Every move I make I make in you�
By Katherine Lim (Updated February 17, 2007)

It has been about four years since I moved to Canada . The weather is still hard to adapt to, but I am managing as best I can. Ever since I got here to Guelph when the school year started, I was not sure what to expect. And what came was a shock to me. But, one thing for sure, I can say I am glad to be where I am today because if I wasn�t here, I would not be the 'me' people see, the 'me' people know, and the 'me' I know myself to be.

Sometimes, I still look back at the past. I just wish and wish that I could be where I used to be (in Connecticut ). If only my sister didn�t want to go to the University of Alberta . Well, that didn�t happen. So, why think back on it. I shouldn�t look back anymore. I should look forward. I am still having problems coping with that. And because of that, I am having drastic changes in my life...everything from grades, to the things I wear. It was only about four years ago, that the entire family moved to Edmonton. And only three years later, I'm already somewhere else. So, "Why pick Guelph?" That's a common question I have been asked, ever since I got here. There's nothing to do here. It's a small city. These are all the things people have been telling me, and yes, they are true. But, that does not make it a bad thing. I have always like small cities, especially since I grew up in one. It is nice to have a slow-paced life. It gives a person time to contemplate what exactly they want to do in life, and where they are in 'finding themself'. Of course, I did not come to Guelph hoping to find what it was I wanted to be. I already had that in mind.

Sometime in May 2007, I got a letter from University of Guelph. That's right. I got accepted to University of Guelph, after sending my portfolio that I'd spent a good month or two compiling together. I was glad. I was beyond happy. And to find out, I would be in the only undergraduate Landscape Architecture program in Canada that was in english, I was quite impressed. I have never stopped thinking, that I am here because God wants me here today. Sure my faith isn't as rooted as some other Christians. But I know what I know, and I am trying as hard as I can to do what I think God wants me to do.

So many things have happened in my life so far. Through each trial and tribulation, there�s one thing I know: If it does not turn out right, there must be a reason. To me, there�s no such thing as coincidence, it is inevitability. Of course, there are things where stupid things happen, where they really shouldn�t. But, those things happen too, and I really think, they happen for a reason. There is a certain reason why things happen. No matter what the outcome, we should always be grateful. In my case, there was a time when I would always say, �Look on the bright side.� It's hard to do, especially when I'm on my own, and most of my time is spent on organizing what I need to do, and how much money I've spent...and then worrying about how much money I need to pay back, but, everything I worry about could just be a little less, if I lifted it all to Him.

Two summers back, my mom had a little �accident�. Okay, so it wasn�t really an accident. She was cooking some oil, and guessing that she was tired from working in the morning at Save On Foods, she over cooked it, and KABOOM! Okay, so it didn�t blow up. But, there was a fire. I was totally freaked out. I had no idea what to do. And for once, I�d just wished, I would�ve known what to do. We rushed mom to the hospital, and around 11PM, we got home. I couldn�t stand looking at the kitchen for a really long time. And sometimes when I look back at the stupid stove I think, �What if that was me?� Well, if it was me, I�d probably be dead right now, is what I�m actually thinking. ^^� You can say, I was a little traumatized after the little �accident� that had happened. I�m still afraid of fire. But, sometimes, it just proves...you can really take things for granted. The bright side? Well, let�s just say that I�m just glad my mom�s fine now. She�s even back to work, and very happy.

Now, I am 18 years old. Over the years, I have made so many good friends. What I've learned, is that as time passes, so do friends. Why I don't believe in long distance relationships? Becaus I'm unable to keep in contact with anybody in a different area than I am in. I hadn't heard from my friends in Connecticut, and I haven't even heard from my friends in Edmonton. To me, it just proves, friendship doesn't last forever. Now, I know that I'm pretty wary of stepping into a relationship, cause you never know how long it'll last. Now in Guelph, I have made more friends. I'm not the most social person, and anybody who knows me, should know that. For me to be a social person, they have to gain my trust. There was one point in time where I thought that I would never make it to this day. Some days, I still think this, but I know there�s something good to look forward to. I never realized I'd be able to make so many good friends, even with my shyness and inability to be social. This is where my beliefs come into play. God is always there with me. He's there showing me that I can do all this if I can just rely on him.

I moved from about eight churches in total to the one I am at today. Sometimes, finding the right church is another step closer to God. Although not every choice we made may have been correct, it was worth it. My dad has so much experience with teens in ministry, along with my mom with the younger kids, and my sister and I growing up in that sort of background, knowing how those things are done. It has helped us grow closer to God.

Throughout all my life, my parents brought me to church every Sunday. And they brought me to Rhode Island and Massachusetts for get-togethers that the Chinese in that area did. I always helped out with the Vacation Bible School (VBS), instead of actually participating. Well, I did participate, but I never thought it was for anything. I never knew the point.

If I said, that Christ has never played a really important part in my life, I would be lying. Sometimes, you hear people giving testimonies...these elaborate things where God has changed their lives so much. I don't have that. And ever since I was little, I always wondered, "Why?" I accepted Christ at an extremely early age, probably 6 or 7. If I hadn't been rescued when I was younger, who knows where my life would be today? What destructive paths would I have stumbled down if He had not been teaching me qualities like servanthood and self-control? I can honestly say how glad I am, that I was brought up in this way, especially when I look around to those who aren't, and wish they were as well. University is probably the toughest stage in life. In university, you're surrounded by different people you don't know, and have never met. Perhaps, you move to a place you've never been to. I went to a Catholic school since I was five, until I was thirteen. My family isn't Catholic, we're Protestant. But the reason I went there is because my parents wanted me to go to a Christian school, but couldn't find one in the area and sent me there. It was also close by. I guess they wanted me not to �turn bad� like most kids in public schools do. At least that�s what my parents thought back then. Being in a Catholic school helped me quite a bit. By being around so many Catholics, and knowing every person out of the ninety people in my own grade, I knew how different people seemed to be. But in reality, our school was the same as any public school would be, with the exception that we all wore uniforms . If I hadn't moved to Edmonton, I'd never have met Linh, one of my best friends, that was able to help me through all the troubles I had when I go to Guelph, and still have.

I was baptized at Grace Evangelical Free Church in 2003. This you could say is my new testimony. ^_^" The testimony I used back then was probably not what I would've written if I was the same person I am today. But, I'm glad I'm here, that I'm alive, that I'm surrounded by so many friends and family that care for me.

Sometimes, I feel as though I'm not doing the right thing, and my life is totally opposite of what I had imagined. Isolation is my main problem. I like being by myself. I like nice and quiet places. I don�t like talking in front of people; especially those I don�t know. I like just being plain alone. But, you can't do anything with just sitting there. You can�t do anything being alone. It's a statement of life to help people to find Christ. Having two or three close friends is better than having hundreds or thousands of worthless friends. If your friends are only there for you to the point of �getting something out of the relationship�, you have to stop and think. What is the point of a relationship like that?

Proverbs 18:24. "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.�  

Sometimes, I wonder, �Who am I?� I�m not the person I was so long ago. I�ve really changed. Spiritually? Perhaps, at least I�d hope so. I think I�ve learned to stand up for myself more. I don�t know whether that�s really a good thing, or if that�s even relevant, but it makes me be 'me'. I can�t help but think something�s missing. I feel like I should be doing something else, but I really have no idea what I�m thinking at all. At one point, a teacher told me to go talk to a counselor, and I ended up spilling everything. Though, it�s not like it�s anything new to anyone that actually knew me. It�s good to let things out. If you don�t, you�ll be like me � a very isolated person, who likes to keep to herself, and perhaps one day just eventually have a nervous breakdown.

I still don�t think there�s anything wrong with that. But, If you don�t let anything at all out to another, a person can really go insane. Right now, I really do think that I�m going crazy. School work is going over the top, as well as tests. Don't forget projects. University life has only begun. But for now I think where I am, is exactly where I should be. I've been through many changes in my life. I have to keep in mind that Christ is by my side all the time, to help me through each step I take. I just have to remind myself that He is the only one I can truly rely on. And I can just lay anything, any problem; no matter what is, in front of Him. He can help me through it all.

Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.�