Fat Rat

That's one FAT rat.

Heard something shuffling nearby and saw 2 rats having the time of their lives in that trash bag.

One ran away, but that one was still busy eating away.

I've never seen such a BIG and FAT rat before.

SICK!

(But apparently rats here are fat because so many people just leave their trash out like that.)

I'm okay with bugs like spiders and cockroaches.... but not rodents.

I had to zoom in from afar to get a capture of that rat.

Heard Missionary Chris is having issues with rats IN his house.

-____- I think I would die if I saw one of those things running around in my house.

"God? No rats please! Thank you~"

Two Dinners

1. dê (goat) . grilled goat meat

I've tried black goat meat before, but not just regular goat. I thought it would be the same thing, but it tastes different. It's alright. You don't get that clean, good, satisfied feeling after eating it though. 

I don't think I would choose to eat it again.

Apparently that's supposed to feed two people. Uh... CLEARLY not enough.

So instead of ordering more, we just went to another restaurant.

2. Bánh Xèo . Vietnamese pancake / 부침개

Good stuff.

I would DEFINITELY go eat that again :)

Reality Check

It was a tough Sunday.

To be honest, every Sunday is tough, but it was especially tough today.

--

Today marks our ONE YEAR of GCC Internship.

By God's grace, we were given the opportunity to serve as interns, 

and in His hands, we have made it this far. 

I was looking through my internship notebook and came upon this -

3 Stages of Ministry:

1. Honeymoon

2. Testing

3. Adjustment 

Eight months of training, and then God picked me up and dropped me off in Vietnam.

I'm not literally at a local church, but I guess you can say that I'm at a local church IN Vietnam.

It's not easy.

No, it's actually tough. 

I'm frustrated. (Aka.. a sign of Stage 2)

But! There's no giving up.

I can mentally give up for a couple seconds, even minutes, but then I gotta come back to my senses.  

Why? Because this is "MY CALLING."

GCC Interns, "FIGHTING!"

Term 1 Interns
January 2012 - (present)

Leading Pastors, 2 faithful servants of God:
Pastor David Yoon & Hyunsoo Lee

Term 1 and 2 (missing term 3)
MISS YOU ALL, GCC INTERNS <3

More Than Enough

All of You is more than enough for all of me

For every thirst and every need

You satisfy me with Your love

And all I have have in You is more than enough

-- 

"God, You are more than enough.

하나님 한분만으로 충분합니다."

This is my prayer..

that I can be able to say these very words with my whole and sincere heart.

Zentel

Took this today!

It's an anti worm medicine for humans.

I guess I'm supposed to take this every 6 months?

But by then, it'll almost be time for me to go back home! :)

This medicine was 20,000VND ($1.00)

I was quite surprised, cus I thought it would cost at me at least $5.00 or something.

America...... everything's so expensive. 

After life in Vietnam, I'm gonna have a hard time getting used to high prices and paying tax and tip.

Vietnam... cheap things, low prices, no tax, no tip. Gotta enjoy it while I can :D

Adrenaline Rush

I SHARED THE GOSPEL TODAY!

Two white guys walked into Donut's Donuts. They were at the cash register ordering, but my employees were having trouble understanding, so I got up and helped them. I don't think they realized that I work at the store because they seemed extremely thankful that I would just come and help.

The two of them sat down, two tables behind me, and ate their donuts and smoothies. One guy walked out of the store and was gone for about 10 minutes or so. After a while, the other guy came up to me and politely asked if he could take a seat next to me. I said, "Sure!"

His name is Chris. 

Chris asked me where I was from, because he had noticed I can speak English very well. I told him I was from America, and He told me He's from England. He started asking me a bunch of questions, starting with why I came to Vietnam. I told him I was a missionary, and that led us into the topic of religion. The conversation just naturally flowed into the topic of religion and Christianity. (God was working.)

I asked him if he had a religion, and he shared that he's not Atheist or anything, but doesn't have a religion. He kept telling me how he wasn't brought up in a Christian family, didn't go to a Christian school, wasn't raised in a Christian environment, etc etc. It's interesting how he was bringing up all these things!

He looked at my Bible and asked me what I was reading. I told him I was reading the Bible, and he said he had thought so.. that he saw it earlier and thought it was the Bible. (Praise God I was reading the Bible at the moment!) 

I asked him if he knows anything about Christianity, and he said, "Not really." So I asked him if he can give me some time to share a story. He said, "Sure! All I've got is time." Thank God I had a my Wordless Book with me! I brought it out and started to share with him. 

BUT THEN! Hhhhh.... his friend came back and said, "Let's go." Chris kind of looked startled and disappointed. The friend said that he caught a taxi. Chris said, "You caught a taxi? You caught a taxi........." I silently said, "You can let the taxi go~" but maybe I was a bit too silent. I was afraid that Chris would just get up and leave before I even got to the best part of the story - Jesus. But PRAISE GOD he didn't. He told his friend to give him a minute. I looked at him and said, "One minute?" and Chris kindly responded, "Two minutes."

Two minutes. All I've got was two minutes. I grabbed my Bible, turned to John 3:16, and told Chris to read it. I talked as fast as I can and even drew a diagram of the "One Verse Evangelism" I learned back at GCC.

Chris gave me his email and left. It's sad that I only had a few minutes to share with him, but I thank God that He even gave me that kind of opportunity. I think I did all that I can in those couple minutes I had with him. I threw the seeds, and I pray that those seeds landed on good soil. 

--

I'm not free to share my beliefs here.. at least not to Vietnamese people. 

I preach to and teach Korean students, but haven't yet had a chance to share the gospel with a complete stranger, nor an opportunity to speak freely in English.

It felt VERY nice to preach Jesus in English.

ADRENALINE RUSH.

It was definitely an "adrenaline rush" moment. The same kind of heart-pounding experience I had during last year's Vietnam summer missions. 

I feel ALIVE :)

Texas Chicken

Had an American style feast today :)

So this place is called Texas Chicken.

The logo looks just like Church's Chicken, so I thought it was just some ghetto copy of it.

I got curious, so I looked it up on Google.

"Church's Chicken is a US-based chain of fast food restaurants specializing in fried chicken, also trading outside North America as Texas Chicken." (Wikipedia)

THAT's why it looks the same!

THAT's why it's so delicious! :)

Ate like a fatty American today - fried chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, fries, biscuits, coca-cola

THEN ended the night with a Mango Smoothie from a Vietnamese stand..

YUMMMMMMMM :D

Sick Bug

I was at the market buying some milk, and a big black bug flew towards my face.

I shoo-ed it away with my hand, and it went out of sight.

I bought my milk and was walking home, and I felt something itchy in my shirt.

But when I reached to scratch it, it was itchy somewhere else!

My chest was itchy so I reached to itch my chest, and I got a hold of something.

THE BUG FLEW INTO MY SHIRT!

I can't believe I walked all the way home with that bug in my shirt.

I found it right when I got in front of the door to my house.

I freaked out but managed to grab it with my shirt and flung it out.

So sick. 

I can't believe that bug was flying around inside my shirt.

Crown of Life

Someone shared this verse with me the other day:

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."

- James 1:12 -

Steadfast:

1. fixed in direction; steadily directed

2. firm in purpose, resolution, faith, attachment

3. unwavering

4. firmly established

5. firmly fixed in place or position 

Crown:

(so many definitions....)

4. the distinction that comes from a great achievement

5. the power or dominion of a sovereign

So....

1. Be firm under all situations & circumstances 

2. God promises the "crown of life" to those He loves

3. God loves me.

4. The "crown" is given to distinguish those with a great achievement - those that remained steadfast under trials & tests

5. Therefore, I will receive the crown of life IF I stand firm at all times, BECAUSE God loves me.

Crown of life.... sounds cool. Sounds appealing. However, doesn't seem easy to obtain. 

Mini Flood

APT 5th floor

Had a mini flood in our apartment today.

Does that floor look super shiny and clean? That's water. An inch of water.

Walked into our apartment complex and pushed the button for the elevator. The elevator was coming down, but I heard the sound of water dripping in the elevator. The elevator door opened, and it was showering inside! I let it go, and waited for the other elevator to come. The elevator opened, and whatdayaknow.. that one's showering inside as well!

Decided to take the stairs.

As I was walking up the stairs, I heard water dripping from the staircase as well. Arrived at the 5th floor and stepped out of the stairway room into a pool of water. 

One of the houses on our floor had a pipe issue. The whole floor was covered with an inch of water, and the water was seeping into the elevator crack, which is why the elevator was showering. 

THANK GOD there's about a 2 inch step into my house, so the water didn't come inside.

Chaos. Pure chaos.

Never experienced such a thing before. 

Phew.... I guess there's a first to everything?

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Killed about 5 spiders yesterday.

1. Donut's Donuts - I was getting up to get some water and saw something crawling from the corner of my eye. There was a spider on the couch about a foot away from where I was sitting. Quickly grabbed a napkin and killed it.

2. Living Room - I was sweeping the floor with a broom and saw about 3-4 spiders, the really thin ones that almost look like dust. Kinda lazy to grab tissue so I just smashed it with my hand.

3. Bed - I was lying on my stomach reading, and suddenly I felt something tickling my leg. I turned my head and saw a thick black spider crawling on my bare leg. I moved my leg and the spider jumped onto my bed. Knew I didn't have time to waste because I didn't want to lose sight of that spider crawling around on my bed.... so I just killed it with my hand.

It was my first time actually experiencing a spider crawling ON my body.

I think it's really true that we eat spider in our sleep.

GG

Dead Centipede

Saw a Centipede for the first time today.

I spotted a long worm-like thing with a million legs crawling around at Donut's Donuts.

To be honest, I freaked out.

It's so disgusting.

I hesitated and before I knew it, it disappeared.

Okay.. it's definitely more freaky when you know a bug is crawling around near you but it's out of sight. 

I kept looking near my table to find it, but it wouldn't come out!

Then it came out and disappeared again.

Stupid centipede was playing games with me!

I finally got a good view of it in an open area, so I grabbed a broom and started sweeping it around. 

My employee came with another broom, took the hard end of it, and started smacking it.

The centipede got flipped over and its butt got sliced off.

I brought a napkin to pick it up and throw it away, but it was still moving!!!

So I kindly placed the napkin over it, stepped on it, and got rid of it.

Battle with a centipede.

I win.

Good Game.

Mangosteen

Durian is the "King of Fruits" 

and Mangosteen is the "Queen of Fruits".

This is the fruit that we alllll enjoy eating when we come on summer missions.

However, it's not in season in the summer, so it's a bit expensive and not as tasty.

Apparently Mangosteen is really good for women. Way better than pomegranate. 

I gotta eat a lot while I can!

Vietnamese men and women bring a load of fruits on their moto and stay posted all day in our neighborhood.

Most fruits are 100,000VND for 5kg ($5.00 for 5kg).

It's way cheaper than buying fruits at a regular store, but I haven't bought any from them yet because 5kg is too much for me to eat alone.

But thank God I have these opportunities to eat it Pastor Kim and SMN. 

They buy 5kg and bring it to Donut's Donuts and we sit and eat all we want. Yum :)

Introducing: Smallgroup Boys

Bethel Youth . Smallgroup

These are my Junior High School smallgroup boys :)

I have 2 more, but one's in Korea and one's... mia.

They wanted to go eat, so I took them out to dinner. 

Korean chicken. Yummm :)

It's my first time having a Junior High smallgroup. 

Not quite sure how to relate to them, especially cus they're boys, but I love their innocence. 

Sungjoon (blue shirt): Rides his bike to church, but still never late. Always makes it to service right on the dot. Quiet, but still talks.

Jungheum (green shirt): In charge of PPT for Youth Service. Talkative. Only kid that I remember from when I visited Bethel during 2011 summer missions (too bad he doesn't remember me... QQ)

Jaeuk (striped shirt): Plays the keys for our praise team. Quiet. Doesn't talk much. Both his parents serve in the Youth Ministry.

Adieu 2012

2012 Bible Verse

"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. 

And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith." 

- 1 John 5:4 -

Faith. My faith has yet to grow, but by God's grace, I had some kind of faith that allowed me to drop everything and (temporarily) move to the land of Vietnam. Unfortunately, there's no bible verse picking here, so I guess I'll go another year with this verse. Gotta proclaim victory and overcome the world :)

Ending the year and starting the year off in a foreign country. Strange feeling, but brand new experience! Gotta enjoy it while I can~

Goodbye 2012,

Hello 2013 :)

New Year's Service

First time in... 14 years(?) not counting down at GCC.

Missed family and friends more than ever.

The one thing that kept me smiling...

good food :)

Service started at 11:30PM and ended around 12:30AM.

After service, the assistant pastors prayed for each family. 

Filled out the prayer request form and sat towards the front so I can get prayed for and bounce.

Haven't gotten New Year's prayer of blessing since my senior year of high school!

(Even that.. I remember waiting for our turn til like 4 in the morning or something..)

I guess this is the advantage of a small church :)

Got home a little past 1:00AM and knocked out around 2:00AM.

(I think it's the latest I've ever slept in Vietnam. DAEBAK.)