AACM Missionaries

Jul
11th

Wed

Allen Kuo | 6/1 - 7/30 | USA | Sick…for a moment.

This past Sunday night, Zack got sick with some stomach problems. He threw up early on in the night, then had more stomach issues throughout the day while he tried to ride to Greenville out of Southlake. Was it all the Tex-Mex and BBQ we ate? We’ll never know because we eat so many different things everyday. He sat out for most of the ride on Monday, and was back on by Tuesday.

THEN 2 nights ago at 12:30am, I wake up with uneasiness in my stomach. This begins an interesting 36 hours. I knew what was coming, because I had experienced this back in November. I was sleeping in the same room as Zack, so I told him I was probably going to throw up soon. He was half awake in our conversation and I realized that when he said “Aww man…I’ll pray for you guys” hahaha.

I left to get a small trash bin and moved into the hallway because the room was freezing cold. I knew the crawfish etouffee the Mahoneys served us had to come out, but I kept holding it in. Finally, an hour later it happened and I washed up in the bathroom. Then I woke up 2 hours later at 3:30am and did the same thing…sigh. The last time this happened, I couldn’t even hold in the liquids I drank afterwards to rehydrate, so I barely or didn’t drink anything. My stomach was still uneasy, and I got one more hour of sleep before the team woke up at 5am.

I rode in the van with Josias for the day. Missed out on 86 miles, oh well. Strike me off the list of riders that rode every possible mile (Emily is the final survivor)! I wasn’t too bummed out about that, would’ve been cool but this tour is definitely more than riding every mile. Anyways, I waited in the car while Josias did some groceries at Albertsons, and hurl #3 happened in the parking lot. I was afraid of having to do that because I didn’t think I’d have anything left, and didn’t want to dry heave, but I guess there’s always stomach acids…blah. I got a Gatorade to sip on throughout the day (barely drank any of that). Towards lunch I nibbled on a banana at a rate of about 1 banana/hour.

We arrived at our destination in Arkadelphia. Just to let you know, I was totally STOKED for this day, because Jessica’s family was coming up and rented a place at Lake Degray Resort and brought a jet ski!! I wasn’t 100%, but I wasn’t going to miss out on this opportunity. I pretty much tried to preserve all my energy (because dinner had came out, didn’t eat breakfast or lunch) for this afternoon…and it was AWESOME! Mr. Mahoney took Josias and I out on the first ride and ran us hard on the water. Then he took us to a 10′ cliff to jump off of. That was my first time cliff jumping, scary at first (because I’ve seen some bad videos…) but so fun.

On the way back, Josias and I both got a chance to drive the wave runner, which was my first time ever. Man it was a blast, doing 360s and such. After that, the family prepared more cajun goodness: jambalaya and corn! Pretty simple food for me to digest thankfully, basically rice and some beef. Ate what I thought I might be able to handle.

Enjoying jambalaya at Lake Degray

Weather got real gusty as a storm was coming, and waves got choppy…so Mr. Mahoney took me and Zack out for a ride! I rode in the back, holding onto a leather strap. It was basically like bull riding on water — I’m pretty sure we got at least 3 ft of air hitting some of those waves!

All my dinner stayed in, phew. Woke up this morning, ate a small breakfast, and rode 62 miles. Last 27 miles were blistering hot with 100+ temps by 1pm when we rode in.

Maybe it was your prayers. Maybe it was a rapid metabolism that causes a rapid recovery. Who knows? Only God.

Melissa Pan | 6/16 - 7/23 | New York City | THE AROMA OF CHRIST

THE AROMA OF CHRIST

the moment i stepped into the subway car, my nostrils filled with the stench of a dumpster. feeling lightheaded, i whipped my head around to see that the source of the smell was a homeless man. his head cradled in one hand. two garbage bags by his side. slowly scratching unseen sores beneath layers of clothing with his other hand. looking defeated and tortured.

i sat down with my coworker and my boss. some people got off immediately at the next stop, and strangers bonded over complaining. many of us covered our noses in some way…for me it was trying not to breathe in too deeply. the man had sat down near the middle of the subway car, and the rest of the people squeezed to either end of the car as much as possible. where we got on was in midtown manhattan, where many people work and tour and congregate. even so, the scent emanating from this man managed to part the crowd like the red sea. in the middle of rush hour.

without the love of God, i would not have wanted to approach him with my coworker to offer a slip of paper with resources, much less stay in the subway car. and we get off at the very last stop on this particular line, so it was a good forty-minute ride. without Christ, i would not have seen him and his smell with another perspective. you see, to God, on our best days, we smell like dirty rags. why? because on our best days we are sinful, we have mixed motives, we can’t stop thinking about ourselves even when we do good. and God cannot stand sin. but through Jesus Christ, who came down to this earth and loved on the smelliest of us, we are reconciled to God.God looks at you, me, and that man, and sees someone who Christ has made righteous and beautiful and whole.

the man rejected us with a wave of his hand when we offered him the resources. we had no extra food or water that day to offer him. so we sat back down. two other men approached him. one offered him money, was rejected like we were, then stuffed the bills into his hands. the other gave him a bag full of snacks and drinks, clapped his shoulder, and walked away. he was still on the subway at the last stop, looking like he did not want to get off. we went over to talk to him. my boss, full of conviction, approached him. he refused to give her his name, and clearly looked tortured by something dark, like depression. she told him many truths about his value and worth as a child of God, then she asked, “what do you need?”, something that neither of the two men from before bothered to ask him. he looked down at his ripped shoes and said that he needed new ones, but didn’t want to go with us out of the subway so that we could buy them. didn’t want to bother us, he said.

so we did the only thing we could, as girls with flats and too-small feet for his (yes, even mine har har). we ran to the project house, found one of the only six guys on the project, and he graciously handed over his nike converses. we ran back to the subway stop, frantically looking for him and praying that the subway hadn’t left yet or that he didn’t leave. lo and behold, he was still there! but the shoes were too small. however, he still wanted to keep them and thanked us. he wasn’t very willing to talk further, saying that he was on his way to brooklyn to meet someone. the moment we stepped off the subway car, the doors closed and it left for downtown.

as my sisters and i prayed for this man at a metal-worked cross in front of a nearby catholic church, God really impressed upon me the aroma of Christ. in His last hours on this earth, Jesus was all alone. He was abandoned by the crowds, by his disciples, by peter who said He would never leave Him. they all, whether out of fear or hatred or alienation or whatever motive, did not want to be near Him. people were already leaving Him in the middle of His ministry, when His teachings became too controversial. people not only were repelled by Him, but they also sentenced Him, sinless and innocent, to death on a cross over a murderer. Jesus knows that homeless man’s name, He knows better than anyone what that man goes through, and He is taking care of him. when my friend told our project director about this man, our director said he saw him just the day before and tried to talk to him, too. i’m praying that God will continue to bring people into his life to show him His love.

so all this is to say:

but thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. for we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. who is sufficient for these things? for we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

2 corinthians 2:14-17

some prayerequests for this week:

- for the many massage parlors in Chinatown, in many parts of this beautiful, broken city, wheresexual slavery occurs. pray for God to infuse these pits of darkness with His light and for people to view and treat each other as people, not as objects. i had an opportunity to pray over Chinatown massage parlors this past weekend, and i trembled at the brokenness that goes on beneath our feet in these parlors, which can number to five per street.

- for the unnamed man, who is known and named and beloved by God.

- for God to draw me really close to Him. also on the subway, but on another night, i was travelling back alone. and God just gave me this sweet time with Him, giving me a deeper sense of satisfaction in Him. He designed me to be satisfied by Him alone, and i welcome more of that. He has continued to work out in me a heart of forgiveness, surrender, and confidence before His throne and in this world He placed me in.

http://melitoast.wordpress.com/

Bernice Chuang | 6/16 - 8/6 | San Francisco | Week 2 Update

Hi friends!

I can’t believe it’s only been TWO weeks! It feels like I have been in SF for over a month already!

This past week our team definitely focused a lot on intimacy on vulnerability. We were able to share many testimonies and struggles with each other. Praise God for the way He has brought our team together! It has been a huge blessing to see such transparency in our community.

For my ministry venue last week, my group went to San Francisco State University 3 days in a row for outreach. We were able to initiate many spiritual conversations while exploring the college campus. On Saturday, we held an outreach event at our hostel where we baked lots of goodies and got to meet and hang out with the other people in Golden Gate.

The team has been split into many committees, which we will eventually take on “full-time” when staff leaves next week. I have been charged with newsletter and women’s time committees, which I find ironic as these are the two things I have worked extensively in both subjects during the past four years. For newsletter, we have decided to create a website for our team to share with our supporters and keep everyone updated. I’ll be unveiling the site sometime this week I hope! As for planning women’s time, I have found this more challenging. I do have a heart for women’s issues and a passion for working with women, but at the same time I find planning for women’s time challenging because the needs of women are so complex and unique.

So far this week, my team has started volunteering at a senior center. We mostly help with serving food and working in the registration office. While we don’t really get to interact too much with the seniors, we are trying to be content with allowing God to use us in less relational and more “practical” ways to serve the senior center.

A few things you could pray for:

Rest- it’s easy to get caught up in ministry or with spending time with people and difficult to pull ourselves away just to spend time with God or rest. We’re nearing mid-project, but there’s still so much of project left! Rest is become increasingly important or else we will start to burn out.
Pray for good listening and understanding among the team members. Oftentimes we feel comfortable with sharing and being vulnerable with each other, but it’s easy to glide through conversations without really allowing whoever’s sharing to be heard and understood. It is my hope that the team will learn how to be better listeners and question askers including myself!
Prayer! Prayer is the lifeline to successful and effective ministry. I would like to make it out to 7am prayer more often. Feel free to encourage me to pray boldly, continuously, and more!

That’s all for now! Happy 4th of July and remember that we have freedom in Christ everyday!

http://expressobean.wordpress.com/

Esther Ma & Dora Cheng | 6/7 - 7/12 | Detroit, Michigan | Update

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve updated!

These last two weeks, my team and I helped out at a summer camp in Highland Park. It was such a blessing getting to know the kids at the camp and their stories. Sometimes I get frustrated by the things that they do, but I have to remember that many of them come from rough backgrounds and that may have affected who they are now.

God has definitely been teaching me how to love by His love and not mine. Our love is conditional, His is not. Our love is finite, His live is infinite.

As this mission trip quickly draws to a close (I come home this Thursday), I’d love for you to pray for some of these things:

That what I learn will not be forgotten and will be applied.
For the people of Detroit-spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
For our missions team (because we’ve spent a considerable time together and it’s starting to wear on us).

If you would like to talk more personally, feel free to shoot me an email, text, phone call, or we could even meet up one-on-one! Let me know and I’d be so excited to share with you more about this missions trip.

In Christ,

Dora

Peter Chang | 6/15 - 7/7 | Thailand | The Fellowship Has Been Disbanded. :[

thailandvision2012:

The last of the team has been disbanded, as Jenn, Enoch, and myself (Steven) said bye to Chrissie and Peter at the Taipei airport. We’re here killing time with an 8 hour layover before we head back to the States. James reached HK and his family on Wednesday, and Benry has been home for a week but…

julianinjapan:

Video I created for new CRASH Volunteers.

Jun
14th

Thu

Julian Joseph | 5/30 - 7/30 | Tokyo, Japan : Videos from Japan

Watch and read what Julian has been up to in Japan.

julianinjapan:

Hey Guys,

SO CLOSE to finishing my video project. Gave a 4th draft to my boss today and they really liked it. Just a couple more minor changes and it should be done.

Also… GREAT NEWS! My boss asked me to stay with PR for the month of July AND I checked with CRASH Housing and I can stay at the same place in July as well. This is great because its a much more affordable rate AND I get to continue to same work. My boss liked my video and wants me to continue this work next month. That means I’ll be interviewing more volunteers/CRASH staff and be creating video stories about what its like to work with CRASH and to work in Tohoku. I’m really excited to hear these stores… I know CRASH is doing good work and I want the world to know so that we can continue to support Japan.

After work today I rushed over to Ochanomizu. In Ochanomizu there is the Ochanomizu Christian Center which I was told by my coworker has English/Japanese bibles. I went buy to the bookstore (OCL) and got myself one of these bibles so that I can give it to my friend on Sunday. I also bought him a few other things. I’m very excited about being able to give him these gifts. One cool gift is two wristbands with Christian meaning like the ones I wear on my wrists. Whenever we meet he always asks me about my wrist bands. Last year I gave him my Livestrong wrist band. When he saw me this past Sunday he told me it had “great meaning” to him and that he wore it often… so often that it broke. This past year I had bought another Livestrong wrist band so I gave him another one :-D. I think he’ll really like these Christian wrist bands and I’m excited to get to explain them to him. I feel so blessed that God has given me someone so easy to love and care about. Mune-san is really a great guy that cherishes his time with others and gifts from others.

After church I got to go to Jesus Lifehouse’s Wednesday service.. it was a really nice service where we went through a sheet and identified out top gifts from God… I’ve got a pic of mine

Videos:

some of the CRASH devotional which was led by two people affiliated with CRASH from australia

some of jesus lifehouse worship in English and Japanese [no video] [Forever Reign - Hillsong]

Prayer Request:

-please pray for a meeting between Mune-san and I this coming Sunday…. I called KoreanAir today and found out that I can change my flight to Monday for only $50…. I think this would be worth it to get one more day with Mune-san and to also get to go to church with him

Allen Kuo | 6/1 - 7/30 | USA : Day 1 & 2

Follow Allen as he rides throughout the the US. IF you aren’t a reader… see his instagram (http://web.stagram.com/n/kuotient/)

Jun
13th

Wed

Joseph Kwan & Thomas Liu | 6/4 - 6/9 | Astoria, New York : Back Home

http://www.cbc-youth.com/new-york-missions—2012.html

We would like to thank you for your prayers and support that went toward our mission trip to New York City in which we helped plant the church, Connection Church NYC. Our team had the opportunity to reach out the local community in Astoria by putting on a block party, providing people with breakfast in the morning, and serving the community doing community service. This gave us a way to engage the locals in the area and show the love of Christ to them. In addition, we spent a good amount of our time simply praying over the city of New York City and asking God to do a great work in that city. In the end, we were so thankful for the work God did through us. He allowed us to plant the seeds of the Gospel through our conversations and interactions we had with the neighborhoods in Astoria. We have faith that God can and will grow those seeds in the people we met and hopefully they ultimately will be drawn to Jesus Christ. Our team firmly believes that the Gospel will continue to reach New York City and change it.

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:9-11

We really cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for us. God used your support to make this trip possible and ultimately make much of His name. If you want to keep up with Connection NYC, feel free to check out their website, www.connectionnyc.com or if you want to hear more about our trip, go to www.cbc-youth.com. Thanks again for being faithful to His calling to serve the nations and make His name known.

Sincerely,

The CBC NYC Missions Team

Jun
12th

Tue

Introduction: AACM Missions 2012 Part 2

Here are some of the AACMer who are going on missions this summer:

Peter Chang | 6/15 - 7/7 | Thailand

thailandvision2012.tumblr.com

Prayer request:

1) Direction & Discernment: Pray that each of us would individually hear from the Spirit of God about where, when, and how He wants us to be involved in long-term missions. Pray that the Spirit would pour out spiritual giftings and increase our growth in Christ.

2) Protection: Thailand is a very spiritually-charged land, and we are desperate for your prayers to cover us and protect us from spiritual warfare. Please also pray for physical strength and safe travels, as a few of our team members are battling some sickness.

3) Team Unity: Pray for love, grace, and good communication among our team, and that we would be a good stronghold and representation of Christ during our time together. Pray also for unity and good relationships with the ministries & missionaries we meet in Thailand.

4) Thai People & the nation of Thailand: Ultimately, our hope is that the whole nation of Thailand and all its peoples would be reached with the Gospel, and that all would turn and follow Jesus. Pray for God to divinely appoint the people we meet, and we would see people come to Christ during our time there.

Esther Ma & Dora Cheng | 6/7 - 7/12 | Detroit, Michigan

Prayer request:

1) For God to be preparing our team to be humbly ready to face challenges and conflict, and be ready to sacrifice and put other before ourselves. Also pray that as a team we will learn to be a body of Christ that prays together and serves together.

2) The people of Detroit - that God would be moving in their hearts and that the Holy Spirit will move powerfully in the city. Also pray for protection, as we know that Satan is against the work we will be doing.

3) Hope Community Church - the church that we will be partnering with.

Dani Cummings | 6/12 - 8/6 | San Francisco, CA

Prayer request:

1) Pray for financial support! I just broke halfway, but I have so little time left.

2) Pray that I will be compelled by nothing but love, in my actions, and reverence for God.

3) Pray for God to go ahead and prepare the hearts of those we’re talking to, stripping away lies and laying the foundation for the gospel to take root well.

Jun
1st

Fri

Introduction: AACM Missions 2012 Part 1

Here are some of the AACMer who are going on missions this summer:

Stanley Liu | 7/1 - 8/15 | East Asia

Prayer request:

1) God to be glorified and nothing else. That our goal is to make famous the name of Jesus Christ and to share that good news.

2) The “local” people group that they will encounter, not us, but the holy spirit through us and be able to see reflections of Christ in us!

3) Spiritual preparation of the team and for us to encounter God and to know the gospel personally for ourselves and have it consume our lives so that we can’t help but share it.

Bernice Chuang | 6/16 - 8/6 | San Francisco

Expressobean.wordpress.com

Prayer request:

Pray for support raising - I am about 2-3 weeks away from leaving and just over 10% funded.

Julian Joseph | 5/30 - 7/30 | Tokyo, Japan

julianinjapan.tumblr.com

Prayer request:

1) Pray for hearts of Japanese I’m meeting with (Goi-san & his family and Mune-san).

2) Pray for my 2nd month there. Still not 100% sure if I can work with same organization as first month.

3) Pray that God would break my hear for the Japanese and their culture.

Melissa Pan | 6/16 - 7/23 | New York City

melitoast.wordpress.com

Prayer request:

1) the Holy Spirit to lead people in New York City to follow Jesus

2) the team of brothers and sisters to be unified under the head of Christ

3) God to humble me and glorify Himself through me while sharing the Gospel, living with teammates and staff, and at my internship

Allen Kuo | 6/1 - 7/30 | USA

allenrideswell.wordpress.com

Prayer request:

1) Safety and health on the roads and heat.

2) Communities to be moved to give.

3) Soul discovery

Joseph Kwan & Thomas Liu | 6/4 - 6/9 | Astoria, New York

http://www.cbc-youth.com/new-york-missions—2012.html

Prayer request:

1) Pray that the Holy Spirt moves throughout the trip

2) Pray for Pastor Larry and the Connection Church NYC as we serve with them for a week.

3) Pray for the people of Astoria, New York and the neighborhood that we are serving. Pray that they see our serving as a responses to God’s love for them.

Jul
4th

Mon

Japan - Josh Chan (7/1/11)

Seeking Signs

When I went to the first Briefing here in Japan, one of the most interesting things that I learned is that apologetics will usually not be as important as it is in America. The Japanese people are not as interested in hearing wise logical arguments for God as they are in seeking signs from God. Being a person who loves to use apologetics, this is definitely going to force me to rely and trust God to move as opposed to relying on my own wits. Please continue to pray that God will move powerfully in their lives, making himself very real to them.

Mexico - Grace Chiang (6/25/11)

This photo is of some of the Spearhead leaders putting on a Jesus-centered clown show at a park in Mexico City. Clown shows are a popular form of street entertainment here and a very good way to get kids involved. It’s pretty cool seeing how Spearhead has found different ways of putting “the light” in a place where this culture can see it. (This really cleared up the confusing request on our packing list that said “clown stuff.”)

I’ve been reading “Speaking of Jesus” by Carl Medearis and it’s really speaking volumes to me right now as I’m also sumultaneously reading through the gospel message of Mark. Both are completely radical ways of thinking of Jesus, different from Western Christianity. Both have an extreme emphasis to not worry about theology or doctrines or anything else created by man to make sense of our FAITH, but to just follow Jesus because there is just no other way to get to God. Both speak of simply pointing to Jesus and not worrying about results because our job is simply to worship him and talk about “the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).”

This is definitely radical from the Western thought of Christianity because as C. Medearis puts it, Christianity is different from Jesus and when we try to convert someone to Christianity, we end up having to defend all the crap that comes with it.

What is there to defend about Jesus? Nothing. He speaks for himself and has from the beginning. No documentation of the life of Jesus has he ever had to explain himself and why it would be beneficial to follow him. It’s either FOLLOW ME and be saved. Or don’t.

All I have to do is point to Jesus and the rest is not for me to worry about. This is the courage and strength and hope that I was really seeking from my last post. Thanks for continued prayers, and keep ‘em coming! Mas! Mas!

Prayer request specifically now for believing and living out 100% of what I just preached >.<

P.S. If interested, here’s a short video clip of the clown show!http://qik.com/m/video/9b24be7f0a0b47da82ccdcbf7483b09a

Jun
29th

Wed

Honduras - Bethany Tsui (6/28/11)

Hello everyone!

Again, here’s the link to my blog that now has more updates about my time here. I’m two days behind on blogging, but I’ll try to catch up tomorrow.

http://bethohog.tumblr.com/

Now begins my time in Honduras that does not have any definite plans or schedules. I’m excited to see what God’s going to spring on me, but I also need a lot of prayers for the remainder of my time here.

I have a big desire to utilize the next 14 days here well and NOT to use it to just bum around and just wait until I can go home. I am really hoping that the rest of my time here in Honduras would be Spirit led and that this half of my trip would be even more stretching than the first.

Updated prayer requests:

- To listen and hear God’s voice clearly, that I would be obedient and Spirit-led in everything I do, especially in the ways that I decide to spend the rest of my time here in Honduras.
- To seek out and find community, which I feel like I’ve been lacking for one reason or another.
- That I would continue break out of my shell and be more at ease… I still feel shy and not myself around Signs of Love people who are here.

I can’t say it enough, but thank you again for all your love and support and prayers. Y’all are amazing!

Love in Christ,
Bethany “Betho” Tsui

Jun
26th

Sun

Japan - Josh Chan (6/25/11)

Fund Raising

Hello everyone, sorry for taking so long to post my first blog, it took a while before I finally got internet. I will begin this blog by sharing an interesting experience during my fund raising process. A week before it was time for Epic Summer Project Japan to begin I was short by about $1300. I always trusted that God would completely provide for my project but I wasn’t sure if he would do it without using my father (who is an atheist). I was also really hoping that I would not need him for I wanted to show my father that I could be independent from him. Having no choice at the time, I had to ask support from him. When I asked him to help fund my missionary trip, I was backed into a corner. My father asked me “Is it me that is supporting you or God supporting you? If I don’t give money for your trip, will God provide?” For a while I was unable to figure out what a good response would be when all of a sudden, something clicked in me. I began to tell my father that I am going to clear a hidden assumption that my father believes in: The belief that the provision from God and my father (or people) are mutually exclusive. I told him that even though I believe that it all ultimately comes from God, it does not mean that my father did nothing and should receive no appreciation. My father was satisfied with that response and was willing to cover the rest of what I needed. While that was certainly wonderful, what was really great about what had happened was that one of the biggest problems that my dad had with Christianity was finally gone! I now see why God forced me to do something that I really did not feel comfortable doing.