new blog

Learn about what I am learning over here - for my latest blog - go to

www.andrewtucker.blogspot.com

I am discontinuing this blog. I will keep it up , but I am returning to my original blog. I will try and put weekly devotions and thoughts on there.

Thank you so much for listening to my stories and thoughts. Also I thank you for praying for me from time to time!

I love you,

Andrew Michael Tucker

5 out of 6

Wow, so a month from today I will be back in America. Crazy to think about! its hard to imagine actually! I can't believe it has been 5 months already! it seems just like yesterday that I got here. I was such a young child then, but now I am a grown man. haha ok, so maybe not, but I have learned a lot since being here. I have gone through a lot of scriptures here (sadly, I am a month behind on journals - so tomorrow sounds like a good day to write them all haha.) Anyway I am hoping you guys are having a great summer! I am. I am hanging out with friends, playing halo, working out, doing video projects, and so much more. For those of you who don't know, my partner Tommie is gone. He had visa trouble and was moved to another city in another place. So I am all alone in the big city and have a 2 bedroom / 2 bathroom apartment to myself. Kinda gets lonely and quite at times, but I have been playing a lot of guitar lately.

So those of you who actually read this, I want to thank you. I appreciate your following of my blog. I don't know who all reads it, so if you are reading this, then I love you very much. You are a faithful friend ha.

I do have 1 request from you guys. Please pray for me. I have 2 huge decisions coming up within the next month. they kinda depend on each other as well so, if one falls through, the other will actually be possible. As in, if oporrtunity #1 opens a door way to something, then opportunity #2 will be closed. I REALLY NEED PRAYER ON THIS ONE. IT IS A BIG DECISION! I need you to be praying for me and I know you don't know what to pray for, but I will just say I have 2 decisions to make soon, and I have been praying about them a lot lately.

pray for me,

love you

Andrew

I dont wanna work, I just wanna bang on these drums all day...

So, this week I have been learning a lot in the scripture. Last night I just stopped doing whatever I was doing because I felt that God was clearly speaking to me by saying, "I want a relationship with you, not a time slot." Wow that hit hard. It was a good hit too. When I woke up this morning, I felt like I had a real relationship with Him again. So awesome! Thank you Father for filling me.

Well This week I saw Star Trek ( Awesome ) and I just got back from the movie Blood ( haha ). I also just came back from a Deb Fung Concert. She is an Australian born Chinese female christian artist. She is pretty good. I enjoyed her lyrics.

I am learning a lot like I said. Humility is key. I am a Nobody, and I like it that way! So good to know that I am not in charge.

Life here is pretty good. Though at times I feel like I have nothing to show for this trip, I am realizing that life is not a checklist of things I have to do to please God. Life is so much more. Its a relationship. Sometimes I fail and don't obey, but thankfully there is grace. Does that mean I can go do whatever I want and get away with it; no. However, I am finding that Father has changed me so much through this trip! I have learned a lot about who I am, and a lot about who He is.

Also - Kudos to Paige for graduating! I am so proud of you and I knew you could do it!

Love you guys,

Andrew

Im just a donkey

Haha - so you may be wondering what I meant by the title of this blog. Well I have been learning a lot about humility this past week. I have a small story that has been stuck in my head this week and I want to share it with you.

Once upon a time, there was a young donkey. He was just minding his own business in his field when suddenly he was taken away. After a few hours, he was returned. He ran to his mother and started explaining everything that happened. "They took me far away and started walking me down the street. You wont believe what happened! People started yelling at me. They began to cheer and clap when I passed by them! People surrounded me and were waving palm branches at me. Men even laid down their coats on the street so that I wouldn't have to walk in the dirt. Mother! They were shouting Hosanna in the highest to me! Your son is finally famous!"

The mother donkey smirked and shook her head, she looked up at her son and said, "Son, I am sorry to tell you that those people weren't cheering for you. They weren't crying Hosanna in the highest for you. It was for the one you carried. The one you were carrying was the one who was being praised."

So many times we forget that rather than us deserving the glory, its the one we carry with us. Only Christ is worthy of the glory, and so many times I have stolen it away for myself. This idea of humility is something that is eye opening! I cant seem to wrap my mind around it! Its beautiful. I am seeing how we are all called to be humble and to lift high the name of Jesus while becoming less important ourselves.

John 3:30 - He must become Greater; I must become Less.

Philippians 2:5-8-

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!


With Love,

Andrew

It's Summer!

Wow - so It is already June 1st! I honestly can't believe that. That means I have been here for over 130 days. WOW! It has flown by so fast, and after looking back, (even though I have gone through some dark times) I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Over the last month or so, I have been eating a little bit healthier and I have been exercising randomly. All this has been in an effort to become healthy and to lose some weight. Woohoo! I have lost over 20 pounds as of yesterday and I have a lot more to go. I talked to one of my friends who is a student and we are going to start going regularly every other day to work out. This is great! I am asking that you encourage me in this endeavor, because I have tried this before; and it failed miserably when laziness kicked back in.

Anyway I am doing well this week. I cooked Mexican food last night for some student friends and had a blast playing Rummy and hanging out. Man I miss Mexican food lol.

Well Hope this Blog finds you guys doing well!

I love you,

Andrew

Who am I ?

I am not worthy to even mention the name of Christ. Why He chooses to love me and use me is still a mystery to me. I know a few things about this life; I will fail on my own, and HE is always faithful. WHen I try and add these things up logically - it does not make sense. Thankfully We have a great equation on our side!

My sin + disobedience + lack of passion ..... should equal = Wrath, death, and no hope

however

there is an AMAZING extra to that equation

My sin + disobedience + lack of compassion + Jesus sacrifice = Love, forgiveness, redemption, and mercy

Awesome - THERE IS MORE TO READ AFTER THE PICTURE....

Anyway This weekend with Tim Hughes was amazing! I loved hearing him sing and getting involved in worship! Good stuff! Things here are up and down, as most of life is. I never can seem to get "it" right. Thankfully there is forgiveness. Today I was told to move all of my stuff out of my "office" because it was needed for something else. HA - for those of you who dont know - I moved a computer into a small CLOSET sized room in the office so that I could have a place to study the word, work on stuff, and email. I was told today that it was going to be used again now that I am in there... lol - gotta love it when you pray in the morning that God would keep you humble.... lol now I am moved into my supervisors office - He is on vacation - can't wait to see his face when he returns to see me at his desk hahaha. Anyway I LONG for your prayers and I want to hear from you ! I want to know that this blog is being viewed. haha so feedback would be great!

much love

andrew

Life in the fast lane

So those of you who haven't heard, I recently went to Beijing. This means I left Hong Kong and took a 25 hour train ride up to the north. The distance between Hong Kong and Beijing is approximately 2,300 kilometers ( 1,409 miles. ) Anyways, to put that into your mind, imagine driving from Orlando Florida all the way to Montreal Canada. Yeah that's about how long the trip was. But I must say it was all worth it! Beijing is amazing! I mostly enjoyed hanging out with other Americans and getting to hear their stories and enjoy our time together. There was never a dull moment. From the Great wall, to the forbidden palace, all the way to the Beijing "African" safari, I had so much fun! (Ps. the safari was awesome - we sat in a caged vehicle and they threw live chickens outside the van and the lions attacked them.) My time there was amazing and I honestly hope to return soon.

Life back in the city has been more than interesting. I recently obtained my own office (converted closet) and am now sitting in my own office at my own computer semi-working / semi-fooling around. I am currently taking over 500 cassette tapes, recording them onto a computer, and then editing them and turning them into mp3's so people can put them on an Ipod. cool idea - boring work. I also went to campus today and met with two friends. I need you to pray that I hear clearly what Father wants me to do this summer here.

To end things, Tonight was amazing. Our worship leader (Tim Hughes - THAT'S RIGHT) was awesome! we are attending the Worship Central conference and it has been amazing! Father is really moving in the hearts of people through music, worship, scripture, and love. I can't wait to hang out with our friend Tim Hughes more and enjoy learning from the Word. (Ps. Tim Hughes = Here I am to Worship / Happy Day / Beautiful One and so many more)

With Love

Andrew

Forgive me

So it has literally been a month since my last post. I am sorry guys. I honestly forgot I even had this blog. Well I will begin by saying that life is tough. I'm not talking about life in Asia, but life in general. We live in a battle zone. Always facing an enemy, whether it is a foreign enemy, or the enemy within ourselves. I must say that I am in the midst of redemption. I feel like I have collapsed to the floor at the doorway to reconciliation. As if I am so close I feel as though I am about to have a revived heart. No more fear, no more selfishness, no more bondage. I can no longer live a double life. I have to come clean before Christ. I know that its either Him or me... and all I can say is I have to choose Him. I look back on life and I see times when I could feel Him, hear Him, and almost reach out and touch Him. Why would we ever want to go back to a time before Christ?

Romans 6:11a (The Message)
"Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us."

To be honest, we all struggle with sin, but most of the time I feel all alone in my battles. As if everyone around me is doing fine. As if I am the only one on planet earth who claims Christ, but yet can't get it right. I know what your probably thinking - "Me too." Why is it that we feel as though we are all alone in our struggles?

I am here today to cry out for true redemption. God I need you. I need your love. I need your forgiveness. I need a new heart. Take this heart of stone and give me Your heart. Secondly I am here to say that you are not alone in your struggles. One thing I can never get enough of is accountability. I need people to hold me accountable. People who will ask the tough questions and will hold me accountable. Questions like "Are you staying in God's word?" "Are you striving for holiness?" "What areas in your life need change?" These questions are just a start.

I just want to say today, here and now, that I am asking for you to hold me accountable. I am also offering my accountability. Why not help each other out in the battle called life? I need Him. I need your help. I need accountability.

With Love,

Andrew

Jesus Wept

Luke 19:41-42

As He (Jesus) approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, " If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes."

I listened to a sermon today about the triumphal entry. Though Easter is over, I have been focusing on this event more and more as time has gone on. As Scott (FBC Vidalia) spoke about this triumphal entry, I began to see more and more the heart of Jesus. I am blown away by this passage. It is the second of only two instances where it is recorded that Jesus wept. The first is in John 10 & 11 in which Jesus weeps over the death of his friend Lazarus.

Imagine these scenes. Jesus becoming overwhelmed by emotion. Our Saviour overcome by sorrow. The one who brings peace, torn apart by sadness. The Christ, eyes filled with tears, crying because of us.

When I read these passages in John and Luke, I began to become a little overwhelmed myself. Jesus crying. Jesus weeping. Why? What for? Why is he crying? That's the beauty of it all. Christ was weeping because of his love for people; which includes you and me. We see that when Lazarus died, Jesus felt true compassion for him. He wasn't just some emotionless person. He was filled with emotion. I can't even begin to express the awesome power behind these verses. To see Jesus break down and cry when he looks at Jerusalem. He knew what had to happen. He knew he had to become the embodiment of sin for us. He knew all along. Yet, he never backed down. He never turned from us like we turn from him. He never said, "I changed my mind." He was faithful to the point of death.

Philippians 2:5-8

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!

Christ's love for us knows no bounds. It never ceases. It never goes away. I see this now because of the smallest scripture. I believe that the smallest amount of words can speak louder than any sermon. "Jesus Wept." Do you see it? Do you see the emotion behind these words. Jesus wept, because He felt compassion. It's because He loves you. He became the embodiment of sin itself so that we could have a restored relationship with God. How can you tell me that's not love. Think about it. Jesus wept, yet he knew that we didn't deserve salvation. We don't deserve his love. Yet, he still wept. He had so much emotion for us that he carried the cross and set us free. I could go on and on about this, but I will leave it with the smallest of words. "Jesus Wept" - John 10:35

Andrew

It's been a while...

So I am so sorry that I haven't been faithful to keeping you guys up to date on my blog. So I have decided to write up two blogs today. One is just filling you in on my day to day life, and the other will focus on my spiritual journey. Though the two can't really be separated, I am going to share as much with you as I can without boring you to tears.

Ok so, Lately I have been having less and less "student hang out time." It has been a while since people have really been able to hang out. They always have "something" to do. However, the times we do spend together are every special and I enjoy getting to hang out with them. We even talked to one of the students about creation and evolution. Though in the end, we agreed to disagree, the conversation got him thinking, and it also reminded me of how awesome Father is.

I have been studying more and more Korean lately, considering it is super easy compared to Cantonese! Seriously... 9 tones! Crazy! Anyway I am currently praying about a few things that are coming up in the next few weeks and months. In May, me and tommie are going to Beijing to see the Great Wall and to meet up with some friends of ours. It should be very exciting and I will make sure I take lots pf pictures with my broken camera. by the way, my camera broke. The screen cracked, but it still works. I just cant see the pics until after I upload them on my computer.

The other things I am facing are starting a small group over the summer for locals and mainland students who stay in town. This group would reach out to the "unchurched". Though this phrase is often overlooked, I feel like there is a desire to learn and grow, and I am seeking after Father on how to even go about starting something. Finally I am praying, along with my partner in crime, about writing / co-authoring a book all about the church and grace, and redemption. There are so many ideas going on right now. We are both seeking after Him and hoping just to konw what He wants. I just ask that You be faithful and pary for me and tommie.

Thanks

Love,

Andrew Michael Tucker

Exile

Have you ever really read into the story of Israel's first and second exile? Most of us know the story about God's chosen people, the Israelites, bound to slavery in the land of Egypt early on in the history of the world. We see that the Israelites were slaves Egypt for over 400 years. 400 years of slavery. 400 years of harsh treatment. 400 years of oppresion (Exodus 12:40) I had often wondered why God had finally "heard them after 400 years." Why hadn't God saved them early on? Why had God allowed them to be slaves in the first place? However God, in His aweseom power, broke the chains of the oppressed and set the captives free. He did this for His glory. He did this to show the world that He alone sets the captives free. This brought Israel out of

One thing I have noticed about this life is that many times we find ourselves under oppression. We find ourselves far from joy. A place where we are separated from true peace and contentment. This is the place of the oppressed. Though we may question why God would allow us to go through times of oppression, I can see how these times are sadly necessary. I have been seeing the fact that we can't experience true joy unless we have experienced true sorrow. How can we ever know what true contentment is until we have experienced oppression? These times of sorrow and times of oppression often bring us back to repentance, which leads us back to a restored relationship with God.

As I look at Israel's long history, I see two major themes. Theme #1 - Israel is unfaithful. Theme #2 - God is always faithful. Israel, just like myself, always seems to find its way back to being unfaithful. Time after time, Israel would rebel and turn from God. The interesting thing is that God sent many prophets and teachers who told them to turn back. Time and time again, Israel turned its back on God and His prophets. Finally, God allowed Israel to become captives by the Babylonians. It is ony after Israel lost everything it once had that they began to cry out to God for restoration. In exile, we find ourselves at a place where we realize that we are not independent. This is a place that is good to visit often. To the Israelites, it seems that there is no hope. God has allowed them to become slaves again. They now again find themselves in the land of the oppressed.

However, The story does not end here. Thankfully we have hope of restoration. Allthroughout Isaiah and Jeremiah we find God's promise to resotre His people. We have been promised that He will redeem us and reconcile us. Isaiah 54 tells us all about our new reconciled state.

Isaiah 54:5-8 "For your Maker is your husband - the LORD Almighty is his name - the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in the spirit - a wife who married young, only to be rejected, says your God. For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger. I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you, says the LORD your Redeemer.

How does this apply to us today? Many of us are under some sort of oppression. We are in a land that is foreign and we are crying out for rescue. We are in a place of exile. A place of uncertainty. A place where we cant seem to find hope. However, we must hold onto the promise that help is on the way. Help has come; His name is Jesus. He has rescued us from oppression, and He has given us hope. Though we find ourselves in exile, remember this feeling of oppression. Because when we enter a reconciled relationship with God, we can only truly enjoy His glory when we reflect on how lost and in need we were before Him.

Andrew

Lighter side of life...

So, I have been in HK for almost 2 months now! Wow time flies when your having fun (cliche). Anyway I have been having a lot of fun here and I am beginning to see my Father work here. I am hoping to see a small group started on campus very soon. Please pray for this venture and for the students who would be coming. I am extremely excited to be able to be used by Him and I am seeing Him work in so many ways in my own life. One main example is that He has changed me quite a bit since I have been here. One main thing I had always had trouble with was learning something spiritual on my own. I have always seemed to rely on other peoples "left-over" spiritual knowledge. Lately I have been stretched and have been learning so much from Him in study on my own. I am going to begin reading through parts of Genesis and Exodus to see His promises and His glory revealed to the world. Thats about it for now.

PS> DragonBall Z Evolution comes out this week - Its a HUGE deal here :) , and yes Eli, I will buy you a copy!

With Love,

Andrew

Week 3 - A week to remember

Haha so when i wrote the title of this post, I kinda laughed when i thought of how its sounds like " A walk to remember." Anyway, This week is one for the history books in my opinion. It started out slow to be honest and I didn't think it was going to pick up, but I was way wrong. Sunday we went to our friend Paul' s church. It took about 45 minutes on the subway train to get there from our apartment! anyway, we got there at lunch and we met with the Korean church members who had prepared a meal for us. It was some kind of vegetable mixture with black suace and rice - seriously one of the best meals I have had here! Also I tried what is called " Kim-chi''- which was SPICY HOT cabbage. It was one of the hottest vegetables I have ever had haha! Anyway we went to the IFN service at 2 and it was ok. To be honest, I was extremely tired and found it very hard to focus on the message. After the service, we went home for a nice long nap. When I woke up, we decided to go to Ruby Tuesdays with Maik and Ellison - Ruby Tuesday( good times ).

Well, monday we went to HKU and sat in on some "secret meetings." This is what everyone calls them, but most of the people in HK know about them considering there was an article about them in the newspaper. There was also a television documentary recorded about them on PBS here! These meetings are during lunch and a professor shows intellegent design vidoes in his office to show students that there is another option besides evolution. Pretty neat idea. It was pretty good. We then went to the office for our weekly meeting. Following Sunday morning, the beginning of the week felt extremely slow, and I honestly felt useless. I have apparently been suffering from " culture exhaustion", which even though you may not do anything during the day, you feel completely tired. I felt this way for about 4-5 days straight. Tuesday was a blur, and I honestly dont remember too much of what happened. Wednesday was our Sabbath and I went to the park for about 2 hours and wrote my thoughts and read the word; really energizing. Thursday I went to see one of my friends sing in a choir performance, and I met a guy named Andy. Andy is a neat guy, and he is studying french! After exchanging numbers I went to the performance. After hearing a few songs in chinese, 2 speakers presented messages... In chinese! Luckily I was given a headset to listen to the translator. Afterwards I went home and rested.

Friday was the best part of the week. It made the week worth the wait. On friday I went to campus with tommie and we sat down and had lunch alone. I always kinda feel like a dork eating alone, but we dont know anyone. So after lunch, I decided to be brave and to step out of my comfort zone. I saw Andy sitting with about 8 students at one table. I stood up, and my feet started moving. When I reached the table I awkwardly stood there waiting to talk to Andy. When he noticed I was standing there, he introduced me to all the students and they asked me to sit down (Awesome!) I struck up conversations with a few of them and began asking the typical "getting to know you" questions. After a while, I got a few of their phone numbers and then, as tommie went to chat with our other friend Bryan, I went up to the dorms with three of the students. They showed me a very interesting instrument and they taught me how to play a few songs! After hanging out, we went to Andy's room and hung out until he had to go to class. Friday was a good day; only to be followed by a better night. We went to KIBC for a prayer and praise service, and I played piano and tommie played electric guitar. We played 12 songs and I felt like Father was there with us. Finally after such a long and wonderful day, a group of us went to Dan Ryan's American restraunt and had dinner.

To wrap things up, this morning I went to play basketball with the guys at a school court and we played quite a few games. I really am not good at basketball but i love it. I played about 5 games until the ball smashed me in the face, broke my glasses, and cut my eye. We went to lunch and just hung out while watching a Korean drama on tv. For the evenning we went with Ellison to to starbucks and sat for about 2 hours talking about everything. We went to dinner and finally just got home. I love Hong Kong! I have been here for over a month now and I feel like this is where I need to be!

Until next time,

Andrew

Well I have been here a total of 2 weeks. It is finally starting to seem more and more like home, rather than some distant and foriegn city. I am getting around town a lot easier than before and I know how to get to people's apartments, the church, and the campuses. So things are pretty good. I had dinner with our german friend last night at Ruby Tuesday and we talked a lot about small groups and the world wide church as a whole. It involved some theology which was good and he told me some more of his story. We then went to his house and played xbox for a couple of hours (haha). In general I feel like we are slowly entering the campus life here and we are going to try and expand our friend network by trying to meet new people. I honestly feel like the idea of just sitting down with people at lunch and trying to strike up a conversation with them seems a little strange, but I know it is how friendships can be made. I actually wish I would have practiced it more in the states. But alas, I am going to have to conquer my fear of rejection and throw myself out there into this big world. I recently met a few students who are pretty awesome. I cant wait to meet more. hopefully this sunday I will go to my friends church which is about an hour away, and I hope to be able to get plugged in, not only there but of course in the KIBC small groups. As for now, I will tell you that I am enjoying life and trying to live to the fullest. It is amazing to see how father is changing my mindset on so many things. Just the other day I was thinking about my life 2 years ago. When I was a freshman I came into college closed minded. I came in with the mindset that I knew everything (man was I wrong). I look back and I remember a certain conversation I had with my friend jamie where she was trying to broaden my horizons and I wouldnt budge. I remember saying "All I want to do is spend the rest of my life in GA and I can do ministry there." Wow - who knew that 2 years later, father brought me to HK, and I have dreams of living in San Francisco! wow things have changed....

Thankfully im always changing - in a good way thanks to Him.


Sincerely,

Andrew

City Life

Well, I have been living in Hong Kong for a little over a week now, and though I am semi getting used to it, I know that there is still a lot of stuff to come. It still amazes me to walk down the street and to see so many people. I love it though. It may sound typical, but at first I couldn't stand the crowds. I felt so rushed and I felt as though I was in everyone's way. As time has gone on though, I have experienced the strangest feeling. I feel very comfortable around the large groups of people. I literally feel a warmth of the people; as if we are connecting. I am enjoying so much these people and this place, though at the same time I have been reliving my college semesters in my mind. I miss BPC so much. I miss my H100 guys from last year, and I miss J200 from this year. I miss Sunday nights at the little chapel, small groups, smoothie night; but I know my time will come when I will be called to return. So for now, I am learning new things, meeting new people, and trying new things. Today I went to some basket ball court and played with some of my new friends. Though I definitely need practice, I enjoyed myself and I really had a great time. Though I tripped and fell on my back, jammed my thumb, bruised my hand, and my nose bled, I had a great time haha. I am sitting in my apartment watching the only english channel we have, and I am just resting fromt he day. It is pretty crazy to think that even though I am in Hong Kong, I can basically get western food anytime i want. However, I am going to try and stick with asian food for a while. Its so crazy to see chickens and ducks hanging in windows, and to see full fish on a platter for a meal. Though its different, its not bad; just different. Hopefully this week I will be able to meet many more students on the campuses so that I can get to know them. I really enjoyed our gathering time last night where we played the guitar and sang some awesome songs. I am getting ready for church tomorrow where I can hopefuly hang out with students. At the moment I am reading through James and when I finish reading through the short book, I plan on doing a much deeper study.

Well thats about it for now,

I will try and keep in touch more often,

Yours truly,

Andrew

My first HK weekend

I'm here! I finally made it.

It's a lot different than I could have ever imagined. I live in an apartment in an area of town call "Mong Kok" which in Cantonese literally translates into "crowded corner" ( <-- understatement) Ha anyway as a side note, Mong Kok is literally the most densely populated area in the world. It has a ratio of 250,000 people per square mile, and we live right on the edge. It is easy to see how it could easily be the worlds most populated place. There are so many things here and so many people. It is hard to walk down the street because you are always bumping into people in every direction. So its the complete opposite of Mt. Vernon, Ga. Haha However, I dont feel like it is a big problem, I feel close to the people in more way s than I thought I would already. I feel like there is a sense of community here, though it is a large community at that.

Saturday we went all over town and visited the major tourist sites just to get a look around the town. I was a little more than overwhelmed. There was so much to see and do. It is hard to believe I am here, but at the same time it is hard to imagine that I will get used to this fast paced lifestyle. I am tired early in the evening as of now, but hopefully I will venture out and have many adventures in the city.

I went to church this morning in Kowloon - the other side of town - and it was pretty good I must say. I enjoyed hanging out with the students. We didn't have our study at the church, rather we all got on a bus and traveled a couple of blocks away to an apartment where we split into small groups and had a great time. We then left to eat lunch in the mall - which there are A LOT of malls here. The first mall we went to on saturday was 12 stories and was huge. The mall we went to for lunch had an ice-skating rink in it. We had lunch and ventured out alone for the first time to try and make it to our apartment. We finally made it and rested up for the long night. I just got back from dinner with our supervisor, and two friends. We went to a sushi bar where I had raw salmon as an appetizer, EEL fried rice, as a main course, and I also tried some strange meal called beef cury hotpot, which was the most intresting looking meal I have seen in a while. After that we went for ice cream and had a nice time to meet and chat about life. We just got back and I am tired. I am about to go to sleep, but I thought I should blog and let you guys know how things are going. Much love, Andrew

Prodigal believer

Dear Father,

We are sorry that we left you. It was the worst decision we have ever made. We have been alone in the world now for a while. We are sorry that we ran off and tried to do things our own way. We see now that your plans and desires were the best there was. We havent even come close to finding someone who cares about us like you have. To tell you the truth, its been rough. We have had the worst jobs, we can barly afford things to eat and drink. We have no home. We are at the end of our road. I know it may sound crazy, and You have every right to say no, but we want to come home. We wont even expect anything from you. let us just be a servant in your house. We dont deserve to be welcomed back. We dont even deserve for you to hear me out. We are sorry.


~ Your children~


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Dear sons and duaghters,

I love you. Even though you have run off, I miss you. I long for the day when we can be together forever. I think about you all the time. There is never a minute that goes by that your not in my thoughts. I wish nothing but the best for you. I want you to live the life that I have prepared for you. Even though you left me, I wont hold it against you. You are my children, and I love you dearly. I will welcome you back always. You will never have to live alone and you will always have whatever you need. I will always give you food to eat and water to drink. You will never have to worry, because I will always be here for you. When you come home, I will give you my best. I have already forgiven your past. Come home.

I love you,

~Father~

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As believers, we have forgotten our first love. Lets turn back to Father! No matter how far we fall, He is there ready to pick us up again.

Andrew

White picket fence gospel

Recently I have been seeing more and more gap between Jesus' commands to His true church and the actual following through of these commands. I have seen how the gospel - "good news"- can be just good news, rather than being "GREAT, life changing, miraculous news."

So many christians have the mindset of what I like to call the "white picket fence gospel." This includes christians who feel that it is ok to use and abuse the Holy Spirit to get what they want, such as wealth, fame, and fortune. Though many conservative christians would agree with the previous statement, this picket fence gospel also includes those who consider missions to be a two week out of the year deal. People who consider living in a large home a blessing from the Most High God. People who feel that retirement is a time to relax and make their own version of heaven on earth without God. Being a christian is a lifestlye. When Christ said Go, He meant it LITERALLY! It's all for His glory that we present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable before God. ( Romans 12:1 paraphrase) In all areas we are to show love. He sent out the twelve and told them to go as they were, and to leave their homes. Does this still apply today?

I'm tired of the mindset that it is ok to live in an expensive house, and that it is ok to have more than one car per person, and that it is ok to go out and buy the newest electronics or furniture on just spontaneous shopping spree while men, women, and children are suffering and dying daily. This white picket fence gospel is just wrong. Where does Jesus say, "you better live abundantly here on earth." Never once does christ say to store treasure here on earth. He always points towards the opposite. Store up treasures in heaven, and that abundant life He does talk about is a life filled with loving others and sharing Christ with them. If thats not abundant, then heaven is probably not the place for you. Though this is bold, I feel that if we cant have compassion on those God has compassion on, then whats the point? Father forgive me of this life. As the great hymn writer once said, "I once was blind, but now I see."

Why is it so hard for us to show love? We make it through life as though we are doing God a favor whenever we do show compassion to people, when God expects it out of us. Im guilty of not loving. I will be the first to admit that in the past I have been completely hateful, and I see where I have been wrong, but is it too late for the true church to change that? with God NOTHING is impossible. We have to give it up to the Spirit. Let the Spirit work through us. I love the scripture that says, "For from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things; to Him be the glory forever amen." (Romans 11:36)

All I am saying is, lets step up to the plate and start living like Christ commands. Being a christian means having to sacrifice; even to the point of death at times.

Im glad I got that out. I can only say these things because God convicted me of them and showed me the error in which I had been living.

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Other than that, (if you made it this far) things are great here in Thailand. Father is showing me a lot in His word and I am building friendships here with the other hands on teams.
By the power of the holy Spirit,
Andrew

Thailand

If you havent heard by now, I made it to Thailand! I have been here for more than 3 days now and I am loving every minute of it! The other Hands On team members are hilarious. God has also been showing me a lot in my quite times and also He has showed me so much through other peoples walk. I am very excited to be here and I cant wait to see what God has next.

On the other side of things; the food is amazing, the temperature is awesome (87 degrees in January), and I am having a blast! A few of the guys, including myself, plan on getting a message tonight at "Friendly message" in town. Also the money is pretty awesome here. So all together, life is good here! I am just going with the flow and I will keep you all informed as much as possible!

P.S. - It is 12 hours ahead here, so when I am going to sleep, you are most likely waking up... so keep that in mind!


Love much

Andrew Tucker

Last days in the USA

Hey guys,

I just wanted to thank you all for your prayers and support so far on the journey. I wanted to let each of you know that I will be leaving wednesday January 21st, around 9:45 AM from Atlanta. I will be traveling for over 20 hours. I ask that you pray for me and tommie and that you keep us in your thoughts as we prepare to arrive in Asia.

I also wanted to let you know how much I love you and am so glad to know each of you. I know that God has placed each of you in my life for a specific reason. I plan on keeping in touch with you through blogging, emails, and facebook. I will hopefully be able to tell you all the amazing things, and yes even the struggles, that I will experience in HK.

Thanks again for the prayers and keep in touch!

Much love,

Andrew Tucker