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Worship worship worship!
Today was full of it~ And it was so good.
I almost forgot to mention, but yesterday, at the crack of dawn (5 am), Peter held a seminar for the Grace International Security Personell. He gave them an hour long session where he taught Tae Kwon Do and self-defense techniques for hand-to-hand combat, and they had a great time learning.
Despite one incident where a security guard got accidentally punched in his face by a partner, everyone was all smiles at the end. (The funniest part was when one of the security guards asked Peter if martial arts fights went down just like the Bruce Lee movies, and Peter had to gently dispel that myth.)
This morning, we got up around 5 am to the sound of roosters crowing. After a flashlight-illuminated breakfast, we hopped onto our bus and headed over to visit two churches with Grace International as Bishop Jeune’s guests.
During both services, we were able to sing and lead worship in Creole (the congregation was very gracious in our butchered version of their language), and we had a great time hearing the testimonies of the church.
One woman came up to the pulpit with her husband and shared her story. She was pregnant with her first child when she experience incredibly painful birth pangs. She was rushed to a nurse, but the doctor wasn’t anywhere to be found. After pushing for what seemed like a pain-filled eternity, she completely ran out of energy once she heard from the nurse that the child was dead in her womb.
She cried out to Jesus for mercy and prayed that He could save her life, even if her child was already gone. And at that moment, she gained unexpected energy to push and the baby came out. To the nurses’ surprise the baby was alive! And the mother was fine as well.
When the doctor finally arrived, he was speechless. When he assessed the situation, he let the woman know that the baby had been dead in her womb for two days, which sparked the birth pangs and prevented her from pushing. And she should have been dead. But God answered her cry for help and saved her and her child.
We led worship at both churches, and left with hugs, smiles, and kisses from the elderly ladies and children of the congregation. It was a wonderful experience, and we were blessed to have been there.
After church, we freshened up (the boys were drenched from having to wear long-sleeved button ups with ties) and then headed on over back to the church to hold a evening worship seminar.
Ronald and Angel did a beautiful job sharing their knowledge and experience in worship ministry and also gave the bright young worship leaders/musicians practical application points to use in their own day-to-day ministries.
At the end of the night, we met up with two other groups visiting Grace International (EMI – Engineering Ministries International) and Solid Rock’s Forward Edge and shared dinner and one last worship session before heading off to bed.
Tomorrow’s a big day! We’ll be working at the Medical Clinic, doing some good ol’ fashioned hard labor, and serving at the Lord’s Kitchen!
Thank you for your prayers and support!
To be continued.
Today was awesome!
We had the opportunity to visit the boys’ and girls’ home today and it was a wonderful experience. We were so blessed!
The boys’ home was the first place we drove to, and they were so full of energy and love! We spent hours listening to them sing, watching them dance, and playing with them. The shoes that were donated were a huge blessing and almost every boy left with a new pair!
What blessed us even more was seeing the wonderful character of these young boys: the older children, whose feet were too large for the donated shoes, were so kind and gracious. They didn’t even blink an eye at the fact that they couldn’t have their own pair, and instead made sure the little ones had theirs.
I got to see Wilkens and Chris again, and it was a happy reunion! We bonded with several new boys, like Andres (the class clown and “big brother” of the group), met with the widows and toured the campus. We fell in love with the boys, and had a really really hard time leaving. And when the time came for us to go, every single team member left with a certain child on their heart to continue supporting and praying over.
After a delicious lunch, we headed out to visit the girls’ home. The girls were much more demure, and the little ladies took their time choosing the color and right size shoe to leave with.
They played with the donated jump ropes, stickers, markers and paper, and sang for us. They made us laugh, cry with joy, and the second goodbye was even harder than the first.
We will continue to support these children, and ask that if you feel in your heart to support a very bright child with lots of potential, to go to Grace International’s Website and sponsor a child!
Love your faces! Thank you for your support and prayers!
We are safe and sound in Haiti!
The team met at Bridgeway’s parking lot at 3:30 am to catch our early morning flight. Everyone was sleepy, but buzzed with the excitement of having this opportunity to travel to Port-au-Prince!
The flights themselves were (thankfully) uneventful, all the bags were checked in without overweight fees, and we were stress free…but when we landed at the Port-au-Prince airport, it was game on.
Between the haggling with workers and the bribing of airport officials to let us pass with all the medical supplies, we had our hands full. But thank God, everyone on the team was vigilant, aggressive and bold, and we left the airport with Grace International’s security, our translator Johnson, all of our donations, and were on our way!
The drive was not too bad (in comparison to previous trips), but I saw the looks on my teammates faces, and saw how much the destruction and destitution of Haiti affected them as we drove by. It was only when we drove through the gates of Grace International, when the feelings of tension and concern were lifted away. There is something about GI’s campus that you just feel at peace, and it was sensed by all. One we safely parked onto the campus, we were greeted by Michael’s friendly face. He warmly welcomed us to Grace Village and we brought all the donations up to the Hospital.
Once we unloaded all the bags and ate a delicious meal, we headed on out for a tour of the Village. I noticed that many tents had also moved away and a new school was being built. Progress was fantastic, and the team members were able to make some new friends as well.
We ended the night worshipping, praying, and studying Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men, that they might see your good deeds. And praise Your Father in Heaven.” Ronald summed it up beautifully by bringing the verse back to the fact that we have been called to be salt and light unto the world…to preserve a dying world with the blessings that God has given us.
God is so good. We are all settled in now, and a huge storm just passed over. Despite the slightly flooded bedrooms/bathrooms, we are safe and sound, and about to get some sweet deep sleep.
Thank you all for your prayers, support, and donations! And a special thanks to John Yum for the hundreds of Crocs that we will be handing out to the Boys and Girls Homes tomorrow!
Stay posted, and please keep us in your prayers!
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!
People wonder why I wear high heels all the time.
Long story short (no pun intended)…I’m short.
And this becomes painfully clear when I deal with people much taller than me when I’m at home. Because (like in most Asian households), I don’t wear shoes indoors.
Fortunately for me, I have wonderful people in my life that are very accommodating and sensitive to my struggle with being vertically challenged.
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On a different note, I’m back from my trip to NYC! It was an awesome time with awesome reunions with old friends and seeing new sights. Check out the gallery below for my personal favorite highlights!
Hope you’re having a wonderful summer, my lovely readers! Keep cool, and enjoy yourselves!
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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!
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 alive!
Sorry for not posting for a while. I realize that over the past two weeks, after the hullaballoo of the winter season, I’ve been incredibly uninspired!
I even tried Googling how I could possibly enhance my creative brain activity, and stumbled across this:
Which made me think…and I’ve come to realize that I haven’t been getting enough sleep lately.
And the effects of which are causing me to go a little…weird.
True story. I’m so ashamed. The office flag may not have been red, but my feelings about it certainly were.
What are some of the effects you experience with lack of sleep, and are they as weird as mine?
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... 