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January 29, 2013

 

Review 2012

I selected John 21:15 as key verse for the beginning of 2012. Our prayer topic was to co-work well and feed one sheep based on the year’s key verse.

 

First, Work of God’s Words

 

God helped us to study Genesis, Philippians, and Mark’s Gospel in this year. Through the Genesis Bible Study we learned faith of ancestors. We are especially very encouraged through the God who led Joseph sincerely. By studying Philippians, we focused on getting to know Jesus. Especially Mrs. Asenca has been growing up more spiritually. She was an orphan left all alone in the world and not loved very much. But she recognized God’s love through the fellowship with my family. In this year, Marina studied God’s word with her whole heart and felt God’s grace a lot. We loved Marina wholeheartedly, but Mrs. Asenca became jealous and grumbled about that we would love only Marina. God helped her through the Philippians study to repent her jealousy and to focus on only Jesus. Additionally, we have learned again about Jesus and his love by studying Mark’s Gospel. Above all, God helped us to hold Prayer Meetings at 6 a.m. persistently and provided living Word abundantly.

 

It is remarkable that our sheep received God’s Word and grew up one step further this year. Mrs. Asenca was deeply touched by the grace that Jesus showed her by calling her although she is old and deficient. She shed tears of gratitude and decided to serve the work of God more actively. She is participating in God’s work by writing daily bread and correcting Sunday Worship Message.

 

Marina has been growing up spiritually, too. From childhood on she was educated as Christian and served Catholic mass every Sunday by playing piano. She was a model student and studied hard at school. She tried to keep a holy life as a Christian and a life separate from the worldly life. But as she tried to do so, her school friends left her entirely out of their conversation and Marina was deeply wounded by that. After entering university she suffered depression and took medicine. She talked about this to a nun who was on friendly terms. But the nun broke contact to her. A couple of friends did not want to be with her and avoided her because she had financial problems. God led her to 1:1 Bible study with Msn. Maria. She became peaceful in the Word of God by fully receiving Msn. Maria’s love. This year, she had to write the last exam for senior year. She struggled and prayed very much like Jacob who wrestled with God at the ford of Jabbok. God heard her prayer and helped her to reach the senior year. Through the exam she experienced the power of faith and now she studies the Bible more deeply with Msn. Maria and has begun to write Testimony.

 

God helped us to share the grace of his Word through three Bible Academies. We could serve Asenca, Marina, Ivan, and Family Tomoko. Mrs. Tomoko who has married a Croatian was a Japanese colleague of Msn. Maria. The family came to the Fall Bible Academy and we could make a relationship with them. We pray that we will be able to help this family with love and God’s word next year.

 

God sent us new sheep through fishing on Tuesdays. Actually Msn. Maria was very busy for company job and new missionaries had language problems, but we brought our 5 loaves and 2 fish to God and invited students to Bible study by faith. As we did that, God helped us to keep a relationship with Josip, Maja, Tajana, and Lucija. We are praying that we can strengthen the relationship with them and serve them with the word of God.

 

Our Second Gens, Rebecca (10 years old), and Samuel Bae (8 years old) grew up further in God’s word in his year. They hold Bible readings and prayers every day and keep doing Bible study and writing testimonies every week sincerely. In school they learned hard and set an example for other pupils and helped friends in trouble. They made different kinds of friends and helped those who were bullied by others, too. Some classmates provoked this kind of serving, but Rebecca & Samuel didn’t become intimidated, but have been keeping helping suffering friends. This year Rebecca served the Worship Service with piano accompaniment and Samuel played the violin for the offering.

 

Second, Co-working

 

In September 2012 God sent us Msn. Timothy Suh as a new missionary and helped us to build a vessel of Holy Spirit. When Msn Timothy Suh decided to come to Croatia, his father had deadly cancer and his wife was pregnant. But he obeyed God’s calling and came to Croatia leaving his father and wife in Korea. He visited language courses and took part in campus fishing meeting. He is now in Korea for a short time because of the home coming of his father and the birth of his child. He is praying to come back to Croatia at the end of December this year. Msn. Lydia Oh who came to Croatia last year is learning Croatian and co-working with us humbly.

 

Third, Self-Supporting

 

Msn. Joseph Bae’s family has successfully laid a foundation for stable self-supporting ministry by faith. Msn. Lydia is doing private room rental service and works as a tour guide while she is learning language for two years. We are praying that she may get a job at a company. Msn. Timothy Suh has entered language school and is praying to get a job after a language course.

 

II. 2013: A year of delighting in the law of the Lord

 

Our key verse for 2013 is Psalm 1:1-2. “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” We pray that we delight in God’s word, abide by His laws day and night and grow up spiritually. Especially, we pray that we listen to God’s word and also write testimonies and take daily bread seriously so that we take root in the deep ground and become blessed people.