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“God is Love”

Thank God for blessing our Spring Retreat from March 16 to 18, 2012 at the Ganaraska Woods Conference Centre, which is located 1 ½ hours from Toronto.  Our clear prayer topic was to know and renew the love of God through the retreat with the theme ‘God is Love.’

We planned our entire program very simply and encouraged each person to participate in at least one program. Each person participated in one way or another; two mothers of Bible students even participated as prayer servants and for special music together with women co-workers.  M. Timothy who could not attend due to his 2nd week of a final treatment participated with his prayer for the Retreat. God blessed our Spring Retreat, with all 23 attendees enjoying it. For this retreat, messengers gathered together each weekend to prepare messages and we also dedicated ourselves through prayers for 1 ½ months.

On the first night, after the opening address, M. David delivered his message based on 1 John 4, ‘God’s Love, Man’s Love’ and then the next morning, after group Bible study led by women co-workers, M. Isaac delivered his message based on Luke 15, ‘God’s Welcoming Love’, followed by symposiums on great men and women of God.  Mary presented on Corrie Ten Boom, Wade presented on William Carey, Sarah presented on Lillian Thrasher, and Tino on the prophet Jeremiah.
And the same evening, Joseph delivered his message based on Luke 23:26-49, ‘God’s Love Through Forgiveness’. In order to prepare the message, Joseph struggled sincerely by memorizing the passage and writing his testimony and confessing his sins. He personally accepted God’s love through Jesus’ forgiveness. And he delivered his message with the Spirit of God.  We all could see God’s work in his heart. May God continue to fill his heart with the love of God so that his thirsty soul may be fully quenched and the love of God may be revealed through his life to many young people around him.

In the evening, we had a Baptism ceremony with 7 people who confessed Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  Afterwards, we all enjoyed singing and roasting marsh mellows around the campfire, with the fire of love in each one’s heart.

On Sunday, at our worship service, M. Paulus gave us his message based on John 21, ‘Do You Love Me?’ We thank and praise Jesus who visited Peter and showed his unfailing love by cooking breakfast and restoring him in his love. We could imagine the beautiful beach party with Jesus and Peter on the seashore of the Tiberias. Thank Jesus who never fails in loving, in forgiving sinners like me, though I am not faithful to him. I could confess again, ‘Yes Lord, you know that I love you’. May God bless each of us to love Jesus and serve his sheep.

We really thank God for encouraging us to have a beautiful and spiritual retreat with wonderful words of God.  We thank God for our students and second gens who served ‘Praise and Worship’, music program, power point,  jeopardy, and camp fire with joyful hearts and love for God.

May the love of God continue to grow in each one’s heart.  We pray to give our hearts and serve Humber campus and UTM campus sharing God’s love and His truth. May God continue to raise dedicated disciples of Jesus through our prayers and Bible study. May God continue to use UBF ministry to share the gospel of Jesus and serve discipleship ministry. May God pour out God’s wisdom and Holy Spirit on Dr. Abraham Kim as he shepherds God’s people around the world.

May the Lord continue to show his great mercy and healing grace on each sick co-worker, especially M. Timothy Park, S. Philip Lee, and Dr. James Suh.

Paulus Cha