Till the Day Comes!

It's very, very hot in Korea...especially in my grandmother's house. (No aircon^^;) My sister left to Saipan today. It was a very busy day getting her ready and sending her off, and I also had to go to my dentist (1 hour distance^^;) to get my second to the last check up. 나라호, the first rocket launch of Korea, was delayed once again and it seems like everyone in Korea (even the kids on the streets) are left disappointed. The ex-president of Korea, Dae-Jung Kim, passed away several days ago and that's all that they talk about on the news. That and the failure to launch the rocket.

I found a really nice, affordable store near my dentist that had all the things that I've been looking for, such as bathroom cleaning materials and small hand mirror. I also bought a really cheap pair of flat shoes that I can easily wear to work every day:) It was soooo hot coming home that I just wanted to stay on the cool, air-conditioned subway forever and ever^^;

After I ate some leftovers with my grandmother for dinner, I took a nice, late nap from 8PM ~ 11PM in the grace of our Father, and for the last couple housrs, I've been reading and writing and praising the Lord for His goodness to all His people all over the world. Our blogs are always so encouraging and refreshing to read; my missionary friend's confessions coming from Kenya, Africa seem so real and close to my heart. Today was a moderately busy day for me, but the gratitude that I have for my Savior grows bigger day by day:)

Two more days until I return back to Saipan!!!

I have many things to get done before I can board the 9AM flight to Saipan...and I'm super excited for the last couple of things that God has in store for me here in Korea:)

As I shared with Joseph and others, my short, yet long vacation in Korea was a time of true relaxation, rest, restoration and revival for my physical, emotional, and spiritual self. When I first got here and started to go to the dentist, I had so much pain in my mouth that there wasn't a day that I couldn't meditate on the passion of the Christ^^; The enemy attacked me in so many ways to bring me down, and although I did look like a war-torn veteran by the end of it all, the grace of our Father protected me and led me in His perfect plans. I had opportunities to visit family and friends all over Korea, and also had the chance to visit Caleb and Lena in Dae Jeon and the WMM center in An Heung. These were times where I truly experienced that nothing but the Gospel was the source of my true strength. The glory and power of the Gospel revealed through my honesty and death on the cross were true moments of joy and happiness.

My whole time in Korea was mostly dedicated to myself. Although I did have alone times with God on Saipan, coming to Korea was a moment to really look deep inside my weaknesses and strengths, and really focus on what it was that God called me to do.

First of all, He showed me all the laziness and weaknesses that I had within me in serving WSA & GCA for the last six months. I had absolutely no qualifications in serving Him, but only by grace, the same unreasonable grace that saved such a wretched person like me, was I able to do the little that I did for His glory. He then showed me the love and glory that He wanted to shine through me for His Kingdom....only if I followed whole-heartedly. Only with whole-hearted confession and absolute submission was God going to reveal His greatness through us in the rest of the program. It was hard to admit my weaknesses revealed in His presence, but knowing that God uses my weaknesses to reveal His greatness, I find the greatest joy and peace in my heart to serve the Lord through WSA & GCA. Amen. Hallelujah!

Secondly, I had many moments in which I could really focus on my calling. Attending the GNA graduation was a real challenge to me, as seeing the numerous witnesses of the Gospel that were completely dedicated in giving their lives to nothing but the glory of our Lord came as quite a shock to me. It didn't really matter if my sister was in the group; what really challenged me was the united passion that the GNA graduates shared for the Kingdom of our Father. I'm equally challenged and excited for the past and future GNA graduates as God will work mightly through their lives to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Thirdly, being with my sister after being separated for a long time was quite different for me. God showed me how shy and lazy I get about the Gospel to my family through this time. I'm still praying that I'll be able to be a witness of the Gospel to my family as much as I am to the rest of world, but it's really hard...^^; I don't quite understand why it's such a great challenge to me...and there's some anxiousness within me as I'll be faced with the same challenge on Saipan. I just pray that the Gospel will be able to gain victory over all of my weaknesses.

Everything revealed in the light of the Gospel, it feels like I have nothing left inside me. But because I know that the true mystery of the His salvation is revealed only through my emptiness, I am glad, I am happy to be able be a nothing in the presence of my everything, my Father, and my King.

Three weeks was a long time trying to manage all these things within my frail self, but finally, finally...I feel that I'm ready to go back home and serve my King whole-heartedly. To be completely free in the Spirit of our Father....this truly is the thing that I've been searching for all my life. And now that I've found it, I gladly give all my life to serve my Savior.

"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News!"

I'll see you soon, my fellow witnesses of the Gospel in Christ.
Till the Day comes, our march of faith will go on strong. Maranatha!

From: Korea

Hi everyone~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:D
This is Judy, reporting to you from Korea!!:)

First of all, I miss every single one of you soooooooooooo much.
Everywhere I go, I think about you.
In the subway, the bus, the streets, church, store, restaurant, even at my grandmother's house...I think about you:) (Shalom, especially being with my grandma that gave you a hard time at the Good News School, I couldn't stop thinking about you....lol) I miss you all so much!!

My first day in Korea was extremely tiring but fun.
On the plane, Mi Ae and I shared with each other the wonders of our Father then ate omelets together:) Right after we ate, I knocked out...and opened my eyes when we landed in Korea^^; Then we waited outside to meet Becky's parents, who came to see us after catching a ride on the first boat out of Shin-Do. While we were driving out onto the highway in the car with Becky's parents, guess who met us on the side of the road? Missionary Kim & Hwang!! Mi Ae and I were soooo surprised and soooo happy:) Missionary Kim was wearing a Saipan shirt, too;) Missionary Kim & Hwang were on their way to An-Heung so they had to leave soon, so just Becky's parents, Mi Ae and I had breakfast in Incheon.

Saying good-bye to Mi Ae was hard, but because the faith that I have in our God and all the marvelous things that God wants to work out through our lives, I wasn't too sad about saying good-bye to Mi Ae. In reality, I don't think I was that sad - I fell right asleep as I got on the bus to go to my grandma's house^^;;

The first day, I slept and slept^^; In between my naps, I had a really good time being with my grandma, but I fell asleep at about 3~4 hour intervals^^;; Then the next day, I followed my grandmother to her church - Jung Dong Methodist Church near Gwang-Hwa Moon in Seoul. It's an old, old traditional Methodist Church with many rich church members, so I didn't feel quite at home. My grandmother introduced me to all her friends, but wherever I went, I felt a dire need for the Gospel in the church, so I wasn't entirely happy. Yet I did get to meet several friendly faces - I even met the Jang-Ro-Neem who named me "Jesus' Happiness" when I was born:)

The weather in Korea is quite chilly for me. Everybody here says it's really, really hot, but to me, it gets quite chilly in the early mornings and night, so I think I'm getting a cold^^;; Monday and today were hospital days for me - as will be the next several days. I took out one of my wisdom tooth and started to work on the 8 cavities I have...^^;; Eight cavities!!! Can you believe it?? I was so shocked and embarrassed^^; I have a constant headache and pain in my mouth from all the things they're doing in my mouth, so I've been just resting with my family (uncle, aunt, and maternal grandmother) since Monday.

But as you all know, being with your non-Christian family is not relaxing at all. Please pray for my family here as my uncle and aunt do not believe in Jesus. It's so hard for me to share the Gospel with them, and I pray that God will give me a clear opportunity for me to share the Gospel that is so real and true to me. Korean TV gives me a headache, and people in Korea eat too much good food; I kinda miss my quiet life with God on Saipan:(

I still have to get a date scheduled to have my wisdom tooth on the bottom to be surgically removed. Please pray that they'll be able to schedule a date for me asap. It's summer vacation here in Korea and all the hospitals are very, very busy. But I'll be happy with whatever God has in store for me.

Korea seems like a place where nobody really needs God to survive. Everyone seems to be okay without God. I feel so awkward and out of place here, and I fear that I might become like some of the people here if I stay here for a long time. But the good thing is that I get to read lots of books and the Bible while going to places on the subway and the bus, so I'm super excited everyday:) I pray that I'll be able to keep my eyes fixed on the Kingdom of God and be an intercessor for all the lost souls in Korea during my short stay here.

I'm kinda tired during the day after taking all the medications for my pain, but I know that God will do even more amazing things through my stay here. My hope is in nothing and noone but the Lord all day long!

Here are some things that are coming up for me. Please pray when you get a chance:
- More things needed to be done in my mouth at the dentist (Wednesday 10:00 AM & Everyday until August 12th)
- Appointment to schedule my tooth operation at 서울대병원 (Wednesday 1:15 PM)
- Meeting friends (Charles, Jin Hee, and other friends from Saipan & the States)
- Going to Shin-Do, An-Heung (Jae Hee's ceremony), Dae Jun (to see Caleb & Lena)
- Going to visit several churches

I'll give you a call tonight on your internet phone - I hope it works!
I wish we could Skype, but I'm at my uncle's house and there's no webcam here:(
But we'll definitely talk to each other soon!
I miss you so much! Keep me updated via Blogger and the email!
I'll be praying for your time as Teacher-Aides in the classroom.
Our God provides for us at all times! Hallelujah!