Work, work, work!

Hey everyone! So I'm finally back in the U.S. (have been for the past two weeks), chilling in the good state of Virginia. Well...I lie - first, it's actually REALLY hot and humid where I am, and second, I'm working everyday at my parents' shop, so I don't have too much time or energy to "chill". I'm not complaining TOO much though (cough)...I'm rather enjoying spending some much needed time with the fam.

So my daily life nowadays is painfully uneventful, a stark contrast from my early summer in Nicaragua. Oh speaking of Nicaragua, it was truly a blessing to have had the opportunity to visit the country and experience its people and culture. It was my first time in a Latin American country, and while having to sleep in mosquito nets and almost having my leg taken out by a pack of rabid dogs at night weren't the happiest of my experiences, it was still amazing to practice my Span...glish and get a feel for international service. My group of 14 Stanford students had a lot on our plate there. We participated in a variety of community projects, learned about the country's medical system, and even got the chance to shadow doctors. The trip wasn't all work, though. We got to hike up a dormant volcano, swim in the crater of another that had last erupted thousands of years ago, as well as visit multiple beaches and clubs.

At my new home in VA, I feel like a lonely duck. I have no friends, no volcanoes, no clubs. Haha, in a way, that might actually be a good thing. Because I don't have any fun things to do here, I've taken up reading (surprise!) during my spare time. I recently started reading a book by renowned theologian John Piper, called "Don't Waste Your Life." I remember Jeanette reading the book (throughout the year ;-)) this past year, and I used to tease her because the book's title seemed a bit silly. The content of the book, however, has been extremely intellectual and logical, and Piper has provided some compelling ways by which we could glorify God AND enjoy our lives as faithful Christians. I'm not too far into the book yet, but I think it's going to be a thought-provoking read. I'd recommend it to anyone who is looking to live a life of meaning, not one that is wasted.

I sincerely hope everyone is living out this summer in ways that are glorifying to God! What does that mean? According to Piper, it means that we take joy in sharing about the good news; in magnifying God as He was, is, and will forever be; in loving one another as Christ first loved us; in living out our daily lives as true children of Christ. Let us seek his Word and presence in times of both triumph and hardship. It's been really tough for me to do all these things thus far, but I feel like God is challenging me to improve bit by bit.

Finally, if anyone has prayer requests, please don't be shy to share them with the rest of us! (Thanks, Karis, for sharing!) After all, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ - how beautiful is that?! As for me, my mom has been visiting Korea this summer to attend to her ill mother. Taking advantage of the low medical bills there, my mom decided to get an MRI scan of her body. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, the scan today revealed a 7-cm tumor inside her uterus. She may be undergoing surgeries soon, so I'd really like to ask for prayers for her safety and calmness of soul during this unpredictable time. My family and I find comfort, though, in our faith that God is watching, and will always watch, over my mother. Thanks, everyone. Praise God.

Steve

KSP!

Hello friends!

I don't think there's much for me to write in this post, but it made me sad that no one has written here for more than a week. I'm still waiting to hear about the exciting summers of Kevin, Patrick, and Andrew since they haven't posted yet. And as always, I really enjoy reading the posts from Steve, Jeanette, Claudia, Mark, and Jason. It definitely helps me stay involved in everything you're all doing this summer.
So I'm still working in a lab for the summer. I haven't quit or been fired yet (and hopefully that doesn't happen). Some exciting things? Well, I and other IV friends visited the BAyUP team in Oakland on Sunday. We all got together for a potluck lunch at their apartment. Then we walked to Harbor House (which you should all be familiar with) to hear each team member's testimony. It was encouraging to hear about the team's experiences with God's joy, love, and provision. The nine of them will definitely be eating well for the next couple of days since they had a lot of leftover food from the potluck. I think they'll really appreciate it since right now they're living on $15/person/week. Hmm... we should try doing that for fun sometime. =P Yesterday, we had Stephanie and Jeremy's Farewell dinner as they leave for Stephanie's sabbatical in August. It's so nice to see IV people so frequently during the summer. And tonight we have summer fellowship. I hope to see everyone who's around campus if you can make it.
Okay well I think that's about it for my life. I have one prayer request for anyone who reads this. My draw group (Christine, Sophia, Claudia, and I) petitioned for dorm reassignment from Casa Zapata to FloMo. Please be praying that spots will open up and we'll be able to get into the dorm and stay together. I'm a little nervous about the housing situation, especially because I have been really looking forward to living with Claudia next year. Please be praying that we would be placed in the best rooms to do God's work next year. Thanks!
And please let me know how I can be praying for all of you this summer!

~Karis

I'm Bored at Work Right Now

so I shall post.

Okay so I guess I'll update everyone on how Naperville (home) was and what I've been doing.

Basically going home was a tremendous blessing for me and getting to see all my high school friends and getting to have lunch/dinner with a lot of them and just do some quality catching up was really good. I did a lot of eating... a lot of getting fat... people started calling my belly "my baby"... Liz told me I needed a bra... and yea good times. Went to Chicago a few times and did some shopping along Michigan Ave/Water Tower and went to the Field Museum. On my last day my friends organized this big trip to Indiana Dunes and so we all got to go hangout at the beach and then had a BBQ at a friend's house afterwards that night. Going back to my home church was also nice as it was good seeing my old youth group leaders and pastors and such.

But yea now that I'm back on campus I've just been staring at code for hours upon hours a day... it's pretty cool...

More "later"? Hope everyone is doing well!

God bless,
Jason Wei

Happy Birthday Steve!