North Korea…

While at a conference a while ago I prayed with a brother for North Korea and the Spirit filled us both… the prayer time was powerful and I felt the Lord speaking clearly to me.  I saw a vision in my mind of the map of North Korea with the border very clear.  I saw the border as a wall and then the intercessors gathering on either side of it.  As these intercessors cried out on behalf of the country, the walls collapsed (like Jericho) and these same people came in and took the land.  Matthew 11:12b came to my mind, “The kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”  I felt the Lord telling me that the people who would be used in North Korea would be those same intercessors, those violent in prayer.  Only the prayerful people will be capable for the work. 

At the conference I also learned from social workers who work with troubled children that the orphans in North Korea are so neglected (often gathered and left alone to die) that their disorders are too many to count.  Simple love will not save them.  The kids don’t know love, touch, time schedule, education, or trust, among other things.  They only know survival.  I felt God telling me that it will only be by His power that these children will be saved and healed.  I feel that when the time comes and we begin to take the land, that the Lord is going to show up in an awesome, mighty way.  Actually, I know it.  Because if God doesn’t show up in power, its going to be complete chaos and most people (including myself) will probably have no choice but to give up.  The work is too great to be done without the manifest power of Almighty God. 

A video from last year by National Geographic on North Korea

Come Lord Jesus, raise up Your army!  Lead us!

Jerusalem Ministry Soccer Camp!!!

As I mentioned in my previous entry (below), our orphanage ministry had a 3 day soccer camp for over 45 boys from different orphanages in Seoul.  It was a blessed success.  Enjoy the pics!

A typhoon came through this past weekend and on Monday morning, the first day of the soccer camp, we found a tree had been blown down blocking the exit to my orphanage’s parking lot!  But nothing could stop us… we just chopped it up, moved it out of the way, and went on to the camp

We lined up the kids in the morning in their respective teams

Each morning the kids would do drills with each team’s coach leading them… we also had two assistant coaches per team and the guy in the sunglasses is actually an older boy from my home who came to help (Choong Hyuk)

After a long morning of drills, we would eat lunch together… all “lunch boxes” were ordered from a local restaurant

Then we would play some random games as a short break from soccer… here my boy Young Oong is about to crush another kid playing dodgeball

Although most of the kids loved the games, we had a few boys who were more interested in playing in the dirt…

Coach Josh lifting up one of his boys after the boy won one of the games (notice the beautiful weather… not too sunny, not rainy, not sweaty… just right)

Now on to the soccer games!  The first two days were scrimmages, the last day we had a tournament

My boys were the best… and yes, I am proud of that =)

Assistant coach Liz rehydrating one of her boys

Coach Trudy enthusiastically directing her kids during halftime while assistant coach Roy does his best to translate it all into Korean…  

At the end of each day we would set out snacks for each kid to have before leaving… we had a lot of helpers take care of the stuff in the background

This is what happens when you have one of the girl helpers use your camera while you are refereeing a game… you get pictures like this one of our summer intern volunteer Grace…

A number of games came down to penalty kicks… notice how the team colors are so similar… my color blindness made things interesting when I was trying to referee…

Proof that yes, I was a referee (like the farmers tan?)… I learned everything I needed to know about soccer from video games…

The winning team of the final tournament…

Our sportsmanship award winners… they each got nice water guns… our rewards during the camp rocked

Can we get some Virginia Tech Hokies love?  Assistant coach Mark, helper Semy, me, and summer volunteer Eunice (we’re making the sign of the gobbler)

After the final tournament we took the kids to the pool and let them swim for a while… they loved it!

Dong Chan… he was one of the star players and played through a bunch of injuries, tough kid

Director of the soccer camp:  John Lee… just after having been pushed in the water by one of the volunteers

Assistant coach Choong Hyuk “baptizing” one of our summer volunteers, Sandy… poor Sandy

And my favorite picture… Coach Josh throwing one of his kids while a swarm of other boys follow wanting to play too… woops…

Thank you for your prayers!  If you’re interested in serving in the orphanage ministry, please check out our website at www.jerusalemministry.org.  God is good!!!

Orphanage Ministry Update

Today was the last day of Jerusalem Ministry’s first Seoul Orphanage soccer camp.  We had five orphanages participating with a total of 45 4th – 6th grade boys.  It was a great success.  Despite it being rainy season and a typhoon coming through this past weekend, the weather was perfect for the three days of the camp.  It was cloudy, but not rainy (except an occasional refreshing drizzle).  The temperature was perfect; today I didn’t even break a sweat it was so cool (usually its deathly hot in late July).  Injuries were kept to a minimum.  The kids’ attitudes were good and they all had a great time, wanting us to hold the camp again.  The volunteers were fantastic and everything seemed to flow, despite our inexperience.  John, the ministry officer who planned the camp, did a great job of putting the basics together and making it fun for the kids.  Our coaches Trudy, Josh, Larry, and Chaney all gave their best effort and I know the kids were encouraged by them.  The kids, though some don’t show it right away, really are touched by people who voluntarily and consistently make an effort to helping and loving them.  The kids will test us and sometimes not respond, but I know its when we persevere and keep trying with them that revelation of love creeps in.  Everything above that I’ve just written about were prayer requests that we have been lifting up this past month (weather, safety, joy, volunteers reflecting Christ, success).  God answered them all.  Praise God!

I will post pictures of the event this weekend.  The camp was a great opportunity for people visiting Seoul this summer to be able to serve in the orphanage ministry.  They were able to experience how the kids are and interact with them, the coaches and assistant coaches especially.  We also had all our full time summer volunteers present.  They have been doing well and experiencing a lot while living with the kids in their respective homes.  These are experiences that few people are able to have, being with the kids for an extended amount of time. 

I’m excited about how the ministry is going.  If you are interested in becoming a full time volunteer for a year or so (like me, living in a home full time), or a full time summer volunteer, helping with a future event, or learning more about us, please check out our website at www.jerusalemministry.org.  God bless!

I’ve been meaning to take some more recent pictures of the other babies, but kept forgetting and then recently baby Sung Joon came down with a bad cold and has been in the hospital getting care.  He will return Sunday or Monday.  So I’ll delay the baby pictures for a bit.  Instead, here is a video that I made with the help of my sisters a few months ago when I was in America.  I showed it to the churches and fellowships that I guest spoke at.  The video clips were almost all taken within a couple days last March, so you can see from the clips what a typical day of mine is like.  Enjoy…

And for those who missed it, this is the video of the Christmas play that I had my English students perform last December.  It took a ton of work and a lot of God’s grace.  I was proud of my kids, they did a great job.  Enjoy…

God bless!!!

Where Are Your Promises?

In 2Kings 3 an evil Israelite king, Ahab, and a good king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, ask the great prophet Elisha if they will have success against their enemies the Moabites.  Among other encouraging prophecies, Elisha tells them, “You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town.”  The next morning some of Elisha’s prophecies are fulfilled, so the two kings are encouraged and go out into battle against Moab.  Indeed, they began destroying town after town and pressing forward in victory.  But, in a last ditch effort, the king of Moab sacrifices his son on the wall of one of the remaining Moabite cities.  The NIV concludes with, “The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land” (2Kings 3:27). 

What happened???  Elisha’s prophecies weren’t completely fulfilled!  What happened to the Lord’s promises???  I’m not sure what the exact answer is, but what I feel is that God saw the horrible act of the king of Moab and then remembered the horrible acts of Ahab the king of Israel.  Because Ahab was not fully for the Lord, the Lord would not receive full glory for the victory.  God could not allow the complete victory until Ahab’s heart would be completely for him.

In short, if we are all for God then we will receive all His promises.  But if we are not all for God, then we are unable to receive every promise that He has for us.  There are still parts of us that aren’t sold to His Word.  There are still parts of us that would rather trust in ourselves or in the world rather than surrender to Him. 

An older friend of mine recently visited his old university and went for a prayer walk.  He is preparing to move to a country that is in dire need of the Gospel.  This country has been on his heart for many many years, but its only now that the Lord has begun opening doors for him to move there.  As my friend was praying he heard the Lord speak to him.  The Lord told him, “Son, if you had been more faithful in your quiet times and in your relationship with me, you would be so much farther ahead right now in my calling for you.”  As he heard the Lord tell him this, he wasn’t discouraged but was rather encouraged.  He understood the Lord could not use him fully until he was fully surrendered to the Lord.  And he was thankful that the Lord has been patient with him, not taking away any of the promises but preserving them until he was ready.  He wishes he had been more faithful before, but at least he still has the calling.

It could have taken the Israelites two weeks to go from Egypt to the promised land.  But they were unfaithful time and time again and it ended up taking 40 years.  If we want the Lord’s promises fulfilled in our lives, we have to surrender all to Him.  The Lord wants to bless us mightily, but He also requires the glory.  He is God!  Daily surrender… daily taking up the Cross… daily revering our King.  God is good. 

Sun Ah’s first birthday! 

In Korea on a child’s first birthday the family will set the baby in front of various objects.  The first object that the baby chooses represents what type of person the baby will become.  Here are some of the options Sun Ah had…

Money – Will be rich (or greedy)
Bible – Will be going into the ministry
Microphone – Will be a singer or performing artist
Computer mouse – Will go into business
Yarn – Not sure what this represents… (see comments for explanation for a friend)
Medical gauze – Will go into the medical field
Pens/Markers – Artist
Sewing Kit – Clothes/design

Sun Ah chose her object (the sewing kit) very fast so the staff had her choose a second one as a backup or secondary choice… she became distracted by other stuff (choco pies and snacks… which are also often a choice and represent the person will be fat or will be a cook)… our manager eventually put the sewing kit back to get her attention and she simply chose it again… I guess its clothes/design for Sun Ah!  We’ll see in 20 years. 

Mrs. Chae (our director) with Sun Ah

Sun Ah being amused by little Ji Won

Kids are always fascinated by fire

We also celebrated the birthdays of all the other kids who have birthdays in July… they are about to blow out the candles

Jung Hyun finishing off the last candles

Pastor Chae, Sun Ah, and Mrs. Chae

Soo Yun and Hyun Hee Kim

Yo Han Kim not expecting me to take a picture… haha, I love his expression for some reason

Sun Jae making a goofy face

When the kids have my camera they take a lot of pictures of me… I’m not sure what I was so focused on here (something on my computer) but I didn’t even notice the picture being taken…

God bless!!!

The quickest way to get depressed while serving in an orphanage is to set expectations for the kids.  I want these kids to succeed so bad, but nearly all of them are content to fail and simply move on in life.  This week in particular has been really discouraging for me because it is our middle school and high school kids’ test week.  Some of the kids have been extra grumpy and have been quick to give up on their studies.  I’ve been tutoring different kids and trying to prepare them for their English exams, but most of them are barely trying.  They have no confidence.  I asked one of my kids today, “When you first look at the English exam do you think, ‘Oh, this looks too difficult’ and give up right away?”  She half-smiled and nodded her head.  She is one of my better students too.  She has been progressing well in our small classes in my apartment, but when she is in the school building where she has been failing for years now, she simply doesn’t have hope.  And I know this is true for many of the other kids as well.  So what can I do?  I encourage and teach and encourage and teach, but only so much gets through and sometimes I find myself exasperated and I have to be careful not to discourage them or want to give up. 

But I have to remember that Jesus Himself taught His disciples for three years and they still didn’t understand and even ran away in His time of trouble.  It wasn’t until the Holy Spirit fell that they finally understood and had the boldness and power to stand. 

Holy Spirit, come.  God, help me continue to plant seeds as I wait for you to pour out Your Living Water and bring these seeds to life.  Bless me and my kids.  Amen.

By the way, last week one of my English kids had to take an early English vocabulary test that I painstakingly helped prepare her for.  She got an A on it and happily reported that to me.  Amidst the discouragements, I have to remember the praises and dwell more on them.  God is working. 

Pictures of the kids, including some new ones

Han Bin with his drawing of a T-Rex

Da Heen, Han Bin’s younger sister

Da Heen and Han Bin

Ha Hyun

Min Seung eating some ramen

Eun Ho

Soo Ah with me

Sun Hee

With little Eun Ho

Ji Won watching TV a little too close

Brothers Kyung Hwan and Jung Hwan also watching

Hae Ran, Da Heen, and Min Seung trying to hide from my camera

The girls after I pretended I already took the picture

Ji Hoon and Ye Rang swinging upside down

Ye Rang

Jung Hyun playing on the playground… he is almost always smiling

Jung Hyun again

Hae Ran in the sheep costume

God bless!!!

Time… Precious Time…

Living with 80 kids, there is a huge need for quality time here.  In my desire to love the kids and grow with them, I constantly try and invest my free time in them and find activities that they can receive good attention and have fun.  I sometimes worry that I haven’t spent enough time with certain kids or that I should be doing more.  But soon I get worn out from trying.  I grow tired and my “quality time” with the kids soon loses its quality.  Soon I’m just “passing time” with them.  I’ll usually find myself discouraged, burned out, and sometimes even sick from exhaustion.

God has to keep reminding me and keep reminding me… its only Him that matters.  I could spend a million years with my kids and do nothing for them in terms of eternity.  Its only through God that real love is communicated and that real love is received.  I might have 10 years with a kid or I might just have 10 minutes, the time doesn’t matter so much as the quality of it… is God there?  Are His love and His power being shown?  Rather than running around and trying to do all this stuff for Him, I know God wants us instead to just come to His feet daily and be with Him, give Him devotion, receive His love, His Word, and His strength.  The rest of the time that He gives us will be blessed, we just have to surrender it to Him and to Him alone.  He will bless it…

Luke 10:41-42a:  “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed…”

Waiting Here – Chorus

And I’m on my knees
Waiting here for You
In Your holy place
And my heart is home
In Your courts oh Lord
How I long for You