No freedom...no rights

So on Jan. 19, 2006, I tried to leave the country on vacation. I have never been stopped at customs before, but there's a first time for everything. It was scary; they searched through my stuff.

And so, it continues…I’m still here, I still have this lawsuit hanging over my head, can’t get out of the country, can’t see my family, can’t see my fiancée.

But, looking at the big picture, it could be worse. And, it made me realize how much less freedom the people in this country have. I mean, they're restricted from doing so many things, and on the spiritual level, most of these people don't have freedom. I can take comfort that I have an eternal hope, that there is a loving God who delights in doing His people good, who has a perfect and wonderful plan for my life, and that even before there was a problem, a solution was on the way.

I'm praying for a speedy resolution to this problem, and that my heart won't be hardened towards this country. I keep reminding myself that there is corruption and unfair treatment anywhere, even in a country like Canada, and I can't just hold a grudge against this country in particular...and I need to remember not to stereotype all the people here. It's hard.




THat the world would know Christ and be transformed.



Sigh.

Fun quotes from the group

We have a little quote book going on over here to record memorable things that have been said over the year. So far, D.Lu and Kaix are way in the lead with a bazhillion quotes. Here are a few of the more memorable:

I could date a girl for 3 months and then elope. - Suave D.Lu
If this were real life, I'd hire a hitman to take you out. - D.Lu, playing president/janitor the card game
You know what keeps me up is organizational structures. D.Lu (obviously an uber-nerd)
Glitter was ahead of it's time. - Mariah Carey (I just put this in because we all agree it's a great quote, not because I actually heard her say it or anything)
I'd like to say right now that I feel like you should all sacrifice your lives for me because you've lived longer. - D.Lu
There are some pretty hot 70-year-olds. - D.Lu (Edit: D.Lu keeps complaining about being mis-represented, so I will now give you the context for the quote. He was talking about Sarah from the Bible. Okay? Okay. Because all the Pharoahs were after her. So she was obviously hot. So obviously there could be some hot 70 year olds.)

Sorry, so I guess D.Lu actually dominated the funny quote section. The others are apparently very un-amusing in what we say. So that's a smattering of life over here in Asia.

Oh, and my fast is done today, so street meat, here I come!

More random thoughts...

In continuing my little rant on people viewing God as a blessing dispenser, I think the problem is when we ask God for things that we want more than God. It's okay to ask for things, and He wants us to ask Him for all our needs, but if we want those things more than we want to know God, more than we want to seek God, then there's a problem.

“You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.” - Daniel 5:23

This is materialism…worshipping gods of wealth, fame, success. And yet, we ignore the God who holds in his hands our LIVES. Forgive me for being distracted by anything other than you, the God of the universe, who created me and has a wonderful plan for my life. Forgive me for thinking that I know better.

Will you hesitate?

"...I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God." - Paul, in Acts 20:24-27

Paul boldly declared his innocence of shedding any blood. At the end of it all, will I be able to say the same thing? Will you?

How do you summarize the last few months?

Well, seeing as Amanda even broke her allegiance to xanga to comment on my blog that has sadly remained unupdated for eleventy billion months, here it is.

How do I summarize the craziness of the last few months?

1) I got engaged!!! By God's grace, I found him right in front of me! I love you, Kevin. No wedding date yet, plenty of time for you all to suggest the perfect dress, food, flowers, etc.
2) I got a lawyer to handle my horrendous bicycle case. My frustration with this is lessening, but it's definitely something I need to give up to God everyday.
3) I dressed up as a bird for our halloween party and proceeded to kick another Canadian guy's butt at fishing chocolate balls out of ketchup with my mouth. It was DISGUSTING. It was made even more disgusting by the fact that someone MAY have taken some of the chocolate balls that my competitor had already fished out of his ketchup plate and put them into my ketchup. Blech. I proceeded to fish those out too, without knowing. But, in retrospect, not such a big deal in a country where most of the eating is done communally.
4) I had yumsy food for my birthday dinner. We FINALLY hit up TGIFridays and I had some delish ribs.
5) Kevin came to visit and we had an amazing time. He ate something that makes me a little upset, but I'll forgive him. And no, it's not dog. Too bad, because it's tasty. ;)
6) I finally did shopping for myself and bought a pair of Miss Sixty knockoffs, which proceeded to lose their button as soon as I got home. Sigh. Knockoffs.
7) Watched NHK and realized how much much much I am missing authentic Japanese food. The fish looks...well, fishy, here. Probably not a good idea to eat it.
8) I fasted for 10 days and had the most intimate encounters with God that I've ever had. I definitely encourage everyone to do it.

I wish I could sum up everything I've been learning in a blog entry, but that wouldn't do it justice. I will say that He is everything good, everything beautiful, everything wise, everything patient...He IS everything to me.

One thing that's frustrating me right now: The idea of God as a good-luck charm or wish/blessing dispenser. He's not there for us to use whenever we feel like we need Him. He is so much more than that. You're not a Christian just because you believe in God. Even the demons believe in God. You're a Christian because you FOLLOW God, and you can see the fruit of that in your life.

Maybe I'll start updating more.

Maybe.