Random thoughts during festive season

It is Chinese New Year and I just remember the poem that I learnt when I studied Chinese literature during secondary school. It is a poem written in the Tang Dynasty by Wang Wei. Basically it is about missing the family members during the festive season. Below is the poem, enjoy reading! :)

“九月九日憶山東兄弟” jiǔ yuè jiǔ rì yì shān dōng xiōng dì

by 王維 wáng wéi

獨在異鄉為異客， dú zài yì xiāng wéi yì kè

每逢佳節倍思親。 měi féng jiā jié bèi sī qīn

遙知兄弟登高處， yáo zhī xiōng dì dēng gāo chù

遍插茱萸少一人。 biàn chā zhū yú shǎo yī rén

“Double NinthMissing My Shandong Brothers” — Wang Wei (Tang Dynasty)

Translated into English version poem:

As a lonely stranger in the strange land,

Every holiday the homesickness amplifies.

Knowing that my brothers have reached the peak,

All but one is present at the planting of zhuyu.

Chinese New Year Celebration in Ecuador

Thank God for LaoBan and LaoBanNiang for inviting us for steamboat reunion dinner during the Chinese New Year. We had a great time sharing and eating together with their extended family! :) Below are some photos:

Steamboat dinner

LaoBan's sister and grandnephew

LaoBan and LaoBanNiang

Noodles with crab and mushroom

Stir-fried squids with green pepper and carrot

Amazing grace in Spanish

This was one of the last few songs we sang during our worship community "Presence". We decided to sing agapella (without music) to God after playing the instruments for a long time.

Dim Sum in Quito

We celebrated Peiru's birthday in a dim sum bar in Quito. Below are some photos:

Running keeps me strong

I am grateful for the morning runs which keep me physically and spiritually strong. I have been rather disappointed with some people recently but God speaks to me and encourages me every time I run. The 3-4 times per week run over these 4 years keep my mind fresh and alert although I can be negative at times. If you are reading this, I would like to encourage you to do prayer jog in the morning and converse with God along the way. If we tune our ears to God, we can surely hear God even as we run. My prayer jog has strengthened my relationship with God and I hope that it helps you too. God bless! :)

Enjoying a satisfying life

By end of September this year, it will be 4 years in Quito. I have been enjoying God and missions in this place, especially the recent years. First year was difficult because of the language barrier and cultural difference. But things got better ever since. Thank God for the wonderful weather in Quito. Because of the dry and cooling weather, we don't really perspire much except when doing exercise. Food can be stored outside the fridge for a long time without getting spoilt. I am also thankful to God for the new people in church. They are really nice people. Thank God for Lorena, Anais, Juan Jo, Diego, Arthur and Elena. God has sent them to our midst and we are really grateful for their lives here with us. Most importantly, I have learnt to be contented with where I am and what I have. I have also learnt to pray more and do less. Waiting on God and seeking Him is also much more powerful than being busy with many activities all day long. Thank God for His presence in my life! :)

$400 for my IPPT

Just came back to Quito from my visit to Singapore in August. I took my annual IPPT and got my $400 for achieving gold in the results. I ran my 2.4km in 10min 11sec and got full points for other stations too. Thank God for the training and the supernatural energy! :) It's a breakthrough for a 33 years old like me.