Just a Thought

Sunday Songs

2008-11-10T00:20:00.002-05:00

Here is our God who's come
to bring us back to him.
He is the one. He is Jesus.

I have a bag of some bedbugs that I collected from my old wooden dresser, since I wanted to have some proof for the exterminator who came last Friday to spray in case he asked. They're pretty disgusting and nasty looking and I don't like looking at them, so I decided to toss it yesterday after the spraying. Before doing that, I thought that just in case they escaped somehow, it would be good to crush their tiny carcasses so they couldn't cause any more havoc in our apartment. I looked at these tiny, ugly, disgusting bugs and I thought... they are so powerless between my fingers. Then I thought, what would it be like to be a bedbug? What would it be like to turn into one? What would it be like to die for the sake of these bedbugs?

God did that very thing. He who saw us as filthy dirty creatures became one of us. Though he was more than powerful enough to crush us, instead he became one of us and took on our just and righteous punishment to save us. Can you imagine? Can you imagine yourself as a bedbug? Can you imagine being crushed? Can you imagine yourself humbling yourself that far? I am convinced that for Jesus to become man was even more remarkable and drastic than that.

Here is our God who has come to bring us back to him.
He is the one, His name is Jesus.

2008-06-24T11:35:00.000-04:00

http://www.sciam.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=BABCDEA5-D180-499B-094168CBE5442468&sc=rss

conservative post from an increasingly conservative person.

2008-05-27T12:19:00.000-04:00

http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1244/

Go now and leave your life of sin.

Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.

2008-05-23T12:17:00.000-04:00

Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness. (Jeremiah 3:22)

http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1232/

Sunday Songs

2008-04-06T23:20:00.000-04:00

Your Love Is Extravagant
Darrell Evans

Your love is extravagant
Your friendship so intimate
I find I’m moving to the rhythms of your grace
Your fragrance is intoxicating in our secret place

Your love is extravagant
Spread wide in the arms of Christ
Is the love that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known
You considered me a friend
capture my heart again

We Must Play

2008-04-03T12:54:00.002-04:00

[Christine King Farris, sister of Martin Luther King Jr.] says it's important for her to push past those painful memories because she wants to humanize her younger brother. Everyone has heard about King, the civil rights icon. She wants to strip away those platitudes to reveal the playful brother she knew.

"He was normal as a person could be," she says. "I really want people to understand that. I want people not to think of him as some mythic character from out of space."

[...]

Farris says she had no inkling that her brother would become such an iconic figure. She remembers the little brother who loved playing pool, doing the jitterbug dance and telling jokes. She also recalls his nickname as a young man -- "Tweed."

"He had this tweed suit and he loved it," she says, smiling. "He would wear it so much so the boys nicknamed him Tweed."

[...]

"I thought about all that I've been through and all these memories and sometimes it gets tough," [Farris] says. "By being the lone survivor, if I don't [write this memoir], a part of history will be left out."

Source: CNN

What Farris wishes to do is not to remember more of the deeds and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but his real and human side. Life is not just about events that come and go but is made complete by the fullness of human emotions as we interact with the challenges of life and dreams of our hearts.

barren land - shane

2008-04-03T12:42:00.000-04:00

barren land - shane

barren land can overflow with
life and fruit and fields that grow
in the barren land with labor and toil
planting seed and tilling soil
will stay the same, stay the same

but if for rain! but if for rain!
but if for rain to fall, irresistibly call
rain to cover me
but if for rain to heal, uncontrollably fill
the soil of eternity

and barren land will overflow with
life and fruit and fields that grow

Holy Spirit spur me to till
a once barren land so thirsty still
for living water, O God, sustains
so life and fruit and fields remain
lest they stay the same, stay the same

2008-04-01T15:56:00.000-04:00

Psalm 27

13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Hosea

2008-03-28T09:27:00.001-04:00

Come let us return
He has torn us into pieces
He has injured us
Come let us return to the Lord
He will heal us
He will bandage our wounds
In just a short time He'll restore us
In just a short time He'll restore His church
So we might live
We might live in His presence
In His presence

Oh that we might know the Lord
Oh that we might know the Lord
Oh that we might know the Lord
Let us press on to know Him
Let us press hard into Him
Then as surely as the coming of the dawn
He will respond

2008-03-27T12:11:00.001-04:00

All that is in me

It's not often enough I lift my hands in worship
It's not often enough I sing a song of joy
But so often I’m reminded of His love, how He's so faithful
So I'll offer Him this sacrifice of praise

All that is in me, all that I am
There's nothing I'm withholding from You
All that is in me, all that I am
Will glorify the Lamb
I offer up a sacrifice of praise to You my God
for You alone are King of Kings
my heart, my mind, my soul, my life, i give You all i am
I wait for You to come and rescue me

2008-03-26T10:56:00.000-04:00

We will seek You first, Lord
You will hear our voices
Early in the morning and late in the night
We will sing Your praises
Giving You the glory
Offering our lives to You, a holy sacrifice
May our praise arise as incense
Oh Lord, to You
May our worship be a fragrance
Oh Lord, to You

Reason For God

2008-02-13T09:47:00.001-05:00

http://www.challies.com/archives/book-reviews/book-review-the-reason-for-god-by-tim-keller.php

2008-02-12T08:32:00.000-05:00

You're our greatest desire, Jesus, Your name is our greatest song

Sunday Songs

2008-02-10T17:35:00.000-05:00

"Son of God" - Starfield

Son of God
Shaper of the stars
You alone
The dweller of my heart
Mighty King
How beautiful You are, how beautiful

Son of God
The Father's gift to us
You alone
Were broken on the alter of love
Precious Lamb
Our freedom's in Your blood, It's in your blood

Jesus, Oh Holy One
I sing to You
Forgiven
Savior, I'm overcome
With Your great love for me

Son of God
Strenght beyond compare
You alone
The darkness cannot bear
Lord of love
Your kindness draws me near, it draws me

Son of God
Prophecy of old
You alone
Redeemer of my soul
Come again
And lead your people home, come lead us home

You are worthy
You are worthy
You are worthy of all my praise

You are beautiful
You are beautiful
I will lift up my hands and sing

edit: i figured i should post the whole song. it's hard to engage fully in worship when doing sound but yesterday hearing those bolded words drew me in. this semester has been about remembering and trusting in God's love. oh how great even the effects of His one act of love for us are two thousand years later.

2008-01-31T10:48:00.000-05:00

I long to live in Your house, O Lord.
I love to sit here at Your feet.
And let Your words be the food I eat, the food I eat.

I love to live in Your house, O Lord,
To dine at the table with my King.
And give to You the praise I bring, the praise I bring.

For here in Your house I find Your embrace,
You set on my head a garland of grace.
When I lift my hands, You fill me with more.
I long to live (I long to live)
In the house of the Lord.

Sunday Songs

2008-01-27T21:16:00.000-05:00

"Mighty to Save" is one of my absolute favorite songs. The phrase "mighty to save" is so much more than just God's ability to do things. The implication is we are not mighty enough to save ourselves. Rather, God, in His power and His glory, saves us in our very greatest need. It is not by our works or our achievements but it is by the power exerted by God through Christ Jesus only which is good enough to bring sinners like us to Him. Today, the bridge was a prayer to shine the might of Christ especially in my workplace and in ministry.

MIGHTY TO SAVE

Everyone needs compassion,
Love thats never failing
Let mercy fall on me

Well everyone needs forgiveness,
Kindness of a savior
The Hope of the nation

Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is mighty to save,
He is mighty to save
Forever, author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as you find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again

I give my life to follow
Everything that I believe in
Now I surrender

Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is mighty to save,
He is mighty to save
Forever, author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing, for the glory of the risen king, Jesus
Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen king, Jesus

Today's worship was just really powerful. I felt that the church after fasting just one day felt the return of God so powerfully. It was unquestionable that God was pleased with the hunger of the church. Even simple songs became worship.

We are yours.
We are yours.
We are yours.

We are yours means two things to me. First, that we belong to God and nothing can separate us from His love. Security. Secondly, that we surrender all that we have to Him, like clay in the hands of a potter, for Him to do what He desires to do with us. Submission.

2008-01-23T08:31:00.000-05:00

I won't be on aim/gchat/facebook for the next couple weeks. I will try to post occasionally throughout that time.. who knows, we'll see =P In any case, if you need to contact me or want to chat, please call or email or text.

Sunday Songs

2008-01-21T08:35:00.000-05:00

Finding us longing not for Him but instead for things of Earth and its pleasures, God does not leave us to our own actions and their consequences but to His own pleasure rescues us and casts His holiness upon us. We declare our belonging to Him, even our own declaration of the faith, an achievement not of our own because even this is caused by His purposeful redemption plan. We are wholly His because He said we are His. Live it.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- Romans 5:8

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
- 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

David Crowder - Wholly Yours

I am full of earth
You are heaven’s worth
I am stained with dirt, prone to depravity
You are everything that is bright and clean
The antonym of me
You are divinity
But a certain sign of grace is this
From the broken earth flowers come up
Pushing through the dirt

You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, Holy God”
You are Holy,Holy,Holy
I want to be holy like You are!

You are everything that is bright and clean
And You’re covering me with Your majesty
And the truest sign of grace was this
From wounded hands redemption fell down
Liberating man

You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to be holy like You are

But the harder I try the more clearly can I feel
The depth of our fall and the weight of it all
And so this might could be the most impossible thing
Your grandness in me making me clean

Glory, hallelujah
Glory, glory, hallelujah
So here I am, all of me
Finally everything
Wholly, wholly, wholly
I am wholly, wholly
I am wholly, wholly, wholly
Yours

I am full of earth and dirt and You.

Sunday Songs

2008-01-14T01:19:00.000-05:00

No matter how good we are in our own personal lives, in our walks with Christ, with our spiritual disciplines, one truth still remains constant: I need you Jesus to come to my rescue.

RESCUE

You are the source of life
I can't be left behind
No one else will do
I will take hold of You

I need You, Jesus
To come to my rescue
Where else can I go
There's no other name by which I am saved
Capture me with grace

My heart is Your's for life
I need Your hand in mine
No one else will do
I put my trust in You

I need You, Jesus
To come to my rescue
Where else can I go
There's no other name by which I am saved
Capture me with grace

I will follow You
I will follow You
This world has nothing for me
This world has nothing for me
This world has nothing for me

Sunday Songs

2008-01-09T00:51:00.000-05:00

Simeon and Nancy sang this song at their wedding and their reception. And then Pastor Matt led worship with this song at JCA this past Sunday. It's amazingly simple, but amazingly powerful. People start new every year (with New Year's Resolutions and all that) but the promise of God is that we can start new not only just every morning, but at any moment of our lives.

Steadfast Love

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases
His mercies never come to an end
They are new every morning
New every morning.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord.
Great is Thy faithfulness.

Sunday Songs

2007-12-31T12:20:00.000-05:00

This Sunday we sang a lot about singing and a "new song". In terms of content, it's never really a new song. It's always about Christ.

"So Good to Me"

You are so good to me
You heal my broken heart
You are my Father in Heaven

[Chorus]
You are beautiful my sweet, sweet song
You are beautiful my sweet, sweet song
You are beautiful my sweet, sweet song
And I will sing again

You ride upon the clouds
You lead me to the truth
You are the Spirit inside me

[Chorus]

You poured out all Your blood
You died upon the cross
You are my Jesus who loves me

[Chorus]

The Beauty of Silence

2007-11-19T01:47:00.000-05:00

Click. Click. Click.

He turned around and tried again.

Click. Click. Click.

The bright orange glow that finally appeared at the end of the cigarette commanded silence. Three times before, he pulled from his dirty green jacket pocket half-used cigarettes picked up off of the ground, a common practice among the homeless who are desperate for something to indulge themselves in. Three times before, he lit cigarettes and took a single puff before the tiny flame burnt the leftover tobacco into ashes while dispassionately answering all of my shallow inquiries into his life.

This time, it seemed wrong to talk in the moment, to take away from what pleasure Don had left to hold onto in this world. Pleased with his victory against Mother Nature, he sucked in that potent smoke and breathed out noxious fumes that induced him to cough a smoker’s cough. Though I was concerned before, this time I felt right about asking him if he was ok. Then I told him that he should probably stop smoking. He agreed.

My time with Don was short. We didn’t talk too much. He confessed to me that he didn’t always have any words to say anyway. I didn’t either. Regardless, we spent about an hour together that day, exchanging what words we did find within ourselves in a weak attempt to establish friendship through such means. Nevertheless, I found two moments beyond words – in particular because of the very absence of my own words – that paint my memory of Don that day.

Between that third and fourth cigarette, we had made our way to the south-west corner of Clinton Dewitt Park. Pleasantly warmed by the descending sun, we found solace on the cold, bare cement with our backs up against the metal gate. We came this way to “fellowship”, as he called it, by talking, eating, and being together. Unraveling his blanket revealed a plastic Duane Reade bag containing a box of cookies, two small pies, and a plastic bottle of milk. Much like I offered him half my sandwich earlier, he offered me his cookies, though I felt too guilty taking any. Now I feel guilty about not taking any. It is a strange human emotion, that which finds more joy in sharing pleasures with another than to keep it for oneself. I wish I didn’t deny him that.

Our conversation about his hometown Dallas and his sister stopped quickly, especially since his cookie-crumb filled beard kept pointing away while his voice rambled on beneath the roaring of the cars in front of us. The sun set equally as fast, taking with it the comfort we had in its light. I started to think of what else I could do. As a result, we sat there in silence, watching cars pass by with a brilliant orange-yellow beginning to fill the western sky. After a few minutes, I stopped thinking of what to do and just sat next to him.

Don started to laugh. For the first time, I saw him smile. I asked him why he was laughing. He said, “Just because.”

After that, Don and I headed back into the park. To the naked eye, we looked very much the same as when we walked out – but to the eye that looks deeper past apparent looks, a pair of friends walked with cheerful hearts and a new bond that spoke of God’s incomparable and indescribable work within the human soul.

God did work that day.

Earlier when we first met, we talked sporadically about whatever question I could conjure up. The conversation never lasted too long because I couldn’t make out his mumbled response. After the first three or four times, I became a tad too embarrassed to keep asking him to repeat himself and nodded my head in feigned agreement instead. He eventually shared about his loneliness and how he felt that he didn’t belong to any group or community in the city. Before he was about to leave, I told him that he was always welcome in God’s family.

For the next ten minutes, Don spoke and I remained silent. He spoke of the gospel and of Jesus Christ and of the promises of God. Verses from the Bible that had been committed to memory earlier in his life accompanied his words. At first it seemed like he was talking to me but later I realized he was really talking to himself. Perhaps he had forgotten the uncompromising and unwavering love of Christ. As Don remembered, tears started to well up in his eyes. He spoke with confidence that God does not fail, even amidst his sorry state of homelessness and loneliness.

I sat there, stunned by Don’s words. I complain about not having a comfortable chair at work or only having to choose from fried chicken, pizza, and Mexican food for dinner. My struggles are far less than what Don experiences every day, yet his hope remained strong.

About a year ago, I came across a quote by Francis Schaeffer. He said, “Man is magnificent, even in ruin.” I’ve spent about a year trying to experience this idea and I’m just starting to see its truth. Being with Don didn’t give me any startling revelations. It just helped me to see a little bit better what Schaeffer was talking about – the beauty of humanity, the wide expanse of emotions of the soul, and the invisible touch of God that creates hope in even the most hopeless of people.

“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations--these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of the kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously--no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinners--no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbor, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat, the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden.”

C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

Thanks for the Reminder

2007-08-15T23:49:00.000-04:00

Remember this guy? He opened for Shane&Shane @ Arumdaun in 2003. I'm starting to really like his voice =P

Some days my dreams fly over my head
It seems I’m going nowhere fast
Promises buried in the sand
But You said that this all would pass (yeah yeah)

Cause I can do anything I want to
As long as You (As long as You)
Are here with me
I can move mountains by the thousands
I can walk on water (Walk on water)
As long as you’re with me

I chalk one up
Because I’m gaining ground
I’m off on my own again
But I hit the wall at the speed of sound
Someday I’ll learn to see Your plan (yeah yeah)

Trent Monk
"With Me"

eMi Update #9 - 7/23/07 - Colorado Springs, CO

2007-07-23T16:05:00.001-04:00

Hey Guys,

A couple of new things in this email update. I know I've been promising a newsletter, but after the conference in Wyoming, my mentor, Craig, wanted to finish his project by last Friday because he would be leaving for vacation for two weeks. I've been unable to put out a newsletter and been behind on my emails. To those of you waiting for a personal email from me, I apologize, I will hopefully get those out by the end of this week. I don't have email except at the office, so I don't have much free time to finish them. The newsletter might be a far off dream =X We'll see what happens.

A friend of mine asked me for some tips on support raising. One of my main points was not to be afraid to ask EVERYONE. As I did so, I realized that I wasn't taking my own advice, so the result is that I have added a bunch of you to this email list. There are several purposes of this email.
1. For financial support (of course =P)
2. For prayer support
3. To encourage the body (you) with what is going on in my life
4. To encourage the body (you) with what this ministry (eMi) is doing in Christ's name.

Since there are many new readers, I'd first like to say if you don't want to receive these updates just let me know. The email updates will be weekly/bi-weekly. Also, many of you might not even know what I've been doing these past two months, so in the next couple of updates I'll be summarizing the major portions of my summer little by little as well as giving you and update on life in general. I'm also going to post my past updates on a blog so you can go over them if you wish. http://irwinkim.blogspot.com/ (Yes, I am trying to graduate from xanga.)

In this email, I'll start with an overview of what is eMi? and what are you doing at eMi? Then I'll talk about the Friday "Intern Development" time, last week's prayer & fasting retreat and finish up with some prayer requests.

Just in case you haven't figured it out yet, I am interning at eMi, engineering Ministries international, a non-profit organization based in Colorado Springs, CO. This ministry is a support ministry that provides free design work of facilities for other front-line ministries in developing world countries (such as C&MA, AG, and HfH). There are three terms -- fall, spring, and summer -- during which project leaders (about 7 of them) are sent out to different areas of the world to visit ministry locations to conduct surveys, evaluate existing buildings and utilities, and to learn more about the ministry and their visions. Each of these project leaders must recruit his own volunteer team of engineers and architects and usually takes an intern or two. At the project site, a preliminary master plan is typically conceived and presented to the locals for feedback. Back in the US, the project leader and intern coordinate with the volunteers to produce a fundraising brochure and project report. The project report typically takes 4-9 months, so most interns are working on past projects that they didn't actually go on.

I got lucky with my project trip - or rather trips. I participated in two trips. One was to Amman, Jordan where we served Habitat for Humanity - Jordan as eMi's first construction management team. The purpose of that trip was to evaluate and improve the building methods that HfH-J employed in creating low cost housing for its customers. The poverty line in Jordan is under US$300/month and HfH-J only provided houses for families that made under US$250/month and provided "sweat equity" (basically, the family would have to participate in the construction of the house with some labor). The second trip was to Beirut, Lebanon, where we served the Armenian Evangelical Church through designing renovation and expansion plans for their summer camp, KCHAG, that was established in 1949. Because of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, the camp was occupied by 7 different militia groups until 2002 and much of it was destroyed. In a time of terrorism where all the Lebanese youth dream of evacuating and going over to America, KCHAG desires to send a message to Lebanon that they will stand firm amidst the chaos. I'll talk more in depth about these two trips in later emails.

Now that I am back in Colorado, I've been using a lot of AutoCAD to draw up building floor plans, elevations, and sections for a project in Burundi (a small country south of Rwanda), where eMi is helping to design a Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Services (THARS) Training Center. Now that this is complete, I'll be working on a fundraising package for the Lebanon project and hopefully will be able to help design the HVAC (Heating/Ventilation/Air Conditioning) and plumbing systems for several of the existing buildings. I only have a few weeks left here, as I leave back for NY on August 10th.

On Fridays, the interns go to the Marion House, a local soup kitchen that serves lunch to the homeless and the needy of Colorado Springs everyday. As a fellow intern pointed out, it's amazing to see how your perspective changes when you interact with people inside the Marion House and out. What I mean is it is easier to "take a step of faith" by talking to these people in soup kitchens but it's much different when you're just walking along the street ignoring those people with their hands out asking for some change. I've been trying to build relationships with some of the people I met there, but it's difficult because you can't expect to meet the same people every week. However, I've been talking with Jim, who apparently used to be quite successful and used to live in Sydney, Australia. Something happened to him, he lost his job and money and now he's a construction worker in Colorado Springs with a bad back. I've seen him three times, and each time he seems a touch happier.

This past Monday & Tuesday, the interns went on a prayer and fasting retreat at Praise Mountain. It was a neat place (actually there were 4 llamas there too) and we got to spend some time alone with God. I spent some of the time rereading my journal entries from the beginning of the internship and I was reminded of the goals I had set for myself. On top was the desire to learn how to love these new brothers and sisters in all that I do. It's still really hard and I'm not sure really how to love them but I'm praying and reading the Word and keeping it on my heart. Another goal I thought about was being focused on God in prayer. My prayer life has been growing slowly throughout the summer and I'm excited to see the different ways God will move in this next year.

Here are some things you can pray for:
1. That I remember God and glorify Him in all the work that I do
2. That I would continue to build a relationship with Jim and that he would find his hope in God
3. That I would love my fellow interns with all that I do
4. That I would seek God through prayer and His word
5. That the ministries in Jordan and Lebanon would be strengthened and encouraged by eMi's efforts

Here are some other ways you can participate in my ministry here.
1. I am still short quite a large sum of money because an extra $500 was added to my project trip. If you would like to help me financially, you can email me back your mailing address and I can mail you a form OR you can donate online through < https://secure.emiusa.org/donate.html>.
2. RWC has it's own homeless ministry called AHAV. Check it out!
3. eMi is starting to recruit for fall projects. For you engineers and architects, check out < http://www.emiusa.org/cpn.html> to volunteer or for those still in school, check out for more information on internships.

I'm coming home on August 10, but I'm considering keeping this email update list alive for a few weeks past that. I might even consider keeping it going for the entire year =P Who knows. If you want to send me mail, you can send it before August 10th to...

Irwin Kim
130 E Kiowa, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

in Christ,
-irwin

eMi Update #8 - 7/09/07 - Colorado Springs, CO

2007-07-23T16:04:00.000-04:00

Hey Guys!

We just got back from a great week in the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Jackson, WY enjoying nature and celebrating eMi's 25th anniversary. From Saturday to Wednesday, we camped out in Colter Bay around Jackson Lake, overlooking the Grand Tetons. The lake was our shower for the week =P. It was a relaxing time of hiking, swimming, smores, and more. We went on a couple hikes to Surprise Lake and String Lake, took a tour of the Yellowstone area including Old Faithful (and the lodge, which was built completely out of wood, I wish I took pictures, maybe I can steal some from another intern), and had a huge BBQ celebrating the 4th of July with the world staff of eMi and some former interns. It was great to be able to talk to different professionals and ministry workers and discover the heart they have for the poorest of the poor and the ways they can use their engineering skills to help them.

From Thursday to Sunday, we helped out with the conference, which included some phenomenal speakers including Fred Markert, the International Director of YWAM Strategic Frontiers. He really put out the challenge to all of eMi to continue to be workers in the kingdom through our professions because eMi helps to support the ministries out in the forefronts. He thinks the next wave of missionaries will be very similar to what eMi is doing, so be faithful in your work! He was a funny man, starting all his lectures with random funny slides, like "Why men don't ask for directions" and "The world's worst album covers" and he put out the spirit of a youthful joyful worker of Christ. It was encouraging to me to see that someone in his fifties could be so joyful in the Lord and I want to strive to have that joy. "Life is serious and laughter is good for the soul."

While being there, I also felt the tugging of missionary work (well, who wouldn't when you're surrounded by international missions workers) but I realized God had really put on my heart the peopleI left behind in New York. Some of you already know that I'll be back in NY for the next year. I'll be living with the OMC boys (Jacob, Jooho, Hans) up near 130th and hopefully will continue to work with Columbia RCF, though I'm not sure in what capacity I will be serving. I don't have a job yet, so please keep that in prayer.

Thanks for all your prayers and support! Seriously, I'm going to send out my newsletter soon =P

Let me know how all your summers are going!

-irwin

pic1: Surprise Lake below one of the Grand Teton

pic2: Leah Lake (next to String Lake) at sunrise

pic3: Old Faithful

eMi Update #7 - 6/25/07 - Colorado Springs, CO

2007-07-23T16:03:00.001-04:00

Hey special people!

This update will be short...

First, I wanted to say a thank you to all of you who made my trip possible by donating your finances and your time by praying for me, my trip, and my team. Welcome aboard to all you new supporters and a special thank you for remembering about my support letter that was lying around on your desk =P

Secondly, I just wanted to update you guys with what's been going on here in Colorado, since I got back from Jordan and Lebanon. Here in Colorado, I am working alongside my project leader and working on providing the ministry we worked with a helpful design report. Tomorrow, we have a design review to present the preliminary design to a group of local engineers and architects to get feedback. Next week, eMi is celebrating its 25th anniversary by having a conference in Jackson Hole, WY from July 5-8th. Things are getting pretty hectic around here and everyone is running around all over the place. The interns are taking a couple extra days off before the conference to camp out up there.

Lastly, I will be sending out a newsletter with some more detail on my trip and my time here in Colorado. Hopefully, I'll get that out before we leave on Friday.

in Christ,
-irwin

eMi Update #6 - 6/12/07 - Amman, Jordan

2007-07-23T16:00:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

I'm back in Jordan for a day, wrapping up my time here in the Middle East. Yes, I'm still alive. It's ironic that we had a couple from Wisconsin here on the trip because of what happened back in their homestate. Though I've been asking for protection over our team, during our time in Lebanon we were never fearful about anything. I think it's somewhat like being afraid of driving because of the fear of car accidents. In fact, car accidents are probably more common than car bombs. I have no qualms about coming back to Lebanon. In fact, they need it. Their tourism is taking a huge hit right now. If you guys ever want to go to the Middle East, I encourage it! It's awesome over there.

I was up this morning at 5:30am to go to the airport. My bag was searched and I was patted down twice. They had a problem with some of our surveying equipment, even though they had no clue what anything was. Reminds me of when I went to OEX and I got the bonus of getting taken aside for a "random" search. Better safe than sorry, I guess. I wonder if they were praying that I wouldn't strangle anyone with the tape measure.

Today we are staying at the Heart of Mercy Ministry Guest House. I'll only be here for one day but I'll be able to meet with some groups. Though the projects are finished (well, in terms of on-site project work) eMi has decided to give their interns a deeper look into the ministry by letting them stay with their team leader to explore future ministry options. This way, we get to see how ministries partner with eMi and see the vision casting process. In 15 minutes, Randy, Craig and I will be leaving to meet with CMA to discuss two projects. Later, we are having dinner with a couple who has been in Jordan for many years doing ministry with Muslims.

It's been an amazing time here of learning many different things. I hope to expound upon all the different experiences in my future newsletter. I wish I could just pull out my brain and plop it onto this email cause there's so much I want to share before I forget. Make sure you pick my brain when I get back =P

I arrive in Colorado Springs at 9:30pm tomorrow (Kune 13th). Randy suggests that I take a day off to reorient myself to life in the US. I think I might do that =P

Until next time!
-irwin

eMi Update #5 - 6/07/07 - Beirut, Lebanon

2007-07-23T15:59:00.002-04:00

Hey Guys,

June 5th - 10:30am

This email will probably be written throughout the course of several days. We only have one laptop here and probably about an hour for our whole team. Right now, we are just finishing part one of our tour of the camp and are waiting for the KCHAG committee leaders to start the vision meeting. Yesterday afternoon, our team flew into Beirut over the city. I was astounded at how western the city looked and it reminded me a lot of New York. Driving up to the camp was a real treat with rolling hills and being able to see so much of the Lebanese landscape. Looking around the camp, you can actually see some of the more modern buildings, which look like multi-story houses that could fit in Hollywood, sporting pools on their patios. Our camp is situated on the side of a hill, about 500 meters above sea level. We have an awesome view of Beirut and the night sky is spectacular. The camp itself is on a grade of approximately 15%, in some places 20%, so walking anywhere is a treat.

If you've been reading the newspapers, there was a bus-bomb in Beirut last night around 8:30pm local time. We actually heard it from here, but rest assured, we are quite safe and pretty far away from where it happened. Speaking to several of the locals, it becomes a part of normal life. There is not much else you can do after one goes off, so people here have learned to get on with life.

KCHAG, the camp we are working with, and the life surrounding it are amazing. We arrived here last night and the people received us very warmly.

June 5th - 10:00pm

I had the privilege of being able to meet the staff of KCHAG several hours early because I came with the team leaders from Jordan and heard of the heart that drove the Armenian Evangelicals here. Maria, who is originally from Armenia, was our main contact and boy did she have everything prepared for us, especially dinner for all of the nights (the most important part =P). She was sharing how thankful and how grateful the Armenian people were to have us. They were astounded that people like us, who have no connection to the Armenian world whatsoever, would come to Lebanon in its current state in order to help them with their project. We are simply amazed at how they have welcomed us and treated us as their own. Before we even unpacked our cars, they stuffed our mouths with chocolate cake and pockets with pocket knives.

Let me explain the ministry of KCHAG and the history behind it now that I understand it a little better. During WWI, the people of Armenia fled their homeland into different nations trying to avoid being part of a 1.5 million person purge now recognized as the Armenian Genocide by a number of countries. Lebanon was one of the countries that received many refugees. In Lebanon, there are approximately 200,000 Armenians, and about 1-2% of those are Armenian Evangelicals. That comes out to around 6,000 people, so the direct population we serve here is small, but the effect is huge.

KCHAG is the name of the camp here, an acronym that stands for Armenian Evangelical Summer Camp... but in Armenian. It was established in 1949 by the Armenian Evanglical Christian Endeavour Union or CE envisioned to serve and provide a home for the youth in the Beirut area. It started with a few businessmen coming together and purchasing a plot of land that now holds about 30 structures and a basketball court (and also a couple landmines). The first summer camp held in 1949 was in tents. Slowly, year by year, buildings were constructed in KCHAG and by 1952, a chapel was opened. A community of Armenians began to spring up around KCHAG as it became the hub of life, a place where people came to spend their day and even for Sunday service.

June 7th - 11:00am

There's a lot that's going on and I haven't been able to complete a lot of thoughts, but I have to go with the flow here. They say the motto of eMi is flexibility. Being put on a plane to the Middle East 36 hours after being told of my itinerary change, I think I have experienced that full well. I'll try to polish things up for a newsletter, but for now, I'll try to give you as much as I can in the time given me.

We have met over a dozen people who have been at KCHAG for over 30 years and have even met one lady who was at the very first KCHAG camp in 1949. That was 58 years ago! There are five young men who have volunteered to sleep over at KCHAG despite work and final exams during the day to make sure the camp is secure by taking shifts walking around at night as we sleep. People tend to use KCHAG as a shortcut through the hills, so they are keeping us safe.

Also, we have met with five local architects and engineers during the past two days to learn about common construction practices and codes and to hear their input and suggestions on the design being implemented here. Last night, our group of three architects conceptualized a plan consisting of 5 phases of appromixately $100,000 US each to be implemented in 6-10 years and it looks great. Today, we are continuing to meet with local professionals and have begun to look into various aspects of existing buildings, including structural integrity, electrical systems, and water systems. The electrical wiring here is pretty crude. The camp is fed minimal power from the municipality and from the bottom, a long (long long long) string of extension cords jump from building to tree to tree to building all the way to the top. That gives you an idea of how run down this place has become. This morning, the power went out for a few minutes until they powered up the backup generator. It supplied 1.5 kW, which is about good enough to power two floodlights and a refrigerator. Also, they had to refill the water tank with a 10 cubic meter truck four times in two days. One of those trucks usually lasts them several days. That gives you an idea of how much water we Americans can waste.

There's so much more I wish I could tell you about but time is short. I'm reading through this email and it looks like there's a lot to read through so I'll send this off and maybe start another chain tomorrow morning.

All is well. The food is great. The people are wonderful. The view is better than what you all are looking at, I'm pretty sure. Especially those of you looking into your cubical wall =P Thanks once again for all your prayers. If you run out of things to pray for, here you go.

Pray that...

1. God be the focus of our work here in Beirut.
2. We would have excellent communication between the team and the community leaders and the local architect/engineers to produce an appropriate design.
3. Unity amongst the team to work together with all of our different disciplines.
4. Safety and protection from any sort of harm.
5. Resolution and peace between the Lebanese government and the militants and PLO camps.
6. Physical strength and perseverance as we only have three more days to complete a presentable project to the camp committee.

As always, if you have any prayer requests, please send them over.

In Christ,
-irwin

eMi Update #4 - 6/04/07 - Beirut, Lebanon

2007-07-23T15:59:00.001-04:00

Hey Everyone!!

I'm in Lebanon!! And I'm alive!!

Actually, Beirut is beautiful. The airport is situated such that the flight in was right over the water into the city. I wish i could write more, but I gotta go!

Thanks for all your prayers!

-irwin

eMi Update #3 - 6/02/07 - Amman, Jordan

2007-07-23T15:58:00.000-04:00

Hey guys,

This one's going to be another quick update. My team and I just got back from our closing time in Jordan, which was a blast. We got to see a bunch of cool sites including Mount Nebo (Deut 34) and the Dead Sea, where the water is salty that you can't sink even if you wanted to. How's that for you CC'ers =P We completed the roof of the house that we were working on in Jordan and came up with dozens of ideas how Habitat for Humanity can improve the quality and quantity of their houses in Jordan. From here on out, we will be compiling a report to give to Phillip, the director of HfH-J. The main concern actually is not the ideas that we developed, but rather implementing them in this culture and society. HfH-J exists not to build mansions and give them a one step solution for the people in Jordan but to provide help in order that they might be just a little bit closer to having a better life. In line with this idea, we are struggling to provide ideas that are applicable and realistic and will make sense to the people here.

If you have been watching the news lately, fighting has broken out in Lebanon once again. This is day two of heavy artillery fire on a PLO refugee camp, which is believed to be the hiding place of the Fatah al-Islam, a group affiliated with al Queda. CNN calls it "the worst internal violence since the end of Lebanon's civil war in 1990." Regardless, eMi will be moving into KCHAG, a summer camp for youth in Beirut backed by the Armenian Evangelical Church in Lebanon. The reason we are going to KCHAG in spite of the recent attacks is because the fighting is isolated to the northern section of Beirut, in the refugee camp. KCHAG is 20 minutes outside of Beirut, which is a safe distance from any retaliation Fatah will try inside Beirut.

I appreciate any and all prayers lifted up for me and my team! It's awesome to know that I have a team backing me up in prayer. Here are some things you can lift up in prayer.

1. Safe passage into and out of Lebanon for the team.
2. God's work not to be interrupted in spite of the attacks.
3. Peace in Beirut and in Tripoli, for the civillians and the refugees in Lebanon
4. God's continued work in Jordan and with HfH-J.
5. God's mercy on our team and the outbreak of diarrhea =D In general, the health of our team.

I've tried to keep up with a few of you and your prayer requests, but it's hard to get in contact with all of you on a personal level. If there is anything I can pray for you about, then please let me know. It's been two weeks out of school but I know I've been depending on Christ a lot more.

in Him,
-irwin

eMi Update #2 - 5/28/07 - Amman, Jordan

2007-07-23T15:57:00.001-04:00

Dear Supporters,

Marhaba! Hello!

I write to you from the comforts of an internet café in Amman, Jordan, no more than 5 minutes from the home where our team is staying. I thought we would be staying in some log cabin or a tent, but we actually have a very nice house that is owned by one of the directors of Habitat for Humanity – Jordan (HfH-J). The nights here are amazing, something you could only dream of back in New York at this time. The day times are full of flies and sweat, as we are working on a house in the outskirts of Amman for HfH-J. The food here is quite wonderful, not really something that I needed to be concerned about. It is mostly things we all have had in the states, including chicken and rice (much better than 53 rd and 6th =P). They like to serve piping hot Ceylon tea throughout the day and after meals which is absolutely delicious, so I bought 200 bags. Hopefully, I will have the chance to share a cup or two with all of you. The locals are all pretty friendly, and though Arabic is not an easy language to pick up, interaction is easier because most of them know a little bit of English. They like to lock arms and put arms around shoulders in public, but I guess that's not really a change considering where I lived this past year.

For the past two days, we have been helping the HfH-J team with the construction of one of their homes. The homeowner Hussein is married and has 7 children and is waiting for the construction of his 3 room 55 square meter home. Each room is only 4x4 and there is a small bathroom (which has the simple restriction that the toilet must not be faced such that your backside is facing Mecca when you take a number two.) Most of the framework of the house was already finished when we got there with just the roof work needing to be completed. So far, in the two days that we worked, we have launched ourselves half a day ahead of schedule with two more days of work, so progress seems to be going very well. Tomorrow, we will hopefully finish the ceiling supports and pour the ceiling concrete over it.

My current project with HfH-J is more of a construction management project than a design project. While we are helping with the construction of this one house, we are more concerned about how HfH-J can improve their building capacity around Amman and surrounding communities. We have been meeting with Phillip, the director of HfH-J, who has an incredible heart to serve the poorest of the poor here in Jordan. Currently, he oversees the construction of 70 houses, 40 in Amman and 30 in three surrounding communities. Next year, he hopes to produce 100 houses total, 60 in Amman and 10 in each of the four poorer surrounding communities. Our aim has been finding changes that Phillip can implement in order to reach his goal. This has proven immensely difficult because of the social limitations implanted in the people here. There's so much more to say, but I'm afraid I need to get to sleep soon =X.

As for Lebanon, after speaking with a missionary in Lebanon and the KCHAG ministry president, my team leaders have decided to take their advice and proceed with the trip. This is not to say that the situation in Lebanon has gotten any better or worse, but for now, the in country contacts are very optimistic. If things get bad over there, we have until Friday to cancel the trip. In this case, I will mostly likely travel with my team leaders to Cairo, Egypt in order to vision cast for future eMi trips.

I would like to thank all of you for your prayers and for all your support. It is truly a blessing to know that I am being backed up. There have been many things that have happened but I haven't been able to share. Hopefully, I will share more with you in the next update letter and when I return to the US. Please pray for the following:

1. That God would be glorified in all that I do
2. That I would have a missions minded heart to serve the people
3. That God would open paths to administer the gospel both through our words and actions
4. That God would open my heart to the relationship opportunities before me.
5. That God would protect the Jordan and Lebanon team from danger.

Shukron! Thanks!

With the love of Christ

eMi Update #1 - 5/24/07

2007-07-23T14:31:00.000-04:00

Dear Supporters,

I apologize for having to write an impersonal and an undetailed letter to all of you. In another couple of weeks, I hope to be able to send out an update letter with some details about how God has been working in the Middle East. To those of you who haven't even received a support letter, I thank you for your interest and your support. This letter is rushed, but is necessary because of what has happened to my plans. Here is a quick breakdown of my current itinerary.

May 25th, 11:20am (MST) – Depart from DEN (Denver Airport)
May 26th, 5:45pm (Jordan Time) – Arrive in Amman, Jordan
June 4th, 12:00pm (Jordan Time) – Depart from Amman
June 4th, 1:00pm (Lebanon Time) – Arrive in Beirut, Lebanon
June 12th, 8:45am (Lebanon Time) – Depart from Beirut
June 12th, 9:35am (Jordan Time) – Arrive in Amman
June 13th, 11:30am (Jordan Time) – Depart from Amman
June 13th, 9:29pm (MST) – Arrive in DEN

Because of the situation in Lebanon, my main project trip has been changed to the Jordan trip, which begins Friday, May 25th. This trip will focus on construction management and will last approximately four days. It is a joint project with Habitat for Humanity. Currently, the Lebanon trip is on hold and may or may not be cancelled. The final decision will be made on Monday, May 28th. If the decision is made to cancel the trip, I will spend the rest of the time in Cairo, Egypt with two of the team leaders from the Lebanon trip on a vision casting mission. If the decision is made to go ahead with the Lebanon trip, then the original project at the youth summer camp site will proceed as planned. Regardless, I will return to Colorado Springs on June 13th to finish my internship.

Because of this schedule change, my project cost has increased by $560. If you would like to support me financially, please prayerfully contribute through one of two ways. You may send a check written out to "engineering Ministries international" to 130 E Kiowa Street Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 or you may donate online at < https://secure.emiusa.org/donate.html > and designate it to Irwin Kim.

Please keep me in your prayers. Among your prayers, please pray for:

1. God's movement in the Middle East
2. God's protection over the team and over the ministry
3. God's spirit of unity among the team members
4. God's teaching to team and the nationals
5. God's comfort amidst all the changes being made

Here are the team's prayer requests

1. That the Lord would glorify Himself in this conflict and others would come to know him through this opportunity – "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." ~ Gen 50:20
2. For those who are directly being affected now; the families of those who have died. This refugee camp contains the poorest in Lebanon.
3. For unity and effective ministry among the Christian workers to share the love of Christ.
4. The Kchag Center and their leadership
5. For the Lord's leading and discernment for our project trip in two weeks.

Thank you all so much.
Irwin

The Words We Speak But Do Not Say

2007-05-04T03:41:00.000-04:00

Not that i feel like i am doing especially well or that i am in a good stretch of my life, but because i look around me and see hearts falling left and right, i find myself yearning for God's presence more and more not just in my life but in the lives of others. This life is strange in that we live our own lives and we take care of our own spiritual journey through disciplines such as prayer and quiet times, which form our own spiritual conditions, yet we are so affected by the people around us that regardless of our own spiritual walks, the joy or the deadness in others can override our own feelings of life. As Christians, we are constantly commanded to encourage each other and to lift each other up.

See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage each other daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.
- Hebrews 3:12-14 (NIV)

This command that we have is a serious command that is set in direct opposition to turning away from the living God. When we are left to ourselves, we fall into the trap of our sin and look at ourselves and our failings without the lens of grace. All of a sudden, God's grace is not enough and we flail around looking for things other than God. As we encourage each other, we remind ourselves of the grace that God freely (in the sense that there is no condition under which He will not pour out his grace) gives to us and to others. We encourage each other to protect against hearts that turn away from God's grace because they cannot see the very grace that God showers them with. We encourage to guard our very salvation.

(No, I am not saying that you can lose your salvation, but instead in the same way that we "work out our faith in fear and trembling" (Phil 2, emphasis mine) and are "all the more eager to make [our] calling and election sure" (2 Pet 1, emphasis mine), we encourage as a sign of a people changed by God's power and grace.)

There is total legitmacy to sharing your troubles and concerns with brothers and sisters in Christ as the body is one important way God speaks to us and works within us. Recently, however, I've been increasingly discouraged by the way people handle their frustrations in life. It is one thing to talk to your closest friends and your accountability partners and your mentors to work out the problems in life, but it is another to lash out at the world. Sometimes, these issues with life leak out so strongly that it affects everyone and everything around. But let's not get too accusational-sounding without mentioning of course, I am plenty guilty of this as well.

(I know to "lash out" is very strong language, but even in lesser degrees, to publicly broadcast your anger or frustrations is not wise, in my opinion.)

For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
- 2 Cor 2:15 (NIV)

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
- 2 Cor 5:20 (NIV)

The reason I think this is because our every word and our every action is a testimony to who God is. We are supposed to represent Christ in all that we do and when we show our frustrations and our struggles so transparently to unbelievers, it may stumble them. "Why should I be Christian when it only leads to terrible things? I'd rather not deal with them at all!" Our lives are the the aroma of Christ, and Christ's ambassadors. God works and moves through us! Let us be true representations of God and take on His strength and joy throughout all things. In this way, may unbelievers see the goodness of God.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God -- even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many so that they may be saved.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 (NIV)

In the same way that our walks affect unbelievers, they affect fellow brothers and sisters. Let us not be stumbling blocks to each other, causing us to doubt the goodness of God and his sovereignty. It is one thing to be visibly frustrated and to be open to brothers and sisters, but when the issue remains inside tight lips, it serves no purpose to appear mad and angry.

We are human and we experience a whole host of problems, tests, trials, and struggles, but our God is a God above all these things. Over the past semester, I've tried to cling so hard to something Paul says in 2 Cor 4:17 - "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." Amidst all the things that go awry in our lives, remember these things. One, remember the reward/prize that awaits us in heaven (Phil 3:7-21). Two, consider Christ, who suffered and endured far more than anyone through His separation from God (Heb 12:2-3) and Paul, who took joy in His suffering (2 Cor 11:23-29). Three, trust in God's goodness (Rom 8:28).

I'm not saying to be fake, but instead to be cautious not to diminish God's power to other believers and to nonbelievers. One of the greatest testimonies to an unbeliever can be how God has brought us out of our trials and restored us. One may argue, let us be transparent and "real" with unbelievers. Let us show the true struggles of a Christian and not hide them. But I think when we do this, we tend to forget to include the essential message of the gospel. That while we were still enemies, while we were sinners, as we fall to temptations and struggles, as sin continues to stumble us, Christ still loves us and gives us the hope of future grace and glory in Him.

... let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
- Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

Let's encourage each other in this way that we might lift each other up out of darkness and to pick each other up when we stumble and persevere with one another in this long race that we call life.

first post

2007-03-06T01:51:00.000-05:00

well i think i am only making this so i can keep track of all the oldies who are migrating from xanga to blogger. maybe later i'll make better use of this too.