IVLI week 3

I still cannot believe that we are already in our third week. And I know, it's weird that I've been always updating in the middle of the week but Wednesdays are usually the only time Ben and I can come to the library.

 

 

Third week has been intense. Last Saturday, we had our first open mic where so many students blessed us with their gifts of poetry, music, and spoken word. 

Open Mic Saturday!

We also had our every Saturday cookout day!


Sandy Cove cookout every Saturdays

We have definitely met some sexy people here at IVLI

One of the staffs caught a seagull!

Mackinac Island outreach day.
Let's see if I can summarize a whole day in just one paragraph.


We all woke up at 7am, left by 8:45am after breakfast and packing our lunches. Divided rides and drove out for 45 minutes to the Star Line Ferry (which our IVLI tuition fee paid for) and got on the island around 10am. It was going to be our first time coming out of our "Christian bubble" into the real world again. But needless to say, this place was BEAUTIFUL. I didn't want to believe Ben and others when they told me before we got there that it was known for honeymoon destinations. This place though, seriously looked like it was out of a movie set.

Mackinac Island outreach day

We partnered up with the Mackinac Bible Church and started off with prayer, cultural lessons of the island and pep talk.

We had four sets going (A, B, C, D) where each set consisted of music, preaching, testimonies, skits, spoken word, and arts. Ben did preaching on Set C while I did music outreach on Set B. They also had things on the side where if your set wasn't doing outreach on the hill, you're either suppose to be in the crowd, managing the proxe station, or doing conversational evangelism, which is walk down the street and just get to know people!

Before I dive into how my conversational evangelism went with my partner, Dalton, the topic of multi-ethnicity and racism needs to be touched on first. Last week, IVLI went through three days of intense multi-ethnicity historical lessons, conversations, and reconciliations. It opened many people's eyes, both to whites and the minority students. Then on Sunday, day before Mackinac, our director gathered the minorities and gently warned us of the racism that happens on the Island. Next thing we know, (which we were completely okay with) we all grabbed a "white buddy" in order to walk down the street. To feel safer, Dalton became my partner which I'm grateful for now that I look back at it.

We approached many groups of people and not to my surprise, they hardly responded to me compared to when Dalton asked questions. At the end of our walk, I think my conversation with Dalton about being an Asian American and him being white was more interesting than the ones we had with the strangers on the road.

Conversational evangelism with Dalton, my partner

After four hours of outreach, we finally got pizza and free time to explore the island!

...then Jason stole my camera.

My IVLI family (: The Gymnastic Incarnate!

Biked around the whole island afterwards for free time

The famous Mackinac Island fudge

Ben and Jake's famous matching sweater day

 

 

As IVLI is almost to an end, one thing I can proclaim with my whole heart is God is faithful. Faithful during the times when doors gets slammed shut in my face; faithful when one person's love for me can never be enough; faithful when I shake my fist at His face; faithful when I run away.

I promised myself for these IVLI blog posts, I would not share my personal emotions (nor Ben's). Instead, to just show people what we've been doing throughout IVLI. But for just this once, whoever is reading this, I'm going to break that promise.

IVLI has been tough. It's not a place for comfort nor is it meant for students to just have pep talks and encouragements thrown at their face everyday. My past has been unburied here, old and new scars has been planted, and layers of embarrassment and anger had to be opened. It's been spiritually and emotionally draining.

But.

Despite the anger and the frustrations and the tears that has been wept, my God has been faithful and always will be. My God has never failed and He never will. My God has carried me through my strongest storms and I know He still will. Despite His trick of letting me go to IVLI so I have to face my problems in the middle of nowhere, which resulted in many angry fights and battles and spitting in His face, I'm glad He did. And I'm glad He was patient. Loving. Slow to anger. Kind. Forgiving.


Jeremiah 29:11

IVLI week 1 and 1/2

Ice cream trip day!

It's been an interesting week and a half. We've been learning so much that it's been a bit overwhelming. Morning sessions' topics ranged from "difficult conversations" to "multi-ethnicity and reconciliation". Personally, it's been a challenge processing through everything spiritually and emotionally but seriously, praise God for my family group.


Family group time



We've been very open every time we get together. Many of us share openly of our struggles, conflicts during IVLI, and even praises and blessings. God is definitely faithful in providing me this group because that was one of my biggest fear coming to IVLI: that I would not get along with my small group. 

Parachute + egg competition

Ben with his family group during the competition

Basketball timeeeeee

 
Ben's doing good. Overwhelmed too but free time has allowed him to process and rest. As for his family group, well according to him, it's been "chill". As much as he has shared with me, God's been challenging him in some areas and the biggest one coming up is next week for our evangelism trip to Mackinac Island. ...He's going to preach!! Please pray for him everyone (:


As for the fun activities ...that I've probably never mentioned until now (and trust me, it gets FUN), there's kayaking, camping, wind surfing, sailing, paddleboard, volleyball, basketball, etc etc etc. I'm already sunburned from kayaking almost everyday!

Bonfire with the family and cousins (another family group that's "related" to you)!

We had a challenging time... well, at least, the boys did haha

For the "sisters" I've met here, we've gotten so close it's a little bit weird to think that we just met last week. Our talks has been such a blessing and challenge. Just knowing and understanding that everyone who has come to this retreat has a goal and a passion for the people back at home, makes getting to know people even more easily here. What's been challenging and eye opening is to hear how everyone's schools and chapters have struggled through and how God faithfully carried them through all those conflicts. Ben and I definitely gained a lot of wisdom and advice when we presented how our chapter is doing back at Chicago just in these two weeks.

 

 

As for Jason, our Ohio friend, surprisingly he's in my cousin group! Not much to say here except he's still crazy as always ha.

 



Thrift store shopping with the families!

Celebrating Micah's (the guy with the hat) birthday

Just some prayer requests and praises:

Ben:
- Life's good.
- Just continue to be engaged
- Preaching on Monday. Please pray for peace and that God would speak through me.

Teyen:
- The support of my family group (as mentioned above) has been a blessing.
- Continue to be vulnerable with God. Emotionally and spiritually, it's been a little bit challenging processing through everything.



IVLI Day 4

Whoohoo internet! Ben and I are sitting at a library right now with access to computers and internet. Cedarville might be a small town, but it's definitely a town that has everything... including $1 ice cream ha!

We've been recording video blogs for you guys but due to limited access of video editing program and internet, I think those might have to wait until after the month is over...



There are a total of 110 of us students, ranging from students within the country to all the way from Kenya. With staff, 121.  We arrived to our first session of the month with a fun introduction from the people who were going to be our "parents". Our small groups are called "family group", since we will be spending majority of our time here together.


The staff workers singing and welcoming us

After the first session, the family groups got together and truthfully, mine is AWESOME. We clicked right after the first day.

Nick, the pouty face one of the group

Micah, Matt, and Jacqueline

On our second day, we decided to call ourselves... THE GYMNASTICS INCARNATE. Don't ask, I don't know why, but it's one of our inside jokes now.

Our leader, who we call "Pops", is the same age as my brother, but has been leading us very well in all the things. Starting tonight, we decided to handle some challenging questions our non-Christian friends has asked us before ("How come we believe in a Bible that has been put together by men?", "Differences between different Christianity groups and cults, etc.?").

We have only been here for three days and it already feels like a week. Even though on our schedule it may seem like we have a lot of free time, but the workshops and trainings we've already gone through drains us so much that the free time is pretty necessary.

Manuscript studying every morning...

 

... and always so serious about it. Trust me.

 

 

As for those that are curious about how Ben is doing, he's aiiiiiiiite. Clicking with his family group as well, tired, and always playing basketball just like back at home. Having awesome, challening conversations with some of the people we've met here too. Today we talked about Presidents of chapters drinking during scripture time also and... personally, I think he needed to hear that. Just kidding! But it was still funny haha.

 

 

 

Hopefully we'll find time once again to come to this library to update next week! See ya later, alligators.