2019.05.16 – 2019.05.29

HOmecomeWING – Hong Kong

The home of W – earth meets water in perfect harmony in this mountainous seaside city. And its people know how to use the gifts of nature, as evidenced in all the delicious dishes, by land and by sea, to be enjoyed while hiking through mosquito-filled verdure and hilly urban jungles on the hot, humid May days. What a perfect way to begin and end this adventure, in this little city that has a big personality.

Classic HK cafe fare at Tsui Wah – you have to get your fill of HK style milk tea, Horlick, Ovaltine, and condensed milk pour over buns

Exploring Central and trying hard to think of poses (photo by W)

What’s your know-how on picking strangers to take photos for you? We were amazed that this girl got a photo with no other people in it, because this place was swarming with action!

“Rich is easy, personality is rare.” -some obviously rich person (photo by C)

HK-er’s are very into acronyms – this is PMQ, a former policy housing quarters turned into a hip cultural shopping area, where we just so happened to pass by a Taiwanese night-market style pop-up!

Cupping Room – it’s day one and I’m already needing my millennial dosage of avocado and smoked salmon on a toast. The super savory and peppery creamy pasta was a delicious bonus

The powdery matcha croissant was an extra bonus. This is really our day!

You pick which stick and they fry it fresh for ya!

HK desserts – one for each as an icy relief for the temperatures outside. Mine is strawberry sorbet with sweet tofu pudding beneath!

fluffy fluffy fluffy mochi just like a pillow or a cloud, enclosing a humongous juicy, ripe mango. You can be sure that we had more than one of these treasures

The view from W’s bedroom window – bougy

The famous Tim Ho Wan does not disappoint: ha gao and cha siu bao galore – all at a ridiculously reasonable price for a Michelin starred restaurant

So thankful to both W and C for graciously helping me to fulfill my great dream of visiting every single Disney park in the world! HK is stop number 4

Every time I walk into the Disney park, the road that welcomes me is the same, regardless of season, weather, country, etc. But from the uniformity comes a joy and comfort that is new every time – here I can play, here I can wonder, here I can enjoy (photo by W)

Yau Ma Tei – we finally found the cheapo street vendors and clay pot rice. Oh my, you pour that soy sauce over the top!

No, we’re not done eating yet…thank you, kind lady, for letting us order one bowl of beef noodle soup between the three of us. The dried fish skin chips dipped in the soup was a killer combo (I couldn’t stop eating even though I was stuffed)

But wait, there’s more! Gai Dan Zai (Egg Puff Waffle) with ice cream and chocolate sprinkles – I crave this dessert regularly

this trip was a lot about learning to be together, to walk alongside one another both in our similarities and our differences, to communicate clearly and honestly, make compromises in the name of love, and value friendship by giving time to learn about one another’s homes outside of the States (photo by C)

I mistakenly thought that the Chinese word for ferris wheel was “a wheel that touches the sky”. Unfortunately it was not the right character, but I always thought it was the best linguistic mistake I ever made in my life (photo by W)

even in our own homes, there are new experiences to be had, so we went to a speakeasy in LMK (photo by W)

last morning in Asia – I was packed up and ready to go, but the vibes of our home reminded me of the opening scene of one of my favorite music videos filmed in HK: “Two Lovers” by Davichi

Moody last day. Also, I can’t believe HK-er’s fearlessly open their windows and hang clothing to dry, even in apartment complexes high off the ground! You gotta do what you gotta do with the space you’re given (reminders to be grateful for the space we are given in the States)

Australian Dairy Company – Everyone talks about how delicious the scrambled eggs here are, but you brush it off because, how good could they possibly be? But once you taste its goodness, you’re a believer. Also, that milk pudding business. I’m pretty sure I ate 90% of that bowl and I’m so glad we got it hot, despite the muggy weather. This place is so worth the rude servers.

Mong Kok – all sorts of fish, kitty, bunny, puppy and other pet menageries to be found here

Thankful. Really just thankful for these two friends and the ability for this dream of a trip to finally become a reality of the best kind.

No wonder W likes waterscapes so much – what a treasure to behold each day

Candy throwback to W’s childhood – purchasing power is amazing. What are the chances these denture gummies are good for your teeth?

Another staple of W’s school life – why do people want to look like this???

The trolley – an HK exclusive mode of transportation

Drool – I dream of the sugary goodness of fresh milk with brown sugar boba from Asia (this one’s from Tiger Sugar). Was utterly devastated when I tried it in America, and it was just NOT the same

The third meal of our last half day in HK. We’re packing in all the last goodies we can taste, and this one is roast goose meat!

炸両 – Chinese doughnuts wrapped in rice noodle roll and topped with a rich, savory soy sauce. Passing on a visual taste of the joy experienced in my time here

Posted on May 30, 2019May 6, 2020 by gracerootsmvmt 0

2019.05.10 – 2019.05.15

We were a team brought together by J & D’s love for Jesus and love for us, and I think that was reflected in how beautifully we came together. I always feel so nervous when I’m around lots of people I’m not as familiar with, and especially so when there are big age differences, and yet knowing that God’s brought us together empowered these supernatural bonds in our midst in this time.

I remember telling all the ladies on the team at the airport about my new relationship with A. It was a relationship that hadn’t been much welcomed by people making me really insecure at this time. I was so blessed by the encouragement and joy all of these dear sisters felt on my behalf for my happiness.

Exploring this lovely hill that opens up to view of the vast horizon during our first day and for our first sunset

An important part of the program for residents involved regular work rhythms to rebuild these individuals’ sense of what a normal, loving family is like in their routines. I loved being in the kitchen, cooking and preparing for the nourishment of others based on the meal plan set for that week.

Coming to His Mansion, I actually wasn’t super excited because I expected God would push me to learn lessons through deep conversations and big leaps of faith that I felt too exhausted, too worn out for. How wonderful to know that Abba knew exactly how I felt, and said, I wanted you to come here and rest! So rest I did, in the company of this sweet friendly kitten named Sparkle Brownie who came by to say hi every day.

And also met her shy brother whose name was probably Twinkle Toes.

Rest also meant playing on this lovely swing. Abba, how did you know this was my favorite?

I had insisted to A that I wanted to be present with the people I was with and would not be contacting him during my 3 week time out of town. I was so thankful that M told me I was being too intense and should be allowed to give priority and time to A even if we were apart. Which I knew to be right because it gave me such a sense of relief to be able to talk to someone I missed so much. Cue evenings spent sitting on the toilet seat texting and enjoying an hour catching up about the day together.

We got to go for a tour of the storehouses and it was so awesome to see the labor of their hands in all of the homemade sauces, pickled veggies, frozen veggies, and even the center for producing maple syrup in the winter!

I remember dreading meal times the first few days because meal times meant sitting with strangers and not knowing if there would be conversation or what to talk about. As the days passed and God gave me space to rest and not push myself to do anything beyond my limits, that gave peace to engage more with the people at His Mansion and feel so much more comfortable. Talk about love being the foundation that empowers transformation.

We were assigned to the barn for our prayer walk, and you can only imagine my sheer joy when we walked to the end and this Scottish long haired cow came up to me to touch noses! It was such a beautiful moment of connection with the huge, gentle beast.

It’s so amazing to go to the East Coast because of the American history that is so rich and alive in these parts in a way that we don’t have in California. We got to visit the local cemetery belonging to the original owners of this land back in the 1700’s and see this tombstone honoring a veteran of the Revolutionary War!

One of the biggest reasons I had decided to come to His Mansion was to support M, who was ending his decade long tenure serving in this ministry. M is someone who was so integral to my growth, teaching me to embrace my feelings and encouraging me to not only practice my faith, but teach others what I was learning – to me that was the epitome of discipleship even though we had only met each other a handful of times in the last few years. As I came on this trip, I realized a sudden awkwardness as I engaged with him in conversation and I didn’t understand why I felt that way. On the last night of the trip, His Mansion hosted a farewell dinner for him, during which there was a chance for people to share. I remember feeling unqualified, but really feeling God prompting me to speak up, and so even though I missed my first cue, God gave me a second chance to speak up and share M’s impact on my life. The next morning, as we debriefed, M spoke up and thanked me for the opportunity to see the fruit of what he was doing in the people’s lives he was investing in. At that point, I realized that the awkwardness had come from my not feeling worthy to give him affirmation because I saw him as someone with higher status than myself. The opportunity to share his part in my life was also a chance for me to be healed of my feeling unworthy of speaking up with vulnerability based on my position or abilities. Thank you, Jesus for that healing moment, and thank you, M.

Ahaha, D is so hilarious. Had so much fun spending the last evening helping him fix some old cars and using my hands to work with machinery and tools.

Bye Sparkle Brownie~

Posted on May 16, 2019May 12, 2020 by gracerootsmvmt 0

Time Travel
April 13, 2019

I wish I could go back
To the times people said you weren’t enough
And cover your ears.

Posted on April 13, 2019 by gracerootsmvmt 0

Declaration of Independence
April 3, 2019

From now on
I refuse to play second fiddle
Just to make you feel better about yourself

Posted on April 5, 2019April 5, 2019 by gracerootsmvmt 0

Memory Scars
April 2, 2019

You touch once
Forgetting
I’m the one who feels it forever

Posted on April 3, 2019 by gracerootsmvmt 0

Grace
April 2, 2019

The world has not been gentle with you
And you’ve rarely received an apology for it
Because it just tells you that you’re the one
Who needs to change
You’re the one
Who’s too sensitive
You’re the one
Who’s in the wrong
No wonder you hurt so much

Posted on April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 by gracerootsmvmt 0

“‘My life is monotonous. I hunt chickens; people hunt me. All chickens are just alike, and all men are just alike. So I’m rather bored. But if you tame me, my life will be filled with sunshine. I’ll know the sound of footsteps that will be different from all the rest. Other footsteps send me back underground. Yours will call me out of my burrow like music. And then, look! You see the wheat fields over there? I don’t eat bread. For me wheat is of no use whatsoever. Wheat fields say nothing to me. Which is sad. But you have hair the color of gold. So it will be wonderful, once you’ve tamed me! The wheat, which is golden, will remind me of you. And I’ll love the sound of the wind in the wheat…’ The fox fell silent and stared at the little prince for a long while. ‘Please…tame me!’ he said.”

-Antoine De Saint-Exupéry, “The Little Prince”

Posted on April 2, 2019 by gracerootsmvmt 0

Epidemic

The saddest thing about starving a heart
Is unlike a body, it never dies.
It aches.
Cries out.
Shrivels.
Fades.
Until all that’s left is a living skeleton.
Faint beating a desperate proof of the life still within – a gruesome reminder of the things in life
Worse than death itself.

Posted on February 7, 2019February 7, 2019 by gracerootsmvmt 0

the year of anger

At the root of anger is some form of entitlement. If you don’t believe that you deserve something, you will not feel discontentment if you don’t get that thing.

For pretty much all of my life, I didn’t believe that I was worth the space that I occupied on this earth. That’s a really extreme statement. And I believe it’s true from the way I lived my life and my attitude toward many things.

In the past four years, God has constantly been changing that perception of myself, teaching me that hopeless sinner that I am, in His light, I am redeemed – His precious treasure. His wonderful daughter.

And that knowledge has changed me. And continues to change me. It has motivated me to reach out to people in ways that I would’ve never dared to do so previously – never thought I deserved to before. The spark of love has powered an endless energy to pour into the church community and its members.

It has been wonderful to know that I am His beloved.

And yet, that same knowledge has caused a fair amount of entitlement, and a cascade of rage I had never experienced before this year.

Anger at the daily things of life like how people drive and how well people do their jobs. Anger at this world, this society, and all the things that are happening that destroy the environment, oppress the poor, and destroy the lives of people based on their skin color and gender. Anger at friends for betraying me, doing things to me that I don’t deserve, not being there for me when I need, and causing great pain to my heart. Anger at my parents for ingraining bad habits and terrible weaknesses that I had no power over and have no ability to change. Anger at myself for all the things that I do wrong, all of the bad choices that I make, all of the hypocrisies I daily commit, all the people I don’t care for, all the hurtful feelings I feel against those I love the most.

Anger is such an all-consuming and tiring emotion. And in the midst of feeling all of this, I begin to learn that this anger in my heart is so complicated. Some of it is bad – it stems from things the world and not God tells me I am entitled to. But some of it is good – it’s an acute awareness that things are not exactly as God intended them, and in response, an intense desire that things be made right. And ultimately, it is natural and good that I feel anger.

But it does matter how I choose to respond in my anger.

I’m learning to bring things to the Lord. I’m learning that people are not the reason for my anger, but they are often times a trigger for a wound within myself. I’m learning to sit in my anger, not taking it out on others, but asking myself why I feel the way I feel. I’m learning to pray for the people I feel anger against. I’m learning to change the things that I can change, to seek reconciliation when I can, but also to wait upon the Lord for things that are not yet meant to pass, and sit in the unresolved. And ultimately, I am learning that even as I am the medium through which hurt is manifested in the world, I am also the hands through which Abba Father has chosen to plant the seed of healing to this broken people.

Continuously, I am shedding pride and the things of this world, instead choosing to be clothed in humility, to be a reflection of His image. Looking to the hope of His kingdom come.

2018, you’ve been hard, but you’ve also been good. Praying for a vulnerable heart and open eyes to meet the moments of 2019.

-G

Posted on January 1, 2019January 1, 2019 by gracerootsmvmt 0

Sleepless pt. II

The plain, blue sky begins to reveal
Its hidden colors as
A wash of rainbow paints itself in the horizon
The sun slowly bows to meet
His audience before making
A grand exit for the evening.
Light fades to dark.
It is night.

In the small pasture, it is time to sleep
And slowly,
The sheep make their way to the pen
As I call

One -the head sheep hops over the fence,
His giant bell sounding.
Clang.
Two -another elderly sheep makes his way here,
Bouncing in to find the best resting spot.
Three, Four – a mother ewe and her baby come
The mother gently nudges the lamb under the fence
Before nimbly jumping over herself.
Five – an eager young ram quickly charges toward the fence to jump over for his first time
He trips over slightly and stumbles on his landing
Embarrassed, he quickly makes his way to bed to nurse his pride and bruised ankles
Six – the dainty young ewe, the bell of the ball elegantly trip-trops her way by
And I open the gate for her to enter
Smiling at her youthful vanity.
Seven, Eight, all the way through Twenty – here comes the young ones with their headmaster in the lead.
They all hop over the lower bar of the fence, unable to challenge the taller one until they grow bigger and stronger.

And on and on, from all different directions, my sheep return to pass the night, some energetic and others tired, some by themselves and others in pairs or larger groups.
Some white, some black, and some speckled.
Some do flips as they jump over the fence and I applaud for them,
While I comfort others less acrobatic, who barely trip over.
Big sheep, small sheep, chubby sheep, skinny sheep, all sheep,
Until even the last adventurer with the collie nipping at his hooves comes to the pen.

The baaing slowly ends as the sheep drift off to sleep,
Leaving only their shepherd to count the stars in the sky.

Posted on January 1, 2019February 7, 2019 by gracerootsmvmt 0

gracerootsmovement

adventures of a life rooted in His grace and love