About Time

OK, so we haven't blogged in like . . . forever.
SORRY!

I had a few moments tonight, so I thought I'd shoot a quick update for those of you who still check. =)

Yesterday, was a big day for feeling blessed.

We started the morning in chapel and one of our old co-workers Adele shared with everyone about the time she spent in Africa. WOW. What an eye opener.

I mean here's the thing, I've heard these talks before, I've seen pictures, and I know the facts. I am rich. Maybe I'm not rich, in the fact that I can't just go out and buy whatever I want. However, the fact that I can pretty much go out and just buy something to eat if I'm hungry, or the fact that I have an nice apartment to live in with running water, electricity, etc... or the fact that I can afford to fly home once a year. By the standards of a large majority of the world, I am rich.

Back to chapel, the stuff Adele shared really just broke my heart and amazed me. She shared with us about a family of four children whose father was a drunk and whose mother was no longer around. I forget whether she died, or she ran off, anyway, basically these kids were left to fend for themselves. When Adele found them, they were infested with jiggers, which are little flees that burrow into your skin and lay eggs. (She showed pictures, and yes it is gross.) Anyway, Adele basically loved on these kids. She helped to clean these flees out of the kids legs and feet. And she bought them new sheets and just basically took care of them. It really turned their life around. Now the dad has a steady job, is no longer a drunk. Adele shared that this dad shared with one of Adele's co-workers that "Adele helped her children to become human again." Amazing. God really used Adele to show his love to these kids.

Adele also shared other pictures of orphans that she worked with, and tribes who take care of cattle and just basically live outside with no running water, whose kids have the job of collecting the cow dung and piling it up to burn, so they can sleep in the ashes to keep bugs away. Seriously. Like I said, eye-opening.

I mean saying all of this, I may sound like an ignoramus, living up in my ivory tower. But like I said, I've heard the talks, and I've known about the suffering, but to look at pictures it brings things to light in a very different way.

Anyway, after having that chapel in the morning, I had another eye-opening experience in the evening when Linda and I and a few of our friends went to see "Slumdog Millionaire." Great movie by the way for those of you who haven't seen it. But be forewarned, there's lots of violence, so if you have a weak heart, maybe don't go see it. Anyway, again seeing the squalor and conditions that these kids grew up in. And just the danger they faced with the people who wanted to exploit them. I really just felt again very BLESSED.

All I have to say is, DADDY, THANK YOU! I know I did nothing to deserve the lot in life that you have placed me in. I know it is only by your grace and mercy that I have the things that I have, and I ask your forgiveness for complaining and being dissatisfied. And I ask your forgiveness for not taking advantage of all the things that you have given to me, and for even wasting many of the resources that you have so lavishly poured out into my life. I ask that you would help me to use every resource, every gift you give to me wisely. May I not squander any of it. And may I learn to be content and use what I have to bless others.

Matthew the Nephew

Everyone, meet our nephew, Matthew! He's Linda's oldest sister's son. Ain't he a handsome?

Broadway Academy Part II

Hi everyone!

It's Campbell here. Sorry it's been awhile since I've updated. Lots has happened since my last entry. I'll start where I left off.

The Broadway Academy was awesome. I had the time of my life singing, dancing and acting. It was also good to meet different people and make new friends. It was an intensive week of rehearsing and performing, but I loved every minute of it. The camp ran for about 12 hours every day for 8 days. So it was intense, as I said. But I had a great time.

We worked on music from Rent and guys and Dolls during the week and then we had a gala performance at the end of the week to show what we did. Here are some photos from that performance. 

At the start of our show 4 of our teachers gave a performance. They sang a number together and then 3 of them sang solos.

(The fourth teacher is playing the piano.)

Then it was our turn. We started off with a few of us singing a medley of Broadway songs. Here I am singing, "Out There" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Not exactly a Broadway show, but it worked.) =) 

After the cabaret, all the students came on stage and we sang a medley of songs from Rent. I really liked that. I got to sing some songs that I've really liked since High School. 

After the Rent medley we had an intermission. Then it was time for Guys and Dolls. We did a abridged version of the show. God blessed me with one of the leading roles in this part. I played Sky Masterson. I got to dance, and sing a couple of solos. I loved it. 

Here's me and my leading lady. =) 

This is us and my teachers. There were five teachers total. You see the fifth teacher between Linda and I. 

There are a lot more photos. But I think that's enough for now. =) I'm super thankful for the opportunity to go to this camp. I learned a lot and had a great time. 

Celebrating Mom and Sisterhood

This is my mother--more than a year ago on my wedding day. Last Thursday was her birthday. Growing up, birthdays have been a sweet delight. My parents were not too fancy about celebrating birthdays... especially their own. As their daughters, we frequently forget their birthdays, actually... sad confession here. Why you ask? Well, because both my parents' birthdays go by the lunar calendar. So my sisters and I often miss their birthdays or celebrate the wrong date because we get mixed up with the different calendars. No excuse, I know. :P

But here is a public declaration of love to my mother!
Here are top 5 things i love about my mother and hope to become more like my mother:
1. her compassion:
My mother has the biggest heart I know. I appreciate her heart of compassion for others, stray animals.
2. her quirkyness:
Campbell would say that I inherited this trait in aces. So I probably already am like her in this regard. Questions for details of how? You can email me. I have stories. Or... Campbell has stories. ;)
3. her devotion to the Lord:
My mother is one of the biggest intercessors I know. She prays... a lot! She prays until our dinner gets cold and then my dad is like... hmm this is good, but can we eat now? :) HAHA. And growing up, one of my fondness memories include praying with my mother for our family and relatives... and extended relatives and friends, and so on and on. :)
4. her devotion to our family:
She has made tremendous sacrifices for us. From leaving a great paying job in Asia to starting over in the States, she has overcome much for the sake of her family. Now, growing older, realizing more and more how hard and how selfless you have to be to mother three daughters. And now having all her daughters out of the house and married, she still makes sacrifices for us. Mommy, we love you!
5. her dedication to excellence:
My mother has exemplified persistance and determination in her pursuit of excellence. She shows integrity and character in work and life. When she immigrated to the States, she realized she needed more training. So as an older/middle aged woman, she went back to school. She worked during the day and went to UCLA extension during the evening to get an accounting degree. I didn't realized how difficult it was, since it was in her second language and how much I gave her flack for not being at home at night. She did it for us. But she also proved she can do it. "The mind is the biggest tool if you use it" is what she taught me.

Mom, I love you and hope that God will continue to give me grace to be like you. :) The quirky Prov. 31 woman. :) Your child sing praises about you!

As I celebrate my mom, it is also fitting that I celebrate the other women in my life. I am a blessed woman with many treasured friends. And with each of the sister in my life, I am thankful to have such special connections.

The following picture is done by the talented and anointed artist, Daniel Bastke. His wife, Andrea, and another darling sister-friend, Beth, are beautiful women. All three of us got to wear the same qipao for our wedding photos. I think it's the woman that makes the dress. And it really shows in this picture. We all wore the same dress and yet it comes out in such different ways. :)

I am honored to share this dress with these sisters. :)

Beth, you go, girl! Rooting for you!! Beth is getting married with Mr. Leo Wei!
And Drea, you go too. Almost 8 months of honeymoon-ing! :)

Computers and Broadway

Hey y'all! Campbell here.

Sorry it's been awhile. We really need to get better at this updating thing.

SO, my computer has officially died. I guess it was about time. I bought my computer about 5 1/2 years ago before I came to Taiwan. So it had a good run. I guess it was just unfortunate the way that it died.

Over the months my computer had been getting progressively slower and slower. Last week, I was working on it, and I just got so frustrated with it, I wanted to shut it down. But of course that process also was taking forever, and it was getting late, so I just decided to do a force shut down. BAD IDEA. The next day, I went to turn on my computer. No go. It wouldn't load.

I took it to work hoping that someone would be able to save it, or at least save my hard drive. But, no. It's dead.

The sad thing is that I had a lot of really important, priceless photos, videos and other things on there. I had my video I made the day I proposed to Linda, I had my letter from ORTV. I had a lot of irreplaceable stuff. SO I'm consider the idea of finding a data retreival company and seeing what they can do.

On a more fun note. In a few minutes, I'll be leaving for my first day of Broadway Camp! YAY! =) I'm really excited.

For those of you who don't know. Back in June, I auditioned for a Broadway Camp here in Taipei. It's a one week camp. A group from America called, "American Voices" does cultural programs around the world. And they've put together a Broadway Camp with some professionals from the states. And they're coming this week to do training. We'll be learning singing, dancing, and acting. And we'll be working on music from 2 shows, Guys and Dolls and Rent along with our own songs. And at the end of the week, next Saturday, we'll have a concert. I'm excited and nervous! =)

Hopefully, I can get a few pictures and post them on here.

Thanks for reading! =)

Recent Happenings

Now, we are in mid-July. Wow, does time speed ahead! The weather has been so gorgeously HOT! Just beautiful weather lately. I couldn't resist taking a picture of the blue blue skies. I love the white fluffy clouds too! What do you see in the clouds?

Also, these are two books I have been reading. I borrowed both books from the Mrs. Lovely Alagata herself. Thank you, Lovely! I have been delving in Beth Moore's Jesus, The One and Only. WOW! She takes us through the book of Luke to see Jesus as our One and Only. What truth is that! The other book is Quiet Times for Couples. Campbell and I have been going through this book a few days out of the week. These short devotionals have spurred on some good sharing times and prayers. We ask for more, Lord! And of course there is my planner for 2008. I can't believe how fast 2008 is going by! And I hope this picture is symbolic of my life and priorities too.

First, Jesus, the ONE and ONLY. Then my husband and spending time with my husband. Then comes all my plans and agendas. Actually, may all my plans and agendas be at Jesus' feet! :)

This is another recent happening. This is STAFF CHOIR on tour! We had a lot of fun singing and dancing away! This was us on the bus going to Taichung.

Our brother, Jeff, is on the island!! Campbell and I got to see Jeff in action. He's great! We are so proud of him. And it was fun meeting some students there too.


And "Hi, friends"! This is me. With braces. Ha! Where are my braces you ask? Look below!


Do you see them? If you look closely at the previous picture, you can see the upper braces too!

OK! So that's the recent happenings with me, Mrs. Chang. Come back for more future updates! And leave us a note!

Behind the Scenes

Tomorrow will be 13 months since we walked down the aisle as the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Campbell Chang. So I'd thought I'll write some thoughts down about these past 13 months and show you guys some behind the scenes of the day almost 13 months ago on June 2nd, 2007.

1. One of my favorite moments started early in the day. Since Campbell and I already lived so close to each other before we got married, we decided to have our two families get ready together for the big day. Here I'm getting my hair and makeup done while my oldest sister looks on. I loved having our two families there together from the very beginning. Both our families mean the world to us and it was our special day, fully supported by our families. It was a family affair.

2. Some very special memories during this time, the two fathers talking and sharing. There were lots of laughs and hugs and giggles, too. (not between the fathers though) We all shared a nice meal together, delivered by Campbell's Best Man, Billy Leonard. Our parents prayed and blessed our union. That was so precious to us. I love it when my future father-in-law embraced Campbell. The tears were there. I was so glad one of my oldest friends, Camilly, dropped by in the morning, too!

3. Some of our favorite "little people": April and Abby Chang with Annabelle Leonard --> our flower girls. Cam and I had three flower girls. During our rehearsal, Annabelle was clearly the leader. She basked in the attention and walked steadily while my two nieces wavered between soft cries and muted uncertainities. But on the day, for some reason, cute Annabelle pulled an "abandon ship" move and left my two nieces completely unsure what to do next. I just love the expressions on their faces. And it's precious how Abby's dress is too big on her. (Sidenote: I'll be sure to save this picture to show everyone on her wedding day. I'm sure she will be thrilled. :P)

Behind the Scenes: Isn't so funny how we like to see "behind the scenes" stuff? At least, I do. One day, we'll be able to see behind the scenes with Daddy. Wooohooo... that would be super fun.

Happy (almost) 13 months, love!