Phoebe turned 4 this past October. She brings so much joy to us since we adopted her from China 3 years ago. This year we celebrate her many milestones. Earlier this year in February, she skied on a new pair of ski and boots and has been on the chairlifts at Alta, Brighton and Solitude resorts since. If you ever skied with her, you will notice that she loves skiing because she often hummed while skiing down the hills. Now Lijue could not keep up with Phoebe, who has been skiing on a few blue runs already. During summer time, we often went rollerblading at Liberty Park. Another milestone was that she memorized her first Bible verse in Mrs. Janet's (Elder Hsu's wife) Sunday school class in October. The verse was "Nothing is impossible with God" from Luke 1:37. She is very considerate and always warms our hearts by her kind actions. Asked what she wants to be when she grows up, she said she wants to be a mom, because mom is a boss. Well said! (at least from my perspective.)
Kevin is 16 and a junior at the University of Utah, majoring in Chemistry. We praise the Lord for Kevin, who wanted to be a chemist since he was 5. Throughout these years, he has been persuaded many times to look for career possibilities other than chemistry, but he is still very passionate about it. This makes mom worried sometimes. We will keep praying for the Lord's guidance for Kevin. This summer Kevin also got a 10-week internship at the College of Pharmacology, earning his first salary of $3,000. This semester, Kevin also took 2 graduate school courses besides regular class, making him extremely busy, but he did very well on those courses. He is preparing for graduate school application now. Before he leaves home for graduate school, mom's major concern was Kevin's driving. He shows little interest in driving even after getting his learner's permit.
Both Lijue and Yiwen are doing well. This year is Lijue's 10th year working as a Software Engineer for Franklin Templeton, Inc. Though we both are worried about the job security especially in this economy downturn, we continue to learn to put our trust in our Lord. In spring and summer times, Lijue likes gardening, which she felt is a big relief from work-related stress. The past September, Yiwen changed job to work for Salt Lake City government's IT department. The twist in Yiwen's new job was that both Lijue and Yiwen made it to the two finalists for the second interview.Through Lijue's encouragement, Yiwen began attending BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) again after 2-year hiatus. The systematic Bible study helps Yiwen tremendously while he continues to serve in church by teaching High school Sunday school class and helping GraceNotes band practice. Yiwen wants to help young people develop biblical worldview through his interaction with them. Both ministries are so rewarding that he will continue for another 2 years if God's willing. After that, Yiwen plans on teaching Children Sunday school, where Lijue is helping teach Phoebe's Sunday school class.
There were lots of ups and downs in our lives over the years. But because of God's grace, we were reminded of our purposes in life. Thank you, Jesus for dying in sinner's place, and graciously giving us a new life and hope - the greatest blessing.
