News > Europe

Luke 13:8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.”

For about the last three years, my work has taken me to central Europe, multiple times a year.     This has given me an opportunity to worship with other missionaries and visit UBF chapters in Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria. I never imagined that God would ever bring me to this part of the world, let alone on some regular basis, but that is what God has done. More importantly, it is into this part of the world that God has commissioned and sent his servants to proclaim Jesus Christ and his gospel. God loves the people in these lands and missionaries love the people too. The mission fields are difficult for many reasons. However, missionaries have lived by faith, seeking God’s kingdom first, and have overcome all kinds of challenges. 

I have been inspired and refreshed each time I met these frontline servants of the Lord. I thank God for opening my eyes to this part of the world and how missionaries are laboring for God’s kingdom in this part of the world. Ever since the first time I went, I wanted to bring my family to see this beautiful part of the world and to introduce them to precious UBF missionaries serving in these places. Also I wanted my children to see how God is using second-generation missionaries very actively in the mission work. Thank God that in August of this year, such an opportunity came. 

I left for work the first week of August. My family joined me at the end of my first week of work. Our first weekend we visited Prague UBF. Prague is the capital of Czech Republic. Missionary Hanna Shin is the UBF director there. There are five missionary families in Prague – M. Hanna Shin, M. Joshua and Maria Kang (2 children), M. Samuel and Anna Park (3 children), M. Peter and Petra Jung (1 child), and M. David and Anna Rebekah Shin. Sh. Ales Maca is Czech shepherd who shared his life testimony at the World Mission Report. We also met Sister Henka, M. Hanna’s Bible student. M. Hanna operates Shin Foods, which sells Korean food and products all over central Europe. God has blessed it very abundantly to support multiple UBF missionary families. Also, M. Hanna is a leader in the Czech/Korean business community. 

We had a wonderful opportunity to worship together. Prague UBF has a very nice, spacious Bible center. The week we were there, M. Joshua Kang delivered the message on John 15 in Czech. My wife, Sh. Joy, shared her life testimony based on John 15:5, in Korean. M. David translated into multiple languages. My son Daniel played flute together with Moses and Somang Kang, and M. Anna Rebekah. M. Hanna gave the prayer topics and announcements with S. Ales translating. Some of their prayer topics include: 1) each person to have 1 new Bible student, 2) to pioneer the Technical University, 3) Sh. Ales to continually grow as a man of faith, 4) David Shin to successfully finish his bachelors theses, 5) M. Anna Rebekah Shin’s pregnancy. 

After my second week of work, my family went to Budapest. Budapest is the capital of Hungary. M. Andrew and Sarah Kim have been in Budapest since 2002, after serving as missionaries in the former Yugoslavia. They had to leave Serbia because of the civil war. Today, there are three missionary families in Budapest – M. Andrew and Sarah Kim (2 children), Isaac and Rebecca Jung, and a new family, James and Naomi Kim. M. Andrew is the UBF director. He has a tour guide business in which he leads tour groups all over Europe. M. Andrew and M. Sarah’s daughters, Grace and Somang Nada, are wonderful co-workers in the ministry and were also gracious hosts. Budapest UBF uses a flat next to the university dormitory for their Bible center. All the families live close by, prayerfully co-working for the campus ministry. 

When I contacted M. Andrew about visiting with my family, he asked me to give the Sunday message and my wife to share her life testimony. It was right after I gave the Luke 12:54-13:9 message in Chicago so I asked to give the same message. He said it was okay even though they are currently going through Genesis on Sundays. I worried that an English message would make them burden their ears. Also, I was self-conscious about giving a message to missionaries who have practically followed Christ more closely than me. I changed and shortened the message. My wife again gave her life testimony in Korean. I believe it was gracious and meaningful. Daniel played music with M. Rebekah for the worship service. M. Andrew seemed to encouraged by Luke 13:8. He believes Jesus is working hard, even using the refugee crisis and national situation to humble Hungarian hearts to receive Jesus. He prays for a new spiritual harvest in Hungary and all Europe. Their prayer topics include 1) M. Andrew’s touring business, 2) master the difficult Hungarian language (Magyar) and 3) M. James Kim to find a job for self-support. 

After visiting Budapest, my family left for Vienna. Vienna is the capital of Austria. For many consecutive years, it was rated as the best or one of the best cities in the world in which to live. There are two missionary families in Vienna – Dr. James and Sarah Han (5 children) and M. Daniel and Daniela Yang (2 children). Dr. James works for an Austrian technology institute and is the UBF director. M. Daniel works for the Korean embassy. Sh. Epaphroditus is also a faithful co-worker in the ministry. They have a very nice Bible center next to the University of Vienna. 

Unfortunately, we did not have time to stay for worship service in Vienna UBF as I had been blessed to do in the past. But Dr. James Han’s family invited us to have dinner at his home. As it was the middle of the week, everyone was busy. But they welcomed us so warmly. M. Sarah prepared a delicious dinner and we had a wonderful time of fellowship. Their daughter Sarah even prepared a true Vienna-coffee for dessert which my wife had been longing to try. Afterwards, M. James took us to see the center for the sake of my wife and children. Their prayer topics include 1) fishing ministry and their sheep at the University of Vienna, 2) Lydia Han’s medical school studies, 3) Sh. Ephaphroditus’ work and master’s study, 4) spiritual awakening in Austria. 

We were so thankful for this opportunity from God to meet precious missionaries and shepherds in Europe. We are indebted to their gracious welcome and love for us. At the same time, we were also inspired to pray for missionaries and the people of these nations. There is a long, rich, cultural, political and religious history in these lands. There is a long Christian history in each of these places that I do not have time to write about. But Jesus loves the people in these lands as evidenced by sending his servants there and being with them to be faithful witnesses. They continue to testify and speak about Jesus and surely God has many people in these places (Acts 18:9,10). Amen. 

Tony King, Chicago UBF