Goodbye to Na Rae…

Na Rae, our orphanage’s youngest, has left our home to live with her birth parents.  When she first came here there was an understanding that she would live here all her life.  Her parents are both weak mentally (think Forrest Gump) and neither could support each other (they had been living off the government).  Na Rae’s parents have been very faithful though in visiting Na Rae and it has been obvious they have a lot of love and affection for her, which is a good thing.  The orphanage is not in charge of whether kids come or go, that is up to social services.  Social services gave us just a few days notice that she would be leaving and we were all surprised by the news.  That is a tough thing about serving here, you never know when some kids might go… you just have to love them, pray for them, and trust God will take care of them.  The following are pictures taken throughout Na Rae’s stay here…

The first day Na Rae arrived (May 20, 2006), she was almost 2 months old

Taken a week later

Na Rae at 3 and a half months

Getting a kiss from Jung Ho, another little one here

Na Rae (5 months) and I… at this point Na Rae would laugh when other people would laugh around her

Na Rae at 7 months

Na Rae (9 months) with one of her Christmas presents

Na Rae at 11 months

Na Rae with Pastor Chae, the night we celebrated her first birthday

My last picture of Na Rae (not yet 13 months old), with Yoon Ji on her left and Jung Ho on her right

Na Rae was a great blessing for our home and everyone was sad to see her leave.  All of us had served as her mother, father, brother, or sister in raising her.  We know God is with her, and that more infants will come that we will need to love just the same.  God bless!

Cutting Through the Numbness

Last week when I woke up to discover what had happened at Virginia Tech, I was shocked.  I didn’t know how to feel.  I prayed for my friends and for the university, but I didn’t feel much power in the prayer.  I felt distant and numb.  It wasn’t until the next day when I was reflecting on some e-mails and xangas from friends at Tech that God, in His grace, broke through the numbness and touched my heart.  As the Holy Spirit ministered to me I was able to feel the pain, confusion, and sense of overwhelming that my Tech friends were feeling.  And so I was able to pray deeper, more powerful prayers.  I could feel the difference. 

As I thought about it, I realized it was numbness that allowed the student to kill so many so mercilessly.  It is also numbness that allows starvation, injustice, genocide, and other atrocities to continue in the world.  People are simply numb to the pain in the world.  The Holy Spirit is often characterized by heat/fire.  When the Spirit is present, emotions and senses are usually at a higher level/awareness.  Evil is often characterized by coldness.  The colder we feel, the more numb we become to pain.  Soon we feel nothing and can do even the worst of things without a second thought.

If numbness is a struggle for you, pray and ask for God’s touch.  “‘Is not my word like fire?’ declares the Lord, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?’” It is only His touch that can break open the hardest heart and truly set us free.  He is good.   

Hillsong – None But Jesus

Please continue to pray for Virginia Tech and all those suffering through the tragedy.  Prayer requests are listed in the previous entry.

I miss you all. Keep strong.

I woke up today to the horrible news and was stunned.  I honestly don’t know what to say.  These two verses were on my heart today…

Psalm 34:18 – The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in Spirit.

Matthew 5:4 – Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

I want to encourage my friends at Tech to continue to pray hard and mourn for what has happened.  So much innocent blood was shed, pray for cleansing and healing for the school.  Also for my Asian friends, please keep safe.  Because its been reported the killer was of Asian descent, I fear a potential racial backlash from ignorant, angry people.  Don’t take any insults to heart, they are said out of ignorance.

Below are prayer requests from my old Christian fellowship’s staff leader at Virginia Tech… please pray over them…

• Please pray for the victims and their family & friends that Christ will not be absent throughout this tragedy, that light never hides from darkness.
• Please pray for the shooter, for his soul, for his family and friends to witness unto themselves forgiveness & love, especially from the family of Christ.
• This is week is the anniversary of Columbine, I believe the anniversary for the Oklahoma bombings this week as well.  Hitler’s birthday is this week as well too, a day where many young people revel in who knows what.  Please pray that God will redeem this week!
• Please pray for the students of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, for many of you know students from the CCF family, as well as for the campus ministries also serving at Tech.  Please pray against any lies, deceptions & perversions and pray that we will claim/proclaim the power, authority & victory of Christ Jesus in our lives.  Please pray for spiritual guidance as far as being able to foster love, mercy/forgiveness, hope & peace to our community.  Please pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit whereas Christ believers will find courage & a holy purpose throughout such a devastating tragedy.  That we as a community of Christ believers will instill God’s hope and life giving message.

I praise God all my friends and family were safe.  I love you all and my prayers and thoughts are with you guys.

Chicken Pox Invasion!

Last weekend four boys came down with the chicken pox and had to move in with me to be isolated from everyone else here.  So, since last weekend I have been a round the clock dorm father, aside from my time attending Korean class.  I’ll have these boys for another week.  Here are the kids…

Jung Hwan, 6 years old

Ye Rang, 7 years old

Ji Hoon, 7 years old

Soo Hoon, 10 years old (Ji Hoon’s brother)

Jung Hwan

Ye Rang… very nice

Boys playing video games together

Back shot, they were playing the very old Simpsons arcade game

Sleep time… my break time

Please pray for us!  The boys have cabin fever and are wild a lot.  Pray for obedience and quick healing for the boys.  Pray for sanity, love, and wisdom for me as I take care of them.  God bless!

Chicken Pox Stories

I now have 4 boys living with me, ages 6 (Jung Hwan), 7 (Ye Rang and Ji Hoon), and 10 (Soo Hoon).  Each have chicken pox and have to be in isolation (in my little apartment) for 2 weeks.  The kids are really cute… when they’re sleeping.    Right now they are playing video games behind me as I update.  Praise God I have a 4-player fighting game that is really easy that they can all play together (X-Men arcade game from 1992). 

When the kids first came they were scared to sleep in my apartment (new place, unfamiliar to them).  I told them not to worry, that if any monster comes I’ll kill it.  I then demonstrated to them how I would kill it (including an elbow-backhand punch swing kick 3 hit combo).  That made them laugh and seemed to provide some comfort.  Jung Hwan was still nervous the first night so I let him go to sleep on some pillows behind my chair as I worked while the other kids slept in the room.  Once he was in deep sleep I carried him into the little bedroom and put him with the other boys.  He goes to sleep fine now.  They are packed in tight in the little room when they sleep, but don’t seem to mind.  I’ll post a few pictures on Saturday.

Yesterday was a really tough day.  I had to discipline one of the boys quite a bit (this was really tough, he just wouldn’t respond) and I was wearing out, even shaking a little from exhaustion.  Then I got a text message from a friend who said she had taken a nap and had a dream that I was tired and hungry.  She felt led to pray for me and text messaged if I was okay.  I was encouraged a lot by that.  I indeed needed prayer and encouragement.  Her dream served as a reminder that God is concerned for me and is watching over me and this home.  And her prayers did help, the evening got better.  Your prayers for the kids and me are appreciated.  Please also pray for none of the staff to get sick, many of them have never had chicken pox so we have to be very careful. 

Signing off from my mini orphanage inside an orphanage… JM 

Chicken Pox Case #2:  Ji Hoon Im, 2nd grader

He is now living with me (in isolation from the other kids) for two weeks.  Right now he is resting…

A little while earlier I was letting him play video games.  So far he is enjoying his stay here.

Super Nintendo Mario Kart

File Photo of Ji Hoon eating ja jja rice, taken a couple weeks after I first came here (January 2006)

Please pray that Ji Hoon heals quickly.  Pray for me to take good care of him and show him good love.  Thanks!

Open up Your Spiritual Eyes

Yesterday I did a Bible study for my high school English class.  I had them read the story below and then we went through it all, with me explaining it in Korean.  I went on to share about the spiritual realm, sharing the story of 2Kings 6:8-23 as an example.  I shared how I had been deaf and blind to the spiritual realm until I was 16 when I first heard God’s voice.  And once I heard His voice my life was completely changed.  I gradually stopped living for myself and started living for Him.  And the more I have heard from Him and seen of Him, the more my love has grown.  I shared how I pray for the children here to have their spiritual ears and eyes opened to God, His love, and the work that needs to be done.  God blessed the time and I could sense some awakening in the kids.  Praise God!

The missionaries mentioned in this story visited NLCF (my church at Virginia Tech) during my 2nd year at Tech.  Their stories opened my eyes to spiritual warfare and I felt a stirring in my heart for missions that I had never had before.  Enjoy the story.  It is written in very simple English…

<<  When I was 20 years old I met two missionaries.  For one year, they went from Southeast Asia to Kenya.  They traveled by car, by boat, and by foot, without money (hitchhiking).  In every town they gathered the townspeople and spoke to the people about Jesus.  Usually after they spoke, many people would believe in Jesus. 

 

While traveling in Afghanistan they came to a Muslim village and gathered the people.  They spoke about Jesus to the people, but afterwards no one believed.  The missionaries were sad.  The next day they gathered the people again, but again no one believed.  The people just stared at the two missionaries.  The missionaries were discouraged and prayed to God.

 

The next day the missionaries went out for a walk.  Their translator walked with them.  While walking outside the town, they met two British soldiers and talked with them.  While they were talking, they saw a very tall Arab man walking toward them.  The Arab man had big eyes and was staring at his hands, talking very loudly in Arabic to his hands.  One of the missionaries suddenly felt something wrong inside.  He yelled at the Arab man, “In the name of Jesus, get out of here!!!  In the name of Jesus, get out of here!!!”  The Arab man was surprised.  He looked at the missionary and yelled back at him in Arabic.  They yelled for a couple minutes, and then the Arab man ran away.  The missionaries and the soldiers were confused.  “Why did you yell at him?” they asked the missionary.  The missionary replied, “I don’t know.  But I felt something wrong inside.  I felt I had to do that.”  Then they looked at the translator.  The translator was shaking.  He was scared.  The translator asked the missionaries, “Do you know what that Arab man was saying?”  The missionaries and soldiers did not know.  The translator then told them, “The Arab man was saying, ‘This village is Allah’s village!  You go!  This village is Allah’s village!  You go!’” 

 

After that, the missionaries went back into the village.  They gathered the people again and spoke to them about Jesus.  This time when they asked, “Who wants to believe in Jesus?” many people said, “Yes!”  It was like something had been lifted and the peoples’ ears and hearts were suddenly opened to the Gospel.  The people were very happy and many became Christians

 

– Interestingly, I had a similar experience during my time in Indonesia.  When we ministered to one particular tribal group, the people were friendly and welcoming.  But once we entered into prayer time, the people suddenly all had blank looks on their faces.  It felt like the Spirit had left the place.  We tried to have the worship leader get the people to sing as we prayed for them, but the people wouldn’t sing.  Sadly, we couldn’t break the curse on them.  After we finished the prayer time life came back in the room and the people were very friendly and smiling again.  Our team felt a conviction that we must grow in prayer and in the power of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:10).

 

Ephesians 6:12 – For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

 

United Live – Devotion