Three years ago, I vowed never to step foot into a church again. I might have succeeded too, if it were not for a humble invitation I received to what used to be called “Christian Festival” (now Gracepoint Live) the spring semester of my freshman year. Despite myself, my cynicism towards Christianity eroded, and for the first time since coming to college, I genuinely enjoyed the moment, lost in the laughter and tears, and immersed in the messages. And here I am, three years later, having participated in my very first G-Live. And what a thrill G-Live was!

Before the last performance as the seniors gathered to practice the final song, we shared testimonies we had heard from the audience about the previous night's performance. I was reminded once again of how these series of skits had brought me to Christ three years ago. As we prepared to head out onstage, I prayed, “Help me to die to myself, Lord, so that I can fully participate in this picture that is bigger than anything I alone can offer. I lift up to You this performance, that You may call upon Your lost sheep.” For the brief few minutes I was onstage, I strained through the stage lights to gaze at the audience. It didn’t matter to me anymore if my voice cracked mid-song or if I missed my cue—what mattered was that the message of God’s kingdom was planted in the hearts of each person in attendance.

What an honor for God to use me to pursue His kingdom! During the two nights of G-Live, I witnessed a multiplying of talents, from the script writing to the acting, to the props and directing, etc. As I reflected on the hard work of the students and our faithful staff and reveled in the beauty of the final product, I recalled a passage from Philippians 4:13: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Praise to Him through whom we can celebrate this occasion.

I had the privilege of praying for the College Winter Retreat this past weekend. Prayed for people by name as I knew them, prayed for the freshmen to just come and sit still enough to listen to the messages and that they would be able to settle their spiritual home here; for the sophomores to start dealing with their values and convictions; for the juniors to catch our vision; and for the seniors as they face important decisions and junctures in their lives; for Pastor Ed and Kelly who have been going literally non-stop from retreat to retreat. I can't explain the immense joy I felt on Monday, when I received the much anticipated phone call from Pastor Ed, telling me that 32 (!!) students had accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior this past weekend, including some juniors and seniors that we had been praying for for a long time! I was laughing and crying at the same time, calling everyone I could to let them know. I thought about the sacrifices made for this retreat: the preparation of messages, perusing of material for the dating seminar, copying of handouts to send up, making of bookmarks, all the phone calls made back and forth, some sisters spending the night with bed bugs, Pastor Ed and Kelly and my college director friends spending the third weekend in a row away from their kids -- now small sacrifices considering those 32 precious new brothers and sisters. Praise God, who makes things grow and who chooses to call us his fellow workers.

1 Corinthians 3:7-9 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

If you had told me two years ago that I would be serving in the college ministry at Cal State East Bay AND reading the Bible with two international students from China, I would have thought you were crazy and that I was crazy for doing that. But here I am, going through the gospel of John with two Chinese girls who had never opened a bible before and yet are now so spiritually hungry. They ask questions like, "What is this temple that Jesus said he was going to raise again in three days?" or "Why did John the Baptist say that Jesus must become greater and that he must become less?" Each time they ask a question, I get nervous and pray that I could give the answer. At the same time, I become aware of how much more I still need to learn, and how I need to brush up on my Chinese in order to explain the bible well. On top of my shortcomings, it's amazing God is using me to help these girls get to know Jesus because, like them, I had never opened a bible before coming to college! I don't know what the future will be for these girls, whether they'll go back to China or pursue their careers elsewhere; for now, God has included me in his good work to introduce the gospel to their hearts. And I could not think of a more meaningful way to spend my time than to be part of these precious moments of their lives.

As we headed towards our ImpACT Thanksgiving Lunch and the table that was soon to be ours, I was struck by the look of awe on the kids’ faces. One of the kids looked up at me with a big grin and commented how the napkins were ‘so fancy’ – each had been folded in half into a triangular shape – and many of the other kids noted the same. I could tell they were very appreciative of all the helpers and the great preparation for this special occasion, and they thoroughly enjoyed their turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and more! Seeing their joy almost made me cry; I had forgotten that our ImpACT kids don’t often get to experience something as special as this. Hearing their compliments on the food and settings made me realize how often I am so unaware of the little details … such as triangular-folded napkins.

I'm so encouraged that our Impact kids notice even the ‘little things’; I'm certain that if they are grateful for the little things, then they are grateful for things like food and rides, large group times and small group times. Sometimes during our Sunday mornings together, I wonder if the kids are paying attention to everything we are doing for them; but after sharing our Thanksgiving Lunch together, I’m heartened to know that what we do does not go unnoticed by our kids, that their gratitude increases as they recognize more and more the ‘little things’ we lovingly do for them. I'm so thankful to God that he started ImpACT, for the lesson they’ve taught me about being grateful for the often unnoticed details of my life, and for this privilege to serve as a team lead for our ImpACT kids.

During the Thanksgiving weekend, ISM took our international students on our annual trip to Yosemite National Park. First and foremost, the weather couldn’t have been better! Usually by this time of the year, most roads to famous Yosemite landmarks are closed due to snow. But snow hadn’t fallen this season! In fact, snow started falling the next day that we left the park, and the roads were closed for the winter season. Thank God for no snow falling during the trip!

Our first major stop was at the famous Tunnel View, we marveled at Yosemite Valley below us and at El Capitan, which is a 3000 feet vertical cliff that is part of the mountain ranges that formed the valley. At a distance, we barely recognized Half Dome and wondered how it got its shape. At our next destination, we got to see Half Dome at a much closer distance at Glacier Point. It was a breathtaking outlook towards this granite dome! The light from the sunset was receding up Half Dome just as we arrived. In the midst of taking pictures, we admired the grandeur of Half Dome and vastness of Yosemite Valley. Half Dome rises 4700 feet above the valley floor, and compared to me, at about 5 foot 6 inches, I realized how small I was.

The next day, we went to Lambert Dome in Tuolumne Meadows. Thank God the roads to get there were still open! It wasn’t an easy hike, especially in the freezing cold. Some parts of the trail were covered in ice and snow, so we had to be careful not to slip. When we finally got to the top, the view was even more rewarding. We just couldn't believe our eyes. Up on top of Lambert Dome, we were surrounded by mountain ranges carpeted with pine trees all the way to the base of the dome. It was just a timeless moment. Ask anyone on this trip, Yosemite is just amazing. In particular this trip, I thought it was well worth it to bring our international students to get a glimpse of God’s creation of nature and be awed by it.