Memories of Mei Lin

In the last few days, memories of Auntie Mei Lin have flooded my mind and heart. God has truly blessed me with our friendship. She was such a special lady and I am privileged to call her my friend. Please allow me to reflect on some of these memories.

• I served with Auntie Mei Lin on the English Ministerial Committee of our church for nearly 10 years. During almost every monthly meeting, she brought to our attention of specific people in our church and/or in our community who were in need. Sometimes, these reminders distracted us from the meetings' agendas, but they always reminded us that God's agenda for us to care for His people is far more important.

• Because our meetings almost always happened right after Sunday school, it was necessary for someone to bring lunch for everyone else. Prior to one meeting when I volunteered via email to provide the lunch, Auntie Mei Lin wrote to me and told me that I was very sweet. I remember making it a point to save that email because it was such an encouragement especially while our church was going through some very tough times.

• Whenever I sent out emails or support letters needing prayer, Auntie Mei Lin was always one of the first ones to respond... and I know that she truly did pray for me.

• Before I moved up to Vancouver, Auntie Mei Lin took me out to dinner. During our dinner together, she encouraged me and prayed with me. I will always remember that very special dinner.

• Auntie Mei Lin was a regular attendee of our Wednesday night prayer meetings. She often brought in letters from a young woman in prison with whom she was corresponding. She propelled us to also get involved by bringing cards for us to write notes to this young woman. What a reminder that we, as God's people, should be here to love and encourage people! She often also brought cards for us to sign for sick and/or hurting people as well.

• Every Sunday, Auntie Mei Lin always stood in the foyer welcoming everyone to worship service. She was reliably early and always made it a point to look people in the eyes when welcoming them. Whenever we had a question as to whether or not someone was a newcomer, she was sure to know because of her consistent awareness.

These are just a few of the many memories I have of Auntie Mei Lin. I'm sure many of you who read this blog also have memories. Her family would love to have these memories written down and sent to them. (They would also love to get any photos you might have of Auntie Mei Lin.)

• Email:
  MemoriesOfMeiLin@gmail.com

• Physical Address:
  CEFC
  Attn: Memories of Mei Lin
  1111 S. Atlantic Blvd.
  Monterey Park, CA 91754

A Sad Day

It is nearly 4:00AM, but I cannot sleep.

We got a phone call from Auntie Pauline earlier last night. Auntie Mei Lin had passed away.

My mom and I went out to pray with Auntie Pauline, Uncle Ralph and his family last night. Richard and Danette went as well. Because Auntie Mei Lin demonstrated no health problems, this is a huge shock for everyone. In fact, I'm still in shock, which is probably why I can't sleep.

Please pray for Auntie Mei Lin's family at this time. Please also pray for our church because she was a very key person among us. Our whole church family will be mourning when people find out what has happened.

(I'm sorry for rambling and being unfocused in this entry. I'm still in shock.)

Laundry Tip

It has been reported that fabric softeners (both the liquid and sheet forms) contain a lot of toxic chemicals. Here is a list of some:

• Benzyl acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer
• Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant
• Ethanol: On the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders
• Limonene: Known carcinogen
• A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage
• Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list
• Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders
• Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic
• Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders
• Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled

So, I've actually thrown out all my Bounce sheets. Instead, I now put 6 tennis balls into the dryer with my clothes. The results of the tennis balls are as such:

• No toxic chemicals from fabric softeners.
• Shorter drying time on a lower heat setting (lowering use of electricity and/or gas).
• No synthetic "fragrant" smell.
• Fluffy laundry... especially those that have filling (i.e. pillows, down jackets, comforters, etc.)
  
• No static cling.
• No additional costs after initial purchase of new tennis balls.
• Downside: The need to adjust to the thumping noise in the dryer. BUT, they do NOT harm the dryer.
  

Therefore, if you want to save money, eliminate some of the terrible chemicals that come into contact with your body, and still get soft clothes, I would suggest tennis balls in your dryer too... especially if you have children. But, my suggestion is for you to invest in a good brand of tennis balls because the cheap generic ones sometimes have coloring that can come off on clothes.

Let me know how this tip works out for you if you try it!

Missing the Obvious

I'm back in LA for a visit.

Last week, I decided to go visit Debbie and her new baby. Since it was around lunchtime, Debbie asked me to go to In-N-Out to pick up lunch. When I arrived at In-N-Out, I pulled up to the drive-thru window. When I got to the window, the guy looked at me and I looked at him. Neither of us said a word for a few seconds.

Finally, it dawned upon me that I had completely missed the speaker box where I was supposed to place my order. The poor guy at the window was probably trying to figure out what to say to me. By this time, two other cars had already pulled up behind me, so I could not back up. So, I apologized profusely—providing some lame excuse about being from Vancouver. (Drive-thru's are not common in Vancouver proper, and I don't have a car there.)

I felt so stupid. I had literally forgotten how to use a drive-thru!

The guy kindly took my order at the window... probably still puzzled. After I got my order and drove out, I noticed the big bold words on the speaker box, "PLACE ORDER HERE". Talk about missing the obvious!

Next Trip Back to LA

June 9-25.

My Appearance... According to Children

One summer during my early teens, my church was at a particular retreat site that was managed by a married couple. This couple had an adorable little girl. I think she was probably 3-years-old at the time. Needless to say, all my teenage friends and I wanted to play with this little girl. She happily played with everyone except me. Finally, her dad asked her why she didn't want to play with me. Her response was, "Because she's ugly."

I never forgot that incident. This was hard to hear as an awkward teenage girl. I never thought I was physically attractive, but to hear it confirmed by a child really hurt. After all, aren't children naturally honest?

But I received a bit of redemption this week.

I was in LA these past couple of weeks. (I'm now at LAX waiting for my flight back to Vancouver.) To catch up with each others' lives, Angela and I decided to go out for dinner on Sunday night. We went to a Shanghainese restaurant (Mama's Lu Dumpling House) that my mom recommended. When we walked into the restaurant, Charice was there, along with her husband, 3-year-old twins, new baby girl, mom and aunt. It was such a pleasant surprise to see them all. But because it was our "catching-up time," Angela and I did not join them for dinner.

Towards the end of dinner, Maddie (the girl twin) came up to me and just stood there smiling at me. After several seconds, she finally said to me, "You're very beautiful."

Maybe I've grown out of my awkward teenage phase or maybe Maddie is less selective. Whatever the reason, Maddie absolutely made my day... actually my week. Thanks Maddie.

"Soul of Ministry" Small Group

For my "Soul of Ministry" class this past term, we were assigned into a small group. We met once per week. Initially, I was reluctant because I don't like forced intimacy and that's I felt was being expected of us. But I ended up absolutely loving this group. Ben, Kirk, J.J., Momin and I got along very well. We were appropriately open with each other, but did not overly divulge everything in our lives... sharing, laughing, praying, eating.

Kirk even made a funny collage for us at our last meeting. Notice the green roof that is so characteristic of the Regent College building. From left to right: Ross (our professor), [Jesus?], Momin, J.J., me, Ben, Kirk)
Then, this past week after we all finished our last papers of the term (except Ben), we had dinner. For this, we included the spouses. J.J. and Kirk both brought their wives, Lisa and Rachel. Ben's fiance, Anna, joined us after we already took the picture. From left to right: me, Kirk, Rachel, Lisa, J.J., Momin, Ben.

I don't know if we will continue to be close because we all come from such different places and backgrounds, but I am grateful for them.

Jesus said:
"For where two or three come together in my name,
there am I with them."
Matthew 18:20.