Arts and Crafts Camp 2010

Jerusalem Ministry (www.jerusalemministry.org) hosted our second annual Arts and Crafts camp last week from January 25 – 27.  We had 23 girls from five different children homes and 29 volunteers from five different churches around the city.  It was a wonderful time and the kids were all smiles.  They made nifty art tiles, t-shirts, thank you cards, gingerbread houses, jewelry boxes (with a mirror in it symbolizing how the girls are God’s treasured possession) and calendars with their pictures on them.  Enjoy some pics of my kids from the camp…

Anna and Soo Yun

Julie and Soo Ah

Bo Mi and Hae Hyun

Hae Ran and Director Jee

Sun Hee and Ashley with Sun Hee’s gingerbread church

Hae Ran and Hae Hyun laughing during lunch time

Soo Ah having fun too

Aaron helping Sun Hee

Hae Hyun with her t-shirt

Some of the tiles the kids made (a volunteer made Spongebob)

A card a girl from another home made for me… it reads, “To JM.  Hello.  I am Ji Yun Ham…” and you can read the rest.  =D

With my five girls

Many more pictures are on my facebook.  God bless!

Satan Cannot Drive Out Satan

This is something I’ve been chewing on a bit lately.  During Jesus’ ministry His opposers accused Him of driving out demons by the power of Satan.  Jesus’ reply to them was, “If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand?” (Luke 11:18).  He is basically saying that it is impossible to drive out something evil using means that have evil within them.

A simple example of this would be the use of criticism/negative words when finding something wrong in another person.  Sure, the other person might realize their wrong through the criticism/negative words and may even correct the wrong behavior, but they will also be hit by discouragement, pride, or even despair.  So while one wrong thing may have been taken care of, more trouble has actually entered. 

This is the same as basic witchcraft… a person goes to a witch doctor for healing of a headache and the doctor heals the person of the headache, but the infirmity then moves to the chest or another area.  And so the person has to keep returning to the witch doctor and despite getting “healed” each time, their condition ends up worse and worse. 

Satan cannot drive out Satan.  When we try to use criticism, gossip, unforgiveness, or even slander to “fix” a person or situation, we will always end up bringing about much more damage than good.  And what goes around comes around… “He who digs a pit will fall into it” (Ecclesiastes 10:8).  Its always better to forgive and to bless or to confront in love. 

God bless!

An Evening with Hope Room

One of my problems at the home is that the boys are completely disinterested in taking pictures, while the girls absolutely love the camera.  I visited Hope Room recently and gave one of the girls the camera and she then took 100+ pictures!!!  I go to the boys room and they all tell me to not take their picture.  Oh well… I hope you enjoy more pics of the little ladies. 

Eun Suh

Chae Yun and Sun Hee

Hae Hyun and Soo Ah

With Eun Suh

Sun Hee attempting to give me a piggy back ride… this girl is strong!

Eun Ji Choi

Girls hanging on me with Ji Woo posing up front

Now three of them

Going for four… 

The kids love playing Superman, or “Superwoman” for the girls

Group shot with the younger girls

God bless!

The Benefit of Unforgiveness

Injustice stinks.  Its happened to me and its happened to pretty much everyone around me.  Life can be really unfair at times… some people who don’t deserve much suffering endure the worst of it while some people who really deserve the trouble experience very little of it.  Many who have experienced injustice or have been offended have trouble forgiving, and for most they prefer to hold on to the unforgiveness.

The “benefit” of unforgiveness is basically to hold something against the person.  They may have stolen your pride, your purity, or something else belonging to you… but one thing they can’t get is your grace.  Unforgiveness basically enables us to think, “That person owes me something.” 

But is this really a benefit?  Do we really get something out of holding back grace?  Don’t unforgiving people usually end up bitter, angry, and/or depressed? 

Imagine if on the Cross Jesus had said of those who were crucifying Him, “Father, judge them.  Let there be justice for what they have done.  They are an evil people.”  Would He have been wrong to say such words?  No, but there also wouldn’t be any grace for us.  Rather, Jesus spoke, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).  Rather than choosing justice or bitterness, Jesus chose grace. 

The truth is, many people like those who crucified Jesus are so blinded by their sin (2Corinthians 4:4) that they don’t realize what they are really doing.  We can’t let other peoples’ actions determine how we will live our lives.  There is no benefit dwelling upon the past and what they have done to us.  We need to choose grace and choose to bless.

I find forgiving someone is like opening a sewer lid that has been shut up holding in a lot junk.  And then blessing them begins the purging of the toxic stuff that had been underneath.  The more we bless, the more we are cleansed inside.  Choose grace. 

God bless!

Magic Shows and First Birthdays

A “magician” visited our home and did a little show for the kids.  I love his backdrop… “Real Funny!  Magic Show”

The kids were packed in

Pulling coins out of Sun Hee’s ears

Jung Ho pulling out strips of paper from his mouth

The kids loved it… I could see most of the tricks but I’m still trying to figure out the whole “let me pull a dove out of nowhere” trick

Ji Oon’s first birthday

A closer shot of him

Out of the items set before him he chose the Bible (which I think was strategically placed closest to him, but its all good)… thats supposed to mean he will go into ministry or something.  He then chose the colored yarns which is supposed to symbolize art or something… I think he chose that one because it was colorful.  Oh well…

Hee Sung

My friend Kyung Mi left for Nepal for two years to do service work there.  A number of the kids, the pastor at the children’s home, her sister, a dorm mom, and I joined her at the airport early in the morning to say goodbye.  Kyung Mi is in the middle just below me with glasses

Blessings!

Hearing God in the Fire

As I’ve both continued to study Scripture and experience it in my own life, its clear that God is usually heard the strongest when His people are in situations where they have nowhere else to go.  Its often in the greatest times of suffering, trial, or darkness that we see Him. 

The two men walking to Emmaus (Luke 24) didn’t recognize Jesus while walking with Him, talking with Him, or being taught by Him.  It wasn’t until Jesus took the bread, blessed it, and broke it that their eyes were opened to recognizing Him.  While the breaking of bread usually is thought of as symbolism for fellowship and community, for Jesus it also took on a meaning of suffering.  He told His disciples the breaking of the bread symbolized what His body would endure for the sake of mankind.  For those two travelers Scripture says, “Jesus was known to them in the breaking of the bread.” 

Now I’m not encouraging seeking suffering in order to know Christ more, but what I am saying is that we need to embrace the trials God gives us and know that He has more of Himself to reveal to us with each trial we endure.  To really know Christ is to walk in His footsteps… and those footsteps included many trials.  With every trial we go through, we are able to know our God more and more.  Amidst every trial may our prayers be, “Lord, help me know You more.  Help me hear your voice amidst this fire.  Lead me Lord…”

Deuteronomy 4:36 (ESV) - “… And on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire.”

Snow!!!

It seems like the whole northern hempishere has gotten a good share of crazy winter weather lately.  Last week Seoul got a huge snowstorm that dumped about a foot, which is much more snow than my three other Seoul winters combined.  We usually get three inches total for an entire winter, if even that.  I’ve had a blast with the kids enjoying all the white stuff.  Enjoy the pictures!

Young Oong and Soo Jin… you can see the home in the background covered in white

My kids made a ton of igloos with all the snow.  Here is Min Shik’s work, the first of the igloos…

Ji Won and Kee Baek in his igloo

With Hae Hyun… I’m loving my ear warmers that I got in a care package. 

With Il Ho next to a massive igloo that older boys made

Some of the other boys’ (Byung Chul up front) work

With Se Bin and Hae Ji inside the igloo… it was actually warmer in there!  Those eskimos know what they are doing…

Plenty of room…

Young Eun buried in snow (picture taken in the evening)

Soo Ah flinging snow

Ye Rang receiving

I taught the kids how to make snow angels (none of them knew how!)… here is little Eun Ho trying for the first time

Hyun Hee’s angel

God bless!

Fighting the Backsliding…

During my trip to the States I was a bit disappointed by the amount of compromise happening, particularly among the college fellowships.  I could tell by the spiritual atmostphere that a number of students were putting themselves first before God… perhaps falling into sexual sin, going drinking, clubbing, or just doing their own thing like watch movies rather than attend a prayer meeting or go on a retreat.  The passion and hunger wasn’t the same among the groups as a whole.  Many seemed numb to God and some perhaps felt condemnation or insecurity in their Christian walk. 

Despite this I still sensed A TON of potential… so much more than when I was in college!  I know if just a few students on each campus would choose to be humble, to submit to authority, to love, forgive, and bless the people around them no matter what, and to PRAY… powerful things will come.  God will once again be invited and honored.  His Spirit will begin convicting people of sin and enabling people to confess.  His love will bring healing to those who have been burned by religion or by sin.  God’s Spirit is about to be poured out in a powerful way… but our mouths must be open to receive. 

Prayer.  Inviting God.  Hungering for Him.  People will backslide.  Leaders will mess up.  But our battle isn’t in the physical, its in the spiritual.  Our battle isn’t with people, its with Satan.  Satan tries to discourage us by making us look in the physical around us and judge others or feel judgment against ourselves.  God wants us to claim His promises and envision them being fulfilled.  God wants us to look through spiritual eyes.  Rather than fighting people or praying about them in frustration, we must love and bless (especially in prayer!) knowing it is God who changes hearts.  Please never forget this. 

Humility, submission, love, blessing, and prayer.  Invite God’s presence! 

Jeremiah 33:3 – Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

1Peter 5:6 – Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

I’m so excited for those who are able to catch this!  Even if its just 2 or 3 per campus/church.   

God bless!

Christmas Secret Angel

For the past three Christmas days Jubilee Church from Kangnam, Seoul has come to my home to have a special mini service with my kids and then present gifts to each child.  I work with the church to provide the names of each of my kids along with each kid’s gift requests.  Members of the church sign up for one of the children and pray for them throughout December and then give them a gift on Christmas Day.  My kids love it and its been a nice outreach event.  I’m thankful for Jubilee’s involvement and especially for the group who gave up a good part of their Christmas Day to visit my home and give my kids a special time.  Enjoy the pictures!

My kids gathered with Jubilee members mixed among them

Pastor Sangmin preaching to the kids in Korean after a short time of praise and a hip hop presentation

After the message the Jubileers had a time of prayer for my kids… it was blessed!

Kids receiving gifts… Min Seung

Soo Ah

Sun Ran

Young Eun

Eun Suh

Yong Shin

Heather with her boy Han Bin

Heidi and Eun Ji

All the Jubileers who came out, a couple dorm parents, and me

Thank you Jubilee Church!  God bless!