2010 - 2020 Wow. It really has been 2 years since I’ve blogged. My last post was back in 2018… Whew. Well, life definitely has it’s highs and lows since then but despite the bad times, they all have taught me to be thankful for the little things. Therefore, I will ever praise and be grateful to God for everything that came, gone and stayed in my life. So, here we are, 2020. Today I want to journey back to 10 years ago and reflect what life has been like for me. 10 years ago I graduated from high school and I was named as one of Bill Gate’s 2010 scholars and if you know, being a Gate’s scholar you get a FULL ride to a 4-year college! Oh man, all of those after-school hours I put in to write my 10 essays were all worth it! I can’t even fathom the fact that I was even considered as one for the finalists and then to be chosen??? It was that season of my life when I realized that God already written my life story. I mean, come on. I was not the smartest student, not an AP student, I wasn’t even the top 20 students in my class and I had A’s and B’s with a GPA of 3.4. I didn’t feel like I deserved it and to be quite honest I was a little embarrassed too since I was just an ordinary teenage girl who was just trying to make her parents proud. Because I was a gate’s scholar they flew me out to Los Angeles, that same year, for a BIG gathering conference for all the 2010 scholars. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget! It got to fly in an airplane for the first time in my life, I stayed at a 30+ level Hyatt hotel. I was roomed on the 20th floor and had the best view at night! During the conference I met and made friends with other scholars and got to hear successful people speak at different workshops and did a lot of teamwork activities at night. During that time I was debating really hard if I wanted to attend St. Kate’s and major in Fashion Design or UNWSP and go for accountant but for some reason I really felt that God was calling me to UNWSP. So there I was, at UNWSP pursuing an accountant degree. All I could think about was making BIG bucks and get all the materialistic things I could have after I graduate as an accountant. I wanted a BIG house, an expensive car, a massive walk-in closet full of high-branded shoes, bags and clothes. Then, in my 2nd year of college I heard God so clearly and I felt like He was telling me to lay down my life for Him and at first I didn’t know what that meant or looked like but the tugging in my heart was so strong. It had me praying for many months and I shared with my mentors, youth leaders and godly friends and I knew that what God wanted was for me to give up my selfish and materialistic dreams and pursue Him and His heart. It was the BEST decision I ever made in college. After I switched my major to Intercultural Studies and found joy in everything! I learned a lot about myself, I was challenged in so many ways, I was pruned and sharpened to be the person God called me to be. This was it. That was the reason why God placed me at UNWSP; it was for me to grow and to find who I am in Him. <3 My senior year of college I traveled to China, Thailand, and Indonesia with the most incredible team I could ever asked for! I met so many people and built so many friendship during the two months. I was able to love and share my life with my friends in China. I had the opportunity to teach English in Thailand, invite my students to church, to share about God’s love for everyone, and share my testimony. In Indonesia I was able to share God’s love by helping them build a community buildings in each Island we visited. It was a beautiful and life-changing experience! I have really left pieces of my heart there. During this decade I have traveled to many places. During the ICS trip I had the opportunity to explore Singapore for an entire day. That next summer I booked a summer trip to Mazatlan, Mexico with some of my closest college friends. I also traveled to Florida with my girls and celebrated my 25th birthday in New York with some of my best friends! Now all the fun time in college have past and it was time for me to step into the real world. I wanted to do missions overseas but I always said to myself that I will stay home and help my parents and that’s what I chose to do. I picked up a job for 6 months and felt unsatisfied bc I knew I was called to be somewhere else. I left the job and then landed another job at an interpreting agency. Later I was hired to worked at HealthEast Health Care System in the Language Access department. This has been my job since then and I grateful for all the opportunites during this career. I get to coordinate interpreters for non-English and non-spoken patients to make sure they get the best medical care. My job is rewarding and I have really enjoyed learning and growing here. Although I have really enjoy and love my job I have bigger dreams that I want to reach! I finally went back to school and it only took me.. 5 yrs HAHA but that’s ok bc it was all in God’s perfect timing! I am excited to see where this goes and where it will lead me. I can’t wait for everything to unfold this upcoming year! So CHEERS to the last 10 years of my life! It’s been an incredible journey full of adventures, self-discoveries, heartbreaks, friendships, travels, life-lessons, challenges and SO MUCH MORE! I am ready for 2020 and what the next 10 years have in store for me! Love you all and thanks for reading my long post! Blessings, Chee Chia Xiong