Meeting an American

Had a dinner with Kyle in a sit-down restaurant somewhere beyond Downtown, Ann Arbor tonight. This guy has been to more than 30 countries, went through more than 8 transitions in his life, and he lives to tell his story, impacting young lives as much as he can (he is just 25 years old this year).

I remember the first time I met him in a Church Congregational retreat, and he introduced himself to our life group. At the end of his introduction I looked around and found every one looking at him either with jaws opened or eyes blinking in disbelief. The things that he has gone through, probably only God and him himself know. The journey that he had gone through in his 25 years totally blew my mind off. Knowing more than 6 languages, having 8 or 9 close families, etc... all these things contribute to the unique mindset that he has, yet when he shares his story with other people, he is open and real.

One of the things that I learn from him, is that I really need to step out of my comfort zone and stop mingling with just Asians and Christians. There's no point of mixing around with Christians, when my purpose in life is to reach out to the lost souls out there. There is no point of mixing around with Asians, when I already understand a large portion of their cultures, norms, and beliefs. God planned for me to come to the USA for a purpose, and although I might not be able to see the whole picture of the plan, I know that one of the reasons for me to be here is to gain experience and open up my eyes that have been closed for the past 20 years. I was thrown a challenge to make American friends and to get to know them well in the next half year to come. I took the challenge with faith.

It was really an eye opener for me. I listened to his story about his past, about his childhood, and I learned that God gives, and God takes away. More than often we gain something, and at the same time we lose another. There is no fairness in life, no mercy in some human beings.Yet if we can take each hardship and turbulence as a learning process, we can really, really learn a lot in our lives. Study is important, but I came to realize that the experience here will probably be the most useful thing that I can gain throughout my three years of university life. Another thing is, I realized how much things that I can learn from a single dinner with someone. I can literally grasp a general picture of his life! I used to think that I need a lot of time to get to know someone's life, and I need to get really close for hearts to be opened. Yet the rendezvous shows me how easily people can share their stories, if one party decides and is willing to break down the barrier first. Here is to a great semester ahead. Life is but a learning process. Be tough, be strong, take a step out of your comfort zone, and the next thing you know, both of your feet are out. Take heart, and by faith, I can do all things through the Almighty One! :)