5.
1) A gift of peace: God’s word when everything seems so crazy
2) A gift of hope: seeing the youth kids get baptized on Sunday and sharing their testimonies…good to see fruit on our ministry and I pray that God continues growing them and they would remember what He has done in their lives
3) A gift of love: parents buying me food all the time
6. 3 gifts “ugly-beautiful”
1) Yesterday our special youth kid Andre got baptized, and I can’t express how proud we all were that he was able to get up on that stage and share his testimony. You see, Andre has autism and always had trouble communicating but there’s nobody I know that has more joy and love than that kid. So many of us teared up as he shared how loved he felt at church, and how good God was to him.
2) Continually learning how incapable of true love I am, and how I can only get that through drawing strength from God.
3) learning patience
7. 3 gifts in what you are reading
1) “3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” – 1 Peter 3:3-4. Good reminder of what it means to be a godly woman.
2) “10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” – 1 Peter 5:10. encouragement to push through the hard times and continue serving the Lord.
3) Joy Luck Club – I remember my mom waited til I was older to watch the movie with me, and when I did I still didn’t really understand it. But now as I’m reading through the stories about Asian American women and their mothers who sacrificed a lot for them, I’m beginning to appreciate my mom’s sentiment.
8. 3 gifts empty
1) My schedule! well not really..but it’s a lot more free now that I don’t have to tutor. Nice to have time to read, relax, and…go to the gym.
2) Empty fridge = more opportunities to stock up and get goodies in the grocery store
3) My mind – no really. learning to let go of my worries and anxieties and just throwing them up to God has been amazing.
9. 3 gifts that made you really smile
1) Getting acknowledged by one of the girls who got baptized…not trying to be prideful but it totally both humbled and encouraged me. especially when all the parents started clapping.
2) Running with Eric, who initiated it after complaining that he got so fat during the week. It was hilarious to see him complain the whole entire time yet try to maintain his man-pride, and then try to control my pace by holding my hand. At one point we sprinted a bit and when we finished he said “Did I look like a gazelle?!” I laughed so hard I almost peed in my pants.
3) Meetups with old friends and being blessed by their struggles and triumphs
10.
1) A gift at 8: Blueberry muffins from VONS…they’re actually really delicious (and probably loaded with calories).
2) A gift at 12: Getting a nice iced coffee from Mickey Ds when I was in serious need of caffeine.
3) A gift at 2: Not having to rush to my second job
11. 3 gifts painted
1) God’s creation when spending the afternoon at the park…I’m sure in some figurative sense it was painted.
2) Nails! They’re finally not peeling as much, allowing my home manicures to stay better
3) My room…I still think it’s super cute and pretty in GREEN.
31. 3 gifts you gave today
1) A fake lei for a graduating senior from my church! Was able to stop by the Diamond Bar HS graduation at the end and take pictures with the kids. So proud of them and I hope our church continues to support and love them through the next few stages of their lives.
2) Scrapbook page for our dear friend Edwin, who left for Taiwan this weekend to teach English for a year. What a gift it was to all of us, having gathered our AACF class to pray for one another and for Edwin, and fellowship one more time.
3) Spending time with my mom eating a late night dinner
June
1. 3 gifts orange
1) cheddar biscuits from red lobster, and since we were one of the last customers they bagged us a couple extra to take home for free!
2) Mango Mai Tai…delicious but not worth the price and incomparable to Rocky’s concoction
3) Upgrading our mashed potatoes to lobster mashed potatoes. yummy but a bit too rich
2. 3 gifts funny
1) Watching the Premier elementary school kids go crazy on the last day of school, and trying not to get into trouble while playing “Silent Ball”
2) Bible puns of Joseph Tu
3) Haley playing with boys’ hearts
3. 3 gifts from today’s conversations
1) Saturday’s AACF 2011 Reunion/Edwin’s farewell party was such an immense blessing. Loved catching up with people, worshipping with one another, and praying for each other. Miss it.
2) Leadership meeting went fairly productive even though there were a lot of issues to be addressed. Thankful for humble and passionate leaders who are willing to be honest yet also encouraging. People – always keep your church leaders in prayer! They need it too.
3) Getting a surprise encouragement email from Eric 🙂 Made my day.
4. 3 gifts found in Christ
1) Strength
2) Grace
3) Being able to love others in a way I naturally can’t do on my own.
Well since it’s finally the last day of May, seems fitting to catch up with half a month’s worth of Joy Dare posts 🙂 I do need to reflect on these little glimpses of grace since things have started to grow routine again, although I am excited about my summer trips!
16. 3 gifts found in His Word
1) Conviction
2) Resetting my heart and mind
3) Giving me something to run to whenever I’m confused
17.
1) A gift in a box: Supplies our clinic have been waiting for over a month…and definitely testing my patience. Sigh still waiting for one more thing…
2) A gift in a bag: Free chick-fil-a sandwich today courtesy of a compensation coupon
3) A gift in a book: Finished a historical fiction based on Song of Solomon called “Love’s Sacred Song” and it was awesome seeing characters fleshed out and seeing how God’s unconditional love was presented in this love story.
18. 3 gifts unexpected
1) Spontaneously planning summer trips
2) The amazing and luxurious bathroom trailer at Val’s wedding
3) Helping Clifford out randomly with a film project, and getting to be in his film while experiencing film making
19. 3 gifts from your childhood
1) Lasting friendships
2) Nostalgic memories
3) A good family
20.
1) A gift sweet: Cupcakes at Rocky’s wedding
2) A gift sour: Lemons to make water taste more refreshing
3) A gift salty: Awesome pizza at Rocky’s wedding
21. 3 gifts found in little people
1) Cute moments and conversations
2) Unproportional amounts of enthusiasm and energy
3) Haley! hahahahahah. She’s so fun now that she’s started speaking certain words
22. 3 gifts that made you laugh
1) A conversation with Eric where I thought he was talking about rings when he was talking about french fries
2) Hanging out with Tiff Mau..finally..and watching 3 hours of storage wars
3) Reuniting with my old freshman small group at Val’s wedding…along with tons of other AACF people
23. 3 gifts found in community
1) Home
2) Encouragement
3) People to hang out with when you feel the need to be with people!
24.
1) A gift in a plate: Having dinner cooked by my daddy almost every night.
2) A gift in a pot: Pasta. My dinner staple.
3) A gift in a package: Hmm..haven’t gotten packages lately…but when I do they’re definitely gifts and unexpected surprises!
25. 3 gifts hard giving thanks for
1) Difficult people
2) Moments of discipline and lecturing from my parents
3) Learning self-control
26.
1) A gift worn: purse I got for my birthday that is becoming my favorite bag
2) A gift white: Robes of righteousness
3) A gift whispered: God reminding me that He is enough for me
27. 3 gifts found in church
1) Good preaching
2) Excited middle schoolers who are eager to learn
3) Community..no matter how small it is.
28. 3 gifts found in today’s work
1) Seeing an old co-worker again and catching up
2) Serving my boss with McDonald’s Iced coffee
3) Having patients recognize and thank me
29.
1) A gift at 8am: still sleeping…with interesting dreams
2) A gift at 12pm: Learning to let go of selfish desires and recenter myself on Christ
3) A gift at 8pm: Seeing my student actually do semi-well on a practice final I gave him
30. 3 gifts blue
1) My AACF inner city shirt reminding me of the good times, and reminding me to pray for the youths’ upcoming CSM mission trip and for their hearts to be open to going again
2) Beautiful blue sky and weather
3) Having a blast at Rocky and Laura’s blue-themed wedding (yes it was a week ago..but still fun!) 😀
Boy am I behind..
9. 3 gifts found in the dark
1) How our eyes have the amazing ability to control the opening of our pupil so we could see. Love physiology
2) How much brighter the stars get
3) Falling asleep
10.
1) A gift outside: I decided to take a walk yesterday since I needed something to break me out of falling into monotony, and also just get some QT with God. Man was it a good choice. Nothing beats walking around in fresh air as the sun is setting.
2) A gift inside: Insulation. I love cold rainy days, but probably only because I have the luxury of having somewhere warm to be.
3) A gift upside down: A new perspective.
11. 3 gifts about your parents.How fitting since it was their anniversary on the 11th!
1) A good marriage. I now realize how rare it is to have witnessed a good marriage relationship in your family, and how much that has blessed me.
2) Heart for ministry that has been passed down to my brother and I
3) How their long busy days don’t affect their joy and humor
12. 3 gifts held in hand today
1) Computer to use for webcamming friends that are far apart. Thank you technology
2) Toothbrush. Dental hygiene is hard when you don’t have one.
3) Car keys and having the ability to transport myself
13. 3 gifts found in your mother
1) sacrificial love
2) unwavering spirit
3) wisdom…funny story. My dad preached this week about how you sometimes have to choose between having a woman with wisdom, or with beauty. He mentioned that if you find both, you’re trouble and closed off the illustration by saying that he’s in trouble. AWWWW
14.
1) A gift picked up: Got earrings mailed to me from Christine last week. Yay for receiving packages!
2) A gift put away: All the jackets I’ve accumulated. Love them!
3) A gift put back:Old photo boxes when making a mother’s day collage. Too many hilarious old pictures
15. 3 gifts about you
1) Being blessed by so many great people in my life
2) Not really caring too much how others think of me. Could be good or bad depending on the extreme 🙂
3) Organizational mind. In the midst of planning all these fun summer trips and I can’t wait!
4. 3 gifts found before 9am
1)Spontaneous movie date to watch Avengers at 11pm last night, getting home at 2am. How wild are we, staying out that late on a worknight.
2) Subsequently finding that I can wake up easier when I get less than 7 hours of sleep…actually that’s more of a sad thing. AHHA
3) The new Keurig Folgers Vanilla Biscotti coffee I am drinking this month
5.
1) A gift found in a smile: Being grateful for all the great friends I have, throwing me a semi-surprise late birthday dinner 🙂
2) A gift found in a sign: Having a prayer answered for a family in need of support and healing
3) A gift found in a snack: Sharing popcorn at the theater, with the boy who doesn’t know when to stop adding extra butter -__-
6. 3 gifts found in Christ
1) purpose
2) family
3) a worldview that explains so much about how people think and operate
7. 3 gifts about your home
1) It’s the perfect size…even though others may see our one-story home as small, I see it as a warm and cozy place that others love coming to
2) Newly painted exterior! Makes such a huge difference.
3) Freshly steamed carpet, and having a Dad that spends his day off cleaning and reorganizing everything
8. 3 gifts inside a closet
1) The accumulation of purses I’m getting…all gifts telling me that I’m becoming a grown-up.
2) Old scrapbooks and photo albums
3) Trying to be more creative in accessorizing and pairing different clothes, with the help of Pinterest!
Hello May 🙂 Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from elementary school.
“April showers bring may flowers..what do may flowers bring?
PILGRIMS!”
AHAHHAHAHHAHA. good one.
1. 3 gifts tasted
1) Street tacos at the clinic….two days straight! so great with homemade guacamole.
2) Popeye’s chicken for the first time tonight. Pretty delicious 🙂
3) Went to TAPS on Sunday night with the boy. We felt so fancy with all the seafood but thankfully his grandma’s birthday money to me covered the whole meal.
2. 3 gifts flat
1) I have been using more of my Kindle that I got for my birthday last year. Time to catch up on reading! Currently reading: “Erasing Hell” by Francis Chan and “Love’s Sacred Song” by Mesu Andrews – a fiction novel based on King Solomon and his wife.
2) Writing a contract with one of my students that if he doesn’t try his hardest in math class for the rest of the year, and not make up BS excuses, he is going to shave his head week after school gets out 🙂 Interesting way to motivate but he seems freaked out enough to try.
3) Another new book for my birthday from my pastor and his wife! “The Meaning of Marriage” by Tim and Kathy Keller..my favorite author!
3. 3 gifts found in difficult people
1) Learning to show grace and love
2) Opportunities to share the gospel
3) Training for parenthood..hahahaha
It’s the end of April!
27. 3 gifts “ugly beautiful”
1) Having to spend most of my birthday working, but being surprised when my difficult student spent most of our session stressing about what to get me for my birthday.
2) Staying up til 1:45am Saturday recording a cover with my brother, even when we were both tired and in great need of a shower after dinner.
3) Seeing my impatience get the best of me..and how different it is when I turn to Christ
28. 3 gifts orange
1) Hand knotted blanket the bro gave me for my birthday. How thoughtful and handmade!
2) Card that the middle school girls gave me for my bday, complete with a starbucks card thanking me for helping with worship training.
3) Seeing pretty flowers in Auntie Minnie’s yard while the boys watched basketball games
29. 3 gifts in dirt
1) Sunflower grow kit from Johan
2) interesting bugs…saw a fuzzy caterpillar yesterday and then a slug emerged from our clinic potted plant and left a shiny trail on the carpet today..
3) recycling of nutrients
30.
1) A gift given: Got to treat my dad to a quick take out dinner today…wasn’t much but it felt nice
2) A gift made: Was looking at all my old handmade cards I gave to Eric last week…pretty fun looking back
3) A gift sacrificed: My mom for enduring 9 months of pregnancy and a C section 23 years ago.
22. 3 gifts close
1) My birthday 🙂 OMG definitely hitting young adult stage.
2) Ivan’s birthday! He was my birthday present 6 days after my third birthday 🙂
3) Summer. The kids aren’t the only ones celebrating..I’m hoping to make the summer before med school AMAZING.
23. 3 gifts reflecting
1) God’s everyday grace in supplying me with peace and joy
2) How much patience God and others must have, especially teachers. I blew up on a couple of students this past week and had to apologize to some of them. Because of this I’m incredibly thankful for those who make teaching a lifetime choice, and also for those who are patient with me!
3) Even though the bf doesn’t do super romantic things, he does make an effort to spend time with me even when he wants his I-need-to-be-alone-because-I’m-an-introvert time. And for those little things I’m grateful 🙂
24. 3 gifts fragile
1) My need for control, and how often God challenges it and brings up uncertainty to remind me of my idol of control.
2) Our bodies, to remind us that this is only a temporary home. I had a discussion this week about how elderly people must feel after all their milestones have come and gone, and they’re left struggling with their deteriorating bodies and in some cases, loneliness. 😦
3) My determination to work out more…super fail. In need of more self-control and motivation.
25.
1) A gift cloth: Went shopping by myself a bit today for some “me” time and had fun trying on new stuff. Fortunately didn’t love anything enough to spend more money on clothes. +1 for self-control there.
2) A gift steel: Parents were having too much fun tonight trying out some new Cutco knives they bought from a neighbor. I tried it out and of course, dropped it. Left the parents shaking their heads after they had warned me to take good care of it. -__- Good thing I jumped away in time so it didn’t slice off one of my toes.
3) A gift wood: Newly sharpened pencils…that disappear too much when the kids forget to return them. But great for doodling!
26. 3 gifts moving
1) Time. It’s end of April already?! What the heck?!
2) Friends moving to new stages of lives (marriages, new jobs, new relationships, etc.) and getting excited for them
3) Clouds that brought us refreshing rain! But what is up with this bipolar weather…I bet next week it’s gonna get hot again!
16. 3 hard eucharisteos
1) Tutoring continues as usual..but with a humbling twist today. I was about to give up on this kid who’s always giving me a hard time and was ready to walk out when something stopped me. I texted a quick prayer request to Eric and continued onto my 3 hours tutoring session. Thank goodness I stayed and relied on God for strength because an opportunity arose where I was able to share the gospel with him and invite him to my youth group, which he seemed really interested in going. Praise God!
2) Ministry is about BEING. not just doing. gotta get into that BEING zone more.
3) wait-listed by Loma Linda = more open doors? more uncertainty? Either way God tends to throw me a curve ball just when I get used to being comfortable.
17. 3 gifts woven together
1) Blankets that make me want to stay in bed and instantly help me fall asleep.
2) How a lot of my circles are starting to collide in a beautiful picture of how people, especially God’s Kingdom, is connected.
3) Little baskets I got from an old garage sale that’s been holding various goodies in my apt and room. Currently holding growing nail polish collection.
18. 3 gifts inherited
1) Integrity (or in the process of learning about it…)
2) Ambition
3) Faith (ok..technically not inherited but without the example of my parents I probably wouldn’t be where I am today)
19. 3 gifts square
1) Scratch paper at Premier useful for folding paper flowers when bored.
2) Old mirror painted with words from Proverbs 31:30 from an old youth group activity
3) The actual shape square. What a strange quadrilateral that is the baby of a rectangle and rhombus. (Thank you Geometry tutoring experiences…)
20.
1) A gift stacked: books that still need to be read sitting on my desk.
2) A gift stashed:Old school notes, reminding me that stage of life is over.
3) A gift stilled: fears that remind me how much I need to trust God.
21. 3 gifts found in Christ
1) A greater love
2) A greater worldview
3) An Anchor
12. 3 gifts worn
1) Penguin earrings…I think they were a secret santa gift? But they’re super cute.
2) Scarf I won from white elephant a few years ago.
3) Watch my mom gave me. I thought I lost it a few months ago and she was willing to buy me a new one (so nice!) but fortunately my dad found it behind my bed. I suck at looking for things.
13. 3 gifts bright
1) Being bold enough to wear blue tights for a cute bird dress I have.
2) Rocky’s special Mai-Tai concoction. Delish!
3) Beautiful day today after the rain.
14. 3 gifts found looking up
1) When going out for dinner on Friday, we saw a giant full rainbow. Never saw one that complete and up close before.
2) Fluffy clouds and crisp blue sky
3) Snow covering the mountains
15.
1) A gift in a bag: Korean dinner goodies on Saturday
2) A gift in a box: Finding out our speaker system was still working after accidentally dropping it this morning due to shortage of manpower while moving equipment. Thank goodness for protective boxes.
3) A gift in a book: the Word that speaks truth into our lives.
Musings of Emme 