Hello.

This past week was spent in Kensington, a poor side of Philadelphia, and it was such an amazing experience that I felt it deserved a blog entry. So here is the blog entry.

The first few days started off slowly, and we were often preoccupied by napping and standing around. It was also a letdown when I discovered that there was a miscommunication that resulted in a cancelled VBS on the first day. And even when VBS came around, I was a bit disappointed at the turnout. Little did I realize that even through the disappointments, God was at work. I was able to bond really well with some of the brothers, building foundational relationships that were definitely utilized when testimonies came around later in the week. I was able to play basketball with some of the local kids, providing an opportuntity to both leave a lasting impact and receive a lasting impact. Some of these kids were “too cool” to participate in the actual VBS later on that week, so I’m glad that we were able to put off VBS the first day for the sake of these kids. And in the end, I’m glad there wasn’t a huge turnout, because we were able to talk to them on a very one-on-one basis. Lesson #1: God can work against our plans, and He wins.

On the way back from the playground on Monday, I was talking with a friend about these basketball kids. They seemed to try so hard to be the best and to prove it to everyone else. This attitude to impress was so obvious in the way they never passed (except for the occasional Magic Johnson passes), the way they yelled at each other across the court, and the way they tried to stare each other down. And they would say stuff like “I don’t even play basketball” to cover up for their flaws. But the guy I was talking to simply pointed out to me how often adults do the same thing. Everybody strives to impress. It’s just the older we get, the better we get at hiding it. We learn over the years that it’s not admirable to show off, so we disguise our pride with a fake humility. We present ourselves as humble people, never wanting the credit. Good game Larry Lin. One of my biggest pet peeves is people showing off. And every time someone does, there is this immediate urge to prove it to them that I can do it better. The existence of such a pet peeve proves that I struggle with the same pride. CS Lewis says, “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.” Pride results from the comparing of the self to another, and that’s exactly what I do. Just not on the outside. Lesson #2: I struggle with pride much more than I realize.

Honestly, after seeing all of those basketball kids, I had doubts that we could reach out to them. They seemed so hard-headed, so apathetic. I soon began to realize in practical terms that it is God reaching out to them. And He doesn’t reach for the hard head but the hard heart. Kids that I didn’t expect to be interested in these random college students became interested. We were able to play wallball with them, and I even gave a few guitar lessons to these kids. Kids who acted tough on the court were actually willing to participate with us. Lesson #3: God draws hearts.

One of the devotions during this trip was 1 John 4:7-21. I’ve read it before countless times, but it became real to me during this trip. Love is from God. Throughout the week, I was able to hear so many testimonies. Pastor Vega and Ivan in particular really showed me how God is so good at turning people around. Both of the guys were drug addicts and convicts, and both of them now serve God wholeheartedly. Then God brought Himself down to a more personal level. On Wednesday night, we had this time of sharing testimonies among the members of the Cornell team, and it was absolutely amazing to hear about God bringing all of these people together and how He was working in all of these people’s lives, some more directly than others. I remember walking out of that room that night just in awe of God. And passing by the same old buildings, the same old homeless people, I felt a totally different compassion. I loved the city of Kensington that night. I loved that Muslim guy I was debating with. I loved that drunk guy who spoke so incoherently. And I wished for all of them to taste and see that the Lord was good. There seemed to be a trend going on. The more I saw God, the more I wanted others to know Him. And it makes perfect sense. If I become more and more aware of God’s greatness, I will naturally become more and more loving to those created in God’s image. Lesson #4: The greater our understanding of God, the greater our love for mankind.

During this trip, we also teamed up with some guys from Columbia and Indiana University, along with a few other random colleges. One of us mentioned that this get-together of believers is like a foreshadowing, a taste, of heaven. One day, every follower of Jesus Christ will be together in one place, doing what they love the most. Simply loving God. At Kensington, it was encouraging to meet so many people from all over the Northeast who loved Jesus. And this is just a taste of what is to come? Lesson #5: Heaven is going to be one sweet place to be.

This morning I stumbled upon 1 John 3:19-20: “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.” I immediately thought of the sins I struggle with and the helplessness that come along with them. And it was so encouraging to juxtapose those struggles of the heart alongside that passage. Lesson #6: God is greater than our heart.

What a week. What a God.

– Larry