Nicaragua UBF Mission Report 2012

by WMD   03-17-2013   0 reads

Nicaragua UBF

March 16, 2013
 
Luke 10:2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
 
 
We praise and thank our Father in heaven for His wonderful grace to feed us well with the bread of life, clothe us, and be with us always during the last year. Although we are sinful and weak, we truly thank our Lord Jesus Christ who forgave our sins and weaknesses and used us preciously for the redemptive work of God. Please, Lord help me to grasp your new vision while looking back over our thanksgiving topics and the work of the Holy Spirit for the last year, praising and giving thanks fully to you. I pray in Jesus’ name.
 
1. The work of the word of God (reading the book of John, Romans, the Old Testament)
I thank God for being with us through the holy word of God the last year. We studied John’s gospel every week in the spring semester and had Romans Bible study in the fall semester. I thank God that we could serve the Easter Summer Bible Conference with John’s gospel. I thank God that those who attended the Sunday worship service sincerely were able to have the firm foundation in their hearts and faith through Roman’s Bible study. I praise God that God gave us Daily Bread as the best direction every moment. I thank God for disciples’ group (Jonathan, Mariano, Yasyris, Padia, Sandra, Mayra) who finished reading the New Testament the year before last year and tasted the pleasure of the word of God through rereading the Old Testament of Bible last year. I also thank God that the disciples’ group became servants of the word of God through serving message every Friday campus meeting along with participating in the fishing ministry, sing-along, etc. Above all, I truly thank God that God, the living God and the Holy Spirit were always with us and worked in their hearts with powerful and living messages.
 
2. The Easter Summer Bible Conference (April 4th-7th, 2012)
Our Easter Summer Bible conference was so special. The main theme of the conference was, “If you believe, you will see the glory of God (John 11:40).”  The conference was held with 28 attendants at a retreat place 1000 meters above sea level and it was cool and near to city. There were special guests-S. Luis & Besi-from Venezuela UBF, who were a sacrificial and good role model of a house church. I thank Venezuela UBF for their prayers and their sacrificial support. Jonathan, Mariano, Yasyris, Sandra, Mayra, M. Juan & Rebeca Kim, and S. Luis served messages in the morning and evening session. Especially, we were so moved by the love of Jesus on the cross through S. Luis’ message based on John 19, “It Is Finished.” Brothers and sisters-Bismarck, Rosa, Christian, Eric, Jaoska, Myrna, Marsio, Maynor) confessed their wounds and sin problems honestly before Jesus Christ, and they were save by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. I personally decided to feed Jesus’ sheep according to this holy work of God.
 
3. Friday fishing & worship service meeting (Pesca Milagrosa)
While considering about discipleship training programs according to the work of the Holy Spirit at the conference, I decided to focus on the fishing ministry with the brothers and sisters in the disciples’ group, separating from the previous disciple group who have been training with Sunday worship service, reading the Old Testament, eating Daily Bread in the morning, and fishing. I was concerned about how to serve them and what way is the best, and sometimes, it was challenging for me due to a lack of faith. However, I started the meeting by simply obeying the word of God, “Five Loaves and Two Fish,” with invitation, sing-along, message, and some food. Each of disciple groups invited one or two people among their friends and their Bible students and we worshiped God every week at the class room on campus. It was convenient, cozy, and comfortable for students to worship and praise God. In the beginning, there were only around 10 people, but later the meeting grew to around 20-30 people. We listened to a Bible message, sang, tried singspiration Karaoke, played games, and watched a movie together, especially they loved singspiration Karaoke. They were like thirsty souls and they needed the love of a shepherd more than ever. We were happy to see that the Holy Spirit worked in their hearts and God blessed this Friday meeting at campus more than other meetings and we came to know that it was true that Nicaraguan campus students were like a field ripe for harvest, waiting for more workers to harvest them. Every week, they served the meeting wholeheartedly with a compassionate shepherd’s heart. As a result, Bismarck, Maynor, Reonell, Iyser, Juan Carlros, some dorm friends, and some classmates attended the meeting and received much grace. We were broken-hearted because there was no place they could pray, learn the word of God, and sing to God so we prayed wholeheartedly for Friday meeting at campus to be used by the Holy Spirit; we also prayed for the powerful work of God to spread across the campus. I pray again that we may grow more this new year.
 
4. Discipleship ministry
I praise God because of His grace and mercy and the hope in Him although the discipleship ministry in 2012 was slow and revealed our status vividly. Jonathan and Mariano share common life as brothers and Padya and Yasiris share common life as sisters in the UBF center. Sisters Sandra and Mayra live together near the center. They have been studying Bible for 3 years and 5 years and decided to live as disciples of Jesus.
One brother dated a girl who attended the conference and sinned against God in spite of warning so they needed a stronger warning and stopped sinning. One sister who was divorced started to date a man from online chatting, became pregnant, and lived with him. She confessed her sin before Jesus and repented, and then she married him. Two sisters had a big fight and disliked each other after something happened. There was a bullying problem when a brother started to date a girl and when a sister became very sensitive. I encouraged loving each other but it didn’t work. One sister’s father passed away with kidney cancer after severe pain. She was sorry toward missionaries although we visited and served them some times.
I was distressed by all these events. Also, three of them are graduating so they worried about their future and two of them need to marry in God. I struggled with their sin problems, present and future insecurity, and marriage but I didn’t know how to give them the spiritual vision and help them with their problems. Only I prayed earnestly that God may give them His wisdom, love, and faith so that they may grow in God as faithful, loving, and spiritual disciples of Jesus. May they grow in their life of faith!
 
5. The work of the Holy Spirit and thanksgiving Topics
I thank God who enabled M. Rebeca Kim to serve Korean class in UCA University for a year sincerely. As the fourth class and eighth class are graduating in a year, we pray that serving Korean class in the University may be used as God’s instrument like five loves and two fish for pioneering the university. I thank God that my three children are healthy and are adjusting to their school life well. By God’s grace, from time to time, we served hiking on New Year’s Sunday, fall athlete program, the communion ceremony, and thanksgiving worship service.
 
6. One to One Bible Study and Sunday Worship Service
I thank God that every week, we had around 10-20 one to one Bible studies and around 10-20 Sunday worship service attendants. We try to focus on one to one Bible study ministry and pioneering house churches so that we may have a more diverse and joyful Sunday worship service in 2013.
 
7. My Shepherd Life
I meditated on Ephesians 6:18 and decided to pray before doing everything,-“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” I had difficulties to devote myself to the work of God because I had physical weakness and too much work in my work place. However, God helped me and the Holy Spirit worked by himself! I was strengthened by Romans 8 and this word of God nourished me to live following and receiving help from the Holy Spirit and having a deep love relationship with Jesus. When I look back, I can’t stop praising God who is so graceful. I pray that I may have vision and hope in God, and devote myself to the work of God sacrificially.
One word:  Send out workers into his harvest field!
 
By Juan Kim
 

 

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