Gratitude Project

Visualizing Gratitude by Kenneth Vaughan

God• I am incredibly grateful for the influence God has had in my life. When I was nineteen, after

growing up in an irreligious household I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior and had my sins forgiven. I was changed for a morally lazy, selfish, unambitious, unintelligent sinner to someone who knows how to love and wants to pursue learning to serve God. God gave me a heart for family. Had it not been for God, my loving family oriented wife would have been in no way appealing to me. That would have been tragic. The photo is of the first Bible I bought after I got saved. I remember the day I gave my life to Christ and the day I bought my first Bible vividly.

The Holy Bible

• A natural follow up to the last posti s how grateful I am to The Holy Bible, God’s Inerrant Word to mankind. When I got saved I had no Christians in my life and would have struggled a lot without the hours of Bible study I had with myself. I had not affinity toward reading prior to this. The photo is of my Bibles. Two are from South Korea and one is from Japan.

Apologetics Study Bible

• Another logical follow up is The Apologetics Study Bible. This Bible has notes and articles from several scholars who have success in Christian and secular academic circles. It helps me understand why we can reasonably maintain our Christian faith when several try to assert that science is against us.

Apologetics

• Anoter natural follow up is the field of Christian apologetics, the defense of our Christian faith, often involving science and philosophy that is undeniable to secular scholars. These are some books on apologetics that I have.

Religious Freedom• I am grateful to live in a country with relative religious freedom. The majority of

the world lives in countries where they are not free to make their own religious decisions. These children were all assaulted for being Christians. Abuk Ajing had her chest mutilated during an anti Christian attack in Sudan, Kamerino was severely burned in an anti Christian attack, several boys he was with were kidnapped, presumably to be child soldiers, Damare, a child laborer was crucified after it was discovered he went to church.

My Wife• I am grateful for my wife Siyin. We met online as language partners and

fell in love quickly, despite neither of us being open to online love. We decided to meet when she moved to the United States and ended up eloping quickly. We have been inseparable for nearly three years.

Travelling

• I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to travel. I have lived in China and South Korea and have visited Mexico, New Zealand, Japan, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. The photo is from a bus crossing the border between Laos and Thailand.

Dr. Halley

• I am grateful that I have the opportunity to work for Dr. Halley. It is great to have a job on campus and that is sociologically relevant and appealing to PhD programs. We have a lot of fun working together have some great conversations.

My Wife’s Salvation

• I am grateful that my wife became a Christian in the United States. It is great to be able to pray with each other, study The Bible together, know that we will share eternity with God together, and have stability in our family decision making.

South Korea• I am grateful for my time spent in South Korea. This was my first time

living on my own and my first job in education. I lived in a small town and was able to learn a lot. This is me in front of the church with the world’s largest congregation, Yoido Full Gospel Church.

TaLK Program

• I am grateful for the TaLK Program. The TaLK program sent me to South Korea for free, paid for my rent in South Korea, and got me a teaching job in a small town in South Korea.

Teaching• I am grateful for my experience as a teacher. While I decided not to be a

grade school teacher, I had some great experiences and believe that this experience is at least somewhat relevant to my career goals to be a professor who works with students. This is me having fun with my students in South Korea.

Clear Skies

I am grateful for clear skies. I have been seeing a lot in the news lately about the level of pollution in China. While working in Guanzhou (which is not even the most polluted city in China) the sky was often gray, without a cloud in the sky. This was due to the level of smog. I read that the level of lung disease had risen, presumably due to the increased pollution level and suspect this had something to due with the respiratory problems I faced while living there.

Meten

• I am grateful to be working for Meten. Meten is Chinese company that allows native English speakers to teach students online via an elearning platform. I can choose my own hours and the pay is good. Great supplementary job for students.

Masilamani• I am grateful for Masilamani. He runs a Christian orphanage in India caring

for those in need. A friend of mine was able to visit the orphanage and has done great work connecting people in the United States with opportunities to help them.

Alpha Kappa Delta• I am grateful to be an officer in Alpha Kappa Delta. I am not good with

numbers, so being a treasurer is not ideal for me, but I believe I have learned a lot. This organization has allowed me to connect with very active graduate students and looked great on my PhD applications.

San Antonio Spurs• I am grateful for the San Antonio Spurs. Sure, I enjoy watching the games,

but they have been a catylyst my father and I have used for bonding. My father and I have very different personalities and very little in common, though we love each other very much and want to have a good relationship. We get really into our conversations about the Spurs and he has been taking me to Spurs games since I was child. Several Spurs players signed this basketball at games he took me to when I was a child.

Reading

• I am grateful that I great to enjoy reading. It has helped me to grow spiritually through reading The Holy Bible and other religious books, to learn a lot by reading history, sociology, and philosophy, and to have something to relax with while drinking tea or coffee.

Restaurant Gift Card

• I am grateful for the gift card my cousin gave my wife and I. It can be used at several different restaurants in the country. She put about $400 on it!

Goodsearch

•I am grateful for the website "GoodSearch". GoodSearch makes a donation to a charity of your church each time you do an online search. You can also redeem vouchers that will donate a percentage of your online or in-store purchases at no additional cost to the users.

Sevenly• I try to be ethical (sweatshop free, etc.) when shopping. I am grateful for

Sevenly, a company that sells shirts and accessories which benefit a new cause week. They release new cool looking shirts and accessories to represent the causes each week.

China Aid• I am grateful for China Aid, a charitable organization that helps persecuted

Christians and other minorities in China, refugees from Burma and elsewhere in China, political dissidents in China, and those threatened with or subject to forced abortions due to China’s one child policy. My wife is a Chinese Christian and her cousin is often vocal about his political opinions that are not friendly to the ruling Chinese government. I am glad that there are people out there who care about my family.

Liberty in North Korea• I am grateful for Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), a charity helping North

Korean refugees. They help North Koreans escape North Korea, hide from police in China, find a way to safe countries, and assist them in their new lives with more freedom. I learned of them when they came to visit our church several years ago.

Mother

• I am grateful for my mother. I have never ceased to feel how much she loves me.

Guangxi

• I am grateful for having the opportunity to visit Guangxi province in China. It has beautiful small mountains which are quite unique to this region. I really enjoyed the scenery.

New Focus International

• I am grateful for New Focus International, a news organization started and led by defectors and refugees from North Korea. I am grateful that they have given me the opportunity to volunteer with their website.

Nutri-bullet• I am grateful for the nutri-bullet juicer which I have received as a gift. I've

been loading it with vegetables and a few fruits for about a week and either drinking for lunch, or alongside lunch. I feel healthier, and my attempt at losing weight has gotten a big jolt! Thanks to my wife for putting the two photos I took together. She did it in what seemed like a few seconds on her phone.

Chinese Family

• I am grateful for my family in China. They are extremely kind to me and offered me a place to live when I was teaching in China. They treat me as family.

Grandmother

• I am grateful for my 83 year old, fantasy Christian example, very successful digital immigrant, strong, healthy, loving grandmother who’s back is probably straighter than mine.

New Zealand

• I am grateful for my time spent in New Zealand. I visited several of my colleagues in South Korea who moved back to New Zealand. They were very accommodating to me. It was great to hang out with Maori, Chinese, and Korean New Zealanders.

UCR

• I am grateful for being accepted into the University of California at Riverside and for being offered a fellowship at the school.

University of California at San Diego

• I am grateful that I have been declined admission into the University of California at San Diego. I am confident that God had different plans for me and am perfectly content knowing that this is His will.

Relative Freedom

• I am grateful to be living in a relatively free country. Things are far from perfect here, but I feel comfortable to pursue the life I want. Though I know I am very blessed and not everyone hear has the same access to opportunities as I do.

TeaI am grateful for tea. While living in China I became hooked on green, pu'er, and jasmine tea, jasmine being my favorite. Depending on the type, it gives me energy without the kind of jitters I'd associate with coffee and energy drinks. I can drink certain brews late into the night and still fall asleep within a reasonable amount of time. I try to drink tea every day.

Squirrels

• I am grateful for squirrels. A Chinese friend of mine with great surprise asked if it was true that we can see squirrels in our yards and neighborhoods in the United States. I feel blessed to know every day I’m seeing what others around the world consider amazing.

Netflix

• I am grateful for Netflix. No matter how hard I work durin the day, I try to take about an hour off for me right before bed and watch something I enjoy.

The people at Bukhu Elementary School

• I am grateful for the people at Bukhu Elementary School for giving me for my first teaching job. I am grateful for the students who were lots of fun.

Childhood friends

• I am grateful to be in touch with my childhood friends, Patrick and Jordan. I’ve known both of them since elementary school.

My cousins baby - Preston

• My cousin Jennifer suffered miscarriages and was told by doctors that she could not have children. God proved them wrong with this wonderful, incredibly strong healthy boy!

Ducks

• I am grateful for ducks. Ducks are one of my favorite animals. I am conflicted by love of duck meat.

Book by Paul Froese• I am grateful for the book "The Plot to Kill God" by Dr. Paul Froese at Baylor University. This book documents the attempt

and failure of the Soviet Union to eradicate religion from Russia and the other territories they acquired. Churches and mosques were destroyed, and religious adherents were impriosned, tortured, and killed as the Soviet government sought to enforce its dedication to "scientific materialism" and "state-atheism". Baylor is paying for me to visit the campus as we consider the prospects of me possible studying there for my PhD, and I want to make sure that I am familiar with the faculty members' research before speaking with them. I have found Dr. Froese's book to be extremely helpful for my current sociological interests. This book also reminds me of how grateful we should be in this country to believe or not believe in whatever we want, without the threat of violence or execution. This was not the case in the Soviet Union as Dr. Froese explains, and is still not the case in several parts of the world. It has caused me to reflect on the differences between going to church here in the United States openly, casually, and admittedly sometimes begrudgingly because I am not a morning person, and in China where my wife and I should count ourselves grateful that we weren't arrested for taking part in illegal church services.

Hulu Plus free trial

• I am grateful for a two week free trial offered by Hulu Plus. This service allows for me to watch Hulu programming on my television through video gaming devices.

Hezhou

• I am grateful for my trip to the Hezhou area of Guangxi, China. There are very old buildings here which allow a small glimpse into Chinese history.

Sol• I am grateful for my friend Sol visiting me. He is from South Korea, but

returned to teach English at the same time as me. We were good friends over there. We both moved back to Texas. I am glad that he came down from Houston to spend time with me.

Cheonggyo Church

• I am grateful for Cheonggyo Church in Seoul. A friend of mine attended. When I attended, a stranger sat next me to and translated the entire sermon for me.

Office

• I am grateful for this office room. When I teach online I am able to do so in privacy here. Also, when I am in my room working or watching TV, my wife can go in here to take calls.

Lady

• I am grateful for my dog, Lady. She is a loyal and protective dog. I am grateful that despite her few health scares, she is doing well now!

Baylor trip• I am grateful for Baylor University and their sociology department

considering me for their PhD program and paying for me to come visit the campus. Most of the graduate students and faculty members in the sociology department took the time to talk with me. Lodging and food were provided as well.

Karen’s brother

• I am grateful that Karen’s brother, who was sick, has been healed and was able to leave the hospital and continue growing up healthy!

Baylor acceptance

• I am grateful to have been accepted into Baylor’s sociology PhD program. This was one of my top choices. I have thought about going here for several years.

Hana Church

• I am grateful for Hana Church. Hana Church is a small Asian American church in San Antonio. They have provided a warm community for me, their pastor Kyumin Whang did great things to introduce my wife to the Christian faith and ended up baptizing her in the name of the Father, Son, anHd oly Spirit.

Iffy• I am grateful for my childhood dog, Iffy. Iffy was the first dog I have that

stuck around for more than a year or so. Iffy stayed with me for about fifteen years. She was kind, protective, and showed me what it was like to raise a pet.

Snoops

• I am grateful for another childhood dog of mine, who had a bit of a shorter life than Iffy, Snoops. Snoops was entertaining, loving, and extremely loyal.

Miracles• I am grateful for miracles. I struggled with an undiagnosed condition

which gave me several hours of vertigo a day and was healed without the need of a diagnoses. My cousins tumor disappeared with prayer, which doctors were not able to explain. This photo is of an healthy baby rescued after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Spring break• I am grateful for spring break. As the picture shows, I am able to stay up

late just watching TV and relaxing. I obviously do not have class this week, my work hours are greatly reduced, and I will be doing a small amount of traveling.

Charitable clothes

• I am grateful for companies which ethically produce clothes and sell them to use for charitable causes such as Sevenly, and Liberty in North Korea.

Book light

• I am grateful for this book light which I have clipped to my phone for this picture. Reading in bed can be quite relaxing.

Beautiful borders• I am not always fond of borders separating people, but I do enjoy visiting

natural borders and seeing the blending of culture and beautiful scenery. This picture of the Mekong river was taken from Thailand. Laos is on the other side.

Dr. Halley’s lab/office• I am grateful for the office/lab next to Dr. Halley’s office. I am allowed to

use this while working. Had I worked at the main campus I might have to always share an office with a professor or other students, where desks may not as easily accommodate all of our material.

Some parts of Macau• I am not a fan of gambling, which Macau is famous for, but there are some

beautiful parts of the city. I am grateful for seeing the architecture that has mixes of Chinese and Portuguese influences.

Epic• I am grateful for the Epic student ministry, an Asian American serving

organization related to Campus Crusade for Christ. Before going to South Korea I spent a lot of time with Korean students there, who helped me learn a lot. I also met the pastor of the church I currently attend when he visited the organization.

Scenery• I am gratefulfor a change of scenery. While visiting California over the

break, my flight connected in Phoenix, Arizona. I don't know why, but I absolutely love the landscape of Arizona and was looking forward to catching a glimpse of it even before boarding in San Antonio. Of course the scenery in California was great, but Arizona's, for whatever reason, is particularly special to me.

Healthy food• I am grateful for clean and healthy food. Seeing this picture really drives

home the sad truth that some have to eat things that can make them sick. What I have is not something I should take for granted. It is a tremendous blessing. I should not abuse my body with nutrition by overeating, I should use this blessing to get healthy as so many others like this woman wish they could.

Lin Xian Gao/Samuel Lamb• I am grateful for the Chinese “house church uncle” Lin Xian Gao (English –

Samuel Lamb). Lin spent a combined twenty years in prison for his Christian faith, was tortured, and has had his house church raided. The government officials told him they would set him free and stop hurting him if he denied his faith, which Lin refused to do. He recently went home to be with The Lord. I am grateful that my wife and I had the chance to meet him.

Freedom to travel• I am grateful that with very few exceptions, I am free to travel wherever I

want. Some countries, such as North Korea restrict most of there citizens from leaving. This is a fence which prevents North Koreans from seeking freedom and food in China.

Electric tea kettle

• I am grateful for this electric tea kettle. It boils very quickly, so I do not have to wait for a stove top to boil water, or microwave water.

My father’s health• I am grateful that my father went on a diet and started exercising on this

treadmill. He lost about thirty pounds and brought his blood pressure down to a healthy level. I pray he will eat more nutritiously and finally get a colonoscopy. He is over 60 and still has not had one.

Coffee maker

• I am grateful for this coffee machine. I still don’t know how to use it, but my generous wife does and is always willing to make me coffee!

Letters from my first students• I am grateful for the drawings and letters my students in South Korea

made me. These were the first two days I ever talk, and I think about them all the time. I miss them, and it is nice to have something to remember them by. After returning home, putting these on display was one of the first things I did. I am most of all grateful for having the experience of teaching them.

Cheap travel

• I am grateful for the opportunity to travel cheap. For less than 30 dollars, my wife and I were able to take a bus thathad beds instead of chairs from one province in China to another.

WWE Network

• Nerd alert! I am grateful for the WWE network! An on demand service to watch all sorts of pro wrestling content.

Voice of the Martyrs• I am grateful for Voice of the Martyrs, an organization founded by a

Christian who was tortured for his faith in communist Romania. They reach out to Christians suffering for their faith around the world and others in need. I am grateful that they have selected me to be a volunteer spreading their message and asking for prayers and financial support for my persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.

Thin wallet• I am grateful for this thin wallet that can fit in my side pocket, which was

given to me by Voice of the Martyrs after I joined their organization. I often found wallets in my back pocket to be uncomfortable.

Ice cream

• I am currently on a diet, but allow myself one day off a week. I am grateful to have the luxury of eating ice cream, a non-necessary food item. Many people do not have this blessing.

Tuna/Chicken• I am grateful for cheap tuna fish and its chicken alternative. I really enjoy

chicken salad. I am grateful to have a taste for something relatively inexpensive.

Journals• I am grateful that my first orders of academic journal subscriptions have

come in and that I got a batch over the weekend. The three that came in are "Social Forces", "Social Science Japan Journal", and "Chinese Sociological Review".

Dad’s diet

• I tried to sneak a picture of my dad eating cereal tonight. He tries to eat light and healthy five to six days a week now. I am grateful for this lifestyle change he has made.

Salsa

• I am grateful for salsa! I goes good with so many things. It is especially useful when on a diet. It is healthier than a lot of other sauces.

I saw a bull

• I am grateful that I saw a bull. I really like animals and it is great to see uncommon ones for a big city.

Clean water

• I am grateful for clean water. A large amount of the world’s population drinks dirty water which can kill them. This picture brought the disturbing truth home.

Water filter

• Not only does water free of natural contaminates run free here, but I can further filter it of impurities. I am grateful for this.

Dad and dog

• I am grateful for the bonding experience my dog and father have had. I am always wanting my dad to get healthier, and it has been shown that pets have a positive impact on health.

My cat• I am grateful for my cat. I adopted her during a rough patch in my life

about nine years ago. She is still very energetic and has only gotten kinder over the years. She has a few spots where she likes to relax throughout the day, but makes sure to visit my wife and I about once or twice a day. She looks massive but most of that is fur!

Aunt and uncle

• I am grateful for my aunt and uncle (the two on the right). We have had a lot of fun together since I was a child and they have been very good to my parents.

Po Tsz

• I am grateful for my wife’s cousin’s baby, Po Tsz. The doctors said his wife’s pregnancy was ectopic, but that changed! Now the baby is healthy and growing quickly.

University of Hawaii

• I am grateful that the University of Hawaii has accepted me into their PhD program. This was a top pick of mine.

University of Utah

• I am grateful that the University of Utah accepted me in to their sociology PhD program. I had a strong interest in this school.

Georgia State University

• I am grateful that Georgia State University has accepted me into their sociology PhD program. I have however turned them down due to better offers.

Travel to Laos

• I am grateful for my brief time spent in Laos. It was a cheap place to stay, and the people were very kind.

Chinese publications• I am grateful for these free Chinese publications I was able to find at an

Asian market. I am looking for additional churches to contact to recruit interview subjects for my master's thesis. Several of these publications have a list of Chinese churches in Texas that are difficult to find online.

Lunar eclipse

• I am grateful for having had the opportunity to stay up late and watch a lunar eclipse with my dog and a cup of tea.

Lubbock trip

• I am grateful for a weekend trip to Lubbock, where I got to interview two people for my thesis. This a picture taken on the way back home.

Shiqi village• I am grateful for Shiqi village in China. This is the village my wife’s

grandmother grew up. It was cool to see farms, animals, and a more traditional way of life. There was some poor health and poverty present that was sad to see. My wife’s grandmother passed out some medical supplies, which I am very grateful for.

Duolingo

• I am grateful for Duolingo, a language learning app. There are several languages available, I have chosen Mandarin Chinese.

Delicious• I am grateful that this class has opened me back up to Delicious. I have

been using it to keep track of the hundreds of Chinese churches I have contacted or want to contact for my thesis. I can add “contacted” to the title and tags to let me know that I have already contacted the church.

Chinese learning game

• I am grateful for this Chinese learning game I have downloaded. I would like to get better at reading and speaking Chinese. This is a screenshot I took.

Parking Garage• I am grateful for the parking garage we have right by the MS building and

most of my classes. It has been a hectic semester and sometimes I really am crunched for minutes. I don't like being late, and parking just a few minutes closer to campus has been great for me.

Protopage

• I am grateful that this class has exposed me to Protopage. I think this is a great way to bookmark pages. I never actually check my web browser bookmarks!

Light travel

• I am grateful for being able to travel light. Often times I can spend a week somewhere with just a bag or two. This is me with a backpack about to eat outside in Vietnam.

Monkeys

• I am grateful for monkeys! This small town in Thailand is overrun by stray monkeys that are prone to stealing food from people. My wife and I were charged out by one who wanted our snack (Which we intended to give one anyway.

www.biblegateway.com• I am grateful for the Bible Gateway website. I try to read two chapters of

both the Old and New Testament a day. Some days are very busy and I like to be able to get online from a portable device and get a chapter read in a small bout of free time during the day.

Mike Smith• I am grateful for Mike Smith. Mike was my first sociology instructor. After

taking his social problems class, I abandoned the English department, and switched over to sociology. He has remained a great friend of mine and is now a great friend to my wife. I got to sit down with him tonight and tell him about my decision to go to Baylor. That journey started with his social problems class at a community college.

Bananas• As an earlier post showed, I like to juice. One banana goes a long way in

drowning out other unpleasant flavors. I am grateful that I have easy access to bananas.

A little weight lost• I have been struggling to lose weight. I have not lost as much weight as I

would have anticipated. I am grateful that I have lost some and managed to keep most of it off.

My wife’s kindness• While working a long day, my wife texted me and we talked about dinner.

When found out that I had a short time period between getting off from one job and starting a shift at another, she offered to pick up dinner and time it perfectly. I love her so much.

Parents’ home• After coming back from China, I wanted to find an apartment right away.

My wife convinced me to wait and stay with my parents until leaving for my PhD program. I am grateful for her and for my parents allowing us to stay here for during this time.

Dog stroller• My dog, Lady, has always loved her walks. Unfortunately she hurt her back

and cannot go on long walks anymore. I am grateful for this dog stroller which we can push her around in. She still loves going on these trips.

Sanjiang Christians• Chinese authorities have been attacking churches in Wenzhou, one of the

more Christianized provinces of China. I am grateful for Chinese Christians brave enough to form a human shield around Sanjiang Church. Unfortunately the Chinese authorities did not pay attention to them. These pictures taken are very sad.