Breathing In and Breathing Out at AACF Staff Retreat.

Jon Liu making a presentation on growing the impact of our ministry.
Top: Johannah (UCR), Mark (UCSD), Jon (LT), Victor (SJSU, LT), Helicon (UCSB)
Bottom: Bruce (USC), Evelyn (UCSD), Carolyn (UW), Larry, Mel (USC, LT), Chong
(UW, SPU), Nathan (UW)
Breathing In and Breathing Out at AACF Staff Retreat.
Written by Jon Liu
AACF had its annual winter Staff Retreat in late
January. We gathered at a home in Oceanside, CA to
fellowship, learn, and plan for our annual Leadership
Training Conference (LTC) in the summer. It is always a
blessing to gather with colleagues, co-laborers and share
life together. We don’t get to see each other too often. Many
of our staff are volunteers who balance fulltime day-jobs,
church involvement, personal life, and friendships. Our staff
are busy people. When we get together, it is a time to
update one another on the things that have happened in
life. It’s a strange thing: Even though we may only see each
other a couple times a year, there is a deep comradery. Not
only do we serve together in the same organization, each of
us care for young Christians and desire to proclaim the
gospel on the college campus. That conviction and purpose
bonds us together. The fellowship between staff is sweet.
We invited a spiritual director, Larry Warner, to lead
us through a one-day retreat. The theme he gave us was
Breathe. It was an appropriate topic for our busy staff. Larry
talked to us about rest: the priority of rest, the importance of
rest, the effects of not resting, and biblical rest. It was a time
to evaluate the hectic rhythm of our lives – to bring our
schedules before God. Psalm 3:4-6 says, “I call out to the
Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down
and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I
will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every
side.” It was an invitation to rest even though there are
tremendous demands on our lives. Larry invited us to
practice “holy drowsiness.” He framed it by quoting Eddie
Ensley, “Many people feel guilty when prayer lulls them to
sleep. Some ancient contemplatives felt this to be a special
place in the heart of god. Francis de Sales said, ‘I had
rather be asleep on the breast of God than awake in any
other place.’ Teresa of Avila called it holy drowsiness and
encouraged us not to feel defeated. Try to be well rested
when praying, but if you fall asleep, remember you are in
God’s arm, loving Him- you have not failed.” It was such a
rich time of rest. I encourage you to practice holy
drowsiness!
The retreat closed with planning. The staff reflected
on our student leaders – their strengths, weaknesses,
skillset, cultural issues, academic demands, and relational
responsibilities. We believe that preparing these students to
be leaders means that we need to minister to the whole
person. Our goal isn’t to only pass on skills, but to shape
them to be disciples who practice healthy leadership. The
weekend was a good balance of rest and work.
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Some Say Ball is Life. We Proclaim That Jesus is the Bread of Life.
Written by Jon Liu & Chloe Chow
AACF hosts several national events a year: United
– a praise night where all AACF chapters gather to share
what God is doing on their campus, LTC – Leadership
Training Conference for student leaders to be educated and
equipped as Christian leaders, and a basketball
tournament. This year’s basketball tournament was open to
all our AACF chapters. This year AACFs from UC San
Diego, UC Irivine, CSU Long Beach, UC Riverside, UC Los
Angeles, and UC Santa Barbara played in the tournament.
Here is a testimony from Chloe Chow. She is from AACF
CSULB, class of 2018:
“This past February I experienced my first AACF
Basketball Tournament in a unique way by being a
player and a member of the planning team! Prior to
Chloe Chow (Top Row, second from the left) with the AACF CSULB girls team
the day of tournament there were many countless
hours where the planning team and I experienced stress, relief and joy as we discussed logistics, contacted
various schools and volunteered our time. However, once the day of the event came I was able to see God at
work through the message delivered by the speaker, the good sportsmanship displayed on the court and the
intentional conversations off the court. Overall, the tournament ran as smoothly as it possible could go and for that
I am proud of all who watched, played and planned. I look forward to participating in future AACF Basketball
Tournaments!”
I talked to several students about the tournament.
Most of them said they wished they had exercised more;
their bodies were so sore after the tournament. All of them
said they had fun. It was a massive effort to plan a
basketball tournament. The leadership received the
proposal (budget, purpose, plan) in September 2015. Six
months later, the students pulled off a basketball
tournament that had over 200 participants on the court.
There were also many students who came to support their
chapter.
The value of a basketball tournament was not in the
tournament itself. There was no winner; there wasn’t an
AACF trophy. The value of the tournament was the
opportunity to deepen community. Students had the
opportunity to connect with one another in a different venue
– outside of bible study, worship, or listening to sermon.
The value of the tournament was that the Gospel was
declared. John Lee, the JEMS Sports director proclaimed
the Gospel to hundreds of students. The value of the
tournament was allowing students to grow into leadership
roles, to plan a large scale event which required budgets,
vision casting, communication, and hospitality.
I look forward to our next national event: United
happening April 9 in Santa Barbara. Keep your eye peeled
for the next newsletter!
John Lee proclaiming the Gospel
UCLA (light jerseys) vs. CPSLO (dark jerseys)
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Giving Conference hosted by AACF
Written by Jon Liu
AACF is hosting the first annual Giving Conference
on April 23, 2016, in Los Angeles. I have the privilege of
leading the planning team for this conference. The Giving
Conference was inspired by the documentary, The
Laundromat. Vanessa Yee, the director of the documentary
and an AACF alumna, says this about her film, "The
Laundromat is a documentary about... issues of silence,
shame, and family dynamics, but just as important, it is a
name for the safe space I hope to create with this movie."
Kylie and I had the opportunity to watch the film at another
occasion. My response was validation. The film affirmed the
pain I felt from personal struggles, family issues, and life’s
trials. I felt like I was given permission to reveal my
authentic self, a chance to make myself vulnerable to Kylie.
It was a healing moment. I acknowledged that I was
authentically broken, and I embraced the truth that I am,
simultaneously, authentically redeemed by Jesus.
The prayer for this conference is that attendees will
take a step toward authenticity. Then they will bring these
insights and experiences back to their communities to
create safe spaces (grace filled space) for others to be
authentic. The daylong conference schedule includes
worship, the documentary, small groups, workshops, and a
keynote speaker.
Also pray that people will respond to the Holy
Spirit’s invitation to attend this conference. We know that
this is an issue that needs to be addressed, but we also
know that this is a difficult issue to address. Pray that
attendees will grow in their relationship with God and their
community. Shame imprisons people. It keeps them from
experiencing the love from God and others. Truth and grace
gives freedom.
If you would like to attend or learn more about the
Giving Conference go to
www.aacf.org/givingconference/. You can also contact
me! Email me, jon.aacf@gmail.com or call me, (213) 6130022. You can ask me about the film, the speaker, and the
workshops. I would love to see you at this conference. I
believe you will be richly blessed by the Giving Conference.
Shame is a difficult emotional that spans age, ethnicity, and
gender. Grace is God’s gift that speaks life across ages,
ethnicities and genders.
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My Journey Toward Health
Written by Jon Liu
I have struggled with my weight my entire life.
As a child I was happily overweight. I didn’t know it was
a problem. I was blessed to have friends who didn’t
exclude me because of my weight. I’ve only known life
as an obese person. As I look forward to a life with
Kylie, I want to live differently. I want to be healthy, and
I have told Kylie that I will be 210 lbs. by our wedding
day.
As I am writing this article, I am far from my
goal. I need to lose 55 lbs. in less than 5 months. I’m
not too sure if I’ll keep my promise to Kylie, but I do
want make progress toward a healthier life.
There are a couple things I know that I need to
work through. (1) I have a complicated relationship with
food. I stress eat. When I am stressed out I can eat a
whole Costco pizza by myself. Part of my journey to
health is finding better coping mechanisms. I need to
develop healthier ways to destress. (2) I am afraid of
being hungry. When I am hungry, it feels like a black
hole forms in my stomach, sucks all my energy away and spits out
frustration. On my journey to health, I am exploring Matthew 4:4,
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but
on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Yes, food fills
our stomachs; it provides vital nutrients for our body. But God’s word
sustains us and leads us to thrive mentally, spiritually, and
emotionally. (3) I lack self-control and discipline. I feel as though I
understand what foods are healthy and unhealthy but I cannot stop
myself from eating. I also have difficulty sticking with a diet or
exercise program. I find that I easily get discouraged when I don’t
see progress or face setbacks. My journey to health includes letting
my “yes” be “yes” and my “no” be “no.” I need to stick with my
commitments and see them through to the end. I need to learn
perseverance.
These are some of the
hurdles in my weight loss journey.
I pray that this time will be a
successful attempt. I am very
motivated. I have an awesome
lifelong partner who is willing to
deal with my “hangriness” (hungry
+ angry = hangry). God has led
me to a woman who is patient,
kind, and I trust her love – it is a
safe love.
I am planning a second
annual Penny A Step. It is a
fundraiser where I get to walk
around a college campus and
pray for one hour. The goal is to
form a holistically healthy lifestyle:
physical and spiritual. Last year I
took 7355 steps in one hour on
the UCSD campus. I walked 3.49
miles. This year I am planning to
do another walk at a campus near me.
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Making Jon’s Ministry in AACF Possible
Written by Jon Liu
At the time I am writing this article, I have been in fulltime ministry with
AACF for seven months. For half a year I have been speaking and traveling to
AACF regional events and large group meetings. It was a blessing to experience the
uniqueness, yet shared vision, of each AACF chapter. I have met with other Asian
American ministry leaders to pray, fellowship, collaborate, and bless one another. I
have met with AACF campus ministers to better understand the needs sof the staff. I
have met with the AACF leadership to discern how God is moving in and through
AACF. Seven months has gone by quickly.
As 2016 comes into full swing, I look forward to a full year of ministry. There
are exciting opportunities on the horizon to expand the impact of AACF on
campuses and in local communities. In 2016 we are looking to host the first annual
Giving Conference. In 2016 we are also looking to launch the 2020 Pledge. AACF is
praying for 20 AACF chapters by the year 2020. We are asking donors to pledge
$20 a month through 2020 to help us increase the impact of AACF. Dotted
throughout the calendar are conferences, regional gatherings, meetings, missions
projects, speaking opportunities, and ministry opportunities. I am blessed to have
the privilege of working in fulltime ministry.
I want to thank each of you for supporting the ministry of AACF. Your
prayers have covered my transition from San Diego to Los Angeles, from youth
ministry to campus ministry. Your contribution allows the ministry of AACF to fulfill its
mission and vision to proclaim the gospel on campuses and to raise up the next
generation of Christian leaders.
Will you consider supporting my
ministry in AACF? My goal is to
raise $6,000 each month. I still
have a need. I am praying for
24 people to pledge
$100/month. Will you pray about
committing to pledge $50, $100,
$200, or even $500 a month? If
you sense that God is leading
you to give any amount go to
http://thedentedbox.com/supp
ort/. There you can choose to
give by check, EFT, credit card,
or donating assets. We even
accept car donations! Thank
you for your prayers and
financial support. Each of you is
a tremendous blessings!
A sneak peek from our engagement photoshoot
Photo Credits: Bruce Chow, Serena Grace Photo
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