Easter...already??

Hello everyone! I can't believe that it's already April! It seems like time goes by so fast... but this also reminds me that time is precious and that I shouldn't be wasting it doing things that won't count on the timescale of eternity! =] What April also brings...is Easter.  It seems like so long ago when I would go into my backyard with my little brothers and try to find all of the easter egg that my dad hid in the trees and....cactus.... (actually just kidding he wouldn't actually hide it in the cactus) but as a young girl I often put the emphasis of Easter on something else.  It became a Hallmark holiday for me--a day that I could perhaps find a dollar in a yellow plastic egg nestled in a tree branch.</p> <p>It's so easy for all of us to forget that this day, over two thousand years ago, was the day that changed the world.  It was this day that the Christ who loved us so much died to take our place as a sacrifice for all of the sins that WE (not Him, WE) committed.  It doesn't seem fair.  Put into a "real-life" experience, it would be: One day I was driving, and being a very careless driver and always getting into accidents, hit someone on the street and seriously injured him.  Then all of a sudden as the police are about to take me away to jail, a guy comes around by the name of Jesus and says "Hey Mr. Policeman, take me instead.  I will stay in jail for the rest of my life if you will let Kathy go."  What kind of self-sacrificing person will do that?? Well... our messiah would.  And he did... over two thousand years ago.  But what's marvelous about HIS story and not my attempt at recreating it in today's terms is that not only did he DIE for us as an innocent man (think death penalty here...), he is a God who rose from the dead after three days.  It's amazing.  Everytime I put it into perspective like this I feel ashamed of belittling the meaning and the true price of what he paid for us.</p> <p>This is a time not for us to think about little pink and yellow marshmallow Peeps, or easter eggs containing chocolate or the occasional dollar... but for us to really feel the weight of what the purpose of Him coming down to Earth was.  In Bible Study at my church, we learn that Jesus was not only 100% man, but also 100% God.  If I was a God, I would definitely not care about the little people below me, who not only run around like ants, but bite me.  However, our God is a God who would love us little ants to a point that he would send his own Son... his only begotten Son... to be ridiculed, beaten, and spat at by us.  And it doesn't end there... all that He wants of us is to believe in Him and to love Him, and we get eternal life.  What kind of love is this?! The purest and deepest that you will be able to find. 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" -John 3:16

Kathy

China Trip

This past trip to China was a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. I had no idea what to expect going into this trip because it was the first time I had ever gone to China let alone with a group like LTF. Despite having practiced thoroughly for this trip, I still felt unprepared, both emotionally and spiritually. Before this trip, I was unsure of whether or not I was even deserving of such an opportunity. I kept asking myself if I was spiritually ready to lead others. At my church in Phoenix, the role of worship leader and the worship team are reserved for only those that have been baptized and have shown that they are ready for such a responsibility because leading a congregation is so much more than playing the right notes. On a worship team, musical abilities are minute in comparison to the individual’s passion and thirst for the Lord. If a person does not have a strong relationship with God, how can they be expected to lead others to Him? That was the daunting question that was on my mind the entire trip.

The adventure started at 4:30am that would soon be followed by 24 hours of waiting in airports, waiting in line, plane rides, and car rides. A great way to start any adventure right? But it actually didn’t turn out to be as arduous as it seemed, mostly thanks to my plane buddy (Harmony). But the moment we got to the Transtek Factory, the employees were so welcoming. We got to the factory at around 2:00am and there was already food ready for us to eat. We definitely hit the ground running by having rehearsals at 9 every morning till the first performance. During these rehearsals, I met a chunky, sarcastic, angry, Taylor Swift loving person: Chuck. He would turn out to be a great leader and mentor for me during that trip. He taught me so much not only about music, but about leaning on your teammates for support. He was…for a lack of words…awesome. After the myriad of rehearsals came our first performance. There weren’t any major train wrecks and it was a very smooth evening. Then came Christmas Day, our main performance, the end all be all, the big kahuna. We were all set to play outside on a stage, but it had rained all day. When 6:00 rolled around, it was still raining. The performance was delayed. It was heartbreaking to see all our rehearsals potentially go down the drain. We then prayed fervently as a group, as a team, as a family. At 7:30, the rain began to die down, and as the saying goes, the show must go on. While I was excited to play, I was worried for my violin because water and a violin don’t mix well. Sadly halfway through the performance, my bow had swelled up from the rain and I couldn’t play. I was really torn up because there are few things that I take in my life more serious than violin. It has been one of the few constants in the torrent that is my life. But, God had called me to China and who was I to question His plan? I tried my best to move past this by using my spare bow the rest of the trip. Luckily, there was only one more performance which went without any more unexpected hurdles.

This trip taught me trust God more especially during the tough times and to never forget the power of prayer. He blessed me with so much on this trip from meeting Chuck to being able to bond with the team more. Through all the turmoil of this trip, I learned to always look on the bright side of matters and to always give thanks no matter what life throws at you. He also taught me that I should have more faith in myself. Even though I was unsure of whether or not I deserved this opportunity, God did.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Winter Break: Reflection

To start off, it's been a long time since we've all posted on the LTF website, but it's great to all be back in Tucson together finally.

This past Winter Break was the first time that our new group here at LTF have set off on a trip together outside of the U.S. It's always a great experience when we travel on a mission trip, especially for weeks at a time. I've never failed to enjoy every moment of it, spending time practicing, eating, or just goofing off with all my brothers and sisters here at LTF. This last mission trip, which was focused in my parent's factory in Dongguan, China, was probably one of the most musically-intense events that we've had so far. Having rehearsal from 8:30 in the morning all the way until 10:00 at night, it started to put a strain on my own energy and focus. However, our events all turned out pretty well, except for the first night when it began raining, but even on that night we could see God at work actively.

My own spiritual experience was probably very different from everyone else's, because I have to admit that I had found myself struggling to become spiritually connected the whole time to God when we were there. There's always a fine balance whenever we rehearse our songs, and I try to not just play the songs, but also worship God or at least draw closer to God when we play songs of praise and worship. But after so many hours of continuous rehearsing, my mind stopped thinking, and I just played the songs until eventually the songs held almost little meaning to me. The important message in every single song meant little to me because I was so tired and our rehearsal which also should have been a time of worship, eventually wore down to just any other rehearsal that any other band would have.

However, as time progressed and as it came to the time of our 4 events, I finally found the spark that I needed to refocus myself and to focus myself spiritually again. There are times when I lose track of the purpose of why we're there, and it's disappointing to myself when I find myself struggling and lost. However, whenever it comes time to play on stage, God always managed to bring me back into the heart of worship, and my mind has found its way to not just playing, but focusing on the true purpose of why we're there in the first place - to serve God and to reach out through the music that we play to so many (thousands in this case) of people who haven't even heard of Him yet.

This trip, by itself, was probably one of the most interesting trips, because I had never played for the factory's annual event nor for Christmas before, and being able to host these events for the factory was a major stepping stone in my own view. I thank God for allowing me to share this winter with my brothers and sisters and to become so much closer with them. I've seen what love can do, not just in ministry and reaching out to others, but also the power of love in a group as close as ours.

Hopefully, our group will have the chance to create even more memories together and to set out once again on another mission trip where we've never been before.

An Experience Like No Other

The trip to Dong guan, Guan Zhou was my first time with Life Transforming to China. Besides being excited to minister through music to the people at the factory, I didn't know what to expect. In fact, I can say that I had never gone on a trip solely for the purpose of ministry like this one.

Throughout the entire time we stayed there--practicing, bonding with Chuck and with each other, eating, praying, and waiting--I was super glad to be with the people in the band. I felt so thankful that God had put me in that place for His purpose, and once we had our events on the 24th, 25th, 26th, and 27th, God made His presence and support known to us through experiences I'll never forget.

I think we can all agree that the rainy 25th was very memorable. There had been rain on and off all day, and the event that night was to be outside. After dinner, the prayer meeting we had while it was still raining outside was definitely a weapon well used to stop the rain! And that night, I was able to witness many people deciding that they needed Jesus.

The next morning, the baptism was also something awesome that I'll never forget. I think the main thing that touched me was although I didn't know these people personally, we were all together in the family of God. So I was glad to have new brothers and sisters!

After coming home from China, I felt very grateful for the opportunity that was given to me to be a part of this. I was reminded one more time that God has a purpose for every single person, and He wants to use us. No matter where we are, what we are doing, or what we're going through, God wants us to shine for Him and obey Him, especially when He wants us to step up and do something for Him!

Harmony

Merry Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas Everybody! I just wanted to thank God again for stopping the rain, taking care of us, and carrying us through. praise God for this crazy and hectic day that us mere humans would not have been able to go through without God! May we remember every day that we should rely on God for everything. He will provide! Hallelujah!

Reflections

Hey everyone! I know that it has been a while since the mission trip to Taiwan has been over, but I thought it would be good to take some time aside to reflect on it, and to let everyone know how this trip has impacted me.

When we first got the confirmation that we were going to to Taiwan, I was extremely excited not only because we could go to Taiwan, but because this was going to be the first mission trip that LTF will be going on.  As for me, this was going to be the first time that I would be playing keyboard as well as singing for a mission trip.

I am so thankful that as a college student I have had the opportunity to go to and do God's work this summer, and to interact with all of the different people there.  They were welcoming at every church we went to, and the courtesy and kindness they extended to us left a big impression on me, and made me think of how I should act as well.  It is not easy to open up to people that you don't know, but the people of Taiwan took the love that God has for them and in turn gave it to us.  Even though we didn't know each other, they still took us in as brothers and sisters in Christ.

As for the musical aspect, I have grown so much through the experience of not only leading  worship, but multi-tasking playing two keyboards at once and singing.  Our group was so blessed to have Jonathan Koh and Chuck Hong come and work with us!  From the first moment that they opened their mouths to help us, we started a monumental growth... and their coaching kept us growing up to the last event.  Even now, we have their words in our hearts as we practice in Tucson.  Even though they aren't physically with us, their help and patience will always impact us.  It really helps to remind us that we are not professional musicians, and that we have an extremely long way to go before we hit that point.  However, God is continuing to mold us and shape us into what He wants us to be. And even though it is not easy, as long as we keep Him first, He will continue to guide us.

One thing that really stuck with me during this trip, and will continue to be in my thoughts, was Jonathan's teachings about praise and worship.  Being part of LTF and the worship team at my church, I tend to forget the real purpose of what worship is.  It is so easy to get carried away, and to lose sight of what is the most important thing: the relationship with God, and bringing others to praise Him.  Jon really reminded me what being a worship leader is all about, and that is to really open up to Him, to let go of everything else and to focus just on Him.  I suppose you could call it an emotional surge, but to me I think it is more than that.  To praise God is such a privilege! God is so much more important than the President, than the Queen of England... but we often forget that.  We alienate God as something who is not physically present... and that Jesus is more like an idol in our minds than an actual person.  But worship throws all that out the door, and it puts us face to face with our awesome Creator.

I realize that I started to ramble a little bit near the end of this post, but this is pretty much my end of the story.  Please continue to pray for our group as the new school year has begun and practice for LTF has also started.  Winston has unfortunately left us and is continuing on the path that God has prepared for him.  Luckily, we also have a new member, Harmony, who has started to practice with us.  Please pray for both of them as God leads them to a new stage in their lives!

Well that is it for now! God bless! I know that LTF is going to have another awesome year as God leads us one step at a time!

At A Glance: 新生命小组教会 (New Life)

Winston and I recently just visited 新生命小组教会(NEW LIFE) again to join their practice. Again, this practice was full of energy and all of the people there show that they truly are willing to serve with all their hearts.

This time, however, it was a different experience because they had another team that ended up practicing, and they had a different person lead the worship practice. There was a less experienced team with students that hadn't had as many chances to serve at the team from the previous week. However, even though their playing abilities weren't as great as the other team, it was evident during the hour beforehand, where they have prayer and Bible study, all the people there, whether they were students or were already working, their spiritual lives are definitely something that they always put first. When we had discussions about each other's spiritual lives and what impact the night's bible verse had, or what we thought about it, it was clear to me that these people took serving and all the other things that they do in life outside of church, as things that are done all for God. Whether it's how they behave outside of church or how they serve inside church, God is always the one that they look to and pray to for guidance before they do anything. The topic that was for discussion (from Psalms 63:1-7) was about David and his thirst and hunger in the desert. However, even in such desperate times, he still praised the Lord and his mouth watered for praise like how it would water from juicy meat. It posed the question to everyone about whether or not we would praise the Lord and thank Him no matter what situation we were in - whether it was a horrible, depressing situation, or a great and happy situation. I have to admit that I don't think that I can always do what David did, but I do pray to God everyday for guidance in how I behave and to be thankful for what He's given me.

On a different note, their practice was just as lively as last week. I feel like, no matter who is leading the team, everyone gives their all, and everyone treats it as a time to worship God, and not as a time to ONLY practice. We can learn a lot from seeing how they go about their practice and how they think of it in their mind. No matter who is playing, or who is standing by the side, or who is singing, they all have a united state of mind, which is simply to serve to their best ability. However, it's not all serious, and they do enjoy playing music as well, but it's the combination of their willingness to serve and the enjoyment that they show WHILE they serve.

Sometimes, when we're practicing, it feels like we're too tired and we're not able to practice as much as we should or as much as we can, and it feels like we need a break. It's dangerous to fall into a situation where you become tired of serving or tired of practicing, to the point where it simply becomes a habitual process that you don't think twice about in your mind. Once you lose that enthusiasm to serve, your spiritual relationship with God begins to diminish very quickly. This was part of a sermon by their pastor last week. The main point being that, you can't come to church or serve in church based upon how much fun it is and how the people there make you laugh or what friends you make, or else you'll lose interest soon enough. You have to have a real spiritual connection with God in order to allow your relationship with God to grow, and to really realize the true meaning of worshiping God. This was a lesson that I found extremely worth noting since we're coming to Taiwan to worship Him and to praise Him, it's important to keep track of the real meaning as to what we have come here to do.

At a Glance: 新生命小组教会 (New Life)

For these past two days, June 19-20, Winston and I have been going around Taiwan looking at different churches. We're traveling around just to familiarize ourselves with the surroundings and the stage so we know what we'll need for our upcoming praise nights in the month of July. However, we decided to join 新生命小组教会(NEW LIFE) for their Saturday and Sunday services, to experience what a large church was like in Taipei, especially with thousands of high school and college students attending every week.

It was a great time, joining them in their worship. Even though Winston and I can't read Chinese that well or fast, it wasn't as easy as singing praise songs compared to if they were in English, but that didn't stop us from raising our hands to praise God! The worship team was amazing, and I saw a whole new approach as to how to really lead the congregation into the mood of really praising God. The energy that the worship team had was vibrant and never ending-there seemed to be a constant flow of energy in the whole area, which seemed to amaze me. Having seen many different churches lead worship, 新生命小组教会(NEW LIFE) has probably one of the most enthusiastic and full-hearted teams.

We have much to learn in order to lead our own congregation back at home into the same spiritual mindset, and in these upcoming weeks, Winston and I are hopeful in learning from this team. I'm praying that it all goes well and that we can take from it an experience that we'll never forget!

PTL

Impact- Influencing Others

Hi all, Yee and I attended 新生命小组教会 on Saturday and Sunday.  I am truly impressed by their worship.  Before I get into their music, let me first introduce the church.

The church is part of the Charismatic Movement.  This church embraces speaking in tongues and the laying of  hands on people (people collapse afterward).

My experience of the church was mixed.  While the praise was phenomenal, I was not accustomed to the way they do things.  The church has a policy where no one can enter the sanctuary once service starts (this is to prevent people from disturbing others).  Since I was new, I left for the bathroom after worship and was subsequently prevented from entering back in.  I was pretty upset about that.  When Yee came out later to look for me at the end of the sermon, he wasn't allowed back in and found out why I went missing.  While I was outside walking around, I found that they had a lot of activities and the reason for them was to attract people to church.  By the looks of it, it looks like they're succeeding.

The church has plenty of good things going for them.  For example, they have plenty of ushers, I respect that they value punctuality, excellent team of sound engineers, dedicated youth group leaders, phenomenal praise teams.  But, there are some things I can't accept.

First off, the pastor dresses "very fashionably."  When I was at the church, his hair was dyed green and he was in a red/gold jump suit.  My view on what to wear to church  is simple; we should dress our best to present ourselves to God.  I understand what the pastor believes in, yes, God indeed does look at the heart.  But doesn't our actions mirror what's in our heart?  And though God is our friend, He is also our King.  A King that is to be feared and revered.  A King that will one day judge us.  More often than not, we neglect the holiness and righteousness of God.  We like to pick and choose what aspects of God we believe in rather than taking God as a whole.  I believe in doing what it takes to bring people to church, but we have to draw the line at some point.  I don't believe sacrificing respect for God is worth bringing new people.  There are other ways (which they are pursuing) to bring people to church without dressing like a lunatic.

That said, the worship team was amazing.  They were very tight as a group.  No one instrument was overpowering another.  They were able to be loud but not noisy.  Though the atmosphere was 'big,' it wasn't overwhelming.  Finally, the vocals were able to be heard clearly above all the instruments.  There are definitely a lot of things we can learn from them.

The Band members include: 1 Lead Vocal/Acoustic Rhythm Guitar， 1 Bass， 1 Electric Guitar，1 Keyboard， 1 Backup Keyboard， 1 Drummer， and 4 Backup Vocals. If all of us sing, there is no reason why we can't emulate them.  I think what we need to work on is balance and perhaps have a dedicated sound engineer.

Taiwan, Here I Come!

It's been a rough few weeks trying to prepare for our long mission trip to Taiwan - all the practices and the hours spent in trying to prepare for it, trying to make sure that everything that we're doing is perfect to the upmost of not just mine, but each of our's abilities.

Recently, I've been struggling in my  walk with God, trying to get my own life in order. I was overcome with a feeling of loss, unsure of what to do and how to cure it. I kept struggling about how to patch this hole in me. It was only until a few days ago, that God really came to my aid. I realized that this whole time that we'd been preparing for our trip, I had not managed my own walk with God. However, my friend who i hadn't talked to the whole school year, suddenly said hi to me on Facebook. I took it as nothing, but we ended up talking till 1 am. I was suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of happiness and joy, having caught up with an old friend all over again. That sense of loss in my heart wasn't gone, but it was abated for a while.

Then, a few days later, my friend came to stay the whole day. My mother decided to bring her to a Caucasian church instead, so that she wouldn't feel so awkward. And to my utter surprise, the message was about reaching out, and in a short video clip about the mission statement of this church, they just so happened to show a whole segment dedicated to Taiwan and the need for missionaries there. I felt like this was a clear message from God, that what I was going to do was right. The message was also so clearly understandable for my friend, who was able to clearly understand the essence of what I do in all my spare time, practicing and serving at Life Transforming Foundation.

It seemed as if that God had suddenly overloaded me with a sense of love, kindness, understanding, and a whole new grasp on just how much he really does care for me. I had received an email as well, from my good friend, which contained this verse: "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures FOREVER" - Psalm 136:1 NIV

Any doubt I had that God was truly watching over me was suddenly gone. All the events that had happened to me in the last week before I'm going to leave have changed me so much.

So what I ask now, is that you may keep in your prayers not just me and my walk with God, and how his love endures for eternity, but also that you yourself may understand that if there are times that you feel so down, whether it's from heartbreak or a loss, or just confusion and stress, God is there and he is watching over you. You just have to let him in, because that's what I wasn't doing.

After these past few days, I can say full-heartedly that our God is an amazing God, and you mustn't give up on him.

My thoughts on this were also only confirmed when I was listening to the K-LOVE on the radio, and radio host talked about her experiences in being stressed in trying to juggle too many things, and lost track of God along the way. I realized that, at the same time, because I was trying to prepare for this trip to Taiwan, I had taken on so many tasks to try to juggle, but I had completely lost my attention given to God.

It's hard to put into words just exactly how I have changed accurately with these simple words, but it is truly breathtaking.

I ask that you pray for this Foundation and our trip to Taiwan, and that God will continuously watch over the health of everyone, physically and emotionally, and if we should come against any tribulations or obstacles, that we have the strength to push through together as a team.

Here's a prayer for you as well if you are reading this:

Dear Father,

I pray that you may watch over me, that I may keep in mind that you love me so much, that you were willing to give your only son for me. I might never fully understand how much it takes to show that much compassion and love, but let me always know that you will always love me, and that you will always be with me, no matter how tough the times may seem. You are the Alpha, Omega, Beginning and End. Your love endures forever.

In your Son's holy precious name,

Amen.

Prayer Request

As we are leaving for Taiwan very soon, I would like people to pray for these things;

1. That we remain humble and focused on God.

2. That our group remains together and unified throughout this trip.

3. That we are granted traveling mercies.

Prayer Requests!

Here are some prayer requests as time is starting to wind down for our Taiwan Praise Team Trip!

-That Winston and Yee can get to Taiwan safely because they are leaving tomorrow

-That all the logistics of travel and equipment can be sorted out

-That we will be protected and stand united against the troubles that Satan will bring

-That our hearts will be united so we can stand firm in Christ

Getting Ready!

Hi all!

I've finally finished my last major exam this morning! Thank God that I'm almost done with school for the summer! I'm extremely excited about our TW trip, but at the same time really nervous about it. We've put a lot of time and effort into practice but it seems like we still have a lot of room for improvement (at least for me.) Nevertheless, I believe that what God sees is our heart! We just gotta put in our best and leave the rest to Him! Please pray for our group as we make our last preparations before we meet in Asia. And pray that through this trip, God will use our group as instruments to touch the hearts of many, as well as of ours :) I pray that we'll all be able to grow not just musically but spiritually through this experience!

-Meixuan

Sick

Hey everyone I have a prayer request for my health because I got sick with what I think is the flu this week.  Finals and deadlines for my painting projects are drawing closer and getting sick was not on my list of things to do.  Also, please pray for everyone else's health that they won't get sick as the school year draws to a close because the stress levels are starting to rise and students start to pull all-nighters to study.  Please pray to keep everyone's spirits up and energy levels high so that we can use all our strength to do well in school and praise the Lord! Thanks!

-Kathy Xu

Finals

We have just about 2 weeks left of school with projects and exams all converging at once.  I'll definitely need everyone's prayer for wisdom, motivation, and perseverance to get through it.  I'll also be praying for everyone else who are in school right now.

Taiwan Tour Finalized

We're excited to announce the schedule for our Summer 2010 Taiwan mission trip! After lots of planning and prayer, we're so blessed to have the opportunity to work together with churches across Taiwan to organize a lot of praise and worship events. To find out our exact itinerary, go to our EVENTS page. Priase God and we can't wait to see you there!

Website Launched- April 24, 2010

Praise the Lord! Today we officially launch the website for our Life Transforming Foundation. We're hoping that the website isn't just a place to "get to know the team", but rather it becomes a portal for us to share with you our music and share with you how God is working in our lives and in the lives of the people around us. So stay tuned for some regular updates and we look forward to hearing your comments!