Older, wiser, and a little more tired...

Hello, friends!

Being on the other side of 30 does stuff to you... it makes you feel old. =0). I'm not sure if it's just the age catching up to me, the rigors of work, life beyond campus ministry, or a combination of all of them, but I have been finding myself way more stretched and exhausted this semester than any semester that I can remember. Let me give you an example.

Yesterday we had a staff meeting in St. Louis, meaning Megan and I had to leave CoMO by 7:30 so we could make it in time to help set up the day (my aunt was hosting). Well, Tuesday is also the day my theology small group meets at 6:15am. Add that to my desire to exercise (30 hasn't been good to my metabolism), a need to hang out with Jesus (always good), and put gas in the car (it's hard to go places without gas in the tank) and that meant I was up by 4:45am.

Fast forward through the time with Jesus, the workout, the small group, the travel, the meeting, dinner with the team, and the drive back, and I saw myself home by 9pm with a solid 15 hours of work under my belt. The plan was to then go straight to bed before getting up @ 6am so I could carpool with my friend down to Jefferson City and spend the day scouting at Lincoln University. Double 15's were staring me right in the face.

Whether you call it the Spirit being willing but the flesh being weak or me being older and wiser, I called off the carpool and instead drove myself after waking up at a much more reasonable hour.

Understand how big of a deal this is. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love efficiency. I fell in love with biking in the 8th grade (I even have a blog about it) because I saw in a science book that the bike was the most efficient form of transportation known to man. One of my favorite cities is New York City not because of the culture or people but because of the public transportation system. Carpooling is probably one of my favorite things to do in the world. The younger, more energetic, and possibly more insane Adam would have said, "shoot, forget fatigue! I need to carpool!" The older, more aware of his limits, though possibly still insane Adam asked his wife to move around her schedule so he could use the car for a few hours and NOT carpool.

What does this mean for me? Honestly, I have no idea. I know that I love the work that I do. I know that the work I do has impact and is worthwhile. I also know that life is more than work and with a baby on the way, my time (and energy) is going to be even more stretched. I guess, more than anything, it means that I am going to need Jesus more than ever. That's not a bad thing to be learning yourself when you're trying to teach students the same.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

A Full Day at Lincoln

Hello, friends!

Yesterday was my first full day at Lincoln. I've been there a few days earlier this semester for a few hours at a time but yesterday was a solid 8 hours on campus in Jefferson City. I have a friend who works in Jefferson City so the plan is to carpool together @ 7 and then leave Jeff City around 4pm each Thursday. Besides the fact that it was only 7 degrees outside when we left Columbia and we happen to drive directly into the sun in both directions, it was a really great day. Here are a few of the highlights.

- I've been building relationship with a local pastor who also works in the bookstore. I got to campus before any students were up and going to class so I hung around and helped him stock the cooler at the bookstore. At the end of my time there, a member of his congregation came in to talk to him and he introduced me as "Pastor Adam."

- Yesterday was Founders Day, where the university remembers the founders of the university as well as prominent alumni. It was really interesting to see how blatant the Gospel was during the program. The main speaker was a pastor from Atlanta (and Lincoln alumna). The name of Jesus was used a bunch, including in the keynote address, which was basically a sermon. There were hymns sung too. It was pretty much church with awards given away. =0).

- I had lunch with a woman who has lived in Jefferson City for over 30 years and used to work for another campus ministry. It was so great to connect with her and learn more about the community and the university. She even put me in contact with other folk in the community who love Lincoln.

- I met Miss Lincoln University! The circumstances were a bit odd (I was walking in the student center and she yelled "Ni Hao!" Which is a Chinese greeting) but still, we had a great conversation about the campus and what she feels like it lacks.

- I heard about a lot of other small groups and people who are working at Lincoln to bring the Gospel. It warmed my heart to hear that there are so many other workers for the harvest.

Friends, every time I head back to Lincoln, I fall more and more in love with the campus. Would you please join me in praying for the university? Pray that God will continue to move and that he will bring revival to the campus, whether it happens through InterVaristy or not.

Have an excellent day!

Doing Work!

Hello, friends!

I'm here at Mizzou's Multi-Cultural Center (MCC) getting some admin done. I've been writing emails, putting together a few bible study ideas, working on some general research, and stuff of the like.

What's more important than WHAT I'm doing is WHERE I'm doing it. The MCC is a really interesting place because it's kind of a safe space for all the high identity ethnic minorities on campus. There table where I'm working is where the Asian American students usually do their work. To my left is are the tables where the Latino students usually do their work. To my right is where you'll find the Black students. The couches right in front of me are a true testament multiethnicity... that's where EVERYONE takes a nap. =0).

I decided to spend more time doing work here for a couple of reasons. First, I tend to get more work done when I'm not at home. The Super Nintendo, the kitchen, and the bed are definitely too close for me to be productive. Second, it's so much more fun working next to students and distracting them from doing their work while actually talking to them about Jesus.

Ever since I gave my laptop to a coworker, I've been on campus more to use their computers. But, what I realized is that when I'm just working in the computer lab, I'm not actually interacting with anyone. I'm just doing work. When I work here at the MCC, I am actually killing 2 birds with 1 stone. I'm not only getting work done but I'm also getting to connect with students and even model relational evangelism to our Core students when they are studying in the MCC too.

So, friends, please continue to pray for my admin days. Pray that God will bring the right people to the MCC and that there will be much fruit borne here.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam 

You Are So Core!

Hello, friends!

This semester has a sort of "Get back to basics" feel to it for ACF. We've stripped down a lot of the structures, eliminated a lot of the labels, and we are trying to get back to the idea of sharing Christ's love with this generation of Asian and Asian Americans. One of the changes that we've made is taking a step back from formal leadership positions and going back to having a "Core" of students who act more like a family than a leaders team. It's only been a few weeks but it already feels like things are coming together better than last semester.

One problem that we had with the old labels of Leader and Apprentice is that those terms were hard to define. What makes a leader a leader? What makes an apprentice an apprentice? Do those labels work when you have a hierarchical culture but have older students with less ministry experience than younger students? While the leader and apprentice model is definitely something that works and is a good thing, it works best with larger chapters. Last semester, we weren't big enough to sustain that model well (or as I implemented it).

With the Core, qualifications are simple.

Do you love Jesus?
Do you want your friends to love Jesus?
Are you willing to sacrifice (time, energy, money, etc.) so that your friends can love Jesus?

If you answer yes to those 3 questions, then you should be part of the ACF Core. It's really that simple! =0).

A few weeks ago we got together as a Core and set out our family rules. These are the things that we want to live by as a family. We got a lot of great suggestions but ultimately it came down to 4 major themes. We need to be pursuing love, relationship, growth, and communication. Just like any family, there will be conflicts and there will be disagreements, but I do believe that if we pursue those 4 things, we're going to be just fine.

So, friends, please be praying for our Core. Please pray that it will grow, not just in love, but also in people. Pray that we will come together as a family and that we will make this semester the best one ACF has ever seen.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Happy Australia Day!!!

Hello, friends!

Ok, so I'm a day late but I wanted to blog about a very special day that we celebrated yesterday. Of course, it was Australia Day, which is kind of like the 4th of July for the cool kids down under. But, it was also my sister T's birthday!

Tracie "T" Chuang is my older sister and one pretty cool gal. There are a few of my favorite things about my dearest older sister.

- She's pretty artsy! This is one of those things that I didn't actually notice until a few months ago. T is always posting photos on Facebook and videos and such, usually of my absolutely adorable niece (and now nephew too). I honestly didn't think anything of it until I saw her draw a penguin for my niece on Google Hangout. V wanted a penguin, T drew a penguin, and then it hit me, "Dang, the gal has some artistic talent!" I don't know how long she's had it but I think that's pretty cool.

- She's super caring. T is always taking care of the family. It could be her husband. It could be her kids. It could be her parents and siblings. Either way, T, is always looking for a way to care for those around her. I'm definitely a fan.

- She's loads of fun! One time we siblings were having a conversation about which of us was the "funny one." I forget who ended up winning the battle (it was probably Phuzz) but we all agreed that T is the most fun to be around. It's probably because she doesn't make fun of us like the rest of us do to each other. Or maybe because she's the best cook and eating deliciousness is always fun. Either way, I'm cool with it.

So, to my lovely older sister, Happy Australia Day! Put another shrimp on the barby for me, will you?

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Scouting Lincoln

Hello, friends!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending some time at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO, home of the Blue Tigers. Just 30 minutes south of CoMO, Lincoln is an hbcu where we are thinking about potentially planting next year. It was a pretty great trip! Here are a few highlights:

- I met with a contact that I'd been given by a friend and it was a really great conversation. She is a professor on campus who very much has a heart for Jesus and said that she would be more than happy to help us get started.
- Every student I talked to told me that I needed to talk to Pastor Howard, who works in the bookstore and apparently is the spiritual advisor for the whole campus. We only spoke briefly but I'm looking forward to more conversations with him to get a feel for the campus.
- Most of the students I talked to were really receptive to the idea of having a Christian group on campus. There appears to be one Christian group on campus and one or two bible studies but there was still the sense that there could be something more.
- Fun fact! The residential population of Lincoln is about 900 students and over 90% ethnic minority students, including about 100 international students. HOWEVER, when you include the commuter students, the percentage of ethnic minority students that makes up the school drops to below 45%. What that means is that we may have a tale of 2 universities.

Friends, please pray for me as I continue to visit, meet students, and scout out the land. Pray that God will give us a really good sense of what he is already doing there and how we can partner with Him.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

ReCenter, ReNew, ReFocus, ReStart

Hello, friends!

We are officially in semester mode now! Students have begun to move back into their apartments, church was absolutely packed today, and generally, you can tell that the city is just a little more crowded.

For the past few years, ACF has started the semester, both Spring and Fall, with Re:Center. Every semester, Re:Center has a different focus. Some semesters it has been a "come one come all" that allowed students to reconnect with each other after spending a month away. Other semesters it has been just for students who are leading in some capacity so we can plan for the semester to come. This semester, it was a hybrid of sort. Our core students from last semester came together to recapture the vision of ACF and spend time praying about their role in the chapter this year.

I'm super excited about this semester for ACF. I'm not sure if it's my optimism or what but I think it's going to be spectaular. Of course, I have no idea what is going to happen in terms of numbers, conversions, or anything like that. All I know is that God is good and that he is going to show us his goodness this semester. I can't wait!

Here's a photo of our ACF team to start the semester. We're missing 2 students in the photo but I think we're a pretty good looking bunch. Here are a few ways to be praying for our team as we get ready to go:

- Growing our family. Why can't this photo be twice as full at the end of the semester. Please pray that God will bring more students into our midst who love Jesus and want to see his love shared with every Asian and Asian American on campus.
- Working as a family. We have 3 staff and 8 students, all with different gifts and flat sides. Please pray that our team will be blessed with a spirit of cooperation.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam