Finishing Up

Grace, the sweetest Bangladeshi girl!

It's so weird that time has flown so fast. It seems like yesterday I was just settling into life here in New York and now I am on the verge of leaving. The past two weeks have been kicking off our fall semester with our new students as well as starting our kids programs back up again. My job for the rest of this month is to head up the new kids after-school program, which will be 2-3 days a week, but also train up our new intern so she can take over when I leave.

These next three weeks I know will be tough since I am having to pack and say goodbye to people that I have developed a heart for but I know that God has great things in store for the next chapter of my life. or those of you who have not heard, my overseas application has been fully accepted and I will be flying to Virginia in October to find out my job placement. I am so excited and speechless that less than a year ago I never thought I would be able to get to this point. This just shows what amazing power God has through the prayers of His people!
Thank you all so much for your constant prayer for my continued weight loss.

This month please just pray that I would have good closure with the people (despite the fact I have grown up overseas I am super bad at saying goodbye) and that the work would continue here until all of our students and their families have heard the Gospel!

Back to School

The past month has flown by so quickly, I did not even realize I was not keeping everyone up to date. Our summer semester with our ESL students and our Kids Club kids ended and while were sad to end the semester, all of our staff were in need of a break. We are so grateful to all the teams that came up this summer to help and we could not have done any of it without our incredible interns! The summer was so busy and we were able to reach out to many people within our respective communities.

These past two weeks I have been done in Texas visiting some family friends. I have known them since I was eight and they just had twins in January. Most of you know how much I love kids so I wanted to go down and help. Just to see them and spend time with them was such an encouragement and a blessing. They both have served overseas and as I am getting ready to head there myself they were able to offer insightful wisdom. While I was there, I was also able to see some friends that I as a teenager overseas. It was amazing to see even though its been a few years, how close we all still were.

This month is going to be packed because not only are we starting our fall semester next week I am preparing to head back to Knoxville. So please just pray for this month as I invest in the relationships I have already made and say good goodbyes but also that I would remain open to the new friendships the Father might still have in store for me.
Also I am still waiting to hear back for my overseas assignment. I will hopefully hear something this month on whether or not they have accepted me. My weight, while I remain on maintenance for another month, is now no longer a problem for me. Praise God for His faithfulness and thank you all so much for your continued prayers in that area!

Cannot wait to write again and share with you all what amazing work He is doing here!

A New York styled summer

The summer is quickly drawing to an end and I for one am shocked at how fast it flew by. Our staff and interns have been so busy with teams, ESL classes and VBS and I cannot believe it will all end shortly. Most of the interns are leaving this upcoming week and they will be greatly missed by the students and staff. All of them have worked so hard and become such valuable assets to our ministry it is going to be hard to take over all they have been doing.Our ESL classes are still going and I am still finding great opportunities to share. My male intern have also had some incredible talks with our male Tibetan students and you can tell the Father is definitely at work here. Our VBS events in community started out a tad stressful but have been a huge success especially in the park down from our center. Many of the children have been Tibetan and I have enjoyed spending time building relationships with them. The summer has been good and all here have learned and grown a lot. I will be sad to see the interns go but I cannot wait to here what God will do in their lives next.
As we prepare to say goodbye to these interns, our staff needs a lot of prayer. We will go from 20 sets of hands to 8 and with two more weeks still in our summer semester we will have to juggle many different responsibilities as well as deal with the next two teams coming in.
Also pray for our Muslim students. Even though my ministry focuses mainly on the Tibetans, we do have a lot of Muslims at all three of our centers. This month in Ramadan and either our students will drop out completely or even if they were open before, they will become very antagonistic towards the Gospel. Please pray for the students as they deal with this spiritual warfare and that some will come to know Him in this month.
I cannot believe the summer has come and gone because it also means my time here is coming to an end. I have roughly 8 more weeks left before I head back to the South. I am not ready to leave yet so please pray I will get good sharing time with my students.

The Fireworks of Everyday Celebrations

Day at the Beach!

The past few weeks have been one celebration after another. For our country we celebrated our day of freedom and I was able to be a part of New York's traditional firework celebration after a beautiful day at the beach.
In ministry in came in many ways. First, one of my students who had moved and not only didn't tell me but also left me no contact information, dropped by the center. She was in the city with her friend and said she has missed me so much she had to come see me. We now have a volunteer at the South Asia Center that has a heart for Tibetans and she lives quite close to this student. I was so excited not only to see her again but to be able to connect her with my friend. It was such an answer to prayer. Another answer to prayer is that even though I have not been able to met with Kelsi on Tuesday, when we have our class wide Bible story lessons she has been sharing the stories with our new Tibetan lady in their own dialect. It is so cool to be able to see her not only understand the stories but also share them with others. I was also able to tell my friends at the restaurant that I would be praying for her sister who had been in the hospital. I praise God for all the opportunities that God is giving me and my interns to serve and minister the Tibetans of New York City.

the daughter of my restaurant couple

our new Tibetan student

My own personal victory, I know most of you know about my struggle to loss weight. This past week I was able to achieve the needed amount of weight loss in order to finish my application to go overseas! Since August, I have lost 80 pounds and it is such a God thing. I cannot tell you all how thankful I am for your prayers.



As this month this progress, please pray for continued opportunities with Tibetans for me and my interns. Also, please pray for my continued weight loss. I have to maintain it for 3 months. I know this is possible but I am so close and I don't want to slip now.

Crossing Bridges

From crossing the Brooklyn to crossing the bridge from spring to summer, these past few weeks have been a period of transition. The South Asia Center had a two week break in order to revamp the center and get ready for the summer interns. The summer kicked off with our ministry getting 15 new summer interns. As the only member of the ministry working strictly with Tibetans, I was assigned to be the leader of the Tibetan cluster. This means I have 3 summer interns assigned to me and with their help, we are going to be able to expand the number of Tibetans in New York who have heard about Christ. I am so excited about the possibilities and opportunities that having these interns will do to impact the Tibetan community here in the city.
Please be praying for these interns that God would use them and work through them to impact all the different internationals we are working with.
Pray for team unity, that it will go smoothly and that how we respond to each other will glorify God.
Please pray for all the teams coming up to serve this summer, that they will be open to how God wants to use and grow them.
Pray for my continued relationship with Kelsi my Tibetan student. Since we haven't classes in a few weeks, I was worried that either she wouldn't come back or she would come back but not want to keep studying the Bible. However, at English class on Thursday she asked if we could start meeting on Tuesdays again. I am so excited that she brought it up and is still wanting to learn.

the city from the Brooklyn Bridge

me and the roomie!

The city is beautiful and the summer is only just getting started! Praise God for what He is going to do!

Fun times with friends and family

So I try to write every two weeks and at the latest 2 week mark, I was so busy preparing to fly home that I completely forgot to do a ministry update before I left.
I continue to have opportunities to share with Kelsi, my student. She is asking a lot of questions and is fun to see here when she finally understands something from the Bible. I also have a new friend. She is not Tibetan but rather from Nepal. Our friends in Nepal called me a few weeks ago and told me their house helper was going to be moving to New York. My friend was excited because she has shared a lot with this Nepali girl and knew that I was going to be close so I could connect with her. I have met the Nepali and am excited to develop a friendship with her.
My restaurant friends are good but they are very busy. My relationship with them continues to grow and I was able to give them a Jesus film a few days before I went home. Please pray that they will have watched and have questions by the next time I talk to them.
 During those two weeks, my roommate's mother was here so we had a great time with her. She kept us busy with sightseeing during the day and then making upgrades on our apartment at night. The weekend she was here I was able to go to the Statue of Liberty with her and my roommate. Despite my earlier hesitations, I am glad God chose to bless me with a roommate.

These past two weeks, I have spent time at home. Being able to fly home and spend time with my family was wonderful and a break that I definitely needed. The time was bittersweet considering my brother and I were there to say goodbye to everything.
My prayer requests for this month are for me to get over jet lag as quickly as possible and get back in the swing of things. Our summer here is starting off with a bang and this next week we have three teams in. I am only helping on of the days since I just got back but this is a pretty good indication of what the rest of the summer looks like for me. Also pray that as busy as the summer gets with teams coming in, I will also continue to invest in the relationships with my Tibetans. My last prayer request is for my continued weight loss. As many of you know, I have a applied for a 2-term overseas and while my application has been accepted, I am still not at the weight they need me to be. Once I reach my goal weight, I then will have to undergo a 3 month maintenance period where they will make sure my weight does not go back up. This puts me back another three months but despite the delay, I am excited about what the Father is going to do. Thank you for all your prayers and sorry for the long update.

Easter Sunday!

First off I would like to start by saying sorry for my negligent writing habits of the past few weeks. I could say that I have been super busy (which I have) but honestly there is no excuse.
  About three weeks ago I had the pleasure of leading a high school team. For those of you who know me well know that youth aged are not really my thing but God is constantly giving us examples of how faithful He is. The team was great and I had a fabulous time with them. I was able to take them to visit my restaurant friends and they were able not only to bless my friends but the kids got great exposure to Tibetans for the first time and they loved it.
   The past two weeks I have been focusing on getting my application for my two year overseas term finished. I was finally able to get access to the rest of the application by getting down to an acceptable weight. For those who have been praying for that, Thank you!!!! So much! Still keep praying since I have to lose a little more before I finally turn everything but I have already come so far and thank all of you who knew and were praying.
   My teaching schedule seems to get busier all the time and I have had some wonderful opportunities. I have one student I teach on Tuesday mornings and the only thing we talk about is different Bible stories. She has heard the story of Jesus in a different class but on top of that she is learning about people such as Moses and Daniel. To see her understand Biblical truths and also say how great God is has brought my heart such joy and I long for the day when I can write that she has become a dear sister. Please continue to pray for her.
   My newest student is a younger girl who has just gotten here recently. She and I have already established a good relationship and in true Tibetan fashion she is loving and very affectionate. I am praying for an opportunity to share with her.
   Yeshi and I still see each often especially since we started teaching night classes together. As Easter drew near, I was hoping for an open door and a today after spending the day just hanging out with her, God gave me the courage to ask her church with me tomorrow. She didn't say for sure she would go but I am praying that I will get a call tomorrow telling me she wants to accompany me. Please pray for continued opportunities with her.

Me and my newest student! Isn't she precious?

me and Yeshi :)

I am so excited to celebrate Easter tomorrow!!!! I hope you all have a Blessed Easter! For He is Risen and to Him be the Glory forever!

Sunny with a High of 75

Okay so it hasn't been 75 degrees here in New York but this past week has had some beautiful sunny days. One day my roommate, one of our flatmates, and I went for a picnic in a park right across from the Manhattan skyline. 

My schedule has been so busy and God has been so good. Dinner with Yeshi was good and I got to meet some of her Tibetan friends for the first time. Her friends have invited me to hang with them and even though I haven't had time to go yet, I am excited about getting together with them in the future. 

I also have new students. The older lady comes for private tutoring for conversational English and through this I have been able to share quite a bit with her. She has been reading Bible stories in English and Tibetan so please pray that she would continue to ask questions. My other student is extremely young but surprisingly well educated. She can read in Tibetan (which is rare with people her age) and she has passed some kind of nursing exam. She is reading the stories as well and I am looking forward to getting to share with her more. 

I still continue my relationship with my restaurant friends and the waitress' four year old daughter and I are becoming very good friends. They are telling their friends about the center and through them we are having more Tibetan students. Please pray that I would have opportunities to share with my restaurant friends. 

Even though it isn't 75 degrees in the city just yet, there are plenty of people and places that God puts in our path that make the chilly days better.   

So I have been in New York roughly one month and it stills feels like I am trying to figure out what all is going on.

My family came for a late Birthday celebration. Our festivities included the Empire State Building, Mary Poppins on Broadway, Times Square, Carriage ride in Central Park, and the Plaza area. Here are some pictures.

 My parents are now back home and my brother back as school. My schedule is constantly changing but it seems like this next week I will finally be on a regular schedule. I teach at the South Asia Center Monday-Thursday morning from 10-11:30. On Monday evenings I take Tibetan from my dear friend Yeshi.On Tuesday afternoons we have T4T training and then there is Kids Club from 3-4:30. On Wednesday and Thursday nights from 9:30-10:30 I help teach a class of all Tibetan students (this class just started this past week). I am excited about all the opportunities I am getting to meet Tibetans.

My prayers for this month is that I will be more intentional with my restaurant friends across the street. I have established a good relationship with them but my strange schedule hiccups have made it difficult to find time to go there. I am planning on going everyday this next week to have tea and maybe help them with their English. I also ask for prayer for my friend Yeshi. She now has 4 jobs so it is hard to find time to meet up with her. She finally invited me over to her house so I am going for dinner tonight. Please pray that God would continue to give my opportunities to  share with her. Thanks for all you prayers!!!!!

"Are you ready to go have tea?"

After 3 months, I am back in New York and that is the first question my Tibetan friend Yeshi asked when she saw me. Things are different than before and it will take some time to readjust. I have a roommate now and so far it has been a great situation. I will also be teaching mainly at nights. In spite of all the changes, I am excited for what God is going to do over the next few months.

My main prayer requests for this next month is that I continue to adjust well. Time management is going to be extremely important as I balance late night teaching and still spending quality time with people that God has place in my path. I also need clarity about the church I will be attending for the next few months. I was able to go to one on Sunday that I believe is where God wants me and I am excited about the possibility of getting involved there.

My parents will be coming within the next week or so and I can't wait to post pictures of their time here (none of them have ever been to New York)! For now here is a few pictures I took when I went on a walk in Manhattan, got lost, and somehow ended up in Chinatown.

One of the parks in Chinatown still have decorations up from Chinese New Year

Tea Culture

Growing up in China and working with a multitude of different Asian cultures, I noticed one similarity across the board. Tea. Now I know that isn't all the insightful or deep but bear with me. For Asians, getting together for tea is not just about the tea itself. Getting together for tea is their way of spending time with people, for building relationships, listening to know what is going on in each others lives, and taking the time out of your day to value the people God has placed in your life.
     America can learn a lot from this. So often we get caught up in our lives, our schedules, and everything we have to get done that we so easily overlook taking the time out to spend with friends and family.I know I for one too often take for granted the precious time I have with my family. Everyday I struggle with slowing down and really focusing on those around me.
   For this reason I was very nervous about moving to New York. New York is easily one of the busiest cities in the world and I was once again apprehensive that I would let the hustle and bustle of the city get in the way of making friends. I was told that people were too busy and it was difficult to make relationships with anybody. I realized God had let me grow up in a tea culture for a reason and never before had I realized the importance and the blessing of this. I was able to drink tea everyday and because I took the time out of my schedule and displayed genuine interest in people, I was able to make connections and invest in the relationships that God had placed in front of me.

Pray for Katie

Pray for Tirzah

Never again will I underestimate what God can do through using something as simple as tea.