Austin, Texas

This is Austin, the capital city of Texas, just 150 miles south of Dallas. It is also known as “Live Music Capital of the World.”

In the 'burbs.

There is some interesting new architecture happening on the south end of Congress St. (they call it SoCo). There are cafes and restaurants that spill out onto the street, vintage shops with bric-a-brac artifacts, and indie art galleries. We ate Tex-Mex outdoors in unseasonably warm weather.

A series of old bungalows were converted into a trendy hotel, with interesting outdoor spaces and generous amounts of vegetation. With bamboo trees, potted cacti, fragrant wood screens, and climbing plants, Hotel San Jose had both an Oriental and Mexican flavor.


On Mount Bonnell, we could see a panoramic view of the city.


Mozart's Cafe- a popular hangout on the river (which is really a lake..)

The Stockyards

In Ft. Worth, we visited the Stockyards, which is very much like “Frontierland”- with a veritable Main Street, gigantic honkytonk bars, aromatic cattle yards, and horse sheds. To add atmosphere, a loudspeaker blared a recorded voice, with a Southern accent, rambling about the Stockyard’s history. Only here will one find daily cattle drives, where they take longhorns out of their yard and prod down the streets. Tourists crowd the sidewalks as cowboys on horseback guide the cattle, leaving manure in its tracks.

Modern Art Museum, Ft. Worth, Texas

On the other side of the street is the four-year-old Modern Art Museum, designed by Tadao Ando. It is the first Ando work I have seen, and it has all the characteristics of an Ando. Beautiful thick concrete walls with an immaculately polished surface, dynamically changing in color. Lines of formwork very carefully considered. Concrete drums that reconfigure the largely orthogonal spaces. And a reflecting pool from which the museum appears to float.

Kimbell Art Museum, Ft. Worth, Texas


Contemporary art and architecture is not the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Fort Worth, Texas- a city that is overshadowed by its more obese twin- Dallas. However, after visiting its cultural district, this city boasts some very exquisite architecture, with an interesting collection of modern art. The Kimbell Art Museum may very well be Louis Kahn’s most sensual work. We arrived there in the mid-afternoon sunlight. Here at the Kimbell, light takes on new forms- skillfully invited in by the iconic barrel vault, revealed carefully through thin openings and gaps between massing, and playfully reflected by materials and textures. This light seems to transform the heavy concrete barrel into an inexplicable lightness.

Urbana Missions Conference, St. Louis

The first day of the conference, we piled into the Edward Jones Dome, and were a little bit late. We arrived in a packed stadium, filled with 22,000 students praising the Lord. It was like an endless sea of people, and what was so amazing was that these are all people who follow Jesus- who want to do more for God. It was more than just a collection of people. It was a union of students from all walks of life, and from all churches from all over North America, a the visible "body of Christ".

The theme of the event is “Live a Life Worthy of the Calling”- asking for what God’s purpose and plan is for us, based on the book of Ephesians.

(Here we are, eating porridge that is fed to 2/3rd world. Money saved from this meal went to relief missions.)


Urbana allowed me to experience just how God can be so amazing. How His Spirit can move so powerfully. It showed me that giving our life to Jesus meant total freedom, total renewal, and total empowerment. That there is significance and victory in turning towards Jesus. That being missional can mean pain and sacrifice, but it is what we are called to be as humans.

(My friend, Angela, singing with the Chorale de Reconciliation)


I experienced God at work in ways I never thought possible. First: the idea of living simply, living as a steward of God. Shane Claibourne spoke about how there is a major imbalance of wealth, and that we need to move against the injustice caused by the excesses of 1st world consumption. “There is enough in this world to meet our needs, but not enough to satisfy our greed.”

I was touched by the speakers who spoke out against racism. The need for reconciliation is huge here in the States, and we need a multi-ethnic, multi-national, multi-lingual perspective. How should I respond when it comes to bridging the gap between cultures?

There is AIDS- the one pandemic that requires urgent action. Princess Zulu gave a stirring speech. U2's Bono gave a personal video message.

The question is now what is my calling? And how do I live a life that is worthy of that calling? I believe that God is calling me to urban missions. I felt drawn to topics like monasticism, homelessness, house churches, community, and relational evangelism.