of all the random and ridiculous things...

i stepped in cement yesterday.

i was waiting to cross the street and i saw that on the other side some construction workers were filling in a hole with a cement mixer. i thought to myself "i'd better be careful to go around them", but the very next moment i stepped onto the road and felt my foot sink into something cold. in shock, i yanked my foot out and saw the very wet cement on my shoe and pants. there was no caution tape, no sign to warn people. i stood there for a few seconds just looking at my foot, thinking: "did that just happen?" and then trying to decide what to do next. i wanted to go back to my apartment to change, but then i remembered i was on my way to an exam and going home wasn't an option. so i kept on walking, not even thinking to say something to the construction workers (who did not see what happened).

miraculously, no cement got on my skin, even though i was wearing ankle socks. and i'm still hoping, perhaps naively, that the shoe is salvageable : (

Life in the D

- Last week a man in police custody complained of stomach pain so he was brought to the Detroit Medical Center, which is a five minute walk from my building. While he was in the hospital he stole an officer's gun, took a hostage and drove off in an ambulance. He was caught 18 hours later.

- A homeless man snuck into my building one night, had a nap in the laundry room and walked out wearing several sweaters that did not belong to him.

- A ministry at Citadel of Faith is Security. These people keep watch in the parking lot to prevent theft. Cars have been broken into for a few coins in a cupholder.

- One Sunday Citadel ended service early so that members could go door to door in the surrounding residential areas and hand out Bibles. I was put on a team with a white girl and a white guy. The girl and I took one side of the street and the guy took the other side. A black guy saw me and the girl, did a double take and quizzically asked us: "Are you from around here?" Despite our assurances that we were not lost and that we weren't there alone, he continued to express his concern over our safety and essentially warned us to get out of that neighbourhood.

- On New Year's Eve, people fire guns into the air. One theory for this is that it warns off thugs and lets them know that the household is armed.


Are you scared for me? Haha it's really not that bad and there haven't been any instances where I've felt like I was in danger. As long as I don't get mixed up in the wrong crowd I'll be fine : )

let it snow

we had our first real snowfall in detroit today. it was more like flurries, but some of it stayed on the ground and it was pretty : ) it reminded me that Christmas is just around the corner! and this year i'm going to spain and morocco with my parents for the second time! i am so lucky. we're also stopping in frankfurt on the way home and i've been put in charge of that day's activities, so if anyone knows anything about sightseeing there, do share. anyhow, it'll be just the three of us since char will be at urbana 06.

this brings me to urbana 03. i attended the last urbana with hannah and doreen and the most random thing happened: we were interviewed for the conference's daily newspaper! apparently students from asian canadian churches made up a large proportion of delegates that year. we happened to be in the canadian lounge one afternoon and someone approached us for the article. it was hilarious. see picture below:


earlier today i looked over some of my notes and reflections from that conference and i thought i'd share little snippets with you:

The multicultural worship was amazing. We sang Spanish songs, we sang Gospel style, there was a performance by the First Nations group Broken Walls, and so on. What particularly moved me was seeing the deaf and hearing impaired delegates. Because they were unable to sing the songs, they signed the lyrics instead, and it was so beautiful to see the many different ways people can worship. The worship leader mentioned that it was a taste of heaven, and it really was. --Personal reflection

If we understand that every person that has ever lived [and ever will live] has been planned and has existed in God's mind for eternity, we come to realize each person's significance, how much they are loved by God, and how important it is to reach them for God's kingdom. It is so urgent to reap the harvest right now because the field is ready for harvest and a crop that is not reaped will rot. --Notes from a large group session. I forget who the speaker was : S

The Asian American [or Canadian] style of evangelism has many strengths, such as its others-centredness, hospitality, service and indirect communication style using gentle persuasion. However, one of our weaknesses is a fear of confrontation, our unwillingness to put others on the spot. We love and serve, but we don't outright ask The Question: What is stopping you from following Jesus? because we fear awkwardness in the relationship. In a postmodern age where people are offended by pushy, arrogant, confrontational evangelism, is it not time for Asians to step it up? --Notes from seminar by Allen Wakabayashi