It's 6:15pm on 5/31/2002. Today is the opening day of the current biggest show on earth we call the World Cup. I'm here at the IMC (international media center), anticipating the kickoff which will happen in 2 hours. I'm not kidding when I say this, but I think I'm kinda dizzy. For the past 9 months I've been working on this project, today is the day that we marked on our calendars. It's kinda like all the hard work, the long nights, frustrations and excitement for the past 9 months are all squeezed into this one moment when France kicks off against Senegal in Seoul and it's really hard to describe. It's kinda surreal. And I'm sorry if I make it out like this is soooooo important and stuff, but I don't think I have experienced anything like this in my entire life. Inside our fifaworldcup.com room, everyone is working out the last details, checking stuff, but mostly, waiting for the big show to finally start. I mean, dang it, start already!!!! haha... Our 8 tvs are all tuned to the pregame. Pictures of fans painted with their team colors, panoramic view of the stadium and the sea of blue and yellow, the pristine green pitch, the flags, the horns, the chants, everyone anticipating for the start. It's unbelievable. As I look across the room, I can't help but remember that the fifa/yahoo team is composed of a team of dedicated people from 17 different nationalities and various backgrounds. I think our team is filled with such incredible people. Even though our schedule is bordering on insane (working 7 days a week, 10-16 hour days), no one really complains because we know what we're working for. Hmm...I'm rambling. Let's just say that I'm glad to be working on this project, and that once this whole event is done...man, I think I'm gonna go thru world cup withdrawal.
BUT...on to other topics, b/c even though I talk like fifaworldcup.com is my life (well...it kinda is at the moment...), I'm trying to see the big picture in all of this. I know that at this moment, Drew is preparing to serve the people of daegu and ministering to them. My cousin Bob is chilling in Beijing. My little sister is taking the finals and will be graduating in 2 days (Congrats Ang!). My friend aoka is about to travel to Japan, another friend moving to NYC, yet another is coming back to SF, while many others are going to Thailand, Santa Cruz, Berkeley, LA, and New Haven. Another might have just gotten engaged this week while yet another is planning to come to Korea to visit me. So many things happening to people, and I guess such is life. I hate to see some friends moving away, maybe some of them could even mean the end of our friendship, but such is life.
My awesome cousin sent this story to me...
Jenny was a bright-eyed, pretty five-year-old girl. One day when she and her mother were checking out at the grocery store, Jenny saw a plastic pearl necklace priced at $2.50. How she wanted that necklace and when she asked her mother if she would buy it for her, her mother said, "Well, it is a pretty necklace, but it costs an awful lot of money. I'll tell you what. I'll buy you the necklace, and when we get home we can make up a list of chores that you can do to pay for the necklace. And don't forget that for your birthday Grandma just might give you a whole dollar bill, too. Okay?"
Jenny agreed, and her mother bought the pearl necklace for her. Jenny worked on her chores very hard every day, and sure enough, her Grandma gave her a brand new dollar bill for her birthday. Soon Jenny had paid off the pearls. How Jenny loved those pearls. She wore them everywhere- to kindergarten, bed, and when she went out with her mother to run errands. The only time she didn't wear them was in the shower - her mother had told her that they would turn her neck green. Now Jenny had a very loving daddy. When Jenny went to bed, he would get up from his favorite chair every night and read Jenny her favorite story. One night when he finished the story, he said,"Jenny, do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you," the little girl said. "Well, then, give me your pearls."
"Oh! Daddy, not my pearls!" Jenny said.
"But you can have Rosie, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me last year for my birthday. And you can have her tea party outfit, too. Okay?"
"Oh no, darling, that's okay." Her father brushed her cheek with a kiss. "Good night, little one."
A week later, her father once again asked Jenny after her story, "Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you."
"Well, then, give me your pearls."
"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls! But you can have Ribbons, my toy horse. Do you remember her? She's my favorite. Her hair is so soft, and you can play with it and braid it and everything. You can have Ribbons if you want her,Daddy," the little girl said to her father.
"No, that's okay," her father said and brushed her cheek again with a kiss. "God bless you, little one. Sweet dreams."
Several days later, when Jenny's father came in to read her a story, Jenny was sitting on her bed and her lip was trembling.
"Here, Daddy," she said, and held out her hand. She opened it and her beloved pearl necklace was inside. She let it slip into her father's hand. With one hand her father held the plastic pearls and with the other he pulled out of his pocket a blue velvet box. Inside of the box were real, genuine, beautiful pearls. He had them all along. He was waiting for Jenny to give up the cheap stuff so he could give her the real thing.
So it is with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasure. Isn't God good?
That was just the story that I needed to hear at the moment. I tell ya, sometimes having faith is hard. But in the end, I have two choices. I hope I can always make the right decision instead of the easy one.
Okay okay, I know I'm a web designer so I should know this, but I can't figure out how to add this counter/url tracer thingie. Anyone out there know? Send me an email!
BUT...on to other topics, b/c even though I talk like fifaworldcup.com is my life (well...it kinda is at the moment...), I'm trying to see the big picture in all of this. I know that at this moment, Drew is preparing to serve the people of daegu and ministering to them. My cousin Bob is chilling in Beijing. My little sister is taking the finals and will be graduating in 2 days (Congrats Ang!). My friend aoka is about to travel to Japan, another friend moving to NYC, yet another is coming back to SF, while many others are going to Thailand, Santa Cruz, Berkeley, LA, and New Haven. Another might have just gotten engaged this week while yet another is planning to come to Korea to visit me. So many things happening to people, and I guess such is life. I hate to see some friends moving away, maybe some of them could even mean the end of our friendship, but such is life.
My awesome cousin sent this story to me...
Jenny was a bright-eyed, pretty five-year-old girl. One day when she and her mother were checking out at the grocery store, Jenny saw a plastic pearl necklace priced at $2.50. How she wanted that necklace and when she asked her mother if she would buy it for her, her mother said, "Well, it is a pretty necklace, but it costs an awful lot of money. I'll tell you what. I'll buy you the necklace, and when we get home we can make up a list of chores that you can do to pay for the necklace. And don't forget that for your birthday Grandma just might give you a whole dollar bill, too. Okay?"
Jenny agreed, and her mother bought the pearl necklace for her. Jenny worked on her chores very hard every day, and sure enough, her Grandma gave her a brand new dollar bill for her birthday. Soon Jenny had paid off the pearls. How Jenny loved those pearls. She wore them everywhere- to kindergarten, bed, and when she went out with her mother to run errands. The only time she didn't wear them was in the shower - her mother had told her that they would turn her neck green. Now Jenny had a very loving daddy. When Jenny went to bed, he would get up from his favorite chair every night and read Jenny her favorite story. One night when he finished the story, he said,"Jenny, do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you," the little girl said. "Well, then, give me your pearls."
"Oh! Daddy, not my pearls!" Jenny said.
"But you can have Rosie, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me last year for my birthday. And you can have her tea party outfit, too. Okay?"
"Oh no, darling, that's okay." Her father brushed her cheek with a kiss. "Good night, little one."
A week later, her father once again asked Jenny after her story, "Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you."
"Well, then, give me your pearls."
"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls! But you can have Ribbons, my toy horse. Do you remember her? She's my favorite. Her hair is so soft, and you can play with it and braid it and everything. You can have Ribbons if you want her,Daddy," the little girl said to her father.
"No, that's okay," her father said and brushed her cheek again with a kiss. "God bless you, little one. Sweet dreams."
Several days later, when Jenny's father came in to read her a story, Jenny was sitting on her bed and her lip was trembling.
"Here, Daddy," she said, and held out her hand. She opened it and her beloved pearl necklace was inside. She let it slip into her father's hand. With one hand her father held the plastic pearls and with the other he pulled out of his pocket a blue velvet box. Inside of the box were real, genuine, beautiful pearls. He had them all along. He was waiting for Jenny to give up the cheap stuff so he could give her the real thing.
So it is with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasure. Isn't God good?
That was just the story that I needed to hear at the moment. I tell ya, sometimes having faith is hard. But in the end, I have two choices. I hope I can always make the right decision instead of the easy one.
Okay okay, I know I'm a web designer so I should know this, but I can't figure out how to add this counter/url tracer thingie. Anyone out there know? Send me an email!
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home