SE Asia 2017 - Introduction!
Hello everyone!
I guess for the first post, it's only fitting that I introduce myself. My name is Alex, and I'm a San Diego native currently living in the Bay Area. I graduated from Cal in 2016 (Go Bears) and have since been working in Palo Alto. Additionally, I attend Bay Gospel Church in Campbell. By the grace of God, in the short while that I've been at Bay Gospel, I've come to cherish and love Christ and His church more dearly in this post-grad season.
So I'd like do share about an opportunity that has come my way for this summer. This August, I will be attending a two-week medical mission trip to Southeast Asia (specific countries omitted for security reasons) with an organization called 4 Christ Mission (4CM). 4CM is a mission organization dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor and reaching people groups all over the globe with the good, life-giving news of Jesus Christ.
This year, 4CM is bringing a team of pastors, doctors, and young adults to Southeast Asia to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and witness its transformative impact on the people there. For two weeks, we will be laboring with local churches to this end. Our hope is that the people of Southeast Asia may know the glorious hope that they’ve been called to in Christ and that their love for Him may abound more in depth of knowledge and insight (Eph 1:18, Php 1:9).
I've partnered with my friend Cam and The Cultivation Project because I wanted a medium by which I can share details about this trip, along with my personal reflections in the Word. But let me be clear--my goal isn't merely to process my thoughts onto paper (or virtual paper), but ultimately, to direct people to the absolute beauty of the gospel that has gripped my heart more tightly in the passing years. Basically, I hope my reflections will help you know and love and obey Jesus Christ more seriously. I realize that my audience will consist of both Christians and non-Christians alike. No problem--I believe these posts will have much to speak for both camps alike. By the way, if you have no idea what this "gospel" is, reach out to me and I will gladly provide an explanation!
Before I close, I'll briefly describe what I think this blog page is going to look like. I'll probably post some pre-trip thoughts/reflections on here leading up until the day we leave (Aug 11!). We probably won't have internet access in these countries, so don't expect a mid-trip update. Then, when we return, I'll probably publish a post-trip summary/reflection on the entire medical mission trip. Hopefully that one will include lots of pictures!
Oh yeah, and besides me, one of my teammates Hannah Kim will also be contributing some posts on this page. She still needs to raise some funds for this trip, so go support her and donate! I'm sure the donation button is somewhere on this page...
Til the next blog post!
- Alex