After a great stretch of amazing pictures by my wife and my friend Tanya along with some great videos for Jerusalem Ministry… we are back to my trusty, old Canon Powershot (7 years old) and the camera skills of me and my young kids. But you can still enjoy these pictures, right?
Right? =)
My kids love relay races, so recently I got them together with the help of 6th grader Hae Hyun during free time after dinner. Here is one of the teams with Jin Hwa showing her team spirit…
Here are Jung Ho and Soo Jeong representing
Do Kyoon enjoying the race
Soo Jeong and little Min Ho rounding the corner (they had to run down the driveway, run around me and run back)
Eun Suh
Do Kyoon taking it slow for little Hee Sung
Group pic!
And then it was time for a photo shoot… here is Min Ho posing
Jung Ho
Soo Jeong
Myung Soo (what he is doing I’m not sure…)
Hyun Bin
Sun Hee
And Eun Bin
Hope you enjoyed the pics! God bless!
Knowing Your Inheritance and Learning God’s Rest
In Deuteronomy 2 there is a long account of Israel’s journey through the wilderness into the Promised Land. Moses speaks about how they passed through Edom, but it wasn’t their inheritance and they weren’t allowed to mess with the people there. He says the same for other countries they pass through. Throughout their journey God gives them very clear details about the boundaries of their inheritance. In those areas God will give them victory and bless them abundantly. But God warns them that if they try and touch land God has not given them (such as Edom) that God will not bless them in any way. It was crucial for Israel to know their inheritance.
I believe it is the same for all of us. God has specific callings and inheritances for each of us. And if we walk with Him, submitting to His authority and to the spiritual authorities He places over us, then we can be sure He will eventually lead us into the inheritance. The problem is that we live in the microwave/fast food generation. We want to know and receive our inheritance NOW. And if we don’t know it, then we tend to try many things. And for those who still can’t figure things out, many of them tend to go back to grad school or back to a former life (which for many was their Egypt, not their Promised Land). And years go by without any discovery of what their inheritance really is.
The problem is, so many in our generation are going into lands like Edom that were never meant to be our inheritance. And so God can’t bless us. So we keep running around without the patience to wait on the Lord for His timing. And as we run around we find ourselves restless and burned out. And we wonder why…
To truly rest is simply to walk with God in submission to Him and the spiritual authorities He has put over us. God works all things for our good, right? As a loving Father and blessed Creator, God knows and wants the best for us, right? If we truly believe these things, then we are able to rest. Because we know that even when we miss what God is speaking to us, in His grace He will speak through our spiritual authorities (specifically our spiritual father/mother, or main spiritual authority) what we need to hear. And if we don’t get the answer right away, then we can REST and wait on Him. It was just as important for the Israelites to NOT MOVE when God’s Spirit wasn’t moving as it was to be moving when His Spirit was moving. We have to learn to be at peace and be patient both when God is leading us and when He is telling us to stay where we are and wait.
The Sabbath was critical for Israel before Jesus came. It was meant to teach the Israelites to rest and to trust in God for their provision and care. And I believe we are still to live under God’s rest, always looking to Him for the provision, guidance, and care we need.
God bless!
Interview With a College Graduate Who Was Raised in a Children’s Home
Perhaps some of these names will be familiar to you…
- United States President Andrew Jackson - United States President Herbert Hoover - South Africa President Nelson Mandela - Poet Edgar Allen Poe - Lord of the Rings Author J.R.R Tolkien - Composer Johann Sebastian Bach - Musician John Lennon - Actress Marilyn Monroe - Baseball star Babe Ruth - Founder of Apple Computer, Steve Jobs
Did you know that each of the people listed were orphaned either as babies or in their childhood? While a few of them were adopted, if they had been born and raised in Korea all of them would have likely grown up in one of the children homes (보육원). That list was just some of the many famous people who grew up in children homes or away from their parents.
Do you know that such diamonds live in the homes of Korea? Our full time volunteers with Jerusalem Ministry have served for at least 4 years each at different homes and we have seen and know the potential of these kids.
But the situation the children face when they leave the home isn’t a fair one. While the children receive a small amount from the government upon leaving the home, because they are considered adults after graduating from high school they are no longer under the care or provision of the home. They have to take care of themselves, which includes study, work, pay their bills, and other responsibilities. It’s a lot for an 18 year old, especially one without anyone beside them believing in them.
This video is an interview of a girl who graduated from one of the homes in Seoul and attempted to study at university. One of our full time volunteers mentored her through college. It wasn’t much, but the hope our volunteer continued to put in her enabled her to believe in herself and to succeed despite the tough odds against her.
That is what so many of these children need… someone to believe in them. While some may look down on the children because they don’t have family, we know it was never the children’s fault for them to have to live in the home. These children are not deserving of the struggles they have to face. These children are pure.
Jerusalem Ministry (www.jerusalemministry.org) has started up the Seeds of Hope scholarship for the children to help enable them to meet their potential. Our plan is for our three full time volunteers to mentor three scholarship recipients, children with absolutely no family who desire to study at university. These children will receive a monthly scholarship, likely 500,000won per month, to aid them in their expenses and enable them to reach their full potential.
We know that as we are faithful with these three, that more people will also see the potential of the children from the homes (보육원) and commit as both sponsors and mentors to the kids. We believe that within a few years this scholarship program is going to grow from a few seeds of hope into a forest of provision and encouragement for children across Korea. We desire for Korea to have their own Steve Jobs, Nelson Mandelas, and Johann Sebastian Bachs that Korea can celebrate as their own.
Our life as volunteers is tied with the children. If they fail then we have failed as well. If they succeed we too will have succeeded. And we know they will succeed, because otherwise we would not have committed our lives to reach out to them. We see the true potential in the children and we believe in them.
No Running in the Pasture…
Sky and I are in another season of taking some time each night to pray for wisdom regarding our future (along with praying for current needs of the church). Each night after praying together we will take a few minutes just to listen, and then we will share what we feel God putting on our hearts.
During our first night doing this I felt in my spirit God saying to approach ministry, particularly some of the new things God is leading us into, from a place of rest. But when Sky shared (not knowing what I got), she said it in such a great way. She said, “I feel a strong warning that we come from a place of rest and that we do not ‘run around’ on the green pasture, but rather we lie down.”
She was referring to Psalm 23 where Scripture says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” Sheep are meant for the pastures. There are times where they have to move to new places, and that can involve the valley of the shadow of death and it can also mean still waters, but their main place is meant to be the pasture. And in that place they are meant to lie down.
So often we can get caught up in running around and trying to do things to take care of ourselves and the ministry, and while work and effort are good, they should all come from a place of rest in knowing that God is control. He is the author and perfecter and provider. Any actions outside of rest express a lack of faith in God and rather a faith in our own works, and how can we expect God to bless that?
No running around in the pasture folks! When God brings you to a place, find rest in knowing that He is control and that He will give you all the wisdom, strength, and provision you need as you look to Him.
God bless!
Jerusalem Ministry Video (made by Unseen Ministries)…
Check out the Jerusalem Ministry video for more information about our ministry!
Announcement for Sweet Spring Benefit Concert and Seeds of Hope Scholarship
My name is John-Michael Becker and I direct Jerusalem Ministry, a Christian NGO that has volunteers serving in different orphanages throughout the city of Seoul. I would like to share with you about the Seeds of Hope Scholarship, a scholarship and mentoring program created on behalf of the orphans of Seoul who desire to study at university.
To give a brief background on the orphanages of Korea,almost all of the homes receive funding from the government and have decent facilities, food, clothing, and staff for the children. The children enter the children homes because of abuse, abandonment, poverty, neglect, or other reasons. The age of the children in the homes ranges from infant to high school senior.
When the children graduate from high school they are deemed adults and are no longer able to live in the children homes. These children will then receive a small amount of money from the government and their orphanage will try to help them find work and a place for them to live. But after that, the children are pretty much on their own and are very vulnerable. And that is why I am here tonight.
I have served full time in the orphanage ministry here in Seoul for over six years now, and it continues to pain me to watch the children I served struggle after they leave the home. In Korea, when you apply fora job you have to write down the background information about your parents on your resume or on the job application. And because of the background of these children, they are often discriminated against when they apply. Often they will not receive jobs or will have to accept lesser pay compared to the other employees. For many of them, particularly 18 year old girls, the only jobs they can get are at bars and clubs where they have to serve older men. For those who desire to study at university, the road ahead is particularly difficult and many give up along their way. They end up giving up on their dreams.
Finances are not just an issue, these children also lack emotional support. For years they were raised under the covering of the orphanage where they were fed and provided for, but now they have to take care of themselves. For many of these kids their first year outside of the home is the most vulnerable year of their life. Many struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts. For the children desperate for financial income and for some sort of emotional support, the sex industry becomes a strong temptation for them. There is such a need for helping these children!
I’m going to show a short clip of an interview with a girl who grew up as an orphan in one of the homes in Seoul and attempted to study at university after graduating…
Her story was similar to most kids when she first graduated from high school. The only job she could find was working at a bar, which for a vulnerable, 18-year old girl is the one worst places possible to work at. But thanks to the mentoring and faith of one of the full time volunteers with Jerusalem Ministry, the girl was challenged to turn down the bar job and believe God for something better. And thankfully God soon provided a job for her at a kindergarten, which was much safer and healthier for her. This past year she was able to finish university and become an inspiration to the other children at the orphanage she grew up in. She actually agreed for us to video her because she hopes for more children with her background to receive the help and the hope they need to achieve their dreams.
Jerusalem Ministry desires to release more hope and inspiration into children like her. For that reason, we are holding our second annual Sweet Spring Benefit Concert this Saturday (4/14) at 7pm at Jangcheon Art Hall in Apgujeong. All proceeds will go towards the “Seeds of Hope Scholarship.” The aim for this concert is to raise $18,000 so that three $500 a month scholarships can be offered to three seniors in high school. Along with the scholarship fund there will also be a mentoring program for the recipients to further help them succeed, like the girl you saw in the video.
At the concert Korean pop star Hwayobi (화요비),talented singing group UJMC, and a choir from one of the orphanages will be performing. They will be singing both English and Korean songs. Videos of the children will be shown at the concert along with more of the testimony of the girl you just saw in the video. The cost is 50,000wonper ticket and all proceeds will go to the scholarship. Please consider your ticket a love offering to the children.
For those of you who would like to attend to support the children, and to enjoy a great concert, please e-mail us at jerusalemministry@gmail.com for more information. We can reserve a seat for you if you would like. We are also accepting donations toward the cause.
