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Finding new ways to celebrate!
FEBRUARY, 2023
Change of Pace for Lunar New Year
Change of Pace for Lunar New Year
"Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar." - The Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art
Many countries and cultures celebrate Lunar New Year, including China, South Korea, Vietnam, and others. Most of the students we interact with celebrate this passage of time in their home culture, so we make an effort every year to host a Lunar New Year party, to love and serve our students and give them a taste of home.
Last year, we celebrated Lunar New Year with just a few friends, playing some games, and doing some Lunar New Year crafts. This year, we partnered with a local restaurant that opened up the whole restaurant for us and catered the whole meal. Thank you, Cherrywine Modern Asian Cuisine in La Jolla for joining us in this celebration!
Some of us went to Cherrywine a couple of weeks early to check it out and try the food. They were insanely generous and let us eat for free that day. They refused to let us pay. What beautiful people.
Cherrywine asked if we could show up a week early to decorate the restaurant. They were excited to have our decorations up so they, too, could celebrate Lunar New Year week.
We added some finishing touches the day of the event before students showed up.
Look at all of these amazing people!
In many Asian cultures, it is customary for elders to hand out little red envelopes to those who are younger. This occurs during special occasions and holidays, like Lunar New Year. In China, this is called Hong Bao (红包). These envelopes are usually filled with money.
For our Lunar New Year party, we passed out red envelopes with chocolate coins, a Bridges sticker, and different Bible passage cards regarding the concept of "blessing".
All in all, it was a fun event. Lots of students came from SDSU & UCSD and we were able to show the love of Christ in a unique way while giving them an opportunity to represent their home cultures.
Please pray for events like this, that we will be able to grow from these community building moments to deeper friendships with students and that they will be receptive to hearing more about the Good News of Jesus!
Sam Davis has focused on international student ministry since 2010 and is on staff with Cru and Bridges International in San Diego, CA. His passion for leading others into a close relationship with Jesus is shown in his general love for people and focus on discipleship.
Sam and his wife, Gloria, love to travel, meet people, eat great food, and hike.
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