new-lee-weds

"hey chung-ita!!!" (claire's korean name is chung)...last night we visited with jimmy lee and his wife, joy, at their apt in monterey hills and from the moment we turned the corner to their place, we were greeted with an infectious degree of energy and exuberance straight from jimmy's heart and smile that we've come to expect and love...

....here is a pic of claire and joy (seated right):

...as u can see, joy is a huge 'sc fan (she's showing off her autographed, collector's edition 'sc football)...unfortunately, claire and jimmy (cal bears) and i (ucla bruins) can't really argue with the scoreboard...with 25 straight wins to the trojans' credit (the longest current streak in the nation), including yesterday's pounding of the oregon ducks, no wonder joy is smiling wide and riding high these days...

....speaking of riding high, jimmy is a serious surfer....ask him to show u pics from his surfing trip to el salvador...

...the intersection of Christian faith and friendship is so satisfying....we had a great time with the new-lee-weds (fresh off their honeymoon in fiji)...over a wonderful meal @ cafe bizou in old town pasadena, we shared openly about the joys and challenges of marriage and how to obey and honor God with our vocational choices and futures...and, as jimmy and joy are one of monthly supporters, we talked a lot about our current preps for and upcoming ministry in japan....

...after coffee and fruit back at their place, we stood in a circle and the lees prayed for us...and as we were driving back home, claire and i thanked God and prayed for the lees....God reminded us AGAIN that the intersection of Christian faith and friendship is so satisfying and synergizing...like Paul writes to his friends in Rome, "For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong, that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine" (Rom. 1:11-12)...last night, the four of us were mutually encouraged to love and obey and trust God...

...and we can say that about so many of you, our dear family and friends...without question, we learn so much about God's love and grace thru our friends and family....and as we go to japan, we thank God for surrounding us with such wonderful, loving, and encouraging friends...thank u!!!

...oh, and praise God for a most random re-connection: while on our way to cafe bizou, jimmy stopped for gas and guess who was pumping gas at our station....an old friend and wonderful older Christian brother from my days in the college group at inland pres church: ben chun!!...the three of us couldn't believe our eyes....the odds of this happening in l.a. are astronomical!...we exchanged numbers and plan to get together soon and catch up....thanks God!!!

...ben is the proud papa of his two year old son, noah (who is proudly showing me his race cars):