Crazy Person

Having fun with Alice and Stephanie today like other similar days like this one, buying supplys for the summer camp project. When we were done, we were driving back to Stephanie's house but this one person in the front of us, was driving all crazy-like. She/he was driving in the middle of the road and turning on the signal light and didn't even turn into another line. She/he even nearly hit another car while driving in the middle of the road. It's like she/he wanted to kill people. It was scary and funny at the same time. We couldn't stop laughing. *eeeeeeeee!!!!!*

I'm Legit Now

Today I turned 18 years old and I don't feel any different than I was the day before. All I got out of this day was hanging out with my cousin Uyen, the best friend Darin, and with half of the cell girls. Other than that, I noticed just now that for the entire day, I was really thirsty. I don't think it was because of the heat but because of how much I talked today. Tiring, especially on the one day I wanted to relax on. I got to admit, hanging out with Darin, especially after Uyen left was one of the best times he and I ever had together because it was just "us," Darin and Jasmine. I am actually looking forward to having alone time with him some more in the future.. maybe. The thing that struck me the most was that when my dad asked me who that guy was that picked me up, he didn't really get angry. He just wanted to know who Darin really was. I even promised my father that the next time I go hang with Darin, I'd properly introduce them since Darin is the ultimate best friend and that my dad has never met him because I couldn't really be close with any guys at that time. Yes. I have a good reason, I just didn't say it. Ha. How typical of me, right? So anyway, hanging out with the best friend (Darin) and the cell girls was a lot of fun. There is one other thing that I surprised me other than the promise to my father thing was that I told Darin about how I felt.. everything. This is hard to admit to everyone here, but if I was in a middle of a risk, like if I were to make a choice between whether I live and Darin dies, or if I die to let him live, I'd choose to die to let him live. Please. I don't want to hear, "You can't say that." It's something I've been actually thinking these past few years and it's something I would be willing to do if that ever happened. I don't think a lot of people would do that for their best friend. It's like that one saying where it says that what you choose in life, you have to choose wisely. Maybe dying for my best friend isn't wise, but it's something I am willing to risk. To be honest, all the years I've known him, I couldn't really do anything for him and yet he helped me so much. He was always there for me and I was always there for him when he needed it. The one thing I wasn't supporting him with is his current relationship. It bothers me because he supports me in EVERYTHING and I can't even support him in this relationship. I don't think a lot of you would understand this feeling, but if any of you truly do, I think that realizing this on your 18th birthday could be a good changing point in your views towards everything you thought was simple.


Thank you everyone who wished me a happy birthday.
Most of all, thank you Darin for driving an hour to San Gabriel in the heat just to see me.
I heart you lots best friend.

Realization

I love him.

Night at BJ's

Sarah's right arm (I pressume), May, Allan, Stephanie, & Amy's arm

Stacey (Ahh!) & Cousin Nancy

Edward & Alice (WOMAN POWA)

Tiffa, Allan, & May

Tiffa's left arm, Allan, & May (again hehe cause I loves them ya know)

Me! (:

Nancy & I (:

AHHH ITS DANA! (she looks ..quite interesting huh?)

Nancy & I (again; I look weird)


Thank you everyone that came! Those who didn't, it's all right. No need to worry about making it up to me. Just be my friend and I'll be happy. hahaha xD Yesterday was fun! <3

Eyes of Mercy

How interesting is today, huh? Our plan was changed about three times today. We 7-11 girls are too unorganized. No offense, you guys. We spent from o4pm to nearly 07pm trying to figure out where we were going to have our daily city invasion. In that time, I wanted to work on my song, "Eyes of Mercy" with Alice. Stacey, however, also started to help us with the melody. After 30 minutes or more, we got the first verse and we tried it with Stacey's piano. It was crazy because at first, Jennifer helped us with the music notes but then she gave up cause Stacey knew how to do it faster. I felt bad about that part because I wanted Jennifer to feel confident in expanding her knowledge of knowing how to play the piano and writing music notes for God. By the time we wanted to record the melody, we had to go eat. Every so often after that, we'd continue singing it and I felt a little frustrated because I kept forgetting the melody and I would always ask Stacey and Alice. I thought that was pretty disappointing. We finally chose a place to have our city invasion: Monrovia. We saw scientists there looking at Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. It was funny cause we thought that they were just looking at the moon. (Haha) Alice and I prayed for these two women sitting at an outside post of a restaurant and Stacey and Amy prayed for a little girl who was looking through a telescope. Astronomy is fascinating. Like that one lyric from this one song (I don't remember the actual lyrics but Stephanie was singing it loudly today in the car) "You made the stars and even know all their names" (Please don't yell at me if that's totally wrong). After praying for people, all of us went to the kiddie park within the park to just hang out. While everyone was being a little childish, running around the place, telling me to try this and that, I was just off in my own little world, trying to sing my song before I forget it. Jennifer was having her little emo moment, but that's alright. I realized today that I really care about Jennifer even if it doesn't seem like I do. I treat her as a sister, a distant sister, but a sister nonetheless. If I ever got a sister, either older or younger, I pictured her to be somewhat the same as Jennifer. I got to think a lot today and that's one of the things I was thinking about. Strange, but natural for me. Simple things turn into complicated things when I imagine them to be. Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's bad. So my song is on it's roll to becoming a new christian song for IMPACT HARVEST CHURCH. ---*whoosh! (:

Gone//A Man After God's Own Heart

Yesterday, the 18th of July and Kazuki left for Japan. He's gone for another year or so. Despite that, I had a fun day with Stephanie, Stacey, Amy, Alice, John, Andy, and Howard.

Toward the end of the day, we were at church and I picked up a book in our church's library. It's called, "A Man After God's Own Heart" by Jim George. I started reading last night when I got home and it brought tears to my eyes when I read about King David. God is continously telling us, everywhere we go, that we are imperfect, but that's okay, that's alright to Him. God doesn't care that we are imperfect, He only cares about our hearts. He wants our heart to follow Him and it doesn't matter about your past, because he doesn't look at that. I've only read two and a half chapters, not including the prologue of this book, and I'm already this touched by how Jim George conveys God's desire. So here's a question for everyone. When God looks at your life, what does He look for? That goes to the subject of imperfection. It goes to King David. If you know the story of King David, he wasn't someone you'd think that should be desired by God. But he was because despite all of the sins he did, his heart followed God's will. So are you willing to do what God wants to you do?

When I woke up and remembered that Stephanie and Alice were coming over today, I quickly went to the restroom to freshen up since I had just woke up. I then saw that my right eye was redish pink. I panic'd about it because I didn't know how it happened. I started to pray in the restroom, where I always had my privacy from others when I needed it. And now it's 1:46pm and my eye is getting better. Praise God! :]

"I have found David son of Jesse a man
after my own heart; he will do everything
I want him to do" - Acts 13:22

Holding Hands With God

My usual routine since January of 2007 is going to impact harvest church. It's a simple youth church that makes people feel like they're within' a warm family that supports and loves them. When I first started coming frequently, I didn't know whether or not I would be very into something like this and whether or not a breakthrough will occur for me as it is our main theme this year. Today, however, a breakthrough did occur. We were worshipping God by singing, like usual, and out of nowhere, my right hand started to get numb and sort of warm. I remembered someone telling me something about how when a person's body gets numb (like a part of your body or the whole body), it usually means that the Holy Spirit is working in them. I realized that God must have been holding onto my right hand because I heard His voice saying to me, "My Child, let go of the burden you hold in your heart and I will heal your heart for you. Just let go..." That amazed me so much and I whispered back to Him, "Lord, I praise you. Thank You. You are so amazing. You are my Savior." After the worship, we listened to a sermon from Paster Peter. After the sermon, we all prayed for him, to bless him, because he's heading to Indonesia. So we all put our hands up in the air to pray for him and afterwards he asked us to stand up and sing a song, the last song of the day, in honor of God. During this worship, I felt that my right hand was moving by itself. At first, I thought it was a glitch because sometimes people's bodies tend to flinch because of a nerve or something else. But it kept moving, shaking from side to side, and I realized that the Holy Spirit was working my right hand again.

I'm going to plainly state that that was one of the most touching experiences I've ever came across throughout my years of knowing God. Now I feel like I know Him a bit more than before and I just want to thank God for using Joy to bring me back to His house.