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Daniel’s Decision of Faith

Daniel 1:8 “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.”

In this short graduation testimony, I would like share my thanksgiving topics and prayer topics. Thank God for His mercy and grace upon me and my family. For the last four years, God has been faithful and merciful upon my Ph.D. study at the University of Toledo. By God’s grace and many help from Dr. Paul and other student missionaries, I was accepted to the program in 2007. Because of God’s grace and many leaders’ help, I could re-take the qualifying exam and remain in the program after the first failure. Although I do not deserve, it is God who provided me with everything I have needed for my school study and missionary life, and enabled me to finally graduate with the Ph.D. degree. I am very thankful for God’s guidance and provision so far and give glory to God.

Second, I thank God for my friends and co-workers in Toledo and infrastructure that Toledo UBF has offered to me. In 2002, I came to Toledo and stayed in the brothers’ house for a month as ESL student. Although I came back in 2007, until then I could not fully see the value and greatness of Toledo UBF. But reflecting upon what God has done for me, Toledo was the best place for me to lay a firm foundation as a student missionary. In Toledo UBF, there are many American leaders and families. It is a very good environment to learn English and American culture. People can focus on study and campus ministry in that it is not as crowded as other big cities and there are not many distractions. The structure of spiritual disciples in the form of morning devotion, testimony sharing meeting, Friday night meeting, and Messenger meeting shaped my faith and made me live up to my calling and mission.

I thank God for Dr. Paul Hong who became my pastor and spiritual father and Msn. Peter Park who became my spiritual mentor. I also thank God for prayer mothers such as Msn. Sarah Hong, Joan Park, Rebecca Wilson, S. Sue Paul, S. Tammy Kwiatkowski and many others sincerely have prayed for my family. Personally, I thank God for S. Chad, S. Jim, Dr. Bruce, and S. Greg’s families’ love and support. Co-working with American leaders developed my ability to feed UT students, become a valuable colleague at my work, and become a part of community. Above all, Toledo coworkers’ love, friendship, and prayer have been and will be a source of my comfort and strength. Toledo became my second home and leaders in Toledo are my friends and families. I give many thanks to all of them.

Lastly, thank God for revealing His will and direction for my life of mission in Pittsburgh through Dr. Paul’s prayer based on Daniel 1:8. Although God blessed me abundantly with Andy’s recovery after heart surgery and a faculty position at Robert Morris University this summer, I am encouraged and compelled to set a clear spiritual direction and resolution. I notice that I easily become complacent and tend to settle in this season of God’s blessing. But like Daniel, I may all the more resolve to devote my life to God and resolve to grow as a man of God and godly scholar continuously. I may exercise my faith by daily devotion, testimony writing, and most of all one to one ministries. I pray that I may continue to learn to love and serve one person like Jesus and grow in His heart and humility I also pray that God may grant me a clear desire to work hard and pursue excellence in my ministry and work for God’s glory.

My prayer topics are as below.

1. 5 AM Daily devotion with united prayer and daily bread
2. One day devotion to God (writing a testimony and having fellowship and fishing with M. Anna Park on campus)
3. Become a good friend and coworker for Kalapos family with humility and love to serve the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Melon University
4. Raise Andrew by love and prayer faith and have another baby
5. Continue to grow as an excellent teacher and researcher for Robert Morris University