Joshua Mouanoutoua |
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I, Joshua Mouanoutoua, being 21 years of age,
currently reside in an apartment in the city of Long Beach. I am a
fourth year student at Cal State Long Beach, studying in the field of
communications. I was born and raised in Orange County. My family had
moved a total of three times, but all those times were around Orange
County so I never really traveled very far. I am the oldest of seven
children and was raised in a God-loving family. I have four brothers:
Jonathon, 19; Matthew, 15; Moses, 13; and the youngest Victor, 11. My
two younger sisters Daranie, 17; and Manivanh, 16; round out the rest of
my family. My father, a social worker for the County of Orange, is the
current Senior Pastor of Lao Evangelical Church of Santa Ana. I suppose
having that influence in my life helped nurture the heart that I have
now for God’s people. God has really been open as to His plans for my
life. I have had the opportunity to serve at other churches in many
positions and found that with the right heart God can do great things.
Though being surrounded by good people and the right kind of friends, I
did not open my life to God till I met a man by the name of Eric Tang.
Eric had opened my eyes to how real God is and what I had so wanted all
my life: to enjoy God personally and socially. It was to talk to God
because I wanted to and to talk to Him not as someone that wanted for me
to be scared of Him but to talk to Him about the blessings and pains in
my life. During my first year at Cal State Long Beach, all the things
from my childhood started to click: the Sunday School lessons, the small
groups, the prayers, the messages from pastors, and most importantly my
relationship with God. God being the Almighty and Loving brought me here to Long Beach with a plan. It was a plan that I could really not see until now. During my freshman year, I met a great sister in Joni Poon. Later that semester, I met her brother Justin (future half-brother). Then the rest of the Poon family just rolled into my life. Before I had half a chance to blink, there I was stealing food from their kitchen, hugging Ma-ma, and getting great haircuts. (Thanks for the Tea Tree Mrs. Poon!) I don’t know how it really worked but God had things working between us before I knew and well, the rest is history now. With that relationship to the Poon’s and a 3rd dad in Mr. Poon, I was asked to help with serving with music at Chinese Congregational Church. It was all God’s grace that He helped gather the people that you see before you now on Sunday morning. I am truly blessed to have such great friends that want to do God’s work. Which brings me to my last and final paragraph.
This letter, I hope, gave you the reader, more insight as to who God had
designed Joshua Mouanoutoua. I write now as to maybe a small blueprint
for the year and what God has asked me to do for your children as a
Youth Director. Over the past four months, I have had the opportunity to
get to know some of the kids better and I have come to see that God
really loves the group of young people at Chinese Congregational Church.
The potential that seeps from this group is pretty impressive. The
intelligence, athleticism, and hunger for God that dwells in them are
pretty humbling for me. I feel that the purpose that God has me here now
is more of guide for them or maybe an older brother figure that they can
talk to or joke around with. Perhaps I can be a brother for prayer
during times of need or someone to praise God with. Whatever the role
God has me in, I will do in the knowledge that God is constantly working
in their lives and I am merely one of the lights on the road in this
really scary place called life. I know that coming into this position I
am truly nothing, and I just ask God to be shell for Him to work His
Will in these young people. So throughout the year, I plan on meeting with the
youth on a one on one basis and also in a large group a couple of times
a month. During the year, I asked that God help me nurture the talents
within them and to help motivate them during times that they find very
little strength for. I have also asked God to reveal His Will for these
youths as to who they are and what God is asking of them. I know that
this is not an easy task as this is not something you learn in school
but more as losing all control and letting God work with the hearts of
those that care for His flock. I hope that you will pray with and for me
and those that will be the other shepherds in the Sunday School as we
lead these youths to find their identity in Christ. I feel that in this
group that there is great potential to reach other young people that do
not know about salvation of Jesus Christ and the peace only He can
bring. Please, with the vision of the Church leaders let us bring about
this commission that Jesus has commanded. (Matt. 28:18-20) In His Love, Joshua Mouanoutoua
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