cards...

"None of us can help everyone.
But all of us can help someone.
And when we help them, we serve Jesus." Max Lucado

The Little things you do...
the sacrifices you make...
may not always be noticed by others - but God sees every one of them and smiles.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,
as working for the Lord, not for men,
since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.
It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Col 3:23, 24 NIV

You are making a Difference

God will not forget the work you did and the love you showed. Heb 6:10 NCV

Thank you for sharing God's love, not only with your words but also with your life.

In today's world, that's not always easy to do -
but that's what makes you different,
and the reason you make a difference too.

Thanks for being who you are and doing what you do - you are appreciated more than you know.

God has given each of you some special abilities;
be sure to use them to help each other,
passing on to others God's many kinds of blessings. 1 Pt 4:10 TLB

When we pour all we have into God's hands,
he sifts it like sand, uncovering the gems of his special gifts and letting our lives reflect His true and lasting grace.

We are praying, too, that you will be filled with His mighty glorious strength so that you can keep going...
always full of the joy of the Lord. Col 1:11 TLB

The way your life shines for His glory is a blessing to all.

2013 International Snow Sculptures Championship

Once again this year, the 2013 International Snow Sculptures Championship was held at Breckenridge, Co from 22 Jan. to 3 Feb, 2013. Many countries participated in this Championship including, Canada, China, Singapore, and America, of course. The winner is from Mongolia.

      

 

  

Beautiful Colorado: Breckenridge

This trip to Breckenridge came to me as a surprise. I had the opportunity to stay at Thompson's cottage for a night there. It was a relaxing trip. After breakfast, we spent some time reading. Then, Tom ran while Andrea and I hiked on the Horseshoe Gulch. After the hike, Andrea and I went to the downtown and rode on the gondola. We then had flatbread at the food truck. The day ended well and I felt I had gone for a short vacation.



View of Breckenridge from the gondola

Snow cap mountain from horseshoe gulch

Food truck at downtown

Horse chariot at downtown







an amazing sunset with snow mountain

Beautiful Colorado: Fort Collins

Located in northern Colorado, Fort Collins is home to Colorado State University and an outstanding public school system. Nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains, Fort Collins offers exciting recreational opportunities, unique cultural offerings, and is a regional center for employment and shopping. Throughout the year, live music and entertainment, as well as great local dining, can be found throughout the historic downtown area. Fort Collins offers the convenience of a small town with all the amenities of a larger city. If you are seeking the Colorado lifestyle and a community in which you can reinvent and reinvigorate yourself then Fort Collins is your city.(http://www.fcgov.com/visitor/)

Northern Hotel in downtown







University

Horse Tooth Mountain

Reservoir









View of Fort Collins





It was great to spend time with Elina and Adam during my visit to Fort Collins. I have known Elina when I first came to USA in August 2009. We were in the same orientation at that time. I'm so grateful that we were in the same class last semester before she graduated in December 2012. Adam and her have just moved to Chicago so that Adam can go to Moody College. Wishing them all the best! God bless you always...

Hiking

Lately, I have picked up a new hobby of doing hiking. It is fun yet I'm a bit concern with my short of breath in Colorado. However, thank God that so far so good and managed to do a few hikes without any injury. My goal is to do a fourteener before I leave the country.. Let see!! haha..

The first one I hiked was hanging lake. You can find more info on hanging lake here. The trail is a bit shady and rocky. At some point, the trail is very steep. Seeing the lake at the end makes the hike worth doing. No pain no gain.

Then I did couple trails at Manitou Springs.

Maroon Bells are the most recent one. The view is simply breath-taking. I stayed overnight at Glenwood Springs and had a spa in the morning. It was rainy and cloudy in the morning and my friend and I prayed that God would clear the sky when we get there. He is merciful to us and he did it. It would not be nice if it were cloudy. Because of the rain in the morning, the snow covers part of the mountain and making it beautiful. Truly thank God for knowing what is best!

If you happen to be in Colorado, don't forget to do things outdoor and enjoy God's creation!

Blessed Trip to Israel (Part 3)

Day 7

It's a day off. We visited Garden of Tomb (not historical but still cool!) before we took a bus to Palestinian refugee camp and Bethlehem Bible College.

 
 The Tomb (so-called)



The skull-like rock (aka Golgotha)

 The passionate guide at the Garden of Tomb



Wine Press

 Drawings on dividing wall.
 

Blessed Trip to Israel (Part 2)

Day 3 to Day 6

Under construction...

Blessed Trip to Israel (Part 1)

It was rather a miracle for me to visit Israel recently. I only received the visa two days before I flew. Anyway, it was all God's work! I went and I came back. I was tanned but blessed. The weather had been very very hot. However, the heat did not keep me from learning every bit from our tour instructor, Brian. He is so knowledgeable and prepared fro every single session, whether in class or on sites.

We had a stop at JFK airport from Denver to Tel-Aviv. I met a couple on their way to Ireland and Scotland and they are from Grand Junction. We had a good talk during the flight.

The ride to the hotel from airport was about one hour. We traveled from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem.All the buildings in Jerusalem are built with local limestone and hence the color is the same through out the whole city.

Almost without any delay, after dropping off our luggage at Hotel Gloria, Cameron gave us a tour around the hotel area and to the JUC (Jerusalem University College) located about 10-min walk away from the hotel.

After that, we eagerly headed towards the Western Wall (aka Wailing Wall) in the old city. The wall is divided into male and female section and male section is two-third of the wall. I had the opportunity to touch the wall after seeing a spot. The women there prayed, cried and kissed the wall. All I could pray was asking God to bless Jerusalem. The way to exit is by reversing and not to turn around. With all respect, I followed what the people were doing.

This ended my first day in Israel. Everything was good!

DAY 2:
The first half of the day, we toured the Old City. The old city is divided into four quarters: the Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian.

We began with Jaffa Gate, which is located next to Hotel Gloria.

This menorah was built according to the measurement in the Bible and it will be placed in the new (third) Temple when they build it someday.

The Dome of the Rock.

The Mount of Olives.

The Western Wall during the day. Notice that there is no division in the day!

 

 Some of the stuff people were selling as we walked around the Old City.

 The Damascus Gate.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This Church commemorates the body of Jesus after crucifixion. There are different chapels on the Sabbath such as the Greek Orthodox, Catholic, Armenian and Egyptian Coptic. That stone above was the place where Jesus was prepared for burial. Many people were kissing it and kneeling before it as a form of worship.

The Zion Gate.

We had lecture in the afternoon and we went to Aroma, a famous place for coffee, in the evening as highly recommended by Dr. Dallaire. I had Mocha because I don't drink coffee (but it has coffee in it.. haha.. but the cocoa overpowers the taste of coffee).