1.31.2014

PAD2014: Day 30

A conversation about racial reconciliation, pulled off in 24 hours! 

1.30.2014

PAD2014: Day 29

The uprising. A Latina, an Asian American and a Nigerian American are building a friendship that will break down injustices. 

Proud to be a part of the revolution! 

1.29.2014

PAD2014: Day 28

I don't have many quiet nights, so today's photo presents a rare occasion of being able to sit at my desk, do homework and explore a new photography blog.

1.28.2014

PAD2014: Day 27

Today's photo comes from the USC Fisher Museum of Art where I intern. Our staff is hard at work on our new exhibition, "Triumph of Phillippine Art." The exhibition comes to us from George Segal Gallery in New Jersey and was to show at the Ayala Museum in Manila. Bit because of displacement caused by the recent typhoons, "Triumph" needed to keep traveling and so it came to us. I'm excited about the convergence I art and culture as the exhibition features artistic responses to martial law in the Philippines and subsequent revolution! 

1.27.2014

PAD2014: Day 25

A whole day later! Today's photo comes from the potluck some of my friends and I had. It's all vegetarian food from our one-week vegetarian challenge! 


PAD2014: Day 26


Today I got to host an event to kickoff the artist's workshop I'm leading this semester. Amazing talent on this campus and I can't wait to help people develop their gifts and faith! 

1.25.2014

PAD2014: Day 24


Today's photo is from a cool cafe some friends and I found in KoreaTown. The wonders of Yelp! 



1.24.2014

PAD2014: Day 23


Had a friend of mine choreograph a performance piece to "Brokenness Aside" by All Sons and Daughters, one of my favorite reflection songs. We're focusing on Breakthrough as a theme for our weekly large groups and I like that the song communicates that God'd grace is not contingent upon what we do right or wrong. It's that great! 

1.23.2014

PAD2014: Day 22

My friends and I "found" our way into the ultra-prestigious Cinematic Arts building on campus. A palatial structure in the heart of campus, it reminds me of why I love architecture and it's ability to create spaces where one can find enchantment. I call this an urban oasis. 

1.22.2014

PAD2014: Day 21

After studying the first chapters of the book of Genesis, my friends and I have decided to try out being vegetarians for a week. It's our response to returning to the natural order of creation God intended for mankind. I present to you a photo of Greek yogurt, with pomegranate seeds and honey. Bon apetit! 

1.21.2014

PAD2014: Day 20


Had dinner with my mentor's church community. What a blessing to have multiple generations all in love with the same God and following Him together! This photo is from the drive over to the church in Montebello; I love how the skyline inspires reflection! 

1.20.2014

PAD2014: Day 19


"To lea people to Christ and become like Him." -The mission of YNCC Jefferson Church in Los Angeles.

1.19.2014

PAD2014: Day 18


 Elysian Park, Los Angeles.

1.18.2014

PAD2014: Day 17


Spending my weekend studying the book of Genesis!

1.17.2014

PAD2014: Day 16


Today's photo is a shot of Encounter, an event I help with as part of my leadership experience with InterVarsity at USC. We went through so much to put this event together and this picture shows the results of all of our prayers and hopes. Yay Jesus! Looking forward to next week's Encounter! 

1.16.2014

PAD2014: Day 15


Fireside chats.

1.15.2014

PAD2014: Day 14


Le crepe. 

This is the crepe I enjoyed amidst an enlightening conversation about university politics with friends. 

1.13.2014

PAD2014: Day 13

Teaching my roommate how to cook!


1.12.2014

PAD2014: Day 12

This photo is from the pre-semester dinner my roommates and I cooked tonight. Here we come spring 2014! 

PAD2014: Day 7

Late again! But it's okay. Today's picture is of a Jamaican beef patty from a local Caribean bakery! 
Noms ;)

PAD2014: Day 10

Spending the weekend with my good friends and ministry team from InterVarsity; the photo of the day is our responses to a vocation workshop. 

PAD2014: Day 11


Taken in Huntington Beach; amazing to be back in that water because it's one of the first places I visited after moving to LA for school. 

1.10.2014

PAD2014: Day 9

Taken at the airport with my older sister, before my flight back to Los Angeles. We clearly have a love for breakfast!

1.08.2014

PAD2014: Day 8

Today's photo: grabbed lunch with my older sister at a hometown favorite!

1.07.2014

PAD2014: Day 6



So I'm cheating, I'm uploading yesterday's picture halfway through today. Additionally, it's from a documentary I watched around 1 a.m. this morning, but, my rules!

This picture is a screen grab from a documentary titled "Somewhere Between," which follows the stories of teenage girls who were each adopted from China as babies or toddlers. It stuck out to me while scrolling through the documentary offerings of Netflix, and as someone who has always been interested in issues of race and cultural identity, I'm so happy I watched it! 

Each of the girls had different stories, and  it was interesting to watch them struggle to be empowered against the term "abandoned."

It was completely worth going to bed at 3 a.m. 

1.05.2014

PAD2014: Day 5



Throwbacks. 

PAD2014: Day 4

Definitely cheating by posting this in the wee hours of day 5! 

Today's photo was taken at Town Center Cinemas, a $2 theatre in my family's old neighborhood. We take a trip there every once in a while for a family hangout. Spending time with my siblings has been the main theme of my winter break, and I love that! We even did a bible study on Isaiah 42 together earlier as well. 

1.03.2014

PAD2014: Day 3


Today, I went to the Apple Butter Bakery, a new bakery/cafe/cake shop in Stone Mountain, my hometown.  

I fell in love. The treats were delicious, affordable and the shop itself looked like the dream of every rustic DIY-obsessed Pinterester ever, while maintaining a uniqueness. I love meeting local and young entrepreneurs because I love seeing passion put into action, in a way that can serve community. The bakery offers cake decorating classes and demonstrations and offers itself as a nice place to study or meet up with someone. There aren't enough locations like that in this area, so it's really exciting to see! 




Hoping to enjoy more of their deliciousness and ambiance in the future!

Mo

1.02.2014

PAD2014: Day 2


Today, I made roasted potato chips with my younger sisters! I have taken a liking to rosemary so I use it quite often--over the summer, I developed a habit of putting dried rosemary over vanilla ice cream! 

We also experimented with homemade beauty treatments by making and using a  honey-and-sea-salt exfoliator, which proved successful. 

Here's to a day of DIY projects and sisterly bonding! 

Mo

We Are Called to the Everyday

Written 7.1.13


If there’s one thing God has revealed to me in past weeks, it’s that living a life for Him happens on a day to day basis.

I am someone who often dreams of and plans for the future, and thinks of each of my decisions and its’ significance for the rest of my life. This is not necessarily a bad thing; after all, we are called to live in perspective of eternity. However, it’s really hard to think of how I can live for God in the future, when I’m struggling to surrender my Monday to Him.


Perhaps you’ve experienced this?


I spent last week at an all-expense paid conference in New York City, as part of my scholarship with the Emma Bowen Foundation for Minorities with Interests in Media, as an Emma Bowen Scholar, I get placed at a really nice internship with Turner Broadcasting each summer, with a nice paycheck, and even better opportunities. During the conference, we attended seminars and networking events to meet and mingle with media executives from major companies, who understand the need for and value of diversity in the workplace. The program is highly selective, so you can only imagine how encouraging it was to hear people with dream jobs tell you that you’re on the rightpath.


Yes, it felt good, but I also felt convicted. (For one, whenever things are going too well, I tend to wonder if there’s a spiritual struggle I’m supposed to be overcoming that I’m not cognizant of. This is why the Spirit sends me articles like Relevant Magazine’s “The Importance of Having Fun.”) I feel a great passion for international development, and I’m increasingly made aware of social injustices around the world, from wealth disparities to women’s rights. My point of conflict is feeling like I need to decide to choose the media executive path, or the humble international worker, when God hasn’t told me that I need to choose either, at this point in my life.


During the conference, looking around at the other interns--well-dressed, high achieving students eager to establish connections and develop resumes-- I felt so…unsettled. I wrote in my notebook, “Jesus, why am I here?” Feeling the need for Him to tell me why He’d given me so much privilege, I sat waiting, wondering which of my mentors and friends would offer the best advice.


However, during the few days I was up there, I remembered a decision I’d made during summer conference with InterVarsity before I left school; to surrender to Him, daily. I was reminded that the most potent decisions a follower of Christ can make is not necessarily the big “Yes” moment that comes on an unexpected day, though it can be. It’s saying yes to the small things that happen each day, like being polite in the early morning although crankiness wants to take charge, or thinking about how articles I want to write will point readers to thinking of how they can love their neighbors, and grow their God-given gifts.


The conference was fun, and full of bonding with other interns, laughing and getting to know visiting professionals, and catching up with old friends who were interning in New York for the summer. I found that living my calling was not focused on how well I did during a marketing challenge presentation, but how I interacted with the other students on my team. It wasn’t about flying from place to place, but being able to have spiritual conversations and even pray for another intern I’d been getting closer to on the plane ride home.


Serving God in your career, or in life, means serving Him every day, and using the opportunities you’re given to let His character show through you. Whether or not I know the exact path my career will take, I can never get “there” if I don’t start by following Him faithfully here, and now. In fact, I’m actually convinced that my ‘career’ will be a combination of working with media, the arts and building international relationships that foster cross-cultural collaborations, which will bring light and justice to the women and communities all over the world that are close to my heart. I find things, and learn about people and organizations each day-literally, every day- that resonate strongly with this idea, and I’m sure that as I lean in and allow God to lead me, He will surely reconcile my passions and my purpose.


It all starts with me being faithful at each point I find myself in. On that note, back to being an intern at CNN DigitalI’ve got an article to write ;)

1.01.2014

PAD2014: Day 1


 

Decided to start a Photo-A-Day project! This one is from 31 Bits, a jewelry company that uses fashion and design to empower women in Gulu, Uganda to rise against poverty, while gaining skills of self-sufficiency and developing artisanship. 

Around this time last year, I realized I still had a heart for the fashion industry (I used to be obsessed in case you couldn't tell from previous posts on this blog), although I'd slowly drawn away from it after not knowing how I could be in the industry as a follower of Jesus who values justice and global reconciliation. 

After watching "The Devil Wears Prada" one night, I got the feeling one gets after running into an old crush who things could have worked out with--so I prayed that if God saw it fit for fashion to be any part of my life, that He would bring it about, but I wasn't going to pursue  it for fear of being distracted. 

The next day, I found the social media profile of a woman who loved fashion, studied diplomacy at my university and felt called to empower women and girls as a follower of Jesus. Since then, she and I have become friends and we connected over 31 Bits. 

This company is one I many I've learned about that see an opportunity in the fashion and arts industries to mobilized for good. Now, I work for 31 Bits as a campus ambassador at USC and I'm constantly being inspired by similar initiatives that use something creative for international development. 

A lot of my 2013 involved being inspired by these types of social innovations, and my 2014 will likely be about putting my own ideas into action and helping others do the same. 

God answered my simple, honest prayer in a way that encourages me to trust Him with more of my hopes and plans, and to learn how to use them to spread His mission. 

Here's to a new year of dreaming big and chasing those dreams!