Arriving after a few weeks of winter break, this past senior retreat was an uplifting and refreshing time for me and many of my peers. Yosemite –a long time favorite of our church- was our destination. We did a lot fun things, such as sledding, snowball fights, and indoor games. We even had a friendly Sisters vs. Brothers game of Family Feud. I must say, though the answers in the survey were clearly biased towards the masculine train of thought, the girls emerged victorious.

I was personally so blessed by this retreat in so many ways. I really felt the need to develop my character as salt and light and concretize my identity as a faithful Christian woman. Being a naturally fearful person, Pastor Ed's exhortation to not give in to our fears was challenging, especially in light of the many fears and insecurities that I will have to confront as graduation approaches. Pastor Ed had us make a timeline of our lives, noting the major markers in which we can clearly see God's hand at work. This exercise was encouraging for me because I was reminded again that God indeed is in control and I was urged to entrust my future, my life to Him in daily surrender with faith that He will continue to lead and guide me. Seeing Pastor Ed and Kelly co-laboring for the gospel and recognizing the growth in relationships of my own peers heightened my awareness of being a part of a community –a family. And as we took our last group picture against an ethereal orange sunset, I was filled with thanksgiving that God would allow me to experience a bit of heaven in this wonderful body of Christ.

Today was our 4th anniversary of doing ministry in San Francisco. It’s hard to imagine that 4 years ago, there was no San Francisco ministry of Gracepoint. I still remember that nearly 5 years ago, a handful of Hastings and UCSF students moved across the Bay Bridge in order to plant the San Francisco campus. The extent of our ministry back then was to have a Hastings and UCSF joint bible study, meet other graduate students, and travel back and forth to Berkeley for Sunday service and prayer meetings. When we started having worship services in San Francisco, the pastor of the church we were renting welcomed us warmly… and then challenged us to outgrow the building!

Fast-forward 4 years later, and we outgrew that building—we are now having services at Bessie Carmichael Elementary School, with over twice the capacity of our original location and a wonderful stage to create a powerful Sunday worship experience. We have nearly twice as many people per Sunday than we did years ago. Now we are actively ministering at SFSU, with a campus group that is growing exponentially, and still we’re looking to reach other college campuses. Our Mission Bay Bible study attracts UCSF and other students living in the housing units—this group is learning about the gospel through Starting Point. Who could’ve imagined that starting a housing association would lead to a new Bible study? We have a vibrant married couple’s ministry that has been such an encouragement to our church--many have crossed the line of faith! And we are expanding beyond Hastings to meet graduate students from other schools, as well as more working professionals through our Praxis ministry.

It's hard to recognize us now because God has demonstrated that He is incredibly faithful. There are still so many to be won here in this city, and I am thankful that God has chosen to use, grow, and mold our community to reach those around us. It’s easy to forget how God has worked sometimes—but noticing that less than a quarter of the current Sunday attendees were the founding members, and seeing new faces and new ministries reminds me that God is always at work. I am so thankful that God has chosen to include me in this work, which I have been able to observe and participate in, so that I could share God’s heart and mission to reach this city. With gratitude and anticipation, I look forward to how God will work in the year leading up to our 5th Anniversary.

Tonight was a ball! I am so grateful for the relationships in my life and how I increasingly spend time! It is so cool how God is faithful in this regard. Last year I was alone on New Years; in my room I wrote out hopes and resolutions for this past year. Some of them were: fellowship and friendship, walk with the Lord, get saved, love one another, depend on God, trust, stop hating, stop being a hermit and glorify God. Anyhow, as I sat in the church New Years Eve, singing, worshiping, fellowshipping, taking communion, surrounded by the people I was surrounded by: brothers and sisters in Christ, I was blown away by the work that God has done in my one little life in just one year. I am amazed at the love I have received and the barriers that have crumbled or at least have begun to erode – barriers that keep me from God, relationships, love, life. I am amazed how quickly he responded to my call for membership in a good church, my call to know him, my call to know love and to have friends. I am amazed and full of thanks as I realize that I spent a week away from where I live, and then instead of spending time by myself to adjust to being back from my parents' place, I spent the night with friends, spent the entire day with sisters, and then still didn’t go home but played sports, had a dumpling party and laughed my head off playing games with brothers and sisters! I see how much of a blessing it is to share life together, to grow in relationships and transparency. I am full of joy and strength and courage! Here’s to a stupendous year!

My family came from out of town to be at our baptism service. It was each of their first time visiting our church. They were so impressed and happy to learn that I am part of this righteous and lively body of Christ. All day (and into the following week) they commented to me that everyone was so welcoming, friendly, loving, and respectful and that they felt so warmed by the whole experience. "Now we know why you love coming to this church!" they said to me even during service as we sang together, clapping, smiling, crying. Outside of service my family was embraced by so many sisters and brothers; so much love and joy. I am very grateful they got to be a part of our worship, to witness this church in action and to get a strong sense of how we work and live in Christ as a community.

CSUEB Koinonia gathered on Friday night at Chris and Judy's place for a satisfying all-American dinner of Sloppy Joe's, corn, and salad, which Judy had prepared for all 30+ of us! After eating to our hearts' content, we pulled out Settlers of Catan, Bang!, Blokus, Family Business and Monopoly, and flexed our game muscles for what turned out to be a 3 1/2 hour tournament of games. Seung, Anna, Eddie, and I played Star Wars Monopoly. Through a series of lucky events, I managed to own the most valuable properties - Imperial Palace and Monument Square (a.k.a. Park Place and Boardwalk) - and built Spaceports (hotels) on them! I ended up wiping out Seung, who made not one but TWO costly landings on Imperial Palace. Overall, it was so heart-warming to see all of us gathered together sharing food, fun and great fellowship. The academic school year started not too long ago in September, but already we've been able to build some meaningful relationships with the students at CSUEB. I eagerly look forward to how our relationships with one another will grow and the many memorable moments we'll share in the coming year.