Eugene and I have been serving in our Hsinchu, Taiwan ministry since September of last year, and we had the joy of finally coming home to visit Berkeley last week for a few short but full days. It was indeed a very very refreshing time for the both of us and a much needed break to refocus and prepare for Year 2 in Taiwan. We felt like we didn't deserve it but were treated like celebrities the minute we arrived in Berkeley/Alameda as we were greeted by so many familiar faces, reminders that we are dearly loved and supported by everybody. We had many times of sharing and fun with others and were given lots and lots of delicious food to eat. Praxis and others hosted us at North Loop our first night. We also met up with staff/students from Kairos Christian Fellowship, where we served prior to moving to Taiwan, and it was great to see how each one of them have grown. Our peers housed us and also took us on a relaxing day trip with delicious food and scenery. The directors also hosted us for a scrumptious dinner. We also had the privilege of joining a BTT (Bible Teachers Training) group at Sierra Lodge. It was an incredible time of bonding and fellowship, just hanging out, eating together, kayaking, etc. as well as training by Pastor Ed on how to prepare Bible studies and learning ministry wisdom from both Pastor Ed and Kelly. We felt really encouraged as we were reminded that we are not alone and it amazed us again that our God is so actively at work that He is stretching every member of our church, be it in Taiwan, in Berkeley, in San Francisco, in Austin. We came back to Taiwan having been so refreshed and strengthened and with greater appreciation for the kind of life we have together in Christ that transcends physical proximity. Because of all that we have experienced our first year in Taiwan, with all the challenges that came with leading a church for the first time, we felt a greater sense of kinship with everyone back at home, knowing that we are serving the same awesome God together so that even though this year we were further apart physically from everybody, somehow spiritually and emotionally we feel so much closer.

Every summer, ISM changes its Bible study format to smaller and cozier group. This Bible study format change provides three advantages. The first advantage is that we can meet at ISM members' homes in Alameda. Unlike the more austere and lecture-style classroom setting, homes provide a more relaxing and welcoming environment. Meeting at homes also allow us to have better food (nothing beats a home-cooked meal). Although coming to Alameda is a bit far from campus, the distance actually allows the students and scholars to have a short excursion away from their all-too-familiar research setting on the Berkeley campus.

The second advantage is that we can hold a more discussion-driven Bible study, which allows for more interaction among the students as well as with the Bible study teacher. Another advantage is that the discussion topics can be different for different groups. This allows us to tailor the Bible study topics according to the questions and the needs of the students and scholars. Lastly, it's always nice to have a change of setting once in a while.

In the past two years, we have tried offering classes such as The Book of Romans, Genesis in Space and Time, Worldviews Today, and others. This year, we are divided into three smaller groups: one group studies the Devotion Time (DT) passage provided by Gracepoint Fellowship Church; the other two groups study the Alpha Course material.

I pray and hope that through the new format, the ISM students and scholars will build more relationships with one another and get to know God more through the Bible studies.

The International Student Ministry (ISM) paid another regular visit to the elderly in Alameda Care Center on Saturday, the 15th of December. However, the visit was anything but regular. First, we celebrated the Christmas holiday by singing three Christmas carols: "Silent Night," "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," and "Joy to the World!" Many of the elderly enjoyed the sound of Christmas with their eyes closed. Some of them even sang along with us. And their faces were beaming with joy. Then, we read, in both English and Cantonese, two passages from the Bible that talk about the coming of Jesus Christ. Following that, Hank delivered a special message explaining the true meaning of Christmas. To concretely and practically translate God’s love for them, we brought them Christmas presents—warm socks and mittens. They loved the gifts very much and held them close to their hearts.

As we went around and chatted with them individually, many of them expressed their gratitude to us. They commented that our presence was very special to them and hoped that we could come back more often. As I took pictures of our interactions with these elderly, I felt that we had gotten much closer to them after less than one year of monthly visits. Personally, these new relationships brought me so much unexpected joy and fulfillment. As I reflect on the fact that God calls us to look after orphans and widows, I realize that God truly knows how to bring us closer to true joy and fulfillment.

Our wedding was a very special day for Margaret and me. More than anything it was a day for us to praise God for who He is and what He has done in our lives. It was also a day where we once again experienced the church in action. Without our friends from Gracepoint, the day would not have been possible.

From the beginning, Jessica volunteered to take charge of helping us with the wedding ceremony and Shufei volunteered to take charge of our reception. They helped us with planning, running errands, coordinating help, and making everything happen on the day of. From setting up the sound equipment, to decorating, to ushering the guests, to transporting the gifts, to playing the music, everything was done by our friends from our church. Then at the reception, different groups such as our college friends as well as the ministry groups that we have helped out with had prepared very thoughtful presentations to show their appreciation and give us their well-wishes.

All of our relatives, coworkers, classmates and friends were so impressed -- many told us that it was the "most meaningful", "most entertaining" wedding they'd ever been to. One of my coworkers said to me, "You have such incredible friends. I wish I had friends like yours." When we told them that the only people we hired for this whole wedding were the photographers and that everyone else were friends volunteering their help, our guests were even more impressed and amazed.

At the end of it all, we both felt overwhelmed by the care and support of our church. It was but a glimpse of all that we have received from God over the years here at Gracepoint. God's love manifested through the detailed and concrete love of the members of the church -- this is what we have experienced time and time again over the past 9 years. We committed once again to likewise "live it out", and be this kind of channel of God's love to others.

Last Sunday afternoon was a picture-perfect San Francisco day and what better way to spend the afternoon than to go biking? Biking to the Golden Gate Bridge was a blast! San Francisco Praxis members biked from Fisherman’s Wharf to Crissy Field, then crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, and stopped shortly in the middle to catch our breath and take group pictures. That afternoon, even the chips and water tasted better than usual.

It was my first time biking in San Francisco and across the Golden Gate Bridge. If I had done it alone, I don’t think the trip would have been as memorable. Something about biking up and down the hills together with the other Praxis members made the afternoon excursion a memory I will recall with fondness--it was like living out a postcard and being a tourist for a day, but with a group of friends I can count on.