ACF...

"Our mission is to be a community that shares Christ's love with the Asian and Asian Americans on campus."

This past week I had the pleasure of going to a wedding for one of my best friends, who also happens to be the grandfather of ACF. The story goes like this:

My friend was part of a large InterVarsity chapter during his undergrad. He made his way to Mizzou for grad school and missed Asian American community, so he joined the Asian American Association. While a part of AAA he saw that the students there needed Jesus so he started a Bible study for non-Christians. That led him to then call my supervisor asking if it was possible for a staff to be sent out to Mizzou to plant an Asian American ministry at Mizzou. My supervisor sent me and the rest, as they say, is history. 

For 8 years I was ACF's staff. It was, and always has been, my baby. I remember our first meetings in a student's apartment. I would get there early to cook then we'd do dinner and a bible study. I remember when we first became recognized as a student group. I remember when we had our first Large Group because we were too big for the apartment. I remember the elation I felt when we held our first leaders meeting and the heartbreak of every one of the students who left the chapter or even the faith. I remember the faces of the students who made decisions to follow Jesus and those who decided to lead. I remember all of it because for 8 years, ACF was my life. 

As I took on more and more responsibility with InterVarsity, it still kept coming back to ACF. I needed to stay connected to Asian American students because as an Asian American, I knew that the connection that I felt to those students was just as much for my soul as it was for them. 

During the after party of the wedding, I looked around at the ACF alumni in the room and my heart swelled with gratitude and thankfulness. Of the people in the room, at least 1/3 of them I know came to a real faith in Jesus through ACF. To see them now thriving as adults means that ACF did its job. ACF hasn't been mine for the past 2 years but it will always be in my heart.

So, to Andrew, Laura, Grace, Roshani, Jay, Esther, Lyndy, Julie, Sarah, Dane, Chris, Barbara, Benji, Racehl, Asha, Melody, Lorenzo, Leo, David, David, Tim, Sarah Liz, Grace, Josephine, Arthur, Daisy, Joey, Emily, Colter, Bianca, Paul, Terry, Jin, Rachel, Kirstyn, Seth, Bryce, Shyna, Annie, Liu Liu, Justin, An, Kevin, Kevin, Duc, Paula, Philip, Charis, Jordan, Rachael, April, Kristen, Danny, Jerryl, Jared, Mia, Claire, Mary, Louise, Willin, Ivy, Samuel, Tim, Sarah, Kyoko, Jasmin, Emily, Vincent, Jessica, Kayla, Crystal, Renyu, Elaine, Hannah, Tina, Alison, Victoria, Young, Andrew, Tony, Margaret, Phuong, Yang, Nuria, Julia, Eunice, Jen, Yu-Rim, Soohong, Bo Hyun, Amy, Won Hee, Stephen, Lillian, Kang, Ktan, Satomi, Jennifer, Grace, Lauren, Vanessa, Nan, Andi, Chris, Lyly, Kha, Christyona, and everyone else who graced the doors of ACF throughout my time there, I say, "Thanks." Thanks for coming. Thanks for cooking and eating. Thanks for helping to set up chairs and lead worship. Thanks for leading bible study and small group even though you didn't feel prepared. Thanks for taking risks with me. Thanks for exploring with me. It's been a heck of a ride and I'm so blessed to have met each and every one of you.

~Adam