Keep on swimming, keep on swimming, keep on swimming, swimming, swimming

Well...I keep promising myself that I'm going to write a blog post, so I'm going to DO it! Midterms are now over, and the big project is working on my thesis outline, figuring out the specifics of what my project is going to be. I have a rough idea, and as I do more research, I'm continually honing it, figuring out exactly what I'm going to do.

Right now, the topic will be discussing open vs. closed business models, as applied to Google and Apple for smartphones. Google is generally open - wants to work with lots of other companies. Apple is generally closed, and wants to control (most of) the system itself. I'll be analyzing the companies, and comparing them with other stories in the past, like Microsoft vs. Apple, or Betamax vs. VHS. If this paragraph makes no sense to you, it's ok ;).

As my Facebook status indicates, I'm officially in a relationship...it's weird (but so good) to write that on the web. God has given me an incredible girl named Whitney Wu - suffice it to say that we're both feeling very blessed (though I'm definitely the one who is more blessed).

As part of this whole thing, I'm REALLY learning trust and sensitivity, and I now have a whole new motivation to really listen to God, and find out His will and His way. Having a special person in one's life is a completely new experience for me, and I hope I never get over the feeling of how incredible and special it (and she) is!

At the same time, I'm sobered by the realization of what a huge challenge and responsibility this is - for both of us. I've heard many times that marriage (and child rearing) are both the most challenging and most rewarding things that a person can do.

All I can do is to trust God. I know I can't do it, and have no idea where to start. I can only trust God, trust Whitney, and trust others who have done this before. "Trust in the Lord... and He will direct your path."

A new view of God

First, the update on life...


One midterm is done, one more to go, which means that we're more than halfway done with the semester. The required courses are done, leaving me with two electives and a thesis to finish next spring. My thesis is coming along, and I have an awesome professor as an advisor, and a rough idea of a topic. Right now, the topic is talking about how developers, users, and systems interact, as applied to the smartphone market, specifically Android vs. iPhone. Why do programmers develop for one platform rather than another? For example, why do people buy iPhones instead of HTC? Also, once I have an idea of what people think, I'm going to compare it with past technology competitions (ex. Apple vs. Microsoft, AOL & Earthlink vs. open internet, etc).


I'm not sure if you understand all that, but I'm still finalizing it myself :p. 


God has really been blessing me, and I've been enjoying this semester. I've been learning a lot, and I think that this whole thesis-writing is (or will) helping me learn how to think better, and become more thorough.Well....I was reading Oswald Chambers today, and what I read made me stop and reread 3 times!

 "We should be so one with God that we don’t need to ask continually for guidance. Sanctification means that we are made the children of God. A child’s life is normally obedient, until he chooses disobedience. But as soon as he chooses to disobey, an inherent inner conflict is produced. On the spiritual level, inner conflict is the warning of the Spirit of God. When He warns us in this way, we must stop at once and be renewed in the spirit of our mind to discern God’s will (see Romans 12:2). If we are born again by the Spirit of God, our devotion to Him is hindered, or even stopped, by continually asking Him to guide us here and there. “. . . the Lord led me . . .” and on looking back we see the presence of an amazing design. If we are born of God we will see His guiding hand and give Him the credit.

We can all see God in exceptional things, but it requires the growth of spiritual discipline to see God in every detail. Never believe that the so-called random events of life are anything less than God’s appointed order. Be ready to discover His divine designs anywhere and everywhere.

Beware of being obsessed with consistency to your own convictions instead of being devoted to God. If you are a saint and say, “I will never do this or that,” in all probability this will be exactly what God will require of you. There was never a more inconsistent being on this earth than our Lord, but He was never inconsistent with His Father. The important consistency in a saint is not to a principle but to the divine life. It is the divine life that continually makes more and more discoveries about the divine mind. It is easier to be an excessive fanatic than it is to be consistently faithful, because God causes an amazing humbling of our religious conceit when we are faithful to Him."

From what I understand, if we are in communion with God, (assuming we're following the Bible and other authorities), we can do whatever we want, trusting that God will say 'no', and give us some sort of a check if we do something outside His will? Does it mean that we won't go through dry spells, where God isn't talking at all? 


When we DO go through dry spells, and are faced with a situation where we need guidance, does it mean that God doesn't care, that either one we pick is His will? How does this idea fit into real life?

Another Update

School is now in full swing. Although I'm only taking 4 classes, I'm super busy - I'm part of our class's student council, starting to work on my thesis, and talking a lot with special friends. I'm doing a Bible Study on Wednesday nights, which has been a HUGE blessing - we're going through Hebrews, and it's been so cool to see different things connect in ways I've never seen before. AND I'm teaching 10 hours/week, which has been good, because I'm now focused on saving up for my plane ticket home next summer. Another major project this semester is a business plan competition. Right now, my team is still in the idea process. We've got less than a month to find the idea and put a proposal together! However, there are a lot of possibilities

Last weekend, I went to Penghu to visit a friend. It was so good to get out of Hsinchu, relax, and talk and connect. Penghu is so different from Hsinchu...it's a lot smaller, slower, and has a more relaxed lifestyle. An awesome place for a vacation - NOT a good place to live.

The main thing I've been learning (again) is the need for patience - for God, for myself, and for others. I've been learning that I need to let God control me, and to not let me control me. I've learned about repentance and forgiveness, and how God always does things better than we could imagine...

First week of class

The first week of my third semester is OVER. I'm taking 4 classes this semester. I wanted to take 5, but oh well...I guess there's a reason for it. I'm also busy with other stuff, and there will always be other stuff to fill time :p

 The main project this semester is finding a thesis topic and starting to work on it. I'd like to find a topic that's somehow related to something I want to do. HOWEVER, I've realized that I really don't know WHAT I want to do - so it's kind of hard to find a research topic! I know I want to stay in Taiwan and work with people on the international stage, but that's about it - not really sure HOW I'm going to do that...

This summer has been very eye-opening, in that I've learned more about what I don't know than what I do know~ I just hope God's using this to make me more reliant on Him, and that I'm learning something through all this.

One classmate has started to work on organizing a GMBA student organization similar to a normal business - teaching the team different business skills along the way...so hopefully I'll be able to learn some business skills along the way :) I'll be helping with the IT part of the "organization" - I hope I can learn what I need to...

I guess the main thing I've been learning this summer is humility...I realized that I don't know as much as I thought I did, and so I feel rather unprepared for what's next. However, the difference is that usually, I can break tasks down into manageable pieces. So far, I don't even know where to start. That's where the grace of God comes in...

Plugging along

August is now over, September has begun. Time for school to start - with the schedule, classes, and busyness that goes along with that. One more week until classes start – hopefully by then, I will have been able to catch up on at least a little sleep, but I don’t think that will really happen… :p

I haven’t done too much traveling this August – I went to Yilan and Taipei, and then spent some time exploring Hsinchu last week. (OK, I guess I have traveled a little bit)

God has really shown me a lot about honoring Him and putting Him first – about patience and grace. He’s shown me a little bit of just how far I have to go -  how I need to trust learn to trust Him and others more.

I guess it’s true that we learn the most during the hardest times…right now, it seems like I go from one situation to another….Here, in America, family, friends, work… It’s so true… “Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Busy Summer

Wow…another month has slipped by, and I’m that much closer to finishing the summer! This month, I spent a weekend in Tainan (the oldest city in Taiwan), as well as a weekend in Penghu, the island group that I visited in April. Other than that, I’ve been keeping busy with work – research and English teaching.

I’ve been really blessed to meet some wonderful people, and am looking forward to keeping in touch with them. Christine, a friend from Tainan, has helped me learn a lot of Chinese, and Whitney, a friend I met in Penghu, actually has family near Hsinchu.

Tainan is a really really old city, and you can tell…many things are hundreds of years old, from a different time and totally different culture. It has gone through stages with different influences, including China, Japan, and the Netherlands. It has a lot to see, and is a fun city to wander around in. Christine was an excellent tour guide, and brought me to temples, museums, and snack shops (the most important part). I had a lot of new (delicious) food, and thinking about my trip is making me hungry!

Penghu is a beautiful place! It is a great place to visit, and just relax. I had a professional tour guide to show many different places! Even though I had gone there in April, and Penghu isn’t the biggest place, Whitney managed to show me all new things, and we went to the double heart fish weir (kind of trap) and took a ride all the way along 203縣道, the road that connects all the islands. I had a foot massage for the first time in my life (it was WONDERFUL), and we had a barbecue with a bunch of friends.

Other than a trip to Yilan next weekend, traveling is done with for the summer. This means that it’s time to start planning for Chinese New Year!

After a dry and difficult time this past spring, God has really started to open doors for me. I have more work opportunities than I know what to do with. One American couple I met last year has decided to come back to Taiwan. When I said goodbye last year, I didn’t know if I’d ever see them again! One other thing is happening, but I’ll save that for another post….

Enjoy the pics, and keep God first!

Tainan:

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Penghu:

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Summer Happenings…

I guess I’m getting better – two weeks for this update (rather than a month!) It turns out that my summer isn’t as relaxing as I thought it would be, but it’s still good :) I think I’m almost as busy as I was last semester, but with a lot less stress. So far, the summer has been filled with LOTS of traveling, working, and hanging out with friends. Last weekend I went to Hualien with Daniel, a friend from Sweden, who went back home this past week. Next weekend, I’m going to Tainan (台南) the oldest city in Taiwan, to visit another friend, and the last weekend in July will find me in Penghu, an island that I visited in April. It’s so cool that I’ve been able to meet friends all over the island, and have been able to visit and explore with “native guides”.

Saturday afternoon, I went to Hukou, a town in Hsinchu county, to visit the teachers who were getting ready for camp this summer. It was weird to be back to the school they’re at, and not be super busy working on stuff. Although camp was a TON of work, I met friends that I still keep in touch with. Hopefully, I’ll get to visit them a few more times before camp ends this summer, but we’ll see.

Last night, I got a message from a friend who was in Taipei for the week (she’s usually in Kaosiung, 6 hours away)….sooo, since I had the day off, we hung out in Taipei, went to the National Palace Museum, and just talked and had fun.

I think I’m going native…when I was in Taipei today, I stopped at a bookstore and got a bilingual Bible. I figure if the colonists used the Good Book to learn how to read, so can I! Chinese has definitely been one of the biggest tasks I’ve ever set myself to do, but it’s coming along, slowly… All I can do is learn one word at a time.

I was thinking about it last night….how very DIFFERENT it is here from in the States. When I was in school (from 5th grade through college), I really didn’t have too many friends. There were some people I hung out with, but I really didn’t feel like a part of anything. Since I’ve gotten to Taiwan, I have more friends than I know what to do with! My weekends are full – visiting different places, and hanging out with tons of people – who are all super different from each other, and super awesome! I’m not sure what the difference is, but something has happened!

I’ve included a few pictures from the Taroko Gorge in Hualien, a truly incredible place. Pictures just don’t to justice to the true size of this thing – 2 huge cliffs that come straight down, with a tiny road in between. Crazy roads with hairpin turns and super long tunnels without ventilation (interesting experience while on a scooter)…

 

Have fun and keep God first…

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An update

Considering that it’s been over a month since I last updated this blog, I figured it was about time. I guess the word that would best describe my recent life is “insane”. It seems like I’ve been going form one final, paper, or report to another…

Finally. Done. My last class was last Tuesday, with the paper due this Tues. A little bit of English editing, and it’s done. (I never thought I’d put my mother’s insistence on correct grammar to so much use! I’ve been able to help a lot of classmates with different things that they’ve been working on, which has been nice.

Since classes finished, it’s been kind of weird to be able to do stuff I’ve been too busy to do when school was happening. I got out and did some exploration on my scooter – I’m going to Taipei tomorrow for the first time in 2 months, and am going to Yilan next weekend with a friend.

However, the end of the school year has meant that people are leaving…a few people that I’ve gotten pretty close to are going back – one couple to America, and another guy to Sweden. I guess all good things must come to an end, but it’s still no fun to say goodbye to friends

This summer is still a big question mark. I’ll be working on my internship 3 days a week, will be tutoring at least one night a week, and am hoping to find more, and getting some traveling in when I can. About all I know is that it won’t be very relaxing…

Here’s something I’ve been wondering about:

If “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.(Proverbs 13:12)….however “…those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)” So…is it good to wait or not? Will it renew your strength or make you sick? What does it mean to wait on the Lord?

 

These are some pictures from my wanderings last weekend…

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Insanity

Wow…even when you think you can’t do any more, God gives you more, ensuring that you’re stretched beyond what you think you can do and be. I guess this is God’s guaranteed way of driving you into His arms, showing you His love, and strengthening your relationship with Him.

Every part of my life is now completely out of control, but it’s definitely been forcing me to pray, trust, and rely on God (which is a good thing). Funny how that works.

It feels like I’m on a treadmill, hanging on for dear life, and praying that I don’t get thrown off before June is over. Some of my classmates need their grades before the semester is over, which means that the professors have agreed to finish their courses a little earlier, which is a good thing. However, they all want the students to do the same amount of ‘stuff’, which is a bad thing. I guess you can’t have it both ways….

I went to Danshui yesterday with a bunch of friends from church, which was awesome…It was my first day off in two weeks, and I really appreciated the chance to get some good conversations that had nothing to do with classes. :o).

God is good… "I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me" ~ Philippians 4:13

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A never-ending lesson

Sometimes, we feel as if we’ve learned a lesson, only to find out that there’s more to be done…I guess we’ll never really finish until we get to Heaven.

After I found out that I had an internship at ITRI, I found out that I need a work permit to do it. Normally, it wouldn’t be a problem, as the permit would be “in process”, and I’d be able to retroactively apply the permit to any time I’d already worked. However, ITRI is part of the Taiwan government, and as such, is a bit stricter on permits and all that sort of thing.

Anyway, I haven’t yet found out definitely whether or not that’s going to be a problem, or what I should do. All I can do is wait, and try to get some definite answers.

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A few weekends ago, I went to Penghu, a small island of the Taiwanese coast. GORGEOUS place. I’m definitely hoping to get back there this summer. I met a lot of cool people, had a lot of fun, and got even more behind on sleep (but it was TOTALLY worth it :p I saw the best fireworks show of my life, rode on more boats, and visited more tiny islands than I ever have before.

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I finally got a new lens for my camera, so I was able to get some good shots…I didn’t realize how much I missed photography. I’m really hoping that I’ll get some time this summer to do some exploring and shooting. I just haven’t had enough time this semester, though from what the senior students say, next semester will be a LOT easier compared to this year. If nothing else…NO MORE MATH (provided I pass economics).

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Lately, God’s given me lots of opportunities to encourage people, and I’ve really been praying that Christ would shine through me. Other than prayer, and offering to pray with them, I don’t know what else to do…after all, what else could I do that’s more powerful than prayer, anyway?

It’s kind of neat, as this has been something that I’ve been praying about ever since I came to Taiwan. As the need is so great, it’s neat to see the opportunities that have come my way…all of which I totally wasn’t expecting.  

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School has been getting tougher and tougher…the two months until the semester ends are looking longer and longer. However, then end WILL come, I WILL pass (totally by the grace of God),  and life will go on. If nothing else, I’ve learned endurance, and stick-to-it-ivity. 

Pics from Penghu:

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Life…God…Trusting vs. Control

This is going to be one of those random posts that combine a lot of different things because I’m too busy (lazy?) to post more often. The good news: I finally found an internship – I need it as part of my MBA program, and wasn’t finding ANYTHING – talking to everyone I know, but nobody with any links to opportunities for students.

On Tuesday night, I had class with Professor Tang, the head of the GMBA program. He asked if everyone had found internships. All but 6 people had – (me being one of the 6). Needless to say, I was feeling rather bummed. Walking home after class that night, I was praying, and I realized that I had been worrying….I knew that God was the one who would provide the internship, but I was thinking about how I needed to do my part…I prayed “Ok, God. I’m done. I don’t know what else to do, who else to talk to. I don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t find an internship, but there’s nothing more I can do. I had an appointment the next morning with a lady at ITRI (a government scientific research institute here in Hsinchu). This appointment had been canceled twice already, and I was thinking that I was just being put off indefinitely. When I got there, however, I was offered an internship doing patent research, and a possibly the chance to work with a company implementing a new product. We’ll see…

So…ya….I’ve had that lesson before, but I’m always realizing just how slow I actually LEARN! Can’t blame the Israelites too much…I’m the same way!

In other news…School is starting to get a bit overwhelming. Another fun part of this whole ITRI thing is that I’ll be working 2 days a week, starting in May. Sooo….I have even less time than I did before! I can’t wait until the semester is over! I just need to get through 2 ½ more months, and then I don’t have to think about it for 2 months!

I have NO idea how people make it through life without God! It’s tough enough, and I’ve got a Friend, a Brother, and a Dad who help me get through every day!

He Is Risen

Let me say it again…HE IS RISEN! Those three little words separate Christianity from all other religions and belief systems this world has ever known. We aren’t following a system, a list of rules invented by some guy who lived in a time long ago and at a place far away. We’re following a Person, who is alive and well today, who sits at the right hand of God Almighty, the absolute master of the universe.
We don’t do good things in order to get saved, we do good thing because we are saved, and we want to show our love to the One who saved us.
That, in a nutshell, is what life is all about. The single, solitary goal and purpose of life on earth is to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ. Granted, I mess up every single day, but I pray that I never lose sight of the goal, and become distracted by other, temporary things.
Why would the King of Kings leave His throne, become a slave, allow himself to be killed by other slaves, for the sole purpose of saving those same other slaves from themselves?
I don’t understand it, but I’m thankful for it every day!
He is risen, indeed!

As iron sharpens iron�

Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron,
       so one man sharpens another.

 

God�s blessed me with a small, but incredibly awesome group of guys at church. We had our first small group tonight, just talking with and praying for each other. I didn�t think about it too much until winter break, but I really miss being around Christians, having good fellowship, and being able to pray for and with others. I found a church a few weeks after I got here, but it was basically going every Sunday, saying hi, sitting by myself, and then going back to my room.

Last Sunday, one of the guys mentioned that they had started getting together with another guy, and invited me and one other guy along�

So�that�s the update. Still no word on internships or income, but hey, God�s got it under control. What do I have to worry about it for?

…and it goes on

Ah…another week. Over. I can’t believe that we started the semester 5 weeks ago. It doesn’t seem like that long. I guess that’s a good thing. It means that I’m that much closer to summer, and internship (hopefully). We’re doing some more interesting classes, more practical than last semester, though a bit harder and a LOT busier.

I’ve started helping out at church a bit – I’m going to try to make it to the youth group on Friday nights, and help out. We also had a “young adult” day yesterday – we went hiking in Caoling, a place I had never been before – really pretty, but a LOT of stairs. I met some new people, invited one of my Taiwanese friends, and had some good conversations along the way.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been going to ITRI, a local company, on Wednesdays, to do a Bible study/English class. It brings back a lot of memories from my days as an English teacher – lesson planning, etc. It’s been good. I’ve met some good people, and enjoy the time I spend there. There’s a range of English levels, and I think everyone understands a different amount.

We’re going through Mere Christianity. I’m reading the book, taking notes, then making a summary and study guide each week. It’s time consuming, but I’m learning a lot, about teaching, my faith, and how to interact with the Chinese culture.

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I don’t know. What does it mean to be a Christian? Why are there so many people who say their Christians, yet don’t act like it. I know that I’ve got a long way to go, but at least I’m trying to go in the right direction – trying to go 2 steps forward before taking 1 step back. Thankfully, there are a few guys that I’ve been able to meet who are real Christians, and we’re going to try to meet up for a Bible study.

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Please pray that God would multiply my time and my finances, and that He would use me to touch my classmates and acquaintances. I feel like every time I try to say something about my beliefs, it comes out wrong, and has the opposite effect of what I want to say. God’s put me with so many people who need Him, and all I can do is live my life, and leave it in His hands.

I was reminded this week that reaching the lost isn’t the focus of our lives. Our only goal in life is to be a living sacrifice to Jesus Christ. Nothing else matters. If God uses us to reach others, that’s only frosting on the cake!

The Devil Wears Prada

This past weekend was a lot of fun. I spent Saturday and Sunday in Taipei w/ 2 different groups of friends. On Saturday, a group of people went to visit Evelyn, one of my classmates, and her husband Bruce at their home. Unfortunately, it was raining, but it was still a lot of fun. We talked a bit, ate a lot, and just had fun.

We watched �the Devil Wears Prada, � a movie about one girl�s experience in the fashion industry. Although I really don�t care too much about fashion (as my family knows), it was still interesting, as it dealt with the whole issue of work-life balance. I�ve thought a bit about that, but haven�t come to any conclusions. I�m working on my MBA, studying to be a �successful businessman� HOWEVER, I know that a lot of people who make a lot of money also don�t have much social or family life. Everything they do revolves around their company. This is not the kind of life I want.

So what is the difference? How do some people become successful in business, yet are able to do so much more in life. Some people I can think of are William Wilberforce and R. G. LeTourneau. They were able to become incredibly successful in their professions, yet were able to stay true to their faith and family.

Adding to that is the whole Biblical idea that wealth and success isn�t measured in dollars. Though there were a lot of wealthy people in the Bible, their wealth often became a problem, and ended up being a hindrance.

What do you think?

Here are some pictures from last weekend� (Thanks to Natalie)

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Back to Work…

Wow…the winter break is over, and I’m well into the next semester! After the first two weeks, I think it’s safe to say that it’s going to be a VERY busy semester. I have 6 classes, plus Chinese. Unfortunately, Chinese is a non-credit class, meaning that if something must be squeezed out, Chinese practice is the first thing to get dropped. On the other hand, I have a lot of friends who are eager to help, but I need to find the time to practice.

I have 5 classes, each with it's own small group! I’m not sure exactly how this is going to work out, but it’ll have to! Thankfully, I don’t have class on Friday, and only one class on Thursday morning. Unfortunately, that means I have 3 classes on Monday and 3 on Tuesday.

Last weekend, I went to Taipei with some new friends – foreign exchange students who are new this semester – 3 from France and 1 from Germany.

We met up with Amanda, a girl I had met before when I was working with King Car, and went to the Taipei Botanical Gardens, Sun Yat Sen Memorial, and the night market (I don’t remember which one) It was cool to be the “experienced” person – the one who was telling other people to eat 臭豆腐 (stinky tofu) and 珍珠奶茶 (pearl milk tea)

I’m still on the hunt for an internship, and someone mentioned an idea of looking for companies in the States that work in Taiwan. I sent out a few emails yesterday – hopefully something will come of that.

I finally got a license, though only for a super light motorcycle (50cc). It will only be useful for buzzing around Hsinchu, but it definitely beats walking! (and right now, that’s enough) I’ll get a different license (and a bigger moped) later, but I’m fine for now.

Other than that, not a whole ton happening…just projects, work, study, and more of the same.

Here are a few pictures from our Taipei trip last weekend, thanks to Emil.

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Winter Break

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Wow…winter break is almost over! Those 5 weeks went by so fast! After the CI, I was able to go to to Yilan to visit Lucy, Rumi, and Frieda, some of my students from summer camp last year. I had a lot of fun hanging out with them. We went hiking, hung out at a really neat playground, and ate a lot of food. We visited an aboriginal town in the mountains – it feld kind of weird being stared at so much, but I was probably one of the first foreigners those aboriginal kids had ever seen. It was good to see them. I’m hoping to get back to Yilan this summer, and go surfing this time :)

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The week after I went to Yilan, I went to Kaosiung to visit Grace, my “adopted sister” We did a lot of fun stuff, went to KTV, watched movies, ate good food, and had some good talks. I think I gained five pounds. We didn’t run around and do too much exploring (too cold for that) but we still had a lot of fun…
It’s so cool to hang out w/ friends. I didn’t see as many people as I wanted to during this winter break, but I still had fun and was able to relas