Vowe News Letter 소식지

"Take up your bed and walk”  John 5:1-15

1 After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another step down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 14 Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. (John 5:1-15)”

Victorville Vowe

As the new year began, my plan and prayer are to visit the field in March, May, and September. At the bare minimum, my desire was to visit China in March and invite the officials from the field there to meet together, discuss various things about ministry, so I was deep in prayer.

However, due to the unprecedented pandemic, my March plan has been canceled. Lately, I have been feeling my ineffectiveness and my limit as a human being, feeling desperate as if this is the end. Yet the Lord gave me this passage to meditate and gave me new hope. The pool of Bethesda was where the outcasts and the deserted people gathered around.

But as Jesus visited the pool, it became a place of hope, a place for new beginnings. As you look to human means for hope, that hope fails, but if you look to Christ, then there is healing, hope, and a new beginning. Jesus comes to the place for the hopeless and gives new hope.

He hears the groans of the outsiders and heals them of their troubles. He orders a new beginning to a man invalid for thirty-eight years to take up his bed and walk. He reveals Himself to the people living in the darkness, telling them to “sin no more” and leads them to the right path.

Even as the world is filled with darkness and it seems like there is no way, if you look to Christ, who died on the cross and came back to life, He tells us that there is a way, a hope. Let us meditate upon the Word of God and keep our posture firm.

Young Vowe

1)Let us look to Christ and depend on Him alone.
During a Jewish feast, Jesus visited the pool of Bethesda on a Jewish holiday, where there were many ill, blind, lame, and weak. Out of many, He visited the man who has been invalid for 38 years. As it is a feast, people were busy with their own errands and visits to make, yet Jesus came to the outcast and the forgotten.

He solved their problem and gave them new hope. The coronavirus pandemic makes us lose heart, and I personally feel weak and powerless, as if I am failing myself. But when I look to Christ, who visits the sick even during a feast, I find new hope. Jesus himself promised that “behold, and I will be with you until the end of ages.” For those of us that hold onto this promise, even these times of darkness will be all but a night of hope, looking forward to the Exodus.

These times of depression are what precede a new hope-filled morning, for those of us that are sealed by the blood of the Lamb.

Las Vegas Vowe

2)Let us pray without ceasing.
As Jesus visited this man who’s been sick for 38 years, He already knew why he had been there, and for how long. Yet, Jesus asks him, “do you want to be healed?” The response he gets from the invalid man is that there is no one to help him and that he has no chance of even getting healed. As Jesus hears this response, He commands him to get up, pick up his bed, and walk. This shows us why we need to continue in prayer.

Jesus already knew the circumstances of his life, and He had the power to heal him, yet he wanted to hear his answer from him before He healed him. Our Lord already knows all things; He knows everything that is taking place in the ministry field, He knows how powerless we are in face of this epidemic, and He knows all things better than even ourselves. Nonetheless, He wants us to come before Him and tell Him of all our pain, difficulties, and feelings of failure. Ministry of Vowe#37 has always been to continually pray before our Almighty God, holding onto him time after time.

He was pleased with how vulnerable and weak we have been before Him, and He has led us thus far. He asks us again, “do you want to be healed?” So we need to continually pray without ceasing.

Joint Vowe

3)Let us march on until the day.
Many people have advised us, saying that either it is not the right time, or that it is useless for us to serve them unless we can deliver the gospel. Even for myself, I wake up in the middle of the night, tossing and turning, praying and asking the Lord if I am on the right path.

I believe this scripture gives me an answer to my questions. Jesus healed a man who did not know anything about Jesus, nor did he have faith. In addition, He healed him on a sabbath. To this man, Jesus appeared again to tell him about himself, and afterward, he was able to testify to the Jews saying that Jesus healed him.

Jesus is able to work all things for good, above time and method, for He is the Almighty Lord, and we are only people, limited by time and method. God will work, and we only need to hold onto him, continue to pray and dream, and keep marching on the path that He allows us to be on.

 

NEWS

Photo descriptions: Due to the border closing with coronavirus, there are no recent photos on this March issue. Thus, I have attached 8 photos from 2007, when we first started food distribution/clinic ministry, and 8 photos from our prayer meetings from this January to March.

Food distribution ministry got its start with some Canadian visitors, to start construction on Changpyung kindergarten and to support food distribution there. Changpyung kindergarten is a large kindergarten, located in the middle of the city of Najin, and Vowe worked hard to support this kindergarten through construction and finances. But after some time, God opened up doors for us to leave Changpyung kindergarten and serve a new kindergarten in Bakhak, which was smaller and also located far from the city center.

At first, we hesitated, but it was a great opportunity for us because it opened up a blessed opportunity for us to serve kindergarten, daycare, hospital, and clinic. So I am posting 4 photos from Changpyung kindergarten, to remember our beginnings. When we visited Baby Delivery Hospital in August 2007, we donated an ambulance there.

Then November last year, when Andy visited there, he visited the hospital and he saw that the same ambulance is still running there; so we posted two pictures of the identical vehicle, with 10 years difference. Also, We donated a delivery truck to soy milk ministry run by an Australia team, and John reported that this truck is still operational, so I posted one picture of the truck and another of soy milk drinking.

On the cover of this 76th issue is a picture from the Huntsville prayer meeting, and I also put two pictures each of Victorville, Las Vegas, Young Vowe, and Joint Vowe prayer meetings.

Changpyung Kindergarten

Food Distribution / Clinic Ministry Updates: When the ministry team left the field in January, they secured food only for the month of February. The border closed since, and we were praying earnestly for the children’s food, but God worked miraculously to open up the way, so our food for months of March and April has been secured. Thanks are to the Lord! Since the family of Helen&John is in the US now, the family of Moses&Rannie, who is in China, will be taking care of this ministry. The family of Sunny&Kenny is getting ready to deliver their second child in April. They have been waiting for many years, experienced many setbacks, but this good news has brought them much joy. The family of David&Joanne is all healthy, and they have sent a few sets of our Winter Gift (hat and scarf package). If you are interested, please let me know.

Co-laborer Updates (1):  The family of D Ku is staying in China, praying for new beginnings of his ministries at Hiz Café and JM Store. They are also praying for their daughter Heidi’s transition to university, and they plan to visit the US during the month of May. The families of Matt&Rachel, and Paul Lee of Sports Ministry, are staying in Korea now, praying for the ministry and co-laborers left-back in the field. The family of Tommy&Grace is currently in Thailand, praying for their visa issues and new ministry.

Changpyung Kindergarten

Orphanage Updates:  After we sent tools for vocational training at Onchon Intermediate Orphanage back in December, we have not heard back from them for three months, which concerns us a lot. Even through difficult times, we have been able to communicate for a bit, but now, this is really difficult.

Please continue praying for the students involved at the orphanage, as well as workers. Pray for their health and safety.

Updates on China Vowe and New Century:  We were able to meet up with the family of Gilbert Shin from the New Century as they were on their way back to China from visiting the US. Thankfully, everyone is healthy, and they are all kept safely within God’s gracious hands. Family of Paul Park, from China Vowe, are struggling financially and are stressed.

Please pray that they would persevere through these stressful times.

Ambulance in 2019

Co-laborer Updates (2): The family of Jerome&Alissa is back in the US, and they are praying for their ministry of Monday Unification Prayer Meeting, and other partners at that meeting. The family of E&J is currently in China, and their ministry in China at school has been fruitful.

They have also started serving a village with organic farming, and it has been so successful that they will also start the same service at a neighboring village. Please pray for families and ministry of Justin&Eunice, Sean&Mina, and Joy&Gabe.

Vowe Prayer Meeting Updates: We planned to visit the field in March, May, and September of 2020. Though our March plan couldn’t work out, please pray that subsequent visits can work out. God has filled our needs with His gracious hands, so our funds for food distribution, clinic, and 2nd generation support for the first half of the year have been filled.

We also have prepared funds for the construction of 2nd clinic at Bupori, so we are just waiting for the border to be opened again. Please pray for our partnering churches, prayer partners, supporters, ministers, and others.

Soy milk drinking

 

Prayer Topics

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

2)Pray that God would use coronavirus to raise up those that need to be raised up, and bring down who needs to be brought down, all according to His will.

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

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

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

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

7)Pray for vocational training for the orphans. Pray for members of China Vowe, KEF, and New Century, their family and children, and their health.

8)Pray for families and children of pastors Josh Cho and John Kim, as they start new ministries.

9)Pray for family and ministry of Jerome&Alissa, E&J, Justin&Eunice, Sean&Mina, and Joy&Gabe.

10)Pray for planned visits in May and September of 2020.

11)Pray for prayer meetings that are getting ready to launch at Huntsville, Bakersfield, and San Jose, as well as existing prayer meetings.

12)Pray for partnering churches, and ministers who are starting new positions or searching for positions.

 

Next Prayer Meeting

1)72nd Victorville Prayer Meeting, 4/16/2020 (Thu), 10:30 am, at Geumja Kim’s home

2)129th Las Vegas Prayer Meeting, 4/16/2020 (Thu), 6 pm, at Youngmin Chi’s home

3)95th Young Vowe Prayer Meeting, 4/18/2020 (Sat), 6 pm, at Pastor Hun Jung’s home