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My Journal from Haiti Trip (Feb 2010)

2010-02-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

2/3/10 Wednesday 7:40pm
We are on our way to Atlanta, then to Miami, the first part of our trip to Haiti. Lorinda and I were both caught by the TSA in Dayton, OH with our liquid content -- I lost a jar of peanut butter (it's considered liquid, wow.) and Lorinda lost a gallon bag full of little apple sauce and fruit cups, and her DEET. Thankfully we ourselves made it through even though we are 70% water.
This afternoon, our Haiti flight was finally confirmed for Sat. 11:00am. Because the small airport in Haiti can't handle all the rescue and cargo flights, the military has taken the control and flights can be cancelled or delayed anytime -- hence our original flight for tomorrow morning has been cancelled as well. But now that we have a new flight that is confirmed, it should help us know how to plan for next few days in Miami. This is truly an adventure getting to go down to Haiti during this time. Somebody asked me how I felt. I hadn't even thought about it. But I think I'm somewhat scared with all the unknowns (for example, we don't even know how and when we can get back exactly), filled with questions as to how and in what way I could be helpful in this mess, and anticipating strains on my body, mind and soul. Having friends to travel with certainly makes this trip more enjoyable and less scary. Overall I am thankful for this opportunity.

2/4/10 Thursday 9:23pm
Who would have thought we would be in Naples today anticipating a beach day tomorrow. Thank God, Lorinda found a friend who lives 2 hours away from Miami that was willing to host us until Saturday. We got a small rental car that barely fit all of our stuff and ourselves. Trudie was our designated driver through the dangerous Miami. Lorinda was the designated passenger seat driver. And I was the designated sleeper in the back seat and navigating the route now and then on my phone -- I completely missed the whole drive through the Everglades. This afternoon, we spent lots of money buying more supplies that were requested from the group that we will be joining in Haiti--pedialyte, vitamins, ointments, razors, etc. Costco and walmart got lots of business from us.
The great news for today was that we would be able to use our phones down in Haiti for Free -- thank you, AT&T. Praise the Lord. Communication has been very limited between the group in Haiti and us. This will help tremendously for us and for others who will be volunteering in Haiti later.

2/5/10 Friday 12:34pm
We had a nice walk at the Naples beach to work off our Floridian French Toast from the First Watch. Gary was nice to take us around the ritzy town and walk the beach with us. While we were walking the beach I got a call from Tracey (a friend of ours who left a couple of days before us) in Haiti saying that she is sick already along with many others. Something they ate might have caused diarrhea. She recommended us to bring some electrolyte packets for ourselves. Now I'm scared again. We are going to give more business to Wal-mart again this afternoon and stock up on more food and water to take with us. Thankfully there is no weight limit on luggage from Miami to Haiti.

2/5/10 Friday 10:03pm
We now have 3 big boxes and 1 duffle bag full of stuff, 2 cases of water, and a tent to carry besides our own belongings. Tomorrow is the day. I was cherishing everything for the last time -- last good meal at a Chinese restaurant tonight, last warm shower, last blowing drying of my hair, last night on a nice matress. Of course, all this is only for a week but I am afraid that it will be a long one week. I have nothing to be afraid except that I forget how God has led us in the past. The Lord will be with us. May the Lord fulfill His will through us.

2/6/10 Saturday
Started the day early driving to the Miami airport. We sang hymns and read some Bible passages to help us remember that we were in Sabbath hours. We met up with the rest of the team from ACTS at the airport - two Haitian translators (Sandra and Emmanuel), 1 medical student (Allen--he is a friend of Tim's and mine and I didn't even know he was coming), 1 OB resident (Lisa), 3 nurses (Shirley, Trudie, and me), and 1 PT (Lorinda). That morning, Michelle e-mailed and asked me to be the teamleader when she found out that Leroy (our leader) couldn't make it. His flight to Miami was delayed.
We flew on a charter flight called Vision Air. It was a regular size plane that could seat about 150 people. The flight wasn't full but everyone's luggage in the cargo probably made up for it. There were many from University of Miami going to help at the UN medical tent. I'm not sure who all the other groups were. The flight was uneventful and short only taking 1.5 hours to Port-au-Prince. Once we got to Haiti finding our luggages while they were being unloaded on the tarmac was quite a mess. Thankfully we met up with Janine from ACTS in that mess and got ourselves and our million luggages on the bus which was very old and beat up. On our 1 hour drive to the SDA hospital (we could have driven there in 20 minutes if the road was better and the bus was smaller), we were shocked by what we saw out the window. The devastation and poverty of Port-au-Prince was beyond our imagination. Rubbles and trash piles were everywhere. We were soon covered with dust and sweat as our welcome to Haiti. As soon as we got to our base camp which is located right across from the hospital we found a spot to pitch a tent and got ourselves oriented as to what we will be doing the next day. Trudie and I will be at the post op unit and Lorinda, we found out, was the only Physical Therapist for hundreds of ortho patients. We were told that they were desperate for nurses in the hospital even that night.

2/7/10 Sunday
We went to bed last night with the generator noise blasting in the background, and woke up this morning with roosters crowing, and the noise of the crowd forming a line outside of the clinic door which is located less than 100 feet from our tent. Today, Trudie and I were assigned to work in the post op. We took care of Ortho patients and post C-section moms mostly. The supplies in the hospital were not only limited but unorganized. The French volunteers and American volunteers didn't know how to communicate well with each other. We didn't know how to care for patients whose surgeries were done by French. We couldn't read French writings and they couldn't write English. Translators were short everywhere. We were told that the local translator volunteers were all at church today. Seeing a new born brought to a post-C section mom was the most exciting and happy thing I saw. We shared the book, Steps to Christ in French, with some of the patients. People were so receptive. One lady hugged the book and kissed the picture of Jesus on the cover. It took so much work to bring these books down here but today was the last day we ever saw these books again. The box was lost in the sorting of supplies by others and I was sorely disappointed. Hopefully they will be found again and used by someone soon.

2/8/10 Monday
What an exhausting day. Trudie and I went to the Mobile clinic for the first time. Post op days were much easier than we realized. A group of 5 medical providers and other supportive staff went out to an orphanage school. Inside a small concrete room without any windows, we were terribly hot. The mob of crowds was pushing their way to get in the line before our supplies ran out. Many of them were plagued by dehydration, headache, dizziness, and skin diseases -- many of which can be prevented if they had shelter, food and water. It was difficult. I wished we had food and water to give them. Some of them told me that they weren't able to sleep at night because they don't have anywhere to sleep and mosquitoes were torturing them. I wished I had mosquito nets to give them. One child had mosquito bites all over the small body and they were infected. His little feet were badly scabbed over from constant scratching. The needs were overwhelming and way beyond what we could do for them. We had to work with less than ideal situations -- inadequate equipment, medicines, resources, and personnel. We did what we could.

2/9/10 Tuesday
Due to the low number of medical providers, we could only run the main clinic today. No mobile clinics. The goal is to run 4 mobile clinics besides the 1 main clinic and also help at numerous orphanages. But volunteers come and go, and today was a low number day. I had an awesome translator working with me though, named Johnny. This Baptist Haitian friend was the best I could ask for -- calm, caring, good at English, and spiritual. Many of these young translators are out of job. Here they are working for someone worse off than they are and they can also be fed. Many of them had lost families themselves, but hadn’t had time to grieve. We had two ladies who were giving mental and emotional support and the translators were in need of such assistance as well. After hearing of Shirley's inspiring example of praying with every patient, Trudie and I also started praying with some of the patients. That was very nice to do and my translator encouraged me by saying that sometimes praying is the best thing we can do for these people. God, help these people. We had a shorter day than expected. Cooler and more controlled environment was helpful for my body and soul. No AC or anything, but just having a few windows where breeze can come through every now and then was better than yesterday. The people at the main clinic seemed to be sicker. There was one baby who had full blown pneumonia that needed to be rehydrated and to receive IV antibiotics. He had been almost lethargic for four days. We took him across the street to the hospital right away.

2/10/10 Wednesday
Ten more volunteers arrived late last night -- A group from Virginia who had flown to Dominican Republic and crossed the border driving 9 hours on the rough Haiti roads to get here. It was a blessing to have more help. We were able to run two mobile clinics today besides the main clinic. Trudie and I went out again to a mobile clinic -- the bus took us to a remote place up on a hill. We had a couple of emergency cases that needed to be transported to the hospital -- a mom who went into a labor and a person with an injured foot. These people seem to have even less than others we've seen. Many of them only ate one meal a day and drank one cup of water a day. People were scared to go inside the partially damaged buildings that used to be their home. One lady was just sleeping on the street only covering her head with a towel in this scorching sun.
Tonight, Lorinda, Trudie and I went to the Killick Coast Guard base where US military was providing medical care to the community. They had been here since a couple of days after the earthquake and they were getting ready to leave. Thank God for their service. We went there to gather up some medical supplies they had left over. They were generous to give us whatever they had and even offered us some MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). It was fun spending some time with them sharing stories and eating MREs under flashlight.

2/11/10 Thursday
I woke up not feeling well. I got the traveler's diarrhea. Mobile clinic was not an option for me today. I stayed at the main clinic close to the bathroom. I have never gotten sick on a mission trip like this before. I went through ample amounts of hand sanitizer but I guess that wasn't enough. There were several team members who were sick for various reasons - travelers' diarrhea, nausea and vomiting due to dehydration and heat, and passing out with exhaustion. For some reason, we had unusually short clinic day at the main clinic. I was able to rest a bit and take it easy. But I felt bad for resting. I grabbed some medicines and tried to sort them while I was resting.

2/12/10 Friday
Good bye Haiti, our departure day has come. We left some of our stuff to be used by the staff there or to be given out to the local people. On our way to the airport, we saw several churches having one-month post-earthquake mourning ceremonies. Many of the people were dressed in white. Haiti has declared three days of fasting for this purpose starting today. Mobile clinics were canceled because the locals said they would rather fast and mourn than to receive medical care. After we left we were told that the hospital also had a slow day. We got to the airport at 11:30am and it was 11:30pm before we actually got on the charter flight back home. We had an opportunity to fly on a six-seater plane back to Florida, but that was going to take 6 hours. I would have died of air-sickness. Last time I got on a 4-seater I was throwing up in less than 20 minutes. We didn't expect that our wait would be so long -- our flight was delayed several times due to US officials coming in to Port-au-Prince that day and bad weather in Miami. We were running low on food and water for ourselves. I wondered if this was a glimpse of what the Haitian are feeling now -- hardly any food, water and shelter. The 12 hours spent on the tarmac made us even more sick. Lorinda and I were in bad shape with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea on our way home. Wow, I'm glad that day is over.

2/13/10 Saturday
We arrived in Miami at 1am. We were ecstatic to be back in the US, but we were beat. God provides for all our needs -- one of the nurses who were in Haiti with us had just come back a couple days before we did and she lived 15 min away from the Miami airport. Her husband picked us up from the airport in the middle of the night, and we were in bed by 3am Sat. morning. With generous hospitality of Micheline and George we recovered well throughout the day.

2/14/10 Sunday
At 2:40pm Lorinda and I landed in Ohio covered with snow. What a stark contrast. No more sweating here. No more mosquitos. Home sweet home. I'm so glad to be with Tim again. As I enjoy my family and home, I still think about Haiti -- those who have lost their family and home. I would encourage you to do something for Haiti too -- check AMEN, ACTS World Relief, Maranatha, ADRA, etc. Do something.

From Tears of Sorrow to Tears of Joy

2009-06-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

This is an article written for a friend of mine for his magazine.
by Sunny Arakawa with Tim Arakawa

“Good bye, Mom,” I yelled out, waving my hands as the automatic glass gate separating us slowly slid shut. Only 14 years old, I clutched my bag a little tighter and fought back my emotions, fearing that tears would only make things more difficult for the both of us. I turned and slowly headed down the jetway toward the airplane waiting to whisk me to the United States. My final destination was Oklahoma Academy, a Seventh-day Adventist boarding high school located in the cornfields east of Oklahoma City. But during the ten hour flight from Seoul to Los Angeles, the tears began to flow as I realized what it meant to say good bye to my dear mother and hello to a new life in America.

When I first arrived at Oklahoma Academy, I had no real intention to become an Adventist. To be honest, I knew very little about Adventist beliefs except for the curious fact that they attended church on Saturday. This was in stark contrast to the many other Christians like me who went to church on Sundays. In fact, I would not even have known about Oklahoma Academy except that, back in Korea, an Adventist friend of my mother had taken an interest in me and recommended this school in America. At that time, I don’t believe that any one, including my mother, understood how much my life was about to change forever.

“Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work” Exodus 20:9-10

One of the first things I noticed when I arrived at Oklahoma Academy was that we not only went to church on Saturdays but also didn’t do anything related to work, business, or school on that day. Our work-study program required students to work four hours every day except for Saturdays. Up to that point, I had never really worked in my life. Of course, I washed dishes at home and cleaned my room regularly, but besides that, I did not have much exposure to actual “work.” My body, unaccustomed to labor at all, now grew weary after a long week of toil. By the end of each work week, I was ready for a break. I also noticed that by late Friday afternoon, all class work was set aside, the laundry room was closed, and the dormitory was cleaned in preparation for Sabbath. Even the girls lined up to iron their dresses before sundown on Friday. Little by little, I was learning that the Sabbath was a special day to worship and meet with God, an occasion important enough to prepare for.

“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day” Exodus 20:11

Much more than a time to be physically and mentally rejuvenated, the Sabbath hours provided an opportunity for gaining spiritual strength as well. Frequently, my classmates and I spent Sabbath afternoon in nature listening to the cheerful songs of the birds, the wind rustling the leaves in the trees, and the babbling of a sparkling stream as it meandered through the countryside. Sometimes the academy staff took all the students camping on the weekend. One of my fondest memories of these camping trips was sleeping on a dock over a lake. I remember gazing into the blackness of space at an incredible canopy of innumerable, twinkling stars as the water gently lapped against the wooden dock. There I could understand what it meant to hear the voice of God in the quietness of our soul and surroundings. In this kind of environment I could take the time to reflect on the priorities, the direction, and ultimately, the meaning of my life. In the cool, crisp air near a calm, peaceful lake with the majestic mountains rising all around, I could truly find rest for my soul and body.

“Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.” Matthew 12:12

The Sabbath also became a time to serve others, to spread this Sabbath rest to those less fortunate. On many Sabbath afternoons, the students visited with and sang for the lonely elderly people in the nursing home nearby. Looking back, they were always so glad to see us and hear us as we sang and played their favorite hymns. How they appreciated our youthful efforts to make a joyful noise! We sat next to their wheelchairs, sharing hymnals with them, singing with them, and mingling with them. As their hearts were touched through our company and in the powerful messages contained in the simple hymns, we too were blessed as we ministered to them.

Through these experiences I gained a new meaning for the Sabbath. I have come to understand that the Sabbath is a day set aside to think beyond myself and my own little world, and to look toward something much bigger -- a God of love and mercy whose greatest desire is to restore His image in us. Throughout my years at Oklahoma Academy, I became more and more convicted about Biblical truth, including the Sabbath, and during my senior year, I chose to be baptized as an expression of my love and commitment to Jesus Christ.

Immediately afterward, I began praying that my dear mother would experience the same rest that I had found in the Sabbath. Thirteen years later, I flew back to Korea to visit my mother. This time I did not have to fight back my emotions. Instead tears of joy streamed down my face as I watched my mother immersed under the waters of baptism into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. What a privilege it was to spend the Sabbath together as members of the Seventh-day Adventist church for the first time. My prayer is that God will help us to be faithful so that we may never have to say “good bye” again but enjoy the Sabbath together for eternity.

5 things I like about being Tim's wife

2008-12-22T18:14:00.000-08:00

When I was younger (in my early elementary school years) I wondered why in the world would any girl want to hang out with boys. Girlfriends were the best thing in the world (and I still couldn't live without them). On the other hand, boys were kind of awkward and rough, and they were meant to be kept at least 10 feet away from us girls. I definitely couldn't have imagined having a guy best-friend. I mean, I thought I would marry a man some day but I hadn't quite developed my appreciation for them quite yet. But over time, as I got more mature, guys became "cooler" in my estimate, and I have even developed likings to few guys on the way. But even then I didn't quite understand how fulfilling a woman's life can be with a man that God brings in her life.

These are the five things that come to my mind as I reflect on how much I appreciate having Tim as my husband and best-friend:

1. Committed companionship - It's a wonderful thing to have a committed companion. We are the priorities to each other than anything else in this world -- work, school, ministry, social life, hobbies, etc. It gives me a sense of belonging that is different from that experienced in parent-child relationship. As a child, I have been much more on the receiving end and my parents more on the giving end (thank God for them), but between Tim and me, it's mutual, closer, and deeper.

2. Helpmeet - God made Eve for Adam that she can be a helpmeet for him. I try my best to be that helpmeet for Tim, but Tim also is a helpmeet for me. He fills in so well where I lack -- he analyzes situations in an objective way when I am in a fog, guides and encourages me in the spiritual things, and even helps out in the daily mundane things of life that must be done.

3. "Let this mind be in you" - Our marriage is helping me to understand and experience the "Love" that God intends for us to partake in. It makes me more aware of my selfishness and leads me to develop the unselfish love, the love that puts others first before myself. It will be a lifetime learning experience for me. I am more like Christ because of Tim's example.

4. Personal growth - Tim inspires and motivates me to be involved, grow, and increase my usefulness in this world. He is interested in my interests and encourages me to develop and multiply the few talents that the Lord has graciously granted me that I may be a faithful servant returning more than what was given.

5. Ample supply of endorphin - Tim is so much fun to be around. His sense of humor keeps my life filled with extra laughters. Life isn't always rosy, but even during the rough times, "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine."

I am happy in his love and much blessed to be his wife.

"Will you marry me?"

2008-02-26T21:29:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's for real. Tim asked me to marry him yesterday at the top of the Snow Summit Ski Resort at Big Bear mountain. He planned out everything so well that I was completely clueless until the very moment he got on his knee and pulled out the engagement watch. I couldn't believe it! I thought it was going to be a special day to enjoy skiing with him after getting 6 inches of snow over the weekend, but I didn't know just how special it was going to be. The day was way beyond my expectations. It was a beautiful day in more ways than one.

It was around 3pm. He wanted to take a break and check out a little lodge at the peak and take a picture there. Sure, it looked like a nice spot to take a picture with lots of trees spread among the snow capped mountains. Well, it turned out the lodge was closed and we found the back patio to be a nice quiet spot just for us, hidden from all the skiers and snow boarders. It was there he went on to present to me his three gifts that he smuggled up to the peak in his ski jacket unbeknownst to me.

The first gift he gave me, he said, represented the time of our past experiences -- a small double picture frame that had a picture of us on one side and a bible verse on the other. It said, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it." Psalms 127:1. This represented a fun and enjoyable times together as well as the rough time of separation we went through that led us to wait on God and trust in His building. If you are not too familiar with the meaning of this bible text to us, read the last post below. God is faithful.

The second gift was to represent the current chapter of our relationship -- a fresh-cut soft pink tulip in its beautifully perfect shape. This came with a small note that said, "Love is a plant of heavenly growth, and it must be fostered and nourished." (AH 50) A pink tulip was the first flower ever that Tim gave me early on in our relationship. Ever since than this has become one of my most favorite flowers. This flower symbolized our love for each other that is carefully and tenderly cultivated right now in His love.

The last, but not the least, he pulled out a blue watch box as he got on his knee. He said this gift is to represent our future together. To be honest, I really couldn't remember much of that moment since he knelt down with a watch box in his hand. I gasped in a total shock, definitely unexpected and overwhelmed in joy of what was about to happen. Thanks to Tim who got a short video clip of the moment in hiding, I can now actually remember what he said. He said, over the four years he has come to admire and respect me, and believed that God has led us together. Then, the precious four words were spoken... "Therefore, I want to ask you, 'Will You Marry Me?'" I hugged him and hugged him so more, and shed few tears, and of course I said, "I will!"

It was perfect. I loved it. I loved it!

As if this wasn't enough, I was surprised again to come home that was gorgeously decorated, filled with soft yellow lights and ivy, candles, balloons, tulips, wonderful smell of italian dinner, and most importantly our beloved friends. The rest of the evening was spent sharing our stories with them, enjoying the homemade manicotti and other yummy foods. Many thanks to my sister, roommates, and friends who made the day all the more special with their labor of love and their presence to share the moments.

I deeply felt loved...

Except the Lord build the house - Part II

2007-10-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.
Ps 127:1
Click here for Part I.

There is a man whom I respect very much. He loves the Lord and his fellowman. Since Oct 8, 2005 until Oct 8, 2007, I have hardly seen or talked with him. I had no clue what would come out of our relationship when we went on our separate ways. Our parting words were, “the Lord will bring us back together if it is His will.” I think separation is one of the hardest human experiences on this earth. The last two years, I felt as if someone had blindfolded me and I knew not where I was going with my life. Many times, I read and reread the stories of Abraham. Though I did not know the path ahead, what I did know was the surety of God's Word and His faithfulness. As I tried to scratch my own ideas and allow the Lord to draw the picture, I rested my case in the Lord and held on to Him for daily strength and direction. During these times, there were two lessons that I began to learn of Him and to understand:

What it means to love someone -- It is more than experiencing butterflies in the stomach. It is more than the heart’s desire to spend every moment of life’s journey with the one whose company you enjoy so much. It is a combination of all the above and a sincere desire and decision to look out for the other person’s happiness above your own.
What it means to wait on the Lord -- It means to acknowledge the superiority of the thoughts and plans of the Lord to my own, and to submit daily with these words: “Not my will, but Thy will.” It also means to trust the Lord in His workings and keep our hands out of where they don’t belong. Abraham and Sarah didn’t need to involve Hagar to see the earnestly desired son Isaac. Simply relying on the word of the Lord, and waiting for Him to fulfill the promises to show His goodness would have saved the unnecessary heartache and family grief that they had to experience.

By God's mercy and faithfulness, Tim and I enjoy each other’s company once again. The Lord works in mysterious ways and although I don’t claim to understand all the workings of the Lord, one thing I do know is that He is trustworthy.

It is not good that the man should be alone...

2007-08-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

Go, Daryl!

Ahhhhh.....
Carlos, Carlos...Dr. and Mrs. Proctor zipping by.

Two most beautiful and happiest people on earth today...
Few of the Advent HOPErs take hold of this prime photo opportunity. Rest of them are busy eating the cake.

I must say this was one of the most fun weddings I've been to. One comedy after another... I pray that their new home may be full of joy and laughter in love even through thick and thin!

Dafne's White Coat Ceremony

2007-08-03T21:30:00.001-07:00

Speaker: Dr. Gina Mohr, Family Medicine (Pallative Care)
Dr. Christianson coated Dafne.

Dafne with other students after the ceremony.
You know who...

May the Lord help you be the healing hands of Jesus!

Visit to an orphanage

2007-07-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

In rememberance of a friend of mine, I went to visit a small orphanage nestled away in the beautiful country. The view from the place was gorgeous with plenty dirt for kids to play with. One of my mom's friends donated some school supplies to take with me, and the kids were just ecstatic when they saw them.

We also shared some food and Signs of Times with the lady in charge (the forth person from the left) who is a Buddhist and exchanged e-mails. She was ever so thankful. She takes care of these kids by herself and the place was not a mansion by any means. I would love to come back and visit them again when I come back next time.

This poor kid... Unfortunately we didn't have enough of the same thing for everyone, and one of the older kids took what he liked. I don't know exactly what happened, and we tried to console him with other stuff, but he wouldn't stop crying. It broke our hearts to see him like this.

It was more heart-touching to see this scene though! What an angel...

Lotus Garden

2007-07-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

Life at 37°35′N, 127°0′E

2007-07-17T05:46:00.000-07:00

It's good to be in Korea. I learn more of the Korean culture every time I come to visit. Here are few pictures of the first couple of days.

First, let me introduce you to the newest member of my family: my 2nd cousin, Min-Kyung. She took a while to warm up to the new face, but it didn't take too long before she begged to play catch with me, walked around the town holding my hand, and gave me kisses on my cheek.

Lettuce wrap is one of the special traditional Korean food. My mom and I met up with a friend to check out this new lettuce wrap place. All kinds of different green leaves are used along with very healthy looking lettuce to add texture and aroma. Traditionally spicy meat gets wrapped inside, so my options were limited, but Oh well.

Decor of the wall of this restaurant.

How about some archery practice?

This is where you practice holding the bow and arrow before you get the real thing. Do I look like I might hit something?

And acupucture! I was on pins and needles while I watched my mom get an acupuncture treatment. This is the beginning of her treatment process which comprised of poking 20 needles on her hand and foot pressure points. Ouyee....

One my favorite korean food -- "duck-bok-ee" (spicy rice cake)

And not so favorite, but "must take" per mom -- traditional herbal medicine to "keep me healthy." It is the world's worst tasting herbal drinks ever and I have to take it three times a day for 15 days. Help!

Inability to focus

2007-07-03T00:02:00.002-07:00

It's not about neurotransmitters. Concerta or Ritalin won't help. It's so severe that no meaningful life can be captured any more.
Inability to Focus - that's my diagnosis for my little Casio Exilim (or rather, Chief Complaint).

This is the second digital camera that's been laid to rest now. I've gone through two little digital cameras in last 4 years. I wonder if the smaller cameras are just more fragile. They are probably used more frequently since they can basically fit in anything such as pockets, purses, backpacks, etc. The more they are used, the more opportunities they have to be banged up! Very logical. Or maybe it's the user problem rather than the camera. Anyway, the bottom line is that I am camera-less, hence no pictures on my blog for last three months. I've always been a fan of small compact cameras in general, but should I be looking for a bigger, sturdier camera next time?!?

The Drinking Gourd

2007-05-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, Gemalli and I decided to head up to the mountains to open the Sabbath hours. We took our Bible, SDA hymnal, and jackets -- the minimum requirements for the mountains. After finding a secret spot where no weirdos can find us, we sang several songs to welcome the Sabbath and enter into the restful hours. Once the sun went down, we were welcomed by stars which carpeted the sky. The view was just gorgeous. In the cool breeze, crisp air, and the quietness of the mountains, we recalled the blessings through another week.

There were numerous stars that night but the most prominent of all was the Big Dipper (or all we could identify was the Big Dipper). One other pattern I know is the Orion but I couldn't locate it. (Later I found out that Orion is best seen during the winter whereas the Big Dipper is during the summer time in the Northern Hemisphere.) Curiosity just sparked and I decided to read up on the Big Dipper. I found all kinds of interesting info:

The Big Dipper is an asterism, and not a constellation. An asterism is a pattern of stars that are not an official constellation, but comprised of stars within a constellation or from several constellations.
The outer two pointers of the bowl guides you to the North Star (Polaris). This can be really helpful if you ever get lost in the night. Directly below the North Star is the North Pole.
Following the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper can also help you locate the giant red star Arcturus which is the fourth brightest star in the sky. Arcturus is mentioned in Job 9:9 along with the Orion and Pleiades.
Next time you find the Big Dipper, look closely to the middle star of the handle (or the Mizar). If you see two stars there, your eyesight is considered good. Actually there are four stars there but only two are visible to the naked eye. So my ophthalmology friend (AKA Janie), you can use the Big Dipper as the eyechart in the mission field. :)
The phrase "Follow the Drinking Gourd" was used as a code phrase for the fleeing slaves in the 19th century before the civil war. The drinking gourd referred to the Big Dipper and songs with this phrase "Follow the Drinking Gourd" were taught to lead them to the land of freedom in the North, guided by the Big Dipper and the North Star.
Do you know what's on the Alaska Flag? You guessed it--the Big Dipper and the North Star.

That's all for today's trivia.

G.I. World

2007-05-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad to be working in health care. It's not just a job that brings income for survival. I mean I need that too, but it's about service and that special meaningful interactions with patients make me appreciate life so much more and live it for a purpose other than self.
Last year and a half, I’ve really missed being with patients. Working as a nurse educator was a good experience but my real love is with patients. So last week, I started a new job as a staff nurse at the G.I. Lab where I prep patients and assist the physicians in G.I. procedures (mostly upper and lower endoscopy* plus few other random special procedures that I haven't learned yet). *The links are added for the non-medical viewers of this blog. Yesterday was my third day in the G.I. Lab. It's a fairly small department with about 10 doctors, 20 nurses, and 5 techs. Everyone knows each other by name. During the lunch time, our small lounge is full with everyone occupying all edges of the one rectangular table we have. We all check out what everyone is eating. It feels like a big family dinner. We even have opportunities for a party every month with a "Cecum cake" (brown chocolate cake every time) when a new resident rotating through succeeds on advancing the scope to the cecum during the colonoscopy. Evidently it's not that easy.
Around 3 p.m. I brought back a patient to a procedure room to get her ready for a routine colonoscopy. We allow family to stay-by until the procedure actually starts. So I allowed her husband at bedside for a while, and as usual, they seemed a little apprehensive about this procedure but not too bad. A nice couple in late 40’s, but the reason for this colonoscopy was intermittent diarrhea and rectal bleeding over 4 years. Hmm... Well, the procedure started and their worst fear has come true -- a colorectal cancer - a well advanced one at that. I saw the picture of that ugly huge tumor that has started to overtake her. Awful. Awful.
After the procedure, I brought the husband back to the bedside so that the doctor can discuss the findings with him. The doctor walked in with a report and started showing the husband the pictures from the scope and told him that he was 99.9% sure that this was a malignant tumor. The husband’s lips started quivering and I could see that he was doing all he could not to cry out in fear and despair. The doctor went on to give referral info on a colorectal surgeon and an oncologist, and what all this couple needed to do from this point on. Then, he said, “You know we never see this kind of tumor in America any more. You only see this size in Africa, but not in America.” Then he went on to rebuke them for not seeing a doctor before and waiting for four years. He repeated several times how this stage was so rare in America because most of time it's caught way earlier. This was the last thing that they needed to hear. He might be good at procedures, but didn't learn how to "break the bad news."
Still in a shock, the husband walked over to his wife, who in the gurney started to awake out of sedation, and gently held her hand and said in his shaking voice, “Honey..., they say... you have... a cancer....” I don’t remember a word he said after that. My heart was broken for them. The doctor said a few more words and left them saying, “Good luck with you.” What could I do for them? I didn’t have much time before I needed to take this patient up to the recovery unit. I said, “Can I pray with you?” They welcomed my prayer. I put my hand over the two hands that were tightly held, and said a short prayer asking that the Lord will strengthen them and their family during this difficult time and that His presence be near them. I couldn’t think of a whole lot of words. I was in a shock myself. When I opened my eyes, her tears were flowing down to her pillow. I wiped off her tears with my hand. I can still see her eyes.... Then I took them up to the observation recovery unit and as I was about to leave them, the husband walked over to me and hugged me thanking me for the kindness. And she also got up half way off her gurney to reach over to hug me. I could hardly retain my composure. All I could think of was, ‘Lord, please strengthen them.’
One day, “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces.” Isa 25:8

On this mother's day, I am especially thankful for my american mother who has survived a colorectal cancer.

Testimony in Clay

2007-04-07T23:35:00.000-07:00

This is what I journaled after a vespers program called "Testimony in Clay":

Suzy called me today about this vespers at LLUC where a guy will sculpt Jesus’ face live during the vespers and they will be talking about the story of great controversy. It sounded intriguing. Gemalli, Delver and I hurried back from a hike to attend this vespers tonight.
During the 40 minutes of the vespers, there was a narration of the story of the great controversy which started in heaven and are continuing now and what will come to pass in the near future. While the story was read in the background, the artist sculpted Jesus’ face during the times of His earthly trial, His victorious resurrection, and His promise of return as the glorious King. It was truly touching - especially the story of Jesus at Gethsemane and the expression portrayed in the clay by the artist. I sensed that Jesus loves me. Streams of tears went down my face realizing what love is (giving of oneself for the good of the other). This love awakened in my heart a strong desire to love Him in return. He chose to love me. He chose to suffer. He chose to die for me. It is hard to comprehend. Also the wonders of His resurrection and promise of His return brought hope to my weary soul. “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:1-3. My heart is overwhelmed with the love of Jesus and hope in Him. Thank you Jesus. I love You.

Lovely Northwest. Beautiful People.

2007-03-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

I am here visiting Larie and Halle in Portland. Everything is green and lush. The weather is a little overcast but pleasant and refreshing. The beauty that ample water supply brings is pleasant to my eyes and senses. However, my Oregon friends would like for us to share some sunlight with them especially during the winter/spring months! A good company brings me the most happiness, whether it be in the lush greenland of Oregon or the dry desertland in California. This was a great excuse to attend the critical care conference at the University of Washington and have most of my expenses paid for. :)

I can't remember the name of this beautiful waterfalls by the Columbia River Gorge. (Oh, I just looked it up... it's Multnomah Falls.) We hiked up to the top of this falls. Just gorgeous.

Lisa, Halle, Sunny & Larie drenched in rain!

This cherry blossom is from Seattle. Although I stayed with Fuqin for a couple of nights, I didn't get to take any pictures with her. What was I thinking! This picture reminds me of what a beautiful person Fuqin is.

Hydrogen Ion

2007-02-13T09:08:00.001-08:00

Over last couple of weeks I've been spending some time thinking on hydrogen ions, preparing for a lecture on Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) interpretation for new grad nurses. Giving a lecture is not my favorite thing, but in the process, I do learn a lot. Here is something I learned on this important topic:

Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says “I’ve lost my electron.” The other says “Are you sure?” The first replies “Yes, I’m positive.”

The Bread That Sustains

2007-01-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

How would I describe what GYC meant for me this year...
"By Every Word" is a lesson that the Lord has been teaching me especially throughout this year and to end the year with GYC on this very theme was not a coincidence. Man shall not live by bread alone, but By Every Word. That Every Word has been the bread which sustained me each day and I cannot describe the absolute dependence I have developed and the unspeakable gratitude I feel in the depth of my core. Can't do without it. Can't be without it. I am utterly hung on it.

Each day in Baltimore we were challenged to take that Every Word and to believe it now, to make it our own, to claim it and to put our hope in it undoubtedly. It is trustworthy by intellect and by experience. What do we expect from the Word? It is by His Word that this world came forth and it is by His Word that we exist today. God said and it was so. His Word shall not return unto Him void, but it shall accomplish that which He pleases. The power of His Word is still real. It is through unbelief that we lose that power.

Thousands of words and hundreds of pictures cannot beat the personal experience. Prior to my trip to India a couple of months ago, I've heard from those who have been there, read the words that attempted to describe, and seen the scenes of India on magazines and media. But it wasn't until I was there, it wasn't until I was in it, that I understood India. GYC 2007 will be in Minneapolis, MN from Dec 19 to 23. In order for you to understand it, you must experience it.

Shhhh... she is asleep...

2007-01-02T22:34:00.000-08:00

This is the little baby Lana born to Jin and James on Dec 7, 2006. I got to hold her for the first time on Christmas eve. This is magical...

The Flight Saga

2007-01-01T20:07:00.000-08:00

Recently my air travel experiences have been very eventful. My trip to Kalamazoo, MI three week ago was the beginning.

Kalamazoo Day 1
After waking up at 3:00am to leave for LAX, I got behind a huge car wreck on I-10. 'Just get me there by 6:30am and I will be okay,' I thought to myself. As we were crawling along the interstate I became more and more anxious. What if I don't make it?... After sitting in the traffic and moving o.oooooooooo1 mph, adrenalin kicked in and text-pages began to fly frantically between my car and the rest of the people from the LLUMC. Was everyone else going to make it? I knew that some people spent the night at a hotel near by the LAX but there were four of us driving in that morning. Of the 6 people on this trip, I was the East Campus representative for this ICU project and we were going for a site visit at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. This trip was scheduled very tight and we were to meet with them that evening at 5:30 pm and the next morning from 08:00am to 3:00pm. Well, the traffic cleared in about 45 minutes and I literally floored the gas pedal. It was now 7am (30mins prior to departure) and there was no way that I was going to make it. What to do, what to do... I have never missed a flight before. I called the American Airlines customer service to see what other flights were available that day. When I got a hold of the agent, she spoke in a surprise, "Oh, you are the second person this morning who missed the exact flight to Kalamazoo." It was Dr. Katja Ruh from Unit 9100. The Lord is merciful, I wasn't alone. We were both thankful. We ended up missing that night's meeting, but we had lots of time to get to know each other and had all kinds of conversations over medicine, spirituality, European vs. Asian culture, and anything else we could think of.

Kalamazoo Day 2
The meeting next morning went well and now we were turning around to come back home that evening after this short trip. When we got to this tiny Kalamazoo airport, we were told that there was a Ground Stop in Chicago O'Hare (our layover) and we couldn't take off until two hours later. Oh, no....., are we going to miss another flight? Will we get home tonight?... Our layover in Chicago was only supposed to be 1 hour. Once we landed in Chicago, we had no idea whether our connecting flight to LAX was still there or not. We scanned the departure monitor looking for our flight info, and we found none. But another flight to LAX showed "boarding now." Perhaps we can make it to that one! We ran from one end of a terminal to another in this huge airport. Some were wearing heels and others had knee problems. We were quite a sight to observe. It's always interesting to people-watch in the airports and we were those interesting people to watch that day. Anyhow, we made it to the gate only to find out that the boarding was complete. Now what?! We headed to a rebooking center. After waiting in a line for a bit, we reached the counter and found out that our original flight has been delayed and has not left yet. So we ran again. Please don't leave yet.... When we saw that they were just boarding our plane we all cheered that we would make it home that night after all.
For the first hour I spent some time working on the GYC housing list on a laptop. Then, all of sudden, the plane started shaking wildly threatening to spill my apple juice on the table. I quickly drank down the apple juice and waited for an announcement to see what was going on. The pilot announced that we were going over the Rockys and it would be turbulent for next hour or so. What!? An hour? After 15 or so minutes, I could feel myself turning pale and feeling sick. I turned up the fan and put my laptop away. 'Focus... Focus...' Not long after that, I ended up using that little white bag that nobody wants to use. Miserable.... My seatmates were asleep thankfully and it was dark. After the one episode, I earnestly prayed that the Lord will put me out for the remaining two hours of the flight. Please... I did fall asleep soon after that and don't really know what happened afterwards. Praise the Lord, I am now alive and well.

Christmas
On December 21st, I was all ready for my trip to Oklahoma city to spend the Christmas there with my American family. That morning, I received a couple of phone calls notifying me of the the Denver airport closure due to a terrible snow storm. Of course my flight was cancelled and the rest of the day was spent on the phone, mostly listening to the Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin on United Airlines Customer service line and spending few minutes talking with the agents answering the calls from Mumbai, India. By the time I got a hold of one of the agents, I found out that all flights were now booked until 12/26. I was supposed to leave for GYC from Oklahoma city on 12/26! After some time in denial I finally accepted that I wasn't going to make it to Oklahoma for Christmas this year. The Lord must have other plans. I can't think of one Christmas that I wasn't able to spend with the Hollands in last 10 years. Few days with the loved ones in Oklahoma was something I was looking forward to, but I accept "not my will, but Thy will." Instead, I got to spend the Christmas with the loved ones in California. I went to visit a good friend of mine who is a new mom to a 7lb 8oz baby girl. Some have it easy, but her particular pregnancy, delivery, and adjusting to the new baby has not been easy. The pain, tiredness, anxiety were all very apparent, but her love, devotion and sacrifice toward that little baby spoke louder and was very inspiring to see.

Denver
I figured that they would have cleared the snow at Denver airport by Dec 31st and my flight back home from GYC through Denver would be okay. It was quite an aerial view as we landed in the snow covered Denver. It was beautiful. So much snow. The runways were fairly clear, however, and we had no trouble landing. I said a grateful prayer. Just before pulling up to the gate, we had to stop and wait a while for the departing plane to pull out from our gate. We must have sat there maybe two or three minutes. Once the other plane took off, our pilot tried to pull forward to the gate, and I felt our plane slide on ice. It was a subtle but definite slide. Sure enough, the pilot soon got on the overhead speaker and said, "Well, your plane does not want to roll the way it needs to. Please stay seated as we figure out what we need to do." What! We ended up being towed to the gate. Unreal.

Ontario
Connecting to my final flight to Ontario, CA, was no problem. The ride was smooth and we landed in CA exactly at 9:58pm as planned. I hurried to the baggage claim so that I wouldn't be late to meet up my friend who was picking me up from the airport. I headed near to the beginning of the conveyor belt intently looking for my bags. Usually my bags are easily spotted with a red ribbon tied to them but I saw no red ribbons or any bags resembling mine. It was really after 1am Eastern Time which I've been used to now and I was dead tired. Where are my bags?... I waited and I waited. Finally a man from the small office located near the conveyor belt announced to us that all bags have now been unloaded from the plane and if we haven't seen our bags, we should file a delayed baggage report. There were about 10 to 15 people whose bags didn't make it. They told us that our bags would be delivered to us by the late morning or early afternoon today, hopefully. Well, today has come and gone, no bags are at my door. Maybe they will get here tomorrow, hopefully. I am just glad to be home.

Life has got to be better

2006-12-09T23:09:00.000-08:00

For the first two days in India, I was in an utter state of shock. The sensory-overload was beyond imagination. I was completely absorbed in my surroundings, not knowing how to even process my thoughts on what I was seeing, hearing, and smelling. I just soaked it all in -- pleasant or not. National Geographic has come alive.

It was a world unexpected. I've heard about India and seen some pictures, but definitely was not prepared in the least of my imagination. I was warned by a friend who has traveled through India a few years back and heard some descriptions of the conditions there, but I didn't believe it. I thought, 'No,... that can't be true.'

It was true. This was reality. I remember seeing the grungy emaciated homeless men covering the streets. Children who were barely clothed tenaciously followed us on their little bear-feet begging for money and food. One time, a young man who was missing an arm and a leg, hopped on his only leg toward our car, begging for money at our car window -- this was like watching a horror movie. Someone in our car couldn't bear the sight and rolled down the window and gave him some Rupies (Indian currency). When he received the Rupies in his hand, he kissed it and lifted up his face toward the sky, thanking who knows which gods of India.

The animals were images of starvation. Passing by the rawboned cows and oxen on the streets and watching them litter the streets with their waste made me nauseated. Worse yet, it wasn't just the animals. People excreted wherever to add to the sight and the smell. Their clothes were washed in a river where the water was muddy brown with trash floating around. Water Buffalos bathed and cooled themselves from the hot weather in the same water.

Then, I heard that the average villagers make about $1.5 a day for a full day's physical labor. Some people don't even have enough to eat. I thought of Delhi Palace (Indian Restaurant in Loma Linda) and all the delicious Indian food that is so readily available in America--especially Baingan Bartha, my favorite. Do these people eat the same food? Our translator told us that, for some, their daily food would only consist of a bowl of rice in water with some pickles. I thought I had seen poverty in Philippines. I had seen nothing.

India Mission Trip Report

2006-12-09T22:34:00.000-08:00

This is for those of you who missed our report at Advent HOPE today.

This is one of the six humble open-air meeting sites which hosted thousands of people seeking to hear the Bible explained every night.

These trucks could hold up to 125 people each and they faithfully brought in the villagers to our meeting sites.

At the entry of the meeting site, there were endless handshakes and "Wandanaloo"s (their greeting). The villagers were very friendly and warm-hearted. Children loved us, offering us their little treasures (candies and gum) and running off in a hurry in their shyness.

This is a short video clip of Doug Batchelor talking about matters related to life and death ... (The State of the Dead)

Once the meeting was over, we were instantly surrounded by a crowd of people who wanted us to pray for them. This is Susy praying for a young lady. I must say that this was one of the highlights of the trip for me.

Now, during the day, I worked with one of the 7 medical teams. Over the course of 10 clinic days, the medical teams treated about 10,000 people. As you can see we were in no latest cutting-edge setting. We just had a small tent set-up with a triage, consultation area, and a pharmacy on a patch of dirt which was sometimes even little muddy. It was very earthy. In this hot humid weather, we felt like fly papers during the daytime and mosquito food by night. Thank God, none of us got malaria though -- multiple red bumps and itching weren't pleasant but certainly bearable.

Most of the villagers came to us complaining of joint pain, body pain, weakness, and indigestion. Some children were brought in for skin problems, convulsions, worms, and lice, besides the good-old cough, fever, runny nose and earaches. Also, we saw other conditions like goiter, old unhealed open wounds, hernia, infertility problems even (what could we do for them!), congenital problems, polio, and many other who knows what. As we attempted to tend to their physical needs, we also prayed for them that they might experience relief from spiritual ailments as well. In the evenings, it was a joy to see the familiar faces again at the meeting sites.

While Amazing Facts and AMEN focused on the evangelistic meeting and medical work, Maranatha worked on building churches in these villages. We even had the privilege to attend a church dedication ceremony on a Sabbath and see the excited villagers rush in to fill the place for the first time. The church was packed full with women and children in minutes while men stood by the door of this full church trying to catch what they could of the service. No one complained about the color of the carpet or chairs. They had none. They were just happy to crowd onto the concrete floor and sing their favorite praise song with joy in their new sanctuary.

By the end of our trip, 14,000 people had decided to accept Jesus into their lives and serve Him. Praise the Lord. God has moved the hearts of these people. Maranatha arranged to build total of 70 churches (one for each of the 70 villages) and local bible workers are financially sponsored now by other organizations so that they can continue to help the new members to grow and be the people of the Book.

Few shots of the village life in India

Annual vs. final evaluation

2006-10-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

Today I had my first annual evaluation since I started working as a nurse educator at East Campus. The administration team was very generous and gave me favorable evals. I think really it's pretty much impossible for anybody to get discouraging feedback from these pleasant people. It was interesting to note though that only 5% of the evaluation refers to how actively one is supporting the mission of the institution. I think it should weigh much more than that. Demonstrating clinical competence, achieving educational objectives, displaying the "I CARE" spirit, etc. etc. are all important, but embracing our mission to continue the healing ministry of Jesus to make man whole is THE bottom line. Sometimes we get distracted. It is easy for us to get filled with daily routines and forget to keep this in the forefront of our mind as we work and study at Loma Linda. I would personally like to renew my commitment to work for this distinctive mission. My time and service here really doesn't mean much if it doesn't glorify God and encourage others to be brought closer to Jesus.

While reflecting on my annual evaluation at the end of the day, my thoughts were led to the final evaluation that I will face someday. In fact, someday soon. It's something worthwhile and even crucial for us to consider. What would the Lord say when He comes to take His people home -- will it be, well done, my faithful servant? While good earthly evaluations bring satisfaction to us to a certain degree, nothing will compare to hearing the Lord, the precious Jesus who died for us in love, say, "Welcome home, my dear child. Well done, my faithful servant. Come ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Tears flooded as I contemplated on this glorious day. To hear such words on that day is my ultimate dream and goal. The direction of my life, the use of my time and money, and things that I think about -- all must fit in preparing for this day. Oh, by His grace, how I look forward to that day when He shall have finished the work of restoration. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith.

2006 Graduation

2006-08-12T23:56:00.000-07:00

With Janie in Hawaiian Style.


Yamil and Lana with Baby Kole. Graduations are always filled with both happy and sad moments. We like congratulating them but good byes are not so easy.


Eric and Rachel are now in Sacremento. I just got to see Eric last weekend at SWYC. It was like he never left. I wish we could see them more often.


Oh, and this is Edwin's Mom and wife!

Seattle trip

2006-08-12T23:24:00.000-07:00

It's a little late, but my mom is wanting to see some pictures from recent. So, I will start with the Seattle trip back in April. I had a work related conference in Seattle and I took a long weekend to visit Fuqin (Joy), Tim, and Larie while I was there. It worked out for Lorinda to come as well, so it was a nice reunion with some of our old friends.

See the Space Needle on the right? This was a beautiful view from the Gasworks park right by the University of Washington where Fuqin is taking her doctorate's degree in Nursing. She and I took a walk to this park every night I was there. We had some quality time to share here.

Fuqin in the Tulip field.

And of course, this is Larie and me. It was such a blessing to have Larie around again for three days!

Enjoying the view from the Space Needle Observation Deck with Lorinda and Tim Reisenberger.

We were blessed with a beautiful weather in Seattle. We had few rain drops in the evenings, but the days were absolutely gorgeous.

On our last day, Lorinda's high school friend, Kari took us flying in his 4-seater plane for about 20 minutes. This video was taken during the first half (better half) of the trip. Last half was an absolute misery for me in my motion sickness... Never again will I get on a 4-seater...

My first Tomato

2006-07-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

I harvested my first tomato today from my tiny patio garden! Even though I don't really know how to garden and can't even keep up with watering regularly, my tomato has survived. Tomatoes must be fairly tolerant of heat and drought. God is good. I saw more tomatoes on the vine and can't wait for them to ripen too. This is kind of fun.

Transitory life

2006-05-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

All earthly things are transitory. Things of this world come and go. Nothing is ever-lasting.

Debbie K. is leaving on Sunday, May 14th for Indonesia. I've known her for a few years now, but it is recently that she and I started spending more time together. Over last few months, we have shared much. She made time for me and enjoyed similar things. Oh, and she always seemed to know what I'm up to. Weird. You better watch out around Debbie K -- she is like a grand central station of information. We've had many dinners together at Ranu, A-dong, Thai House, and Pho. We almost always get the same things every time too. We could order for each other without looking. She got me started on scrapbook skills. She's picked me up many times from the airport. Even watched me jump out of her car to **** on the way home (aftermath of severe air-sickness). She's heard stories of my joy and trials and been there to be considerate and supportive. And I've also heard and seen her tears through Joey's situation and life changes. We've encouraged one another in God's promises and faith through them all. I've watched her bouldering bravely for the first time at Joshua Tree, listened to her favorite CD on which she recorded "I want to go to heaven" seven times, and been amazed hearing her stories of queenly life back in Indonesia with maids and a driver (you will have to ask her about that one). Oh, yah, I've even got to briefly experience what it's like to work with the traditional Indonesian culture/system -- Indo Embassy. Last but not least, we've shared a hefty parking ticket in LA.

I will miss Debbie.
I long for the world to come where every good thing is eternal.

"For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come." Heb 13:14
_________________________________________________

And I trust her in His care.
"I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them." Isa 42: 16

Trip to the third largest country (China!)

2006-04-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

(03/15/06-3/27/06)
Sharing NEWSTART health principles with kids in rural China. Official religion of China is atheism, and traditionally daoism, confucianism and buddhism. Christianity was rare and hard to find. There are so many people who don't know about Christ and this country is the world's most populous country (approximately one in four people live in China). We have much to do before Christ can come.

Joy, Kaila and I received a warm welcome and liking by the Chinese kids. It totally reminded me of my middle school years in Korea almost 14 years ago: similar classroom settings, timid and shy girls, general excitement in having a new person in the classroom, .... Experiencing traditional oriental culture again was charming.

Hiking up to the highest point of the Great Wall with my mom. She said her happiest moments are spending time with me.

By the entrance to the Temple of Heaven

Forbidden City in Beijing where 24 emperors ruled over 500 years until 1912.

Mammoth

2006-04-03T17:11:00.000-07:00

(03/09/06-3/12/06)
So much snow. I have never seen such beautiful powderly snow in my life. I felt like I was in a different world, but was only 6 hours away from home. However, half of our group took about 24 hours to get to Mammoth by missing US-395 and not having the map... oops. They missed skiing but got to enjoy the Death Valley National Park instead on their way! :)

We were hoping to get blizzard in. I was told that stopping by the Shat's Bakery was a must.

Warm drink by the heater after a long hike in snow was just perfect.

Interesting turns in life

2006-01-25T21:18:00.000-08:00

I just want to write about how happy I'm about my decision not to continue the medical school. Many have asked, are you happy with your decision? Yes! :) It was so hard and easy to let go all at the same time. It was hard because it was such a big change in the direction of my life, but surprisingly easy as well, probably because of the joy I found in relationships and my involvement in church ministries. Don't take me wrong please, God needs good woman doctors in his ministry, especially for other women like me who cringe at the thought of going to a man doctor for my general check ups, but I believe God had a different plan for me. I was trying to "balance" too much all at once. Something had to go.

No doubt, He brought me to Loma Linda though. I probably never would have come here but for the school. Ooooohhhh and I have had some rich experiences here last 3 years. I can't imagine what all I would have missed. I've been learning so much. Here is a short list of few things that I've been learning:

1. to take the Word of God and believing/claiming it personally in my life
2. to work in ministries with other young adults
3. to take the responsibility of having my own place
4. to play the cello (I'm learning to vibrate the strings now - makes the cello sound much more beautiful), try various recipes and sew long skirts :) Gardening in my small patio is coming up next.
5. to trust in the Lord through tears and joys of life
6. and finally, to be a woman in a deeper sense

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Psalm 23

Through the turns and detours of my life, the Lord has been my faithful Shepherd.

GYC experience

2006-01-02T21:04:00.000-08:00

These are three of my best experiences from GYC 2005:

1. Sandra's decision and zeal to serve as an overseas missionary
2. David Gate's inspiring message on faith and my rededication to the Lord in response
3. Conversation with a Buddhist guy on my way back from GYC

Here is the story on my encounter with the Buddhist:
"So how did you like France?"
Huh? Is he talking to me?...
"Uh,...I didn't go to France," I answered, confused.
Evidently he thought I was with the group of Asians sitting nearby who were returning from a trip to France. He quickly apologized and I just got right back into my book on graphic design.
Then the Lord gently reminded me of my prayer, expressing willingness to converse with others about Him, if He wished. My natural tendency is to mind my own business on flights, but spiritually I desire to share God, my true joy, with others. What was I thinking? I just lost a golden opportunity to naturally talk about where I went instead (TN) and what for (GYC)! Too many seconds have passed now, and it would only make things awkward to bring that up. Gotta be a little faster next time, Sunny...
It was getting dark now and I couldn't read any more. The light button was located overhead, and I couldn't reach it strapped under my seatbelt. I stretched my arm as far as I could, extending the reach with the pen in my hand, and tried to push the light button. Watching me struggle just to turn my light on, he reached up and pushed the button for me. No light came on. He pushed the button several more times. No light. The light bulb was out for my seat. O well. I thanked him for his kindness for trying.
Then God graciously gave me another opportunity.
"Are you into graphic designs?" he asked me, looking at my book.
I answered, "I'm not a pro or anything, but yah, I would like to learn more."
He went on to talk about him learning Dreamweaver for his business and he asked what I was learning graphic designs for. I said, "for church." He wasted no time. "What do you believe?"
This was the beginning of our 2 hour conversation on Adventist's beliefs including the Sabbath, state of the dead, seconding coming of Christ, the character of God, etc. Though raised in a Methodist home, his sister now is a Jehovah's Witness and he has left Christianity for Buddhism. He seemed to be in a valley of decision though, looking for that right religion. He was perplexed on why we have so much suffering and tragedies in this world. God must have let go of this world, he said. Then, he kept on talking about all the unfair things that happen in this life, and troubles that his sister has gone through. This led our conversation on to the great controversy between good and evil. He wanted to hear more and more. What an exciting flight this was for me. I've had short spiritual conversations on flights here and there, but not throughout the whole flight with such an interest! The Lord is so good.
Now I see. He burned my light bulb but enabled me to share the true light with him in darkness. Praise the Lord. May the Holy Spirit continue to speak to his heart and mind.

Merry Christmas

2005-12-19T20:37:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, we went to San Bernardino Park to feed the homeless. We also had some blankets and clothes to give out, and here is a smile of a precious little girl with her new scarf and a jacket.

Hermit Crabs

2005-12-12T21:36:00.000-08:00

It was another beautiful day at the beach...

After the meetings on Sunday morning with the Waters, Janelle and I went to the beach together to collect more Hermit crabs for her research. I really enjoyed getting to know Janelle better. It's nice to socialize outside of our meetings :)

And the hermit crabs were so cute... Can you see the little pincers?

The marine world is so full of amazing creatures. We met some divers there that day and they told us about all the neat things they get to see. I would like to learn to dive someday.

What Can I Give Him?

2005-12-08T22:07:00.000-08:00

This was my first time seeing the Crystal Cathedral and a ballet in real life. About a month ago, Janine and I were invited to join Katherine, an old-time friend of Janine, to a Christmas concert. We didn't even know where we were going and what kind of concert we were going to for sure, but we went expecting to hear a choral Christmas concert. The Glory of Christmas turned out to be a theatrical production to our surprise. Last musical I saw was Anne when I was about ten years old. Since then, I hadn't really been to a theatrical performance and I wouldn't have chosen to go if I had known, but here we were.
Sitting in the Crystal Cathedral surrounded by the pipe organ and watching planes fly by now and then was pretty neat. And I was really intrigued by the ballet portion of the play - so beautiful and graceful, I thought. The whole production was spectacular to our eyes and ears - the novel stage set-up, colorful lighting, trained voices of professional singers, all kinds of cool effects on the flying angels, marching in of live animals like camels, donkeys, goats, and sheep....
But far beyond this, my favorite part of the whole thing was a simple song that a little boy sang, titled What Can I Give Him? It came just after the grand entry of the three kings to the stage and the presentation of their gifts to the Christ Child. The boy wonders throughout his song what he could ever give to Jesus. He didn't really have much to give but wanted to give Him something too. Then, he finally decides, "I know what I can give Him. I will give Him my heart." This brought tears to my eyes. I had identified myself with him in his song how I am nothing and don't have much to offer Him either. But it is my desire to give Him my heart too.

Messiah's Mansion in Loma Linda!

2005-11-23T22:12:00.000-08:00

Messiah's Mansion is a life-sized model of the wilderness sanctuary. It was set up in Loma Linda from Nov 4th through 19th, and about 14,000 people went through this sanctuary during that time. The Lord blessed with hundreds of Bible study interests and we have much to do to follow up. For those of you who haven't seen this, here are some pictures.

Building of the south side wall of the holy and the most holy place. It took about 3 days to set up the whole sanctuary including the tents and all.

Welcome to Messiah's Mansion! First, everyone was greeted here and received free tickets for the tour.

Then, people waited here for their turn. Tours were offered every 15 minutes accomodating up to 100 people in each tour.

First 15 minutes were spent here going over the overview of the sanctuary. Mr. Leinneweber was our tour guide for this tour.

You are about to enter into the outer court of the sanctuary. You can now see the bronze altar of sacrifice straight ahead and the east wall of the holy place.

Watch a short clip of the tour by Mr. Leinneweber at the outer court yard.

Shall we see what's inside the holy place now?

Welcome to the holy place! This is another tour group lead by my mom. Here in the holy place she explained about the table of shewbread, the seven candle sticks, and the altar of incense. It was wonderful to have my mom and dad in California with the sanctuary team.

This is a picture of the seven candle sticks in the holy place from one of the night tours.

Now on to the most holy place. This gives us a glimpse of what Jesus is doing for us now--interceding in our behalf as our high priest in the heavenly sanctuary.

This was the final stop of the tour at the survey tent. Here my dad is discussing more in detail about the ark of the covenant and the high priest's robe. Before leaving this tent, everyone had a chance to give feedback on the tour as well as sign up for Bible studies and health programs.

Hope this gave you an idea of what the sanctuary tour was like.

"Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary:
who is so great a God as our God?" Ps 77:13

Sunday afternoon at Forest Falls

2005-11-13T23:05:00.001-08:00

It's always been an adventure with Lorinda, and I was up for another one this time. Lorinda, Anne, and I went to the Forest Falls reminiscing the AH retreat we had last year in the tiny cabin up there with 12 of us. As soon as we got there, they just picked a mountain and started climbing up. These girls are better than the mountain goats, I found out. It was very steep with loose rocks and dirt, but they climbed right up while I was behind them verbalizing my doubt, “I can’t do this! Is this safe?" I was on all four climbing, and there was nothing stable to hang onto. Every step created mini-avalanches and my mind had several panicky moments thinking about falling. They were successful, for a while, in convincing me to go on, but I was too scared to look down by this time, and the road up ahead (what road?) wasn't too hopeful. Lorinda kept saying that it was better up where she was but I didn't believe her anymore. "I'm going down. I'll see you guys later..." They of course vetoed my idea but too bad. We are not in meetings. No veto works here. I went down and they decided to come down with me to stick with me. Thanks girls :) We hiked on STABLE rocks along the riverbed for the rest of the time--much better! When they said hiking, I thought nice hiking trails.... I'll know better next time.
(Sorry, no pictures from climbing. I had no hands available to take pictures and every neuron was occupied thinking survival...)

Everlasting Candles

2005-11-10T21:54:00.000-08:00

Watch the highlight of our birthday party for Dolores. The candles were so bright and everlasting... They lasted all about 3 seconds... in the middle of our song... Needless to say, Dolores didn't get to blow out the candles and make a wish. Who needs to blow out the candles anyway? Hope all your wishes come true in Jesus who can give much more than we can ever ask for! :)

Moszkowski

2005-11-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

I've fallen in love with Moszkowski's Piano Concerto in E Major op 59. I'm listening to this over and over again as I am preparing for a medication safety lecture for our new RN grad program at Loma Linda Univeristy Hospital. Life would be so boring without music. The beautiful peaceful melodic lines of 1st and 2nd movement distract me from my duty at work at times sending me to a wonder land, but well... that's how it goes. The vivace 3rd movement is very lively and keeps me awake while I plug away on the powerpoint so it all balances out. I spend my lone office times often emersed in music. Though, I could use some socializing about now. It's a good thing that I am meeting with Velma and Chris shortly to discuss our RN electronic charting class coming up in 6 days. OK, my lunch break is over.

Bliss

2005-10-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

It had already been 6 months since I was here last. There is just something about the ocean that I can’t explain. It pleases my eyes to see the endless turquoise-blue ocean waves crashing against a rugged rock. Words can’t express my senses when I see that two shades of blue meet at the horizon. Perhaps it reminds me of God’s endless love and faithfulness and His marvelous creative power that made heaven and earth and the sea. The sound of waves is like music to my ear. Leaning against one another, Gemalie and I sat on a rock in silence for a long time – soaking up this beauty and the warm sunshine, hoping to store it to last another month or two back in Loma Linda. Listening to sweet Gemalie read a section on prayer as I watched the sky turn lavender and orange was just what I needed.

Except the Lord build the house...

2005-10-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night, Tim and I broke up our relationship. It's a painful experience but I trust that the Lord will bring us through this trial as we stay closly and firmly to Him. I was encouraged to read this passage this morning - "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." Psalms 127:1 I ask the Lord to build the house.

How to Study the Bible

2005-09-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

I just had a great learning experience. Peter Gregory helped us tonight how to really dig deep into the Bible. Here is the progression:

1. Preparation (Ezra 7:10)
Pray for the holy spirit to help us be willing to do what we learn
2. Observation
Spend a lot of time looking into the background, history and author of the specific book of the Bible. Choose a small book to begin with and read it 7 times in 5 different ways (fast, slow, out loud, skip and jump, and backwards). Look for a theme (based on repetition) of the book -- ex. Suffering in 2 Peter, unity in Ephesians, mind in Philippians -- and a conclusion.
3. Interpretation
Finally these observations will lead us to an interpretation.
4. Application: Do what we learnd and have a life changing experience.

More to learn tomorrow...

New job as a Nurse Educator

2005-08-08T22:11:00.000-07:00

I just got a new job as a Nursing Educator for a med-surg unit and ICU at Loma Linda. This will be a big change of job compared to what I have been used to. For last five years, I have gained some clinical experience in med-surg, ICU, and Emergency nursing, but nursing educator is definately different kind of nursing. I will now work more with the nurses rather than patients, educating and evaluating them, will do more paper work I assume, and will work more as a resource person rather than a primary care giver. I'm excited about this new opportunity...

Vacation with Hollands

2005-08-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

I spent last couple of weeks with the Hollands here at home and up at Northern California. It was wonderful to see the Hollands again. Sandra wasn't able to come but I was glad that Mel got to come and visit here this time. Time just flew by. Here are some of the things that we got to do:

In Southern CA

Swam and relaxed at the pool in 105F sunshiny Southern California
Visited NBC studio in LA. (Majority of the TV life is so unreal. I appreciate the fact that I get to work in health care where I can be a part of both ups and downs of people's real lives.)
Had a bunch of people over for Sabbath lunch: including the Gregorys, Mike, Norm, Ken (it was his birthday), Lorinda, Eric and Rachel.
Enjoyed Rodney's music vespers.

In Northern CA

PCH 1 was Mel's favorite part of the vacation! God made the pacific coast so beautiful...
Tim got to meet my extended American family at Jim and Sara's Wedding in St. Helena. Of course, everyone loved Tim.
Tim and I retraced our steps at PUC (the place where we first met).
Visited wonderful redwoods and northern coast line.
My parents met Tim's parents for the first time.
Went to ASI and had nice networking sessions like AMEN, brainstroming about starting young adult Sabbath school group like AH in Sacremento, etc.

Trip to Palm Springs

2005-06-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

Tim and I just celebrated our 6th months of dating together at Palm Springs. We actually meant to go to the Balboa Park at San Diego, but we got distracted talking in the car that we missed our exit on the highway. By the time we realized where we were it was too late to turn around. We had a good laugh out of it and moved on to a plan B -- Palm Springs. We went on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway instead which took us approx 8,000 feet up high to a mountain station. When we got up there, we hiked around for a couple of hours in the quiet peace of the mountains just talking about this and that -- nothing grand and glorious, just our simple life matters and interests. This was a wonderful Sunday afternoon activity. I am thankful to have such a friend in my life making these memories together.

God's protection

2005-06-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

"The people were surreounded by fierce, warlike tribes, that were eager to seize upon their lands; yet three times every year all the able-bodied men and all the people who could make the journey were directed to leave their homes and repair to the place of assembly, near the center of the land. What was to hinder their enemies from sweeping down upon those unprotected households, to lay them waste with fire and sword? What was to prevent an invasion of the land, that would bring Israel into captivity to some foreign foe? God had promised to be the protector of His people. "The angel of Jehovah encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them." Psalm 34:7.

This was a fitting devotional as I had just fixed the garage door opener for the second time in a month due to vandalism and have no assurance that these things won't happen again. Although I have had some inconveniences, I'm thankful how the Lord has provided for my needs in fixing these things and protecting both me and my roommate from physical harm. I do what I can and leave the rest to the Lord in peace.

My first Cello Lesson

2005-06-07T22:17:00.000-07:00

I have never played a string instrument before but have always thought that it would be wonderful to be able to play in an orchestra. So I picked up a cello.
My first 30 minute lesson with Kyle Champion went by so fast. I was just getting into it when the time was over. I learned the D scale fingering, how to hold the bow, and most importantly, how to make a tolerable sound. Learning to hold the bow was pretty tricky but I felt more comfortable after an hour or so of practice after the lesson. Tim is really excited about it too and he is anxious to learn as well. I tried to teach him what I learned today, but it's kind of like a blind leading a blind. We had a great time playing around trying to play.
Someday, I would like to play the Bach's Cello Suite No. 1.

The first night

2005-05-29T01:07:00.000-07:00

The first night I got on the blogger I almost gave Tim a heart attack.

I got so carried away checking out all the functions of the blogger and writing my first blog, it didn't even register how late in the night it was. Every night Tim and I talk on the phone before we go to sleep and we try to read a small section of the Adventist Home and pray together. Well, tonight I asked Tim to call me when we said good bye earlier the day. So I was waiting. Then I got on the blogger and didn't know how fast time was passing by.

Now at 12:20am, all of a sudden I heard my door bell ring. Who could this be? 12:20am? Oh, no... where is my cellphone?... I couldn't find it anywhere. As I started to go downstairs reluctantly, I thought perhaps I should have at least my regular phone in my hand, just in case. I could at least call 911. I went back upstairs and got my home phone in my hand. The door bell rang again for the second time. I sneaked up to the door and peaked out of the view hole. My heart was racing and I was scared of who it might be.

You have to understand what's been going on here before you can see the whole picture. In last 7 days, I had my garage broken into two times. Evidences and the story makes both the police and my neighbors to think that they have been kids who have vandalized my property. I immediately ordered an electric security system to be installed in the home (which will be installed on Tuesday) and both my roommate, Celeste, and I have been extra careful lately. Well, I knew that my roommate was gone for the weekend and frankly I was very scared now.

So, here I was peaking out the view hole, and there I see him - Timothy. With a sigh, I opened the door, "what are you doing?..." Tim had been trying to call me all night. He's tried my cell and my home phone multiple times but with no answers. He nervously asked, "what's going on? are you ok?" Then I realized what had happened. My cell phone was downstairs in the living room where I couldn't hear it ring, and my unreliable home phone which sometimes rings and other times doesn't decided not to ring tonight. In the mean while, here was Tim frantically trying to reach me and worrying about what could have possibly happened to me, while I was safely at home blogging away.

After our hearts have calmed down a bit, we just stood there holding each other for a while -- so thankful for one another. His thoughtfulness and protection for me overwhelmed me. I rebuked myself for my carelessness. I should have called him when I didn't hear from him until late. It wasn't a big deal, but it was. The big deal is that Tim is so good to me and I am so blessed to know him. This was just another example of his character which reflects our Jesus. I cried for a long time afterwards thanking the Lord for such a person in my life. Thanks Timothy. You are very special to me.

Good night in peace.

The new discovery

2005-05-28T23:35:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to learn about the blogger. Thanks to Tim, my dear boyfriend, who introduced this program to me. Tim, I finally got logged on and I've been exploring this program all night. Uuuhuuuu :) If I can keep up with this blogging, I think my family and friends will have an easier time getting updates on my life. Jin, my long time friend and sister from high school, will probably appreciate this since she thinks that I have disappeared from the face of the earth when I met Tim.

Tomorrow is Larie's graduation from medical school and she will be leaving for Internal Medicine residency in Portland, OR on Monday. I'm so sad that she is leaving. It hasn't hit me yet. I will probably feel it when I call her next week to see if she's off for the day to go swimming with me and realize that she is no longer here. Ouuuahhhhh.....
I thank God for our friendship over last couple of years. Her love for God and easy going spirit has initially drawn me close to her two years ago and we have become such good friends since then. We've spent many hours together sharing our hearts' desires, thoughts on Advent HOPE, medicine, and future life, eating Pad See-ew at Thai restaurants, going for walks on Sabbath afternoons, and shopping and searching for modest tops and skirts in the malls. We did so much together. It just won't be the same without her here in Loma Linda.