CCF Grad 06 - Words of Mike Yung

I think there is alot of time as university students that we think of ourselves as managers, and I think that's a tremendous disadvantage to us in terms of we don't work on a grassroots level per say. There are alot of things that needs to be done on this Earth. Some of it provide more recognition then others. But what I’ve learned is that, you really need to do those things that people don't see. To make the picture complete.

-Michael Yung

This line really spoke to me. I think, as an AV technician, I’m allowed to participated in the most exciting and intense of screenplays, of drama project and all sorts of productions that needs technical support. I guess it’s my way of getting involved, the pride of being part of a major project, and yet still able to do it all from the backstage. A certain degree of satisfaction knowing that the project will just not be the same without us, but yet, still able to stay anonymous at the same time. But AV is simple one example. There are many, many other roles. Stage crew. Runners. Outside the theatre, people like cleaners and people that set up. People that plan and organize the logistics. A great deal goes into any given project, and often it is the stars of the day that gets the credit. My philosophy as an AV techie is that I didn’t take on this role to get recognized. Heck, I like to act and sing (although horribly). If I really wanted to, I could’ve geared my development towards that, and maybe I could carry a pitch once in a while. "If you can talk, you can sing. If you can walk, you can dance." *shrug* We must complete this picture. If it was only us, there would be no production. If there wasn’t us, the production would be highly difficult to pull off. So lets make the picture complete.

I guess CCF kind of parallel with God sometimes, in terms of it's right there. and it's always there. but it needs you to ask to seek to knock for it to have any meaning in your life.

- Michael Yung

CCF is simply an organization. Nothing more, nothing less. What really makes CCF what it is today is the people in it. The faith. The prayer. The praise. Yet, like everything else in life, you must put in before you will receive. It was these words that solidify my belief that into to gain maximum possible from this organization we call CCF, we must give back into it. Service is my way (see below blog entry), but I look around and see so many more ways to march with my fellow CCF’ers. Like you, the people of CCF are busy too. We simply don’t have the time to reach out to every interested person that comes by. Heck, I don’t even have time to be with everyone I DO know...much less for new comers. We’ll do so much, and we’ll always be there. But CCF will still need you to ask, to seek, to knock...for it to have any real impact and meaning in your life.

Reference: Michael Yung, Grad of 2006

CCF Grad 06 - Words of Elaine Ho

If you see a need for something to be done or you feel that you want things to be done differently then just go do it cuz otherwise it probably won’t change.

- Elaine Ho

Most people who has studied Psychology should be familiar with the Bystander Effect, and the Diffusion of Responsibility. I think, this quote is a direct reference to that. CCF, with its sheer size, has its advantages and disadvantages. Responsibility diffusion being a very common thing among groups (yes, I’m guilty of that too). I think, once in a while, we’re stuck with sudden inspiration, yet hesitate to act, or even to pass along the idea because it might not be a good idea. Thus the demise of what could very good be a pwnage idea. Logically, the person who came up with an idea should be most passionate about it, no? I’d like to think, if I came up with a dumb idea, I would be told so. You’ll have to trust your comrades to support you when you have an idea that is good, and to tell you when you have a bad idea. *insert Elaine’s “weaponry” photo here*

Reference: Elaine Ho, Grad of 2006

CCF Grad 06 - Words of Ada Wong

And so we each should carry our torch and burn the school down together!

- Auntie Ada Wong

We’ve all heard and seen the cliché. United we stand. A bundle of sticks is harder to break than a single. And so forth. We all know unity is important. Yet...it may very well be the thing that is lacked the most. Having coming from World History IB, and being shown to see things (such as the “national identity of Canada”)...it’s increasingly easily to see how fragmented we all are. Individually we can do much. One person does matter.

But...if one person can do much...how much can two do? Or three? If CCF was fully united, how can we shake this world? Sure, we can each carry a candle... or we can gather a few of us and carry a torch... but if we unite, we can do a lot more. It is not a coincidence that a major symbol of the Olympics is the torch, carried from the scared village of Olympia to the city of the Games. Fire has many meaning throughout different periods in the past and to different cultures, passion being a common one. And so we each should carry our torch, given to us from the Sacred one, and burn the school down together.

Fire is one of those things that have both positive and negative uses. Fire is often harnessed for destruction. To be utilized for things like slash-and-burn operations in rain forests, or incinerating garbage, created by society. Yet...a great deal of things depends on fire to be productive. Metallurgy and glassblowing, for example, cannot be done if heat wasn’t applied to ores and glass. Electric power (especially here in Alberta) is achieved by burning gas and oil. Yet, I think the most compelling example is the plants that survive and even thrive after a fire has passed. Lodgepole pine depends on fire to spread. Spruces grows better due to mineral changes in the soil. Grasslands can be virtually immune to the effects of wildfire. What we should now decide isn’t weither or not to pick up this torch...it is what we should do with it once we realize we must utilize the fire.

Reference:
Fire Ecology: http://www.cnr.uidaho.edu/range456/hot-topics/fire-ecol.htm
Auntie Wong, Graduate of 2006

Random - granted

I think, time and time again, we have trouble appreciating what it is that we actually have until we’ve moved away. I guess the most pressing thing at the moment is people. Whither it’s family that we haven’t seen for the last four month, or the people leaving on work term, or graduates that are...well. Graduating. I think, we don’t realize how good the status quo can be until once again, life moves to disrupts it, and we’re called to move on, physically and mentally. Although it’s a lesson we’ve all learned many, many times, I think, it’s difficult to get desensitized to changes to a satisfactory status quo. I guess I want to remind (myself mainly), if you’ll regret that you didn’t say it, don’t put it off till tomorrow. You never know how a pat on the back...or a handful of words...or a nice gesture...I think, the best we can do is offer our support to the people close to us, even if they’re not physically. Remind them that we’re there, and the rest...well. The rest we really will have to leave up to God.

Individual importance

For those people who has played Starcraft and Warcraft (or real-time strategy games like those...), you’d appreciate this analogy. In Starcraft, my main strategy usually involves rushing to keep the opponent busy, then just mass. If my army gets wiped out, I get another one. After all, what is one zergling among 400? Yet when I picked up Warcraft, the game balance is totally different. No. Your army must be much smaller...you must conserve your forces. Numbers don’t mean as much anymore...

Lets see...alright. Anime people. Here’s one of you. Everyone should be familiar with Naruto (though Bleach would work too. Lets do Naruto.) Who would your favorite character be? Neji is a particularly interesting character. You KNOW he would have owned Naruto. Or how about Itachi’s eye? Or Gaara’s sands? Yet, I think I’m most touched by Hinata. A quiet character. Someone who’s focused on peace and harmony. The healer in the group. Can you imagine if Bleach only had people from the fighters of the Eleventh division? What role would healers of the Fourth division do? Who would clean up the chaos? Who would be the voices of reason?

And so we can relate life to this. Sure, a plain soldier (or Footman. Or Marine) can’t deal super high amounts of damage. And okay, maybe a medic (or Elven priests. Or Hinata.) isn’t very useful in a fight. And yeah, people like Byakuya can Bankai everything to kingdom come, but in the end...didn’t he get defeated too?

I suppose what I’m trying to say in a round-about way is unity. And how each part of a team has their own important role. Flipping through the bible, Proverbs 27.17 speaks to me about unity. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Maybe a bit deeper than that too. Every bit of the body counts. Every bit can make a difference. Every bit matters. Just because one part isn’t designed to do something, doesn’t mean it’s expendable...

Thoughts on Service

Within CCF, how often do we see each other? Myself, for the people I don’t run into the hallways of the Engineering Quad, or at SLC’s third floor, or whatnot...I admit, I don’t see much of other CCF’ers. How can we grow together towards unity if we don’t see each other? Perhaps with excuses like school, or even just laziness, we hesitate on calling each other out to meet. For lunch or dinner. We don’t create those opportunities, and thus can only rely on Friday gatherings, or cell groups, or whatnot... yet, there is another way of growing together.

As a first year, I hesitated on getting involved with CCF. Perhaps it was due to the high school fellowship I came from, which was ran by older councilors and people who are just so much more...”Christianly” than myself. They were the older kids. They were the ones pulling 95% average in Diploma IB. They were the ones that can play piano and guitar and sing. They were the ones that can tell you what bible verse is good for what situations. And so, the role of servers within fellowship was placed on a pedestal. Something that you must be “good enough” to do. I was told all these titles was just a distraction, but I didn’t understand it at the moment...and decided that serving should be left to those more Christianly.

Yet this term, I was proven wrong. With encouragement from the upper years, I got involved in various CCF projects, each with their long nights, last minute panicking and technical difficulties. What did I get out of serving at projects such as Lifesong and Grad Dinner? Technical knowledge, definitely. A bit of planning and design skills. Enjoyed the occasional sunset (nothing you Engineers reading this don’t know about). But the most invaluable things must be the fellowship I had with my fellow servers.

In serving, you are placed with fellow CCF’ers. You chat and discuss random things. And you get to see things from their point of view. Like lunch and dinner, this is another created opportunity, to build on those 3 hours we are together for every Friday. Just because you don’t feel like you have the requirements, it doesn’t mean you can’t serve. God has granted you something. If you don’t know what your gifts are, pray about it. If you are eager to find out, serve. It will bring out something. And it would be up to you to decide to build on it or not.

Most importantly, serve because of the chance to fellowship and grow with your brothers and sisters. Growth is not a solo event. You must have discussion...you must be challenged...you must have prayer. CCF is only an organization. It will not force to you grow if you are passive about it. You must be willing to seek and to knock, for you to really gain anything out of it.

Whatever preconception you may have about serving, it may be time to reconsider them. It is not just the more visual roles that needs to be done. The little stuff in the background are important also. We must make the picture complete. A house cannot stand divided against itself. CCF is not about the house. Rather, it is about the people who resides in the house.

Just remember. Everyone who has/is serving with CCF right now...we all came from somewhere. Take it from me. A term ago, I was just another frosh, in a sea of faces. Today...well. I’m still just another frosh, but the growth and learning and the fellowship and bonding I have had with my brothers and sisters...it is just too invaluable. Things like Engineering...or Project Manager...or Audio-video Technician. They're all distractions too. If we can do it, then so can you.

Reference and Thanks to: the UWCCF Grads of 2006 (some areas from above were quoted directly from Jane Huang, Michael Yung and Eric Cheng). The Lifesong Team of W06. Participants of the Winter Retreat. Grad Dinner Organizational Team. And lastly, Sr.Rock fellowship leadership of 2002.