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What a wonderful trip!
It’s been a week since our last Haiti trip, and the team’s hearts are still left in Carrafour with Grace International.
For a complete gallery to our photos, click on the photo below!
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The trip was a huge success, and many lives in Haiti were blessed by the people in the States who donated both items and funds generously!
See the video below to see exactly how your donations made a difference in their lives.
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Thank you again for all who supported our team and the children in Haiti!
NOTE: We lost Internet access the other night and weren’t able to update the blog until we got on the plane ride home. We are all fine, tired, but incredibly blessed by the trip we were fortunate enough to experience. Here’s what happened yesterday and today!
Day 4
It’s our last day! And it was a busy one~
We got up at the rooster’s crow and had a delicious breakfast before splitting up into three groups. The first group (Tamia, Jennifer and I) headed off to help the wonderful ladies of the Lord’s Kitchen…
The second group (Peter, Angel and Ronald) went to wheel-barrow supplies back and forth from the office to furnace disposal area…
And the third (Corinne and Sandy) went to serve at the medical clinic.
Everyone had a blast serving: it was hard but rewarding work. The Lord’s Kitchen crew started by cleaning every pot, pan, and utensil in the kitchen. After everything was prepared, we peeled, chopped, and prepared vegetables and got ready to serve heaping servings of homemade spaghetti. The kitchen “mothers” prayed over the meals they made, made us laugh and were nothing short of fantastic. Today, the Kitchen was geared to feed the sponsored children of Grace International (and the rest of the week was paid for and dedicated to feed the rest of the children in the neighboring villages).
Meanwhile, in the Clinic, Sandy and Corinne performed routine check-ups on local families, and helped children battling fevers and sicknesses. After the line of people from the Clinic were all served, they moved on to organize, update, and restock the Pharmacy with all of the donated medical supplies that were sent with our team.
And finally, the men were sent to perform some hard labor out in the field. They wheel-barrowed boxes of supplies in the sweltering heat, to safely dispose of potentially hazardous materials. By the end of the session, they had soaked through their clothes with sweat and dust, but they finished what they started and did amazing work.
After lunch, it was time for the Lord’s Kitchen. Some of us focused on giving away the rest of the donated Crocs to the students and the staff’s children while others entertained and got to know the children that came through the gates.
We began to run low on food as the last 50 children arrived, and the women who work the Kitchen put in their own food (which they were saving for their children/families) to make sure that everyone got fed. When we saw their sacrifice, the team pooled together funds and gifted what we had in our pockets for each of the 5 mothers, in thanks for what they did.
The children were bright, grateful, and full of potential and it was a blessing to serve them.
After we washed up, we jumped onto an open truck and held on for dear life as we whizzed through the streets of Haiti to visit Grace International’s new Grace Village. When we arrived, we were greeted by a swarm of children, who grabbed our hands, climbed onto our backs, and proudly escorted us through their neighborhood.
Grace Village is a rural campus that Bishop Jeune purchased in an effort to relocate and better families that used to live in the tent communities at Grace International’s medical campus.
These 70+ families are hand picked to live there. They have jobs, families, and are taught how to build the houses they live in. As we toured the campus, residents proudly showed off the humble homes they lived in, and we were humbled by their hospitality and bright demeanors. At first glance, all we saw were tiny, over-heated homes, with very few belongings…but when we saw their joy at having their own place to call home, we felt at home as well.
After the tour, we were given the opportunity to play with the children and hand out the hundreds of candies we brought with us. Children were overjoyed, but desperate to collect as many as possible, and many of the members were overwhelmed by the helplessness they felt at what they saw. The children had tattered clothes, most were shoeless, but all were full of love and joy. It broke our hearts.
As we boarded our truck to head on back, the children asked if we could take them with us…and that’s when several of our team members broke down. We quickly drove away, and the feelings that welled up in the hearts of the team burst. On our way home, tears were shed, people were heartbroken, and when we got back to the campus, we had a serious discussion on what we just saw.
The sadness we felt was righteous sadness. The poverty that we saw broke our hearts because it broke God’s heart. The anger we felt was righteous anger because children SHOULD NOT STARVE.
It was a painful but eye-opening experience for everybody, and we are all better for it.
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Day 5:
Before we left the campus, we had the opportunity to visit the schools at Grace International and give a little speech to the children. Bishop and Madame Jeune prayed over us and we were on the road home!
The ride to the airport was certainly bittersweet. Everyone left with a child on their heart and a mission in their spirit. Several of our members were even able to sponsor a child that they met. What a blessing it was to leave our hearts in Haiti!
Thank you to all that prayed and financially supported us! We can’t wait to organize the videos and photos we took and post them for all to see~
Love your faces. Bon nwit!
As you know, I have a strange imagination…
Lately, I’ve been packing my lunch 4 times a week to improve my diet, save money, and be more concious about the kinds of foods I eat.
Anywhoo, as I ate an apple the other day, the most random question crossed my mind…
Long story short, no mercy. Lol. Apples are delicious.
Umm…yeah. There’s absolutely no point to this post. Just felt like sharing the random thoughts of my mind.
Speaking of random…I was tickled to see one of my favorite Korean singer/rappers make it viral online. Oppah Gangnam Style! Go Psy! Korea Fighting!
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(For thos of you who want a translation of what the video is about, click HERE.)
Have a wonderful weekend!
Another month, another exam to study for!
Which is fine and dandy for most people…except I’m not like most people.
Despite the whole Asian student stereotype, I am terrible at studying due to a combination of procrastination, being incredibly busy, and having an overly distracted personality.
My sister was watching me “study” one day and she told me that I reminded her of a particular Spongebob episode. This is what she saw, and I can’t say I blame her for making the comparison:
And my next exam is this upcoming Saturday! Oh nooo!!!
^_^
In all seriousness, I have actually been studying very hard for this exam. While I do have my Spongebob moments, I think that this upcoming exam will end in success~ I’ll keep you posted, my lovely readers!
Happy Independance Day, my lovely readers! America! WHOO!
This past week has been incredibly eventful. It all started last Friday, when 3 million people (including the Whang Gang) lost all power.
And boy, was it sudden!
That weekend, our family pow-wowed in the basement to keep cool in the 100+ degree weather until (thank God!) we regained power Sunday early afternoon.
I was suddenly reminded of the blackout in Haiti, and I couldn’t help but feel immense gratitude and thankfulness for the situation that our family was blessed to be in, despite the lack of power.
The fact that we have a basement that keeps cool without air conditioning, and clean, running water that allowed us to drink, cook, clean, and wash up…I was re-humbled and re-invigorated for my next trip to Haiti this October.
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After the hullaballoo of settling back into our re-powered house, we got ready for the 4th of July!
Our family celebrated by participating in a sponsored event at the Columbia Sheraton Hotel, where we had a beautiful front-row seat to the fireworks show.
The show was beautiful and the night was perfect. And I FINALLY got to try out that “Fireworks” setting on my Canon S90 camera. (See the gallery below for the photos I took that night…the setting is not bad!)
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This weekend, the Whang ladies are heading out to Pennsylvania for a girl’s night on the town!
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know that any time spent with my Mom and my sister will bring about some crazy memories.
Look forward to it! Mwah!
It was free donut day recently at Krispy Kreme.
So my friend and co-worker Chris and I went over to indulge in the free treat after work.
Because my mom and brother absolutely love Krispy Kreme donuts, I decided that while I was at it, I would bring a half dozen home with me. Box, ice coffee, and free donut stacked in hand, Chris and I headed out the door where a storm was brewing outside.
And then…tragedy struck.
It was a sign. No donut for me.
Which was probably for the best, considering that I’m on a diet. That’s what I get for cheating…
Anyway, at least the rest of the donuts made it safely home! Good times!
I’m heading out to NYC this weekend for a nice vacation road trip. Have a wonderful weekend, my lovely readers, and if you’re on the east coast, enjoy the fantastic weather!
Phew!
Last week was busy busy busy, with work work work.
When Friday afternoon finally hit, I looked at my desk and saw that I had at least 5 identical cups of coffee sitting all about.
And for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out which one was the one I had bought that morning. So I took a gamble and grabbed the one closest to me and took a healthy swig.
Mistake.
The good news is, it totally woke me up. Nothing like 3-day-old cold coffee hitting your gullet in the middle of Friday afternoon. That chill up your spine can keep you going for another good 6 hours alone. Red Bull, eat your heart out.
I watched the Avengers Movie on opening weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the movie.
But it got me thinking…
The Avengers could really use one more member on their team…and I knew just who would do the job.
TO BE CONTINUED…
I’m back!
I know, I know…I’ve been a bad, neglectful blogger the past month. I promise, it was for good reason, though!
Between the very long/late hours at work, a recent week-long vacation, and getting sick (again), I haven’t had the chance to put a pen to paper…
…until NOW.
Dun dun DUUUUUUN!
Because I love your faces (and because you all deserve it for patiently waiting), I’m not only giving you a comic, but I’m also going to hit you up with photos AND a vacation video~
The Grand Cayman was amazing~ A big “thank-you” to my uncle and his family for taking me along with them. I had a blast.
Enjoy, and I’ll be posting again soon (this time for real).
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I got me one heck of a tan. I don’t even look Asian anymore, so my mother disowned me.
Nooo, I’m just kidding. She didn’t disown me. She did slap a whitening face mask on me the moment I walked into the house, though.
For the full album, click HERE.
(And yes, that *IS* Al Roker in that one picture with me and my cousin. Here’s what happening in YOUR neck of the woods~)
To all my lovely readers, Happy Valentine’s Day~
While it may be another year of a solo Valentine’s Day (25 years must be a record somewhere, right?), Goonies never say die! So here’s hoping for next year! Again!
As my gift to you, my virtual valentines, I’ll give you a fun little cultural tidbit/lesson about how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in South Korea!
(^_^)
Did you know that, in Korea, there’s a day that allows all the single ladies and men to celebrate their singleness together?
Here’s how it breaks down:
February 14 (Valentine’s Day): Women give chocolate to men.
March 14 (White Day): Men give non-chocolate candy to women.
April 14 (Black Day): Those who did not receive anything on the 14th of February or March go to a Korean restaurant to eat black bean noodles called Jajangmyeon (짜장면) to “mourn” their single life together.
If you’re like me, the idea of Black Day is kind of hilarious.
Buuut…since I do enjoy Jajangmyeon, Black Day is certainly something that I can look forward to this year~
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Love your faces. For those of you who do have Valentines this year, have a beautiful day together~
And to my fellow singles out there, don’t give up hope! Let’s go eat some noodles in April and look forward to next year!
I’m 25 and I feel so alive!
I had the best birthday ever today. Which is saying a lot, because last year’s birthday was pretty sweet.
It started on Saturday, when I got to have the most amazing lunch extravaganza with my family at Azul 17, where the owner gave us a royal treatment to the most delicious Mexican food I have ever had in my life.
If you’re ever in the Columbia, Maryland area, I highly recommend it. And if you want to see live Salsa dancing, be sure to make a reservation on Saturday night at 10 pm, and you’ll be given an extra treat~
On Sunday, my friend at New Hope surprised me with a beautiful birthday cake, and today, I was treated out for a delicious lunch at work by two of my co-workers.
And then, my other co-workers went even further by giving me beautiful flowers, cupcakes, and a whole lot of love. I also think that my face was a shade of maroon for the entirety of their gift giving. It was the first time I had ever been given flowers as a gift…I was incredibly grateful!
At the end of a wonderful day at work, I waited at the bus stop to catch my ride home.
Unfortunately, the beautiful snow that had been falling earlier had turned into very cold rain, the bus was 20 minutes late…and I forgot my umbrella yet again.
And that’s when I got an unexpected birthday gift…from a complete stranger~
I let her know that she and her kind gesture were like a surprise birthday present from God on my birthday, and how thankful I was. She laughed and told me that she was holding her umbrella anyway, and that it wasn’t a big deal, but it was a big deal for me…so random lady at the bus stop? I thank you for your kindness~
25 never felt so good and I am so blessed. Thank you all, and good night!
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PS: Happy 8th Birthday to Mini-Grace~
I wish I was a little bit taller... 