Today in my seminary module,

Well, today is the day that I left my United States for Brazil! It’s so CrAzY to think about all that has happened since Jim Leonard first asked me to go. Raise support, buy stuff, learn a couple words in Portuguese.

I was at camp last week, training some of the new staff and saying good-bye to my summer ministry for the last 10 summers. But now the time has come to go to Brazil, and it has been

The countdown’s getting lower every day! Two weeks from today I will fly to Brazil, and I just received final approval from Baptist Mid-Missions for my trip!

Over the last few weeks I have been working to get my required immunizations, finalize my flight plans, and organize materials that I will be bringing with me. My visa came in a long time ago, so all required documents for entering the country have been received.

Thank you to everyone who supported me and to my church and those individuals who still gave me financial support even after I received everything I needed for travel expenses. With the extra money, I was able to purchase 100 books and teaching materials for the English retreat that we will be hosting this summer. The books arrived yesterday, and they will take up half of my allowed weight for one of my checked bags. Exciting!

In addition to that curriculum, there are also plans for me to order new music stands for the seminary to use in the music conference that we are having. Thanks again to everyone who gave to my trip, even above and beyond my goal so that I could purchase some of these things for the missionaries to use this summer.

I am still finishing up a little homework for a seminary module I took at school, but by the time my trip comes, I will be homework-free! So what am I going to do with my free time during layovers?

Well, I decided I might as well take some Bibles along with me and try to share the gospel with some of the other travelers I meet. So I ordered several NKJV New Testaments (for the low price of $1.29 each), and I will take a few in my carry-on. The logic is that the more active I am in talking to people and giving them away, the lighter my bag will be, eh?

So here are some prayer requests as I prepare to leave:
1) Wisdom in my packing so I don’t leave anything important behind
2) Preparation of my heart for serving and being stretched
3) Boldness to share the gospel when God gives me the opportunities on my trip there

If you’d like to receive weekly email updates from me during my trip, please email me at joshua.huang@faith.edu to let me know. Thanks!

So, yesterday I started a dream job…and by that I mean a dream job that I actually never dreamed of having. But after my first 2 1/2 hours, it is like a dream come true!

I’m already a lifeguard and a plasma donor, but yesterday I got a part-time job as a bellsmith. I know, that is not even a word, but it will be now because someone has to coin it sooner or later. I am now one of the few people in the world to repair handbells!

CBR Handbell Repair is one of only a handfull of handbell repair shops in the world, and it is located right here in Ankeny, Iowa. It is a humble little shop, set back in the woods on the outskirts of Ankeny. This first picture is just one of the many exciting sights in the shop…just look at the potential! This is part of my world now, and my love for handbells just grew a lot more.

Before coming to Faith, I only recall seeing a handbell ensemble once, and it was at my church in the spring of 2009 when the Faith ensemble was at my home church. I was instantly amazed by the beautiful sound of them, but I never considered the possibility of actually handling them.

In 2009 I came to FBBC, joined the orchestra, and for two years I traveled with the handbell ensemble, listening to them play but never playing them myself. I never fully appreciated them, and sometimes I battled to stay awake when they played.

Then in the fall of 2011, I decided to try out for a spot in the group, and I joined! Since then, I have played in our three-octave ensemble here at school and absolutely loved it. In four semesters I have played three different positions in the full ensemble and in two positions in a handbell quartet.

I also attended a fantastic handbell concert in the spring of 2012, and my love for handbells just keeps growing and growing and growing. Now I even want to own my own set someday so my family and/or church can play them. We’ll see if I get that opportunity.

Anyway, a couple weeks ago, there was an announcement at school that some guy wanted help in his bell repair shop, so I immediately called the number and set up an interview. On Monday I went to the shop and talked to Mr. Cowan, learning several things about his musical history and his philosophy of life. It was a very enjoyable meeting, and I’ll share more about it later. You may or may not have heard about him and his wife in recent years!

So I went there yesterday for the first time on the payroll, and I got right to work, learning the first few steps of refurbishing handbells. I used pliers, a utility knife, a ball peen hammer, a punch, an anvil, a file, an electric sander, and steel wool to disassemble and clean the clappers on the bells. Those are just a few of the many tools that are used in the shop, and I tried to take a picture of what the tool collection looks like.

Yesterday I got to work on disassembling Whitechapel Handbells. I didn’t even know about the existence of these bells until Monday. As Mr. Cowan said, they are the “Cadillac of handbells.” They are produced in England and are the highest quality handbells in the world. In fact, the producer of these handbells also made the famous Liberty Bell, so there is an indication of the longevity and experience of this foundry.

After ringing American-made Schulmerich handbells for two years with their plastic handles and rubber clappers, I reverently picked up these Whitechapel bells with their leather handles and leather clappers. Such high quality- and I get to handle them! I thought handbells were already expensive enough (well, they are), but I can only dream about ever getting to play in an ensemble with these bells. But hey, if I can ring them in the shop, I have no reason to complain!

So, in the picture above, I lined up 16 bells to begin. Those will be my first bells to work on from start to finish. I then removed the clappers, separated the clapper stems from the restraining springs by poking out the axle pegs, removed the spring pads, cleaned the axles and springs and staples, and sanded any remaining residue. It took me about 2 1/2 hours to do that for those 16 handbells, and when I return I’ll work on the next step of polishing all the clappers.

While we worked, I listened to Irish music, and some of the songs were so funny I couldn’t help but smile. It is so fun to work in the shop, doing meticulous work on expensive equipment, and it makes me wonder if the family shops of days long gone were similar to this. This bell repair shop has been a family hobby in some respects. But here I am in the 21st century, in small-town Iowa, fixing beautiful instruments in a small little shop, listening to Irish music, and making a little money on the side.

There are so many more stories to be told, but I’ll save them for later. I have said enough already, and I believe that this is only the beginning of many more fun-filled days of work to come.

Here’s me on my first day as a bellsmith! 16 Whitechapel handbells disassembled and awaiting a polishing. If only I could take one bell home at the end of each week of work, I would be SO happy! But alas, that’s not how it works.

But still, who could even think of having a dream like this, let alone having it fulfilled? Wow…

Can you tell yet that I’m excited?

To God be the glory!

Well, things are moving right along as I prepare for Brazil! My passport took less than three weeks to process and it just arrived in the mail last week.

Today I worked on my visa application, trying to figure out exactly what needs to be done and finally (hopefully) doing it all. I plan to mail it on Monday and within three weeks I should have it in hand as well.

By the way, my passport cost me $110 but a visa for Brazil will cost me $250 with an additional (required) $27 for overnight return shipping! CrAzY how much the visa costs!

However, I’m once again thankful that my travel expenses are already fully covered, so paying for the visa is just another reminder of God’s provision. Can’t wait to have to use these documents this summer!

Today was Shon Lundberg’s last day on staff at Faith Baptist Bible College. He accepted the call to be the pastor at Community Baptist Church in Ankeny, IA, and he begins his new ministry on Sunday.

Today was a bittersweet day for the students who know him, especially for those of us who have known him for several years. For almost a decade-and-a-half he has served as a dean at Faith. He started as Dean of Men and eventually became the Dean of Students.

So much can be said about this great man of faith, but I will try to highlight just a few of the things I appreciated most about him.

Photography Lover

Dean Shon first got into photography because the school had no one who regularly took pictures at their sporting events. So he bought a camera and began to teach himself photography.

Several years later, he has taken many great pictures not only at school, but everywhere. He admits that he’s not the best, but neither is he a mere amateur anymore either. His love for photography helped instill in me an enthusiasm for it, and he has helped many aspiring photographers at school (like me) learn how to use a camera more effectively.

I spent many enjoyable hours discussing photography with him, learning from each other and comparing equipment. I sure am going to miss the conversations we had.

Sports Enthusiast

As previously mentioned, Dean Shon took many pictures at the athletic events. He did that for several years and has only stopped doing it so often the last few semesters as more of us students started taking pictures as well.

But in addition to that, Dean Shon once coached men’s soccer at Faith, he served for a time as the athletic director, and most recently he was the head coach of the women’s soccer team. Dean Shon loved sports, and he loved to support our student athletes.

Many girls from his soccer team still talk about how much fun it was to play soccer because of the experience of playing for Dean Shon and laughing with him. As I write this, he is in the gym, playing indoor soccer with the girls. He taught his players how to truly enjoy the game and have fun playing it.

But at the same time, he was competitive- highly competitive. He wanted to win. He wanted his players to be treated right. But he also had a right perspective on losing, and he knew how to uplift those who were discouraged after a tough loss. Faith athletics owes a lot to Dean Shon.

Fun Friend

He might have been the Dean of students, responsible to deal with problems that arose in the student body, but more than that, he was a friend to the students.

Students loved to stop by his office just to laugh with him, often at their expense. As Dean Lance said on Wednesday as the school showed their appreciation for Dean Shon, the inside jokes were endless with Dean Shon.

He liked to laugh and he liked to laugh hard, and he has a great sense of humor. He could often be heard laughing in the hallway, or if someone else was laughing, it was probably because of something he did or said.

Family Man

Dean Shon loved his family, and his family is such a big part of his life that they became a big part of the school. His kids could be seen at soccer practices, his wife helped him coach for a year, and his kids became good friends with the students.

He would go on vacation with his family, take lots of pictures of his kids, and talk about his family at school. For as much as he loved the students and the school, he loved his family more, and it provides a great example for rest of us who will someday have our own families.

Passionate Preacher

Some of my favorite chapels were the ones during which Dean Shon spoke. He preached with such a great love for God and a passion for His Word.

He is a great student of Scripture, his delivery is exciting, and he had the best stories for illustrations, but his honesty is what really makes him a great preacher. He would often cry during his messages because he was so transparent about his own daily need for Christ.

In fact, that is one of the reasons why I believe Dean Shon will be such a great pastor. His church will be fed well when he preaches. I always left chapel full.

Moving On…

Dean Shon didn’t go to school to be the Dean of Students rest of his life. God called him to be a pastor. But I’m so thankful the for several years God kept him here at Faith, the last four years during which I was in college here.

He will always be a great friend, but even more than that, a godly mentor who wanted me to succeed as a child of God. The memories will live on…

Tonight at Master Club (the Wednesday night kids program at Heartland Baptist in Ames) one of the fifth-grade girls who I barely know came up to me and said, “A miracle happened this morning!”

I responded, “What?!”

She said, “My mom was released from prison!”

Me: “That’s so great! I’m glad to hear that!”

Girl: “Yeah, she’s been there for five years!” The glow on her face made that moment the highlight of my day.

Wow…she’s been without her mom since she was in kindergarten or first grade. It reminded me of the “simple” joys of life that I’ve experienced and have yet to experience.

1) I’ve had both of my parents at home my whole life and all my siblings for their entire lives.

2) When I was saved, I was released from a prison to sin.

3) Someday, I will be released from the prison of my mortal body and be given an immortal one.

4) Some of my family members have already been released from the prisons of this life and are waiting in heaven for me, and I’m looking forward to that reunion.

5) Each time someone is saved, they are released from prison for the first time ever in life, and I should be ecstatic!

6) God has made all these things possible, and if I don’t have the same joy that that girl had upon receiving her mother again, shame on me.

Thank you God, for the reminder of your grace in my life tonight, and thank you that this girl received her mom back once again.

Well, after 10 summers on staff at Iowa Regular Baptist Camp, God is leading me somewhere else this year. If you haven’t guessed already, this summer I am going to Brazil.

God has blessed me with the opportunity to serve Him there for seven weeks alongside Jim and Julie Leonard, long-time family friends. I am excited for this ministry and consider it a privilege to become acquainted with missions work in Northeast Brazil. For many years I have wanted to go on an overseas missions trip, but I just never felt God leading me that direction. Well, this summer He has!

As I pursue future full-time ministry as a pastor and church planter, I believe God will use this trip in my life to increase my awareness for foreign

What a wonderful day with Heartland Baptist Church! Today I was particularly challenged to be a sacrificial giver as a result of the message and a small child’s act of kindness.

Pastor Abell’s message today was from Mark 14:3-9. Mary, the sister of Lazarus came to a meal where Jesus was eating with his disciples and she anointed him with a jar of spikenard oil. Now, what is the significance of the spikenard? It was worth a whole year’s wages!

Imagine the average person taking their wages from a whole year, taking a jar of perfume worth that same amount, and pouring it out on one person. Wow!

Mary showed her supreme love for Jesus by pouring that out on Him. The disciples watched and were angered by the act of service, claiming that the jar could have been sold and the money given to the poor.

Obviously there hearts were not in the right place. Here they have their Creator sitting before them, and they’re saying that the poor are worth more than Him. I’m not saying that poor people are worthless, but no one compares to the value of God.

If you look at John 12 (the cross-reference of this passage), you would also notice that Mary’s sister, Martha, was serving the meal. Remember that Martha had a mindset of serving, but she put more emphasis on doing things than actually giving of her time and possessions to God.

But look at the sacrificial giving of Mary and her concept of serving her Savior.

So, that was the message from this morning. But I was challenged in one other small way.

Heartland Baptist is sending 20+ people to Guatemala this summer for a missions trip, and they are also bringing with them several Spanish Bibles for the children there. Each Bible costs about $10, and anyone is welcome to donate money for them.

Well, this morning a 5-year-old girl brought Pastor Abell and envelope with money that she had raised for the Bibles. $101! This little girl had made jewelry and sold it to people she knew so that she could give money toward the missions trip. Wow! What an example!

So…what about me? How am I giving to my Savior, and to what extent am I willing to give toward the furtherance of His gospel? Thank

Today is the last day of my