I look forward to the next day every day. I knew the seven basic principles before. But when I listen the second time, I start to understand what Jesus wants me to do and think about. Although many times I am very tired and even want to take a nap, God still touches my heart. To be a real Christian is very difficult. There are many rules to be obeyed. The Bible is not only a difficult book, but it can be used a lot of ways in my real life. I have to be more close to God.

The activities at night are funny and exciting. I enjoy each of the activities. And I feel very happy too. “Time is flying like an arrow.” It’s already one week into the program. I wish I can cherish the next three weeks I am here at VOICE.

We had a really special dinner last night. Though it’s in July, we had a Valentine’s Day dinner! This is one of the important holidays in America. We all had to draw a card—it was actually half a heart—and then we needed to find the person whose card matches yours, so that we all got a partner to dine with. It is really special to me because I never had a formal Valentine’s Day dinner before. We had a VOICE sing-off and games after the dinner. It was really fun.

Apart from those fun times, I was really touched by the world’s first love story Rowan shared with us. Ever since the time of creation, the love story between God and men has been ongoing. And God is so loving that He decided to include all of us in His love story, no matter whether we would love Him back or not. But to me, I have decided to spend my whole life loving Him, no matter what it takes, because He is the only one who has been loving me even before I knew Him!

Today we had a fun experience in English class. I think it’s a memory that I will not forget. Today, Faith taught us how to buy fast food. We all had $2.00 to spend. We walked to Sonic. Today was a very hot day, so I was thinking I would buy a big chocolate ice-cream as I walked.

We didn’t spend too much time walking. We arrived at Sonic after three minutes, but we really spent more time ordering and buying. I bought a really big ice-cream; it was so nice. But it was also too sweet for me.

Today was so special, I am bound to never forget the happy day.

I don’t think there were any low points today! So, I am not going to write about that! I think perhaps that nothing happened unhappily for me. What I think today’s high point was at night when we had some games to play. Kennan led us to play the games. Oh, I really enjoyed all the games we played!

The one I most remember is the game which has a dragon head and tail in the end. Every team sends two people to play the game. Wow! Everyone was crazy! My partner was Luke; he was the head and I was the tail. It was really exciting! I loved it!

Ni hao! I am one of the TESOL students. Due to problems with transportation I did not arrive until Tuesday evening. This last half-week has been one of the best times of my life. I have made several new friends, and it already seems we’ve known each other for years. But more importantly, God has been meeting with me and challenging me to become more like Him.

Today we had the opportunity to attend First Southern Baptist Church. The message really spoke to many of us. Afterwards, we were able to bless a Sunday School class by singing Psalm 103 in Mandarin. Then all 50+ of us went to a couple’s house for pizza.

This evening we wandered around Bricktown in downtown Oklahoma City. We did a little shopping, hunted buffalo (statues, that is), walked along the river, and ate lots of yummy ice cream by the fountain. Afterwards, we spent some time in praising the Lord through song, Scripture, and testimonies. As a fellow TESOLite said, “To worship with a group of people who don’t speak your language is really cool!”

God bless!

After the disturbing test this morning, we took a trip to the Oklahoma State Capitol. It made us feel like we were placed in an art museum. How spectacular it was!

Our next destination was the history center of Oklahoma. We struggled for the answers of the question paper. Although we didn’t get the prize, we still learned a lot about the events and celebrities of Oklahoma. And we bought some souvenirs. I love the keychain that lights up when I press it! At night, we went shopping and bought many things! To sum up, a nice day was passed again.

The first day I came to America, I felt it was really different from Taiwan–not only weather, food, and buildings, but people were also extremely different. There are many races in America. It’s multi-cultural, and I enjoy it.

When I came to VOICE at night I felt everyone was so kind and enthusiastic. This made me feel comfortable. And the first day at VOICE widened my vision. It’s a very special experience in my life. I felt great satisfaction after my first day in America.

Photo Credits: Memory Verses, by Karen Chen

Today is Thanksgiving. I ate lots of food that I have never eaten, and all of it was tasty. After dinner, we played games, and everybody was happy and …crazy. I hope tomorrow will be better and have more activities and have different breakfast. Now it’s 12:10 am. I’m so tired and writing is difficult. I hope I can write better in the future.

ZZZ…

Sleep now…

I’m very nervous and excited because I’m in Americaand it’s the first time I go abroad. So, I’m not only happy but also afraid. Why? Because I never study English. I find that I can’t understand what is said in English.

This morning we had a Bible class. I think it’s a very good course. In the afternoon we had an English test.

Today is very special because we went to a couple’s home. They are very kind, and we played games. We played volleyball and ate a lot; I’m very happy.

Though my English is not good, but I believe. God knows what it is I need, and he will give me.

Today was a very exciting day. It was our first official day of VOICE. The Taiwan students arrived at the TrainingCenter around 11:00pm last night. I was really surprised when I saw almost all of them at breakfast, which was served at 7:30 in the morning. I admire those guys; if I were in their shoes I would have wanted to stay in bed all day from jet-lag. But God is good and gives us all strength; so the Voice students performed excellent today.

This morning we had our classes. The Voice students sat through the first session of the Basic Seminar. The TESOL team had TESOL training lessons, and the V2 students (of which I am a part) had a leadership session on the importance of having the vision of a leader. Rowan led this session and explained how as leaders we not only need to have a vision, but also that our vision must be in tune with God’s vision.

In the afternoon all of the Voice students participated in English testing to determine which level of English class they would be assigned to. After this was completed, everyone took part in the first session for the musical that we will be presenting.

This evening, the Greenlaws invited everyone over to their house where we had a delicious dinner of lasagna. We also enjoyed many games including volleyball, tug of war, and “Guess that Staff Person.” As stated earlier, it was a very exciting day. And as we dive into our sessions I’m really excited to see what God is going to do in the lives of each individual that has an opportunity of being a part of Voice 2007. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we all seek to draw closer to God and to deeper our relationship with Him.

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

Josh Heath
V2, Team 1

Photo Credits: Hands Raised by Karen Chen