Month: April 2007

Posted on

“There Is No Me Without You” – A look into tragic reality in Ethiopia, poverty, and orphans

Our required reading is a book by the title of “There is no me without you” by Melissa Fay Greene.  I’ve been putting off the reading for some time now… It’s not that I’m just lazy.  This book scares me.    Why?  The author tells of her travels and stories of her accounting of Ethiopia and she captures the reality of the country’s situation so well, it should scare any normal person!

I had very difficult time getting through the first chapter.  It’s not that it’s boring.  It is just that it’s sooo tragic!  If there is any decency in the reader, he/she shouldn’t be able to get past the first chapter without tears, trying to hold back how tough life is for so many people.  It’s just mind boggling how poor so many are around the world, and especially in a country called Ethiopia.

If anyone complains of being “poor” or anything close in resemblance, read the book!  Then you will realize that you are richer than 70% of the world’s population!    I don’t know what little person like me can do.  I can only pray that God would use a person like me to show compassion to such people.  In the end, I pray that this mission trip will only be a beginning, a reconnaissance trip to see how we can be of help over long term.

Haregewoin is true hero.  I dare say that she is “bigger” than Mother Teresa.    Read this book!  Please!!!  And get involved most of all…

Posted on

Computer Hardware/Software Consulting/Repair for Missions Donations

Ok folks.
Time to put my nerdiness to some good use. 
For an (un)limited time, I will offer up my time to help you with any computer related questions / issues / repairs / upgrades.. and if you find my help … um… helpful, please consider donating to our Ethiopian Mission Trip!  Just let me know…

Contact:  peterjang73DELETE at yahoo dot com  (remove the word DELETE) 

Posted on

In reflection of the VT tragedy…

Since the VT tragedy, it’s been hard… and reflective. And with Pastor Shawn’s message on the “Good Samaritan”, I felt encouraged to share…

What can we do? In the end, all humans want to be accepted for who we are. Not judged. Even if we have “evolved” to be less “racial”, we as humans will always find things to be prejudiced about, be it social status, intellect, outsider etc…

Well, I wanted to share that though I may not have been a loner, I still identify better with being an outsider. I was never a part of the popular crowd in high school of mainly white population (and no, I’m not being racist in calling Caucasians as white, so don’t get off on it please) in northern New Joisey. I was a nerd back then… Math Team member, chess team member, I didn’t hang out with popular crowd. It wasn’t till college that I discovered that it’s ok to be who God designed me to be, and to accept myself for who I am, and not try to be something that I am not. It was more important in being a child of God first and foremost.

Since then, I have been comfortable in being a nerd or a geek, rarely shriveling from it or trying to deny/hide from it. Instead, as some of you know about it, I have made it a calling and life-long mission to accept people for who they are… and esp. trying to be friend to the friendless and leaving the judgment to God.

I feel no different today than before the VT tragedy. Sure Cho was an extreme case, but who isn’t when people continue to shun others out for one reason or another. If Jesus hadn’t been my friend to an oddball like me, who knows where I would be today?! So I challenge you… no, I beseech you to go past your first impressions of people… and to make that extra effort to be a friend to the friendless…

The last thing I want the church to be is some kind of “social elite club” that Jesus so condemned against.

Posted on

Update on NASA JSC Shooting Tragedy

Well, it has been a freaky tragedy indeed… talk about degrees of separation! I was separated from the killer by 2 as he was a neighbor to a friend of ours, the Blues. I was separated from the victim by 3 as he was the husband of John’s boss. Sadness will flood us if we don’t turn endlessly to Christ.

Posted on

I’m OK… (RE: NASA JSC Hostage situation)

Yes, you’ve heard by now that there’s a hostage situation at Johnson Space Center here in southern Houston.  I’m ok.  I’m not that close to it… I’m about 5 minutes from JSC… I know perhaps as much, if not less, than you guys.

I just wanted to also take the time to thank those who either called/e-mailed/messaged me to see if I’m ok…  Kudos goes to John Suh for being the first.    Then Pastor Shawn, Joanna, my mother-in-law , Brendan, Chad, and Ken.  I’m sure others worried a bit…  But thank God I’m ok.

Posted on

Looking for a friend: Won Lee

I used to have a friend by the name of Won Lee, a class of ’96(?) at UT Austin.  He was KUSA president for the year ’95.  Though a bit difficult at times, he is still my friend.  However, he moved out to California and then went to Harvard for MBA program.

I’ve lost touch with him when he moved to NYC after the MBA program… that would be about 2003 or so…  If you know him or his whereabouts, tell him to give me a call please!!  Sheesh…  I am gonna smack him over his head…  He has a brother (in Chicago last time I heard) and a sister who should be MD by now.

Thanks for passing the word around… oh and he should be 35 this coming August. 

Posted on

Anna’s Fifth Birthday!!

Happy fifth birthday sweetie!!    You are now half a decade old!!  You have grown up sooo much… may you grow continuously in Christ…  love, mom & dad.