Dear CBC, v.5/2/14

Dear Chinese Baptist Church of Houston, Texas.

It's been a while huh?

I've been wanting to write to you for a while and on more than a couple of occasions have I smiled and thought about the times we've laughed, cried, and grown together under the banner of Christ.

I must admit that I feel a bit awkward because my communication with you has been lacking since I left pretty abruptly about 10 months ago (has it really been that long?). Honestly, it was a tough move for me to make ... not just because it was kind of all of the sudden, but because I was leaving the place where I was born and raised ... ya, CBC has been my only church till recently ... And I really didn't have the time nor the preparation for the move, much less a space to really process such a big change (Literally I received one phone call after hanging out with some friends and it changed everything). Technically I'm still a member of CBC (though that'll change soon) but honestly, a part of me felt really guilty for leaving in the first place in the sudden way that I did, with no warning, but I just wanted to write to say "hi" again to you.

I'm kinda writing, feeling as if I've been sent from CBC to where I'm at now at a church called First Evangelical Church of Diamond Bar. So in a way, you're my Jerusalem or Antioch haha. But ya, I'm not sure you'd be totally interested in an update but I just wanted to write to you because of my love and gratitude for you. CBC was and is the church that has known me and seen my mistakes and progress. It was the setting where I went from a Pokemon card-obsessed loner to the dorky high schooler with an affinity to hip hop lingo. It was where I first heard the gospel, first received a bible, first became a part of the church community, the first church where I was given opportunity to serve for the sake of the body (them youth ministry high school years doe!). It was my home church even when I went off to college and it was my joy to serve alongside you for the sake of the gospel ... from the transitionary years until when I made the move.

And now as I'm in another city 22 hours drive away, I'm encouraged to see your progress and I hope that our paths will cross as the "universal" church furthers the glory of God to the nations.

I have to be honest, I get homesick sometimes. I miss you guys and I miss growing alongside you. But I guess I remember one time in a youth praise or whatever that Justin said something along the lines of what his goal and hope was for us as we got older (I took that he meant it for us youth leaders as well as the youth). Justin said that his ultimate joy and hope for us would be that we'd mature in the gospel, invest in the community, get trained up, and eventually move on and move away to bless those in need with what we've learned. I'm not saying I did all those things well. In fact, I can tell you times I was a pretty flaky postgrad-er. But in some way I feel completely confident that where I'm at right now is exactly where God wants me and is the best path for Him to go even deeper after my heart, freeing it up for more life in Him. That's not to say it's easy but God is faithful ... He really is. Anyway, you have my heart CBC. And I long for the next time I visit back home :). Love you all.

{ehh not sure about this paragraph} ...
I'm not sure all of you know the process of what it was like for me to leave and make the move but if there's anything I've noticed as I've been around the 4 different youth groups I've served in the past 2 years, it's that there's a REAL need not only for the gospel to be heard and understood but really just for kids to know that someone, anyone cares for them. Hence, the real need is indeed the gospel haha. And I guess now that I've made a new "home" at FECDB, I'm starting to see that no matter where we're from or how different our upbringings are, we're all broken people with ultimately the same needs, namely Jesus and his community of people that we can know and be known in. I think in God's providence, I've been given some experiences from Houston (that's you guys), New York, El Paso, and now in Los Angeles to see this truth. The differences are many but the similarities are what has become more clear. I think many youth are so jaded with people they counted on bailing on them that it's hard to believe in a God who "never leaves or forsakes."

The kids over here are fun and great, only a few troublemakers :/, and they seemed to like playing "bang" a lot haha. Could go into more detail but generally if you somehow read this, I'd ask for your prayers for the Holy Spirit to open up their hearts to the gospel as some are so close! Others are battling with (some held bondage to) immense academic pressure, and the younger ones in particular are just in need of more spiritual mentors and leaders to pour into them.

Also, you could pray for me. It's honestly a difficult time for me. I knew that coming out here would challenge me and I knew that God brought me here for the sake of my own sanctification ... but it's been hard and sometimes I feel the tendency to avoid and run away from what God's put in front of me and for me. I've learned a lot more about myself since being out here ... And I realize that even what I thought my purest motives and strongest gifts have sometimes been defenses from God to go after my heart. I've heard "identity" talks many many times. I have and so have you. But as I age and I'm hearing more about expectations and what I should and should not be aiming for and doing, it's hard not to get lost in that identity crisis. Especially when what you've been praised for/affirmed in all your life is no longer there. I guess I'm learning that I'm petrified of what people think of me and in some way God's inviting me to see just how deep His love is for me (and for you).

On another note, if there's any encouragement for you CBC youth, it's this: Take the command to make disciples seriously, for your own growth/maturity, yes, but ultimately for your own joy/life/vitality/freedom. There are countless corners in your schools and hangout spots where real people need to know that someone created them, sustains them, thinks of them notices them, KNOWS them, and LOVES them. So many of your peers are dealing with weighty problems, relational baggage, intense fears, and what Ephesians 2 would describe as "having no hope and without God in the world." And I'm not only talking about the pervasiveness of drugs, sex, pornography, academic cheating, eating disorders, and depression. I'm talking about the scores of youth who simply dont know the God of the Bible. They don't know of Him and have never heard ... They're literally an unreached people. In God's providence and sovereignty, He's given you an Acts 17 opportunity to befriend, love, walk alongside of, and evangelize to (ya evangelism). The truth is that I've found that a lot of youth are open to what the Bible is about ... The Holy Spirit's done something special in that. I challenge you whether you're a freshman, sophomore, junior getting prepped for SATs, or a senior nervous/excited about college to take the time you have left to think deeply on the gospel, the story of the Bible, and how your life testifies to it. I encourage you to worship God in digging up the grace He's lavished on your life in drawing you to Himself. And take that testimony and share it with your friends explicitly. Share it as you go through your classes, lunches, extra-curriculars ... The opportunities are endless and I have a feeling that so many youth you wouldn't expect are so close to the Kingdom. They're far off now in a sense, but in another sense, they're so close. And as much as I am a proponent of missional, relational, intentional discipleship ... In the end of the day, the gospel needs to be made known. And you're your school's best missionaries.

I've written you because I love you CBC, and we've been through the thick and thin. I recognize that God has me in a new season of life and a new church to be planted in for a while. Though this means that I'm not nearly as present with you all, know that I love you and am indebted to the grace you've lavished on me. I truly, sincerely love you. And miss eating Texas Barbeque with yawl.

Because of Christ, and for the sake of His gospel,
-Jon Lau