2006: My First Year!

Happy New Year everyone! How was 2006 for you? Here's what my family & I have been up to in the past year. There's so much to tell, because God has been so good to us!


FIRST HOME @ ANDREWS
2006 was special for me, because it was my first year of life! Here I am with Mommy & Daddy on the day I was born - just a few days before 2006:



I came home from the hospital just in time to celebrate the new year. My first home was at Andrews University, in Michigan.

I loved it when family came to visit me, because they're important in my life.



Daddy & Mommy both had to go to school and take care of me at the same time. But even though they were busy, they always made sure I was happy and had fun!



I had a special time at Andrews with so many aunties & uncles to love me. I especially had fun with our small group every Thursday night.



Daddy & Mommy graduated from the Seminary @ Andrews in May. You see? I was there cheering them on!




WHERE TO NEXT?
We got calls from different churches. But Daddy & Mommy weren't sure where God wanted us to go next. So we kept praying about it.  



After months and months, it became clear that God was leading us to a Korean church in New York: the Northern New York Korean Adventist Church!


ALOHA!
Before starting in New York, Uncle Don James (a cool Seminary professor) invited Daddy to help out in Hawaii with something called an "evangelistic crusade."  Daddy told me that's when the church holds a series of meetings and you invite people to come learn more about Jesus. This one was a 6-week project that involved 6 different churches all at the same time.



So Daddy joined the team to help out with the technical and computer work. Mommy and me, we tagged along to be with Daddy and to support him. Here's the team and their families:



The meetings went very well at all the churches. People were really blessed.
Daddy was very busy there with work, but on his days off we had some family & fun time, too. Oahu is a really beautiful island.



I even swam in the Pacific Ocean! I was really scared at first, but then I realized Mommy & Daddy were right next to me (and I had my floating boat). THEN, I found out how much fun it was to SPLISH and SPLASH in the water!



We had to leave Hawaii a few days early, before the end of the crusade, for my uncle's wedding in Toronto. A few days later, right after the last day of the crusade, there was a big earthquake in Hawaii! But God was watching over everyone, and no one got hurt.


MY UNCLE'S WEDDING
My Uncle Wai-Git got married and now I have a new Auntie Cindy! The wedding was fun! I got to wear a brand new suit. By the end of the night, I was really tired (and a bit cranky). 




NEW HOME: NEW YORK!
We had a lot of trouble moving to New York, but we finally got there and began working at the church. It's a small church, about 1 hour north of Manhattan.

I have about 15-20 new big brothers and sisters in the church. Some are just a few years older than me, but most of them are in high school. Here are some of them on an afternoon nature hike. I couldn't go with them that time, because it was too cold for me.



We've only been here since November, and Daddy & Mommy are very busy with a lot of work. But they seem very excited with BIG PLANS for the ministry here. That makes me excited too!


I'M A BIG BOY NOW
I just turned 1 a couple of weeks ago! It was fun blowing out the candle on my first birthday cake. 



What can I do now that I'm 1? Let's see... I've mastered the art of crawling, and now I can walk while holding onto things. But soon, when I'm ready, I'll walk by myself. 



I have 4 teeth and I love to eat! -- Cheerios are my favorite right now.



I like to talk a lot, too. But people don't seem to understand what I say -- that can get frustrating sometimes.



My curly hair is starting to grow out. I hear Mommy talk about giving me my first hair cut very soon. But Daddy keeps delaying it, because he's afraid that'll be the end of my curls.




THANK YOU!
So you see, I had a fantastic first year because of all the love from God, from Mommy & Daddy, from my family, and from my aunties & uncles all over the U.S. and Canada. There are just too many people to name, who showered me with so much love (and so many gifts, too!).

Thank you, thank you, thank you all! Your love has helped me learn more about God's love. I miss all of you! I hope we'll get to play together more in 2007!

Please leave me some comments and let me know how you're doing. I love hearing from you! Talk to you again soon!

Love,
Ryan