News > North America

January 4, 2013

 

 

By God’s grace, I and my family attended the graduation ceremony on December 13th in 2012 at the University of Toledo. I have completed all the requirements to obtain my Ph.D. degree at the University of Toledo. Reflecting upon God’s grace, I would like to highlight some lessons I have learned and thanksgiving topics I am really thankful for.

 

First, God’s faithfulness and goodness have been shown to me in his way and at his time. During the past 5 and half years of Ph.D. study, God showed his faithfulness and goodness in his way and at his time. During this time period, I underwent many financial difficulties, intellectual challenges, and cultural and language barriers. But God helped me to overcome a series of these challenges one by one. He never failed to show me his faithfulness and goodness but in his way and at his time, not in my own ways and at my time schedule.  In this way, I could deepen my trust relationship with God all the more.

 

Second, I am deeply indebted to many people surrounding me to complete the degree. My parents, Dr. Mark and M. Anna Yang, relentlessly supported me and prayed for me in love. I appreciate my grandmother, M. Monica Cho, who has always been with me in the good and bad times through prayer. I cannot forget my sister Sarah Theresah Ahn and my brother-in-law Dr. Joseph Ahn for their support and friendship in love. I am very grateful for Toledo co-workers including seniors, fellow shepherds and missionaries. I thank God for the spiritual mentorship and practical guidance of Dr. Paul and M. Sarah Hong. I am thankful for the prayers of M. Maria Hong. I appreciate Mark and Carol Gamber for their fellowship in love and care. I appreciate fellow shepherds and missionaries for their friendship. I am thankful for senior shepherds and missionaries who helped me to develop my life in Toledo, including Peter and Joan Park, John and Rebekah Wilson, Kevin and Kathy Reilly, Jim and Sue Paul, and Russell and Ruth Kille, and many others. I am indebted to their love and support for me and my family. Without their help, I couldn’t be here as I am.

 

Third, God helped me to overcome challenges and experience victory over Ph.D. study. Ph.D. study was not without challenges. The first challenge was the two-year coursework; by God’s grace I could pass on time and move on to the next step. The second was teaching. I was not able to teach college-level courses until the fourth year of the Ph.D. study. At God’s time, he enabled me to teach college-level courses, overcoming language, cultural and communication barriers. The third was about dissertation. I had a good ambition to complete the dissertation within two years. But the process has been quite delayed. I had to learn the right way of working with dissertation advisors. It was the great way of learning humility and developing perseverance. The fourth was graduation. It took five and a half years to complete all requirements to obtain the degree. It is God’s grace that I graduated and become a Ph.D. The last one is job placement. God granted a 1-year visiting faculty position at the College of Charleston last year. I will wait for a tenure-track position next year to serve American campus students.

 

Fourth, God molded my character to bear God’s greater blessings. During the past five and a half years, M. Rebekah and I could serve many Bible students with words of God and prayer. Through shepherding them, we could develop our godly character and learn Jesus’ humility. It was a privilege for us to serve them even though we were not great Bible teachers or great people of character. We were weak and the same sinners. But God used me and M. Rebekah to teach His words and preach the gospel of Jesus so that they came to know Christ our Lord. Physically, God blessed me and increased my family in number from a single person to five people. Children are God’s gift and they are a source of joy. At the same time, I feel a great obligation to raise them in God’s wisdom and love. I believe God has blessed me through my parents’ faith. I want the channel of God’s blessing to be continued generation after generation. I will continue to seek God’s wisdom and love to care for my children and raise them as God’s useful people for his life-giving work.

 

In conclusion, God is good and his love endures forever. God disciplines the one he loves. I thank God for his goodness and his discipline for me through my Ph.D. study. May I grow as a useful instrument of God to spread the gospel. May God use my Ph.D. degree for his salvation work.

One word: God is good and he disciplines the one he loves. 

 

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