January 16, 2008
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North Korea
Today John and I met up with a pastor who helped start a small orphanage in north China for some North Korean refugee orphans. He also helps run a business that supplies food aid into North Korea. It was good to hear his stories and learn from his experience. One thing he emphasised to us is the corruption/chaos in both Noth Korea and China. Because of this he knows the orphanage could at anytime be broken up and the children sent back to North Korea. The same goes for the food aid and for the other refugee help work that he helps do. All the work is high risk. I understood this before, but hearing some of his stories really made it clear. It was obvious all the work he was involved in was only able to happen because of God's providence over it all.
Talking with John afterwards we had to confess to each other that such work would require a lot of faith... it is work that can only be successful if God's favor is fully over it. It is easy to look at that type of work and feel inadequate for it. I can already see though how God has been training me for it. I remember in college my greatest faith jumps were leading a small group, a short term mission team, or committing my school work and quiet times to God. Those "acts of faith" seem small now, but at the time they were big for me and helped grow me up. Now I find myself having to commit my orphanage ministry to God because the volunteers are constantly coming and going (living in Korea for a short time), the orphanages here are somewhat unstable, and there is only so much I can control on my own. Everything else I have to simply commit to prayer and trust that God will take care of it all. I know God is growing my faith. I pray that I may continue to grow to the point that I feel totally secure in trusting everything to God and living in His true peace, knowing He is with me.
This is the verse that I have been leaning on more lately...
John 16:33 - "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Comments (1)
Hi JM,
hope all is going well for you. it does take a bit of faith to do the work that's set before you...faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, so if you have faith the size of a pepper corn i suppose that means you can throw the whole lot of mountains the world has to offer and be done w/ it! press on and be strong. your in our prayers!
suj and mike