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God So Loved the World

Buenos Aires UBF and La Plata UBF held a 2012 joint summer Bible conference Jan. 19-22 at Centro Cairos right outside Buenos Aires.  The theme of the conference was “God so loved the world” because we felt the need to know the love of God more deeply.  M. DK’s family was not with us any longer after Dec. 16, 2011. After Christmas, we had only a few weeks to prepare. But our sisters from the sisters’ house coworked very well with the family of M. Marcos and Ruth Kim to prepare the conference.

From the first week of 2012, we prepared the group Bible teachers. All of the messengers wrote their life testimonies. While they shared them, each of them felt that her life was so dry like a desert.  So they had to rewrite three or four times. Through this, God opened Sh. Claudia’s heart.  She had deep distrust about “men”.  When she realized that God wants her to be happy, a spring of living water began to flow out of her heart.  

One sister fell into adultery and had difficulty to serve the passage of John 8.  But when she confessed her sins honestly, God gave her great joy.  Mrs. Erendira, who is Missionary Erendira’s mother, had a humble heart and received all the training well.  She accepted the direction and talked with her daughter honestly and could resolve various misunderstandings that had bothered M. Erendira from a young age.  Sisters MarySue and Sandra received much grace from Christmas worship service, so they participated in the work of God and served the dance, drama, and aerobic joyfully.  Every night we met and prayed for those whom we invited. Some sisters struggled until they became sick.

Sisters Yanelly, Karen, Paula, Brothers Alonzo, George, Josue, Jesus, and Camilo also attended the conference. Sister Yanelly attended the conference several times in the past without paying the fee fully. But this time we could help her to overcome this and pay the fee fully.  It was an important victory. Sh. Dorka invited her coworker from work paying her fee out of her pocket. Sister Sandra invited her friend, Vero, at the last moment. From Colombia UBF, Sister Carolina came to help her brother. She participated positively and encouraged us very much.

M. Juan Moon and second gen. Isaac Cho, Jr., Sister Nadia, M. Isaac Cho from La Plata, and Sh. Claudia, Sister Gladiz, and M. Erendira from Buenos Aires delivered messages. Sh. Claudia heard Jesus’ invitation personally while serving the message, “Claudia, come down, I must stay in your house today”. Through this she welcomed Jesus into her life not just one day, but eternally. She accepted Jesus as her true husband. She was restored as a daughter of Abraham.  

M. Erendira suffered a lot in the common life with sisters. She didn’t want to die any more for the sheep.  But she saw that Jesus carried his cross to the end until he said on the cross, “It is finished!” With this love that opened the way of salvation for all people, she too made a decision newly to lay down her life for the sheep. Mrs. Erendira, M. Erendira’s mother, also shared her life testimony very honestly. She confessed her sorrows as a widow for many years and accepted Jesus as her true husband.

Moved by the love of Jesus, Sister MarySue decided to write her life testimony. She wrote it all night before God and shared it with tears. The deep grace of God came into her heart. Her face blossomed completely. One sister was very close to salvation. But at the moment of delivery of message, she hid. Seeing Sister MarySue sharing her life testimony and becoming free, she felt ashamed of her sins. There was no change in her life, so after the conference we didn’t see her any longer at the center. A 2nd Gen missionary from Brazil, Peter Park, came and coworked in praise and dancing. His willing heart and servantship encouraged us all.  

In this conference, a total of 36 people attended the conference: 19 from Buenos Aires, 11 from La Plata.  Also, one missionary family of 6 to Afghanistan  attended the conference and gave us a wonderful mission report. We could pray for the work of God through this family.

After the conference, I had to travel to Brazil. But in the Friday meeting, Brother Josue and Sister Sandra shared their joyful testimonies. There was a heavenly feast again. Now two sisters left the sisters’ common life. But Sister MarySue moved in. Mrs. Erendira brings the sisters to eat daily bread and have personal prayer time. Sister Carolina from Colombia UBF plans to join us in Buenos Aires UBF. Sister Leniz who is a cellist also participates in our ministry. Sisters in the common life train themselves diligently until I worry about them. They are united in prayer. Surely God did great work through the conference. But it is only a beginning.  We are planning to have workshops to touch the hearts of students and for Easter. We are praying for five new sheep.  We are very happy in the Lord who loves us so much as to give his One and Only Son! Amen

Reported by M. Marcos Kim