Happy Soccer Season!!!

Hello, friends! 

It's officially soccer season here in Omaha, which means it's soccer season for Ezra! Me being the over ambitious parent that I am, will be coaching Ezra's soccer team for the third straight season. No doubt, this will be the hardest season ever. 

Growing up, I didn't play soccer. I play baseball. I know baseball. I can teach how to throw a baseball, proper grip when batting, how to field a grounder, etc. I'm not GREAT at any of those things, but you know what they say, "those who can, do; those who can't, coach" =0). 

Soccer, however, is Ezra's sport. Maybe it's because his cousin plays and he's watched him play. Maybe it's because I've gotten more into watching soccer and those games happen in the morning as opposed to the evenings when baseball is usually on. Maybe it's just because soccer allows for more constant movement and he's a kid who is always moving. It's probably a combination of all those reasons. Either way, he's a soccer boy through and through. (NOTE: Thaliea HATES soccer but LOVES T-ball. Why? Less running...)

During Ezra's first season playing soccer, I signed up to be an assistant coach. The coach was a great mom who worked with the kids and I just made sure the kids on the sidelines weren't eating grass (easier said than done). The division was 6 and under, so it was a smaller field, 4 on 4, and coaches were allowed on the field. There was no practice, just showing up for the game, warming up, then kicking the ball around for 30 minutes. It was great. 

The next season, I signed up to assistant coach again but there was no head coach so I ended up taking on that role. Again, we're playing U6, so it was fine. I know how to teach kids to run in the right direction and to kick the ball. Last season, Ezra recruited a few of his friends and we played U6 one more time. No big deal. 

Here's where the trouble starts. See, Ezra is young for his grade, meaning most of his friends have already turned 7. That meant that if he wanted to play with his friends this season, we were going to have to move up a level to U8. 

Friends, U8 is a totally different beast. The field is bigger. There are more kids on said field. There are throw-ins and corner kicks. We're expected to have mid-week practices. It's like they're learning how to play REAL SOCCER, which is WAY beyond me...

We'll see how this season goes. We're a bunch of 6 and 7 year olds playing against teams with mostly 7 and 8 year olds who are bigger, faster, stronger, and generally more aggressive. We lost our first match 5-0 and it was mostly us playing defense. On the other hand, the kids all said they ha a good time and everyone enjoyed getting a chance to play goalie. Ezra is having fun and is clearly one of the top players on the team, which he enjoys. I'm coaching according to that old joke from the Simpsons when Marge thinks she can make extra money by teaching piano lessons. Lisa says, "Mom, you don't know how to play the piano!" Marge's reply is, "I just need to stay one step ahead of the kids!" 

#GoBlackWidows 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

What is Love?

Hello, friends! 

This got buried a little bit last week since I posted a whole bunch of Spring Break photos, but I wanted to post the sermon that I preached 2 weeks ago in case you missed it. 

This sermon had a really quick turnaround. I got the call on Thursday that my pastor needed me to step in to preach. I wrote one sermon on Friday, didn't feel like it fit, wrote another one on Saturday, morning, didn't feel like that one fit either, and finally settled on what you see here Saturday night. It was definitely a Holy Spirit thing. =0). 

A Parental Visit, in Photos

Hello, friends! 

For the first time in a bit, Mama and Papa Leong came to visit Omaha! Last year, we made 3 trips to California so we were only planning on making one trip out to California for this year (Thanksgiving). Well, you'd better believe that Mama and Papa Leong couldn't go that long without seeing their grandbabies in person! So, they made the trip out to Omaha and we got to spend a few days together! 

Well, OK, that's not EXACTLY true. Step one was a flight to Kansas City because as long as it had been since my dad had been to Omaha, it had been even LONGER since he'd been to Arthur Bryant's. Omaha is about as close as he's going to get to Kansas City nowadays, so they flew into KC on Thursday and we picked them up on Saturday. 

After a few more hours in the car, we were back in Omaha and ready to party! 

On Sunday, we went to church. I was asked to spot preach on Thursday, so my parents got to see me preach in person for the first time in a long time. 

And the fam watched me curl.

Monday, we went to the zoo and Mama took the older kids shopping to buy books and such. 

Of course, there were also moments of silliness and eating a LOT of good food. My parents left with full hearts and we were left with a full fridge. =0). 

We'll be seeing the 'rents in June when we all gather in St. Louis (Megan and I have staff meetings) so it won't be too long until we see them again. Still, it was a great time and everyone is looking forward to the next time more Leongs come to Omaha. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

AAMSC'22!!!

Hello, friends! 

After 4 glorious days in San Gabriel, California, followed by a few days solo parenting back in Omaha while Megan was at a conference, I'm back and ready to tell you about Asian American Ministries Staff Conference 2022. It was a beautiful, sometimes hard, time of connection, learning, seeing God move, and getting fat. =0). Here are a few takeaways. 

- Asian America is a river: The theme of the conference was "LOVING ASIAN AMERICA" which is a tough theme because the first question that always gets asked is, "what is Asian America and who are Asian Americans?" It's a fair question and one that I've been wrestling for a while. At AAMSC'22 I heard the best analogy to date. Asian America is a river. Each one of us is a stream, adding our experiences, our upbringings, our food, our culture, our language, etc., to the river. The question then becomes, "how can I love the whole river?" which is a much easier question. 

- Being "Old Staff" is fun: The average staff tenure in InterVarsity is a little over 7 years. There are a few staff who have been around for a while but a majority of our staff have served for fewer than 5 years. This was no different at AAMSC'22. Honestly, this was the first time that I really felt like the conference wasn't designed with me in mind, and I was totally OK with that. We had 3 rookies from the Central Region there and I enjoyed my role of making sure they were having a good experience. It was good to see old friends (albeit fewer and fewer of them every year), and honor elders. I like this new role. 

- Southern California food is real good: This is something that everyone knows but boy howdy did I eat well. Honestly, the worst meals were the ones that the hotel provided for dinner. There was a lot of bubble tea and some really amazing Asian cuisine. I was even able to get to the Mandarin Noodle House for some beef noodle soup. Did I run every morning because I knew I was going to be eating too much? Yes I did. Did I still eat too much? Yes I did. Do I regret any of it? No, I do not. =0). 

AAMSC happens every 3 years, so it'll be a while until I'm back. Who knows what will happen in those 3 years. More new staff will sign on. Other staff friends will leave. God will still be good. The bubble tea in Southern California will still be delicious. The river of Asian America will continue to flow. 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

So long, Uncle George...

Hello, friends! 

Last week, I had a clogged drain in one of our sinks. I got out our plumbing snake, cleaned out the drain, and thanked Uncle George Seu for teaching me how to use a plumbing snake. 

Most mornings, I'm the first one up. I like to have some quiet time to hang out with Jesus and (usually) exercise before the kids get up and the day gets hectic. The floorboards in our hallway are a little creaky, so I need to walk very quietly so as to not wake the house. I use the silent walk that Uncle George taught me from his many years of doing years of Tai Chi. 

Uncle George passed away last week at the age of 91. Like with Uncle Stan, who died a few months back, this one struck me in an unexpected way. I wasn't super close to Uncle George and we hadn't talked in a while but he's had a huge influence on my life. 

There was a season when I was doing a bible study with some friends in our youth group but didn't have a ride. Uncle George was the one who drove me. I learned how to call the time service back in the day when folk needed to set their watches. I will never forget Uncle George walking around church in his iconic blue overcoat; If Uncle George was wearing that coat, you knew something was about to get fixed. Mostly from observation, I learned from Uncle George how to look for ways to fix things, how the right tool could solve a multitude of problems, and how someone could have a huge influence without ever being formally acknowledged, just by being willing to help. 

Goodbye, Uncle George. I'm sorry I won't be able to make it to the funeral but I will never forget the lessons you taught me, whether you knew it or not. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Back With Students!

Hello, friends! 

One of the things that I love about my job as a Regional Coordinator is that I get to work directly with our entire staff team in the Region. These folk are a dedicated group of men and women who love Jesus and love the campus. One thing that I'd forgotten over the past few years is how great it is to be working directly with students. I was reminded of how much fun that part of the job is just these past 2 days. 

Last night I drove to Lincoln to hang out with the University of Nebraska's ACF group. Since their student leader graduated, they've been riding solo so I thought it'd be good for me to head out there a few times a month to build relationship and support them in any way I can. 

Friends, last night took me back to my first days on staff. I remember doing Bible studies in the kind of disgusting dorm rooms then eating wings and playing games afterwards. It was fun to see that my ability to connect with students hasn't completely left me, even if I am more than twice as old as some students. =0). I'm very much looking forward to getting back out there in a few weeks. 

Then today, I drove down to Bellvue University (just south of Omaha) to meet with a student who was interested in starting a Bible study with her basketball team. We got this contact because a few weeks back at our Regional Leadership Team meetings, one of our assignments was to do a prayer walk on a campus with no known campus ministry work. Half our team went to Bellvue. While we were prayer walking, Megan recognized someone who goes to our church. I'd forgotten that he was a coach at Bellvue. We spoke, then a few days later, he texted me and introduced me to the student who had been looking for an opportunity to start something new before she graduated. It was such a joy to hear her story and hear her passion for her friends knowing Jesus. It was invigorating! 

So, here we are. Apparently, I'm back in the student ministry game, at least a little. I won't be spending all my waking hours on campus like in the early days but I'm thankful for the opportunity to interact with students again. Here's hoping I can be a blessing to them. 

If you have the time, would your pray for Dan, Tiki, Louis, Blut, Figs, Jung, and Lexi? Pray that God will continue to show himself to them and that they will grow in their love for their friends and their campus. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Winter Olympics!!!

Hello, friends!

My, it has been an eventful 2 weeks, hasn't it! Since I last posted, we had our RLT meetings (it was so good to be meeting in person!), we celebrated the Lunar New Year (happy year of the Tiger!), and JoJo has been dealing with a nasty case of a stomach virus (thankfully, the NP doesn't think it's anything related to COVID).

HOWEVER, there is one event that takes right now... IT'S WINTER OLYMPIC SEASON!!!

Friends, I LOVE me some Olympics, and I am probably in the minority of Americans who like the Winter Olympics as much, if not more, than the summer games. 

Short track speed skating? All day, everyday. Hockey, yes please. Biathlon? What's not to love? And, of course, y'all know how I feel about the great sport of curling! 

Added to that, the Winter Olympics isn't dominated by the US in the game way the Summer Games are. When we were watching the Summer Olympics last year, it was a shock to see the US not take the gold in any event. It was high stress. In the Winter Olympics, you end up with a situation like in 2018 when I exacerbate my pneumonia because I'm up late watching (and yelling) as the US Curling Team win an improbable Gold Medal. Don't get me wrong, I love the Summer Games too; I just wanted to share my love for the Winter Olympics.

So, if over the next few weeks you're in a meeting with me and I look a little sleep deprived, it's probably because I was up late watching something amazing happen on the ice or snow. We're having an Opening Ceremony party tonight, then it'll be 3 weeks of sweet sweet international competition. #TeamUSA

Have an excellent day!

~Adam