Hello! I wanted to thank the Lord for all of the wonderful things that have taken place in the month of September. First, I competed in a karate tournament in Bakersfield. Surprisingly, I won first place for my kata. I was surprised because I had wished I had practiced more before this date, but I had been preoccupied with Camp Alandale and hiking in Yosemite this summer. Competing in this tournament has reawakened a desire to do my best in karate, and so I am preparing for the State karate tournament on November 12. I will be competing in three areas: kata, sparring and weapons. The following is a picture of my karate instructor (standing on the far left) and some close friends with whom I train. I value my relationships with the Slivniks, who is the family in the picture with me. They challenge me, motivate me, encourage me, and I feel blessed that they often include me in their family activities.

One aspect that I deeply appreciate about my particular karate dojo is that many families train together; it is strongly encouraged that parents train with their children. I think there are a lot of blessings in store for these families that not only excercise together, but spend some quality time together as well. If you are interested to learn more, you can look at this website: http://spaces.msn.com/members/keichuvista/. In the following picture, I am in the back row doing sit ups.

The following week, I attended a beautiful wedding with my family. My brothers have close friends with whom they have grown up, and so they were two of the groomsmen. I enjoyed witnessing the marriage because the couple is a splendid pair. After the wedding ended, my family took the next picture that follows, and so I wanted to post it on this blog.

I am happy for my brothers because they are taking steps outside their comfort zone as each twin tries to pursue their future careers and goals. Jared (on the right of me in the picture) is moving up to live in Sun City, CA. My brothers and father bought this house for an investment, so I hope this will help Jared to feel a little more independent. He shall be looking for a job up there as well, possibly in sales. As for Joel, he is going to New York for a few months. He has a marvelous girlfriend who is intelligent, kind, and fun, and he wants to find a job so he can live closer to her for awhile. Although I am excited for both of my brothers, it is mingled with feelings of sadness as well. My family is very close, and it makes me sad to think I won't see my brothers as often. (Actually, I don't see them that often NOW because our schedules are so different). Well, I shall look forward to seeing them excel in their hearts' desires.

Earlier on that same day of the wedding, I visited my Indian family in Orange County. I call them my "Indian" family to distinguish them from my own family in San Diego. My close friend Sanjay, a.k.a. Josh, was an influential person in my life in college because he challenged me (and so many others) to commit our lives to Christ wholeheartedly. Then, he introduced me to his family and I was won over by their love. I regard Josh's parents as spiritual mentors, and I am deeply grateful that they have included me in their lives. (Of course, the two people who have made the greatest impact on my life are my parents, but I appreciate how God has blessed me with more caring people in addition to my own beloved parents. Josh's dad, Jaipaul, is a tentmaking missionary who works full time with real estate, and many other business ventures that mystify me. Geeta, Josh's mother, is a doctor and she serves as the director overseeing several Christian crisis pregnancy clinics in OC. They are role models for me; they inspire me to invest my life in others. "It is God Himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago He planned that we should spend these lives in helping others." (Ephesians 2:10 TLB) I adore Josh's brother and sister because they have devoted their lives to Christ in radical ways as well. The following picture is a picture of Andy (a good friend from college), Haley (foreign exhange student who lives with Geeta), Geeta, Shoba and me.

In regards to another praise, I have been blessed as I have become involved in a women's bible study at Community Bible Church. The women range in all ages, and we study God's Word and pray for one another during the week. It meets on Sunday mornings, and I am encouraged by the honesty and care that the women share with one another. This is an answer to prayer because I was having difficulty finding a Bible Study I could attend on the weekend, since I tend to work long hours during Monday through Friday. In addition, I am now an usher at one of the services, and I hope it is a way I can serve the church in some small way. If you are interested to find more about the church, look at: http://www.cbcsandiego.com/love/app/hdis/blank.html?min_id=50

Wow! God is faithful and He is good! I thank God for the energy that He gives me at work. "He gives me new strength. He helps me do what honors Him the most" Psalm 23:3 TLB. I am sitting at my desk in the following picture. As I have mentioned, I am a teacher at Rancho Buena Vista High School. I am very fortunate to work at such a school. The staff are genuinely passionate about teaching kids, and the kids themselves are fun!

I enjoy teaching at a public school because I can interact with so many different students and cultures. My only sadness is that I can not be open about my faith with the kids, as I can with the kids at Camp Alandale. Yet, I chose to teach at a public high school because I wanted to reach out to people from different backgrounds, and I understand the limitations placed on all teachers in such settings. I respect these boundaries, but I also take comfort in the following quote. I don't know who is the person that said the following words, but I try to live them out daily in the strength of the Holy Spirit: "Share Christ at all times, and when necessary, use words."

So, I was thrilled when there was a special assembly on Friday. The FCA student group on campus (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) invited Dave Roberts to come and speak at lunch time. If you don't know this individual, he is a tremendous ball player on the San Diego Padres. He graduated from RBV, and he was making time out of his busy schedule to come and speak to the students about his faith. I was praying with other teachers about this event, and I was excited to see God touch lives through it. Two of my students attended the meeting, and I was blessed to hear Dave speak about how Christ made such a significant difference in his life. These are the words that I would love to impart to my own students, so I am glad that the FCA students created an appropriate event in which students could voluntarily come and hear such words spoken. Above is the picture of Dave Roberts speaking in front of the students.

Please continue to send me emails about how I can pray for you. Thank you to all of my family members and friends who encourage and support me. You make me feel loved, and I appreicate it with all of my heart.