ignite 'n inspire

Yesterday, my team and I wrapped up seven months of hard work, meetings, trainings as another year of TC comes to an end. With attendees offering one another hugs, others signing shirts and leaders bursting into tears of joy, I once again stand in awe of the lessons I have learned and the way God had shown Himself to me during this week. In comparison to years past, I can wholeheartedly tell others that I gave this year's conference everything, from interviews to trainings, from administration to accountability. I'm not preaching that hard work will bring upon sweeter and better fruit, but my goodness, I observed and learned a lot . Each year, God presents a new word to me during the conference: joy, unity, mosaic; this year, He gave me the word "community." 1) Authentic Christian Community is shown when we grieve together.  Day 3 was a rough day for my youth leaders as they watched one of their captain friends struggle mentally. It was an absolute uphill battle tryin...

In my Families in Canada course, we study the life course from adolescence 'til death. As a beginning-of-unit activity, I often have my students define adulthood but rarely do I share my answer...Based on my current realities and observations, here are my thoughts. So far, it has been a complex myriad of emotions, events and growing pains. Recently, I bought a beautiful cake to my discipleship group gathering to celebrate some of the major events in our respective lives. We were celebrating three of their birthdays, one's engagement, another who passed her gestational diabetes test, one who is listing her home and another who just finished her maid of honour duties. We happily took pictures and had our three birthday ladies cut the cake. As we ate the delicious dessert, it did not take long for the conversation to shift, as we began sharing about our worries, stresses and prayer requests. As we lifted each other's requests to God in prayer, I thought this whole meet-up was ...

I met my younger self for tea this morning. I wore a black body suit and my favourite pair of blue flare jeans, with pink lip tint and my classic brown purse. She came in a black leggings, a coloured cami and blue jean jacket. With little red acne spots on her forehead and wavy dark brown hair, she apologized for being late because she just came from a youth fellowship church meeting. I laughed quietly at her anxious energy and admired her love for those around her. I asked how the meeting went and she gave me a thorough rundown- who attended, what she was excited about, elaborate plans on ways to make the fellowship program more engaging and build more connections between her church community. I soaked in all her youthful energy as I come to terms with my current reality. I'm a little burnout and tired from ministry and its endless list of obligations and responsibilities. Could I ask for a little bit of her zest and passion? Would she be generous enough to give some to me? She or...

After another season of long Saturday trainings, rushed work sessions and early morning debriefs, we once again have arrived at a very familiar finish line. The ride has been extra long this time— a seven-month journey with my mentor coaches and captains, and a whirlwind three months with Team Kaleo. In this marathon-yet-sprint-like journey, I believe the image of a mosaic comes to mind when I am asked to describe my journey this year as a first-time mentor coach and four-time coach. Why mosaic? 1) Mosaic art is created when smaller glass shards are carefully placed together to create one art piece.            Starting off with the mentor coach team-no one can deny that I got to work with the most experienced team amongst all the mentor coaching teams in this conference. I believe that our collective youth ministry experience is equivalent to the age of a very old senior! This team had a strong grasp of each other's giftings, strengths and weaknesses. Withi...

          During every ceremony, couples will often exchange and say something along the lines of... "I take you...to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part." But what does it mean to put these vows into action, especially when familial pressure is suffocating, personal loss is unbearable and unexpected obstacles arise? A-list actors Kim Ji-won and Kim Soo-hyun have teamed up to create the tragically beautiful "Queen of Tears" world, a masterpiece that has left audience with tears welling in their eyes week after week. It's been a long time since I have written a kdrama review, but I felt a need to capture my thoughts as many (myself included) eagerly await for what I believe will be a record-breaking drama finale.  Why do I think "Queen of Tears" is "the drama:" (1) Kim Ji-won and Kim Soo-hyun are simply acting geniuses : As the fam...

As I tapped through countless photo and video recaps of TC this morning, I decided to re-read my post-conference reflection from 2019. I found it surprising how God provided me with such fresh and new revelations this year. Though I have been absolutely exhausted this weekend, the Spirit continues to tug at my heart, giving me flashback to important moments last week and reminding me that ministry is not easy, but is worth it because it is life changing. This year, God reminded me: ...about the body of Christ and how it is one body made up of many parts. Leading this year was no doubt a smooth process because I had a God-sent team who brought diverse strengths and gifts to the table. While one had deep understanding of the Bible, others came with lots of youth ministry leading experience. While some of us are chatty and extroverts, we also had some great listeners. While some loved discussing about science/facts & faith, others had a more emotional story to share. During the confer...

     In a Lifeway Research study, it states that "two-thirds of those who attended church regularly for at least a year as a teenager say they also dropped out for at least a year as a young adult." As a former youth mentor, I often avoid reading these studies as these articles leave me with a long mental panorama of childhood friends and youths I have personally journeyed with who have decided to leave the church. Over the years, I cannot help but affirm these statistics...these research studies do align with the ministry attendance records as many choose to dedicate their lives to building a promising career, solid friend-network, and establish their own definition of freedom.       As a church servant and their former youth mentor, I am often conflicted when Christmas and reading weeks come along. I ask myself, "should I really  message these youths/friends?" "do they care about these church friendships that they have built during their ju...

This weekend getaway to Ottawa holds a special spot in my heart as I watch another one of my close  childhood friends say "yes" and enter into a new chapter of her life. I think it is often during these life moments when I am extra thankful for these long, meaningful friendships. As I write my "congratulations" card and watch her say her vows, a myriad of flashbacks come to mind as I think back to our younger days. In my memory bank of D, I remember standing beside each other in children's choir nervous as the choir director told us to "audition" for a potential Christmas solo. I remember sitting beside her in orchestra as we counted the 30 bars of rest before we had to play again. I remember leading worship with her in the middle of a campsite, resting the piano on a picnic table. I remember hanging out in her car after a long dinner and conversation, and she introduced to me to her wedding pinterest board. For the first time, I learned that teenage g...

Several months ago, I was a facilitator for a mother-daughter Christian conference. Prior to the two-day conference, moms were asked to write a letter to their daughter. It seemed like the cutest idea and I begged my mom to write one for me. As a "words of affirmation"-kinda girl, I have written countless letters to my close friends, loved ones and younger mentees...but I sometimes long for words of encouragement as well. On the day of the conference, my mom sent me a picture of a short-but-sweet note. In the corner of a church classroom, I read it with tears welling up in my eyes. Although my mom's letter oozed with love, it was nothing in comparison to the unconditional love she has given me, C and S these past couple of months.  What happened these last couple of months? Aren't we in our young adult years? Shouldn't we be living "independently" by now? I will spare you from the details, but these past couple of months has been filled with some highs a...

It's 11:30pm right now on a Monday night. It was a rainy post-baptism Sunday and I scurried home after a quick lunch with close friends to figure out my lesson plans for the upcoming week. My SAP plans were already prepared so I was just adding my finishing touches to my grade 10 Family Studies lessons. As I try my best to plan an array of activities, I am confident about these plans but it feels very different from last year. Unfortunately, I am coming out of a week where I am teaching very interesting topics with celebrity references, relevant materials, interesting videos...but have been met with students who disrespect me, stay on their phones the entire lesson and challenge my instructions. Day after day, I try to draw from my well of love, care and perseverance...but I seem to be running really, really dry. My lessons feel no different from fully coloured print advertisements that just gets soaked in the rain and eventually ends up by the sewer waiting to escorted away by ano...

During my mentorship wrap up session today, my mentee challenged me to celebrate my birthday by listing out 25 valuable lessons I have learned...so here they are: Inner beauty is so much more important than outer beauty. No bronzer, concealer and liquid foundation can cover up someone with poor character. Invest in improving your character-ask yourself how you can be a more loving, caring, humble and grateful individual. Don't be afraid of digging deeper and asking tough questions. I spent many years building friendships that were very much "surface level;" we never talked about the ways we were struggling and how we could support each other spiritually and mentally. Years went by and many of those friendships were lost and fizzled out. I wish I spent more time investing in some of these people's lives. Siblings are a precious gift from God. I am so thankful God gave me C and S. C's passion for the Word and musical worship inspires me to grow. S is always there t...

     When I read my blog posts from the past, I often picture a strong, young girl who is overcoming obstacles and loving herself along the way. She is a blessed warrior who loves the church and loves the people around her. But today I have a confession. Yes, I am that strong young girl but there are also moments (in the past and in fact...right now) when I feel unloved, unworthy and simply not good enough. Although I know that God loves me to the point He sent His precious Son to die on the cross for my sins, there are still moments when I do not feel satisfied with just that kind of love. What I mean is...It is often frustrating being alone without a boyfriend- someone who loves me for the person I am becoming. As I walk in malls and on the streets, it sometimes feels lonely watching couples pass by. I guess in my fantastical world... I wish there was someone who would wrap their arms around me during a cold winter day, wait with me at a bus stop, listen to my silly tho...

When lovers are bounded by fate and meet again, are they going to grasp onto this opportunity and choose to love again ? Or are some relationships meant to be for specific seasons of our lives? Choi Woo-shik and Kim Da-mi's drama "Our Beloved Summer" explores second chances through the characters of Choi-Woong and Kook Yeon-Soo. Known as the worse and best student back in their school days, the protagonists had filmed a documentary that lead to the beginning of a five year romantic relationship. As they reunite for a marketing project and documentary sequel, the talented still life illustrator and marketing expert are driven to revisit their past. Ultimately, the encounters lead them to re-realize how much they still deeply love each other. Though coming-of-age dramas are common, "Our Beloved Summer" taps into how life struggles and character flaws often hinder us from being the best version of ourselves to the people around us. Perhaps in the loneliness of life...

     Tomorrow marks the last day of semester 1 with my fantastic grade 12 Fashion and Nutrition/Health class. In one week, I will have finished my first semester as an Ontario teacher. I haven't gotten a chance to document the process because it has just been so stressful and busy. As the Omicron cases have been rising, teachers (myself included) have been trying to keep our courses running while trying not to catch COVID. Although it is sometimes exciting to be riding this roller coaster, it comes with so much uncertainty and last minute changes. I have had to change my assessments twice and rearrange my lesson plans...but regardless, it has been such an amazing, blessed semester.      It all started on the day I was informed that I had gotten onto the TDSB supply list which was followed by a phone call from AI. The secretary had told me that she had a two-day supply teaching job that could possibly turn into an LTO. My confused self accepted not knowing t...

What does it look like to live in the "penthouse" of society? Very few individuals get the opportunity to experience this type of lifestyle. Through  Penthouse: War in Life , viewers are invited into the world of the rich. As always, we quickly learn that this affluent community is plagued with jealousy, greed and dirty secrets. This multi-season Korean soap opera is about the lives of several wealthy families who live in Hera Palace, a glamorous, fictional apartment in the heart of Seoul, Korea. Hera Palace, the one-hundred level building, is a symbol of wealth and great reputation, but is ultimately a house of chaos. In the first scene of the drama, the Hera Club children's math tutor Min Seol-ah is mysteriously murdered at the palace and this event sets the drama into motion. As the palace residents attempt to cover up her death, her birth mother and stepbrother work to find the murderer and avenge for Seol-ah. The thriller is centered around three women: Cheon Seo-jin...

What is my word of the year? I think the word cl arity ( / ˈklerədē /)   describes this long, quiet 2020. Amidst cancelled plans, large group gatherings and trips, the world was forced to embrace a more isolated and ever-changing mode of living. I was challenged to submit to the rules of government authorities and patiently wait for "normal" life to return (if that is even possible at this point). Just like those around me and my favourite celebrities/influencers, I embarked on a personal journey, trying to make sense of the situation and to accept this new reality with positivity and hope. Through this year, I learned that busyness has often muddled up my vision. The sudden halt to long Sundays, 40-minute commutes and "planning for my future" gave space and time for me to do a double take on my life, God's character and my community. Here are some of my valuable lessons and moments of epiphany:  (1) Less doing, more worshipping. As a ministry worker for many y...

What is youth? We have been taught that "our youth" is the brightest and most important point in our lives...as we explore career pathways, find love and grow with our friends. Park Bo Gum and Park So Dam's drama is a cinematic illustration of youth in the entertainment and modelling industry. As Ahn Jeong-ha aspires to be an independent make-up artist and Sa Hye-jun hopes to make his mark in the acting world, the young adults cross paths and learn to survive in this stormy and turbulent society. The drama is a slice-of-life drama that explores the troubles of being raised in an Asian household and living with the pressure to find and define success. Although it was shot in the conservative country of South Korea, I believe it is a relatable drama for young adults all around the world. Throughout the drama, viewers are empathizing and rooting for the two protagonists who fight to achieve their dreams and love without despair. Here are my favourite things about this drama:...