News > Middle East

M. E.
December 31, 2013

The M. E. Directors Conference was held in Q. , the host for the 2018 World Cup, on Dec. 19-22, 2013. The conference site used was a resort building having been built by one Korean church elder for Arab mission. It was located by the seashore that is 30 min. away from the capital city Doha. There were 34 attendants including 5 second gens. These are the list of attendants: S. MK, S. CK from Korea, P. AK, M. SK, M. JK from U.S.A, M. JK, DK from Q. , M. PK, M. GK from Pakistan, M. JC from Lebanon, M. RP, M.RP, M. AC, M. SC from Saudi, M. MY, M. HY, from UAE, M.NY, M. JH, M. EH from Libya, as S. MD/HB, KH/NA, RJ, JN.
These are the thanksgiving topics and prayer topics:

Thanksgiving topics:

1. We thank God for a wonderful conference site and environment. In the beginning we tried to have a conference at the house of Director M. JK. It seemed fine because it was a three-story house but there was a space problem to prepare and serve meals to attendants. While praying about it, we got an offer of a conference site from one elder of a nearby Korean Church, who had built the resort building for Arab mission. It was located by the seashore and well fit for having meetings and serving meals. Even a cook was provided so that we could eat the best meals during the conference. The last day menu was Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup). P. AK showed much appreciation and said it was one of the best meals ever served at a conference. We gave thanks to God who provided all and richly blessed the M. E. Conference.

2. We thank God for the powerful work of the word of God
The conference theme was “Preach the Word”. The opening message was delivered by M. E. Director M.JK with the theme “The Word, Jesus”. He said in his message Jesus is the Word and the Word is Jesus, so when we receive the word, we receive Jesus, and when we preach the word, we preach Jesus. When he taught the word with confidence MD, KH was changed and encouraged to have the confidence of the word and its power. Through the messages sequentially delivered by P. AK, S. ML and CK, we could be certain that God’s words are the most precious presented by God and also God’s strong power to save, teach and change people. P. AK emphasized that God’s words must be preached because only God’s words have the power to give salvation. Although there was the prevalent thought that the M. E. does not have its time yet, when the words of God were preached in any circumstances, there has been salvation through God’s words and the history of changing people in Q. . S. ML mentioned the importance and power of teaching deeply God’s words to a small number of people. His message gave great strength to M. E. missionaries who serve small size ministries. S. CK asserted that when we obey Jesus’ command to feed sheep, without attributing to situations and conditions, the risen Jesus himself works.
During the conference, missionaries deeply meditated on “the power of words” and came to have urgent and clear spiritual hope and directions. Particularly, they were given the hope to prepare Sunday messages with more sincere hearts and to challenge themselves for M. E. gospel ministry by depending on the power of God’s words. All missionaries came to pray with the vision and hope that gospel ministry in Q. will be extended to the whole M. E. region.

3. We thank God for establishing house churches. S. MD and KH, who have grown faithfully in Q. UBF, respectively formed their house churches. Although they are not raised in UBF, the sisters had faith and accepted missions. They were patient, smart, and talented. While preparing life testimonies and music programs, they prayed that their families would be used as house churches. MD and KH are Egyptians and have Christian backgrounds. MD has a talent to deliver messages and KH is talented in languages. KH co-worked and served God’s ministry with a sincere heart. These two persons delivered fifteen-minute long messages. For the conference, they almost took charge in preparing video clips, music, translation and pick-up. We pray that they may be raised as great messengers and shepherds. Now, S. families in M. E. have included three families such as the R, the MD, and the KH. For your information, S. R could not attend the conference because he could not get day-offs out of his business and his coworker E went to the Philippines to give birth to her fourth child.

4. M. JK has well served an exemplary gospel ministry as a director for the last six years. But he suggested that another missionary should take his place in order to help others to participate with the sense of ownership in ministry. Thus we pray that M. JK may serve his director position until July 2014 and God may appoint the best person for the position. The strong candidate is M. MY in UAE, where email communication and gatherings are easy. We thank God for M. JK who has taken all responsibilities to pray for M. E. gospel ministry and served an exemplary ministry in every aspect.

Prayer topics:
1. P. AK prayed that every M. E. chapters may raise one Abraham and one Sarah by depending on the power of God’s words and feeding sheep. We pray that we may raise disciples of Jesus out of Egyptians, Syrians, Philippians, and Indonesians although they are not orthodox fundamental Arabians. Also P. AK gave a prayer topic for missionaries to continuously conquer Arabic. It is because he felt the need to help missionaries to learn Arabic due to the communication limitations in English, even though the conference was held in both English and Arabic. We pray that Pakistan chapter, has many sheep, may raise S. M as a disciple of Jesus and they may focus on raising disciples by God’s words like Apostle Paul who made disciples in the Lecture Hall of Tyrannus.

2. We pray for marriages for ministry. S. R, a Syrian but grew up in Lebanon and is now in Q. , has a sense of ownership and commitment in gospel ministry. We pray for him to establish a house church like Shepherds MD and KH. J, a 38 year old sister from Indonesia, has a good faith and does good at company work. We pray that the best brother S. may be sent for her future husband. RP, a second generation of CMI missionary, commits herself to UBF. She graduated SNU and now works at CKE. She is faithful, good at Arabic and beautiful. She prays that she may establish a house church of faith within two or three years.

3. M. JK from Chicago chapter is 58 years old but attended the M. E. conference for the third time in order to live as a M. E. missionary. We pray that God may accept her hope and help her to be hired as a nurse in Abu Dhabi of UAE so that she can live as a missionary in M. E. .

4. Plan for 2014
We planned to have Whole M. E. Summer Conference in July and 2015 Staff Conference in January or March of 2015. We pray to have good plans and serve these conferences well. M. JK is supposed to serve a director position until July 2014 and from the 2015 Staff Conference a new director will take charge of the M. E. ministry. We pray that God may appoint a new director for M. E. ministry.

Personal Reflections:

God challenged me and gave me much grace by helping me to look at gospel ministry establishing in the spiritually barren land like oil sprouting in M. E. desert. M. JK in Q. has a clear life priority and an exemplary attitude as a missionary. In the midst of sufferings to be put into jail, he stayed in Q. , and offered himself after being independent financially. He gave his house for the place for common life and tried to serve gospel ministry first. God has acknowledged his heart and attitude and raised shepherds MD, KH, R, and Y. Also God has established a family-like spiritual community in Q. and made him an example for other chapters. Out of faith and commitment to God, M. S could send shepherd R to Q. . M. RB and his wife have built the altar of prayers while keeping their life of faith for the last 18 years. God has listened to their prayers and sent them M. AC’s family as a coworking family. Also God sent S. R to them as a coworker. M. PK in Pakistan has formed a spiritual ministry with his sacrificial prayer life, while working as a KOTRA employee.

These missionaries’ living spirits provide the foundation for God’s ministry to grow as trees in the desert-like barren land, and now make it possible the ministry of souls to take rest in the trees. I learned that the important thing is not environment but attitude, spirit, and commitment. I pray that our precious servants of God may experience God who established a disciple-making ministry in Tyrannus, by believing the power of God’s words, studying them, obeying them, simply believing in them, and testifying of them. I pray that the word of God may spread widely and grow in power (Acts 19:20), and God’s ministry may spread to 22 countries in the M. E. all the more.

One word: God’s words grow in power