Nov 26, 2008, 9:22 pm

Mood: Content

It is such a long semester. But so productive.

There are so many trials I'm going through but I know it's for the best for me. Taking 17 units (most are upper division classes), being in praise band, being in the church staff, being a youth group teacher and taking care of two girls, and now doing research (which is not really required). All of these activities are SO awesome. I love doing them because I enjoy the people and what we do together. But that means I have less time to draw and be online and sleep. All of which I LOVE doing.

But for me, serving God and his people are so much more important.

Oh, but I have been getting commissions on DeviantArt which is awesome. BUT WHICH SHOCKS ME EVEN MORE is that my PROFESSOR is going to commission me to draw her work team. Gosh, that really shocked me. After showing her some artwork professional and non-professional artists do, she still ends up commissioning me! Craziness! She is too kind to do that. But I KNOW it's going to be an awesome project to work on. I'm really excited.

Gosh, during the winter break, I have jury duty for the first time. And I have to move rooms in my school apartment. Then there's a camping event for church (I haven't gone camping since I was 6 or something and I'm 20 now). Then I'm going to San Francisco for a week to visit my sister's place and campus. Then maybe a road trip to Beaumont, Texas (if not a road trip, then we're flying). And then Spring semester starts. I might finish school a semester early which is also exciting.

Also, I read through the Old Testament and I just finished the gospel of Matthew! I was almost in tears when I started to read about the person the whole Bible was leading up to! I'm on a mission to read the entire Bible within a year and it's going really well so far!! 8D

Keep me in your prayers! That would be awesome!

PS. I LOVE the Ochibau community. Keep at it people! I miss chatting with you guys!! If anything, please drop me an O-email... MAKE IT LOOOOONGGGGG!!!! The artwork is just magnificent. I love how people are commenting (especially ESPECIALLY the touching ones and comments people actually THINK about before they type).
Remember, I am here to serve YOU. If there's anything you need to ask (dumb or smart), please don't hesitate to ask! AGAIN, I'm here to SERVE YOU. :]

[11 Comments]

Aug 18, 2008, 9:50 pm

Mood: Blessed

Sophia
Short-Term Summer Missions 2008
Ganado, Arizona

It started and it ended… or did it?
I went on my first short-term-summer mission trip to Ganado, Arizona, a place within a Navajo Reservation. We had trainings at church every Sunday and with the church we were going with on Saturdays; I thought we were well-prepared with all the cultural lessons and practices we had. The time finally came to actually go to the Dine people.
After the 10 to 12 hour drive, I was awe-struck with the beauty the land held: the land was flat and red, contrasting with the clear blue skies, filled with perfect, white clouds that could only be seen through photographs. I thought to myself, “I’m here. I’m scared. I’m nervous. God, give me strength and courage.” I continued to admire God’s creation throughout the mission.
Reading back on the journal entries we were required to do, I started off with short entries just telling the events that happened. My heart wasn’t there nor was it ready to what was to come.
At first, my heart was for the mission team; the Pilgrim girls were so good to me and it made it so easy for me to love and care for them. Their voices are so beautiful at such a young age; their hearts are so pure and yearning for God’s love. They encouraged me so much with their words and their actions. It was actually a huge burden on me because I was the oldest out of the 8 girls in the room. I did not want to make any mistake or be a bad influence; I wanted to be the best representative for Sae Han, too. I had so much fun during the nights when we should have been sleeping. All the singing, the talking, and the games were just so fun.
Everyday, we performed at a senior center or at a day care; we acted in skits and did body worship. Afterwards, we would go out and thank them individually for inviting us and watching us. We also prayed for them; some were hesitant but many were willing to be prayed for. We also went to the marketplace and evangelized to the people.
On the first day of VBS when we separated into our classes; Hyungmin from Pilgrim, Terrance, Colby, and I were the leaders of the middle school and older kids. We met with Alex, Ben, Tamaira, Grandma Alberta, Nicole and Kyle and their son Jaden. The first day was absolutely awkward; it deserved the super awkward turtle but the next few days were much more relaxed and we talked more about each other’s beliefs and lives. I knew that alcoholism, domestic violence, and teen pregnancy existed on the reservation but I didn’t know it was so prevalent that it was almost normal to them. It first shocked me but it truly broke my heart.
After the VBS, I got to talk to Tamaira who is an 8th grader. She told me she loved singing and I asked her to sing for me but she was too shy to do it in the pews where everyone was. So we moved to the back corner of the church and she sang me the first verse to “Amazing Grace” and boy was it amazing! Then we talked about T.V. shows she likes, for example “Hannah Montana” and “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody”. After awhile of laughing, she told me her life story: she has four older brothers who beat her, the oldest being 17, and she has a younger sister who follows her everywhere; Tamaira would have had a younger brother but he was a still-born. Since his birthday was only a few days from hers, she brings a slice of her cake to his tombstone; but she forgot to do it this year. Her father comes home drunk and sometimes is thirsty for more; the family would pour down his beer bottles into the sink and crush the glass. He would curse and beat the family. Only Tamaira and her mom are church-goers and Christians, they try to get her brothers and dad to go. Though, it seems like they still have a little tradition left in them. She told me of a story that a skinwalker might have possessed one of her brothers; her mother had a dream where the skinwalker took over him and tried to kill her mom. He’s a lyricist and a rapper of the family who curses a lot; a reason she believes that a demon has possessed him. She confessed that she isn’t a good girl; she was arguing with her mom one day and Tamaira threw her puzzle at her, cutting her face. Her mom then started beating her and throwing things at her, making two bruises and a bump on her head. Every time she does something bad, she prays to God every night for forgiveness.
She later sang again, a verse from “Shout to the Lord” and that was just as amazing; she asked me for the lyrics but I told her I’d give it to her the next day. I knew Terrance or the other guys had the praise book so we went back up to the front and I asked Pastor David to play “Shout to the Lord” and Terrance helped, then Colby came to sing along. When they finished, she seemed so shy and happy. I asked her, “Doesn’t it feel nice having three guys sing for you?” She nodded shyly and I just laughed. She had to leave and it was getting late. She never came back for the lyrics and my heart ached the rest of the week. I had a feeling it was because she went home late.
When we debriefed that night, I volunteered to share; I had to talk about Tamaira. She touched my heart with her innocence and the suffering she experiences everyday. I couldn’t even finish my first sentence; I started to tear up, cry, and then sob. The pain she goes through is just unbearable for me who doesn’t even go through half of that. She changed me. I thought I would have a heart for the people but how can I if I don’t know anything about their hearts? I will forever keep Tamaira in mine and bring her up to God as I pray for her people of the Navajo nation. I learned that I need to know what’s going on in people’s lives and love them first rather than shoving the Gospel in their faces. We need to show how God fits in the puzzle of our lives; that He is the cornerstone that keeps us going and strong.

[No Comments]

Apr 13, 2008, 1:37 am

Mood: Tired

Wow, my title is so vague/ambiguous/everything. But life is so good. How can anyone get bored of it? It's so full of thrill, love, excitement, authenticity, newness, life! Of course there are the bad things in life but that is due to our own decisions... anyway, I don't really want to go into philosophy, keke.

I've been appreciating older music (1990s~2000s) and it's been good to listen to music. Maybe I'm too obsessed. Talking about music, I started playing the bass guitar for my church's praise band. I need to practice. I WANT TO GET GOOD AND PLAY CRAZY RIFTS.

I need to study.

I've also started a SketchBlog with my best friend. We just started and we have theme running currently, "Draw Portraits of Each Other in Different Styles".

I've been so tired lately. And I haven't been productive.

[11 Comments]

Mar 24, 2008, 10:18 pm

Mood: A jumbled of feelings...

I've been in a huge art slump this semester. Grades aren't as high as I wish them to be. I've been talking to a creative writing major who is highly involved in films and he wants to create a graphic novel with me. I'm excited... it's just that all his characters are male. I've always wanted to draw male characters but I never did practice them. I guess it's time.

I haven't even been reading comics or graphic novels lately. I started work at Yogurtland and I've just been working once a week (usually 5~8 hour shifts). I haven't really been drawing much because of school, vegging around, being tired, and hanging out. Ugh, and my little brother is thinking about going into the military. I'm kind of stressed about that, too. It's cuz he got rejected to every school he applied to. Not sure what I want to talk to him about. I mean, he could still attend a community college (CC) then transfer to a UC or something... The military does have really good options he could go into it's just... bleh... I care for him a lot. I love him so much.

I've also been gaining lots of fat (or having my muscle turn into fat). That's actually been really stressful for me. I was never concerned about my body image until recently and I'm kind of scared.

Art ministry is going really slow but it's still good there is at least 2 people who come out. We're currently working on a project of drawing our church. So, it's just lines, rulers, pencils, perspective, ball-point pen, and shading involved.

I still need to finish Shosho's commissions from Gaia Online. The funny thing is, I like to receive lots of art requests... but I take friggin forever to actually commit myself to them. Hehe.

Spring Break is next week. I'm hoping to visit my friend at UCSD on Monday and Tuesday then I might have a retreat to attend to on Wednesday and Thursday. I also want to visit UCLA on Thursday and Friday.

I should really be worrying about a midterm. Well, it's a take home essay midterm.

Money is such a huge problem, too... I want to work during the summer but that means I have to stay in this area instead of going back home. Plus, I have to pay for the apartment that I'll be moving into soon. GUHHH!!!

I need major prayer.

[9 Comments]

Feb 24, 2008, 11:12 pm

Mood: Satisfied

Masamune was there, too, but had some technical difficulties. Reyn was in there, too, but she erased her drawings! BOO!

Dude, guys, schedule some P-Chat sessions!

[4 Comments]