Vowe News Letter 소식지

Vowe News Letter #78

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Date
2020-07-31 14:23
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"Take Away the Stone”  John 11:43, 44

“When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.”  The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go” (Jn 11:43, 44 ESV).

When Jesus arrived in Bethany, it had already been four days since Lazarus died. And when Jesus stood in front of the tomb, the Lazarus’ decomposing body already had a foul stench. Martha and Mary continuously grumbled in resentment and regret saying, "If the Lord had been here, my brother would not have died."

Among the crowd, there was a cry of lament and ridicule, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept him from dying?" Jesus, who saw and heard all, was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled, and wept. After Jesus called for the stone blocking the tomb to be removed, he lifted his eyes, gave thanks to Heavenly Father, and cried out loudly, "Come out, Lazarus!" Four days after he died, Lazarus, with a bad odor from his decaying body, came out of the grave with his hands and feet wrapped in linen.

Nowadays, as we go through such dark and decaying times, I often think of Jesus who lives inside of us and listens to our cries.  I imagine a vivid image of Jesus weeping as He hears our prayer. And I pray to him again and again, “Jesus, let us all hear today your loud voice calling Lazarus to come out.”

Pray at Beijing Airport / Chilgol Church


When we think of the North Korean orphans we care during these times, the darkness of death fills our hearts. In the past, there were many difficult times in the ministry caring for orphans, but every time God came to us by opening new doors and allowing us to meet the right people. But this time it is really dark.

There is no news coming out about the orphans, and there is no communication going back and forth. I only hear occasional sinister assumptions made about what is happening inside. While the pandemic spreads and natural disasters occur, the orphans in the periphery of society are the first to be abandoned and receive no attention.

I cry out in agony, “God, take care of the orphans. Please take hold of them by your helping hand now.” God gave me the words of John 11 to comfort me. There was news that Lazarus, whom Jesus loved, was sick. “When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death.  No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it” (Jn 11:4).

After saying this, He stays two more days. Then Jesus said again. “I am the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes in me will live, even though they die, and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (11:25,26).

Jesus is the resurrection and life and He confirms that He is still alive and working in us through the power of resurrection. Then Jesus said, “Take away the stone,” which sealed the tomb. Today, in this darkest hour, Jesus calls us to move the stone between us and the grave.

Chilgol Church


1)Remove the stone of pride full inside of me.
Doing the orphanage ministry, I faced insurmountable obstacles and had to overcome many barriers.  Each time, I thanked God and declared, “For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall” (Ps.18:29 ESV).

However, there is something that frightens me to death. Some time ago, instead of thankfully sharing God’s grace when sharing updates on the ministry, I found myself subtly boasting as if I had some kind of power of my own to come this far. But then, during this coronavirus pandemic and other difficult circumstances, God asked me to remember and reflect if there was anything I could do by my own hand.

He asked whether I habitually just blabber about His grace, or truly trust and rely on God's helping hand, as I run toward the enemy and jump over the wall. I had to examine whether my thanking God is just habitual lip service or sincere gratitude coming from deep within my heart.

Chilgol Church / Pray at Hotel Room


2)Remove the stone of resentment and doubt that bothers me without rest.
When Jesus arrived at Bethany, the first thing Martha said was, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Mary says the same thing when she sees Jesus. They are words of resentment, even though she had a love for and faith in Him. “You should have come a little earlier.  Why are you here now?  It's all over now.” Martha also asserts that it's all over when Jesus tells her to move the stone in front of the tomb, saying, “It's been four days since he is dead, and it smells already.”

Jesus lovingly says to them, "If you believe, you will see the glory of God." He saves Lazarus and brings him out of the grave. This kind of resurrection was often a daily phenomenon in our mission field.  We came thus far as we earnestly prayed and sought the Lord, and every time as He responded. Nevertheless, rather than giving thanks to God, we complained when outcomes were not as expected or not within our timeline, blaming something or someone, and doubting God's good and perfect will.

Even when the border was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic and our co-workers were stuck inside, we demanded that the Lord quickly end the situation instead of waiting for His will.  For such people like us, God lovingly still carries out the mystery of His work in spite of our co-workers stranded in various places during the pandemic.

Pray at Kaesong / Pray at Panmunjom


3)Remove the stone of discouragement holding me down.
As the Coronavirus pandemic continues, I became discouraged by the thought that our dreams and mission efforts are in vain. Then, God gave me a new hope through His word in Numbers 26:11 that says, “The line of Korah, however, did not die out.”

The earth opened its mouth and swallowed Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their households and was brought to justice for their rebellion against Moses (Numbers 16:32,33). At first glance, the descendants of Korah seemed to have disappeared from the earth.

However, God lovingly spared some of the descendants of Korah. He allowed them to serve the tabernacle and even had their 12 psalms included in the Book of Psalms.  I have a renewed sense of hope and faith for our ministry facing our NK orphans, kindergarteners, sick villagers, and residents, as I consider them to be like the remnant of the Korah.

NEWS

Photo descriptions: Due to the border closing with coronavirus, there are no recent photos in this July issue. However, I included photos of my visit to NK with second-generation Korean-Canadian in August 2006. All the pictures show our time of worship and prayer together in NK. From start to finish, our singular purpose was to worship God. We worshiped and prayed so earnestly as if we were the only ones worshipping the name of Jesus at that time.

Although the ministries that were carried out in NK were precious, they were, in essence, simply means to eventually bring worship to that land. On the cover of this newsletter, we included a picture of saints from the churches of Netherlands singing praise songs during Sunday service at the Chilgol Church. About 50 of them prepared their visit to NK for many years.  They sang a special hymn, “What a friend we have in Jesus” in Korean. It was such a moving moment as we all lifted our voices together in praise.

In addition, 12 photos of various places in North Korea are included starting from the prayer at our departure time from the Beijing Airport.  One of the photos was taken at Samjiyeon Airport.  We visited Mt. Baekdu and boarded our return flight, but suddenly, heavy rain started pouring down. The plane was a Propeller plane and it couldn't take off in such weather conditions.  So our young second-generation got off the plane, prayed fervently, and God stopped the rain while they were praying.

Everyone had blessed and encouraging time at Cheonji, Mt. Baekdu according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. And the other four photos are Helen & John's wedding service in North Korea in March 2012.

Samjiyeon Airport / Nampo


Food / Clinic Ministry Updates: (1) Food for July and August was secured even though the food situation in NK was very difficult. Pray that the feeding of children, teachers, and patients will continue with the helping hand of God.

(2) Purchasing coal for winter is proceeding well, and the second payment was made for the purchase.

(3) The Rajin border has been opening up little by little, and the ministry is starting to pick up its momentum accordingly.  Please pray for committed partners who can join and reside in China in order to serve in the Food Distribution Ministry.             

Orphanage Vocational Training MinistryUpdates:  There is no news from the NK officials responsible for the orphanage work, so I am very worried and anxious. We have no choice but to pray and trust in God. Please pray earnestly for our China Vowe and New Century staff, their families, and their businesses.

Pyong Yang / Cheonji Mt. Baked


Co-Worker News (1): D Ku's family is currently staying in Korea. They are preparing to come to the US on September 1st.  Hiz Café is being run by Moses & Rannie and Abigail & David in the meantime. Mr. Yoon of the Shoe Factory is currently being treated for illness in San Diego. His daughter’s family has immigrated to the US to live with him. 

The families of Steve & Joy and Gary & Holly are currently staying in Korea, and Paul Lee's family is currently staying in China.

Co-Worker News (2): Jerome & Alissa will leave for Korea in early August to focus on prayer ministry and second-generation mobilization.  While E & J await to renew their visas in the US, the school ministries are overseen by the Chinese co-laborers. 

The family of Helen & John decided to stay in the Seattle area for the time being, and Tommy & Grace and David & Joanne are currently staying in the LA area to recharge. The family of Matt & Rachel are back in the US and are in self-quarantine period.

Pastor Hae-Young Chung from New Jersey started the “Bumper Sticker Campaign” to bless America and to spread the salvation message. Bumper stickers have been enclosed in this newsletter. Please use them to share the good news of the gospel during the pandemic.

Helen & John's Wedding Service in NK.


Prayer Member News (1): Galina Kim & Vladimir Li of VOWE Seoul and Brandon & Chloe of Young VOWE have started a new family. Hwa-Jung Lee (Esther) of the VOWE Seoul opened a wedding shop called Wedding Delight. Please congratulate them. 

Pastor Daniel Jung returned to the US after completing a construction school training in Korea, and Josh Cho is preparing to go back to China in mid-August to join the family working in China. Pastor Tae-Seok Park of the Morgan Town Church has recovered well after testing positive for coronavirus.

Prayer Member News (2): Pastor Young-Kwang Yoon will start a mission school via Zoom. Professor Sungho Ahn (Gordon College) is the speaker, and the lecture schedule and topics are as follows: (Contact: 347) 628-9818, [email protected])

    1. Lecture 1, Friday, Aug 7-Trinity God is a Missional Diaspora Community

    2. Lecture 2, Friday, Aug 14-God's Mission in the O/T

    3. Lecture 3, Friday, Aug 21-God's Mission in the Gospel

    4. Lecture 4, Friday, Aug 28-God's Mission in the Acts



Helen & John's Wedding Service in NK.


Prayer Requests

1)Pray for Repairer & Restorer’s Club, 200 Businessmen’s Club, Gospel Runner’s Club.

2)Pray for God to accomplish His will through coronavirus, raising up that which must be raised up and bringing down that which must be brought down.

3)Pray for children, family members, teachers, and residents at food distribution/clinic ministry.

4)Pray for the children and health of the families of Helen & John, Moses & Rannie, Gary & Holly, Sunny & Kenny, Grace, Yoonie, and Abigail & David.



5)Pray for children, health and ministry of Tommy & Grace, Matt & Rachel, David & Joanne, Mike Chung.

6)Pray for the children, health and ministry of D Ku, Steve, Paul Lee, and Mark Kim.

7)Pray for the Orphanage Vocational Training Ministry and the children and health for the families of China VOWE, KEF, and New Century Staff.

8)Pray for the ministry and families of Jerome & Alissa, E & J, Justin & Eunice, Sean & Mina, and Joy & Gabe.

9)Pray for prayer meetings in all churches and places.

Next Payer Meeting


1) 76th Victorville Prayer Meeting, 8/13/2020 (Thu), 10:30 am, at Geumja Kim’s home


2) 133rd Las Vegas Prayer Meeting, 8/13/2020 (Thu), 6 pm, at Youngmin Chi’s home

3) 97th Young Vowe Prayer Meeting, 8/15/2020 (Sat), 6 pm, at Pastor Hun Jung’s home
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