Please share your summer of service stories here!
Share ideas of how you can be a servant this summer, stories of what you’ve done to apply the messages, or just share how you’ve been blessed by others’ servanthood or the message on servanthood.
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Looking forward to this exciting summer!
does anyone have any ideas on how i can get started on serving?
This past Sunday’s message on servanthood reminded me of one brother who always would make himself available to serve others, starting with making his truck available for costco runs and helping to build bunkbeds for students. He would always sign off on his emails as “servant of all.” Also there was a sister who committed to being the last to sit down and the first to get up to clean at every meal so that she could learn servanthood. I’m inspired imitate them and excited for this summer to practice servanthood.
some brothers and i decided to help our small group leaders move their stuff to their new place. they spent the whole year serving us and it felt great to do the same for them. we were hesitant at first because we were going to get a head start on packing that night for ourselves but each of us knew it was a opportunity to imitate our Lord and strive to please Him.
to the person who asked, “how can i get started on serving?” i think one way is to notice things that need to be cleaned around your house especially when you go back to your parents home regardless of who created the mess
Living back at home with my parents, I realize just how much work my mom has to do to keep the home clean and going. I recognize that this opportunity to be back home is rare and was challenged to help out more around the house. Also, someone once said that it wouldn’t kill us to move faster. So even picking up my pace, getting up first to do the dishes, thinking ahead, just stopping to notice before leaving a room or asking if I can help…there are many opportunities all around me.
One of my favorite lines from the message this past Sunday was something like “How long have you lived and aren’t useful yet?” Though it seemed like there was some tension in the air and some stiff laughter, I literally laughed out loud because it’s just true. i’m young, have time, strength ..it’s time to put it to use for someone/something other than myself.
Lastly, there was one person who would consistently be the first to volunteer for things so much that he was told that he couldn’t volunteer anymore for fear that he would never get his own personal work done. His heart was genuine and willing and so I want to imitate that rather than waiting to be asked, only volunteering for what I like to do or being the last person left who doesn’t have a job so needs to do it.
I’m looking forward to this summer of servanthood! Having lived a life of grasping, it finally hit me that the time when i’m the happiest, and most free are the moments when i lose myself in serving others. This past Sunday’s message on servanthood is the best birthday present i’ve received for my 30th birthday. God indeed knows what’s best for us!
Two of my small group members had to move out from their apartment and were nearing the deadline to turn in their keys. Their room still had to be cleaned; otherwise they would forfeit their security deposit. They were very exhausted as they had already spent nearly a sleepless night before trying to clean everything, but still much work needs to be done as their initial inspection report stated. What was in store for them was another sleepless night, even though technically, the keys are due by midnight.
The condition in which it was rented was probably not much better than what it was at that point. The inspector even wanted them to apply touch-up paint, normally a job the tenants should not have been responsible for. After prayer meeting, my whole small group offered to help them clean after we got dinner. We got out the cleaners, and began cleaning everything, the window shades, the windows, the walls, the bathroom, the stove, the floors, and the fridge. We spent nearly three hours before we thought to ourselves that it was good enough where they deserve the deposit back. It was unanimous that the demands made were on the verge of being unreasonable. We even believe left the place looking MUCH better than before, minus the chemical warehouse smell and the doorknob to the bathroom, which unfortunately was broken.
During the whole process, we basically look like hired men from a cleaning company if someone were to pass by and look at us. The difference was this was voluntary service done out of love, characterized by self-sacrifice as some of us were already exhausted after job interviews, long day of work, graduations, lack of sleep the previous night, and even still have to wake up early the following day for work. These circumstances however, were not excuses. Serving is characterized by self-sacrifice, which is putting others in above yourself. Strangely enough, it could also be considered a time of fellowship as cleaning together put us in a situation where we were together in the same room, doing the same task. Each one of us would be actively contributing in some way. It was a nice feeling being in this environment where cooperative cleaning took place. We were all doing this with pleasure. In the end, we found joy that our hands were used in some way for another’s benefit. For me, I can’t say that I have actually served in anywhere near this capacity for any member of my small group until that night. This opportunity to do so really has been a helpful experience to further grow in the servanthood mindset and also in deepening of our relationships. The joy in serving does not from the recognition for our work, but in making use of such opportunities for the benefit of others out of love. Somehow, doing this act of service carried the sensation of having a burden lifted. It can be that seeing this burden lifted from my two brothers, that I too feel this same sensation and joy.
My family visited and spent a few days in a village called “Village of Love”, a place where they receive cancer patients nearing their end. It started over 10 years ago by a single woman (now 56) who lost both her mom and son to cancer. Her mom passed away at age 39, dad became a monk & left her & her brother on their own (she was age 10, I think). Furthermore, as if that was not enough, her brother also died of cancer at the same age of 39. She believed that whatever years that she does get to live especially after age 39 is God’s grace upon her, so she is devoting her life to care for cancer patients and began this work. Initially, it was a house that was built to take care of her ailing brother fighting cancer, but after he passed away God had turned it into a place where she now receives cancer patients for free and takes care of them. Especially those who are non-Christians, they have been touched by her amazing love and care that many have received Christ and even their family members. Her grandmother is also living there; she became a Christian there at age 100; she is now 112!
This place is run only by this woman and I was really challenged by her servant likeness. She readied the place where we would be staying, invited us over for meals, and would drop off food. One night, while we were eating dinner at her lodging area, she rushed over to our lodging place & turned on the light so that we wouldn’t have to approach our house in the dark. I heard from her grandmother that few times a month, this woman would go out to homes where there are paralyzed people in the village who cannot take care of themselves to give them baths and wash their clothes. She would even bring these people who don’t have appropriate bathing place in their homes to her own house to do it. Almost daily, I saw her going out during lunch hours to help a newly-starting restrauant to prepare food & wash dishes. She busies herself from day to night in service to others – not only the people that come to her for care but also the village people and I was challenged by the roominess of her heart. She said that she experienced God in so many amazing ways these past years. She was indeed a woman of much joy and showed me a picture of a true servant in Christ. She could have cursed God for the misfortunes that have come upon her and lived a completely different kind of life, but she has become a source of blessing and hope. My family was encouraged by her and the way she ministered to us through her words and action, even though it was for but a few days.
I remember last summer was my first experience living at the Dwight Apartments and it was a really relaxing summer. The junior guys at the time would invite me over to eat and were just around to hangout with me. Since I’m here for Session A and now a junior, I plan on serving the new Sophomores at Dwight by cooking for them, playing ball, and just spending time to get to know them better…
One of my friends planned our last peer trip before Linda and Dora would be heading down to Riverside in the next week. I know that she was busy with other things as well, but she really owned this trip and organized a very thorough schedule. As a result we had an AMAZING time. It was so much fun, and because she had planned it out so well (food prep/storage, paper supplies, cooking duties, lodging, maps/directions to each destination, activities, caravans, etc…), we didn’t have to worry about anything but enjoying each others’ company and making the most of that time together. I was especially challenged by her because this peer is notoriously a “P,” just not a natural organizer-type and a self-proclaimed scatter-brain. Many of our peers were really impressed with her thoroughness and hard work, but I think we were most impressed and touched by her loving service to us. I sure was!
I could almost fall asleep right now as i write this entry because of the two moves my peer brothers and I were able to help out for today. Sorry if some parts dont make sense!
I was honestly surprised to have felt the way i had felt today while i was helping my peer sisters move with my peer brothers. At first it just felt like i was going to help some sisters move just so we can get the job done, and we would all be able to get on with whatever we had to do. Sure i saw the picture of the church helping each other out and such before, but an hour or two after we had begun since 9:30 this morning, i felt this really strange feeling of oneness with my peers as we carried, loaded, and unloaded things we would not have been able to do by ourselves. The feeling of oneness not only gave me a feeling of camaraderie, in getting things done, amongst my peers, but also dissolved any annoyances or irritation i had toward the different peer brothers beforehand. I have been realizing how immature i really was when I saw that I was so easily irritated or annoyed by someone not doing what I wanted them to do, or whenever I saw my judgmental attitude and pride got in the way of building genuine relationships; but while i was working with all of them to accomplish this task of moving that we were all given, the different ways others annoyed me, or even my disappointment in myself didn’t seem to matter anymore. I was able to accept myself as well as others as people called to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible. I was also able to bond with my peers in a very special way today and not only was I at peace with myself, but I was also amazed at how they could accept someone annoying like myself for the sake of accomplishing our goal. I guess they really lost themselves in their serving today also! As a result of today, I’m eager more than ever to learn the “art of losing myself” and experience these humbling moments by serving others more throughout the summer. Going into this opportunity to serve my peer sisters really helped me to experience a little bit of what losing myself in good works feels like and learned an invaluable lesson today!
Let’s keep serving as not some princes or princesses but as a servant and experience losing ourselves in works even more frequently in the future!
I was really touched by one of my older brothers. It was his birthday this past week, and instead of wanting to celebrate his birthday or caring about his birthday, he spent the day preparing a bible study he would give that night. Afterwards, he took me aside and gave me a gift since I was leaving soon for Minnesota. I saw this as such a beautiful picture, a person giving a gift to someone else on his own birthday, caring not about celebrating himself, but being others-centered.
If you know IGSM well, you will know that we have many many babies. So to apply “Summer of Servanthood” messages, one of our students emailed all the moms to offer free babysitting hours. As a mom at IGSM, I am very touched and thankful!
This past semester I felt really moved to serve my youth group at home by equipping them with Worldview and Apologetics training, which is actually happening for the next few weeks. I just had the first session for WV training at my church yesterday, and PTL, it was awesome! I presented stuff the material on Truth, combining elements from WK1 of Truth Project, Sean McDowell’s Interhigh talk, and a little bit of material from Discerning WV in Movies by Conrad Chu. 18 people came to the first talk, from ppl in middle school to the parents who are older than my parents! Hahahaha! A lot of the students asked good questions, and we had very lively discussions. There were a few times, as they were asking questions, that I felt like I was going to get stumped, and I’m not sure what more to say, but I’ve gotta say, during those times are when I really felt the Holy Spirit at work, and I surprised myself a couple of times by what came out of my mouth. I think it’s safe to say that most, if not all, were blessed and satisfied. A lot of them felt challenged to go after truth, and to equip themselves. It’s so strange to take part in something like this, but it’s really a thrilling and joyful privilege. Who would have thought that I, who used to be a quiet Sunday school kid with a lot of doubts, would be teaching wv & apologetics?! God works in amazing ways! Also, I’m really thankful for our church – for all the training we’ve been given these past few years. A lot of those questions that the youth asked here were answered at WV camps, Bible Studies, or other training sessions that we had throughout the past few years. Next week we’ll be talking about evolution and design, so I want to ask for your prayers. It’s really God that brings the transformation.
A few weeks back, my uncle passed away suddenly from some heart complications. He was in his early 50s, and it was definitely unexpected. At the time we were going through Devotion Time in Mark 12 through the story of the widow who gave her 2 coins (everything she had) and offered it up to God at the temple. Only then did I realize how powerful that was when I was helping out my aunt following the sudden death of my uncle.
Not only was my aunt now a widow, but she did not earn a lot and had to cut a lot of the expenses going forward. One such obstacle was to sell my uncle’s chinese gift-shop import/export business, or atleast in the time being reduce the number of storage sheds holding the goods to cut rental costs. I saw the need and so I just went a few days to help my aunt out in sorting through and counting inventory, and moving some boxes. But I was amazed that so many others came along to help out. Some other uncles of mine took a week off of work and came, and many of my aunt’s small group members took time out and came to help out during this time.
Now I realize why it’s so amazing that the widow in the story gave her two coins. The widow has little means of income, is in great need, and relies completely on God to provide for everything. And that’s why God calls us to care for the widows and the orphans too, to defend the weak and help the helpless. But inorder for this to happen, I realized that servanthood is all about putting aside personal agendas to act in love to those in need. And in this way, we can be God’s agents of love to others through servanthood.
Man, after this past weekend in Riverside…
It was awesome to see the church mobilized as I got to witness large groups of people come together to help our church plant teams pack up and move out…load up their U-hauls, go down with them, and help unpack the U-hauls as well. Then, most of them stayed to help out with the First’s…like bible study and sws…we even got to see some newcomers (even though everybody was technically a newcomer…) because of the time some sisters took to do dc outreach in their short stay in Riverside.
It really encouraged me to give all I have when I go down there in a few weeks for good, hoping to emulate the kind of servanthood I witnessed.
Having moved to Alameda and thinking of all the moves (four in the past four years), I was reminded of all the love and service I’ve received through these moves. From helping pack the kitchen to watching Wesley to dismantling the dining room table and bed to loading the truck. Each time we move, I’m thankful again for all the help – the willing service to rush from work and to spend a whole evening to load and unload as well as spending a few more hours on a weeknight to get a gigantic boost in packing the kitchen and dismantling. This past move as we combined with Will and Andrea, there was even more work. Then, when it came time to help pack the others moving to Alameda, I remembered with fondness all of the love I’ve received and how I can continue this servant like attitude in doing what I can to help. It’s neat to see a box used over and over for each move, with different labels or crossouts, and reminds me of the community we share. Many people I know start packing and plan their move for months ahead and face it all alone with movers, yet I received help from beginning to end. It reminds me how rich we are in relationships too.
This past weekend, some of the brothers helped a couple from IGSM move to a new apartment in Berkeley. It was a really hot Sunday late-afternoon and most of us had been busy since 8 am that morning. Not only were we mentally tired but we were also feeling physically exhausted from playing sports at the park following our Sunday Worship Service. So when we got there and found that they were living on the third floor and had two couches, a safe, and a whole bunch of heavy oak furniture, I thought to myself, “Oh no! What have we gotten ourselves into?” The first table was so heavy that we had to stop and rest on each landing between flights of stairs. And this was only one of the smaller pieces of furniture! We continued to move furniture, piece by piece, so that after a while, things gradually began to seem more doable. It was pretty hot up there on the third floor and I remember my forearms really aching from the exertion. I later heard that one brother’s calf muscles had been really sore as well. Even so, nobody complained. In fact, I remember feeling a tremendous sense of camaraderie as we talked about what flavor of slurpee we would get from 7 Eleven when we were all done (an excellent motivation to press on). As a result, we were able to move things quickly and efficiently—so much so that one neighbor stopped to see if we were for hire. Once we were done, we tidied up the room a bit, put the couches into place, and went to get some slurpees.
KIDS IN ACTION – I’ve been watching the kindergarten kids after school and I shared with them about our summer of servanthood message. I didn’t realize how capable 5-6 year olds are! They were very excited and immediately wanted to be more helpful. One child prayed, “Dear God, please help me to be a better servanthood”
About once a week the kids clean the entire kitchen, living/dining room and bathroom of the home they are being watched at. We play the song “Kids in Action”, pump up the volume and clean as we dance and sing. Little arms and hands are great for hard to reach places! One time, one of the kids weren’t cleaning so another kid pulled her aside and said, “Remember? We are servants! Auntie ___ and Uncle ___ have two kids AND two jobs and so we need to help them because they don’t always have time to clean! Plus they let us stay here and play with the toys and eat their food so we should be servants!” The child quickly repented and started cleaning. I was stunned. This brought a huge smile to my face and I was encouraged by their excitement and willingness.
Since Grandma Bessie’s health declined, I’ve been able to visit her a couple times with some of the Praxis sisters who were on the old Crown Bay Convalescent Home rotation. The first time, Leeanne and I brought a card and some flowers, talk briefly with her, sing a hymn and pray for her there. It was such a blessing to spend time with Grandma Bessie – though she felt really weak the first time I saw her, she was so thankful for our presence and so full of joy, lighting up whenever we came into the room. The second time I saw her, she was physically stronger, so she talked growing up in her family, how she became a missionary, about her time in China, and was so joyful about the people who came to know God there. She mentioned not being well enough to attend the services at Crown Bay our church holds on Sunday, but felt so grateful that some of the college students came to her room to do live praise for her. I know it’s been the experience of different members of our church who have been visiting Grandma Bessie that we always leave being blessed by her. Though we are the ones trying bring encouragement to her, giving just a bit of our time, we end up being challenged by her pure love for God and faith in Him. Visiting Grandma Bessie makes me see how so many of the things I think are so pressing and important are really just the minors, and that in the end it’s is about loving God and trusting in Him.
This past Friday Jisup and I volunteered our LIFE group to cook dinner for bible study. Lately we’ve been meeting for bible study with brothers and sisters in separate groups and cooking smaller meals for groups of about 25, but this time we decided to give the sisters a break and cook for everyone. Large group meals for Friday and Sunday are typically handled by staff sisters who are veterans at preparing for big groups, so it was a little unprecedented that a group of brothers handle food for IGSM bible study. We had to work fast since we had to stop in the middle of prepping to see two of our guys off on the Honduras mission trip. We had a few minor accidents, like dumping some ground beef into a pot of boiling water when it was supposed to be put in the oven and spilling a bunch of mung beans on the floor, but overall things went very well and the food turned out nicely.
I think we all came to appreciate how much work goes into preparing a meal for such a big group and how stressful it can be, especially when you’re pressed for time. At the same time, it was a good experience of fellowship while working together, and we’re definitely going to do it again.
This summer I have the opportunity to help out at North Loop during the day since I’m unemployed. I’ve been helping out with different maintenance work from trailer maintenance to going down to Riverside and help the Riverside Team settling in. In the process of doing thing all these work at NL, I also have the opportunity to train people on various things at church – sound setup for Worldview Camp, trailer repair, getting new stage pieces for the Korean Department Service, projector adjustment, and even simple car repair. I felt like I am busier now at North Loop than I was at work. Even though I am jobless and worried about if I’ll ever get my job back, I am very well taken care of with the nice North Loop lunches and various dinners I have at different people’s houses.
I am very thankful for North Loop and the many different things I can do to serve God. If I did not have this community and the meaning work that I can do, I would be very depressed and anxious about when and how to find a job. I don’t know when I will be able to find a job, but instead of feeling anxious and worried about this I am busy with all of things that I can do for God.
This past week at worldview camp, I was very thankful for all the people who worked behind the scenes with logistical preparation work and food prep. One of our younger brother staff, Kenneth, was in charge of food for the first two days and I’ve never heard so many comments from sisters towards a brother in charge of food about what an excellent job he did. I realize that it was because he noticed and thought about all the details from setting up nicely, to cleaning up afterwards. He didn’t stop or rest until everything was done, and the kitchen was always clean at the end! I heard a brother comment to him that he was constantly in the kitchen. I was thankful for this brother who is using his time before he starts his new job not to just relax for himself, but to serve in whatever way he can for others. Also, I was very thankful for sister Cathy Park from Davis who came down in order to spend time with the Davis students in worldview camp. She made herself fully available, and as she’s a very good cook, she was constantly in the kitchen for the 2 days after kenneth had to leave making meals and snacks for us. Even though she wasn’t assigned to do this, she took it upon herself to serve us and help us have great meals, as well as cooking dinner for a bunch of sisters on Wednesday night. She isn’t in the best of health so it was especially tiring for her, but she was very cheerful the whole time.
Besides this, there were other helpers like Jackson, Evelyn, Hartie, Albert, Wenjie, Cynthia and others who were just willing to do whatever was needed to help make the time better. Through worldview I experienced once again what a privilege it is to be in the midst of so many brothers and sisters who have trained themselves to be servants, not to seek attention for themselves, and to allow others, many of whom they don’t know personally, to really have a memorable experience at worldview. I am both thankful and challenged by them.
Last week, I signed up to volunteer at City Team Ministries along with Steve Chen, Bruce, Jeoffrey, and Kevin Won of SF State, I expected to just go and distribute food alongside some staff at City Team. When we arrived on 6th Street in downtown SF, there were scores of homeless people loitering aimlessly, broken windows and boarded-up shops, graffiti, garbage everywhere, and a very foul stench. Inside the City Team shelter, I first met W. I couldn’t tell who was in charge, but he seemed to be directing the cooking. I asked him how long he had been staff at City Team ministry. Then he replied that he was not a staff, but that he was a recovering alcoholic and drug addict off the streets! In fact, all the guys working there were recovering addicts!
When I asked each of the guys how they came to City Team, they all shared a similar story. They were homeless and hopelessly addicted to drugs, and God found them. One guy shared how he was homeless for 2.5 years, was in jail for some time, mugged and beaten in Golden Gate Park and left for dead, tried to commit suicide on several occasions. Even when he tried to commit suicide, his spirit came out of his body and was headed for “eternal prison,” and then a cop came and rescued him and his spirit came back into his body and he was saved. He heard about City Team at detox and came and has found a new life since then. He could not get over the fact that God saved him on so many occasions and is giving him this second chance at life. He just kept praising God. And so many other guys there just kept praising God for saving them when they were left for dead! All of them were so humble and joyful, even those who had only been there a few weeks. They were quick in serving and cleaning and so happy that they could do the work of feeding the homeless, knowing they were homeless themselves just before!
After the five of us prepared the food, we waited for the people to come in. W meticulously prepared for 120 people, and as the homeless poured in, they were each given a devotion time sheet. Wow! Before the people are allowed to get food, they have to spend about 20 minutes doing a devotion. That day’s passage was Romans 8:12-17. It was a beautiful silence. On the sheet was a passage with two empty columns, where one column the person would re-write the passage in their own words, and in another column the person would make a concrete application based on the passage. After about 20 minutes, one of the workers announced that we were volunteers from SF State and he asked if we would pray for the meal. Afterwards, we served the people the food, and each of them were extremely grateful. I was expecting them to be at least somewhat rough, because they are from the streets, but in that place, they were completely calm and well-behaved, politely resisting getting seconds until everyone had received firsts. 60 people came through the doors to be both spiritually and physically fed! I really thank God for this experience, opening my eyes to see the work he is doing in the worst neighborhood in SF, and using recovering alcoholics and drug addicts to accomplish that work. I remember going on prayer walks through the Tenderloin when I was in law school, and I felt like God answered those prayers by showing me this kind of incredible place where his Name was being glorified.
This morning, I got up and went downstairs and I noticed that one of my roommates devoted some time to put away the huge pile of dishes on the dish rack. In our house, that dish rack often stays piled high. It’s a small thing, but it’s something I really appreciated because I know that probably most of those dishes were not even his, but that didn’t matter to him. No one prompted him and there was no one around. He simply cared enough about the house and his roommates to do this.
Last Wednesday, my peers and I were at Northloop job searching, and Suzanne asked us if we could go help the church planters pack up their houses. So we headed over to the various houses to get started. When we got there I was astounded at how many people were there, all working furiously to pack everything up. No one was shirking away from doing the dirty or heavy jobs, and everyone seemed to have a good attitude. A handful of sisters spent the entire time in the kitchen, cleaning every corner and scrubbing the stove until it was like new.
With the church planters sacrificing so much, I could see how they could feel entitled to have help, yet they were all so grateful to everyone for coming. By about 1:30, it was all packed up, and we went to have lunch. The women from the Korean Department made soup and two sisters bought food for everyone, at least 75 people. Normally moving is one of my least favorite things, it seems insurmountable and tedious. But by having so many people, it was quick and even pleasant. I was reminded of how long it took my parents and me to pack up our house when I was eleven, and realized this would only be possible to do so quickly with this many people. I was really amazed by the willingness of so many people to help, and felt really privileged to be able to contribute to the church plants in this small way.
I and some other sisters have been reaching out a girl at Cal together. She recently got very sick and we have been really concerned about her, but I don’t live in Berkeley anymore, so I gave her number to another senior sister who lives in Berkeley and asked her to call her to invite her to Friday Bible Study.
The following Sunday, the girl and I had breakfast and that very day after the service, the senior sister came up to us with a great big smile on her face, and gave the girl a bag of apples (“You said you can only eat fruit”) and a box of medicine (“I know your throat must still hurt”). This sister’s thoughtfulness really touched the girl, and she gave the sister a hug and thanked her sheepishly.
This sister’s desire to serve showed itself through loving gestures that at first might have seemed like small acts and little gifts, but these proved that she had given thought to what the girl really needed and how she wanted to provide for her basic needs with care and understanding. I know that the girl was really touched and I am praying for her to continue to see how, through the servanthood of others, she is loved and cherished. I am so encouraged by the work of God in the senior sister’s life as she is becoming such a thoughtful and others-centered person, and how God can use our past to be a blessing to others!
This past Saturday, about 24 of us from SFSU/USF Koinonia volunteered at the Golden Gate National Cemetary to help clean the headstones of our nation’s veterans. We had visited the cemetery before, about three weeks ago, when we attended the Memorial Day Service. During that visit, we were moved by the service and at the site of over 100,000 graves each accompanied by a small American flag for the occasion. After our initial visit, we wanted to volunteer somehow to show our appreciation, and we found out from the director of the cemetery that we could assist in cleaning some of the headstones. When we arrived, we met Scott who supplied us with the cleaning supplies that we needed and directed us in cleaning the headstones from the mold and dirt that built up over time. Because of our large group, the director had purchased new additional supplies just for our visit! Scott led us to Section G2 of the cemetery where there are about 400 graves. Each of us was supplied with goggles, a bucket of vinegar water solution, and a brush and we set out to work! It took us about an hour and a half to scrub down every headstone in that section. As I worked, I was reading the names of each of the soldiers and was filled with gratitude as I tried to imagine the faces behind the names that I was reading. The veterans in our section had served in different wars dating back to WWI. Some of the soldiers were very young when they died. None of us know these veterans personally, but we are all affected by their sacrifice in the past. Our act of service seemed so small compared to their sacrifice, but I’m so glad that we had this opportunity to thank and honor them through spending a part of our weekend to help clean.
This past weekend, about 30 Kairos students & staff got together to hold a neighborhood yard sale to raise funds for 30-hour famine. Eugene & Cynthia’s front yard was converted into a Central Asian bazaar as all manners of goods were strewn across tables and shouts from Robert Kim could be heard reverberating down the street “20 bucks?!? Are you crazy!? This thing is solid oak…worth at least $40!”…all for the sake of feeding hungry children around the world. All together we were able to raise over $2,000 and even obtained a donated authentic lithograph print valued at around $3,000 that we’re now trying to ebay! It was a small sacrifice, considering that we were with friends, in beautiful Bayfarm Alameda with cool 75 degree weather, but bargaining for four hours was still quite a drain and we were grateful to be able to make even a small act of sacrifice for the cause of global poverty.
I guess I always wanted to have a chance to give a talk to the youth group. Then when I saw the Kairos Challenge book mark, I noticed that one of the things listed as a service of love was giving a talk to the youth group. Even as I was thinking about whether I should do this or not, I was conflicted because I would tell myself, “what gives you the legitimacy to present a message to the youth?” “I don’ think I’m worthy of something like this.” Though I knew about how God uses imperfect people to advance His kingdom, the struggle of self-doubt was very real. So I put it off and decided to wait. Because the English ministry at our church went on a retreat, I had to attend the youth service one Sunday. There I saw how distracted the youth were, and how much they have forgotten the blessings they received from their last winter retreat, which I attended as a counselor. Then I decided, at least I should request a chance to give a talk, rather than regretting later. So I sent an email to my youth pastor on Sunday night, trying to be careful to not sound like I got something greater to offer than he does. To my surprise, he gave me an ok sign, with thanks. So I met up with my youth pastor and another college student who by coincidence (or God’s will) showed his interest in giving a talk to the youth on a Saturday, a day before me, to talk over our content and what not. First, I thought it would be easy, because I heard a lot of good messages in Berkeley and I took notes. So I thought I could just recycle one of those messages. Long story short, I ended up changing my sermon numerous times, and using bits and pieces of gems from sermons at Gracepoint, C101, DT, etc. And I diverted from my original plan to present them with a lot of biblical knowledge and illustrations, to devoting a huge chunk of the talk to my testimony. The night before that Sunday, I was so nervous and my mind was so filled with all kinds of thoughts that I couldn’t fall asleep till 5 am. Then I wandered, how do pastors do it every week? I tried to act as calmly as possible, but contrary to what I had planned, I think I spent a lot of time reading off the script than actually talking to the audience. I pretty much typed out every word I was going to say so I wouldn’t forget important things. 30 minutes, or 40 minutes, I’m not sure how long it was, because I was too nervous even to check time, but it went by rather quickly for me. I didn’t receive a lot of feedback from the youth so I thought the talk was really bad. And I did regret saying a few things I said as well. But one of the teachers gave me a really positive feedback after and it was very encouraging. In the end, I was really thankful for such an opportunity, because I got to see what the speakers go through, and I got a chance to struggle in a good way for the youth. It opened my eyes to the things I take for granted and made me appreciate the pastors/leaders more. Another thing I realized is that when I preach the Word, I have to make sure my conscience is clear before God, that I’m not being a hypocrite. It felt a lot different from just doing outreach as an undergrad. Definitely I didn’t expect to change lives with my message but I hoped that each of them would hang onto at least one of the things I shared, and see a glimpse of what a fulfilling life we can have when we walk with the Lord. Also it was an opportunity to practice my faith as well, by bringing my insufficient five loaves and two fishes to God, trusting that He will use what I bring to impact lives in the future, though I may not see the direct effect now.
I’ve been really encouraged and challenged through serving in Joyland over the past few months. During training and focus times, we were encouraged to give all that we had no matter what we’re doing, whether it’s large group, small group, set-up, etc. and to strive for excellence in the process, and I’m thankful for the example that the older brothers and sisters show.
Every Sunday morning, there are different things that need to be done, like unloading the Joytown equipment quickly so that the trailer can go down to the gym and they can unload for Joyland, or unrolling and putting down the carpets quickly so that the sound equipment can be set up and we can have run-throughs. Some of these things may seem small, but they’re actually crucial since run-through is so important.
This past week was also really busy as Sunday was Father’s Day, transition day AND we were starting a new message series. We had worknights on Wed and Thurs and a workday on Saturday. Despite all the busyness, I was so encouraged by how people were doing tasks. It wasn’t just getting things done or making it “good enough” but striving for that excellence and giving it our all. From preparing for Father’s Day crafts to designing the set to making costumes, people were giving it their all, pouring out all they had in these simple acts of servanthood.
Another thing I’m thankful for is the kids at this church. During our workday/nights, the kids were so helpful and a huge source of encouragement. Stephen helped make dinner, and Phillip baked cookies, put them on individual plates and passed them out. I was so blessed by their simple acts of servanthood and was reminded that oftentimes, it’s not the big things that matter, but the small decisions and acts that make a difference.
One way that I’ve been served this summer has been the frequent invitations from my leader, Ben, to have dinner and hang out at his place. It seems like every night we’re not busy with some ministry activity, he’ll invite us over and not only provide a delicious meal, but also stay home to be with us the whole night. I’m thankful because I know he could definitely get more work done if we weren’t around, and he could be enjoying his time with his family, but he chooses to invest in us and give us a bigger picture of community!
While having our bake sale at the Safeway center at Bayfarm for 30 Hour Famine fundraising, one of the local women asked for our prayers for her daughter who is mentally disabled. Her caregiver just quit and we prayed that God would provide a caregiver and peace for this situation. As we prayed for her and her daughter, God opened eyes to see the needs of the community around me and how I am often so blind to seeing the needs of the people around me, my own neighbors, because we live with such affluence and convenience. I commit to pray for our community and for God to continue to open my eyes to the needs and grief of the people around me.
Yesterday (6/29), Amanda and Baby Rebekah were discharged from Alta Bates Hospital. Allen and Amanda’s parents were so excited that everyone was going home. Sara Hong and I drove our respective vans to give everybody a ride home as well as transport all the belongings. After settling them down at home, Amanda’s mom commented that I received their whole family to America. Two summers ago, I picked up Allen from SFO when he first came to US from China to start his PhD. program. Eight months after Allen’s arrival, Allen and I went to SFO to pick up Amanda. And then two months ago, Allen, Amanda and I went to SFO again to pick up Amand’s parents. And now, Allen, Amanda, her parents and I went to bring Baby Rebekah home from the hospital. It’s indeed a privilege to be chauffeur for Christ, so that I can connect with that family like this. It’s just so neat.
Throughout the past few weeks, I’ve learned a lot about servanthood from my leader Sarah Kim. In the first few weeks of summer, I was sick with what ended up being bronchitis. Sarah texted me multiple times a day asking how I was feeling, constantly asked me if I needed food, brought the a2f team to help us unpack our kitchen (since we had just moved) and even bought them all boba.
One day when Annie Song was picking me up from the bart station, we were going to eat at a taco truck but Sarah REFUSED to let us eat unhealthy food when we were sick and brought us an awesome korean meal. It really seemed like she was fully available to care for me at all hours of the day even though I know that as a director sister and mother she has many meetings and responsibilities.
The other day, as we were leaving her place to go to a meeting, she told Michelle and Elise that she was going to a meeting and lovingly kissed them goodbye. Both of them clung on to her saying “Mommy! Can’t you stay home? Is it a long meeting or a short one?” She replied: “It’s a long one.” which only prompted them to yell louder that she should just go, say one word and come home quickly. She laughed, saying that she wasn’t going to say anything at the meeting, but they just clung and said “bo bo” waiting for their mom to give them another kiss. Just by the way she was hugging and kissing them, I could tell just how much love she felt for them. Yet she gave her last kiss and left for the meeting. Seeing this interaction and thinking about the countless other times this exact scene must have happened made me think of the servanthood of leadership, balancing different loves in our life – her love for her children and her love for serving other people in need. From these experiences I’m just so thankful that she loves the gospel so much that she chooses to sacrifice her schedule and even family time for the sake of ministering to people like me.
At the recent Interhigh retreat, there were many exciting things going on – from the immpactful messages to the games and the kayaking, Sierra Lodge was the place to be. Behind all the action, however, were HELPERS who were keeping things running smoothly: the phenomenal cooks who took time off their week and labored in the kitchen to prepare delicious meals and snacks many times a day and the recent graduated brothers who came to lead large-group games, set up the bonfires, and help with other tasks. Thanks to these generous individuals who were content to serve on the fringes, the youth leaders had more time to coordinate other activities and bond with their small groups. I’m sure the youth were very grateful, too, for all the love shown to them in these concrete ways – I know I was! I was encouraged by this picture of the church, of people who came to fill the needs of this ministry group and so take part in glorifying God together. I am grateful that we are not alone as a youth group, but receive the support of the church and vice versa.
About three weeks ago, I bought a new car. Admittedly, I was feeling kind of proud about my car and thought, “now I can really serve in our ministry.” Long story short, I drove to Berkeley and in my rush to get to sports, left my headlights on. When I got back a couple hours later my battery was completely dead. It was already about midnight but Daniel, Sarah, Joel, Kenton, Dennis, Ray and David Dip stayed with me to try and jump the battery. For some reason, we couldn’t jump the battery, even after trying multiple jumper cables and different people’s batteries. I felt so lame and discouraged. Instead of being a help I felt like I had become a burden to our group. But all the guys were in good spirits about the situation. They didn’t blame me or complain but just kept trying to solve the problem. At around 1 am, Ray and Dennis brought over some popcorn chicken and boba. At about the same time, the Triple A truck pulled up and gave my car a jump. As we sat on the sidewalk eating our popcorn chicken and boba– I stopped to think just how rare this scene was and how blessed I was to have such servant-like brothers. I also realized that night that it isn’t having a car or some other possession that makes you a servant– it’s humility and a willingness to help wherever there’s a need. I asked myself, if someone else’s battery had died at midnight and I was tired and wanted to go home and sleep…would I have responded the way these staff brothers did? I’m so thankful for these brothers who both help me when I’m in trouble and encouraged me to be a servant myself.
Two Sundays ago I got the chance to do ImpACT rides. I had never done rides before and didn’t know what to expect. When I got to their homes, I finally got to see the environment that our ImpACT kids are growing up in. When I walked two of the kids to their door, their mothers welcomed me inside for snacks. As I talked to them with my limited Chinese, I saw how much they appreciated ImpACT. Just being in their home and seeing where these kids spend most of their time gave me such a clearer realization of how important our ImpACT ministry is to them. I’m thankful that I got to help with rides that week because now I can pray for these kids and the ImpACT workers more urgently and specifically.
Last Saturday five of my peer brothers and I studied at my leaders’place. Throughout the entire day I was really struck by their servant-like attitude and thoughtfulness.
A couple of us had midterms the coming Monday and I was the one who was the most visibly stressed. For dinner the non-stressed brothers helped make Kalbi-bi Jim while the rest of us studied. While I was finishing my meal, some brothers already started on the dishes, wiped and collapsed the Korean tables. Right when I was done eating, one brother came out from the kitchen and offered to take my bowl. Then when I stepped into the kitchen to help clean, another brother shouted: “Someone relieve Winnie. She has to study!”
After cleaning the brothers started on a game of Blockus. I plugged in head phones to block out their excited cheers so I could focus on my problem set. Gradually, my music got louder and their cheers were getting softer. Then I noticed that their game wasn’t all that exciting anymore because they were all whispering to each other so I could study better!
I am a bit amazed at how perceptive the brothers were. They knew that I was stressed and therefore did things to help me. Their actions really challenge me to be more attentive to the people around me. Because of them, next time we have study hall instead of constantly asking myself “What is the probability that Nathan has a recessive allele for albinism,” I want to ask “How can I serve that stressed-out looking person?”
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of going up to our church retreat building, Sierra Lodge, in order to be one of three cooks for the Element/Interhigh Retreat. It was a long retreat–from Tuesday to Saturday–and I was wondering how I would be able to handle it in the kitchen; we had to serve 3 full meals and midnight snacks to over 100 hungry middle school and high school students each day. Although some of the meal preparation times were a bit hairy, overall, I really experienced the joy of serving and felt so privileged to witness so many young people being impacted by the Word of God. All the youth were so eager to help out in the kitchen as well, and kept profusely thanking us for cooking for them. It was a wonderful experience to cook for the youth–especially since they don’t leave any leftovers!
I was so thankful for the opportunity to help out Monica and Cesar by
babysitting the triplets Wednesday night. The kids were such angels,
clearly blessed by parents overwhelmed with joy and gratitude in
Christ. Monica and Cesar were so humble and thankful, and Jason and I
only wanted them to feel comfortable, not embarrassed about the
messiness of their house, and to feel okay with staying out as late as
they wanted to so that they could enjoy a night out together. I was
so thankful to co-laborer with Jason in this area, and pleasantly
surprised to see how very good with kids he is, as the triplets
immediately warmed up to him, squealing with glee, and having a
wonderful time with him. I was so happy to be able to help them clean
their house, and try in these little ways to lighten their daily
burdens. Jason and I plan to help them restock on cleaning supplies
and other things that are quite difficult for parents of triplets to
easily buy on their own. After they came back, we spent about half an
hour chatting in their living room, and it was so encouraging and
wonderful to have them in our lives. We got to laugh about life
lessons they learned, the hardships they went through when the
triplets were first born up to their first year, the funny quirks and
differences in each child’s, and we got to praise God for the
blessings upon this family. I feel that the true servants are Monica
and Cesar. Monica confessed that she literally did not sleep for
about a year and two months, until she was able to really learn from
other parents of multiples on what the best techniques and strategies
were of raising their children. What strikes me most is the exuding
joy and gratitude from these parents, who in my eyes, constantly glow
and bask in God’s love, showering not only their children with love,
but fellow brothers and sisters in this ministry with love as well.
Again, as I tried to serve in small ways, God blessed me in return in
such grander ways.
Because I am a graduate student at the moment, with no summer course
load or internship required as a part of my program, I am thankfully
pretty available and free this summer. Unfortunately, however, when
the 30 Hour Famine Fundraiser came around, I realized I had no easy
access to coworkers or classmates to ask for donations. For the past
two years, I was able to raise a considerable amount, which is saying
a lot by baking delicious bundt cakes and giving them as thank you
gifts to those who are willing to donate. Because I had more time
than those in my ministry group who were working, doing research, or
attending classes, I emailed out to my fellow IGSM brothers and
sisters a suggestion: that I would bake all the cakes they wanted for
all of their friends, classmates, lab mates, and coworkers, so that
they would have an easier experience explaining what World Vision is
and asking for donations. I shared my past strategies, selling by the
slice, and giving by the whole for larger donations. At first, I
thought the idea would be strange and rejected, but thankfully, many
people took me up on the offer. And as usual, I was more blessed in
the process than those who kept thanking me for my help. Some
brothers and sisters shared with me that this really helped them feel
more comfortable in asking others, and some were able to raise more
than they had ever raised before. On the day of the famine, we
decided to do an all out effort to raise as much money as possible to
reach our goal. My apartment was assigned as the “baking station,”
and along with two others (Jason & Nelson), we cranked out 3
batches of cupcakes, 3 batches of brownies, and 4 more whole
bundt cakes, and delivered them to the various IGSM stations where
bake sales were held (one at a yard sale, a couple at Safeway, and
some were used door to door!). We used a total of 4 ovens at the
Grand/Central apartments, accessing the community resources we have
together as a church. It was such a sight to see the three of us run
to the four different apartments, checking on our baked goods! At
last count, I think I baked almost 30 bundt cakes in one week! So,
when I turned in no money at all in my 30 hour famine packet this
year, I only felt thankful and privileged, beaming with communal pride
as our ministry group as a whole earned almost $10,000, far surpassing
our original goal of $5000. I was so thankful to take part in a small
way in this larger effort, surveying with a communal mindset, and not
preoccupied with my own individual limitations and setbacks. And I’m
thankful that it all started with a desire to somehow serve others
with this precious and blessed time God has given me this summer.
I’m thankful for Dana House and the guys who live there, hang out there, or are just there. Interhigh Monthly snuck up on us and we were left scrambling. On Sundays after service we usually pack up the lighting equipment to take to NL for an awesome time of praise, but because of the retreat last Sunday, the instructions weren’t given out. The lighting person in Interhigh moved to Minnesota. My peers who are usually in charge of helping out with Interhigh monthlies weren’t aware that Interhigh Monthly was this Saturday. So the moving had to be done either yesterday or today (Thurs/Fri) and only during certain times the janitor was there. After realizing that there was much more equipment than I could handle with just another sister and that Willard might be closed when I was planning on going, I quickly left my work for my lunch break and pulled my car to Dana House. Sam, a senior in a2f, opened the door for me. David Dip was eating lunch in the living room and Nick Yoo was on his way to FSM to concentrate on reading Isaiah. They quickly dropped everything they were doing, borrowed Isaac’s car, and headed to Willard. We were done moving all of the equipment in less than an hour packed nicely into my small Prius. I’m so thankful for the brothers’ willingness to serve and also for the fact that I knew I could rely on the guys at Dana House exactly for that willingness. I offered them boba on me but David only requested that I spell his last name right on Gracepoint stories. D-I-P.
Babysitting was not what I thought I would be doing to serve this summer. When I heard that a family in IGSM with triplets was having a difficult time, I decided to visit them one night with my twin sister, Irene. I felt rather insecure because I haven’t played with toddlers ever since starting college. However, the triplets were so excited, more so than ever the parents said (I guess multiples have a connection =D). From that night on, I visit the family weekly to help cook, clean, and take care of the kids. After the next few weeks, God really softened my hearts for kids so that now I feel comfortable with them and really see them as a blessing in my life and as a way to serve the moms in IGSM.
During this time, I felt a sense of guilt for not being there for my own little cousins who I used to visit so much before college and who really looked up to me. However, through the experience with the triplets, I had a bigger urge to visit them. When I did, they still loved me the same and accepted my offer to have bible studies together this summer. I can see that this past Tuesday’s bible study about how a blessing can have a ripple effect is so true.
For the past couple of months, Sam Lu, Pacie Tsai, Elaine and I (twins) got to spend time with Monica, Cesar, and their triplets: Cesar, Isabella, and Benjamin. Right after a long day of research work, we would bus over to UC Village to see the family. I experienced what it is like to babysit toddlers for the first time: feeding them, playing with them, cleaning, changing diapers, and putting them to sleep. I realized how much work it is to take care of three same-aged children simultaneously, 24/7 as me and Elaine’s mom had done for us when we were babies (twins+brother who is 1 year older).
When we first arrived at their home, the children were afraid that their parents would leave them alone with us, but as we tried our best to sing, dance, and play with them, they were so delighted. During the first week, Benjamin had stomach flu and did not eat much, and then the next week, Cesarito had whooping cough. After that, Isabella started becoming sick. We never really took care of sick children before, but during the time there, we learned from Monica how much care and love children need, especially during their times of illness. I was so joyful to see the kids eating and playing with us even though they were sick and felt so blessed to hear from Monica how the kids had usually not been eating that well or were that excited. Maybe there is some kind of multiples connection
I especially felt privileged to be able to fellowship with Monica as we multi-tasked: entertaining the kids, cooking, cleaning, and chatting since she does not regularly get to spend time with other sisters.
The times spent with Monica, Cesar and their children reminded me of how much God loves each and every person and wants for us to do the same:
Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest.”
~Luke 9:48
I was amazed to see just how loving and easy to receive these children are. I could feel my heart growing larger for the family and as I cared for them and forgot about my tiredness and troubles of the day. There is so much joy in serving out of a pure heart and with these kids, all I want to do is smile and pour out my love to them.
Two weekends ago I was quarantined with a possible case of whooping cough, and had to stay back from the praxis/igsm/element team retreat. Saturday morning I was surprised by a knock at my door, and doubly surprised to see Travis and Kevin Limk, two of our Grad Haven brothers, with a costco box full of chicken noodle soup and porridge and fruit. They wanted to make sure that I would be amply supplied with food while all the rest of the staff, including my wife, were gone. I had so much food, I didn’t need to cook for myself at all the whole weekend. I finished barely 2/3 of what they brought and then the rest was finished off by my 2 year-old, porridge-loving son Jonathan, who ate it while joyfully exclaiming, “Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!”
It turns out that because bible study that week had been moved to Thursday, it gave them a free Friday night, and these two brothers, along with Ted, another GH brother, spent their Friday night cooking for me. This was a really moving picture for me–what powerful force came over these 20-something single guys with a free Friday night that they would spend it this way? One thing that Travis shared was that they had brought the food for me in take-out soup containers that they had amassed through various staff dropping off food for brothers there when they were sick.
I was so encouraged by these brothers and thankful to God to be part of this community, where servanthood begets servanthood, and where the love and care we receive from one another, encourages us to become more loving and caring people ourselves.
*Note: For the sake of not stealing all of her reward in heaven, I will just use the name Sister CG, or C for short.
As a recent grad, I was having a particularly hard time adjusting to work right after graduation. Work was such a time drain that I wasn’t used to and it was hard to allocate enough time to get my errands done and get enough sleep while I’m at it. During the my first week at my new job, my roommate Sister C decided that she would cook lunch for me so that at least I wouldn’t have to worry about packing lunch. When I sat down for a late lunch that day, feeling famished, I peeked into my lunch bag and to my surprise took out one Tupperware after the other. I was shocked to see how carefully she had packed everything away: the main dish looked delicious, the fruit was neatly cut up, and there were a few snacks on the side as well. I felt so relieved and thankful that I didn’t have to worry about what I was going to eat, because I knew that she was a good cook! But what I was blessed by most of all was what was taped on one of the Tupperware containers: there was a piece of cute stationary with beautifully written verses on it. At that moment I felt a gush of God’s love being poured out onto me through my roommate C. Not only did she make sure to take care of my physical needs, but she also considered my spiritual need as well.
But it didn’t end there. After I came home and thanked her for the awesome lunch, she asked me about what I preferred so that she could get my lunch ready for tomorrow. And after that first week of eating carefully prepared food and reading verses during lunch, she asked me if I could take her to the market so that she could buy groceries for the following week’s lunches. I could only sputter out my thanks because of the utter shock that I was in that she was planning to do this, that she would give so much of her time and energy, sometimes staying up late just to prepare another meal. As I got to know my new coworkers, they would say things like, “Wow, did you cook that?”, “Did your roommate make that for you? Again??”, and “You have the best roommate in the world!” I’ll have to agree with that last one.
I have to give recognition to the generous older sisters – Grace, Irene, Sharon, and Arie – who have been faithfully driving me (and my peers) to Berkeley and back to Alameda almost every day this summer, so that I could keep working part-time on campus. On a basic level, they have been so kind to go out of their way to pick me up and drop me off each time. But in a few touching instances, I’ve been contacted by one of them to see if I need a ride that day. Also, though there were a few occasions when I ran late, they were ever so patient and forgiving towards me, for which I was so grateful. Lastly, instead of being grumpy or tired in the car, they have been so friendly and engaging, asking me how I’m doing or giving me advice about life. Without their help, I would have had a much more hectic, lonely, and costly time trying to get back and forth on public transportation all summer. And now that I’ve got a full-time job, I am extra grateful to them for supporting me with such servant-like hearts! I hope to also be of assistance to people who need rides in the future and reciprocate the care that these older sisters showed me.
I was at my small church a few weeks ago hanging out with the youth students after service. I turned around and saw one the team members sitting on the ground playing “go fish” with a four year old from the church. (He’s about 6’1″ and the four year old was about 3’10″ so it was quite the sight.) I was thinking about how earlier he’d told us about how he’d had his choice between Berkeley and Cambridge, and I was really touched that someone so obviously talented and competent would humbly do any task at the small church. Had he chosen to chase after the things in this world he probably could have been very successful but instead he considered nothing above him for God’s Kingdom.