Hi Pastor Gus and Anne,

Here's what I have so far:

As many of the staff have been sharing for our Friday night large groups, its been a really wonderful time of blessing and for this time I wanted to share about the Spirits empowering in my life and what a blessing that has been for me and how that has helped me to live. For those of you who dont know, I graduated from Duke in 2013 and I've been with Agape for about six years now. I came to the United States when I was about 6 and I grew up in a Christian home and a Chinese Christian Church. I went to small group bible studies in middle school and high school and attended a good amount of summer retreats and I even got baptized before I finished high school, but I dont really think I can say that I met the Lord and felt his presence until my first conference. I actually remember my first conference pretty clearly because my small group leader was praying for me on Saturday night during one of the main sessions. Up to this point when I received prayer, I sort of just listened to whoever was praying for me and then Id go back to my seat but this specific time as my small group leader was praying over me I saw myself ministering to others. It was at this point that I knew that what I was seeing was not just my own thoughts or daydreaming, because I saw myself in the third person and what I was doing was something that I would never have imagined myself. Later I would come to understand that what I saw was Gods heart for me and Gods plan for me, and God would continue to meet like this over and over again. I remember the Billy Graham video that we saw earlier in the semester and the story of the fire fighter and the girl who lost her dad, and I feel like some people might say that their experience with God wasnt as exciting as the people in that video, but when I look at what God has done in my life and where I was before I met God, I cant help but feel that this is the most exciting thing to ever happen to me in my life. Because I still remember exactly who I was as a freshman and exactly how I saw the world and my expectations for my four years of college. I didnt know how to pray. I didnt know how to worship. I didnt understand how to live my life in a way that would be worthy of God, and God triumphed over all of that. To this put into perspective, when I was a freshman I bought a pair of noise cancelling headphones and I would wear them everywhere. So at large groups, we would have worship and after the message was over, Id just sit there on my ipod and listen to my headphones.As we have been hearing on Sundays, God is kind and when God met me and I was filled with the Holy Spirit, I would come to understand many things about the kingdom of God and about this world. God took me from a place where he was a stranger to me to where I knew his heart and I could see clearly about the things of his kingdom and the things of this world. This was no easy task because though I came from a loving home and I was getting a good education, it was rooted in self-preservation and worldly ambition. From when I was young to the time I graduated, I was always told to work hard and make a way for myself in this world. That if I wanted to be successful Id have to pull myself up by my own bootstraps but God showed me he provides for those he loves.

Matthew 6:19-2119Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,where moths and vermin destroy,and where thieves break in and steal.20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.25Therefore I tell you, do not worryabout your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.Are you not much more valuable than they?27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?

In my years of college and work, I can tell you it is as God says. I never felt better about my life or my career by worrying about it and storing away for it, because it is and it always will be never ending. When you finish one difficult class there was always another one waiting and when I finished one piece of work there was another to replace it. But when I worship God and turned to Him, it always put everything in perspective. It made my problems trivial and if I wanted to acknowledge God for who he is, I could not also believe that God would not be kind and gracious to me and have much in store for me.The Holy Spirit not only overcame my sense of self preservation and doubts, but it also became the reason I was able to grow and share in the kingdom of God. In the beginning, when I would pray I had very little to say to God. I did not know how to relate to other people, let alone pray for them, love them, and care for them, and there were times when I was painfully aware of who I was in that way. But I knew that as God met me he would mend these areas, so I put my hope in God that things would change.Romans 8:25-2825But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirithimself intercedes for usthrough wordless groans.27And he who searches our heartsknows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedesfor Gods people in accordance with the will of God.28And we know that in all things God works for the goodof those who love him, who[i]have been calledaccording to his purpose.So as God revealed more and more to me, I came to see that the only thing in this world that is good is God and his kingdom, and this was a big reason why I live in North Carolina now with the church. Because though I am in a position to go anywhere that I please, I can say with full confidence that God's community is the most loving, as you pursue God He is generous with his provisions for me, and that whatever brokenness is in me or issues that I face only God can resolve those things in a lasting way.So as you can see I have a lot to be excited for. Im excited about the transformation that Ive experienced in times of prayer, in times of worship, and even in times of fellowship. When I look back on my years of college, I remember every time that I encountered the Lord and I look back on those memories with the most fondness. I remember times when I received the gift of tongues. I remember times when I could hear the voice of God in my head. I remember times when I experienced moments of real healing and comfort that addressed my problems in a personal way. For me, remaining with the College Ministry has been a continuation of being an active part of Gods kingdom. I see God is making me more and more into his vessel and what excites me now is seeing his kingdom unfold with my eyes. I relish every moment I get to spend with you guys and since Ive had the opportunity to pray for students, Ive felt power come along with the Holy Spirit. For me, that has been my response to God as he has patiently taken me from death to life. I think those will be the moments I remember as I reflect back on my life and I think whether it is looking back now or 50 years down the road, I think it will always be my moments with God that will be the most precious and the ones that I look back upon with the most fondness.Jack