I need to prepare Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, but I realized I don’t have a roasting pan. While I was at Walmart, I noticed they were selling one for just under $10, and I thought it was perfect. I grabbed it, but then I remembered to pray and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. The answer was no. At first, I felt frustrated with that answer, but I chose to obey. Today, something incredible happened—my neighbor called, asking if I needed a roasting pan. She ended up bringing me hers, which had been sitting unused in her storage shed.

Today I woke up and listened to an online church sermon. The pastors mentioned the 22 questions, I thought everything shared in the sermon was so good that I wanted to keep it in my journal. 22 questions These are 22 questions the members of John Wesley’s Holy Club asked themselves every day in their private devotions over 200 years ago. Shocking Pause After the sermon, I planned to go into town to do some shopping. Since it’s the holiday season, I felt completely justified in indulging a little. The idea of buying things made me so excited that,

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) has been on my mind a lot lately. I’ve been making so many new decisions, minute by minute, decisions I never thought I could make. But now, they feel possible because I draw my strength from God. One example from this week, hosting two gatherings and preparing meals in one week used to overwhelm and stress me out. But now, something has shifted. I want to serve others. I crave bringing people together, fostering kind and meaningful relationships. I just step forward and do it, boldly leaving

I lost my Fitbit charger during my trip, so I’ve had to charge my phone by the bed to use it as an alarm. This morning, as soon as I woke up, I instinctively reached for my phone and ended up buying some random things online that I absolutely don’t need. It’s shocking how easy it is to slip into bad habits. I caught myself afterward, canceled the order, and reflected on how mindlessly it all happened. Throughout the day, I noticed myself falling into a scattered, restless rhythm—jumping from one thing to another and multitasking without focus. Each

After a 15-hour journey, we finally arrived home around 11 p.m. last night. This morning, we woke up to snow and sunshine, and it felt so good to be home and close the chapter on the long and emotional funeral trip. Meeting the extended family on the island stirred a longing in my heart for deeper, closer relationships. It inspired me to create more opportunities for connection and meaningful gatherings. After all, life feels empty without love and community. This Friday, I’m hosting a Friendsgiving, and on Thanksgiving, I’ll prepare a meal for neighbors who don’t have family gatherings.

Today was the burial day. We had a full service at the local church where she grew up. I was amazed at how many people came to the funeral. For some reason, I was given the first-row middle seat. As I sat there, listening to people share stories about her, I found myself deeply moved. Looking up at her picture, I couldn’t help but think: she wasn’t an easy person to like. I know I often struggled with her, as did many other family members. And yet, despite all that, 60 family members came to honor her, along with

Body Signals I’ve noticed that my period has been getting delayed longer and longer over the past six months. While I don’t feel any other symptoms, I’m starting to get concerned. I hope that when I return to China in January, I’ll be able to see a good traditional doctor to get this checked out. Lord, You gave me this body, and I know I need to take better care of it. Sometimes, I push it too hard and overwork it without realizing it. I believe these symptoms are my body’s way of trying to tell me that I

Since leaving Chicago, I’ve had bad dreams every night for the past three nights. They’ve all been dark, scenes of either killing or being killed. I’m not sure what’s triggering them, but I know they don’t come from my heart. I pray to Jesus to purify and heal the darkness within me, and I bless the spirits involved, asking that they may find peace and rest. Today, we arrived in PEI and met many family members I had never met before. While it was meaningful, I feel far from home, exhausted, and a bit like an outsider in my

Today was much easier than the past two days, just a four-hour drive, and we successfully completed our Nexus interviews, which went much more smoothly than I expected. Afterward, we crossed the border and settled into an Airbnb for the night. I’m so thankful to God for arranging such a well-priced and beautiful place. It’s a whole guest house to ourselves, right by the ocean with a wonderful view. We cooked steak tonight and watched Nefarious together. It was a perfect family evening. Just before bed, I accidentally locked the bathroom door. Since it was late, I didn’t want

I rarely follow bloggers or get excited about YouTubers, but there’s one creator I truly admire: Liziqi. Her spirit feels so pure, and her videos are incredibly soothing to watch. She stopped uploading nearly three years ago due to legal issues, but today she returned with an amazing episode that moved me to tears. After watching, though, a sense of calm quickly shifted to anxiety. Liziqi and I are the same age, and I felt ashamed for not doing something as good as she has. A critical voice grew louder and harsher, leaving me feeling inadequate and uneasy. I

Today was another day spent with family. It’s funny, when I was in my twenties, all I wanted was to break away, explore the world, and be on my own. Now, all I want is to be close to the people I love. After two and a half years of traveling across the country, I feel like the pull toward adventure has quieted. That season feels complete. Now, I find joy in my deep walk with Jesus and a desire to live out His will. Nothing else truly matters without God. All the pleasures and excitement the world offers

After a long day of travel, we finally arrived in Chicago. Many family members gathered here, and it’s always heartwarming to spend time together. This year, my sister-in-law had a baby girl, and it’s our first time meeting her. She’s so pure, genuine, and adorable. Though we’re here to honor those who have passed, her presence is a beautiful reminder that with every ending, new life comes as well. I pray that tomorrow goes smoothly and that we share meaningful moments with our extended family and everyone who joins us for the memorial.

Tonight, my husband and I drove to Canada, each taking a car, and dropped one off at the airport. This way, when we fly back from PEI, we’ll have a vehicle ready to take us home to the U.S. Tomorrow morning at 8 am, we’ll begin our journey. We’ll be traveling until 8 pm and spending a few days in Chicago for my mother-in-law’s memorial. After that, we’ll drive all the way north to PEI, Canada, where she was born, to lay her to rest. I’m actually grateful that the memorial is happening in two locations, with the burial

Recurring pain cycle There’s a recurring pain cycle between me and my husband: he often feels stuck in work situations that make him unhappy, yet he tends to be slow to take action or make improvements. We even got into lawsuit because of this. At the same time, he frequently expresses his frustrations, which used to trigger me because I really dislike negativity. Thankfully, I’ve been learning to handle this better. This morning, a similar situation came up again. His new job has been keeping him so busy that he feels burned out, and he texted me about it.

The news is out today: Trump has been elected president again. I tend to avoid the news during election season because the negativity and division are difficult to watch. Politics often feels like the opposite of God’s heart, which longs for unity, not division. I’m not sure if I feel happy or disappointed about Trump’s return to office. It’s human nature to pin our struggles on others: if only we had better systems, policies, or leaders, then things would be right. But deep down, I know that’s not the real solution. I’ve come to understand that what we have

Understanding the Power of true Loving Boundaries My husband and I recently attended the final bonus session of our marriage retreat. The topic was “boundaries,” and I’m so grateful I chose to participate, especially in this session. My biggest takeaway was realizing that when loved ones are struggling in a “dark pit” of hurt, it isn’t our responsibility to sit in that pit with them. This was eye-opening for me. As Christians, we often focus on kindness and compassion, even when it’s difficult. However, trying to pull our emotionally unregulated loved ones out of that pit by going down

I’ve been seeing messages about prayer and praise as our “secret weapons” for a while. Today’s devotional added worship to my secret weapon list, and it felt like a deep confirmation for me. I shared with my husband that I feel God has been “weaponizing” me lately. He replied, “Good, we have big enemies.” On October 14, my husband lost his mother at the age of 67—far sooner than we ever expected. It happened right in the middle of our marriage retreat. We found ourselves crying, both for her and for the healing of our marriage. It all felt

Today was incredibly productive! I power washed all of our vehicles, and my husband cleaned the chimney of our wood stove. It feels great to have checked off some house chores! I know Sunday is meant to be my Sabbath, but life feels so busy that it’s hard to take a full 24 hours to rest. Lord, I pray that You guide me in finding the right balance between work and rest. Give me the strength to say no to unnecessary burdens, and keep me on the path of Your will. Know that my heart is forever Yours. I