We had our Joyland All-Girls Outing this past Saturday at Tillman Park, and boy (I mean, girl - get it??), did we fill up the place! Over SIXTY K-6th grade girls and 20 teachers spent a total of 4 hours together, eating hot dogs, launching water rockets, jumping rope, playing relay race...just to name a few of the activities. The weather couldn't have been any better - warm and sunny - so much so that we changed the schedule a bit so that we could incorporate a massive water balloon toss that afternoon.

The next day during our Joyland large group, Teacher Michelle asked, "Did you guys enjoy the outing yesterday?" It made me so happy to turn around and see the girls beaming huge smiles and yelling, "YES!!!!" At that moment, I thought about some of the girls who came, and imagined how they would have ended up spending their Saturday afternoon if there was no outing. Maybe they would have done something fun, but most likely, they would have probably had just another normal, uneventful day. I was so thankful that, though our efforts were so meager in putting this outing together, God was able to use it to make this past Saturday a very memorable day for our kids.

While college students took a week off from school during Spring break, many Ph.D. students had to stay in their labs to continue their research. To give them a breather from their research work, the International Student Ministry prepared a sleepover and a one-day Monterey trip for our students. At the sleepover, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and played games, such as Risk and Bang! Our students had so much fun playing these games.

We woke up early the next day and got on the road to Monterey. The drive was smooth, but it was accompanied by mist and sometimes showers. Thankfully, when we arrived at our destination, no rain fell from the clouds above us. In Monterey, we split into two groups: one group biked along the beautiful 17-mile drive and the other group hiked in Point Lobos State Park. At the end of the afternoon, the two groups met back at Carmel Beach for sports and a BBQ dinner on the beach. We got closer to many students as well as made new friends as we enjoyed the breath-taking sceneries and played fun sports together. Many students commented that this was the most fun they had in a long time.

The long-awaited Joyland boys' outing finally happened this past Saturday (3/24/2007) as more than thirty energetic boys made their landing at Tillman Park. The outing started off on a great start with a nice BBQ, but soon enough, we were getting into our teams for the main event of the day--the Joyland Boys' Olympics. Emulating the great olympians of the past, the boys (and teachers) engaged in various classic events such as the sprint, the (jump rope) marathon, soccer, and even the shot put and discus throw (a.k.a, tennis ball and Frisbee throw). Overall it was really good to spend some extended time with the kids and I got to learn the names of all the Impact boys who were there (finally!). Some highlights of the day included Taehoon's surprising win at the FTS ("Fourth Through Sixth" grade) sprint, Omar's great soccer ball handling skills, and Cavon's amazing catches during the kickball tournament. It was certainly another great day at the park with the boys.

It was the promise of being in a play that got me hooked. Being the loud, exuberant person I am, theater has always interested me, though before now I never really had an opportunity to try it out. Yet I found as time went on and practices went by, the focus of my attention shifted gradually onto the people around me and the relationships I was forming and developing. Meeting everyone through a meaningful activity, I found, truly is quite different from casually shaking hands and making introductions—because it was through interaction with these people that I actually started to recognize them and acknowledge them as parts of my life instead of strangers that occasionally drift across the periphery of my daily life. Even though I barely had anything in common with some of the other freshmen, I felt a bond between us—that of the love of Christ—that was deeper and more significant than I thought possible.

The fact that every participant was willing and happy to be in the play not for their own benefit, but in the name of Jesus, helped create a loving atmosphere that enveloped everyone. I felt that God’s Word was being lived out through the welcoming smiles and helpful, supporting actions that were abundant in each of the students and staff. I am very grateful to have been able to experience G-Live in all of its stressful but satisfying moments, and participate in such a moving fellowship and outreach. And I found that in the end, as I celebrated the success of G-Live 2007 with everyone in the production, I felt a welling of joy not for my own performance, but rather for the wonderful family of brothers and sisters I became closer to, and the beautiful works we created together with God’s blessing.

I really thank God for this church, especially the sisters close to me who have not only befriended me but put up with me all these years! They’ve done everything they could to help me as I struggled with different personal issues, through studying for the GRE and applying to school for Physical Therapy, interviews, etc., and we’ve been able to celebrate some victories and sweet memories this past year. I realize more and more how these relationships are so precious, especially as genuine relationships are hard to find in this world.

My previous relationships before I met Christ were shallow and based on give-and-take, or even taking advantage of others. I used them and they used me; then once we got what we wanted, we just went on with our own lives, often with deep hurts and scars. Now, my relationships are based on truth - our shared identities as forgiven and beloved children of God - and self-giving love - our new purpose to love God and love others. I am really thankful for God’s love and all the relationships He has given to me. It is my prayer to share God’s awesome love with others that they might experience a little bit of what heaven would be like, as I have.