Summer & Fall 2012 Update

Hi everyone!

As we mentioned last post, we moved in April. Here's our new address:
238 S. Arroyo Parkway #309
Pasadena, CA 91105

We are also coming back to Houston December 21-30th. Please shoot us an email if you are interested in hanging out so we can plan ahead!

It has been 6 months since the last post, so we'll keep this short and sweet, using pictures to tell you what we've been up to. Everyone likes pictures!

JUNE
Sarah & Nick Visit: Our dear friends Nick and Sarah came to visit and of course, we went to Disneyland & California Adventures. We got there at 8am and stayed until 10:30pm. Sarah and I were very proud of our husbands demonstration of love for us by making it through the day.

Sarah getting a kick out of Ann's screaming

JULY
Priscilla & Josh's Wedding: Congrats to my childhood friend (known each other from the womb) Priscilla who got married at WHCC :) Here's a pic with some Agape chicas: Denise, Tri, and Priscilla.

Our wedding ceremony coordinator and 3rd mom Mrs. Hsu, Steffy, Justin,  Mom, and Ann

Kelly Clarkson: I saw Kelly Clarkson and The Fray perform at my first Hollywood Bowl experience!

The Campaign, Dark Knight, and Bourne Legacy - Screenings: In LA, screenings are readily available to the public. We would never pass up a free movie! We saw all these movies before they came out. For the Campaign, we had to fill out a survey about what we did and did not like about the movie, so that they could edit the movie according to the audience's liking. That's a first!

AUGUST
Jen & Matt Visit: Our dear friends Jen & Matt came to stay with us for the weekend, which turned into a whole week! We had a blast while Jen cleaned out my fridge, the boys played golf and Call of Duty, and the 4 of us just encouraged one another to press on with the vision God has given us in life. Pictured here: Grace (WHCC friend who lives 5 mins from us now!), Jen, Matt, and Justin.

Leader's Retreat: Our church, Pacific Crossroads, held a retreat for community group leaders. We started leading one this fall and have LOVED it. This retreat was life-changing for the both of us because there was a huge emphasis on experiencing God's love by looking at the depth of our past woundings and sinful tendencies. We learned the value of being authentic by going deeper into the defaults of our hearts, and not being afraid to share that with others so that healing can happen in community.

Justin and I with our engaged friends Jose & Liz @ Leader's Retreat

SEPTEMBER
Jeannie Visits: I got the downtown LA experience at a rooftop bar with my best friend Jeannie

Jeannie showing me how it's done in LA: yes that is a waterbed to our left.

OCTOBER
London: Justin went to London for his annual meeting with the management team at Vision Fund to present the budget. He had a fun 1 day excursion to Amsterdam before returning home!

Founder of NightLight Visits

Annie Dieselberg (left) visited the NightLight LA office and shared countless stories of women in Bangkok whose lives were transformed by Jesus

 NOVEMBER
Japan & New Zealand

Thanks to Justin's travels to Africa & Asia for work, we had enough miles to visit  Japan & New Zealand! Here's a  view from Queenstown, where many scenes from Lord of the Rings were shot

Thanksgiving: Justin's Mom Visits!: We were so honored and grateful to have Justin's mom fly all the way from Houston to spend Thanksgiving with us.

Guess where we spent Thanksgiving? You got it, Disneyland. That is fake snow in the sky.

We are so thankful that God led us to LA. After a full year here, we understand why. He has allowed us to pursue our God-given passions in work and shown us through church and community how to be unified closer with Christ. The joy and peace that flows from that is incomparable to anything else.

And you made it to the end. True friendship :)

Spring Update

Hi everybody!
Keeping up with a blog is harder than it looks :)
We have had a busy Spring...the biggest events are as follows:

4th Anniversary: We celebrated our 4th by doing a mini food tour in Silver Lake - included a quesadilla cart, oyster bar, and coffee shop.

Food Poisoning: We were rewarded for our mini food tour by both getting food poisoning, one after another. Justin first, then Ann. God was gracious because at least we could nurse each other back to health when the other one was throwing up. Happy Anniversary to us! And if you want to hear about Justin breaking out into hives after drinking bee pollen the same day, we'll save that story for another time, just remind us :)

Moved: We moved two blocks down to rent a condo in order to save some monies. It was a stressful ordeal trying to find the right place at the right price in a place like Pasadena. We miss Texas's large square footage, storage, ceiling fans and lighting, and included appliances :) Huge praise - people in our community practically barged into our place forcing us to receive help with packing AND packing. What could have been insurmountable for two people turned into a fairly smooth transition!

Houston: We came back for a wedding (congrats Jin & Tina!), but it was such a short trip we weren't able to see everyone we wanted to. We will be back July 18-22nd and would love to meet up with anyone who is free! Email us and we can set something up!

CFA: Justin has been studying for the past 5 months for his Charter Financial Analyst certification test, level 3. He took it last Saturday and is so relieved that it is over. Pray for good test results! We find out in August :)

Miss you all!

surprised with flowers from such a thoughtful husband!

Overdue Update

Hi Blog World! Thanks to anyone who reads this to keep up with our lives.


I guess the only way to do this is to go backwards in time. We'll do our best to keep this short, but when (Ann) is behind the computer, there are no promises.


Real-Time
Currently, Justin is in Nairobi, Kenya for a conference where he is responsible for training Vision Fund micro-finance workers on new processes. He is also going to Bangkok, Thailand (where NightLight is!) for a conference. If you think of him, please pray for protection of his safety and health. Moreover, please pray against the enemy's attacks which are inevitable with this type of work.


2012
We were very happy to be back in LA in the New Year. It got off to a busy but good start for the both of us. Justin is still enjoying his work at World Vision, along with all his co-workers. We actually hang out with them on a personal level because we WANT to. That's a rare find and a blessing! After much prayer and soul-searching, I have decided to commit to NightLight on a full-time basis for this season of life. I'm extremely excited about investing more time into this organization that brings freedom to women who are being sexually exploited. Most importantly, we share the gospel with these women, the only true redeeming power in bringing healing to their lives. You can make a direct impact by buying jewelry which sustains these women's jobs and and keeps them out of prostitution! http://store.nightlightinternational.com/


Besides work, we are LOVING Pacific Crossroads and the small group in Pasadena. We attended a community group leader training, which feels very much a great way for us to serve together in the near future. God is continuing to teach us how very imperative his gospel and the saving work of Jesus Christ is to our every day life.


We so appreciate your continued support and prayers. There is so much to be thankful for

• Opportunities to work at World Vision & NightLight
• Blossoming relationships in LA through church

If you think of us, please pray for:

• Protection over our marriage and families
• God would continue to show us in what it looks like to really follow him as his disciples

Fun Updates

Andrea got into her first car accident on "the 110". It was her fault, though!

We went to see Moneyball at the Chinese Mann Theatre, followed by our very first Roscoe's chicken and waffles. 

Justin's been up to Mammoth several times this season - no broken limbs this time! He is enjoying the mountains!

Random pics (We need to take more pictures TOGETHER)

Back home for Christmas

Gabriel & Uncle Justin totally bonding

Dinner Party with Justin's Co-Workers who LOVE to eat!

Justin and his co-worker excited about the blessing of food!

Love! JustAnn