My First Post

At long last, I've finally decided to sit down and start a blog. I hope that this blog will be a way for me to keep my friends and family posted of the goingson in my life after my move from my beloved adopted home of Hong Kong.

This story begins two and a half years after arriving in Hong Kong without a clue of what I was to do in Hong Kong. I had searched and searched for two years prior to my moving here and found nothing. I knew that it was the Lord who was calling me to 1) leave my family, 2) leave my job and 3) leave my home and to see and experience the blessings He had for me. The only thing I had to do was leave. Well, I tried to obey so I looked and I looked but I found nothing that I felt at peace with. I almost tried moving to Boston for a second time but that didn't work out. I almost moved in with some of my buddies but that didn't work out. Every thought or avenue that I tried to pursue just didn't seem right, I had no peace. Until some changes happened in my family and I visited Hong Kong and mainland China on an "in search of roots" program. After two years of searching the Lord had answered my prayers and I felt I was free to go!

The Lord put me on a plane out of San Diego, CA bound for Hong Kong, China on January 1, 2003, the most appropriate of days to start a new life. And a new life it has been. Here are some highlights:

• the Lord brought me to Evangelical Community Church (ECC) and made it my spiritual home here in Hong Kong
• the Lord brought me on staff with ECC (my very first "full-time ministry" job)
• I was given a place/role to express my gifts and hone them
• I've met great people and learned how to live in authentic community
• I've heard the Truth spoken from the pulpit and been encouraged by it
• I have visited countries I never thought I'd ever go and see things that I'd never dreamed of seeing
• the Lord broke me and began to heal those hurt places in my life.

It's been a real wild ride and I do not regret any of it. The Lord truly has done a great thing in my life here. Now after these two and a half years I will now be returning to America to continue on with my journey.

In about two weeks, I will get on another Cathay Pacific Airlines (CX) flight bound for Los Angeles, CA where I'll attend the wedding of two very close and dear friends to my heart only two days after landing. A month later, I will begin my studies at Fuller Theological Seminary (www.fuller.edu) in Pasadena, CA. There, I am enrolled in a two year Master's degree program in Pastoral Ministry. I'm really excited about this new leg of my journey. It's going to be really cool.

You may ask, "Does this mean you want to be a pastor?" My answer is, "I'm not really sure." I do know this is the next thing that I have to do in my life. I've loved serving the people of God these last two years and it's hard for me to think about doing anything else other than that for the rest of my life. Will I pursue those congregational pastor positions after my seminary studies? At this point, let's hope not. I can't imagine subjecting anyone to my rantings and ravings on a weekly basis. In the end, I know there's something in store for me after my graduation. I'll let God worry about that. I just need to get to Fuller and start there.

So the plan for the rest of my stay here in Hong Kong is to say farewell to my friends and family here; travel in China (Beijing, Kunming, way excited about this trip); come back and go to a wedding; go to my all-church farewell and then hop on a plane that will take me back to the Golden State. Ah, so many feelings swirling around in me about my departure.

I hope you enjoyed my first post. Come back for more if you like and I'll see what I can rustle up for you.

peace be with you,

Brian