There is something so beautiful about being broken, on your knees, at the cross, completely laid out. This line really speaks to me, from Amy Grant’s – Better Than A Hallelujah:

“We pour out our miseries, God just hears a melody. Beautiful, the mess we are. The honest cries of breaking hearts are better than a Hallelujah.”

I’m still learning how God uses brokenness for his Kingdom, which is a hard concept to grasp. A broken heart means an open heart, an opening for God to enter. God hears my cries as melodies, how beautiful is this. Jesus, completely fill my heart…

- Al

This November, I am heading back to Yu-Lin. I used to feel like this trip was “visiting friends” or “visiting kids,” but never did I feel like I was heading somewhere permanent. Well, I am bringing my fiancee, Lily, this time around (this will be her first trip there)…and it’s a big and scary trip for me. This is the place we are planning to call home in less than three years. Three years??? That’s like a blink of an eye. She is going to see her future home, her FUTURE. Her future is going to be surrounded by dirt roads, clay houses, run-down schools, unsanitary hospitals, and lots and lots and lots of hardships (for sure). I am scared out of my mind about this trip. How is she going to respond? Is she going to think she’s making a big mistake? Is she going to think I’m crazy for dragging her along this journey? I just hope God is preparing a small, well-lit candle in the midst of all that darkness…and that Lily and I can find it when we’re there in November…

Looking up in great anticipation,
Dan