Watchman on the Wall

D.C. outreach part 2

2011-08-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

The Circuit Riders outreach to Washington D.C. has been completed and the group has disbanded temporarily. Many of the students have gone in separate ways in obedience to what the Lord has been asking of them. In the last two weeks we have run hard after God and spreading the good news of Jesus. We saw many people come to the Lord and also have seeds planted in their hearts.

Boldness came upon all of us as we shared the gospel and prayed for the sick. During our time in D.C. we had a 40 hour straight prayer siege at the Supreme Court Justice building. In the middle of the 40 hours the earthquake on the east coast hit. It was also at the end of that week that Hurricane Irene had swept through.

It was an amazing time together in a group of 30 running hard after God and making His name great.

Here is a video on our time at Dupont Circle for worship and evangelism.

I am still paying off the outreach fees so I am still in need of support. You can donate here: http://goo.gl/9yldL.

Circuit Riders: Washington DC

2011-08-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

Circuit Riders has taken a new turn and is now currently on outreach. There are teams in Orange County, California, Washington D.C. and Alaska. There has been so many testimonies about what God is doing

Here is a short video on our first life siege at the Supreme court.

You can help support the cause through prayer and donating here at: http://goo.gl/9yldL. Thanks again.

Funeral pictures.

2011-08-08T18:26:00.000-07:00

These are the pictures of some of the times during the viewing and funeral service. It feels kind of weird to post these but I think it will give a frame of reference to some of the things I described in my last post.

Explanations and favor

2011-07-27T22:09:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I have experienced the formalities of a Korean funeral. I don't think I was expecting to be this taken by it in this way.

example picture, use one from

jjagun abpa

In my last post I uploaded a picture with captions saying I would be in a suit for 3 days. Korean customs are very different than in America or the west. Firstly, instead of having an open casket viewing for one day, we have two days from early morning to late night of people coming to pay their respects in a room with a memorial for the deceased. A portrait is set in the middle with floral arrangements made around it. The larger arrangements set around the room are from different churches and people. People come into this room to pay their last respects to the deceased and the family.

The family of the deceased will dress in black. The sons of the deceased wear a black and white ribbon on the left side signifying their sonship and later will add a white sleeve to the left arm with two black bands in the middle. The grandsons wear a white sleeve on the left arm with a single black band in the middle. The women wear a black hanbok (traditional clothing) with a small white ribbon in their hair on the left side. Each symbolizing that they have lost a loved one and which gender and generation they belong to.

The procession begins with honoring the dead and then being greeted by the family. The family is then responsible to feed the guests. Instead of people bringing food, the family caters to the people coming. Usually the family would have to prepare all the food but thanks to the times we hired people for the catering. The guests can stay as long as they like and they will sit, eat and talk for hours. The family also stays fairly close to the body. All of the things are happening in the lower level of a hospital. We are also staying in the hospital in a seperate room.

The atmosphere during this time is actually very light. For this viewing, it didn't feel like a death but more of a congratulations; a celebration that he made it into heaven. Many people came and visited from church, distant relatives and friends of different members of the family. As they visit, they sign in a guestbook and bring an envelope with money for the family that remains on earth. In the sitting area, people catch up with one another, you can hear laughter and chatter as they reminicse about times in the past and new developments in life.

On the third day, we had a funeral service at church. Anytime they moved the body, the first grandson, me, would carry the portrait in the arrangement leading the procession of people. The picture, followed by the casket, and the rest of the people. Traditionally and historically, they would bury the body near the house and the oldest son would build a tent around the grave and live their for three years. But, we don't do that anymore. We will be cremating the body, and since my grandfather was a Korean war veteran, his ashes will be stored at a memorial.

In all of this, one of the craziest parts was watching the hospital attendants dress the body. It was a very solemn thing to watch but also very amazing. The Lord's hand was really on it, giving us favor. The head-dresser was an expert in his field. He had dressed the body of two of the presidents of Korea who had passed away in recent years. We didn't ask for a special dressing but they gave us special treatment. I wish I could post the picture, but because of the family's request I will not upload it.

As best as I can describe: The first layer of clothing was traditional clothing and then they would wrap the body tight in a layer. The last layer was of royalty. By the end he was mummified with a blue color with 12 crosses from the head to the middle signifying the 12 tribes of Israel. There was a blue cloth folded over in ripples following the crosses down signifying crossing over the Jordan river into the promised land. There is a crown at the head and feet woven into the cloth symbolizing the crown of life and three sets of cloth of 3 different colors under the crosses. These 3 sets symbolize Father, Son and Spirit, and the colors represent faith, hope and love. As they finished wrapping the body, the final knot was in the shape of a flower under the feet. This symbolized the rose of sharon for the walking in eternity is better than what we have in this life.

And that about covers it for the funeral. Its not the full explanation and there are some variations. I'll post more pictures later.

A change in plans

2011-07-24T00:31:00.000-07:00

As for Circuit riders....hold that thought.

Picture and floral arrangement
for the viewing

Last night, around 10:30 PM Korea time, my grandfather passed away. Although it was the primary reason for me being here it came as a shock. The wave of grief and mourning that came over my family shouldn't have been unanticipated. When I first arrived I learned that my grandfather had been in a coma for a week and that he was slowly declining. It was strange to have arrived in Seoul for a funeral when he had not yet passed away. But if I had not come early, I would not have been able to see him before he died. Korean tradition doesn't allow open caskets for the viewing so I won't be seeing his physical body again.

My uniform for the next
3 days

My family was on 24 hour watch at the nursing home with him, so that someone would be with him when he would pass. My dad's younger brother was at the home keeping watch when his heart rate slowly declined until there was no more pulse. The rest of the family arrived about 5 minutes after he had passed. His body was still warm but slowly losing heat. To me it felt like he was still there, sleeping, the reality of it still hasn't settled in me yet. He was in a deep sleep before he passed and now it seems like a continuation of it. In some ways it is but also its so very different.

On Saturday, we decided that we would all stay a little longer so that we could be here for the funeral, not knowing he was going to pass away when he did. My original flight day was July 25 but I have extended my stay in Korea until the 31st of July. The doctors said that my grandpa would have up to a week left but he passed 4 days after we had arrived.

Now, for circuit riders: I will be missing 2 weeks of a 5 week seminar. I'm not fully sure if I should finish it out or if I should just return and be along side the school. Either way as of now my flight still returns to Kona so I will have some time to decide. I will also be missing the birthday celebration of my grandfather on my mother's side. But in it all I know that the Lord has me here for a purpose beyond the funeral that I am not aware of yet.

Death and Life

2011-07-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

After a week of being in Circuit Riders I have been pulled out and sent to Seoul, Korea for a family emergency. It was expected but the timing was abrupt. My grandfather on my father's side is in decline with his health and will be passing away soon. When I first was told about his condition I was told he wasn't doing well but was stable. Upon arrival I learned that he is in a coma and slowly slipping towards death.

I didn't really know him before and its been about 3-4 years since I last saw him. So I'm not sure how I feel or what to feel. It is strange to see an old man lying in bed in a sleep-like state and slowly withering away. Since the last time I've seen him, his muscles have atrophied and he is literally skin and bones. He isn't gone yet so it seems very strange that I am here for his funeral. But even in this, the Lord is good. I'm not sure whether to pray for healing or for him to go and be with God. So that is a strange feeling as well.

Next week, my grandfather on my mother's side will be celebrating his 90th birthday. He's a methodist pastor and has an incredible story of life with the Lord. I am closer to him and would like to be there for his birthday. The family on my mother's side will all be there from his six daughters, a son, several grand childern and great grand children from all over the country. At this point I'm not sure if I'll be able to go because of timing and money. Hopefully I'll have a chance to see him as well. I know that his time is short and I do not know how much longer he will be with us.

As for the school of the circuit riders.......

(I still need support for the school and other fees and living expenses. You can donate through the U of N or through this link: Paypal. Thanks)

Meanwhile in Kona...

2011-06-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

I want to write an update, I really do. There is so much to tell but I don't know where to begin.

Firstly, it feels good to be back in community with people that I know. Being surrounded in a community where the center of all that we do is Jesus has been refreshing and very life giving.

Being back in Kona I have been plugging back in as Prayer room staff, leading worship and helping lead worship. Since I arrived near the end of the quarter there has been less to do for responsibilities. The quarter is winding down and students are leaving for outreach locations. Staff are preparing for outreach and also for the next quarter.

Starting July 7, the new quarter will begin and many students will arrive. I will be a part of a seminar called Circuit riders. The seminar is about returning to the simplicity of the gospel and going forth and sharing it. Circuit riders in history were Methodist preachers that went on a circuit preaching the gospel all around the United States. A very early example in Bible times is Paul the Apostle. When Paul went on his missionary journeys he would travel on a circuit to towns and cities he had visited previously.

For more information on the school you can visit this link: School of the Circuit riders.

I am in the process of raising school fees and staff fees for this coming quarter. If you feel led to partner with me you can through this link http://goo.gl/9yldL. Thanks for your prayer and consideration.

In the mean time you can enjoy my little time at the beach:

Post-Sydney

2011-06-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

I have made it to Kona, HI safely and by the grace of the Lord. I honestly wasn't sure how long I would be in Sydney for. I came with a one way ticket to Sydney just like I went to Israel and I didn't have enough money for my next plane ticket.

When I was in Sydney I stayed with a DTS student from the last school I staffed. His family opened up their home to me generously. Almost every morning we would go to early morning prayer. A group of young Korean-Australians that graduated from DTS wanted to continue to pursue the Lord together in community. After talking with their pastor, they were given time from 6am-8am every morning. The group started small at about four people and it grew in weeks to forty to fifty people each morning. These are the ones that will change the nation and history forever. People came dressed for work and school so that after morning prayer they would leave to their respective places.

The most interesting part in all of this was the unity in congregation and leadership. Of course people have their differences but they were able to look beyond their differences to unite around the name of Jesus. Something I have observed is that the leadership in this particular church has released the young people to run after the heart of God by giving them room to practically do it. The English-ministry pastor gave the keys to a separate building so that they could meet every morning for prayer. The other component to this is that the fiery young men and women have submitted to the local church in service and leadership. Without one of these parts, it would be very hard to function as a corporate body.

I was very blessed to be a part of the movement of God in Sydney. It is very much still in its beginning phases but I believe will grow to be established as a core part of the city. I was very privileged to be a witness and participant with this family. As I was leaving it felt like I was leaving home and a piece of me was being left behind. I think I'll becoming back again.

Sydney

2011-06-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

I made it to Australia without any problems from the border control. I really think that the one encounter I had in the UK has made me seriously paranoid about getting into another country. It's been a week in the country and this is the first time that I have been able to really devote time to blogging.

My day has been packed with meeting different people and witnessing a new season for many people in Sydney. I don't know what I was fully expecting with coming to this nation. I feel like I felt that the majority of my time was going to be with Mathew and then some with the Korean people living in Australia but instead it was reverse. I have been spending so much of my time with Korean-diaspora in Australia. Witnessing the change in seasons and also the rising up of a generation.

God is doing something very special here. I hope to elaborate very soon on some of the initiatives that have begun by young Korea-Australians.

Last day in Israel, really.

2011-05-30T05:23:00.000-07:00

Inside nativity church in Bethlehem

I was wondering why the Lord would have me wait a couple extra days in Israel instead of taking off when I thought I would. Maybe there is a big spiritual purpose and importance of me being in the land. Or maybe God wants to do something even more out of the ordinary while I'm here.

Olive tree at or near the garden of
Gethsemane

But sometimes Yeshua likes to do the smallest things for his people because he loves them. The first time I was in Jerusalem, which was about a week ago, I wasn't able to visit the Temple Mount or go to the garden of Gethsemane or to the top of the Mount of Olives. It didn't bother me at all that I couldn't go but it was a shame for me to be so close and not have gone.

From the top of Mt. of Olives

Yesterday, I was able to go to Bethlehem and the church that is built around the supposed manger site. Later that day I went to the Mount of Olives to another church built around the supposed garden where Yeshua came to pray with his disciples before he was betrayed by Judas. I say "supposed" because there are multiple sites where different groups claim Yeshua was. Then I walked to the top of the mount where He ascended into heaven and will return one day.

Today I had a chance to go to the Temple mount where now a Mosque is built. It's usually closed off to the public after 10 am for their prayer time so I started off early. This is where the Temple of the Lord was built and destroyed and has not yet been restored.

All in all, thank you Yeshua for even orchestrating this small part so that I could see the Temple mount and Bethlehem. It really has been a faith journey and you have been so faithful to me.

Back in Jerusalem for now.

2011-05-28T17:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight I watched as my friends from this team left for Kona, HI. For me this was it, all or nothing. I felt like the Lord told me to go to the airport and try to get on a plane. So I got in line to check-in but it's not like in the states and other nations where you can get in line and just check in, there is pre-security security. They screen you so that people that aren't passengers can't get in.

First, they stopped me and then I went around to try and buy a ticket. But a one way ticket just to Bangkok was $1500 and a round trip $1400. Neither of which I could purchase. So I got back in line and told them I was on my way to Bangkok, hoping that God would miraculously provide the ticket as I got to the check-in counter.

The airport authority was really nice to me. They allowed me to be screened first and then they escorted me to a separate counter to check in because the flight was only an hour from departing. Even when they couldn't find my name on the list they were very polite. They told me they would watch my bags as I tried to call someone to figure out if it was the right airline, day, and time. At this point I realized that it probably wasn't going to happen. So I quietly prayed as I walked around the terminal and then grabbed my bags.

All day I was feeling weak from worry about how I would get to Australia, but now there was a strange peace that started to flood my spirit. I knew that I did all that I could in obedience to what I felt the Lord was saying. The team and I said our goodbyes and they went through security to get to their gate while I headed for the exit to get back to Jerusalem.

Now, so late in the night or early in the morning, I write with the encouraging words that I have a plane ticket to Sydney, Australia. My friend Julie McManus saw my status on Facebook and bought my ticket with frequent flyer miles. Praise the Lord.

I am still in need of a plane ticket to Kona. Please continue to pray for me as I continue this journey.

If you would like to donate online you can do so here: http://goo.gl/hPWTB.

Stuck in Israel

2011-05-27T00:45:00.000-07:00

Night shot of Jerusalem

We have about 2 days left in the country of Israel. In this last week we traveled around the country. We walked around the Old city many times. I had a chance to lead a worship time with a friend I met in the UK at a prayer house that looks out to Mt. Zion. Before we left Jerusalem we were invited to another prayer house that is located in the City of David. It was a really refreshing time as the people prayed for us and spoke life over us.

Kristi, me, Chantal, Shawna

Currently we are in a town called Carmi'el with some of Shawna's family and we are about to travel to Haifa. We traveled to Haifa yesterday and visited one of the applicants to an upcoming school. It was nice to meet a potential student before they even arrived in Kona. The girls on the team have a flight out Sunday morning at 1 am back to Honolulu. So we are glad to be together for the next 2 days.

As for me, I will be stuck in Israel. Whenever I tell people I entered Israel with a one way ticket, they ask me how? I guess I needed a round trip or exit ticket to get into the country but thanks be to God that I was able to come with a one way ticket. The plane ticket I am looking to purchase is from Tel Aviv to Sydney. I am trying to get to Sydney, Australia for a conference that my Rabbi friend Mathew will be speaking at. Please continue to pray for me and the Journey God has put me on. I am thankful for the prayer and support I have received so far and the help I will continue to receive.

So my time in Israel is coming to an end...or is it?

Yad Vashem

2011-05-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

Israeli soldiers in front of the
museum's entrance

Today we went to the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. I haven't really thought about it but I've visited a lot of memorials and museums that have to do with the holocaust. When I lived in Germany I visited some concentration camps turned exhibits. One I remember that we went to was Dachau. Last fall I went to the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. But this visit was very different from the other times.

Being in the country where the Jewish people came to after WWII was all too real and it hit home. The re-population of Israel and the people in this country is a testimony of God's faithfulness to the promises he made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The amount of suffering and persecution the Jewish people endured was unimaginable. The pictures and stories of survivors were so heartbreaking.

The fire burns in memory of all who
perished in the Holocaust

One of the things I remember was that the Jews living in Germany had assimilated to German culture and then the people in the country turned on them leaving the people with an identity crisis. I wonder what would happen if America one day just turned on Korean-Americans or Asian-Americans. What kind of position would the second generation be put in? Where would we place our identity? If we say we are Americans, our own country is persecuting us and if we say Korea or Asian, we are labeled to be persecuted. But this was a reality for Jewish-Germans and as time went on for the Jews in the surrounding nations.

The stone structure quotes
Ezekiel 37:14

The museum was very intense with Israeli students and soldiers also going through the exhibit to learn about their history and learning again about where the world fell short. It was hard to swallow the fact that the church had started antisemitic behavior because they wouldn't convert to "Christianity". Hitler would later use this as not just a religious position but a racial one. The surrounding nations failed to let the Jewish people in their nations as refugees for many, many years. Then following the refusal, certain groups joined in the persecution. Even the USA refused refugees at the beginning of the Holocaust.

But there was redemption for the nations. Finally, starting with Denmark I believe, the nations started turning to aide the Jews to hide them and protect them from being taken to concentration camps. And there will be redemption for the church as we walk together as one new man.

At the end of the exhibit they have a room of names. It is a circular room with volumes of books. These books are filled with the names of the people who died in the Holocaust. This is not a small room and the books are not thin, its purpose is to not forget what happened so that it will not happen again.

Say cheese.

2011-05-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

These are just a few pictures we took in Tel Aviv.

Ocean front

From left to right: Kristi, Shawna, Chantal, and me

The building with the tower is St. Peters church

Kite surfers at the beach

Sunset

Yerushalayim

2011-05-19T15:10:00.000-07:00

Just arrived in Jerusalem about an hour ago from Tel Aviv. It was an hour drive in a schrute. A schrute is like a shuttle system that seats about 13 passengers. I already feel a connection with the land here and it seems that there are different people that say maybe we'll meet in Jerusalem.

Earlier today we went to Netanya. We met up with a congregation that also does work as a distribution center for holocaust survivors. From about 9am to 9pm we set up tables and things we would give away. Things from coffee to soup mix to hand towels. It was really nice to be able to serve those that have endured so much hardship and suffering. Serving the holocaust survivors was also rewarding in itself because of the joy it brought to them in a practical way.

One road block that I have ran into is that some of the money exchange places won't except Scottish pounds which are the same is British pounds. So hopefully I'll be able to take care of that in the morning. One of the girls on this trip has family in Israel and we are staying with them for the time in Jerusalem.

I'm writing this from their little netbook because we don't have the internet password yet. So hopefully soon I will have pictures up on the blog. Please keep praying for our finances. We are still short on ground fees and I am still in need of plane tickets to Australia and Kona.

Tel Aviv, pictures coming soon.

2011-05-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

I'm here in Tel Aviv, Israel with Chantal, Kristi, and Shawna from Kona, HI. I arrived early Sunday morning, really early. Today was my second full day in Israel and it is amazing. On the first day, even though I was jet-lagged out of my mind due to my flight plan, we toured around Tel Aviv and old Joppa. These 2 cities are right along the Mediterranean sea. If we walk five minutes out we are at the shoreline of Tel Aviv. Today we had a chance to visit a ministry and talk to the Executive Assistant about planning a future trip with a larger team.

My brain is starting to shut down because of jetlag. There is more that I am discovering and seeing in the land. It is exciting times that we live in.

One thing that I am praying for still is the plane ticket. It was much easier getting into Israel than into England. In England, they wouldn't have let me in with a one way ticket but in Israel it was fine. I need to purchase plane tickets from Israel to Australia and then from Australia to Kona. Please continue to keep me in your prayers for safety and provision.

Support letter: it is what it is

2011-05-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,

The Lord has been leading me around the world on a trip to what he is doing in the earth. The past trip that I was on led me to the UK and Turkey. I visited the Korean Church in the UK and also some other groups that were in missions. The next phase of this journey is to Israel and Australia.

In Israel, I will be scouting with a DTS team, scouting the land and getting the Lord’s heart for the Jews and Arabs in the land. I believe that God still has purpose for his people and that he has not forsaken nor forgotten about them. There a number of ministries that we will be working with and getting a feel for what the trip will be like later.

In Australia, I will be attending a Torah conference and connecting with the believers in the land. On the last trip, I saw the group of Korean-diaspora in the UK and I believe this is a continuation of that. After Australia, I will go back on staff in Kona for about 2 months before returning back to Maryland for school. There is also a possibility for me to do a 5 week school in Kona during that time.

So, there are many needs, I need anywhere from $2,500-$3,000 for the next 3 weeks for flights and ground fees. Later on I’ll need ground fees for Kona and possibly for the school. I’m currently writing you because I am in need of some money for the next journey. Let’s be honest, this is a support letter and these always seem so unappealing no matter how it is written.

I know there will always be needs and there are many places to donate and support. But I am one of those people you know and as you support you reap the blessings of this journey. I already have the ticket for Israel and most of the ground fees. This has been a faith journey so I believe with each step, more will be revealed.

Your consideration is greatly appreciated,

Sam

Back for 8 days

2011-05-05T09:39:00.000-07:00

I just returned from my trip to the UK on Tuesday. It's hard to believe that five weeks have already passed and gone, for the whole month of April I was traveling throughout the UK and even to Turkey for 4 days. Already, it has been less than 2 days and I've already booked a ticket for my next trip.

Traveling around with Mathew was an amazing experience. We spent much time with the Korean community, with different groups focused on missions, and people that just wanted to partner with the local church in their neighborhood. It is fascinating to see what God is doing in the nations; the similarities, differences, and expression of the spirit of God through a different culture.

So now I'm getting ready to head out in about a week. I'm in the process of raising funds for the trip and planning out my time. As of now I'll be in Israel from May 13-28 and then fly to Australia from May 28-June 4/5 and then flying to Kona to staff for a little while before I start school.

It would have been nice to be able to meet up with more people but it seems that my time is really short here. Maybe next time as the Lord allows.

W[h]ales, Turkey[s], and Scotch

2011-04-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

I cannot even begin to describe what the last month has been like. In even the last two weeks I've been to Llanelli, Wales, Istanbul, Turkey, and near Paisly, Scotland. Time moves so quickly, it feels like a blur. I've lost track of the days and being so far north makes it hard to really feel what time it is. I really understand why different outreaches and missionaries do not update as frequently. With so much happening in a day it's hard to share everything that has progressed since the beginning.

Wales:

Carningli, Hill of angels

Mathew and I stayed with at a friends house while she stayed with some friends down the road. Her name is Penny. She drove us around to different ministries where Mathew shared some stories and the word of the Lord. We had wonderful time meeting different people ranging from a group of catholic women and nuns to youth groups.

Turkey:

Ministering to missionary kids

In Turkey, we attended an intercession conference for Turkey held by Koreans, English-speakers and Turkish people. In four days we managed to share and impact every group of people that attended the conference. Most of the people at the conference were missionaries in Turkey or were people planning to be long-term there. We even had the chance to minister to the youth that came because of their parents.

Scotland:

Glasgow city centre

I'm currently in Scotland with Mathew and our time is coming to an end. I can't believe that five weeks have already passed by. We stayed with some friends of Mathew's near Glasgow. We spent a lot of time visiting different areas of Scotland. We went to Dunadd, Edinburgh, and even the Isle of Arran. We went around to different historic sites and also we spent time resting.

This very, very brief account does not do the time we spent in the UK and Turkey any justice but for now it will have to do. Hopefully, I'll be able to share more in-depth the things that took place over the last five weeks.

Don't forget Haiti Episode 1

2011-04-17T05:39:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since my trip to Haiti but here's a short 10 minute video on my visit.

Produced by Royale Agency.

Korean diaspora

2011-04-10T15:49:00.000-07:00

Diaspora- n. any group migration or flight from a country or region; dispersion.

Mathew and I

In the last 10 days, I've been traveling around with my friend Mathew to different churches and groups in the Greater London area. Specifically, we have been visiting the Korean churches in the area. For me, this seems pretty normal. I'm a Korean-American and I do feel called to the Korean people, although I'm not sure 100% in which way. But for my friend, it might seem a bit odd. Mathew is Jewish and is very passionate for the people of Korea; for Koreans in the north, south, and in diaspora. Mathew has a unique story in how God brought him to be used in Korea but that will be for another time.

Mathew at Happy Church

A commonality between Jews and Koreans is that we are all dispersed through out the world. Mathew has been sharing many stories and testimonies of what the Lord is doing through Koreans for the nation of Israel. It has been interesting to see how God is planning on using the Korean people throughout the world for the Kingdom of Heaven. It has been a very eye-opening time to be shown the different ways God wants to use his people and also the different culture of Koreans the UK has to bring.

Being Korean-American, I never thought of the possibility of Koreans in other countries besides Korea and America. It just goes to show that we only know what we know, but it is very interesting and amazing to see the Korean Christian community in the UK. The community has many similarities but also some differences in some of the issues and also the anointing and blessings being released over them comparatively to the Korean-American Christian community.

So far, my time has been wonderful with meeting new brothers and sisters in Christ and also hearing the good words of my friend releasing the blessings over the Korea community. Next stop, Wales.

Border Patrol

2011-03-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

Touch down at Heathrow airport in London. I made it safely to my destination. It was a good flight, there was hardly anyone on the flight so I had a row of seats all to myself. My guitar, which should have been checked at the gate, was stored in the first class cabin. I think I prefer the overnights too.

But when I got to the border, it all changed. I was detained for about 3 hours being questioned, finger-printed, and had all my bags searched. Even though I did nothing wrong, you can't help but feel like a criminal. Through it all, God gave me grace not to freak out or get angry. But instead, being filled with peace and patience I was able to endure without losing my cool.

Thank you Jesus.

we have lift off

2011-03-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

I'm one day away from taking off to England. Today I have, and will be, spending my day packing and finishing up last minute things. Less than 2 days left and I feel ready to go but at the same time not ready in other ways. There is a well in my heart filling with anticipation of the things and events to come in the next season of my life.

Yesterday at church, the pastor was preaching about the Bible; what it's about and key episodes in it. The episode he talked about was Abram as he started his journey.

Genesis 12:1-3

Now Adonai said to Avram, "Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away from your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make your name great; and you are to be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone you curses you; and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed."(CJB)

When the Lord came to Abram and spoke to him about leaving this was a pivotal time in history. It started the rising of the nation of Israel though this man. Many of us know the story of this man of faith, who is even included in the "hall of faith" in the book of Hebrews.

As I listened to the sermon I felt the Lord speaking to me about this next journey. The main point that I felt the Lord say was about me "leaving my fathers house and going to the land that He will show me." For some reason I feel this could mean that I won't be returning for a while but I'm not sure of the full implications of what God was saying. One thing is certain though, I don't believe this trip will be like any of the other trips that I've taken, but I'll continue to live in obedience.

a new journey

2011-03-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

After waiting for the next step for the last 5 months, it is a relief to know what I'll be doing next even if it is only 5 weeks. To sum it up, this last season was a time of restoration. I didn't realize how much I had poured out in the last two and a half years. I was running on empty and struggling to stay afloat and I hadn't realized until I came into a new environment with much less responsibility. Being at home while my friends were on the mission field was difficult to adjust to. Knowing that they were making a difference in the nations was hard to accept as I was relaxing at home. It felt like I was being benched from the team.

But the Lord had me where I needed to be. He started restoring my confidence and giving me new visions and dreams. During one of my visits to Harrisburg, I had a chance to spend some time with one of my leader's from Kona, Andy Byrd. Andy sat with me and started reminding me of basic principles that I learned during my time staffing. He also started recasting vision for my walk with the Lord. I returned home with my mind and spirit refreshed, more focused and with more of a purpose on my time at home.

From there, the Lord started revealing more of what my task was. Through the months I felt that the Lord was whispering bits and pieces of it, almost like giving me pieces of a puzzle to complete. I couldn't tell at first what it was but now I have a better idea than before. The pieces form a picture, a map for the direction I will be following Him in. A new journey filled with adventures with Yeshua but it's not new, my eyes have just been opened more to the things that He has prepared for me.

In less than two weeks I'll be back on the field. First, I'll be flying into London. I'll be attending a Torah Conference and meeting with Korean pastors in the local region. I don't have specific dates on where I'll be traveling to but the trip will take me to Scotland and also to Wales.

I updated my blog-site with a Prayer Partnership page. I'll be posting prayer requests or even topics related and unrelated to my direct travels.

a funny little story

2011-03-10T18:18:00.000-08:00

Today was an interesting day. My mom and dad have been in Korea for the last week and a half and my mom came back today. So for the last 10 days I inherited of watching my eleven year old sister. Taking her to school, packing her lunch, making dinner, and also walking the dog.

This morning's forecast was rainy and walking the dog in the rain is probably my least favorite thing to do. Since I had to go pick my mom up from the airport it had to be done. Thankfully the walk went fairly quickly and came back and washed up, made breakfast for my sister and Me and packed her lunch. So far, so good.

I looked at the time; 8:30 am. I packed up everything and made my way out to the car, locked the door to the house and reached for the keys to the car to unlock it, but where are the keys? They should be in my pocket. As I feel around my pockets, I realize that I left the keys on the counter with the door locked. I think quickly and pull out a plastic card from my wallet and try to jimmy the lock. I give it a try and it works the first time. I grab the keys and now we're on our way to school.

Everything seemed to be moving smoothly now. My sister's at school and I'm on the highway. About 10 minutes down the highway the car shuts off and I start to lose speed. I filled up the other day, so that can't be the reason the car shut off. Then I realize that my dad's car has been doing this for a while now. The electrical work just turns off immobilizing the car. I can't start it again and even the emergency lights won't turn on. I called the insurance company and they sent someone out to tow the car. My mom get's in at 9:50AM and the tow truck won't get to me until 10:17AM.

The truck got to me a little earlier than expected but still passed the time for my mom's arrival. The driver gave me a lift to the dealer and from there I rushed home to get to our second car to pick my mom up from the airport. I was already late so I wanted to hurry up and get there. When I got home, I realized I didn't have the house keys, but it's ok, I'll just break back in to my house. I tried again and remembered I dead bolted the lock. So I had to drive back to the dealership to pick the house keys up and then go back home. Now, I can actually go pick my mom up and its 11:00AM. I didn't get to the airport until noon. But all in all, it could've been worst.

Sorry mom, glad to have you back though.

The boy who cried wolf

2011-02-14T11:14:00.000-08:00

I think many of us know the story of, "The Boy who cried Wolf". It's the story of a shepherd boy and a village. When the shepherd boy cried wolf the village would come and protect the shepherd and his sheep from the wolf, but the shepherd started calling, "Wolf! Wolf!" when there was no wolf as a prank. Finally a wolf did come and the shepherd boy shouted for help but the people from the village didn't come because they thought it was like all the other times, a prank.

I feel like I've been "crying wolf" lately about when I'm going to leave for the mission field. First, I have been saying that I was going to be leaving for the nations from mid-February to beginning of March but that isn't happening. Then I thought there was a possibility for me to leave with a group that is touring around the US which would have left Tuesday but that fell through as well. In all of this I know I made sure that whoever I shared my plans with that I also let them know that there was a chance that I would not be able to go. Even so, I do feel a sense of responsibility of being misleading. My intentions are not to do so but it is hard to share my plans when they are very, very flexible. Flexible to the point where they might be postponed for a while or indefinitely.

As of now, what I do know is that I'm going to visit the Fire and Fragrance school in Harrisburg, PA on Feb. 15-16. I am planning on going to California at the end of March to meet with a friend of mine. He'll be at a conference in LA and then we will be going to the UK for the month of April. First there's a Torah conference in London, and then continuing down through Scotland and Wales and building relationship with Korean Pastors in Diaspora.

Please keep me in your prayers for this journey.

Find the center

2011-01-23T18:40:00.000-08:00

I wish I would write more on my blog but lately, I don't feel like there isn't anything worth writing about. Maybe it's so easy to down play the favor of God and his faithfulness in my daily life or maybe I don't feel like it worthy of merit for me to write about, I don't know exactly why but it is hard to try to put my daily life into words.

I don't want to turn this into a never ending stream of twitter/tumblr posts that are pointless and centered around what I am doing next. During the last outreach I was on a had the honor of meeting a Pastor Sam Song. He is a Korean-American pastoring in Hong Kong at a church by the name of Solomon's Porch. I asked him if he had a website or blog page that I could follow and he responded by saying something along the lines of :

"The more and more I think on being a Christian the more and more I see that Facebook, blog sites, and twitter-like websites are the opposite of what I need to be. Being a Christian means that I need to be more Jesus-centered and having these applications make me more me-centered."

When I heard this it resonated with me in a way that it makes me wonder about our lives with these kinds of computer programs and applications. I know that some people might think that this is pretty extreme, but its true. As a Christian, I need to make Jesus the center of everything I do and I feel like its a fine line between reporting back in what the Lord has me doing and me feeling like I'm just bragging about my life. I just want Jesus and more of Him; to know Him to the fullness that I am allowed to and to be like Him. I want to, no, I need to make Him the center of everything I do because I know that without Him I can do nothing.

By the end of this post I would have written over 27 "i's" and Jesus only about 4 times including this sentence. I guess it's a bit over-dramatic but still I can't help but feel that I'm making me the center instead of giving the glory to God.

and a Happy New Year.

2011-01-03T16:47:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it's 2011 already. I feel like it crept up on me and it doesn't feel like a new year. It just feels like one giant blur. It doesn't feel like I've been home for 4 months either but all of it has come. It is 2011, I have been home for 4 months and there are new things to look forward too.

As I think back on 2010, I feel like it was a long and crazy journey with the Lord. From staffing a DTS in January and taking a team to India and China in April, and then staffing a second DTS in July and coming home, it was a journey of obedience to the Lord with emotional, spiritual, and physical turbulence along the way but in the end it all pans out. India and China were such exciting times. There is something about being with the poor in spirit and material wealth, and in places where the gospel is not as welcome or freely being preached. It definitely had hard points. Well, most of it was hard and it had harder moments but in those moments I found that His grace is sufficient for me. Then the school I staffed in July was just a breath of fresh air. Recovering from the highs and lows of the previous outreach as well as being a part of a group of people that were in one accord in hearts and minds for the Lord.

But all of this is done and there are new things to look forward to. A new journey, new adventures, new struggles, new victories and new beginnings. As we start this new year I ask you to pray, not only for me, but also for yourselves. Ask the Lord about the things he wants to do through you, what he is asking of you, and what he has in store for you. Also pray about what he is going to do in the earth this year and partner with him in intercession.

For me, I will continue working at Target for the next month maybe 2. But in February I plan on traveling with a friend of mine interning under him. I'll start sometime in February and go for the next 2-3 years. Pray for me as I continue on this journey with the Lord.

I'll be giving more details on the trip in the weeks to come.

Happy new year.

Haiti video trailer

2010-12-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

This is a video that my friend Edward made. He was one of the guys that came in to visit teams and to record what was going on.

The video is a small sample of things to come.

Haiti time

2010-12-02T17:34:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it's already almost a week since I returned from Haiti. I'm having "Haiti withdrawal syndrome" now that I'm back. I wish that it didn't end but everything has its time and seasons and it is finished.

Day 1: The first day I arrived was in the early afternoon. It already reminded me of India but this time I was alone and not with a team. It was sort of confusing and it took about 2 hours for me to find the people who were picking me up. But I arrived finally at the base and met the Awaken DTS crew. Some of them were resting and others had left to visit an orphanage. I was feeling a little pain in my stomach but I was ready to go out and meet the people and see the nation. And I was able to go out in the evening. I went out with some of the Awaken guys to the tent city near the base. It was exciting and totally a dream come true for me. We ended the night with worship and prayer into the night. By now the prayer and worship burn had gone on for about 20 hours.

Le Montcel restaurant
building

Day 2: Woke up Sunday morning and I couldn't believe that I was in Haiti. I knew I was there but at the same time it was still like a dream. On this day we went up the mountain and went to a resort called Le Montcel. The YWAM Haiti group was trying to purchase this place as a base so we were asked to go up there and pray over the place and see what God's will was. Since I had just arrived, it was funny to me that the first full day that I would spend in Haiti would be at a resort. But no matter what we do, it's all for His glory. I know that the 2 teams really enjoyed this time because it was a break for the two months of ministry that they had already faced. The ride up and down was anything but easy though. Unpaved, rocky roads full of ditches in a bus that had three wooden benches going long ways to sit on was our mode of transportation but it was well worth the ride. From the mountain we could see an amazing view of Port au Prince. I could see why YWAM would want a place like that. To enthrone Jesus over the land.

Day 3: 3:40 AM I'm awoken by yells in the night. I can barely make it out but it sounds like someone yelling, "THE BOX IS ON FIRE!" I literally turn over in my sleeping bag and try to go back to sleep but someone barges into our room and tells us to get up. I still didn't really know what was going on but I thought that the electrical box, bus, or house was on fire. What really had happened was that the power line melted and fell right in front of the entrance to the property and the line was laying next to a bus YWAM was renting. The tires on the left side had both busted and melted from the fire and was till burning. With electrical fires, you're not supposed to put it out with water but we had no other choice so we had a team running water to the fire. Luckily we had someone on the team that used to be a fireman so he helped with extinguishing the flame and keeping us calm and under control. We saw this as a direct attack from the enemy. As we burn before the Lord in worship and prayer, the enemy coming in the natural and trying to mimic what we are doing. We don't know exactly what our worship and prayers are releasing in the spirit but we do know that the enemy doesn't like it.

As we all went back to bed I had some thoughts. We are rebuilding a wall like Nehemiah and when he received ill report and was told to hide inside the temple he chose not to but to continue to build the wall with a sword on their side. We saw this as an opportunity to not be shaken and continue to run after the Lord. Another thought I had was that we were never in any danger but it was just to scare us. We had some ministries that we were supposed to go to but instead we regrouped in worship.

More to come....

Safely Home

2010-11-28T19:51:00.000-08:00

I made it home Saturday night November 27 untouched by cholera or any other sickness that was possible for me to contract while I was there. It was an amazing time with the Fire and Fragrance team and the Awaken DTS crew.

Before I left for Haiti, the impression I had was that it would be like India and I was right. Although it was not as hot as India it was as dusty, dirty and had similar smells as I imagined it would have. Haiti is a beautiful place that has been ravaged by an earthquake. The people are very kind and full of joy even though they live in conditions that are well below what we consider poor in the West. It's crazy to think that right off the coast of Florida that one of the world's poorest nations exists and that they need so much help rebuilding their cities as well as their own lives.

Pheobe and Una praying for
some new friends

The 200 hours of worship and prayer was not like what I imagined but it was very practical. Everyone took a different shift through the day and in the evenings we would worship and pray together as a group. During the day there were other ministry's available. At one of the ministries, I was able to go to the tent cities and help minister to them through prayer, the gospel, and in very practical ways like building tents for those who lost theirs when the rain came. Some people also needed better tents because it was torn or in very poor condition.

Presidential palace. It used to
be two stories.

One of the tent cities we went to was right by the Presidential palace. The "president" of the tent city (he's like a leader/manager of the tent city) told us that no one had gone into the tent city since Jan 12 which was when the earthquake happened. He said that other organizations and ministries are too afraid to enter in because the people in this particular tent city are prone to violence and rioting and that it means a lot that we are entering into the camp and meeting the people where they are.

There are so many stories to tell about this short trip and I guess I'll be sharing little be little in the next coming week.

Ground fees and Haiti

2010-11-18T19:25:00.000-08:00

The countdown until Haiti is about 2 days. The 200 hours of prayer and worship start this Saturday and I am happy to say that I will be joining the group.

I have purchased my ticket to go this Saturday and I will be there until the following Saturday. Also I have received all of the ground fees to cover my stay in Haiti. I think through the preparation for this trip the Lord has shown me his provision and blessing. It's funny to me because when I was in YWAM trying to raise support to go to India and China was much harder than this time and I feel like I did much less to announce my plans or at least it was a shorter notice. But no matter, long or short, harder or easier, the Lord is faithful to provide for his children.

The Lord has really given me favor for this trip. I can't get over the fact that Target gave me "black Friday" off so that I could go to Haiti when the main reason that they hire is for the holiday shopping season. It really was the hand and favor of God that I am able to go. Even during this time at home God has been opening doors for me to share what God has been doing in my life. Tomorrow, I will be going to a worship night where I have been invited to share a testimony of what the Lord has done in my life and just today I was invited to share when I return from Haiti about what the Lord is doing there. Through these opportunities, I pray and hope that it will stir a passion in their hearts to run after God.

So, its off to Haiti I go.

Praise

2010-11-14T19:03:00.000-08:00

With the Haiti trip around the corner, it's hard to think it'll happen without any money and such short notice to supporters. But God is good and he's providing every step of the way.

A week ago or so I was praying about Haiti, going and provision for this short trip. One night during that time I had a dream. The details of the dream are kind of fuzzy to me and they were when I woke up but one line that was spoken to me was very clear. I heard someone tell me that everything that I needed would be provided for. Those were the most comforting words at the time and I from that time I was convinced that I would be provided for to go to Haiti.

Today I received a couple donations to go to Haiti from the church I attend. It's enough for me to get a plane ticket to Haiti which is the amazing provision of God. Thank you Jesus. It's this kind of thing that makes my relationship with God more real and personal. I know that he is looking out for me and that I do not need to worry because he cares for me more than the "birds of the air" or the "flowers in the field" like Jesus said in Matthew 6.

Another praise report that I have involves work. I was hired by Target for the seasonal position so that means the main reason I was hired was for the upcoming holiday season which is Christmas. Black Friday, the Friday after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year. I was hired to help cover different areas of the store during that time. But because of the Lord I was able to get that whole week off of work to go do the Lord's work in Haiti.

So it looks like I'll be heading out on November 20th and returning on the 27th. I still need some more funds for the daily cost of living in Haiti but I'm not worried as much because Jesus was faithful with his promise and provided money to go to Haiti and he will be faithful to provide the rest of the money I need.

Please keep me in your prayers. The financial provision is just the beginning of a major spiritual struggle for a nation to turn to Christ.

2010-11-07T17:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my friend Aaron, who was visiting from California, left to journey back home. His time here was refreshing for me. During my last trip to Harrisburg, PA, I dropped Aaron off with some friends of ours so that he could spend some time with them. So this past Monday I went up to Harrisburg to pick him up.

In Harrisburg I was again able to connect with some friends. Also Amy, a leader of Fire and Fragrance in Kona, happened to be visiting at the same time. She had a time of ministry that night releasing the word of the Lord about circuit riders. Amy had an encounter with the Lord where He spoke to her of people that would be released as circuit riders through the nations to speak out the word of the Lord. These people would be like Paul Revere in the Revolutionary war.

During the Revolutionary war, Paul Revere was the famous rider who rode through the night on horseback warning the people of the town that British troops were on their way. Circuit riders were clergy who would travel by horse back and preach in the 1800's I believe. We live in such amazing times and God is doing something new in the earth. Before I returned home I had the privilege of leading worship for the two hour prayer set. Our topic of intercession was for the elections that took place on Tuesday.

This past Thursday I was invited to share at a bible study. Aaron came along with me and we both shared on Global passion and what God was doing in the nations. Of course we don't know everything that God is doing but we do have some idea in certain regions of the nation. It was an honor and blessing that we were given an opportunity to share our hearts with this community that met together. Aaron and I were blessed with an offering to help with our journey and to sow into our ministries.

Haiti update:

Hurricane Toma, which was heading towards Haiti, has shifted and missed Haiti but is now flooding parts of the nation and could possibly flood more of the nation. Although the hurricane has not directly impacted the nation, the flooding has increased the spread of cholera. Please keep praying for Haiti and the teams out there.

The 200 hour burn of prayer and worship will be taking place on November 20-28. There is a new website that's up and running, http://ipray4haiti.com/ that has more information about the burn. Please join in by praying with us and for us.

Also, if you would like to partner with me to see Haiti change you can e-mail me at schoi19@gmail.com. Any kind of partnering helps from prayer to donations. I would love to know who would be partnering with me so that I may also be able to invest back with prayer and news from the forefront. If you have any questions or would like to meet with me or anything at all please feel free to e-mail me as well. Also if you would like to know more about the situation and work in Haiti you can go to www.jasenchung.com.

Haiti

2010-10-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

It has been over a month since I have returned home from YWAM Kona. It was a little bit of a rough re-entry to "normal" life but God has been doing things to help me seek His face and presence in my daily walk. Some of the things he has given me many opportunities to meet other believers that have similar heart after God.

Recently I was invited by a friend to dinner and I met some young adults who are hungry for God, to know him, to run after him, and to inspire others to do so. It was so encouraging for me to see that God was inspiring hearts with the same message I was hearing and learning in Kona. Another door God opened while I've been here is having a DTS friend, Aaron, fly in from California. Aaron did DTS with me in the summer of 2008 and we have been staffing on the Kona base together for about the past 2 years or so. This past weekend we took a trip up to Harrisburg, PA to visit some friends who are staffing a Fire & Fragrance DTS (if you would like to know what more about Fire & Fragrance click this link Fire&Fragrance), a YWAM Kona plant. I had a chance to meet a lot of friends who staffed with me and staffed my DTS as well as the Fire and Fragrance phase 2 who were on outreach. It was really refreshing to see YWAM friends outside of Kona.

...So job-hunting has come to an end. I just had an interview yesterday and this morning I received a call to come in and finalize the process. At the same time, I have been invited and am currently in the works of trying to go to Haiti. Right now Haiti is still recovering from the aftermath of the earthquake and the immediate crisis on top of everything else is the cholera outbreak. Two teams from YWAM Kona, Fire&Fragrance phase2 and Awaken DTS, are in Haiti doing relief work and ministering to the people of Haiti. They have been there since mid-September. The leader of one of the teams, Jasen, had asked me before I left Kona if I would join him for part of the Haiti outreach.

The Vision

Along with helping the nation with the immediate needs of the cholera outbreak and whatever else is needed, I have the potential to be apart of a movement of prayer and worship that has been unprecedented in the nation of Haiti. The Lord put it on Jasen's heart to do a 200 hour prayer time for 200 years of reclamation of the land of Haiti, glorifying the name of Jesus over the land of Haiti and crying out for his presence to rebuild a nation that has been destroyed. There will be unbroken night and day prayer and worship from November 20-28. Those dates were chosen because these dates lead to the Presidential elections for Haiti. Haiti can truly be re-established very quickly in this time.

As for me, I felt the Lord has been talking to me about Haiti. I didn't think of it as a possibility at first, but my heart has been stirred more and more to see the Kingdom of Heaven invade Haiti. I am becoming more sure that I am supposed to go to Haiti and partner with Jasen and YWAM with what God is doing there. For me to go I need a plane ticket which is about $500-$600 and $300 for the 10 days I will be staying in Haiti which would cover housing and food.

If you would like to partner with me to see Haiti change you can e-mail me at schoi19@gmail.com. Any kind of partnering helps from prayer to donations. I would love to know who would be partnering with me so that I may also be able to invest back with prayer and news from the forefront. If you have any questions or would like to meet with me or anything at all please feel free to e-mail me as well. Also if you would like to know more about the situation and work in Haiti you can go to www.jasenchung.com.

Home sweet home

2010-10-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

It's been about 2 weeks since I left YWAM Kona and moved to Frederick, MD and its been an interesting adjustment. My days have been mostly filled with praying, worshiping, reading the bible, staying fit, cleaning the house and doing chores, and whatever else is needed around the house. Life is so different on the mainland, off of the YWAM base, "normal" life is definitely not everything I remember it to be. Being with Family is nice and has its perks, home cooking and an open fridge, free laundry, no staff fees, no cell phone bill, my own room and so forth and so on but I miss being in community.

I feel as of late that I transitioned out of having a pretty full schedule into having a lot of free time. It's hard to not be doing much but at the same time I know that this is where the Lord has led me to be. As of now, I'm job searching, praying into schooling and which church to attend. Life seems to be mundane and even the things I write seem pointless and without purpose. It's hard to celebrate with my friends around the world who are on outreach at different locations

I miss the mission field, I miss training, the more I'm back on the mainland the more I'm realizing that I wasn't cut out for "normal life". But even for this season I have to trust that the Lord knows what he's doing, because he does.. because he does.

Closing and opening doors

2010-09-23T23:36:00.000-07:00

We are coming to the end of not the week but the end of the lecture phase of the Awaken DTS. I can't believe that three months of my life have passed by so quickly. Most of the teams are en route to their outreach locations and I am currently sitting in the Seattle airport as I write this blogpost.

Coming home is such a strange feeling and a mix of emotions flood me. People have been asking me if I'm excited to return home but Kona has been home for me in the past 2 years. I didn't realize how much of an impact leaving would have until now and even now it hasn't quite hit me yet. I'm going to miss the campus, the Banyan tree cafe, the prayer room, the pavilion, building 4, Ohana court meetings, Monday morning worship, and especially the people I have been in community with.

Leaving Kona has been a tough process but I know that there are new opportunities for me as I head back to Maryland. I don't know what this transition all entails but I know God know's what he is doing and I believe he's the one guiding me still.

Happy birthday to me.

2010-09-06T03:33:00.000-07:00

My birthday was this past Saturday and I am now officially 22. I don't know what I expected for my birthday but there was a bit of confusion for me because our schedule was a little different than usual. But I was still able to celebrate with my friends and the people who have become like family here. It has been strange in some ways but in other ways it was a weekend of celebrating instead of just one day.

This past weekend wasn't just my birthday but Heidi Baker, from Iris ministries, was here speaking at the campus on Friday and Saturday night. She told stories and testimonies of Jesus' favor and miraculous things that would happen like food multiplying, deaf being healed, blind being healed, limbs growing back, miraculous provision and more. She challenged us to live from a heavenly perspective. We are seated in heavenly places with the Lord and we as believers do not live life according to our circumstances but through what the Lord tells us.

On the first night, she told us that there had been riots in Mozambique over the rise in the price of bread. She said she wanted to rush back home to be with her family. During that same time the airplane that they owned also crash landed and they couldn't find their pilot. So before she started speaking we prayed for Mozambique and for the pilot to be found and alive. Even though the circumstances were not in her favor she felt the Lord told her to stay and continue to speak for the two days. On the second night, before Heidi spoke, she told us that the pilot and the plane was found. The plane was completely destroyed but the pilot only suffered minor injuries. I believe she said that it was a minor cut on his chin. It never ceases to amaze me that the Lord really does hear our prayers and how quickly he goes to work on what we ask for.

What a way to celebrate a birthday.

Future plans

2010-08-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

DTS is going really well. I couldn't have asked a better group of staff to run with this quarter in the sense of unity and seeking similar things in our relationship with the Lord. The students have been amazing with how they receive teaching and discipleship, and they are all hungry to know more of this God we serve. In a little less than a month this group of young men and women will go out in 8 different teams into the nations to minister to people around the world that the Lord is crazy about but I will not be joining them at this time.

As of now, my plans are to go home and be with my family in Frederick, Maryland. I have been praying for my next step and I feel that the Lord has told me to go home for at least the next 3 months to spend some time with my family, invest in a local church, reconnect with supporters and work to raise funds to go out into the field again.

I'm not sure what the Lord has for this next period of time but I do know that it is better for me to obey than for me to plan out my own future. God loves us and he is for us so I don't have to worry about what tomorrow might bring although it does feel a little strange for me to come home for a longer period of time.

This does not mean that I will be done with missions and it does not mean that I'm through with this "phase" of my life and I'm coming back to "normal" life. It simply means that the Lord has other plans right now and I'm just following him.

I'd love to meet with you once I'm in the continental United States, so please let me know if you would like to and we can arrange a time. I'll be flying back on Sept 23 and arriving in Maryland on Sept 24. You can e-mail me at schoi19@gmail.com and we can schedule a time.

Writer's Block

2010-08-23T02:05:00.000-07:00

So we're winding down to the end of week 6 and about to start week 7. Our speaker this past week is Don Gilman speaking on missions and giving up your rights.

For the first time since I've started my blog, I am not able to fully express what's going on. And even though that life is progressing and I feel the Lord stretching and growing me, I don't know what to write about to give you an update on what God has been doing in my life or in the world around me.

At this point we've hit some mile markers of breakthrough in the school. So far the Lord broke in supernaturally in healing, being set free, and now in finances, twice.

The DTS costs about $3,910 for the lecture phase of the program and by the first deadline which was August 5th. During that week we had about $6,000 that we owed the campus and God miraculously pulled through for the all of the students to receive their money to stay for lecture. The second time the Lord came and paid off fees was this week. On Thursday, August 19, we had a time of praying, worshiping and offering and we had a deadline where each student had to have $2,000 towards their outreach amount to be able to buy plane tickets and during that time we needed about $8,000, give or take. Again, the Lord came through in his faithfulness and everyone had their fees paid off by the deadline at 3pm.

One personal story from me before I close. Since I got back from my outreach to India/China I had been in about $500 in debt and recently a friend of mine, in YWAM, gave me a donation to pay if all off. Even in my utter irresponsibility and stewarding of the money the Lord had given me he is faithful to forgive my debt. It really isn't about the amount but about God's faithfulness always.

Now what?

2010-08-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

So the Call2All DTS is done and over. So now what...?

Currently, I am moving into staffing the fourth week of the Awaken DTS. I decided to staff this DTS when I was in Mcleod Ganj after praying and asking the Lord what he thought about it. So far so good and I'm getting a good feel for it.

Emery (left) praying for Aaron Walsh

This past week was an amazing week for the school. We had a guy come and speak from Tauranga, New Zealand. He runs the Tauranga House of Prayer (THOP) now, but he used to be one of the interns under Mike Bickle who runs the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City, MO. Aaron Walsh, our speaker, spoke with such authority and his words were weighty as he told us that "We don't know Jesus." He was speaking on the supremacy of Jesus, that we need to get to know the real deal Jesus, and that it's all about him. Aaron would drop such spiritual truth on us that to a degree you would feel uncomfortable with the idea you had of Jesus but at the same time you knew Aaron was right.

The highlight of this week for me was Friday. On Friday we had a time where Aaron prayed over us. When we started our the Holy Spirit came and started setting people free from spiritual bondages that they were struggling with. The main stronghold that the Holy Spirit highlighted was self-hatred in the young women of the school but they weren't the only ones that were set free. The Holy Spirit came and set free young men and women from demonic strongholds and with much weeping turning to praise they were released into freedom and the love of God.

There is nothing more satisfying than seeing people set free and blessed by the presence of the one true living God. I can't believe its only week 3. It seems longer and at the same time it is amazing to see God work so quickly in the lives of the students.

If you want to check out more about the school you can check out the website at www.awakendts.com.

Outreach overview

2010-07-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

After being back from outreach, I've had time to think over the things that have happened on the field.

The sights and sounds of India through China will definitely not be forgotten. But most of all the friends we made along the way will surely not be forgotten. This was my first time entering into the 10/40 window and doing ministry in this region, first time going to India, Hong Kong, and China, first time staffing a DTS, and first time leading a time on outreach alone. It was an interesting experience with many things that I didn't expect and many obstacles along the way but none that could not be overcome.

One last story I want to share about this outreach is on my time in Northern India at Mcleod Ganj. Some of the things we did were two 24 hour prayer times, a 3 day evangelistic campaign, coming along to English classes and a basketball ministry. On the last day of our evangelistic campaign we were talking with a Tibetan man who lived in the area. He had a copy of the book of Luke and Psalms, I believe, and he would read through it constantly. He had many questions about Jesus and who he was. Being a Tibetan, his culture is full of Buddhist rituals. To be Tibetan means that you are Buddhist so the fact that he had questions was an avenue of Hope for us. During one of the conversations, he said that he wanted to be a Christian but he had to know Jesus first, 100% without a doubt. One of the members of my team replied back saying that we don't know Jesus 100% either, its a relationship and we keep learning more about who He is. I think that this took our Tibetan friend by surprise because he went away thinking even more about this. The next day he was happy to announce to us that he wanted to accept Jesus into his heart and he did.

This was probably the highlight of my outreach and it was worth it to see even just one soul come to the Lord.

China: a brief overview

2010-07-05T18:13:00.000-07:00

It's been about a 3 weeks since I made it back to the YWAM base in Kona, HI. We had a debrief time to go over the things that happened on outreach and tie up loose ends as a team and then as a school. Now all of the students have gone home and I'm in transition time with the base as staff.

Team in front of a potential, future campus in China

During the time I didn't write I was in China and for security reasons I decided it would be better for me not to access internet. But we had an amazing time in China. While we were in China we stayed in the northern regions in the city of Dalian and Dandong. In these cities, we had the privilege to meet amazing staff and Chinese believers who were very hungry to serve others and to learn more about God. These people are probably the most servant-hearted group that I met as a group and not just individuals.

Most of our time was spent seeking the Lord and what He was doing in the city. At the base in Dandong, they had a prayer room on the top of the apartment complex where we spent most of our mornings as a team to seek the Lord and also where we spent individual personal time being with the Lord. We also had the opportunity to see the border of China and North Korea.

Beyond this railing, the grass you see on the other side is North Korea. The stone pillar that is in the river used to be apart of the bridge that connected China and North Korea. During the Korean War, this bridge was blown up to keep China from entering the war but it didn't do anything from keeping them out but it brought them in to aid North Korea. This bridge, was one of the things we were able to do in China and one of the other things was a boat ride that goes along the border of North Korea. The contrast was unreal as the China side was very green and the North Korea side very dry and brown. I'll post up some of those pictures soon too.

One of the other things we were able to do was English corner. English Corner is where the locals come and gather in a location and practice speaking English by speaking with other people. The places where we participated were in cafe's. We would sit down and some people would gather and there would be a discussion topic. They meet weekly and the topics each week change. So we can subtly slip some evangelism in as we discuss the topic.

I thought I had more pictures of the staff and believers but I don't and it's probably better that way for their security and safety. I'll be posting more pictures very soon. Until next time...

Sorry for the delay

2010-06-27T02:09:00.000-07:00

So after two and a half months I have made it back to Kona, Hawaii. Outreach has been a great experience but also very challenging. I've been back for a couple days now but I've been so jetlagged, tired and busy tying up loose ends for this DTS.

Thanks so much for your support through prayer, finances and your words of encouragement. I feel that there are so many stories to share with you all about my time in India and China.

I'll be posting pictures stories and future plans very soon. Sorry for the delay.

Final Post

2010-05-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

With much struggles we have finally got our plane tickets into China. We leave Thursday May 27 to Dalian and Dandong in China.

This will be my final post until I am allowed to post more sensitive information especially about God and YWAM.

Although China says they have religious freedom they don't want it to spread as much as we do because they feel it threatens the government. So to screen it they tap phone lines and read your emails as they please to "secure" themselves. In order to not threaten the YWAM base we are going to do any e-mailing until it gets secure for us.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Hong Kong and radio silence

2010-05-20T03:21:00.000-07:00

This is going to be short because my batteries are going to dies soon on this laptop and I don't have an converter plug.

Any way, after 33hours of traveling by bus and then 4 hours by plane we made it to Hong Kong. The first 2 days in Hong Kong I got severely sick. I had body aches, running a fever, headache, to name the major symptoms. Thankfully to the Lord, I recovered in 48 hours. All except for a cough. Hong Kong is a very modern city.

It's only been a few days here but it is much needed rest from India.

Radio Silence
We will soon enter China and when we do I won't be able to communicate for the duration of my time in China until I reach Taiwan on June 13th and then I will be able to communicate with you guys again. The reason is that China reads people's e-mails and they will go through my content even if I sign in to my account. Facebook is also banned in China but Skype is not. So if you have that please let me know and I'd be more than happy to skype call you in China for a brief update. Thanks for understanding. I'll try to write you again soon before I take off to China.

Mcleod Ganj

2010-05-10T23:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of communication this past week. It has just been a really crazy time of trying to get the Mcleod Ganj. If you want to look on a map its in Himachal Pradesh and close to Dharamshala. This region is where the Dalai Lama lives which is the religious leader for the Tibetan people. The Tibetan people were exiled to North India by the Chinese 51 years ago.

Even though we are still in India the weather here is so much cooler than Hyderabad. The place where we stay is a small town and most things are in walking distance. The temple that the Dalai Lama presides in is a 5 minute walk from where we live. Because Buddhism is idol worship, the region is spiritually dark with many monks you prostrate themselves over and over again to a golden statue of a demon. But the Tibetan people are so kind hearted and peace seeking. The people are very friendly and open to conversation.

Ministry wise, we have had to make it up as we go. The place we are in is very sensitive because of the refugees. This past weekend we had the opportunity to pray and worship for 24 hours straight from 4PM May 7 to 4PM May 8. The pictures below and on the side are from the beginning portion of it. It was a hard time through the night but it was so worth it in hoping and having faith for Yeshua the Messiah to come and bring revelation on Himself. We cried out for the Tibetan people to come to know Yeshua and that from this place many will come to know the Lord.

There are so many other people to introduce to make this happen but that will be for another time. Sorry its so brief. Please keep praying for us. We have 4 days left until we head out towards Hong Kong.

On the road again

2010-04-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

After being in Hyderabad, India for about 2 and a half weeks we are northern bound to Dharamsala, India. And after being a solo leader for about 2 weeks I'll be meeting with John, one of my co-leaders, in Delhi. Our travel plans are to take a plane this time back north. It is much cheaper to go by train to Delhi but I thought that experiencing the train ride once was enough. Now that we are really in the summer months I didn't think it would be good for the teams health to get back on.

From Delhi we take a bus to Dharamsala for about 10-14 hours. The team and I are really excited to get out of the hot weather and go to the mountain region in the north. But we will miss the friendships that we made with this base and the staff in it.

During our stay here we had the opportunity to meet with the regional director of Andhra Pradesh, his wife, and the city director of YWAM Hyderabad. It was closer to the end of our time here but he sat down and welcomed us to India and to Hyderabad. He told us:

"India is hard to describe because there are so many different characteristics of each region. It is a land of extremes. In the north it is extremely cold but in other regions it is very hot. There are extremely wealthy people and also extremely impoverished people."

This is probably the most accurate description of India, but at the same time its not. There is still more of India to discover with each state, city, county, and village but for now, we go north. With little delay we finally go to our second location of outreach.

I am NorthEast Indian....

2010-04-26T02:36:00.000-07:00

...well I'm not but I found out that I look like it. When we did some of the ministry I met people that looked similar to me. I asked the staff where they were from and I was told they were Indians. In the North east region they have Indians, not Nepalese, Chineses, or Bhutanese people that live in India but Indians that look like me.

So I officially look like half of the 10/40 window.

The team has been in India for about 2 weeks now. It's been such a cultural experience and an amazing time in getting to know the base staff here and others we met along the way.

Above is a picture of the orphanage we visited. It's a YWAM shelter home for street kids and orphans. Its mostly a place for young boys who live on the streets. There were a few girls there but most of the girls are sent to a different home for safety reasons. The kids love to dance and sing worship songs and to play. There was so much joy in the kids I forgot about their circumstances, that they are separated from their parents. Some of them even know their parents, they just live on the streets so the shelter took them in.

These are pictures of an HIV clinic we visited in the city. Before they started the clinic they had a little devotional time. During that time we were given time to sing a couple songs for the group. The message of the devotional time was out of John 5:1-16. The words out of verse 6 stood out, "Do you want to be healed?" This stirred something in my heart to ride on the back of that scripture and just pray for the patients in the clinic. Our team was able to pray and preach the gospel to different people. Not all of the patients were Christians. Some where Hindus who believed in Jesus but also in everything else and some Muslims as well. The staff there were very kind in allowing us to pray for patients. Some of the volunteers were YWAMer's from a different base that we got to meet. They come about twice a week offering help to a clinic that offers service to patients with HIV for free.

These are a couple of ministries that we were able to get involved with. Some of the things are speaking in churches, prayer walking in a Hindu temple, and visiting other centers for children. There are so many pictures and videos to upload and share what we've been doing but I'm not 100% sure how to embed videos directly and I'm trying to figure out if I can make and album page. So until then, I'll be posting it like this and when I get back to the U.S. I'll share some more of the things God has been doing here.

Very soon we'll be moving north to Dharamsala. Please keep us in your prayers.

Hyderabad, India

2010-04-17T05:16:00.000-07:00

The record high this week was 104 degrees F. After riding so long in a train for 30 hours with no A/C we are welcomed to Hyderabad where the word hot is an understatement. I didn't know that it was even possible for somewhere to be so hot day and night. And we finally arrived at the YWAM base in Hyderabad

The picture above is a picture I took during the class I was teaching. On the second full day I had a chance to teach a mini-DTS that was taking place and they asked the team to teach. That day Joyce and I taught the classes. It was really touching and inspiring to be with Indian believers. Some of these people came and left their families to attend for just one week, others traveled to the YWAM Base many hours by train to come for this one week course. It is such desperation to be closer to the Lord. I don't know them each individually but I do know that for them to have come they must really love the Lord.

This is my first time in India and it is very difficult to describe India. There are no such things as lanes of traffic, people turn whenever they want, honking doesn't mean get out of my way or express anger but it means I'm coming, people squeeze in tight spots to get ahead and even people on mopeds weave in and out of traffic. The city I'm in has alot of different American and European fashion but it also has buildings that look very broken down, the main eating utensil is your hands, and it is very hot. Food is always cooked in some kind of spice, usually curry or something similar to it. Trash is thrown everywhere and many times beggars will come and hold out their hands until you give them something or you have to be just as stubborn and not give in (that's because sometimes the beggars are scamming). The same problems that we see in the west are also here as well as problems we don't face. They have a really poverty mindset which leads to the country being in poverty.

But even in such brokenness and chaos, I'm loving it. The staff I'm working with are so friendly and they have been very helpful. As they have taken us around town, as we have seen different areas of the city, I'm falling in love with India. God has a heart for this place and He's giving it to me too. I'm so touched and encouraged by the believers here and it's only been about 5 days. There is so much more for us to do and see.

Finally on our way

2010-04-09T01:39:00.000-07:00

We are finally going on outreach to India. After being in Honolulu for about 9 days we are finally going. Thank you so much for your prayers and please continue praying for us.

From top right to bottom left it is:
Jeongki, Gahwe, Elizabeth, Damian,
Francis, Joyce, Olivia and me.

There are 2 not pictured that will be meeting us later. The first is John who is married to Joyce and Minji a student who is currently in Korea working out her visa.

Faithful, He's always faithful

2010-04-09T01:20:00.000-07:00


Valeri and Jonathan Faubel

Today is the day part of the team should have left for India but we didn't. After deciding that we should split our travel agent told us that the next flight available was Friday and by then the whole team would have gotten their visas so now we will all leave as a team.

During our time in Honolulu we have been struggling with our budget. We did not plan to be here as long as we are and the cost of living in Honolulu is much higher than Kona, which is much higher than the Continental United States. By two-thirds way through this outreach we will most likely run out of money.

Our team has been praying for provision and the favor of the Lord. It's a real struggle being on outreach in a location such as this not having planned for it. But even in the midst of this the Lord has been faithful and true. This couple that we met through a friend that has offered to take us in for housing. We were so grateful because they have offered to also pay for our groceries while we stay at their house. The house is a very small 2 bedroom apartment but we are managing to cram 5 guys in the living room and 5 girls in the bedroom. Oh I forgot to mention that they have only been married for 4 WEEKS.

On the 4th Day

2010-04-03T13:52:00.001-07:00

Today is the 4th day of outreach. So far we have filled our days with wandering around the city of Honolulu. I know it doesn't sound like outreach but it technically is. The more difficult part of this is trying to live a lifestyle of evangelism, worship, and prayer. The Lord has really been challenging me about what it looks like to live it instead of compartmentalizing it and making it an activity we do only during set times that we designate

Spending time in Honolulu becomes difficult because of our limited connection. Please understand that Honolulu was originally supposed to just be a layover stop that turned into a week and a half stop because of visa issues. I'm so blessed to have a team that is constantly looking to minister to the community.

The picture above is of me praying for a homeless guy who said had cancer. This is one of many examples I'm talking about with my team. The picture was taken on the 1st day we were here and since then others in my team have ministered to people that we have met during meal times or just our free time by preaching the gospel or praying for them.

As of now, our plan is to split the outreach team up into 3 groups. I will be leaving to India on either Monday or Tuesday and the other teams will follow. Please keep me in your prayers as I lead this group out.

It's getting complicated

2010-03-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

So, this is the last day of the last week of the lecture phase of the Call2All DTS. It's hard to believe that 3 months of this school have already passed and is now gone. Now we, as a team, are faced with the next phase of this school, Outreach.

There has been many developments in the past couple weeks. Many good things but also many things that are hindering us from actually leaving on outreach yet.
Good news first, I went from needing about $3,000 to needing $1,473 divided up for staff fees, health insurance, and ground fees for outreach, all of our students have received the full amount of their needs to go on outreach, and we are so expectant of what God wants to do on outreach.
Now the "bad news". The reason I put it in quotation is because it isn't really bad but just a slight divergence from our original plan. In October of 2009, there were changes for obtaining visas for India that we did not know about. One of my co-leaders John Kim had to fly to San Francisco to take care of the visas at the Indian Embassy. Our international students are in the process of still getting their visas and same with one of our American students. Please pray that we will all get our visas. 4 of us including me have received them but the other 6 haven't.

Our original plan was to leave on Tuesday March 30th to go to India. Now, because of visa issues, we are forced to go to Honolulu and do some pre-outreach outreach. So now we will minister for roughly a week in Honolulu evangelizing, training, and regrouping as a team because of the past couple weeks trying to solve our problems.

Not an option

2010-03-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

The great commission is not an option to be considered, it is a command to be obeyed.
-Hudson Taylor

As we come to the end of this week, I am challenged by this statement. Mark Anderson has quoted this a couple times through this week and I am gripped with the reality of this commandment.

It is our responsibility as Christians to carry out the will of God. The expression of the great commission looks differently for each individual but the mission is the same.

Outreach:
I'm so excited for outreach in India and China. My team is so expectant and hopeful of the things that will be happening on outreach. We want to see people saved, healed, and set free from bondage.

At this point not all the money has come in for many people. Collectively we need about $100,000 for students. We took up an offering and we had people donate about $25,000. It's so encouraging to see students in their lack being generous with what they have.

My team has now 11 days until we leave. Please keep us on your prayers.

Under construction

2010-03-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry that there hasn't been too much activity on this site. I'm working on finalizing the layout and content of it.

Right now we're in the 10th week of lecture. Our speaker for this week is Mark Anderson. If you don't know who he is you should look him up on google. He's speaking on missions and evangelism and how we are all different tools that come together to form the body. We don't all have to look the same, or do the same thing but we all move towards seeing the great commission fulfilled whether Jesus comes back in our life time or not.

In 15 days I'll be flying out to India and pouring out the things that the Lord has been building up in me. Pray for the love of God to abound in us so that we may walk in unity with one another and that we may discern the will of God for this trip

Praise: Someone donated $200 towards my trip, Praise God!!!!!

A good place to start..........

2010-03-10T23:47:00.000-08:00

So today I was encouraged to start a blog site to keep up with people back home and those supporting me financial and with prayer. So here it goes.....

Today I have 20 days left until outreach. It's unreal that I am in the 9th week of staffing this DTS. So much has happened and it feels like I've been here for years but at the same time it feels like the students just got in yesterday.

With India and China ahead of me I'm wondering what all this is going to look like. Right now I'm so short on money but I know that the Lord is going to provide because He told me He was and I know He isn't like man that He would lie.

There is so much more that I would like to express but for now this is a start. More to come......