Life Is A Miracle

I thank God to be alive to share my story with you. I believe that every life is a Miracle created by God for a special purpose. And it is only as you begin to discover this purpose will your life be truly satisfying. I thank God for bringing me to Uzbekistan to meet some of the most wonderful people here in Nukus. Although it was a difficult time with the pandemic, I learned a lot about myself and Central Asia. Some of the most difficult moments can be some of your best moments as well if you allow God to reveal himself to you. I found that this year, God taught me things about myself that I could not have learned otherwise without the hardship and trouble. It was just a few weeks before the New Year that several teachers in our school reported that they tested positive for Covid. Although most were told to self-isolate, a few of us had to go to the hospital for quarantine. I was one of those teachers. It was the most difficult three days of my life that I had to endure because I could not communicate with the hospital staff. I prayed to God and asked my church back home to pray for me. So often in life, we think we are in control but in reality, we control very little. I learned that God was in charge, and I had to trust him to get me out. After three days, my supervisor said that I had a negative test and was allowed to leave. Glory be to God!

As an English and Mathematics educator of children, I have found my experience working in Nukus, Uzbekistan to be most refreshing. The students here are extremely friendly and respectful to adults and want to please their teachers. As one who has sought to fulfil the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ, I find the “4-14 window” quite challenging. Most people have heard of the “10-40 window” which speaks of the geographical region and the location of this population being in East Asia, Central Asia and North Africa. The “4-14” window speaks however of the age of this people group. It encompasses around a quarter of the world population. It is to this population between the ages of 4 to 14 that I am hoping to encourage and teach some of the most basic understanding about life and the world we live in. Some of the most difficult questions in life can be answered simply but having a good understanding of who Jesus is and His Gospel. Hence, I have written this book for both educators and parents of youth in the age bracket and beyond.

My daughter Maggie who is 15 told me that kids in this age bracket do not read so reaching them may present some difficult challenges. This generation is at a lost in terms of their identity and direction. Without a moral compass from the word of God, the “4-14 window” is lost to the world and the devil. Having spoken to a youth group here in Uzbekistan, young people are looking to the older generation for affirmation and support. They have been told that they are seedlings with great potential to grow, be fruitful and multiply. However, many also know that they are reaching the end of history seeing the signs of the times of Matthew 24. What they need most is our time and listening ears so they can have hope, courage, strength to endure, and faith to move ahead. We will rule as kings and priests in the new world if we will remain faithful to our King Jesus (Luke 19:11-26)

We will cover the following topics – sin, Satan, salvation, kingdom of heaven, repentance, man, God, creation, Holy Spirit, Jesus, etc.)

How can I be good when everything is bad?

What does it mean to love God and my neighbors?

How can I follow Jesus and God’s Spirit today?

Who is God and what is he like?

What is sin and where did it come from?

Who is Satan and what is his role in this world?

What is the gospel of the kingdom?

Introduction:

Every time I see a baby being born; I am witnessing a miracle. I don't know how many times this has happened in the world, but I do know that I have watched my dearest Anne give birth to our three beautiful daughters. They are older now but when I think back, they were all exciting experiences filled with awe and wonder. As soon as the baby comes into the world and takes its first breath, a new journey begins. It is a Miracle created by God that no one could imagine can happen to you, but it did. The fact that you are reading this is because God thought of you before you could even think. Our life is not an accident. The Bible says that we are all wonderfully and fearfully made. I was born in Hong Kong in January of 1962. I am an Asian American who converted to become a follower of Jesus at the age of nineteen. Having emigrated from Hong Kong to the United States at the young age of six, I did not have a strong ethnic identity as a Chinese. My family ties and relationships were also very weak. My grandmother ritualistically practiced Buddhism but the rest of my family abstained. My childhood remains a blur except after I arrived in America when I started pursuing some kind of meaning for my life. Why am I here? Who am I? Does life have a meaning or purpose? These were some of the questions I wrestle with even at the age of nine. At the age of fifth teen, I discovered that the bible actually answered some of these questions when a blind man would stop in the Carvel ice cream store where I was working to drop off bible tracts with verses in them. At the age of nineteen, I attended a Christian family retreat in upstate, New York. It was there that I got to ask all of these rather philosophical questions. For the first time, the answers I received satisfied my search for reality. The youth pastor and his friend who came to my cabin while the program was going on caught my attention. I was impressed by the fact that they would rather spend time with me than with the rest of the people outside. They patiently answered my questions about the meaning of life. One thing I remember was that they said this life was a test. Where I would end up was determined by how I respond to this test. God tests us for various reasons. There is a heaven and a hell. Up until that point, I knew I was going to hell. I was a compulsive liar and would try to deceive people all the time. I also had many sinful habits that I could not break even though I tried. When they shared the gospel with me that I did not have to go to hell, I began to listen. Although I did not understand everything, I did accept the fact that Jesus died for me and that I could be forgiven. It was such a relief to know that I may not have to be punished forever for all my wrong doings. I did whatever I could to escape hell including to accept Jesus as my savior. Today, I have a much better understanding of who I am, the meaning of life, and where we are heading. It is my prayer that young people today can receive much help from some of the topics covered in this book, have their questions answered, and find the direction in life that will lead them to God, joy in the Holy Spirit, and heaven.