared vision for the SFU Campus.
• That their experience will not just end with Urbana, but will be the beginning of something greater.
• Pray for my growth as a leader as I lead and direct this Vancouver Urban Partnership.
• Pray for me as I continue to network and connect with other Chinese Churches in the Lower Mainland.
• Pray for the Next Generation Dialogue between 1st and 2nd Generation Chinese Pastors.  I will be one of the three representing the 2nd Generation Chinese Born Canadian.  
• Pray for mine & April's relationship as we have finished our pre-engagement counseling classes and discerning the next step.
• Pray for my funding as I am sitting at around 80% of monthly's.  Pray that I will be fully funded by the end of this year.

Hi! My name is Christina!

What is your name? What are you studying?
My name is Christina Ma and I am currently studying Economics at SFU.

How long have you been studying at SFU?
This is my first year.

What is your experience with the culture of SFU?
SFU’s motto is “engaging the world”, and so they are a very accepting and open group. On campus, there are groups of every kind – pro-life, pro-choice and pro legalization of marijuana, prostitution, you name it! As with any academic environment, SFU teems with the pride of knowledge. There is always something to debate about. At the same time, my experience with the professors has been very positive. I feel as though the professors are even more avid learners than the students themselves.

What are some of the difficulties and challenges of being a Christian on the SFU Campus?
Evidently, my stand as pro-life for abortions has been challenged multiple times, even though I have only been on campus for 1 month. Christian values and biblical foundations are what I seek to uphold at all times. My integrity relies on careful consideration – whether it be being graceful during debate, or going to a 3 day art camp and not participating in illegal drinking or hateful bashing of other people. Throughout it all, I pray that I am diligent, and that I represent the love of Christ in my actions.

How has God been shaping and changing your identity and views on mission since joining IVCF?
My identity has been challenged in every single way. SFU has been a time of growth (even though it has only been 1 month! But a lot can happen within 4 weeks!). I have been challenged internally in unprecedented ways. Constantly, I am battling with who I am, who I am meant to be and how my past and heritage has affected who I am today. At IVCF, I joined a small group called Next Generation where we have been trying to balance Chinese values (including our relationships with our parents) to that of God’s character (like God the father in the prodigal son). I am trying to form healthy and positive boundaries in all areas of my life. Needless to say, I have felt the need to re-evaluate, re-organize, and re-prioritize my life in a way that reflects God’s glory and his ultimate plan for me.

What do you hope to see change in your friends and the SFU Campus?
I hope to defend Christ in a way that honors and reflects his affectionate nature. I am standing firm on his love which motivates me to be passionate in what I study and in who I meet. I hope for breakthrough in our campus, so that SFU, a UniverCITY literally on a hill, will be a beacon of light to all other universities. I pray that preconceived misconceptions of Christianity will disintegrate and I pray that Jesus will not be associated with the horrors of colonialism or Western imposition. Rather, I hope that God will be perceived as the righteous judge, healer and provider. All in all, I am excited to see tangible justice come into our school.

How can we pray for you and your ministry?
Pray for newfound hunger to be released into our school. Pray also for our discernment- that we may be bold enough to make a case for Christ, yet humble and sensitive enough to invite others to accept Jesus into their hearts without confusing them. Thank you for sacrificing your time and energy to read this letter. I hope that you will keep the cause of SFU in your hearts and appreciate our earnest yearning for breakthrough in our school.

Hi! My name is Anika!

What is your name?  What are you studying?
Anika Barlow, International Development

How long have you been studying at SFU?
2.25 semesters :)

What is your experience with the culture of SFU?
Despite our motto, 'Engaging the World', it seems like SFU students have trouble even engaging their fellow students. In terms of what I was expecting to find at university, there is a lot less openness and desire to learn from each other. I'd love to see that change.

What are some of the difficulties and challenges of being a Christian on the SFU Campus?
Of course professors and classmates are rarely sympathetic to Christianity, but one of the hardest parts for me has been finding opportunities for conversation. When questions about God have come up in conversation it's been great, but I wish it happened more often. I have also found real joy in following Christ on the SFU campus. Being in a challenging place for me has always gone hand in hand with coming to know God much closer so in that sense I am very thankful for the ways I continue to be challenged. 

How has God been shaping and changing your identity and views on mission since joining IVCF?
Before getting involved with IVCF I felt missions was part of my future but now I'm starting to see it more and more in the present. I need to be reminded often that the here and now matters and is just as much a part of my life as the plans I have for the future.

What do you hope to see change in your friends and the SFU Campus?
I find myself most often hoping that people would have hope itself (and Himself!). The kind of hope that I want to see in people would mean not only fearlessly looking at the future, but joyfully living now.

How can we pray for you and your ministry?
Thanks for asking :) Pray for a right perspective, the ability to have a soft heart in a hard place, the self-discipline to make time to rest and be renewed by God.