NYCUP reflections

GOOD NEWS – I am all moved out of my old apartment, everything is in storage now, and I’ll be ready to move into my new apartment in just a few weeks! So glad I am finally done moving out! Big thanks to dad who came all the way from Taiwan to help me out!!!

So, what’s going on these days after NYCUP for Nancy?

I’ve been hanging out with family a lot. Going places with dad, and now I am visiting my sister for a week in Illinois! Lots of traveling, but I’m glad I got to hang out with my sister after all! 🙂

Spending time with dad, my aunt, my cousin, and family friends in Cincinnati was really great, but it also means every conversation is in Chinese. And when everyone asked what I did and learned in New York this summer, I also have to answer everything in Chinese. One thing I realized recently is that trying to explain everything I learned – LoGOFF, human trafficking, gaining confident through Christ, hugged by Jesus, finding my motivation- in Chinese… Is SO DIFFICULT, especially after spending the whole summer in U.S. and not speaking Chinese very often (In the past, it’s usually the opposite, haha. I would speak a whole month of Chinese, and I would have a hard time explaining everything in English when I come back to the States for school). Translating everything I learned in 15 second, a minute, and 20 minute is different, or I should say, much harder than I thought.

One night after coming back from NYCUP, I was trying to explain LoGOFF to my mom in Chinese but words weren’t coming out as I have planned. My sister had to help me a whole lot in order for mom to understand. My mom and I both got really scared. For me, it is because I am starting to realize how much my Chinese has worsen over the past 7.5 years… heh. For mom, it is because she was scared she wouldn’t be able to communicate with me anymore if my chinese keep going down hill. I’ve never thought about that before, and I’m starting to understand that language can be such an important component to my family, especially my mom.

Anyways, so I thought about writing my thoughts in English first, and then translate everything to Chinese. It might sound kind of crazy, but I’m going to try! I would love to share with my English-speaking brothers and sisters what I learned this summer, but also my family here and in Taiwan. Our God is a God of every nation, not just in United States, not just in New York and Ohio, but also in Chinese and in Taiwan too. I know even though I am not best at Chinese anymore, but I believe His message will come through, no matter what the language is. 🙂

Here goes!

What did God teach me this summer at NYCUP?

I learned… A LOT! Words can not describe how thankful I am for the many ways that God has provided (From parents saying yes, to raising support, to having so many loving supporters in my life, to having the opportunity to paint shoes) to make going to NYC this summer possible for me so that I can further develop my heart for missions, for justice, and learning how to be more and more like Jesus.

I learned that I am FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE – 

As mentioned in an earlier blog post … Besides having the opportunity to serve the city, Nomi Network, and other brothers and sisters at NYCUP, I was also served a lot (and learning to be served too) by God and by the people around me.
The reason I want to say that is because I came to NYCUP thinking I am going to learn only about business as missions with Nomi, and I was SUPER EXCITED. However, God actually has other things he wanted to show me before I can do that. He wanted me to find my motivation, to know that He loves us and wants to hug us, to believe in myself of who He made me to be, because we can’t proclaim the Gospel if we don’t fully believe in it ourselves.  I learned that if I want to be a leader for God, a big sister for other sisters, to do business as mission for His kingdom, I need to first fully believe that I am fearfully and wonderfully made before I can tell other people to believe in that too. God believes in us, despite of our lack of ability and brokenness. He doesn’t need us, but He wants to use us and He created us, simply because He loves us.  In my earlier blog post when I was waiting for my flight back to Cincinnati, I mentioned one of my biggest weakness is lack of confidence/assertiveness.  I minimize myself a lot, and I didn’t think it was an issue at all.  However, this summer I realized that because of that, it also hinder me from responding to God’s invitation.

I am learning – learning to FULLY believe that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and I can be confident because I have Jesus with me.   Jesus didn’t hide himself and minimize himself, He stood up and speaks the truth.  God also made me so that I have a voice – a voice that other people would like to hear, and not a voice that is meant to spin around in my head expecting other people to understand what I am thinking.

I also learned that God gave us a heart to CARE and PRAY for injustices and exploitation in the world – 

Ever since my first urban plunge in Cleveland with InterVarsity, the city just always grabs my heart.  The poor and the hungry breaks my heart, and in my mind, I thought homelessness is the only thing going on in the city, and I thought it’s ok to only care about one issue.

The truth is – there’s A LOT more things going on in the city in the United States. The richest of the riches who lives in 740 Park Avenue in New York and how they have crazy amount of power that cause America to be the way it is today, the massage parlors that are actually brothels in Chinatown that I didn’t want to believe exists but it’s there, immigrants who struggle to make a living in the United States looking for brighter future that their home country might not offer.

All these things are really hard to take in, some I can deeply relate to, some are totally new information to me.  Instead of being indifferent and thinking “it’s none of my business,” I am learning to care and pray for not only those who are being exploited, but also those who exploits other people.  Those are God’s people too,  and God cares about these people just as much as the homeless.  I learned to not put all these issues on my shoulder, but to give these things to our God.

Giving it to God also means to PRAY.  Prayer is not just a gateway for us to talk to God about our personal things, it’s actually really powerful and it can actually change the world.  (Without intentionally setting aside time to pray, Nomi Network wouldn’t be here today, LoGOFF wouldn’t be here today, and a lot of other Kingdom Organizations that are doing work for God wouldn’t be here today – that’s how powerful prayer is).  Our God is big, He is powerful,  He is the answer to these problem, and He listens to our prayers.

Seeking justice doesn’t mean you must join another movement on campus or volunteering at a human trafficking organization, it starts with praying and seeking the God of justice – then He will guide us and lead us with the next steps on how to care for the oppressed (Deepening the Soul for Justice by Bethany Hoang – y’all should read it!)

Lastly – 

I am not perfect, and as another school year is approaching quickly, I am also scared – because it is  REALLY easy for me to go back to where I was again, the pre-NYCUP Nancy.  So please keep me accountable! 🙂 If I shrink back like a turtle hiding in its shell when I am talking to you or during discussions, or if I say sorry for no reason, just simply say ” Nancy, sit/stand up and speak up,”  I will really appreciate it!  And I would love for you to join me and pray with me – for each other, for our campus, and for the world! Just grab me sometimes, and I’d love to pray with you! 🙂

 

I’m thankful for His love for each and everyone of us, and I pray that as we get ready for school, I will remember all the time the motivation that I found when I was at NYCUP that motivates me to continue to be a follower of Jesus –  that one day, God’s glory is going to fill the whole Earth, and everyone will sing so beautifully together that there will be no more darkness, and even the worst places will bear fruit – it’s going to be so amazing!

God is good!!

*Chinese in the next blog post