Middle school and high school graduation…

This past month I’ve attended a number of graduations and there has been a lot going on.  Here are pictures from the middle school graduation and high school graduation that I attended.  The kids who graduated from middle school (US equivalent 9th grade) are the kids I am closest with at the home.  I started teaching them English before they started 5th grade.  I’ve endured some of their harder growing years and we’ve gotten closer through the years.  I’m really proud of them!

Soo Jin, Se Bin, Yong Shin, and Byung Chul

With Yong Shin and his dorm dad Dong Min

With Soo Jin

With former dorm mom and good friend Kyung Mi, Soo Jin, and Se Bin

With Byung Chul

Se Bin with her dorm mom Ms. Kim

Byung Chul with his dorm mom Kyung Hee

With the graduates and some of the other kids from the home who came to support them

For reference, here is a picture from 2006 of me with the kids… (two of the boys, Sung Hyun and Hyun Suk, returned to their families since this picture was taken)

Later that day I went to our lone high school senior’s graduation… here I am with Hyun Hee

With her sister Yun Hwa (graduated two years ago) and brother Yo Han (now a senior)

With her dorm mom, Kyung Jin

With friends from the home

Sun Ran and Mi Yun having fun with my camera

God bless!  =)

Need to Pray for the Jasmine Revolution

Over 15 nations in North Africa and the Middle East are in the middle of demonstrations, revolutions, and/or reforms.  It is amazing to see all these different governments being attacked for the first time and some of them even tumbling.  All of the nations are predominantly Muslim and there is a lot of injustice in each of them (a huge divide between the wealthy and the poor).  While praying about what has been dubbed the “Jasmine Revolution,” I felt a couple verses put on my heart…

Colossians 4:3-4 – And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.  Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

There is such a strong need to be praying for God to grant favor to His people in these nations and for God to set different mighty men and women of God into places of influence of each government, just as God did with Joseph, Daniel, Nehemiah, Mordecai, and other great prophets.  In many of these nations Christians have been jailed and persecuted for sharing about their faith and most of the church is underground.  I believe that just as there is chaos in the political arena that right now there is also chaos in the spiritual realm over these nations.  And this is the prime time for us to pray for God’s glory to come in and for His kingdom’s authority to be established over each of the 15 nations. 

Let’s pray church!

Arts and Crafts Camp 2011

Here are some pictures of my girls from the wonderful camp we had January 24 – 26.  Expect some great updates on our website www.jerusalemministry.org very soon.  Enjoy the pics!

With my girls Soo Ah, Hae Ran, Soo Yun, and Hae Hyun… all from Geon Christian Children’s Home

Soo Yun with her sock puppet

Hae Hyun and her volunteer Kristen

Hae Ran and her volunteer Helen

Soo Yun with her angel

Hae Hyun enjoying the camp

Making up the cookie dough with volunteer Peter Jacob

Hae Ran working on decorating her cookies

Soo Ah and her volunteer Teresa

Hae Ran and her sock puppets

Hae Hyun and her angel

Hae Ran with her own

Hae Hyun enjoying the cotton used for the sock puppets

All the kids and volunteers

God bless!  =)

Milk, It Does the Body Good…

In terms of Bible translations the most literal/true to translation are (in no specific order): NASB, ESV, KJV, and NKJV.  The NIV, while it is good, misses things here and there and compromises exact translation at times in order for the sentences to flow easier.  Recently I’ve been feasting on the NKJV and here is another verse that stands out that the NIV misses on…

1Peter 2:2 – Desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.

Such a simple, yet powerful verse.  The translation of “word” refers to logikos, which is a play on words to the Greek word “Logos,” which refers to the written Word of God.  So what Peter is basically saying is that in order for anyone to healthily grow with the Lord they must nourish themselves through the Bible.  Just as any baby and young child needs consistent nourishment and can’t survive without it, the same goes for Christians and their walk with God. 

Psalm 119:9 – How can a young man cleanse his way?  By taking heed according to your word. 

Psalm 119:11 – Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

God bless!

2011 Jerusalem Ministry Arts and Crafts Camp Video

Thank you Jos for putting this video together.  The camp was a huge hit.  We had 21 beautiful girls and 29 solid volunteers/staff.  The girls were so loved that on the last day they were a little a somber because the camp was coming to a close.  One girl shared with one of our staff after the camp that on the third day she ran out to the bathroom to cry some because she was sad she would have to say goodbye to the volunteers.  That just shows how much love the girls were receiving during the camp.  Hope you enjoy the video!

Jerusalem Arts and Crafts Camp Seoul 2011 from joshaworth on Vimeo.

God bless!

Learning to Rest

My theme verse for this year is Isaiah 30:15 (NKJV) – “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”  I’ve never been good at resting.  I always feel like I should be doing something.  I feel like if I’m not doing something that things will fall apart. 

While responsibility truly is important, so far this year God has been emphasizing to me that He is always in control and that the world doesn’t revolve around me.  That might sound like “duh” revelation, but sometimes I feel pressure that if I don’t pray for my children’s home or for my church that things really will crumble.  There is somewhat of a truth in it, but there is also grace over it all.  While I am called to pray, when there are times that I am stretched or busy with other things God’s grace still covers. 

What it comes down to is I have to learn how to be guided by the Spirit more clearly.  God doesn’t require a specific amount of prayer everyday or every week.  Prayer is needed, but as His Spirit leads.  Some seasons I am led to pray for certain things really hard and for an extended time, but seasons change. 

Lately God has been encouraging me to try and take some time to just lay down each day with a worship song on and “soak.”  Less talk and more listen and more rest.  It’s been good.  This is definitely a season of slowing things down. 

God bless!

Lunar New Years

This past Thursday we celebrated Lunar New Years, also known as Chinese New Year.  It is the biggest holiday in Korea and is a 3 day holiday.  Many of the kids were away visiting with known relatives, but there was still a fair amount of kids remaining at the home and we celebrated together.  Enjoy the pictures!

San

Our twins Yoo Bin and Yoo Rim… their mom came out of North Korea and married a Chinese man (don’t know if it was forced or not).  She had these twin girls and the man abandoned her.  Somehow she made it to South Korea and her babies were put in our home while she is trying to find work and start a living here in Korea.  She visits often.

Sa Rang with a sleeping Yoo Bin

Yoo Rim being mad cute… she was laughing a lot at one point

Yoo Mi dorm mom with Min Seung and Ji Oon

Holding San while Sun Hee held Hyo Won

Sung Joon and Kang

Ji Won and Sun Jae about to bow in respect (not worship^^) to Pastor Chae and Mrs. Chae

Pastor Chae and Mrs. Chae with three of our 8th graders… Young Oong, new girl Jin So, and Min Shik

With newcomers Kang Woo (Jin So’s brother), Hee Myung, Jae Won, and Ho Geol… they are all from a children’s home that was recently shut down causing the kids to be sent to different homes around the city.  All these boys are just finishing 6th grade.

With the staff of the home

God bless!

Enjoy It…

I was reading through Joshua tonight in my New King James Version and enjoyed this verse…

Joshua 1:15 – “… then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it…”

The root of that word is “possess” or “occupy” and that is what other versions use, but the King James and New King James saw the true purpose.  So often in our walk with God we think of “possessing” or “occupying” or “taking care of” as something that is burdensome, but in the end necessary and for our own good.  But that is a lie…

God told Adam in the Garden of Eden “to tend and keep it.”  That sounds like labor, and yet the Garden of Eden was known as Paradise.  I don’t believe Adam was some happy-go-lucky gardener that somehow took delight in sweating in the sun while digging and planting flowers.  Rather Adam was right where God wanted him to be and hadn’t gone his own way, so the tending and the keeping of the garden was not a burden but rather a joy.  I imagine the work came easy for him and there was a peace about it.  It wasn’t until Adam disobeyed that curses came and the ground became hard and thorns and thistles grew. 

Jesus redeemed us from every curse.  Just like the Israelites, when we learn how to obey God’s leading and begin taking possession of God’s promises for us, we will truly learn how to rest and enjoy the Lord and what He has given us.  God didn’t give the Israelites the Promised Land simply for them to work and labor in… He gave them the Promised Land as a blessing and as a place of rest for them.  He gave them the Promised Land for them to enjoy. 

Find rest and find joy in Him and in what He has blessed you with.  God bless!