My b-day this year was fairly low-key... celebrating with some close girlfriends, enjoying some delish food, sipping yummy red wine, enjoying awesome patio weather, walking/browsing on main street and being involved in great conversation(s)... I felt blessed and loved =) It was a great birthday, despite the addition of candles on the cake =( Here are some lovely pics from August 11...

the girls at my 27th b-day...

hyal, ye-ah & ange...

blowing out the candles of the cake...

hannah laughing...

julie, ye-ah, sara...

Unforgettable Summer...

I feel like I'm one-step-behind sometimes...especially when I think of my time in Yanji. The people that I met, the conversations that I had, the things that I saw/touched/smelled/heard/felt and the Person behind it all... it's been a truly amazing summer, but definitely one that has an on-going impact to say the least...

August has been a month of debriefing... reflecting and thinking about all the things that He's shown and taught me. I've journalled a bit and wrote down some things that were significant, but I feel as though it does so little to really fully describe all that was experienced. We can never do real justice... Anyways, I feel as though I'm really making sense of all that we saw just now as we're back "home." Here are 8 significant points that stuck out particularly to me during my time in NE China:

1. The worship time at the REAH retreat… feeling broken and convicted to work more closely with REAH Toronto, possibly as a coordinator of prayer gatherings. This was affirmed more at the Empower Conference, the REAH retreat in NE China and also on the airplane on our way back to Toronto in my conversation with Dan Chung.


2. The e-mail from Wayne/Hyal that I received while in Yanji...


3. Thought about two people specifically: SD and EC… that somehow I would be used in their lives


4. Praise/Worship time on top of the hill in Tumen with John & Karen… thought about Jonah 3 (Jonah looking down from the east side of city to Nineveh). It was good to sing “In His Time” …


5. The last night at Sunny’s… the prayer time, as well as Sunny’s reading of scripture was most uplifting. When she prayed for me, she was thanking God for my heart and being able to be used to bring people to NE China this summer. She read Jeremiah 29:11-13.


6. The ‘thank-you’ card from Yoori… encouraging me to read the WORD. She also saw servant leadership in me w/o judgement and I felt really encouraged by her comments.


7. Meeting the talbukja (YJ) and she was the same age as Ye-ah (July 3, 1983 was her birthday)… it was a truly an awesome encounter...


8. Talk with Dan in the airplane about forming a consistent prayer group for NK in Toronto. Focusing on m’s and their specific prayer requests… ***follow-up needed***

In His time... In His time... He makes all things beautiful in His
time... Lord please show me everyday... as you're teaching me your ways... that you do just what you say... In your time!

Rest...

I'm so very thankful for this time of rest for this month. Starting off this month, I've been reading Psalm 23 (ironic how Mark pointed this passage out to me whilst in Chicago) and meditating on green pastures and quiet waters... sounds beautiful and nice doesn't it?! Right now, however, is the busiest time in the Serve Asia Department what with all the short-termers going out this year... please keep Mel and Will in your prayers! Though it hasn't been too productive, thus far, I have been able to do a lot more in preparing for NE China. Went to the doctors and got my regular check-up (I may have inactive TB... which is not nice... not nice at all), visa applications, flights, etc. Went to the OMF picnic on June 7th and had the usual "farewell" and all that... cutting of the cake and prayers. Future is still uncertain, but I guess that's the fun of it all...

I realized that I really need this time to rest and restoration of my soul (psalm 23 again!). Difficult to go on to the "next thing" when you feel tired/weary and burdened. I'm so thankful to have this time... really and truly =D

If I wasn't a believer, I don't know how I would cope with all the uncertainty! In relationships, work, church, missions and life in general... He is in control. Nice to be reminded that we are at His mercy and though it's easy to feel overly confident or overly defeated... He rebukes, forgives, restores and uses us. I'm so very flawed and weak... I fall time and time again (why?!!!!)... and though I have "hidden your word in my heart"... why is it that I fall into sin? I guess being aware of Sin and sins and the knowledge of this very fact is from His grace as well? ECK...

Saturday @ Empower 2007

Woke up at 5:59am (had my alarm set for 6am), took a shower and headed to the main auditorium for the morning prayer time in the perfect Korean fashion. The speaker shared on 2 Corinthians... can't remember the chapter, but it was about not losing heart in ministry... we had some time to share with others about prayer items and spent some time in prayer. Headed off to breakfast (yummy pancakes, eggs and fruit) and sat with Hyoung, Jason and Heidi. Hyoung is a medical doctor from North York General... humble servant of God; Jason works for Samsung (I know someone who works there!) and Heidi, who is married to one of the Lintons. The L family have a long missionary history in Korea and her husband is a third generation American-Korean... As she shared with us at the breakfast table about some of the things that she's seen while in NK, her eyes teared up as she shared people's stories.

Missed the seminar track to take a needed nap ;) and then trekked to the auditorium again to listen to CK, a worker who runs a goat-milk business inside NK. Shared about the need to be neighbours to NKoreans, more so than a visitor. His stories about the "everyday NKoreans" were both humourous and heart-breaking. Heard from a friend that CK and his wife doesn't teach their kids written Korean (but they can understand verbal Korean) to avoid reading the overt propaganda around them! What a different world it is...

Okay... gotta go... I think Elisa wants me to get off the computer and stop typing so that we can "debrief" a bit and pray together for some personal things going on in our lives. It's been good to have Elisa here with me in Chicago to talk and joke with. She's on the verge of burning out and I'm nearly there...

ttyl =)

Friday @ Empower 2007

Okay... so we left for Chicago this morning bright and early (5am!) and the six of us (Ed, Alisa, Elisa, Sun Ae and Julie) trekked our way through endless highways, stopping at McDonald's and Steak and Shake... made it to Wheaton College by 3pm to check-in to the Empower Conference. The campus is really beautiful, with classic architecture and lovely gardens. The big sign at the front of the campus reads, "Wheaton College: For Christ and His Kingdom." The haven that hosted some famous Christian leaders such as Billy Graham and John Piper... we got to take in the beauty of God's great provision... at least for this weekend ;)

Lining up to check-in, an older lady with a backpack that read "Made in Korea" looked over at me and smiled. We chatted briefly and she asked me where I came from and I said "Toronto"... she said that she was with the same company as BOP and low and behold... I was standing behind Car of Corea! It was finally good to meet her in person and though we didn't get to talk very long after that, we were both glad to meet each other after some e-mail correspondance that we had back and forth. I also saw some other O-ers. It was great to see others that I recognized from various random encounters. Though it was a bit hectic settling in... I knew I was in the right place at the right time... and I felt RIGHT.

Ate some dinner before heading off to our first Plenary Meeting that started off with some music and dance (Korean Traditional Dance) with drums and fans. It was absolutely amazing... they were so talented! Then we watched a clip that focused on the 1907 Revival in Pyong Yang, but interestingly enough, they backtracked back to 1903 to show how the prayer gathering of two Godly women... may have sparked the Great Revival of 1907. That was the focus for this Friday evening... PRAYER. Waiting upon God in expectancy. Praying and waiting... The speaker that came up to share with us from the Word was Dr. Moffett, whose father was there to see that revival take place in PY. Moffett senior was stoned by a NKorean man and after like 10 years, this same NKorean man was commissioned out by the early church to be their first missionary. The person that prayed for this man ended up being Moffett senior! What an amazing story and testimony of how God changes lives! Tonight was an awesome time of hearing from different speakers (Dr. Moffett, Jamie Kim, Yong Kim, Tom Lee and Diane Hallkowich)... but more importantly, it really felt like God was speaking to me. All of the things that I've been praying and thinking about in the last couple of weeks and months seemed to re-iterate itself tonight. Praying and waiting... revival... being broken... yielded... purity... all of these words just seem to stick out to me in a special way. Can't wait for tomorrow... can't wait for what He will show me (us) during this time... in His time!

HOT!

Really hot and sunny in the T.O. There seems to be lots of activity going on in the city, but I'll be away in the windy city this weekend. We're set to leave here at like 5am! and driving down to Chicago for the Empower 2007 conference. It'll be an interesting weekend indeed and I'm quite excited to see and be a part of 500 others with a heart for NK... or those that will develop a heart after this conference is over =)

We have an international student from South Korea staying at our house until May 28th and Sara and I had a good time at Vaughan Mills Mall showing her around... we had some delish candy apples (yum!) and headed back home last night to some really amazing Korean BBQ in our backyard. With the weather being nice (finally!), it was good to eat out on the patio and feel the breeze while chewing away on some Korean grub. Great to chat with the two girls (another international student came by for dinner as well) and learn about some of the hardships they felt while living away from home...

Car-pooled with Will Lee this morning (as usual) and as we were driving on the 401, I remembered my dream from last night! It was definitely a weird yet a bit funny... don't know what it means just yet, but it was weird. I don't usually remember my dreams, but this time I woke up pretty disoriented, because it felt so real.

Wheaton College... here we come!

May Update

May has been a time of remembering and reflecting back on the past 2 and a half years of life/ministry/work. My Spiritual Director (she's been a real blessing in my life) encouraged me to write up a "call to rememberance" on the ways that God has worked in and through my life. It's been quite interesting to see some of the things that I've seen and experienced, as well as items that remained constant throughout my time of ministry at OMF. Looking through my journals, my blog entries and other stuff to help me reflect... I have been able to see and remember...

The word that keeps popping up over and over again this month... in Scripture, in lyrics, in TV shows (Heroes!)... is the word HOPE. Seems like such an abstract concept and still struggling to really figure out what the word really means. I guess "hope" is waiting patiently for something... something really good... something really great. It's not just waiting for the mere sake of it, but waiting in expectancy. Just to update everyone... Teacher's College is a "no-go" this year. I do feel as though this is a real answer to prayer (see previous entry). Though I can re-apply next year, I know that this is how things are supposed to go... Though I felt a bit bummed and discouraged, Rob & Clara encouraged me with wee e-mail that reads, "we are still hoping for Teacher’s College. If that doesn’t work it just means God has something much better for you." I patiently wait in expectancy (HOPE) for something really great to come... whatever that may be...

Empower 2007 conference in Chicago should be really interesting. The theme of this NK focus conference is "remembering the past; committing the future." How appropriate for this time in history (for NK that is), as well as in my own life?!!! It'll be really interesting to see what kinds of people I'll meet, the things that I'll learn and the ways that I can get involved. If you're reading this (well... obviously you are!), please pray for me. Pray that I will be able to "remember the past and commit the future." Pray that He will show me things that He wants me to see and areas where He wants me to be involved. Pray that these will be tangible and specific things... not just abstract and lofty ideas.

Re-gaining Energy and More!

I've slowly been re-gaining some energy these days... being sick is definitely not fun, but it does "force" you to rest, which is always needed for me ;) It's been good to be a bit more busy and have things going on again... though I never want to move away from those restful/quiet moments contemplating and so forth...

The word that seems to keep popping up these days has been the word, "REVIVAL." Everytime I hear the word, something in me says, "mmmmm...." Why is that? I think all of us need some form/type of revival in our lives... whether it be corporate or personal... we all need to be revived in a lot of ways, in different areas of our lives. It does not mean a highly emotional hysteria where people work themselves into a frenzy and do senseless things which bring discredit to the Lord's name. Revival is a time when Christians are restored to their first love for Christ, when sham and hypocrites are exposed, when bitterness and strife which exist in the body of Christ as revealed and when such changes are effected in the lives of Christians that sinners are brought to Christ in great numbers. There are struggles and deep emotions stirred in the process of returning to our first love.

Re-kindle the love... Re-kindle the flame...Re-kindle the passion for your name!

Bring revival God... first within myself and then to your church... We need you more than ever and it is our deepest desire to know and serve you =)

J