The First Note

By Lily Yang

It was an autumn afternoon in 2005. My husband, Philip, and I met with Rev. Carlo Boekstaaf, executive pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle church, and his wife Ingrid at an Italian restaurant on Madison Avenue near the library in Manhattan. We had become good friends after I translated the best-selling book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire written by their senior pastor Rev. Jim Cymbala. We had been trying to get together at every opportunity.

At dinner, we were all trying to keep each other updated on our recent ministries – theirs at the Brooklyn Tabernacle and ours in Philly. I brought a recently published KRC magazine with me and flipped through the Chinese magazine to explain what the magazine was all about – a magazine for Christians that will open up their vision, help to explore their potential, challenge the status quo, and motivate readers to take action to live up to God’s purpose for individuals.

I talked with zeal, translating every page into English as I spoke. Secretly in my mind I felt uncertain, afraid that they were bored by all the talk of the new magazine. Unexpectedly, Carlo and Ingrid responded excitedly, asking when I would publish this magazine in English. I was dumbfounded. In English? Who would read it? But both Carlo and Ingrid kept saying that the magazine I described was needed by English readers too. I’ve kept what they said in mind ever since.

In the past two years, I have been asked if KRC will consider publishing in English by many Chinese readers who said that they would like to share the articles with their English reading friends and family.

Last summer, Catherine Leng, daughter of our Financial Management workshop speaker, came to the workshop with her parents and joined the editorial team one evening. After watching a movie, Catherine volunteered to write an article about it in English. I told her I would seriously consider publishing it. As promised, she sent me her article.

Andrew Yang, my son and my most brutal critic, is a serious thinker. I was challenged when he showed me his article. Through the two young people, I felt led to start an English section. The initiator, Rev. Carlo Boekstaaf, passed away in August 2007. Carlo and Ingrid’s vision and encouragement meant a lot to me and led to the birth of this section. They will be always remembered.

Lily Yang