Happy Easter Weekend
I'm at home in Burlington now typing this blog. Just came home a few hours ago. As I think about it, I wish this weekend were a bit longer...I wish that we had Monday off as well, like other government workers, or like those days in primary school when we'd have 4 day holidays. That'd be nice. I need that extra day to sleep in - I haven't got to sleep in once yet this weekend.
Thursday night's sushi party was great! I made several rolls of sushi, as did others, and then we all ate them together...yum!
Friday was busy but good. Friday morning, I went to T3C's Good Friday service. There was praise & worship (that was ok), and Pastor DL gave the message, which was pretty good, recounting the last days/moments before Christ's death - and paralleling us to the crowds at the time who chose to nail him to the cross, and also to Barrabas (the criminal man set scotch free because Christ was going to die in his place).
After Friday's service, a small bunch of us went to eat at Marche's at Bayview/Yorkmills for lunch, and then to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. mmm...Ice cream...It was really nice to hang out with them (...and go for ice cream...although we had planned to go to Gelato's for Gelati ice cream - which is supposed to be wayyy awesome!! Anyhow, they were closed, so hopefully next time, we were thinking mb some day before or after fellowship or when ppl are free on like a Sat).
**Special Ice Cream note I have to remember (and other ice cream fans out there:
Wed Apr.23 - Lick's 23cents special is Ice cream cone
Wed Apr.30 - Baskin Robbin's Free Ice cream scoop...woohooo!!
Okay, so after the ice cream, I went back to res to study a bit, and then went to the Passion Play at Queensway Cathedral Church for the 7:30pm show. I have to say that that was one AMAZING performance. Awesome!! Basically, they acted out the life of Jesus Christ from birth to death to resurrection with amazing scenes, and songs and dancing, and live animals. The acting and attention to details and everything was great! Several scenes throughout the play made me teary and cry too...I do NOT usually cry that easily, but seeing His life portrayed quite realistically berfore my eyes was very emotional and touching to me. Jesus Christ was an amazing person, and IS an amazing Lord. Wow. I'd recommend this play to anyone and everyone, and will definitely plan to watch it again next year!!
After the play, I went out to meet up with DgWn who's back from UK til Tues and 5 other friends, and we went to 'Hui Lao San' (one of my favourite Chinese Dessert Places at First Markham Place). This was at like 11am now. Long day and everyone was kinda tired, but we all wanted to hang out with Dg before he leaves again. I ended up having my favourite 'purple rice soup dessert with coconut', shared a curry fish ball dish, and shared a mango pudding. Wah, so much...but soooo good!!
I also brought my MSI photo album (from my M-trip to China back in May 2001. It was nice cuz there were 3 of us there from the MSI trip (me, DW, LL) and AT was also there who went in Nov 2001. It was like a mini-MSI reunion...we wanted SH to be there too, but she was too tired to come out :P Then we left, I went home and plopped into bed just after 1:30am.
Saturday morning I went to the Chinese Medical Terminology Course. It was on Traditional Chinese Medicine. This time I went to the Mandarin session. I knew most of the theory and everything taught since we learn TCM at my school too, but this was all in Mandarin, so I was madly writing away in Chinese with the 'pinyins' (pronounciations) and translations trying to keep up with everything to know all the translations so that I can use them in future practice. The teacher was going soooo fast!! Good thing I have somewhat of a Mandarin background. And then after, there was a free lunch (Chinese food)...yay :)
Reflection
I have to add that it's really nice to have friends. Usually, I take this CMT course with another friend, so there'e someone to head down/up with, chat with and all, which makes it more fun, but this time I was by myself. It was still good to be there and learn, but it didn't seem as fun without another friend there to bounce off quick conversations or comments, or if you're lost in following the prof and laughing at/with each other...Well, at least for the lunch part, another friend was there, which was nice for just chatting and catching up too :)
Also, while I was eating lunch there, a girl came up to me and asked me, "you look familiar, I think I've met you before...do you go to CCF?"...in my almost blank stare, I said, 'yah, I do'...but then thought about and said, 'well, actually, I don't go to the UT-CCF...I used to go to the Hamilton CCF a few years ago when I went to McMaster...' and we asked each other about Campus Challenge...nope, not the same year. And then she remembered that she was looking at the HCCF website (cuz she's going to do a pharmacy residency there in September) and recognized my face from the website pics that are posted...wha? woh, that's weird. Anyhow, we got each other's contact info so I can connect her with some ppl in Hamilton before she starts at Mac. At the end of the conversation, I was like, 'wow, I guess this is another one of God's purpose of why I'm taking this course'. God is cool.
Also, when I was sitting there with my friends eating my dessert(s) on Friday night, I could only be very thankful to God. That STM that I went on in May 2001 was more than just to refine me at the time, more than just to learn about loving others in a different country far away, more than me just giving my time then. I knew at that time that me being there was more of a blessing to myself from God than me being a blessing to others while I was there. I learned a lot and it was a time of growth for me then...but what other purpose was there? God has His intricate plans. MSI trips continue today every year without me and that ministry continues to grow, and touch people there, so I feel that my trip there 2 years ago was really a small, small part of what is a really great and big plan God has. I think what I gained the MOST from that trip since was friendships. I keep in touch with 3 other members of that team still and they are good friends. 2 of them (DW and SH) invited me to go to Genesis fellowship and T3C that year when we came back, and that's how I started attending T3C and Genesis regularly, and growing there, and meeting more friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. If I hadn't gone on that trip, I may not be at T3C and have a 'home church' in TO, and would still have that 'wandering' feeling that I so don't like - but I remember that summer when prayed a lot about finding a church and fellowship to go to, and God led me there through these friends I met in MSI. And right now, LL is also in TO living with my friends from school who are Christians, and where SH also lives right now...I think it's just amazing how God has things planned.
Who knows what He has planned next !?!
"OGN": Only God Knows. praise God.
I'm at home in Burlington now typing this blog. Just came home a few hours ago. As I think about it, I wish this weekend were a bit longer...I wish that we had Monday off as well, like other government workers, or like those days in primary school when we'd have 4 day holidays. That'd be nice. I need that extra day to sleep in - I haven't got to sleep in once yet this weekend.
Thursday night's sushi party was great! I made several rolls of sushi, as did others, and then we all ate them together...yum!
Friday was busy but good. Friday morning, I went to T3C's Good Friday service. There was praise & worship (that was ok), and Pastor DL gave the message, which was pretty good, recounting the last days/moments before Christ's death - and paralleling us to the crowds at the time who chose to nail him to the cross, and also to Barrabas (the criminal man set scotch free because Christ was going to die in his place).
After Friday's service, a small bunch of us went to eat at Marche's at Bayview/Yorkmills for lunch, and then to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. mmm...Ice cream...It was really nice to hang out with them (...and go for ice cream...although we had planned to go to Gelato's for Gelati ice cream - which is supposed to be wayyy awesome!! Anyhow, they were closed, so hopefully next time, we were thinking mb some day before or after fellowship or when ppl are free on like a Sat).
**Special Ice Cream note I have to remember (and other ice cream fans out there:
Wed Apr.23 - Lick's 23cents special is Ice cream cone
Wed Apr.30 - Baskin Robbin's Free Ice cream scoop...woohooo!!
Okay, so after the ice cream, I went back to res to study a bit, and then went to the Passion Play at Queensway Cathedral Church for the 7:30pm show. I have to say that that was one AMAZING performance. Awesome!! Basically, they acted out the life of Jesus Christ from birth to death to resurrection with amazing scenes, and songs and dancing, and live animals. The acting and attention to details and everything was great! Several scenes throughout the play made me teary and cry too...I do NOT usually cry that easily, but seeing His life portrayed quite realistically berfore my eyes was very emotional and touching to me. Jesus Christ was an amazing person, and IS an amazing Lord. Wow. I'd recommend this play to anyone and everyone, and will definitely plan to watch it again next year!!
After the play, I went out to meet up with DgWn who's back from UK til Tues and 5 other friends, and we went to 'Hui Lao San' (one of my favourite Chinese Dessert Places at First Markham Place). This was at like 11am now. Long day and everyone was kinda tired, but we all wanted to hang out with Dg before he leaves again. I ended up having my favourite 'purple rice soup dessert with coconut', shared a curry fish ball dish, and shared a mango pudding. Wah, so much...but soooo good!!
I also brought my MSI photo album (from my M-trip to China back in May 2001. It was nice cuz there were 3 of us there from the MSI trip (me, DW, LL) and AT was also there who went in Nov 2001. It was like a mini-MSI reunion...we wanted SH to be there too, but she was too tired to come out :P Then we left, I went home and plopped into bed just after 1:30am.
Saturday morning I went to the Chinese Medical Terminology Course. It was on Traditional Chinese Medicine. This time I went to the Mandarin session. I knew most of the theory and everything taught since we learn TCM at my school too, but this was all in Mandarin, so I was madly writing away in Chinese with the 'pinyins' (pronounciations) and translations trying to keep up with everything to know all the translations so that I can use them in future practice. The teacher was going soooo fast!! Good thing I have somewhat of a Mandarin background. And then after, there was a free lunch (Chinese food)...yay :)
Reflection
I have to add that it's really nice to have friends. Usually, I take this CMT course with another friend, so there'e someone to head down/up with, chat with and all, which makes it more fun, but this time I was by myself. It was still good to be there and learn, but it didn't seem as fun without another friend there to bounce off quick conversations or comments, or if you're lost in following the prof and laughing at/with each other...Well, at least for the lunch part, another friend was there, which was nice for just chatting and catching up too :)
Also, while I was eating lunch there, a girl came up to me and asked me, "you look familiar, I think I've met you before...do you go to CCF?"...in my almost blank stare, I said, 'yah, I do'...but then thought about and said, 'well, actually, I don't go to the UT-CCF...I used to go to the Hamilton CCF a few years ago when I went to McMaster...' and we asked each other about Campus Challenge...nope, not the same year. And then she remembered that she was looking at the HCCF website (cuz she's going to do a pharmacy residency there in September) and recognized my face from the website pics that are posted...wha? woh, that's weird. Anyhow, we got each other's contact info so I can connect her with some ppl in Hamilton before she starts at Mac. At the end of the conversation, I was like, 'wow, I guess this is another one of God's purpose of why I'm taking this course'. God is cool.
Also, when I was sitting there with my friends eating my dessert(s) on Friday night, I could only be very thankful to God. That STM that I went on in May 2001 was more than just to refine me at the time, more than just to learn about loving others in a different country far away, more than me just giving my time then. I knew at that time that me being there was more of a blessing to myself from God than me being a blessing to others while I was there. I learned a lot and it was a time of growth for me then...but what other purpose was there? God has His intricate plans. MSI trips continue today every year without me and that ministry continues to grow, and touch people there, so I feel that my trip there 2 years ago was really a small, small part of what is a really great and big plan God has. I think what I gained the MOST from that trip since was friendships. I keep in touch with 3 other members of that team still and they are good friends. 2 of them (DW and SH) invited me to go to Genesis fellowship and T3C that year when we came back, and that's how I started attending T3C and Genesis regularly, and growing there, and meeting more friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. If I hadn't gone on that trip, I may not be at T3C and have a 'home church' in TO, and would still have that 'wandering' feeling that I so don't like - but I remember that summer when prayed a lot about finding a church and fellowship to go to, and God led me there through these friends I met in MSI. And right now, LL is also in TO living with my friends from school who are Christians, and where SH also lives right now...I think it's just amazing how God has things planned.
Who knows what He has planned next !?!
"OGN": Only God Knows. praise God.
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