Managing Your Emotional World in the Midst of Chaos

This Thursday at ECF, Drew Hyun (young adult pastor at New Life
Fellowship Church -- and college friend of Andrew Hsieh!) will be
giving a seminar with some practical life skills. It'll be about how
we can better manage our feelings as we pursue professions like
medicine that can be pretty draining on our emotional and spiritual
wells.

All are welcome to come join us!

November 3, 2005
7:30-9:00pm
Belfer 601

Email Deb (dleong) for more info...

Intercoastal (hehe, get the pun?) Fellowshiping

A couple of months back, we had a visitor from UCSF, David Young, who is also Jackie's friend from high school. He wrote to express his desire to keep in touch as well as to develop prayer support between ECF and the fellowship at UCSF - Sonrise Christian Fellowship

So, let's keep them in prayer as a fellowship. Maybe we can get to know more about each other's fellowships through our corresponding websites.

HAPPY _?_th BIRTHDAY TO PC!!! =P

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birth----day, dear PC!!!

Happy Birthday to you!!!!!

 

Just need to add some notes to that and you've got yourself a lovely song! Have a good one, PC! We wish you all the best!

ECF Retreat 2005

This year we had our ECF retreat at Camp Wightman in North Stonington CT. Here is a picture of the retreat center we stayed in. It has 11 rooms sleeping 3 each. a large lounge and dining area, a full kitchen and two bathrooms. The camp staff were really helpful and came to our rescue several times - when we ran out of paper towels, when the fuse for the stove blew, when we needed medical help (ironic) and literally when some of the guys capsized their boats in the lake. More on that later.

We started with snacks and icebreakers led by Ayana when we first got there after crawling through I-95 traffic for 4 hours (usually takes 2 hours without traffic).

Clearly this side of the room was having much more fun than the other side. Or were they laughing at the people on the other side of the room?

On Saturday morning, it was raining and some people went hiking while waiting for our friends and Dr. Gilmore to arrive. About 20 people stayed overnight, and 10 people came for the day on Saturday. Kathy picked Dr. Gilmore up from the Upper West Side. Here's everybody getting set up for the first session with Dr. Gilmore. He shared his testimony and encouraged us to discuss in small groups about different topics like "How does God speak to us"

Then we had lunch. The kitchen was great. They had everything - pots, pans, utensils, dishes, two fridges, ice, salt and pepper shakers..... what more could one ask for? oh, next year, remember to bring your own oven mits

It was raining the whole weekend and we had a lot of opportunity to do some indoor hanging out. here are jane and tina playing....?

The cup game - a craze introduced by Tina....tap-tap

turn it over

Here we are playing spoons.

Even though it was raining quite a bit, everyone was still excited to go boating. Haven't got any pictures of that unfortunately. Also, the life guards had to rescue us twice - first when Jason capsized his kayak and then when Dave and Andrew (fresh and clean below) capsized their boats. Everybody had a good time though. And afterwards, people were playing volleyball and basketball in the rain. (Andrew: it was Dave's fault; Dave: It was Andrew's fault, he was fooling around.)

After dinner, we had our 2nd session and then time to hang out. Here is Jane toasting marshmallows for smores over the fireplace. Yes, it was still raining outside.

For sleeping arrangements, there were 11 rooms sleeping 3 each with a bunk bed and a single bed.

We had our 3rd and final session on Sunday morning. We were truly blessed by Dr. Gilmore's honest and real sharing. In between giving his talks, he took the time to encourage individual people. Finally on Sunday, the skies cleared up for a short hike before we left. How long was the hike actually? 10 minutes?

As a token of our appreciation, we gave Dr. Gilmore an Einstein shirt, coffee mug and Uncle Albert doll...

A final group picture before cleaning up. This is not everybody. We forgot to take a picture on Saturday together with the day trippers.

At last, bye bye Camp Wightman and back to the Bronx. It was refreshing to be in the midst of nature and to be fed from God's heart. Hopefully people got to get to know each other better and grow closer to each other and to the Lord. Thank you to Jackie and Andrew for the pictures.

Reflection of the Month-October

Unforgetful You

 

The past few days have been very draining.  We are in the process of buying an apartment, plus we have confronted some issues with our cars.  I had the feeling of when this is going to end, I want peace.  I remembered my last days back in Einstein where my biggest worries (as you may recall from my prayer requests) were whether I will be able to make a western blot work so I could finish my thesis.

 

It seems like all we can do in life is complain or worry about every single detail out there.  For example, last week my office was cold, yesterday it was to hot.  Something closer home… in the application form of every med school, question number 12 says “Do you like to complain?”  Everyone who answers NO, receives a “Sorry you were not selected” letter.  Med students complain a lot!  To much work… we are not being challenge… the exam was to hard… we don’t have enough time to watch TV… I don’t know how she/he did better than me, I’m a studied harder and the list can go on.  Does it sound familiar?  And to cap this pseudoprayer we finished with a “God I have been good”, I demand you to hear me and do something about it because you are good.

 

If you are able to fill the gaps between the phrases above you may come up with something that sounds like a Psalm.  The only problem is, your Psalm is probably written with an ungraceful heart, filled with jealousy and a child mentality. 

 

I never minded calling You a King
If that meant that I could count on You
To give me everything
I never thought to ask You
I always thought You knew
It was never my intention to question You
You never minded calling me a child
Well I guess that's how I acted all the while
But You live through every tantrum You see through every lie
Though they seem to be more common
I just wanted You to know why oh why (Unforgetful You, Jars of Clay)

 

Psalm 13 is one of those Psalms which we read and say, that is how I feel.  The psalmist was feeling me, but we forget to read verse 6, which ends with “for he has been good to me”.  That is totally different from the demand we usually come up with.  The psalmist complained as we do, but finished his thought reassuring that he has seeing God’s mercies before in his life so he trust that God will deliver him again.

 

No matter what you are going through now, remember that He has been good to you before, and He will be good today, tomorrow and forever no matter the circumstances that surround you.

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