I had to take a break from blogging to get ready for all church camp. Now back to counting my blessings.
11. Getting my CPA license was a journey of trust, faith, & reliance on the Lord. I was never a good test taker. And to have to sit two full days for the exam was gruesome. Most of my EY co-workers passed it during their first try, but it took me 4 tries. I can only take it once a year, so 4 tries means almost 4 years. The battle of perseverance was long and hard and many times I wanted to quit, but I knew God wanted to me to continue. When I felt prepared, I ended up failing. The time I passed was when I felt least prepared and was 6 months pregnant with C. I had to rest and go to the bathroom so many times that it took time away from my exam. But yet, I still passed. God showed me that my accomplishment is not by my own wisdom or strength, but by His power and grace.
12. God richly blessed us with our house. We started with a 1000 sq ft house in SL and upgraded to this almost 2600 sq ft house in CV. With me working part time since C was born, we were not able to save very much. Yet through increased equity, we are able to upgrade. With the housing bubble bursting, our mortgage was never under water. In a period where some people lost their home due to foreclosure, we were able to upgrade. This is only because of His blessing.
13. My richest blessing was the birth of the boys. Both were born healthy and without complication. Although I had to push for over 2 hours for C without epidural, it's much shorter than some other story. We had a hard time with C because he was not feeding well and I was inexperienced. We literally got on our knees, lifted him up, and prayed for God's mercy and guidance. He grew fine despite eating only 5 oz of milk a day for weeks as an infant. When J was born, he was an extremely good baby. Ate well and slept well. God knew that I can't handle another tough one.
14. Many of you have heard our adoption story which included so many miracles and blessings. We were given a healthy girl (only with minor heart problem) and she had every few attachment issues when we got her. When we didn't have the remaining adoption fee and had plans to max out all our credit cards, friends and families provided the funds that we needed. The adoption process and transition in China was smooth and safe, something we were concerned about when we contemplated whether or not to bring the boys. It turned out to be a great experience for everyone.
15. Ever since I had kids, God always provided jobs that were flexible and fits into our family's schedule. It's important for me to be involve in my kids' school and to know their teachers and friends. I wanted to help them develop socially. And I wanted to be home with them as much as I can. My jobs allowed me to do this so far. When the supposedly "good job" made me miserable, I didn't want to quit because I fear that I can't get another one just as flexible. Then, God brought me another. Although this new job pays almost 30% less, it's a blessing that I can bring home a paycheck. God never promised that He will make me rich, but will He always take care of my needs.
16. Another big miracle and blessing is that I can see that God is changing me and giving me the desire to know and draw closer to Him. He is changing me both physically and spiritually. Physically, I have lost over 30 pounds and my lifestyle have changed completely (180 degree). I used to dread exercising and particularly running. But now, I exercise 5 times a week and looks forward to it. Some days I exercise at 6 am. Before, I can't even run a block, but now I can run 5 miles at a time. I have even signed up for a 10K in November. I love the high feeling I get after a run and the accomplishment I get when I am able to lift more weight than what I'm used to. Even H said that I am completely different, when I tell him my goals for running, he would say, "Who are you?" Spiritually, God is reaching out to me where I am. Although I am sinful and broken, He is gentle and patience with me. When I cry out to Him, He speaks to me. Before, I am NOT a morning person. I only wake up 10 mins before the drop dead time that I HAVE to wake up and not a minute more. Now, I wake up early enough to have time to pray, read God's word, AND make hot breakfast. Who am I? I couldn't have change on my own, I have sure tried before. This change is the work of the Almighty God.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 08, 2013
Counting My Blessing Cont...
As I continue to reflect on all the blessings of my life, it's hard to deny the existent of God and that He has a plan for my life.
5. In my childhood years, God brought many adults, aside from my parents, into my life that actually took an interest in me. They helped me through difficult situations and mentored me. Most of them are my high school fellowship sponsor and Sunday School teachers. And even a non-christian teacher coached me through my awkward teen years.
6. God kept me safe through out all my years in Oakland public school. In Jr High, when Chinese kids were getting beat up on buses for just being Asian, I was spared. In high school, a cherry bomb exposed 3 feet in front of me and I graduated without a scratch.
7. In my high school years, I went through a defiance and disobedience stage in life where I didn't want to listen to the wise words of my parents and chose to be the "bad girl". Through that period, God kept me from myself, protected me from harm, and prevented me from getting life threatening diseases.
8. I was the first in my family to go to college, so I had no idea how to prep for that. I didn't visit any school or talk to anyone about colleges. But for some reason, I knew that I wanted to go to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Perhaps they had a good architectural program that I might be interested in, but in honesty, I wasn't that into architecture after interning at an architecture firm for a few summer. I was accepted and was all set to go away to San Luis Obispo. The summer before my freshman year, the doctor told my mom that she needed a hysterectomy due to her tumor. The surgery was not life threatening, but it will take her about 6 months of recover before she can lift heavy things. At the time, my family owned a donut shop which required her to lift heavy things and bake and stand on her feet. When she cannot work, I am her substitute. The surgery was suppose to be in May, but was pushed back to end of August. But I was suppose to start college in September. So that means I may not be able to go since my mom won't be completely recovered. To make a long story short, God blessed my mom with a really quick recovery that even the doctor was surprised. Within 3 months she was already working at the store and my aunts in NY came over to help out so I can go to college like I planned. To me this was a miracle.
9. College was a life transforming time for me. It was there that I finally chose to live for Christ and started to grow as a Christian. In my college fellowship, I grew closer to God, learned how to serve Him, and went on missions to learn how to evangelize. Also, it was there that I met my life partner and mate, H Mak. I had an awesome college experience and loved it. Notice I didn't mention anything about my field of study. Although I did well, the education was not the highlight.
10. As business student with a concentration in accounting who wants to be in tax, getting a job with one of the Big 5 accounting firm, at the time, was a BIG deal. Everybody wants it. But from talking to people and career counselors, big companies usually go for the well rounded student with good grades, lots of extra curricular activities, outgoing and fun personality, and someone who knows how to network and build relationships. I have the grades and that's about it. I got through the first round of interview with most big companies. But during the second round of interview with EY, I did soooo poorly. I probably said something not so PC. Then, I ended up leaving a voice mail for the recruiter explaining what I said. Then, I called back again explaining why I left the first message. THEN, I called back again explaining my second message. AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! How stupid was that?! Even through all that, I got the most coveted job, to start my career at E&Y. This is all because God wanted me there, definitely not because of my ability or merit.
More to come next time...
5. In my childhood years, God brought many adults, aside from my parents, into my life that actually took an interest in me. They helped me through difficult situations and mentored me. Most of them are my high school fellowship sponsor and Sunday School teachers. And even a non-christian teacher coached me through my awkward teen years.
6. God kept me safe through out all my years in Oakland public school. In Jr High, when Chinese kids were getting beat up on buses for just being Asian, I was spared. In high school, a cherry bomb exposed 3 feet in front of me and I graduated without a scratch.
7. In my high school years, I went through a defiance and disobedience stage in life where I didn't want to listen to the wise words of my parents and chose to be the "bad girl". Through that period, God kept me from myself, protected me from harm, and prevented me from getting life threatening diseases.
8. I was the first in my family to go to college, so I had no idea how to prep for that. I didn't visit any school or talk to anyone about colleges. But for some reason, I knew that I wanted to go to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Perhaps they had a good architectural program that I might be interested in, but in honesty, I wasn't that into architecture after interning at an architecture firm for a few summer. I was accepted and was all set to go away to San Luis Obispo. The summer before my freshman year, the doctor told my mom that she needed a hysterectomy due to her tumor. The surgery was not life threatening, but it will take her about 6 months of recover before she can lift heavy things. At the time, my family owned a donut shop which required her to lift heavy things and bake and stand on her feet. When she cannot work, I am her substitute. The surgery was suppose to be in May, but was pushed back to end of August. But I was suppose to start college in September. So that means I may not be able to go since my mom won't be completely recovered. To make a long story short, God blessed my mom with a really quick recovery that even the doctor was surprised. Within 3 months she was already working at the store and my aunts in NY came over to help out so I can go to college like I planned. To me this was a miracle.
9. College was a life transforming time for me. It was there that I finally chose to live for Christ and started to grow as a Christian. In my college fellowship, I grew closer to God, learned how to serve Him, and went on missions to learn how to evangelize. Also, it was there that I met my life partner and mate, H Mak. I had an awesome college experience and loved it. Notice I didn't mention anything about my field of study. Although I did well, the education was not the highlight.
10. As business student with a concentration in accounting who wants to be in tax, getting a job with one of the Big 5 accounting firm, at the time, was a BIG deal. Everybody wants it. But from talking to people and career counselors, big companies usually go for the well rounded student with good grades, lots of extra curricular activities, outgoing and fun personality, and someone who knows how to network and build relationships. I have the grades and that's about it. I got through the first round of interview with most big companies. But during the second round of interview with EY, I did soooo poorly. I probably said something not so PC. Then, I ended up leaving a voice mail for the recruiter explaining what I said. Then, I called back again explaining why I left the first message. THEN, I called back again explaining my second message. AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! How stupid was that?! Even through all that, I got the most coveted job, to start my career at E&Y. This is all because God wanted me there, definitely not because of my ability or merit.
More to come next time...
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