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Zimbabwe UBF (Africa)

September 26, 2012

In 1995 when the Korean Embassy in Namibia closed down, we had to leave the country leaving the ministry with S. Abraham Victor. However, God opened the door for us to go to Zimbabwe. At that time the former president of Zimbabwe was the best friend of Kim Il Sung, so a diplomatic relationship with South Korea was impossible. But due to the sudden death of Kim Il Sung in the spring of 1996, the diplomatic relationship between Zimbabwe and South Korea was established and we could go to the new mission field through the Embassy.

In 1996 after giving birth to our third daughter, I began to visit the campus to preach.  God blessed our pioneering ministry in Zimbabwe. Charity was my very first sheep in Zimbabwe.  Tinago met Jesus personally through Bible study and decided to live as a shepherd.  In 1999 God established the family of Sh. Tinago and Charity. In 2003 God established the house church of Sh. Oliver and Renee.

Since 2000 in order to maintain political power, the Zimbabwe government took farmlands from the white people and gave them to the natives. Because of this Zimbabwe was alienated in international society and the country became extremely unstable both politically and economically. White people who owned farms lost everything and were kicked out of the country. Other foreigners also began to prepare themselves to escape the country and the crisis. The money became so devalued that nearly every week new money with one more “0” was issued. Even after the second monetary revolution, it cost trillions to buy milk and bread. Gradually there were no daily necessities in the country and the people had to wait in lines that were as long as 100 m for several hours just to buy their main staples: corn powder and bread.

When the supply of electricity and water were cut, we had to use the water collected from rain.  In that situation, those who owned property sold them cheaply and left the country. It was easy to become fearful and hopeless as foreigners, but in order to remain in the land of mission, by faith, we purchased a house right across from the university for a center and registered as UBF Trust.  Because of this, Sh. Samuel H. Lee could receive a work permit easily in UBF’s name. Our family also purchased a house near the center. During the time when Zimbabwe was most unstable and difficult, God blessed us to lay a good foundation for the ministry.

At this Southern African Conference, 37 members participated from Zimbabwe and saw God’s hope and vision. I thank God for Sh. Oliver’s family and their co-working. Sh. Onward, Blessed, Lovemore, Obet and Tapywa are growing as 1:1 Bible teachers and leaders. Although they had an important exam right after the conference, they sought first God’s kingdom and his righteousness by preparing messages and life testimonies and group Bible leading from the heart and by faith overcame the final exam as third year medical students. Sister Sally is growing as a prayer mother through common life training. While preparing the Southern African Conference I saw God’s hope and love towards the African people.

African people are poor and humble spiritually and humanly like Korean people in the 60s. God so loved African people that he sent his One and Only Son. I pray that our leaders may fear and love this God and grow as men and women of faith greater than the missionaries and be used by God as protagonists of the life-giving work of God in the next generation. I see by faith the vision that through them God will evangelize 55 African nations and raise Africa as a priestly continent for the rest of the world.

Looking back on my life, I realize that God exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. I was too weak and sinful and was not qualified to be used by God. But our faithful God accepted everything I offered to him as a living sacrifice and used me in the pioneering work of Hongik University, Namibia, and Zimbabwe as a blessing. God blessed us to raise four children, enabled us to invite missionary co-workers, and used us to feed the flock of his sheep.  When we kept the life of mission first, God himself blessed my in-laws abundantly and made them rich, and even healed my brother-in-law’s cancer. When I gave birth to our third and fourth child, people around me were more worried than being happy wondering how we could take care of them. But God blessed and raised our four children well in body and spirit with desire to live before God. God helped them overcome their school studies as well.  Above all, I thank God for M. James because he fears God, truly loves me, and is a good father for the children.  At times when I was difficult and bed-ridden, M. James served the work of God and took care of the sheep alone faithfully. When we lived in obedience to God’s mission, he knew and provided all of our needs sufficiently. Truly God is living and he keeps his promises.

God led us to live our lives as tentmaker missionaries in our generation. The life to which the Lord God called me has been to live as a tentmaker missionary, nameless and without glory, carrying the cross of teaching the Bible to several sheep in a corner of Africa. From a human point of view, I was merely an insecure foreigner without much to show. I was merely a pilgrim. The pioneering work was hard and lonely.  Because of my weaknesses, I experienced painful co-working problems and a leader who served more than ten years left the ministry. But God who loves me helped me to walk on the narrow road.

This is the road that leads me to a better place than where I came from. This is also a life like that of Enoch who walked with God. This is the most blessed life to learn Jesus. I was as good as dead and sorrowful and couldn’t take care of myself. But God changed me and used me to raise spiritual descendants as countless as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Praise and thanks be to God. Once again I look to God who exists and rewards those who earnestly seek him. I realize and confess that the greater rewards God gives is to know Him and his Son Jesus Christ than any other worldly blessings. I earnestly desire to depend on God all my life and learn Jesus, God’s true reward, until the day I go to my true home.

One Word: Truly He exists!