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Kenya UBF, Africa
September 27, 2013

Key verse: Genesis 37:9 (Joseph’s dream); “Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

Living in Africa as a shepherd with a vision

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me this good opportunity to have a fellowship with Korean shepherds while I am visiting Korea. This time I want to reveal what you have done in my life through sharing my reflection. I pray that God may be glorified in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Even in today, God calls each one of us and gives us dream, wishes, and vision and drives our lives just so. God showed me a vision as well. It was a Map of Africa. I saw the vision not long after I began a Missionary life in Africa. I accepted the vision as a sign for me to serve the whole African souls. Likewise God intervened in my life and guides my life by the vision.

I was born in 1971 in Gangneung, Gangwon-do the eldest of three sons between my father and mother who were both teachers. My father drank a lot and it was very hard for my mother to accept him. Whenever my father got drunk, they used to fight talking abusively with each other from that night until morning. Because of their influence, I began to have a strong desire to meet a woman who can love me unconditionally and set up a happy family. Spiritually, it was a serious problem, because it made me to abandon God who always loves me unconditionally and to worship a girl as an idol.

In college, I met a girl student activist who was my first love. Following after her, I also took part in student political movement. One day I confessed my love to her, however, I got dumped by her. She said that she loved other senior. I went home and cried a lot that night and I made a decision to be such a guy like a lady-killer. So, I got caught up in a drunken mood, sang a sad song in the student’s council room, laughing broadly. I more actively participated in the student movement and later I became the president of the college. By the time I graduated, many girl students who got interested in me were around me. However, I came to know that no woman can love me unconditionally. Many times my heart was broken and girls were hurt by me as well. It was not a minor matter. Consequently my heart was filled with lust, evil and cruelty. My life had become even more meaningless.

Around that time, God sent me a UBF shepherdess, Shin Hwa Kim who led me to back to the God, whom I had served until high school. Outwardly I came back to God, however, though inwardly my heart disease caused idol worship of girls for a long time was still affecting me (God is healing even now). God specifically granted me two the most important blessings among many. Firstly, God removed the idol from my heart and blessed me to meet the living Lord, Jesus. Secondly, God sent me the most precious co-worker and blessed me to be a missionary. In fact, God stopped me from looking for a woman, but helped me to wait for the prepared helper through Matt. 19:6, “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Even in my army life, God again gave me Jude 1:3, “urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.” It was a command of the Lord for me to not live for a woman idol, but live to fight against it for the faith. Finally in July 1999, God blessed me to marry to a missionary Lydia who has been in Kenya since 1997 and I went out as a missionary to Kenya in March 2000.

However, from the beginning of my missionary life in Kenya, I got many conflicts with my wife. I demanded many things from her, who had a heavy cross of self-supporting. I easily got angry whenever I found my wife not serving well. I even got violent with my wife. My suffering wife told me that I have to find myself first before God, before serving his mission. Even our first born, Min Seok got hurt because of me. I repented of my life of judging others randomly with my own standard. God accepted my repentance and gave his grace in our family. I decided to take up the cross of self-supporting and God gave me a thankful heart regardless of our financial status. On top of it, God brought peace into our family that our all three children could grow on the bright and healthy way. Especially Min Seok is growing so bright that many school friends like him. Thanks to God!

The most difficult moment, however, came after three years of missionary life in the mission field. I had been tired of low income, hard self-supporting, no fruit of discipleship ministry. I strongly wanted to go back to Korea to take rest for a while. At that very moment, while I was driving and taking a student to his home after tutoring, I met 5 robbers in a group. It was not far from my home, only several hundred yards away. When I saw an AK-47 aiming at me, I thought the time has come for me to leave for heaven. Strangely enough, however, peace came into my heart all of sudden. God gave me a confidence that today is not the day. The robbers wrapped me in a blanket and put me into the rear boot of the car for about three or four hours. The robbers did their job by my car and left the car with me and the student in the boot in an isolated place and ran away. With ripped clothes I came home early morning and saw my co-worker and other missionaries got together and were praying for me. They comforted me not to be discouraged. However, this incident gave me a great strength, because I could see the God who is alive and protecting me. Through this difficulty, God gave a great confidence in the best way to me. This difficulty caused me to be thankful within the shortest time. I could share the thanksgiving topics with my mission co-workers. With that strength that I gained at that time, I could serve newly God’s ministry. Soon after I could get a job and started a life of self-supporting instead of my wife. Thanks to God who eccentrically intervenes in the life of each person and gives us faith and leads our lives to him!

There are a lot of sheep in Africa, discipleship ministry is not easy though. Although we sacrificially serve them 2-3 years even through common life, they never change. It is hard for them to open their hearts and share their own problems with the missionaries who are living in a big house with a nice car. They try to solve their own matters like marriage and job by themselves. Nevertheless, God left some native leaders in the Kenya UBF. Among them, Sh. Otieno is an exemplary native leader. Then by the grace of God remaining leaders followed his good example and came to establish house churches.

As a missionary, my personal prayer topic is to be a self-supporting missionary who is able to raise disciples of Jesus in Africa. Several weeks before I came to Africa Sh. Alexander left our ministry because of a job and marriage problem and went back home. I specifically pray for him to be fully recovered. I pray that God may grant me much more grace so that I can be a good shepherd for God’s sheep in Africa. I pray that God may fulfill the vision of the map of Africa.

Kenya UBF Prayer topics:
1). Kenya UBF planned a weekend Bible conference for Oct. 18-20. We are praying for the conference that the words of God work mightily and to be full of God’s grace. We pray for the messengers, Sh. Otieno and Sh. Kevin to repent before the word of God and serve the word of God powerfully.

2). Sh. Otieno got the first daughter last week. We pray that this house church may humbly seek God’s mercy and grace and be a blessed family.

3). We pray for Shs. Doreen’s marriage by faith. She made a decision to marry by faith, but suddenly her marriage partner did not come to our meeting. May God bless her to marry to the best one whom God prepared for!

God saved me from girl-idol worshipping, meaningless life, lust and cruelty with the precious blood of Jesus. God sent me the best co-worker and gave me a vision for Africa. He has led me to live as a shepherd of African souls with his long patient love until now. I pray that I may live by faith in Africa to the end, holding the vision of a shepherd of Africa. I want to see the glorious moment when God’s plan for African souls is finally fulfilled.

One word: I pray that I may live as the vision of a shepherd of Africa.