Like a kid in a toy store...

Wait, it is a kid in a toy store. While visiting Panorama Park at Deep Cove, we visited an ecclectic store which had a toy section. Erich was elated (and fast!). Well truth be told, they did have these really neat model cars and trucks where the doors would open and you could look inside for a scale model of the real thing. :-)

Let's play ball!

It was "bend it like Erich" day as we went out to Panorama Park in Deep Cove to play some ball with Erich. He really enjoyed watching daddy and mommy kick around the ball and catching it.

Why did we go all the way to Deep Cove just to play ball? Well apart from discovering a new park, we were headed there to have a fun outing for Karen's birthday. Ever since trying one of the doughnuts from a shop called "Honey's doughnuts" in Deep Cove, her mouth has been watering to munch on of of those delicious perfectly textured doughnuts again she requested to go there for lunch.

All aboard at the Vancouver International Children's Festival

One of the advantages to living so close to Vanier Park is the availability of good cultural shows. From Bard on the Beach to the Vancouver International Children's Festival to the man flying kites on Sunday afternoons, Vanier Park is a great place for Erich to be exposed to culture.

The weekend of May 19th, we took Erich to the children's festival. Despite it being a rather wet and soggy day (particularly disappointing after a long string sunny days), Erich had a blast.

We visited exhibits where he could work with clay, or play with various unconventional sound instruments.

Big impact for little man

Our family took a well needed get-away to Seattle this past long weekend. It was part birthday gift to my wife (she got to go shopping) and part opportunity for me to spend some male bonding time with the little guy. So we booked a hotel in Seattle, and headed down there right after small group last Thursday.

Friday morning, I took him to the Museum of Flight. He fell asleep on the way there, but when he woke up, he could not contain his excitement! He said, "hehe, Daddy! Airplane over there! It's the airplane musemum!"

What really amazed me though was when we went to see the airplane park. Situated in the "parking lot" was Air Force One and the Concorde. As we were walking up to the Concorde, he said excitedly, "Daddy! It's the Concuarde!" Now that was astonishing. He had only seen the Concorde once before (the last time we went to the museum), so for him to recall that must have meant that the first visit had a big impact.

Here's a photojournal of our Concorde visit:

In front of the magnificent bird. The Concorde is really quite an
elegant plane to look at from the outside.

Better watch that maximum weight per step!

The inside of the Concorde is actually quite small. My head was close to
touching the ceiling, and Erich appreciated that it was more his size.

Erich looking up at the belly of the Concorde.

Little things matter: to encourage and to be encouraged

The Ng family had a very busy weekend. In addition to Ruth Chan's memorial service, we also celebrated our friend Renee's 40th birthday. Then on Sunday, our church was involved in helping out with the BMO Vancouver marathon. As if that weren't enough, we also went to the Vancouver Christ Church of China to hear Annie, one of Karen's relatives (and our friend) give her testimony.

Amidst the busyness though, one common theme stood out: little things matter. Some examples:

How could Ruth have known that a little known thing she said to me two decades ago would serve to encourage me and possibly many others at her memorial?

How could Karen and I have known that answering Annie's recommendation for a church years ago would lead to her coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ? (which in turn served as an unexpected encouragement to us when we heard her testimony!)

I also didn't realise that handing out gatorade and cheering on complete strangers by name at a community event I once despised and grumbled at (because of the inconvenience it caused me) would be so fulfilling and so encouraging to others in my community.

Even Erich soon got into it as he helped hand out water and gatorade to marathoners.

Little, seemingly insignificant moments in life matter. Encouragement, particularly when spurred on by the Holy Spirit, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant matter. We may not see or reap the results of what we we are called to do for years, but God does. Our job is just to obey his leading and his prompting.

Tribute to a mentor and family friend

I first met Mrs. Ruth Chan in 1984, when my [Jonathan] family moved to the lower mainland from Fort McMurray, Alberta. My family attended church at Richmond Chinese Alliance where Ruth was a grade 6 Sunday School teacher and was one of the adult leaders in junior worship.

Auntie Ruth, as we used to call her, was always keen on building relationships with the youth she mentored, and I am sure she prayed earnestly for each one of us. One day, as we were getting ready for singspiration, I distinctly remember her coming up to me, and saying something to the effect of "you should think about leading singing one day too." I don't entirely know what motivated her to say this - perhaps she had been praying for me, but I do remember shyly shrugging it off at the time. I was very much a quiet, shy person at the time. (Little did I know of course how God would begin to change me and use me in the coming years!)

At a gospel camp put on by the same church, I rededicated my life to Christ at the age of 15. Several years later, I went to univerisity, and my family moved. Meanwhile, Ruth and her husband Sam, after having studied at Regent College were commissioned to be COCM missionaries in England for four years.

It wasn't until 1995 (the year I met Karen) that I would reconnect with them. At the time, both Karen and I felt God leading us to Christ Church of China in Vancouver. To my great surprise, Ruth's husband Sam was pastoring there, and serendipitously, Karen's childhood pastor was also pastoring there at the same time. As it turns out, both Sam and Ruth finished their term in the UK in 1992 and returned to Vancouver accepting a position as pastor of CCC.

Pastor Sam and Ruth would continue to be an influence in my life. Pastor Sam baptized me in 1997, and officiated my wedding in 2002. Ruth continued to mentor women, and often shared her experiences with us through the career fellowship called "Faith fellowship".

It wasn't until Karen and I were called in 1998 to go out to Coquitlam (CCCC) that I began to feel the full impact of what God had done through their ministry. Though I never realized it at the time, hindsight provides me with a view of God's faithfulness in answering prayers of those before us. At CCCC, we were mentoring youth in grade 6, and indeed, I was called to lead them in singing praises to God.

Ruth fought a courageous battle with cancer this past year. She died peacefully and went home to be with the Lord on April 21st, 2008.

Today, Karen and I went to say our last goodbyes to Auntie Ruth. It was a bittersweet moment - one that cannot be described adequately in words. Though we both miss her dearly, we know that she is finally at home, resting with the Father and free at last of her failing body.

As she leaves the world, it was more than evident the impact and legacy that she left behind. Streams of people, young and old, unified as one because they were all affected by her and her husband's ministry poured in one by one to honour, comfort, show support and to say "until we meet again in heaven". I can only imagine what God has been able to do as a result of her dedication to demonstrating Christ to others.

Ruth, thank you for your dedication to following Jesus and for demonstrating his grace toward even the youngest of believers. You looked beyond the surface of who I was, and saw instead the person God could transform me to be. You prayed that a new generation of godly leaders could emerge from the people you influenced, and I am very grateful for that.

That is truly a life well lived, a life lived with purpose and a legacy left for the next generation.

Tourists in our own city - the grand tour

In an effort to make our newly emigrated friends David and Laura feel more welcome in their new home, we took them on a grand tour of Metro Vancouver. David and Laura are from Delaware.

We started early with Karen's famous french toast for breakfast. After packing in the hearty breakfast, we headed out. We visited many places starting in Queen Elizabeth park. Oddly enough, our friends found the Nat Bailey Stadium (adjacent to the park) to be quite the thrill. They vowed they would revisit it to see an actual baseball game. We then drove through Cambie line RAV construction to make it to Richmond via the Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Once in Richmond, I brought them to the little community of Steveston where some of the first Japanese and marine settlers came. I recounted to them how my family had started our B.C. life in Steveston, and how we used to buy fish every Saturday morning by the docks. We had a tour of those docks, and topped off our experience there with a visit to the famous Dave's fish and chips restaurant.

From historic Steveston, we took them back through the city of Vancouver to a relatively modern import - a bubble tea cafe (Dragon Ball) where they enjoyed some of the latest taiwanese/HK imported mixed fruit drinks.

After we got our drinks, we zipped across town to "Little Italy" near Commercial and Broadway. One cannot truly appreciate the diversity of Vancouver until one has visited Commercial Drive and it's various shops including the famous Santa Barbara market.

We proceeded along Hastings Street through to Simon Fraser University where David was finally able to see his current employer's rival school. (David is currently a post-doctorate fellow and lecturer at UBC.) Much to the bemusement of us SFU alumnus, they actually enjoyed the Arthur Erickson architecture of SFU.

Next up was a breathtaking view of the city atop Burnaby Mountain (where I had proposed to Karen). We stopped here briefly before heading on a longer drive straight across the North Shore to Horseshoe Bay where we explored one of my favourite parks - Whytecliff Park.

It was here that I learned something new about Laura and her incredible climbing abilities even whilst wearing a pair of (stylish) sandals! (see David's commentary on his blog...)

We ended our day with a quick tour of the downtown eastside (hey, we got to show the good, bad and the ugly right?) and finally dinner at a Vancouver classic - the old Spaghetti Factory.

As evidenced in the picture above, Erich had loads of fun too. It was great getting to know our friends more, all the while showing off this great city to them.

Home Depot! (and Erich)

One of the things that continues to amaze me about being a new parent is the degree to which seemingly small and trivial events have great impact on your children. I had no idea, for instance, that my bringing Erich to Home Depot last month to surprise his mommy would stick with him for so long.

Ever since that day, "Home Depot" has been his favourite real and imaginary place to go. There was one time when we were at a playground. He sat me down in a chu-chu train and proceeded to "drive" the train. When I asked where we were going, he proclaimed proudly in a loud voice, "Home Depot!". Just then, a passing couple with their two-year old came strolling by. When the husband heard where Erich was planning to drive me, he gave me the strangest look!

Perhaps it doesn't help that I am in the middle of another home renovation project. (More on that in some future post...) Erich has been dutifully helping me measure walls with his very own measuring tape - and he's exact too! When asked how long the wall was, he replied as he stretched out his tape measure, "Ninety-four and an eighth!". That's just too funny.

He's been taking his newfound contractor skills to daycare too. He recently "discovered" a crack in one of the wooden support beams at daycare. He promptly asked one of the daycare workers whether he could "fix" it.

I know I've been praying that Erich would be a man after Jesus' heart... Well, I just didn't know he might take on his trade too! :-)