2 posts from November 2006

There’s been a lot on my (David's) mind during the last few months.  Here are a few of the highlights.  

Yohana

We named our first daughter after our dear brother John Priestley, Yohana being a feminized form of the Greek for John.  I never imagined what joy being a father would bring.  It’s been amazing at every turn, and each new day with her is like reading a few more pages from a great book.  She recently repeated the word “papa” after me!  The lack of unbiased witnesses and an inability to reproduce the event, tho, has most people, including me, wondering if it actually happened.  Please pray for Yohana as her mother and I try to raise her to love God and people and shun evil – not easily or often done nowadays.  

Ministry & Life

The last half-year or so has been a wonderful time of learning.  In almost every way, God has provided opportunities for growth, and I’ve been trying to take advantage.  In terms of my beliefs, I’ve been reconsidering the legitimacy of birth control and I’ve given more focused thot to the doctrine of inerrancy and the canon.  I don't think I think enough about the implications of heaven and hell, and this concerns me.  I just finished a biography of Jonathan Edwards, and it made me realize how shallow my faith often is.  These are a few recent readings if you're interested in dialoguing about them.

Church has been challenging but good.  My parents have often warned me of the difficulties in dealing with people, and this season in ministry has been no exception.  We’ve had arguments and division over too many trivial things – whether we should allow ballroom dancing as an activity, incorporate drums into the worship music, change the times of the services.  Someone even left the church after an interpersonal spat became a mass-email war.  If only we,

including me, were this passionate about the more important matters.  Refocusing has been taking time, but we’re getting there.  Through all this I'm learning how far I have to go in becoming a true spiritual leader, and I've been thankful for the lessons.   

Community has been difficult to find in this part of California.  We’re so busy with distractions – the newest movie/TV show, fantasy football, losing too many hours to work for more money.  There’s no time for even a meal with our neighbors.  I wonder what our lives would be like if we didn’t have TVs and left our evenings unscheduled – less stressed with better relationships?  I heard the Amish reject modern technology to the extent that they break down community and relationships; I'm starting to appreciate their insites more.

Opportunity

My mom and sister recently returned from a trip to North Korea.  They visited my aunts who are still alive and healthier than the last time my mom visited a decade ago.  Since their stay was limited to Pyongyang this time, they brot back video footage that the government guide took and sold to them.  It was highly propagandized, but I actually got to see images of my cousins and aunts.  It got me thinking about what little opportunity they have to really live compared to me and my family here.

I sometimes tell my congregation that with great blessing comes great responsibility.  When I think about my cousins in NK, it makes me want to do great things with my life.  It's not so much because I have the opportunity to but more because they don't.  I feel like I owe them at least that, that God has given us opportunity that doesn't belong to just us.  It's hard to keep focused on that here in the South Bay (it's funny how much easier it was when we were in Garden Grove in the small apartment without much money) where it's easy to get caught up with a comfortable, well-to-do lifestyle, even for a pastor.  But each day we're trying to "set our hearts on the things above and not on earthly things" and leave the outcome to God. 

Jie’s Arrival

Well, the biggest news since the last time I wrote an update is obviously the birth of Yohana (June 18, one day after my birthday and Father’s Day to boot), whom her papa unabashedly calls “the most beautiful girl in the world.”  Other favorite nicknames include Jie (her Korean name), Yoyo (Jenny Eemoh’s term of endearment), Yohani (a clever twist that cousin Joelle came up with), Baby 'Hana (Justin) and “Shwee-shwee” (David for “sweetheart”). 

Without going into too much detail, labor was definitely a challenge that I feel made me stronger.  Not necessarily physically stronger, but internally stronger.  Sometime after college and my DTS I think I began to feel internally flabby and weak (again, I’m not talking about my physical body here).  Married, working life in Southern California lacked a certain amount of grit...if that makes any sense.  For about 3 hours of my labor, however, I really felt the need to reach deep inside myself – where God is very present and real – to get through every contraction.  The other rather beautiful thing about it was that I also really felt my need for active support from David and my sister Jenny, who were both there through the whole labor and delivery.  I don’t think I could have gotten through the whole experience as well as I did without the Lord’s strength and the constant cheerleading of family.  And isn’t that a snapshot of what our journey through this life on earth as Christians should resemble?

A strong sense of desperation for God’s help continued when I brought Jie home.  The first few weeks in particular were, ironically, spiritually refreshing as the physical challenges of nursing and recovery in general drove me to prayer several times a day.  There were numerous occasions on which I wanted to quit breastfeeding altogether.  David constantly reminded me to focus on the present and not on the unpleasant prospect of months of nursing: “Just get through the next feeding.”  Thankfully, I did always manage to get through the next feeding, and after a few weeks things were going much more smoothly.  I am still so grateful for all the support I received the first 2 months of Jie’s life through my mom and two older sisters who took turns staying with us to help take care of David, me and the baby!  I probably would have quit if they hadn’t been there to take over all the housework and force me to rest.

The one word that probably sums up how we feel about our daughter is joy.  I don’t think we were prepared for how much joy she would bring into our lives each day.  She is a gust of playful fresh air that lightens and refreshes our often stuffy and serious personalities (see video at right!).  To date, Jie is 4 and a half months old, weighs around 16 pounds, and eats and sleeps very well.  She has a very sweet and mild disposition.  She smiles, laughs, and babbles in her own baby language to people and stuffed animals and is notably strong.  Her latest exploits include rolling over and mouthing everything she can get her hands on.  It’s also been especially fun to see how much joy Jie brings to David’s parents, being their first grandchild, and to her adoring cousins who live in Northern Cal.   Go to the photo and video sections to see more pics and live action of Yohana.

Adjustments

I wasn’t sure how I would feel about being a full-time stay-at-home mom, but so far it’s been wonderful.  I was sad to quit teaching at UCI in March but now can’t imagine going back into the classroom any time soon.  For now, life is full as it is.  In addition to taking care of Yohana, I have been slowly trying to get more involved in the life of our new church family (since I just started attending CCCSB at the end of March).  During my last trimester and right after Yohana was born, I was able to begin building relationships with people at church largely because of the efforts of several sisters to reach out and try to make me feel comfortable and welcomed.  They regularly called and offered to take me out or bring a meal to me.  Looking back, what a blessing this was, especially for an introvert like me who has trouble taking the initiative to get to know people! 

More recently, I have begun tutoring a young woman from church and have also joined the worship ministry.  I really enjoy meeting weekly with Shannon, a newlywed who recently came to the U.S. from Beijing, to help her with her conversational English.  Please pray for her and our friendship, as I do not think she is a believer.  I’ve also committed to joining the worship ministry for the year.  I’ll be stepping into the position of worship coordinator and also leading one of the musical teams.  Originally, I was hesitant to take on this responsibility because of the time commitment and anxiety about how I would be able to juggle practices, Sunday morning services, and Yohana’s feeding schedule.  So far, however, things seem to be working out as I step out in faith.  Although I think it will be challenging in many ways, I’m excited to apply the lessons I’ve learned and use the experience I’ve gained from leading the worship team at JCF to the worship ministry at CCCSB.        
   

Finally, David and I still have a strong desire to be a blessing to our immediate physical community, our neighbors here at our new apartment in Torrance.  While the apartment structure is not very conducive to socializing, we have slowly been able to meet several of our neighbors.  For me the neat thing about the apartment complex is that there are many young couples and families from diverse ethnic backgrounds.  Both of those factors, I think, make it a little easier for me to approach people and try to build friendships.  We’ve had the most contact with our two closest neighbors.  George and Marisol, the Iranian/Hispanic couple in Unit 6, are expecting their first child in a few months, and Nilja and Rischu from India are newly pregnant with their second child!  Having just had Yohana, I feel excited for these women and able to relate to them in a new way.  Please pray for growing friendships and opportunities to share the Gospel with our neighbors.

I'm a little embarrassed to realize that we have about a million photos of Yohana...and zero of anyone else!  :P  Sorry about that... we'll try to make more of an effort to resume taking pictures of all the other people in our life so you can see them too!