Hej from Stockholm, Sweden !

( For you non-Swedes, "Hej" is pronounced "Hey" and means "Hello" in Swedish! )

Felix & I arrived safely & soundly in Stockholm on Monday night with the rest of our team. Alas, the rain from our days in Paris followed us too! However, today it is the complete opposite - sunny, bright & breezy. Praise God for His beautiful creation!

It's completely gorgeous where we are staying. We're at a youth hostel that started in the 16th century as a farming community, turned into a Christian summer camp retreat site owned by the church and then sold to the city to become the hostel it is today. We're right next to the waterfront! It's a complete change from the hustle & bustle of the urban landscape of Paris.

We've all gotten a chance to SLEEP (as in sleeping in :D), rest, relax and be refreshed by the surrounding nature and each other's presence. We bought groceries from the nearby grocery store - the Swedish language never ceases to amuse me. Everything seems expensive because Swedish Kroner is the Canadian Dollar times SIX! Then we cooked (actually, more as in Head Chef Ray cooked) a satisfying dinner of spaghetti, soup and salad.

Please keep Felix in your prayers as he was feeling the onslaught of a nasty cold last night. Please keep me in your prayers as I found out that the Bible study I'll be co-leading is being advertised as in CANTONESE. (Eek!) Please keep the rest of our team in prayer as we keep learning about each other and about the Swedish-Chinese church here, as well as the youth ministry led by Pastor Billy Lo.

The key word of this missions trip is FLEXIBILITY.

We're going on a prayer walk today! Should be interesting. :)

Thank God for this experience

Hey~Ya, I haven't been posting in this blog and this is my very first time. Finally I get to go online, and able to update my part of the trip. It has been really blessed for me to be able to come to this mission conference. I have been meeting many devoted young people who are passionate about God. Through seeing them serve, talking to them, I really open my eyes and given me great strength to continue my path in serving Him, and giving my life to Him. I really appreciate the French church for their hospitality, their warmth, enthusiasm and they are so alive. U can see their "FIRE" burning~~~~ I also enjoy talking to other people who comes from other parts of the world, we are all so young and they are already have such a heart for the Lord. The conference was great, and Pastor Thomas Chan sermons on the book of Daniel is inspiring.

I have just arrived to London yesterday, and will be joining the local church @ Harrow "London Chinese Alliance Church" and participate in their ministry. Anyhow, I''ll tell u more next time. Here are some of our wonderful pictures in Paris.

I survived!

Today, I went to the Paris Chinese Church in Chinatown in the 13th district. I thought I was going alone but I bumped into the Swedes from the conference and they were attending as well. My first impression of the church is that it is like a typical Chinese European church - lack of space, cramped, lack of resources. We are talking maybe 5 rooms (size of an MCAC classroom and some are half that size), possibly six at the most. The sanctuary is about the same size as the MCAC fellowship hall, maybe half that size. You will see it on my youtube video.

So what was my mission project? I had to teach Sunday School in French to the kids.

Task: Teach an English kid's song, go through the "Wordless Book" (Yellow means heaven, Black means sin, Red means Jesus' death and resurection, White means purity and cleanliness, Green means new life), tell the story of Zacchaeus' encounter with Jesus, and then to a craft involving constructing caterpillar and butterfly to demonstrate the transformation that Zacchaeus goes through after he meets Jesus.

Time: 1 hr

# of students: around 20, and their parents also sat in, ranging in age from 3 to 10

I assume it went well because the kids answered my questions. They even remembered my name. I found them more well behaved than the Canadian students ... et ils sont tellement mignons. (and they are so cute!) This is a picture of them doing the craft on the benches - there is not enough room in the classroom for tables so the kids sit ont he ground and work off of their benches. I am happy to say that my french did not fail me so THANK YOU for ALL your prayers.

In the afternoon, I attended a music evangelistic event held at the church. The choir actually had quite a few pastors and pastor's wives and they were singing loudly - it was a very humbling experience as I looked around and saw that despite the lack of resources, they still manage to pull off an amazing special music evangelism event. I mean, some of the singers in the choir were classically trained, and some are normal people who sing off key.... but you could tell that they were all singing loudly for the Lord. It was beautiful.

Tomorrow is my free day and then I start working for the pastors on Tuesday.

One other thing to note is that languages are starting to get very mixed up in my head. I have to think of who I am speaking to before a word pops out of my mouth. For the Swedes, I speak to them in English, or Cantonese or some ugly hybrid of Chinglish. For the French Aunties and Uncles at the church, I use French, Cantonese, or some ugly hybrid of CantoFrench. For the 2nd generation French at the conference, I use English, French, Cantonese, Frenglish, CantoFrench, Canto-English.

May 20th 2007

Greetings friend,

This is a random compilation of the thoughts of Richard following the conclusion of the conference and the silence that precedes the storm of missions. Please forgive me for anything that may be repeated by the others, we had a lot of shared sentiments. Also forgive me for any grievous spelling/grammer errors, I have had about 3 hours of sleep.

On the Conference:

Despite my earlier skepticism, the conference was amazing. It turns out the only thing that the church here is bad at is the posting of information on their website. Everything was well organized from the motivating worship to the inspiring speaking. The worship team was very enthusiastic and the congregation could really get into the singspo. The speakers varied on topics, explaining the various mission opportunities for the 2nd generation Chinese students. Thomas Chan the main speaker kept things relevant and in context, even going as far as to saying that one of the weaknesses we face today is lack of Bible knowledge (go P. Nelly).

On Weather:

It is raining today.....and the day before...etc. so on and so forth. I'm thinking that sunny Paris was propaganda. However the weather couldn't dampen our spirits, we get more chances for fellowship.

On Friendship:

I have met many new people and heard very heart-warming stories. Many of the youth here are recent grads with ideas for a very missions-oriented future. Some of them offered new games, some various views on scripture and Christian living, but all of them offered friendship. It reminded me of the importance of fellowship with Christian brothers and sisters. Nothing seemed to emphasize this more when Kevin left with the Amsterdam team (Pat and Shirley). Despite being only away for a week, I'll still miss you. bro.

On Christian Living:

With the conclusion of the conference and the increasing anxiety as the mission start date approaches, I am striving to keep myself spiritually ready. I like to plan ahead, so this is definitely a test that God designed specifically for my growth. Even with the unknown rapidly approaching, I feel a sense of tranquility. I know God can use in London, if I let him. A theme that came up during the conference was the idea of fitting into God's plan and not forcing God to fit into our plan. The idea is a simple concept but infinitely hard to put into action. This mission trip has been a large step for me in that direction.

Praise the Lord.
-Richard

a slice of eleasa's reflections so far

^{Our successful head shot from down below!}

So salut! Eleasa ici. I haven't given any updates at all since arriving in Paris, France, and now thanks to Pastor Tim and his laptop and his purchase of WiFi access here at the ETAP hotel, I can sit down and pour out some of my thoughts & feelings.

There have been so many sights & sounds & smells that have pervaded my senses the past 6 days. I've really loved being in this city. There's the rich history, culture, architecture and life that's so evident here, with all its renowned landmarks. But there's also a world of people in this city.



The first International Missions Leadership Conference has come to an end, and it was an amazing(ly packed) 3 days. Each day started off with an early morning 45-minute bus ride to the St. Maur Chinese Alliance Church in a suburb of Paris, and was crammed with joyous worship led by a team of the local French-Chinese teens, sermons from Pastor Thomas Chan, workshops from Christian leaders in the missions field, testimonies from young Christian leaders, short random showcases of talent to glorify God (videos, solos, a music performance by the kids!) and delicious Chinese meals cooked by the faithful kitchen staff.

I truly thank God for how diverse and creative He is. Whether it's the ways in which He can touch peoples' hearts, to convict, to move or the people He has created and brought together. One of the coolest things was meeting Chinese people who speak French instead of English, besides Canto/Mandarin. There are so many children & teens & students here who are easily tri-/multi-lingual - something that is rare in Canada, at least from where I've been. At the conference, Canadians connected with Europeans from France, England, Norway and Sweden to learn and to be challenged to act upon our convictions in the field of missions. We bonded over food, over laughs, over conversation, over board/card games, and especially during the night-time excursions to several infamous Paris tourist attractions (including the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe & Champs-Elysees, Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre, Notre Dame & the Louvre.)


^{With new friends Esther & Alison}
It was amazing to learn that the steering committee of this conference was completely composed of French students & young adults, led by Pastor Dick Kaan. Their obvious passion and devotion to God shined through in the organization of such a conference as this, with over 140 people. It's significant when you realize that 300 is the size of the largest Chinese-Christian congregation in Paris. And to think that there are 1 million Chinese in France! One of the coolest things was worshipping in music with them, because their worship team displayed such an abudance of joy that obviously had sprung from within, from a neverending Source. All the Canadians agreed that the worship team was so upbeat & energetic - and none of it was forced.

One of the greatest privileges at the conference has been learning from Pastor Thomas Chan (from Montreal CAC). He is a great teacher and preaches with authority. During the conference, he preached 6 sermons on the life & book of Daniel.

Out of all the things I was convicted of from his sermons, was one lesson of the perspective of missions as a PROCESS, reaching on both a group basis & an individual basis. Oftentimes, we think of short-term missions as an opportunity to make a huge impact on the people/church there right away. But what is more important are the relationships that we build with the people or church there, to begin a discipling partnership, that we may build each other up with lasting effect. To not only give of ourselves, but to learn. Not to only be doing, but to be receiving as well. As for the change of an individual person's heart, only God has the power to do that. We trust Him

Missions is also WITHOUT BORDERS. During this conference, Chinese people came from France, England, Norway, Sweden, French Guyana, Suriname, Canada and even the U.S. My language prowess was tested as I spoke much more Cantonese than I had ever spoken at one time before, since most of the European students speak Cantonese more fluently than English. We learned from a Chinese professor who speaks Arabic, an Englishman who is completely bilingual & speaks fluent French, and a Swedish missionary who speaks Mandarin. Here, people are pastors' kids, missionaries' kids, non-Christian family kids, students, teachers, working people. This conference wasn't a world unto itself.

Finally, a last big lesson for me was more like a challenge. Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego say something profound in response to the command to bow down to the gold image of King Nebuchadnezzar.

"O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18)

Will I still be able to put complete trust in God's sovereignty and His timing and plan for my life, even when He says "no" or "not this, not now" to my personal prayer requests? Can He depend on me to be a woman of integrity, to remain rooted in His Word, to submit to Him and obey His commands, even upon rejection for what I had thought was God's plan for me?

That remains in my heart to be pondered upon for now.



I can say so much more about the individual people I've met here & how I've been blessed by them, but I think those things are better left asked of me personally, face-to-face. And of course, a lot of things happened OUTSIDE the conference, which can ALSO be spoken of beyond this blog. :)

Felix & I leave for Stockholm, Sweden for our missions trip tomorrow at 6-ish pm. Please keep us & the rest of the MCAC-ers in Europe in your prayers.

Bonne nuit!

Mission's Trip BlogDay 1: May 14, (Mostly just on the travel experience into Paris)

My first trip out of North America in over 11 years, I was very excited to be on an airplane once again. But not before going throughsome difficulties; going through metal detector 3 times because Iforgot to take off my belt.I packed very light for this trip, (1 school bagpack + 1 slingbag). People questioned my decision to bring so little, but the way I sawthings was that this was going to be a missions trip, so I did notneed to be in my comfort zone; only bringing what was necessary (mypocket pc for ex to write this post :) Before boarding the plane (after finally passing through theaforementioned metal detector), I received great news that I wasaccepted to a job position at the taxation branch for the provincialgovernment. Finding a summer job was initially the biggest obstacle for me deciding to come to Europe, so I thank God for answering myprayer and being so faithful and provident.The plane trip was very enjoyable, I didn't nap on Air France becausethe entertainment system was so good. The 4 of us watched movies & played "Who Wants to be a Millionaire". But this also meant I wasgoing into Europe w/o sleep from the previous night.After arriving at the airport, we were picked up & driven to thehotel. Car's in Europe are very different (very small & compact) and the traffic was very dangerous (motorcycles driving inbetween lanes).But we did arrve safely to our Hotel & proceeded to unpack.We spent the rest of the day getting our bus passes and travelled to"the island", Chinatown & Notre Dame Cathedral. The group consisted of the 4 of us from MCAC Pastor Tim Wai and his wife Christina, PastorJones from Jubilee AC with Esther & Allison. It was an interestingexperience riding the confusing yet comprehensive Metro system.The youth & adults of the St. Maur's CAC was very welcoming &hospitable helping transition into Paris less difficult for us.Everything so far had gone smoothly and Eleasa's mischlefs made forsome good laughs (I'm sure she would write about it).I also got along well my roommate for the conference. His name isMoise Che from French Guyana who is studying @ Dalhousie.During prayer time at night, God spoke to me & made me aware of this: Just as the book of Daniel was about God being in control despite thecircumstances, so now I am in that situation in Paris & laterAmsterdam where I don- know what to do but God is still in control ofeverything. Day 2: May 15,The conference was not to start until 5pm on this Wednesday, so it wasmostly another day of touring Europe with the group. I had agood/uniterrupted night's rest after pulling an all-nighter the previous day, so the tour of Paris by bus was enjoyable.Because of a National holiday the next day, bus services wereinterrupted as the police force (along w/ their horses) practice theirparade route. Hence, we arrived half an hour late; missing registration and late for opening ceremonies...but made for some goodtimes travelling.The St. Maur's CAC is smaller than MCAC, but it was homelynevertheless & it was awesome to see all the people there serving in all different aspects & seeing the 2nd generation French speakingChinese Christians & their enthusiasm for God & excited about theconference.The conference had people from all over. I had the chance to talk to people from other parts of Canada as well as a group of people fromNorway & Sweden (who had brought along a Norwegian trovel edition ofSettlers!). It was a good opportunity for me to step out of mycomfort zone & talk/fellowship with new ppl. After the Opening Ceremony where Pastor Tim Chan had given an introduction to the bookof Daniel (timeline of the book: 1234 875 96 101112).At certain points during the day I was untalkative which led to somelonely times, this showed me that I still had a lot to work on in terms of just relating & socializing with others in general. Thisrelates back to king Nebuchadnezzor & how even though he had acceptedGod above was truly God he still ended up having pride issues which hindered his relationship with God. By this. I mean thatNebuchadnezzar's pride issue was not settled with over night...and myquiet/shy nature will not change overnight either but I must continueto keep working at it & not be disappointed. Unfortunately, fellowship back at the hotel was cut short due to afirealarm which sent us all outside for a while.Before going to sleep, I finally had the chance to meet up w/ Pat &Shirley to talk & pray about thq upcoming Amsterdam mission's trip. It was our first meeting together, but this was a good start to ourpreparing for it.

-Kevin

May 18th - losing track of days

Picture taken in front of Sacre Coeur Basilica - we went in during the service and it was beautiful. Sometimes, I wonder if our protestant churcbes are not acknowledging God's holiness and reverence as much as the catholic churches.

Yesterday the message that really touched me was based on Daniel's friends refusing to bow to Nebuchadnezzar's idol and they basically said "our God is able to help us but even if he does not, we still will not bow to the idol". The speaker emphasized that God is not accountable to us and that the "victory" occurred not when the guys came out of the furnace alive, but the victory occurred when they refused to bow down to the idol.

Yesterday there was a talk on postmodern, modern, state and religion and although I must confess I kind of "fell asleep with my eyes open", I was speaking to one of my new French Christian friends and she was amazed by how popular Chinese Christian Fellowships are in Toronto, especially since they occur in the universities. Also, they made a point that it's easier to invite a French person to Sunday service instead of to a private home fellowship thing. I think I find the opposite true in Canada....at least from my experience.