Celebration... a blessed place...

*LISTENING TO:*
Song: Hero (Red Pill Remix)
Artist: Superchick
Album: Regeneration
Quote: "...if we make a choice | and be the voice | for those who won't speak up for themselves | how many lives would be saved, changed, rearranged | now it's our time to pick a side | so don't keep walking by | not wanna intervene | 'cause you just wanna exist and never be seen | so let's wake up | change the world | our time is now... our time is now... our time is now... our time is now..."
* * *

Wow... since I started going to Celebration Church, I have realized just how blessed they are... and it's because of their passion for God, their devotion to His will, and their willingness to give Him all the praise and glory. Last Saturday, I joined them for a big dinner feast at Andrew's mom's place to meet the new pastorial candidate, Jason... seemed like a nice guy but the most rewarding thing for me that evening was just getting quality time to talk to awesome guys like Joel and Percy, hearing their life stories and struggles, and just sharing. Those are two guys I have a lot of respect for and it was great to just talk to them. And just overall, I seem to be getting along with the other guys there, like Andrew, Onko, Will, Alex, etc... there are some "interesting" characters to say the least, but I love 'em all in their own unique ways. Heheh. I'm really starting to feel like part of the group and couldn't be happier... and they've been so warm in welcoming me in... I was so nervous when I first agreed to help out with worship there of not being able to fit in and being kind of an outsider looking in... it's been great getting to know 'em better.

Last Sunday, there was a huge buzz because Jason (and his wife), the pastorial candidate, was visiting and would be speaking. In prayer, the church just unified... and the worship time was one of the best we've ever experienced there. The energy and the passion was just overwhelming from such a small group of people... I couldn't wipe the smile from my face throughout the whole closing song (Everyday)... and Serena was saying how she felt God's presence in that place... Praise God... honestly. This past Sunday, God's fingerprints were evident as well... I am proud to announce that after the vote and confirmation, after 3 years... Celebration Church has a new (it's first) pastor in Jason!!! I am so excited for the church and the potential that such a move can make. I know the leadership team there has been struggling with finding a pastor and it's been heavy on their hearts for a couple of years now. Wow! All in God's timing too... this summer was going to be a time of uncertainty for them since Percy & Ashley, the two founders of the church and its main two leaders, would be leaving. Wow... praise God... and may Celebration continue to seek His will and give Him all the glory. It's awesome watching the Lord work! :D

In other news, I have been getting excited about the possibility of going on my first missions trip. I recently went to an info session on the Evergreen missions trip to Shanxi, China. It's a two-week missions trip in July/August and we'd be helping to run and organize an educational camp program for kids of grades 7 & 8. A few H2O fellowship members (Bonnie, Jean, Chung, Karen) are interested in going as well as my friend Carol from EACO. I'm definitely very excited... and hope to go. I have to confirm my summer course though... registration starts at the beginning of April... to confirm that I'll be done by June. ...And then I'll hafta see if I get a summer internship. I recently applied for a Marketing Assistant position at CMA... hope to hear back from them. But yeah, definitely excited to be able to stretch myself spiritually and step out of my comfort zone... the burden on my heart recently has been to make a difference... that if I were to leave this earth today, hopefully I will have made a difference somehow or affected the lives of people in a positive way... my short legacy. At Celebration this past Sunday, there are a couple of young kids that I've been kinda goofing around with lately and one of 'em plays the guitar. I was touched when he told me I was his inspiration to pick up the guitar again and start practising... now I'm looking forward to hopefully making a positive impact and influence on the kids in Shanxi. I think I'm being called to go do something... to take action... especially after my big spiel last blog about how actions speak louder than words... I just want to go and help out... to go and do something, anything, to help out. Wow, I can't wait... I know it won't be easy and there will be much to adapt to and many hard tests await... but just the possibility of making a difference has got me pumped! :)

...and in personal news... problem's hitting me hard once again... feelings are back once again (never quite left but meh)... and starting to think about it again... can't help it... hoping the rational mind will take over... but ah well. :P I swear, under different circumstances, it woulda been perfect...all signs have pointed to it being perfect and I can practically see a family forming... but who am I kidding... life does not imitate fantasy. *sigh* ...love still eludes me... still holding onto the dream... but it's slowly slipping away since it's completely irrational. I guess some dreams are just harder to give up when you've held onto them for so long... meh. *title music... fade to black*