A Frog from God
Once upon a time, a godly woman who loved her husband gave a heartbroken girl a ceramic frog from Moscow. As she gently placed the little frog into the girl’s palm, she said, “I am praying for you that one day God will turn this frog into your prince.” The girl treasured the little frog and placed it on her desk. Day after day, she stared at the frog and wonder when it would turn into her prince. Little did she know, God has already brought the frog into her life seventeen years ago. God had to wait for that long to reveal him because HE had much work to do in both of their lives.
Edward and I graduated together from the same high school, but I had no recognition of him out of our graduating class of 500 students. Edward knew who I was because I was class officer and was considered as part of the “popular” crowd. He had no interested in befriending me then and neither would I have if I knew him at that time because we lived in two very different worlds with diverging values and life goals.
I was the prideful overachiever who tried to enrolled in every possible Advance Placement class in school and be involved with as many extra curriculum activities as I could. Edward was the average student who accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior during sophomore year and dedicated his life to serve the Lord after graduation. I went on studying at UC Berkeley, traveling around the world and accepting the Lord before attending Yale for graduate school. Edward stayed in San Francisco, finished his marketing degree at San Francisco State University and began working full time for the San Francisco Chinese Alliance Church.
During this period of time, both Edward and I had our share of heartbreaks with relationships, but these painful experiences were God’s way of drawing us closer to Him and preparing us for each other. It was in 2007 and after his third heartbreak, Edward relinquished his spouse searching to God entirely. He began to pray that God would bring him the one whom pleases God rather than the one he chooses for himself. He also gave God a very specific and long wish list. She not only needed to be delightful in God’s eyes, she must love him for who he is and not who he could be. She must be someone he really admires. She must be patience because he knows God is still working on his temper. She must be gifted in areas where he is not so she can be his helper. She must love both her and his parents and would not mind taking care of disabled elderly. However, most importantly, she must have a heart for mission and be ready to go wherever and whenever God calls. Sounded like a pretty impossible list, but Edward was determined to just wait patiently.
Little did Edward know, his prayer was being answered across the country. In 2007 in the little college town of New Haven, I was going through my own heartbreak. What seemed to be a promising relationship ended abruptly and painfully. The pain became so unbearable that I decided to leave a good job offer in New Haven and return to San Francisco where I knew I would have my parents’ secure love. Having a burden for the Chinese international students after my short-term mission (STM) trip in Ukraine, I joined the Home of Students and Scholars Fellowship.
Edward recognized me the first night, but he did not talk to me because he was dumbfounded. Why would this snobby and popular girl from his high school years show up in the student fellowship? She was not even a student! Later when he found out that I graduated from Yale, Edward became even more scared to talk to me. The thought of whether I was the one God has prepared for him did cross his mind for a brief moment, but he brushed it off quickly because he does not think a graduated of such a prestigious university would even consider him as a suitable candidate.
Edward and I did not really get to know each other until we were both preparing to go to Macao for a short-term mission trip. Ironically, I ended up not being to go because my father was diagnosed with cancer and needed to have a surgery. Yet, it was in the mist of preparing for the STM that I became more aware of Edward’s passion for the Lord and his heart of servant hood. I remembered during our first STM team meeting, he bought cold drinks for everyone. That really made an impression for me because it showed how caring and generous he was even though I knew he did not have much. As I continue to observe and interact with Edward, I began to grow found of him, but I was being very cautious with my own feelings because the last thing I wanted to repeat was to choose someone whom was not the one God has planned for me. I spoke to no one about Edward and also tried to keep a safe distance to prevent myself from indulging the possibility.
In the meantime, several church ladies who did not talked to each other beforehand spoke to Edward in different times about me...[come to our wedding and find out what happen after that]...Edward proposed to me on July 4th, 2009 under the blazing sun of Nevada on top of Mt. Rose.
Once upon a time, a godly woman who loved her husband gave a heartbroken girl a ceramic frog from Moscow. As she gently placed the little frog into the girl’s palm, she said, “I am praying for you that one day God will turn this frog into your prince.” The girl treasured the little frog and placed it on her desk. Day after day, she stared at the frog and wonder when it would turn into her prince. Little did she know, God has already brought the frog into her life seventeen years ago. God had to wait for that long to reveal him because HE had much work to do in both of their lives.
Edward and I graduated together from the same high school, but I had no recognition of him out of our graduating class of 500 students. Edward knew who I was because I was class officer and was considered as part of the “popular” crowd. He had no interested in befriending me then and neither would I have if I knew him at that time because we lived in two very different worlds with diverging values and life goals.
I was the prideful overachiever who tried to enrolled in every possible Advance Placement class in school and be involved with as many extra curriculum activities as I could. Edward was the average student who accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior during sophomore year and dedicated his life to serve the Lord after graduation. I went on studying at UC Berkeley, traveling around the world and accepting the Lord before attending Yale for graduate school. Edward stayed in San Francisco, finished his marketing degree at San Francisco State University and began working full time for the San Francisco Chinese Alliance Church.
During this period of time, both Edward and I had our share of heartbreaks with relationships, but these painful experiences were God’s way of drawing us closer to Him and preparing us for each other. It was in 2007 and after his third heartbreak, Edward relinquished his spouse searching to God entirely. He began to pray that God would bring him the one whom pleases God rather than the one he chooses for himself. He also gave God a very specific and long wish list. She not only needed to be delightful in God’s eyes, she must love him for who he is and not who he could be. She must be someone he really admires. She must be patience because he knows God is still working on his temper. She must be gifted in areas where he is not so she can be his helper. She must love both her and his parents and would not mind taking care of disabled elderly. However, most importantly, she must have a heart for mission and be ready to go wherever and whenever God calls. Sounded like a pretty impossible list, but Edward was determined to just wait patiently.
Little did Edward know, his prayer was being answered across the country. In 2007 in the little college town of New Haven, I was going through my own heartbreak. What seemed to be a promising relationship ended abruptly and painfully. The pain became so unbearable that I decided to leave a good job offer in New Haven and return to San Francisco where I knew I would have my parents’ secure love. Having a burden for the Chinese international students after my short-term mission (STM) trip in Ukraine, I joined the Home of Students and Scholars Fellowship.
Edward recognized me the first night, but he did not talk to me because he was dumbfounded. Why would this snobby and popular girl from his high school years show up in the student fellowship? She was not even a student! Later when he found out that I graduated from Yale, Edward became even more scared to talk to me. The thought of whether I was the one God has prepared for him did cross his mind for a brief moment, but he brushed it off quickly because he does not think a graduated of such a prestigious university would even consider him as a suitable candidate.
Edward and I did not really get to know each other until we were both preparing to go to Macao for a short-term mission trip. Ironically, I ended up not being to go because my father was diagnosed with cancer and needed to have a surgery. Yet, it was in the mist of preparing for the STM that I became more aware of Edward’s passion for the Lord and his heart of servant hood. I remembered during our first STM team meeting, he bought cold drinks for everyone. That really made an impression for me because it showed how caring and generous he was even though I knew he did not have much. As I continue to observe and interact with Edward, I began to grow found of him, but I was being very cautious with my own feelings because the last thing I wanted to repeat was to choose someone whom was not the one God has planned for me. I spoke to no one about Edward and also tried to keep a safe distance to prevent myself from indulging the possibility.
In the meantime, several church ladies who did not talked to each other beforehand spoke to Edward in different times about me...[come to our wedding and find out what happen after that]...Edward proposed to me on July 4th, 2009 under the blazing sun of Nevada on top of Mt. Rose.