Happy Easter!!!

In Acts 26:22-23, Paul states,
"I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen - that the Christ would suffer, and as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles."


Praise the Lord that Jesus has risen! What a wonderful day to celebrate His triumph over death and the devil! May God bless you richly and abundantly, especially on such a day as this one!

Unrest at Public Schools and Blessing of "International Month"

For the last three weeks, there has been unrest at many of the high school campuses in California. Since I teach ELD students, quite a few of them are concerned about the current political decisions about illegal immigration that are being discussed in the Senate. I was impressed with how my administration and fellow staff members took the opportunity to genuinely listen to the students, and help channel their concerns and emotions to protest on a Saturday. In comparison, other schools have had a lot of walk-outs, but a lot of students have not necessarily had the best reasons to leave school. When I talk to my students, they confess that some of their friends simply want to "ditch class" and do not have a clear or informed account of the current events. It was the first time that my high school had to cancel classes on a Friday due to all the tension on campus, and coming from the community as well.

What is ironic is that my Learning International Language Club (LIL Club) has been preparing to celebrate "International Month" in the month of April. So we gathered all of the different cultural clubs on campus and created a day of celebration of the diversity on campus. We set up tables of different countries, and students needed to pick up a "passport" and go to the different tables to get stamps. By saying something in another language or learning something new, students would earn a stamp and then travel around the whole world to end up at the "Finish" table to get a prize. I wore a German "dirndl" and stood next to another student who was from the German Club.




We had students of all races and nationalities there, and we had over 200 students visit our tables that day! I pray God continues to use the students during the course of this month to continue to promote peace and understanding.







Nationals Karate Tournament in New Mexico

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement for my karate tournament. I was very sick by the time I had to fly out to New Mexico, but with the Lord’s strength, I competed and did my best. It was also a tremendous blessing to fly out with the Slivnik family because I think everyone helped one another during the course of the trip.

I did not place in sparring or weapons, but I did receive first place in kata (self-defense). I was quite shocked at first, and also humbled since I was against stiff competition. You can see this in my face in the picture above.


It was an honor to receive 1st place because I didn't think I would win. I know that I could have poured a lot more time in training, but I am very careful to give my time to other important priorities in my life, such as family, school, friends and church. So, I am thankful to God for such a prize.
"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).

This coming Saturday is my dojo's karate tournament in Carlsbad, so I will be preparing for this tournament as well.




New York City

Oh, how I thank God for brothers! I loved visiting Joel in New York. He lives in Manhattan, which is a key location for New York. (I never realized that New York was divided into 5 boroughs). Central Park is close to his house, and it was so easy to travel everywhere by foot, subway or bus. I was able to explore New York with Joel on Saturday and Sunday. The first picture is the both of us in front of a ice rink in Central Park.

On Monday, I had the wonderful opportunity to go dogwalking with Joel. This is a new job for Joel, and I didn’t realize how strenuous it actually could be! Walking the dogs was the easy part, but climbing all of the stairs to all the apartments and brownstone houses within a specified certain time period was a challenge. By the end of the day, I was exhausted and my feet hurt. Here is a picture of Joel with one of his favorite dogs named Oscar. He is a Brussels-Griffon puppy. I loved the chance to walk with Joel, but I couldn’t keep up on the following day!


Later that night on Monday, I took Joel and his beautiful girlfriend named Francesca to a famous restaurant named "Serendipity." It was made famous by a movie with the same name. It is known for its large and scrumptuous desserts. People wait two hours in general to eat there.

Passover

After returning home from New York, I was excited to learn that I wouldn’t miss the annual Passover meal that my Aunt Jane and Uncle Den host at their house. Since my father is Jewish, this holiday has always had special meaning for me. This meal celebrates the Jews and how they escaped from their slavery from Egypt. There is so much symbolism that fortells about Christ that I am always blessed to take part of the ceremony. My aunt is an incredible cook, so I took a picture of the table and all of its delectible food. My seat is empty, and to the left sits my aunt. My uncle is sitting at the far end, putting bunnie ears on his daughter-in-law.

My favorite part of this ceremony has always been when the children need to find the "hidden matzah." Matzah is unleavened bread, so it looks like a thin flat bread. During the middle of the ceremony, my uncle directs attention to three matzahs on the table, and pulls out the half of the middle matzah. He then hides it somewhere in the house, and the children need to find it in order to finish the ceremony. I can remember when I would compete against my brothers to find that matzah, and get rewarded with some money if I found it. Since I am older, I appreciate this middle matzah because it is also called the "afikoman" which symbolizes the Messiah who will come to restore all things. This has special significance for me since I know Jesus is the Messiah and this piece of bread represents Him!

When I returned home, I had a lot of questions about this holiday and how Christians could appreciate it as well. Here is a wonderful website that explains the ceremony in detail: www.cresourcei.org/seder.html

Santa Barbara

For the last part of my Spring Break, I was able to visit my beautiful friend Lori and her husband Jeremiah in Santa Barbara. Lori had her baby 4 weeks ago, and so it was a pleasure and privilege to spend time with her new baby, Isaiah. Here he sits on Lori’s chest and you must admit, he’s adorable!!!

"Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." (Psalm 127:4-5a).

I learned how precious it can be to have a newborn, and also how it takes a lot of work! Every two hours, Lori must nurse, berp, and change diapers for her little one. He wakes up a few times in the night, so she must tend to him during this time as well. Wow! I have a new respect for mothers of newborns now! I am thankful for Lori and Jeremiah's hospitality, in addition to Lori's great "car chase" after my train. (Since I accidentally mixed up times for the departure of the train, I had missed the train by a few minutes. Lori had to drive me fast to see if we could catch the train at the next stop. She almost got me there but the train took off again when I stepped out of the car. Fortunately, I was able to catch another train a few hours later, but we both laughed about the event afterwards.)

Cousins Dave and Jon

Here is a picture of my cousin David. He is a marine and he is stationed at Camp Pendleton for the next two months. He is from Louisiana, but has been stationed in Japan for the last few years so I haven’t had a chance to spend time with him for a few years. Since he is training to be a sniper, he has to make his own camoflauge outfit. So here are two pictures of us so we could model his new creation!

In addition, I am close to his older brother Jon. Here is a picture of Jon and his wonderful girlfriend named Sarah. They live in Louisiana, and so I shall look forward to the next time I can meet up with him.

New Trips

1) May: I visit my other brother Jared in Boise, Idaho!

2) This Summer: Camp Alandale and Romania

I shall be serving as a camp counselor for Camp Alandale this summer. I will work at the first camp which is for high school students. I look forward to seeing old campers that I have gotten to know in the past, and I pray God can use me to help build them up in their faith. You can check out about this ministry at: www.campalandale.org

In addition, I am taking a step of faith and going to serve in Romania for 5 weeks in late June and all of July. I shall be working at a Christian orphanage in Romania. From reading God’s Word and learning more about world events, it has been a growing desire to serve abroad in another country. The leader of my Bible Study suggested this mission trip for me since her son is the one in charge. There seems to be a real need for workers since many of the government run orphanages do not have enough people to show love to so many orphans. As I learn more, I shall email you and send you letters, asking for specific ways you can pray for me. If you are interested for more information, look at this website: www.h2hint.org

3) Continue to pray for Uganda

I had sent an email about the atrocities occurring in Uganda in regards to the "Invisible Children" and their plight. If you are interested in getting involved, here are two places you can start. First of all, Samaritan’s Purse is active in the refugee camps in Uganda. Second, I encourage you to watch a screening of the documentary: "Invisible Children." I am trying to find an opportunity to watch it myself, and I will try to watch it at my high school since it will be showing a screening soon. This documentary is about the children who are being beaten and forced to leave their families so they can fight in the Lord’s Resistance Army. There is a "Global Commute" movement in which you can get personally involved. People shall be gathering in San Diego (and among many other cities) to get the attention of our government. Once I learn more information, I shall email you about it, but for now, check out this website: http://www.invisiblechildren.com/

God bless you all!