Following Florence

Florence Luong is an alumna of InterVarsity Binghamton. After graduating last Spring, Florence went to China to be a transformative power there. Florence is a great example of IV members becoming "World Changers."

Email Received 12/26/09:
Hi everybody!

I hope you enjoyed your Christmas and are enjoying your post Christmas weekend! This whole week has been busy for me with teaching, celebrating Christmas with teachers, celebrating Christmas with team, and even attending a Christmas Eve service at His house with Chinese believers. It's been tiring, but so full of love and goodness.

Teaching the real reason for this season in my classroom was a blessing. It was so empowering just even saying the Son's name in the classroom. Teaching my students also meant opportunities for my co-teachers to hear the story, because they were translating. My teamleader reminded me how lucky I was to be able to freely share that part of my life with them this week.

Three students came to my apartment to celebrate Christmas with me. Two of them are in my class. One of them actually asked me in class if he could come to my apartment with his friends at 9:00 pm. It was really cute haha. They came at the same time that we were having a Christmas party with our co-teachers. It was really fun not having to be their English teacher and just playing with them

As for the Christmas party with the teachers, it was a pretty good turnout =) We also had 2 other foreign teachers come to our party. I was really glad that my co-teacher, Max, was able to make it. During class this week, I had my worldless word book with me, and I asked him about it. He told me that he had read parts of it before, but felt intimidated by it. I hope that as the year goes on, his perception changes and there will be encouragement for him to read it again.

Celebrating Christmas in China wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. My team and I celebrated by doing secret santa, eating breakfast together, unwrapping presents, and caroling. All the days leading up to Christmas, my secret santa left jokes for me in my office and apartment =) Here's my favorite one:
Why does Santa Claus like to work in his garden?
Because he likes to hoe, hoe, hoe! :)

Overall, this week has been good. Tiring, but good. I hope you all had a great Christmas and are relaxing this weekend. Enjoy the rest of the holiday season :)

Peace and Joy,
Florence

P.S. I made collages of my Christmas celebration. One is with students and the other is with teachers & team. Check it outttt
















Email Received 1/15/10:
Hey everybody!

I hope 2010 has been off to a good start for you. I just finished my first semester at SMBS (Shanxi Modern Bilingual School)... which means I'm officially on vacation! My team and I are leaving for Thailand tomorrow morning at 9 AM (Friday at 8 pm in America) for ELIC's annual conference. During this time, ELIC's staff will be seeking for next year's plans. My teammates and I are nervous about what will be revealed to us. Please rap that we would be reminded that His plans for us are not just for His glory, but also have our best interests at heart. Please rap for clarity and protection, because I know it's also an opportune time for the devil to work distraction, confusion, and lies.
I hope to update and connect with you in the next month and a half when I'm not in China. It will be easier without online restrictions (facebook & gmail). Hope to talk to you soon!

With love,
Florence

Small Groups 2010

Newing I (Bingham-Chenango)
led by Katy McFadden and Kat Pan* (contact: kmcfadde@hotmail.com)
Mondays, Bingham 5th Floor Lounge @ 7:00 PM

Newing II (Delware-Endicott)
led by Meir Mok and Priscilla Lin (contact: plin3@binghamton.edu)
Wednesdays, Endicott Lounge @ 7:00 PM

Dickinson I
led by Mike Leung, Andrew Steier, and Mary Tuttle* (contact: andrew.steier@gmail.com)
Tuesdays, O’Connor Lounge @ 8:00 PM

Dickinson II
led by Matt Tuttle and Oscar He* (contact: mtuttle1@binghamton.edu)
Wednesdays, Digman Lounge @ 7:00 PM

CIW I
led by Charles Young and Rachel Goldberg (contact: rgoldbe3@binghamton.edu)
Mondays, Oneida 1st Floor Lounge @ 7:30 PM

CIW II
led by Will Chang and Brian Lee* (contact: wchang4@binghamton.edu)
Tuesdays, Onondaga 3rd Floor Lounge @ 7:00 PM

Hinman/Mountainview
led by Joanna Lee, Anthony Chen, Jen Lee* (contact: achen5@binghamton.edu)
Thursdays, Hinman Cafe near Table @ 7:30 PM

Susquehanna/Hillside
led by Steve Kong, Jonathan Jacob, and Garnett Benjamin (contact: g.s.benjamin@hotmail.com)
Wednesdays, Choconut 201 @ 7:00 PM

Indian/South Asian
led by Carissa Rajoon, Marilynn Chacko, and Angel Abraham (aabraha6@binghamton.edu)
Sundays, Appalachian 111 @ 3:00 PM

Off-Campus
led by Lindsey Privitera and Gwang Lee (contact: glee1@binghamton.edu)
Mondays, 240 Hudson Street, Johnson City @ 7:00 PM

Athletes
led by Thomas Chen and Colin Anderson (contact: canders1@binghamton.edu)
Mondays, Choconut 201 @ 7:30 PM

Hello everyone!

This is Matthew Tuttle, your President, and I am most excited to be back for Spring Semester and to have been given the privilege of leading you. I believe that this semesters going to be a really big one-- God is moving on our campus and I cannot wait to see what fruit we will see.

This past weekend, the Executive Board, Ministry Heads, and some Small Group Leaders got to attend Leaders Days, a weekend retreat for the leadership of chapters of InterVarsity in Eastern New York. We met together and prayed, worshiped, and planned. It was an awesome time, not just because we had fun together, but we caught a glimpse of the magnitude of God's mission-- extending far past the boundaries of Binghamton, NY.

I am proud to be a part of such a strong leadership team. I know my brothers and sisters have been chosen by God to bring our fellowship into a deeper level of commitment to our Vision of Transform, Renew, Change. We wait in eager expectation of the manifestation of God's power and glory, conscious of the work He is already doing through us.

I thought it'd be a good idea to introduce some more of the Leadership Team because they are some great people, whom I love. The first is our Administrator/Vice President, Tamaria Chan. Tammy has worked tirelessly for the past year, making sure that logistically, InterVarsity is running like a well-oiled machine. She brings a new meaning to the phrase "detail-oriented." It has been a pleasure serving with Tammy for the past year because I know that she is conscious of where her heart is, and is not satisfied until she is giving her 100%. Her dedication to our fellowship has been invaluable, and I look forward to the way she will bless us in this coming year. She is also a really good friend of mine, and I can attest to her beauty as a person (inside and out :D) and desire to serve God with her gifts.

Jonny Hui is a sophomore Engineering major serving as our Large Group Coordinator. I first began serving with Jonny on Large Group committee last semester and I was greatly impressed by the effort he put in to the little things. If you wonder why the door to Lecture Hall 14 doesn't slam anymore, it's because of him. It'd be easy to say that those sorts of things don't really matter, but what I see in that little act is something that I believe will translate into how Jonny runs the ministry: He strives for excellence, putting together many little, thought-over pieces to make something big and beautiful. It's been a real treat to watch Jonny grow into his position, and it'll be an even bigger treat to enjoy the large groups he coordinates.

Our Small Group Coordinator (or my replacement) is Priscilla Lin. Priscilla is a sophomore Chemistry major (I know- weird, right?) who has been dedicated to the small group ministry since she came to Binghamton. It was a true joy to work with her when we led the Dickinson small groups together in Spring 2009, as I was able to observe her evolution from small group member to small group leader and a tremendous growth in her desire to serve her peers. Priscilla is passionate about the transformative power of small groups on an individual, communal, and systemic level. She is also committed to caring for her small group leaders, so they in turn can care for their small group members. Expect great things from this girl.

Winnie Lee is our Outreach Coordinator. If I had to describe Winnie's passion and intensity on a scale from 1-10, I'd pick a 14.5. Winnie has blown me away in the few meetings we've had so far in the way that her heart breaks for the campus. Winnie has a very clear agenda: To get the 130 members of our fellowship to reach out to the 14,000 people on this campus. Sound a little lofty? I'd think so, but Winnie and I both know that we serve a God who is capable of doing that ten times over. Winnie's affinity in evangelism and living missionally has grown exponentially since I met her in Fall 2008 when I gave freshman-Winnie a tour of the campus. I know that leading with Winnie will be exciting and energizing, and I believe that Winnie will be a powerhouse in reminding all of us about why we do what we do.

Remember, our GIM is this Friday, January 29th, at 7:30pm in Lecture Hall 14!