Dad, Me, Mom, Victor

Cheng Family at Thanksgiving 2001

            Through spending time with my parents, we began to attend Willowcreek Community Church where the weekend services present the Gospel fundamentals and practical life messages and are intended for seekers and non-Christians.  These services opened up my parent’s hearts to hear about Christ’s love and saving power. I visited this Church with my old youth group when I was in high school. It’s 4 different several thousand person services, auditorium-style worship, enormous parking lot with people directing traffic greatly intimidated me.  I remember commenting how impersonal it all was, how I wondered how anyone could come to Christ, and how I’d never go back there for Church.   I was so wrong.  God showed me how he uses both the big and small for his glory.

We had been consistently attending the weekend services and having interesting conversations about God, faith, morality, ethics, issues with the current medical health care system, and our lives.  My dad is a great proponent of justice and has identified many problems about the American health care system. After a Sunday service,  my dad said “I wonder what Bill Hybels would think about these medical issues.”  I was amazed.  In the past, my dad wanted to stay away from Pastors and this was the first time I heard him wanting to talk to one of them!

             On January 16^th, 2002, my dad met with Pastor Bill Hybels to talk to him about some issues that he had.  The night before I stayed up and wrote Bill a long letter explaining to him how through my dad’s 78 years on the earth, he experienced much pain and suffering, his mother died when he was about 10, he endured 2 wars, grew up with a crippling and deforming medical disorder, and survived several death experiences.  Through his experiences, my dad’s heart was hardened to the existence of a loving God. I asked Bill Hybels to share the gospel with my dad.  When they finally spoke for about 5 minutes, the whole “conversation” consisted of my dad talking and Bill Hybels nodding his head listening. I was pretty disappointed at this and started doubting if my dad would ever come to know God.  God showed me how I should simply rely on Him and how his timing is so perfect.

           The next day I picked up a call for my dad. I thought it was a telemarketer and was about to say “he’s not available,” when the voice asked, “is this Julian.”  It scared me a bit. The person on the other end explained to me that he was a lawyer from Willowcreek and that he had read my letter.  He wanted to help get my dad’s issues addressed and change to happen in the community.  That Sunday we met with Jim.  For 1 hour my dad talked and talked and Jim listened to the issues. I was pretty frustrated so I left to the bookstore.  When I returned, the whole conversation had changed, the mood was warm and the two spoke about family like old friends.  I looked over at my dad and though, my dad must have a cold or something, he was sniffling. 

       Jim asked my dad, “would you like to share the decision that you made with your son?” 

       “He knows about everything already,” replied my dad, thinking about the medical issue.

       "Oh, I mean about the prayer we just prayed.” elaborated Jim.  This floored me.  My heart began soaring and I couldn’t believe my ears. Jim went on to tell the story that he explained th Gospel to my dad and that my dad had just accepted Christ.  I felt like leaping for joy. I hugged my dad and couldn’t help thanking Jim.  After 78 years of struggle and pain, my dad put His faith in Christ as his Lord and Savior.  God is so good!

           Away from my friends, I felt really alone in terms of friendship and support. While I often called my friends in Austin, it wasn’t the same to pray with someone and share in person. I constantly prayed that God would provide a fellowship where I could learn, grow, be blessed, and bless others. God again, amazed me with how He not only answers prayers, but provides abundantly.

          After checking out numerous Churches and fellowships around the area, I began attending Chinese Christian Fellowship Church’s Young Adult Fellowship on Friday nights.  Though it is quite far from my house (about 45 minutes driving), I felt this is a place I could be nurtured, grow, bless others, and be blessed.  My Bible study leader, Sam Chan, is not only an awesome leader, but also has a very evangelistic vision and has planned several outreach events such as our March 30^th Dialog Dinner.  My small group is equally as awesome.  Instead of being the older brother to all the youth, I am really blessed to have several older sisters and brothers in the group. It's fun because they are like the older sisters I've never had.

         Here's also the newest member to our small group, Gabriel Chua, son of Eric and Helen.

Back: Nancy, me, Eric & wife Helen, Mary, Wei-Wei
Front: Tina, Sam & wife Stephanie

             Although I mentally tried to stay away from helping out with the youth group so I could focus on my own family, God softened my heart when he led me to True Light Lutheran Church.  This Church is composed of a lot of parents from my old Church that broke up when I was in college.  They recently purchased a building that is less than five minutes driving from my house.  True Light is less than 100 people and only has a Mandarin service so doesn't have any high school, college, or young career people.  There are actually about 10 students in 6th grade and the need to start a youth program is there.  When I walked in the doors, some parents came up to me and said "we've been praying for your brother to come lead our youth, but God seems to have sent you instead." 
               I was taken aback by this statement, had God really sent me to this Church? I remembered my days in youth group, how we didn't have a permanent youth pastor or a counselor.  Many of my friends fell away from God and only have a 'fairy-tale' knowledge of who the True Living God of the Bible is.  I was convicted to meet the pastor and after much prayer I told him I could help out as a sort of interim counselor, but not assume the full responsibilities of youth director as they wished--after all, I came back mainly to minister to my family.  As it turns out, this is all True Light would need.  We also started meeting with an older group of students having a Bible study.  Because a local Chinese school meets during the same time as Church, a lot of parents would rather send their kids to Chinese school. In the afternoon, after I go with my parents to Willowcreek, I meet with Daniel, and Pastor Wu (an IBC--Indian Born Chinese) and we help out with the high school Bible study.
 

Me, Molly, Cheryl, Mary, Ben, Dinan
 

Top: Me, Cheryl, Daniel, Ball to represent Chris
Bottom: Michelle, Christine

Ranis, me, and Linda at our Chinese New Year Celebration at Joshua Homeless Center

CCFC Young Adults Serving Food

Chinese Outreach discussion groups

Alan, Yang Dong, me, Rocky

               This weekend CCFC also went to a evangelistic outreach with some students from China. We played games, sang songs, and broke up into small groups to get to know each other better. These students are government workers from Shenyang, China that are getting their MBAs from Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL.  At first we were told to be a bit careful about sharing our faith because there was a "monitor" who would say what we could and could not do.  However, through the sharing times and through someone giving their testimony, the students were very open to talking with us and asking "Who is Jesus, what is His role?" and "Do you really believe in the Bible?"  I even got to share the gospel message to a guy named Bob, and I got to help Yang Dong and Rocky try to buy a car.  I pray that our friendships can grow and that they might see Christ through us and come to know Him as Lord and Savior.